Navigating Catholic Life - Part 1 Introduction

JMJ

This series has, metaphorically, been a lifetime in the writing. I've been a 'Traditional' Catholic, as opposed to an [Modern, Liberal, Conservative, Communist, etc] Catholic since 1982.

Up to 1982, I was a regular Post-Conciliar Catholic, growing up at the tail-end of the rout (definition) of Catholic Belief that happened after the end of the Second Vatican Council and after the introduction of the Novus Ordo Missae (NOM) in 1970.

One of my earliest memories of that era was trying to get as much of the pew in front of us in my mouth. It tasted awesome. A part of that memory is of a church lady scowling down at me as I continued to taste the pew. I remember the parish priest was really conservative. Throughout that church he had stashed relics of the Traditional Mass. Candle sticks, statues, side altars, thurible, Missal, tabernacle. His sermons were as good as any I have heard from the SSPX priests.

As a side note, his parish thrived with one side effect. At least one person lost the faith when he moved to another parish and found that the oasis in which he had grown-up was practically unique in our city.

It turns out that his success had a downside, the bishop split the parish and my family moved to the new parish where as one of the 'founding families' we were heavily engaged. This was instrumental because by being engaged my parents and siblings began to notice subtle differences that, over a few years, became instrumental. The seeds of the Second Vatican Council and perhaps more than one weed had found purchase and it resulted in our return to our original parish, then the Ukrainian Rite and finally in 1982, we found the little chapel served by Fr. Normandin (RIP).

I will say that initially, I didn't want to be at the Traditional Mass. It was so different and foreign to my earlier life that it took time to adapt. My first experience was memorable and highly negative. I may tell that story later. What I want to highlight at that point was something that, in hindsight, I noticed. One of my siblings became very scrupulous and literal to almost a dogmatic level. This, I now know, is dangerous because, like the resistance, it blinds people to what is really required to stay a faithful catholic in this crisis.

Perspective.

This perspective is achieved by study, a strong spiritual life, and practice. We can never be a perfect catholic, like doctors who practice medicine, we must practice Catholicism.

I will try to convey what I've learned and noticed in this series (outline below) and kick off the series trying to answer a question left by Murrax on the Unhinged Catholics (link) post.

P^3

Series Outline

Series Purpose: Discussing how to live as a Catholic is a decidedly indifferent and "liberal" world

Label: Series - Navigating Catholic Life

Intro
Being a Good Husband and Father (reply to Murrax comment)
Strategic Planning: A Catholic's Plan for Life
Risks and Worries: Risk Management for Life
Golf Analogy: Pay Attention!
Stress and More Stress: Dealing with the Demands of 21st Century Life as a Human
Start Now, Tomorrow is a Wish, Not a Promise: Child is the Father of the Man, Child is the Mother of the Woman. Aka Child is the Parent of the Future
Confusion: Fertile Field for Disagreements and Conflicts
Exhaustipation: To Tire to Give a Poop
Locus of Control
Offence: Taking and Offering
Arguments and Emotions
What I would tell my past self about the future
Most People in My life have been transient: Stability in this life is illusionary
Three Paths: Same Situ, Different Situ, You Exit the Situ
Decisions and Action:
Wet Soap Bar: Harder you try to hold-on the more likely it is to shoot out of your hands
Clarity: What is clear to me is not clear to others!
Why Do I Go to the SSPX for the Sacraments?
People and Relations
Your Story vs Others Stories
Balance Providence and Prudence:
Vivid and Creative Imagination: A Gift From God
Wonder and Life
Life is Simple, People are Complicated:
Value and Values:
The Truth
The Four States of A Soul
Not Knowing the Future: Is a mercy of God
Golf and Catholic Life
Wisdom from the Father-In-Law
When a tree falls

Comments

Comparision of the Tridentine, Cranmer and Novus Ordo Masses

+ JMJ I downloaded the comparison that was linked in the previous article on the mass (here) . ... a very good reference! P^3 From: Whispers of Restoration (available at this link) . CHARTING LITURGICAL CHANGE Comparing the 1962 Ordinary of the Roman Mass to changes made during the Anglican Schism; Compared in turn to changes adopted in the creation of Pope Paul VI’s Mass in 1969 The chart on the reverse is a concise comparison of certain ritual differences between three historical rites for the celebration of the Catholic Mass Vetus Ordo: “Old Order,” the Roman Rite of Mass as contained in the 1962 Missal, often referred to as the “Traditional Latin Mass.”The Ordinary of this Mass is that of Pope St. Pius V (1570) following the Council of Trent (1545-63), hence the occasional moniker “Tridentine Mass.” However, Trent only consolidated and codified the Roman Rite already in use at that time; its essential form dates to Pope St. Gregory the Great (+604), in whose time the R...

SSPX and the Resistance - A Comparison Of Ecclesiology

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If Pope Francis is bad - what about Pope St. John Paul II et al?

+ JMJ So here we are on the apparent cusp of yet another post conciliar Papal canonization. This time we have Pope's John-Paul I and Paul VI canonizations to 'look forward' to. This follows, obviously, on the heels of Pope St. John Paul II's canonization? So the first question that I usually encounter is: How is it possible, keeping in mind the doctrine on infallibility of canonizations (note doctrine not dogma), that Pope St. John Paul II is a Saint? First, what does it mean??? According to the doctrine of dogmatic facts - it is the universal opinion of Theologians that canonizations are infallible. It means that they enjoy the beatific vision. ... that's it. That is the doctrine and it is at the level of universal opinion of theologians. It is called a 'dogmatic fact'. That they made mistakes is obvious. That the miracles seem to not be very miraculous is also a bit of an issue. Here's something to consider: The rush that surrou...

Spiritual Journey Archbishop Marcel Lefebvre - Extracts

+ JMJ I have posted these two chapters to provide context for the quote of: It is, therefore, a strict duty for every priest wanting to remain Catholic to separate himself from this Conciliar Church for as long as it does not rediscover the Tradition of the Church and of the Catholic Faith. P^3 Courtesy of SSPX.ca Chapter II The Perfections of God We ought to remember during this entire contemplation of God that we must apply all that is said of God to Our Lord Jesus Christ, Who is God. We cannot separate Jesus Christ from God. We cannot separate the Christian religion from Jesus Christ, Who is God, and we must affirm and believe that only the Catholic religion is the Christian religion. These affirmations have, as a result, inescapable conclusions that no ecclesiastic authority can contest: outside of Jesus Christ and the Catholic religion, that is, outsi...

Dogmas of the Catholic Faith (de fide) - Expanded Listing: Answer for Reader

+ JMJ A reader asked the following question in the 2015 version of the article on the Dogmas of the Catholic Faith (link) : 117: "In the state of fallen nature it is morally impossible for man without Supernatural Revelation, to know easily, with absolute certainty and without admixture of error, all religious and moral truths of the natural order." Where can you find this in the documents of the Church? ( Link to comment ) Here's the reference from Ott: The citation that Ott provided was Denzinger 1786 and the source document is Dogmatic Consitution Concerning the Faith from the First Vatican Council (Papal Encyclicals - link) : Chapter 2 On Revelation, Article 3: It is indeed thanks to this divine revelation , that those matters concerning God, which are not of themselves beyond the scope of human reason, can, even in the present state of the human race, be known by everyone, without difficulty, with firm certitude and with no intermingling of error. Here's ...

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