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JMJ
What is a crisis????
- Simple Definition
- a difficult or dangerous situation that needs serious attention
- Full Definition A
- the turning point for better or worse in an acute disease or fever
- a paroxysmal attack of pain, distress, or disordered function
- an emotionally significant event or radical change of status in a person's life <a midlifecrisis>
- Full Definition B
- the decisive moment (as in a literary plot)
- Full Definition C
- an unstable or crucial time or state of affairs in which a decisive change is impending;especially : one with the distinct possibility of a highly undesirable outcome <a financialcrisis>
- a situation that has reached a critical phase <the environmental crisis>
By all of these definitions the Catholic Church has been in crisis for well over a hundred years. I know most traditionalists trace what they see as a crisis to the Second Vatican Council.
However, by way of analogy, the body of the Church has been infected with the Virus of Liberalism / Modernism / etc for a long time. The Church's immune system put up a valiant fight dispatching white blood cells, but eventually as with an aggressive virus, they were overwhelmed and the blisters erupted at the Second Vatican Council.
... and the blisters have been exploding ever since (Eponymous Flower)
Many cry in anguish and look at the Mystical Body of Christ rent with the scourges and nailed to the cross of our sins and say: This cannot be the Church of Christ. Just as many disciples said that Our Lord was not God.
We must no lose Faith as did the Apostles at the passion of Christ.
A bit of wisdom aptly placed by Tolkien into the mouth of Gandalf:
“I wish it need not have happened in my time," said Frodo."So do I," said Gandalf, "and so do all who live to see such times. But that is not for them to decide. All we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given us.” The Lord of the Rings
What are we to do with the time given to us?
It is to save our souls and those for whom we are responsible.
In reality, for most Catholics, it doesn't matter what is the Pope's latest fantasy (see link to Eponymous Flower).
It suffices to say that, objectively speaking, for the latter part of the 20th Century the Catholic Church has been governed by ineffective Pope's who have made a long series of bad decisions (yes I am being charitable).
Prayer
Following St. Alphonsus de Ligouri we need to:
... always have our mouths open praying to God, and saying: Lord, assist me: give me light; give me strength; keep thy hand upon me, and do not abandon me. (sermon XXVI)
St. Alphonsus goes on to say that we must do violence to God with our prayers and continually and importune Him with our prayers for ourselves and for the Mystical Body of Christ which IS the Catholic Church (Mystici Corporis).
He ends the sermon saying:
Hence the holy doctor exhorts us, "to seek grace, and to seek it through Mary, because she is a mother, and her prayer cannot be fruitless" - de Aquoed. When we ask her to obtain any grace for us, she graciously hears our petitions and prays for us; and the prayers of Mary are never rejected.
So prayer and unceasing prayer is how the leaders of the Church will obtain the grace to cure the Mystical Body of Christ of the virus' that have infected her.
That is the first thing we need to do ... pray!
Penance
The second is penance - especially in a world inundated with worldly pleasure.
Face it, most of us in the west have it pretty easy. Elsewhere in the world, say Africa, it is something to be Catholic and survive. Hence the reason for more vocations in the poorer areas where they really mean it when they say they're Catholic.
The same goes for the Traditional Catholic orders, where they maintain the same level of ordinations as pre-council.
Perhaps the Church needs to be persecuted for her members to buck up and act like Catholics.
Well, in the west the persecution is coming so, like it or not the west is soon going to do penance.
Then the Church will plant her feet on doctrine and stand tall in the face of adversity.
Just don't expect to have a lot of people standing with you.
Patience
With all this, it is simple that the virtue of patience will be necessary for all Catholics who work to remain faithful.
Organizations don't 'turn on a dime', and the bigger the organization the longer it will take to turn.
Hence, we need to be patient and not make rash decisions.
After 30+ years as a Traditional Catholics, I can safely say I've seen Trads make as many rash decisions as non-Trads.
Hence another exposition of my 'sig' Prayer, Penance, Patience.
Being in the west, I still need to work on the second one ... but be patient I'm working on it!
P^3
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