Tradicat

+ JMJ An interesting article that popped up on a search. I am not surprised that, in the midst of the desert of this crisis, people look for heroes. ... And people did regard him as a hero in some regards, but when an ultra Modernist is on the sede many will look orthodox.  It is good to keep our perspective and standards for assessing our heroes because few people's characters are wholly white or black... They are speckled.  Just look at the line of popes in the last hundred years. P^3 Courtesy of SSPX.org “Pope not Modernist” says Modernist October 30, 2013 District of the USA     Cardinal Pell declared that Pope Francis is not a Modernist—but does the cardinal know what Modernism is? Cardinal George Pell of Sydney (and one of the cardinals appointed to the Holy See’s “internal affairs” commission) replied in the direct fashion for which Aussies are world-renowned when asked to comment on Bishop Fellay’s recent statements about P...

+ JMJ Source: EWTN The Truth about Speaking in Tongues "... Because all "speaking in tongues" was reinvented by heretical groups past the apostolic age, (read "Enthuisasm" by Msgr. Ronald Knox for the history of other charismatic movements) we must take movements like this with great caution and prefer the spiritual direction of the great doctors of the Church over men who think they know a way to Heaven better than Our Lord or the saints. As a matter of fact Msgr. Knox astutely notes that "speaking in tongues you never learned was and is typically thought of as a sign of diabolical possession. No one ever claimed it was a gift from God until the 16th century."..."

+JMJ + So Pope Francis is getting his wish to tinker with the Our Father (see Remnant article ). Oops that was in the Catholic family news.... Not really surprised about it. I am surprised that, in the name ecumenism, he doesn't add the accretion "for thines is the power..etc" found in the Protestant Bibles. Which is an addition from some newer Greek manuscripts. If he did, he would just be following the example of Pope St. John Paul II who altered the words of the creed removing the filioque. So you see, the situation isn't Popeless, and it is in continuity with the previous sainted pontiffs. Just saying :-) P^3

+JMJ + In my previous post I mentioned that some people encounter difficulty reconciling three perspectives on the Catholic Church : 1. The Church as she should be: Perfect, full to the brim with people practicing the virtues, seeking their salvation and that of the rest of the world. 2. The Church as she is: presently enduring a major crisis that has been hundreds of years in the making. From the top to the bottom of the hierarchy there are corrupt,  weak men and women who want to remake the Catholic Church in their own image. Yet the Catholic Church remains the Church of Christ in spite of these evil members. 3. The Church as she can be: perfect in the Divine elements, and flawed in the human elements. The leaders of the Catholic Church often demonstrate the Divine support necessary to fulfill the words of OLJC that the gates of hell would not prevail. The inability to deal with the reality of the situation leads many people to make bad decisions. They effectively are scare...

+ JMJ Dr. Lamont has written a response to the criticisms levied against the Open Letter to the Bishops of the Catholic Church. For me, here's the pivotal point in the response: Catholics must judge for themselves in reading the letter whether this evidence is sufficient or not. My primary concern is that people will arrive at and act upon the sede-vacantist conclusion of this thought process.  Dr. Lamont then makes an statistical argument and goes on to state: We should therefore accept that Pope Francis has publicly and persistently upheld the heresies listed above. At this point it is obvious that Dr. Lamont has personally come to the conclusion and made this private judgement for himself. He is definitely entitled to hold his personal opinion. However, the statistical argument is flawed because he assigned a low probability that Pope Francis is not meaning to make heretical statements etc.  ... But he has no data to support such an assumption.  So ....

+JMJ+ A thought occurred to me on the way home from Mass today. The authors of the open letter are in need of prayers. They are currently in the lime light and are therefore prime targets for the devil. If he succeeds in compromising even only one or two, he may be able to undermine the good work that they have done so far. Being in a highly visible position the temptation of intellectual pride seems a likely method. Perhaps coupled with a sense of justice and honor. In this state they may be unable to reconcile the Church as it should be, as it can be and as it is. If they fail then they will follow Gerry Matatics into error. So pray for them because the church needs men and women who think with the Church. P^3

+JMJ+ A thought occurred to me on the way home from Mass today. The authors of the open letter are in need of prayers. They are currently in the lime light and are therefore prime targets for the devil. If he succeeds in compromising even only one or two, he may be able to undermine the good work that they have done so far. Being in a highly visible position the temptation of intellectual pride seems a likely method. Perhaps coupled with a sense of justice and honor. In this state they may be unable to reconcile the Church as it should be, as it can be and as it is. If they fail then they will follow Gerry Matatics into error. So pray for them because the church needs men and women who think with the Church. P^3

+JMJ+ In my last post I focused on the importance of a strong spiritual life in order to pull out of the MadTrad Death Spiral.  I want to make something clear, I don't advocate putting down your favorite traditional Catholic periodical so you can be indifferent to the machinations of the crisis. If anything it should upset you and if you are not upset by all aspects of the crisis, then you are in danger falling in a different way. It is just that being in a constant state of frustration and anger does not help you to understand the foundations of why you are angered.  This leads me to the next point.  Study the Catholic Faith.  Obviously I am not going to recommend you study the Catechism of the Catholic Church, because it's audience is bishops and we know how messed up are the majority of bishops these days. I am not even going to mention the issues in that tome written by a modern bishop if not a Modernist. I am going to recommend a course of s...

