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JMJ
It is a big step from the non-Traditional to Traditional Catholic World.
First of all, the Trad world is much smaller, isolated and under siege.
This leads to a number of interesting elements that a person making the transition needs to take into account.
The Trad World Is Smaller
It is a fact that in the states there are about 30,000 Traditional Catholics who support the SSPX and about 3,000 in Canada. The other Traditionalit orders (FSSP, ICK, etc), I assume, are in the same ball park if not smaller.Let put that in perspective, in my area there are 270,000 non-Traditional Catholics.
Consequently, aside from the larger centers, a Traditional 'Parish' or Mass Centre will be 200 people or less.
This has the advantage of being like an extended family and cozy.
It has the disadvantage that any crazy 'uncles' in that family will be in plain sight.
Be forewarned that any eccentricity that would be drowned in a sea of people in a non-Traditional setting will be like mountains in a Trad environment.
So be patient.
The Trad World Is Isolated
Trads are not, by nature, isolationist. But because of the distance between the Teachings of the World and the Teachings of the Catholic Church - a normal isolation occurs.Think about the 'popular' topics of abortion, euthanasia, contraception, gay rights, eugenics, etc.
Each of these is an important topic or 'issue', slowly creating a significant amount of emotional (irrational) thought and argumentation.
However, when one becomes a Traditional Catholic, a whole new set of 'issues' are added to the list.
The first would be Outside the Church there is no salvation (see this link for a my series on this topic). This is a Dogma - yet I have been accused by nT's of 'wanting to condemn them all to Hell'. This is closely linked with the 'anonymous christian' theory (condemned by Pius XII).
When you cross the line to tCatholicism, you are going to be faced with this one - sooner or later. Be ready by understanding what the Church teaches - false religions are just that false. They do not have any power to save. Any vestiges of the Catholic Church that they contain (Bible, sacraments etc) are just that vestiges.
Members of non-Catholic religions aren't members of the Catholic Church and therefore they are seriously hampered depending on their state of ignorance.
The second would be liberalism. Liberals have an immediate hate reaction when they come across a Catholic who actually believes what the Catholic Church Teaches. In fear a Catholic may turn from this fight and ... it is a hard one to navigate because the Liberals have an emotional response.
... the list goes on.
The Trad World is Under Siege
Because of these differences, differences that matter, there is a war between the Army of Christ and the Army of Satan.A lot of us have been fighting since the 70's, I've been in for 35 years. The human mind likes to make complex things simple, us vs them. In general this is true, it is the Camp of Christ vs the Camp of Satan.
Years of conflict can develop automatic reactions to things that 'smell' moderns. One's perspective may narrow if they don't keep up a strong spiritual life (1st priority) and study the faith (2nd priority).
So start today working on your spiritual life and studying - but always keep the priority.
Conclusion
So what does this all mean?It means that when a person becomes a TCatholic, a chasm will open between their beliefs and those of ntCatholics and non-Catholics alike.
Be patient.
P^3
nTC =nTCatholic = non-Traditional Catholic
TC = TCatholic = Tradication Catholic
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