Navigating Catholic Life - Part 1 Introduction

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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

1. Intro
2. Being a Good Husband and Father (reply to Murrax comment)
   
3. Strategic Planning: A Catholic's Plan for Life
4. Risks and Worries: Risk Management for Life
5. Golf Analogy: Pay Attention!
6. Stress and More Stress: Dealing with the Demands of 21st Century Life as a Human
7. 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
8. Confusion: Fertile Field for Disagreements and Conflicts
9. Exhaustipation: To Tire to Give a Poop
   
10. Locus of Control
11. Offence: Taking and Offering
12. Arguments and Emotions
13. What I would tell my past self about the future
14. Most People in My life have been transient: Stability in this life is illusionary
15. Three Paths: Same Situ, Different Situ, You Exit the Situ
16. Decisions and Action:
17. Wet Soap Bar: Harder you try to hold-on the more likely it is to shoot out of your hands
18. Clarity: What is clear to me is not clear to others!
    
19. Why Do I Go to the SSPX for the Sacraments?
20. People and Relations
21. Your Story vs Others Stories
22. Balance Providence and Prudence:
23. Vivid and Creative Imagination: A Gift From God
24. Wonder and Life
25. Life is Simple, People are Complicated:
26. Value and Values:
27. The Truth
28. The Four States of A Soul
29. Not Knowing the Future: Is a mercy of God
30. Golf and Catholic Life
31. Wisdom from the Father-In-Law 
32. When a tree falls