+ JMJ In the first article on this topic I promised to try and provide some advice on staying the course and not falling off the knife edge.  In the second article, I provided some insights from the Imitation of Christ. In this third article, I want to focus on some wisdom that I received at a key point in my in-person and online discussions. You have to keep your 'cup full' and give only away from the excess.  The contents of the cup is Grace. If you give it away faster than you replenish it, you will eventually fall, probably infected by the same disease you are attempting to cure. In medical terms they call it 'self-care' and 'respite'. So to pull out of the death-spiral, you need to regularly put down the various Trad magazines (even the Remnant) and do some spiritual reading. My favorite is the Imitation of Christ - but you need to find the right source that fits your soul. P^3

+ JMJ ... NOT! Of course I'm just referring to the resistance rumour (posted in January) that the SSPX had received a mandate to consecrate 2 bishops, that the consecrations would happen at the end of April and ...  it didn't happen. What has happened is that Bishop Huonder is retiring to a house of the SSPX. On Monday, May 20, 2019, Pope Francis relieved Bishop Vitus Huonder of his duties as Bishop of the Diocese of Chur (Switzerland), while appointing an administrator with a view to the election of his successor. According to an intention that he stated long ago, Bishop Huonder is retiring to a house of the Society of Saint Pius X. The one sole purpose of this step is to dedicate himself to prayer and silence, to celebrate the traditional Mass exclusively, and to work for Tradition, the only way of renewing the Church. The Society of Saint Pius X appreciates Bishop Huonder’s courageous decision and rejoices to be able to provide him with th...

+ JMJ Rorate Caeli has published the SSPX perspective on the Open Letter with a focus on the statement that it is a "A Radical Approach Doomed to Failure". As noted in my earlier article here , unless all the bishops come together and agree, a very unlikely event, anyone who attempts to convict Pope Francis of the canonical crime of heresy will probably have the blood of a schism on his hands. Two key paragraphs: And if they remain silent? What will happen then? What must be done? If this is not to note the failure of such an initiative that might ridicule the authors and their cause. This Open Letter is a waste of time—an action producing little effect, the fruit of a legitimate indignation but which falls into excess, at the risk of lessening its good influence. Having appealed to the bishops of the Catholic Church, what is the next step that the authors can take? Moreover, the danger of this approach may be in inducing its authors to deviate fro...

+ JMJ The Superior General of the SSPX asked its members to renew its consecration to the Immaculate Heart of Mary - via the original ... and longer form used by its founder in 1984. With the crisis reaching a feverish pitch, it may be a good idea to renew our own consecrations! An act of consecration can be found here. P^3 To Thee, O Immaculate Mother of God, do we have recourse in this supreme hour of mankind's need, amidst such storms indeed as have never been known, shaking Mother Church to her very foundations. Thou, who standing by the foot of the Cross, didst once share so closely in the sufferings of they Divine Son, with what compassion art thou not moved today for the suffering of His Mystical Body, the Church! Whilst outside the Church, Communism has spread its errors in all directions that the Church herself is infected by them, at the same time within her very bosum the virus of a false ecumenism poisons souls without number, either tearing them ...

+ JMJ Just an additional post with a perspective of the SSPX. Remember one thing: Pope Francis was made a cardinal by Pope St. John Paul II. Proof that he wasn't infallible and lends credence that perhaps there are more elements of that long papacy that simply were stepping stones to this point in history. P^3 Courtesy of FSSPX.news Regarding the Open Letter to the Bishops of the Catholic Church May 17, 2019 Source: fsspx.news     On Tuesday, April 30, 2019, twenty or so Catholic theologians and university professors published an Open Letter to the Bishops of the Catholic Church , inviting them to intervene with Pope Francis, to ask him to renounce the heresies of which he is accused. In case he persists, the canonical crime of heresy would be established, and the pope would then be “subject to the canonical consequences.” The summary published by the authors explains this last point: if Francis obstinat...

+ JMJ Source: Catholic Apologetics - Are You Charismatic or Catholic? Are You Charismatic or Catholic? "For false Christ’s and false prophets shall rise, and shall show signs and wonders, to seduce, if it were possible, even the elect." - Mark 13:22 By Raymond Taouk The Origin of the present day Charismatic Movement can be traced back to the “holiness movement” which was began in the late 19th century in the united states by the Protestant preacher Charles fox Parham who began preaching (1901) to his topeka congregation that speaking in tongues was objective evidence of baptism in the spirit. After the Los Angeles mission of Parham's apostolic faith sect became the center of a great revival (1906) the movement quickly spread around the world. Over the next two decades the movement split along doctrinal and racial lines. Today the Charismatics generally go by the name of “pentecostalist” although the term “Charismatic” is the more generally u...

+ JMJ First step, I'm going to highlight those Dogmas that I think are either under attack or neglected in this age. Because Neo-Modernism (like its father Modernism) undermines all Dogmas, in theory all Dogma's should be highlighted!!! P^3 Tradicat: De Fide Teachings of the Catholic Church Book 1: The Unity and Trinity of God God, our Creator and Lord, can be known with certainty, by the natural light of reason from created things.  God's existence is not merely an object of natural rational knowledge, but also an object of supernatural faith.  God's nature is incomprehensible to men.  The blessed in Heaven possess an immediate intuitive knowledge of the Divine Essence.  The Immediate Vision of God transcends the natural power of cognition of the human soul, and is therefore supernatural.  The soul, for the Immediate Vision of God, requires the light of glory.  God's Essence is also incomprehensible to the blessed in Heaven.  ...