Tradicat

 + JMJ First, wishing you a belated Merry Christmas and a Happy and HOLY New Year! As usual, what follows is articles that caught my eye with some of my thoughts on what, in my opinion, it all means.  P^3 Crisis of the Catholic Church Fiducia Supplicans While the fury over this latest action of Pope Francis the First is ongoing, it remains to be seen whether it results in any lasting sentiments. For example, if Pope Francis were to experience a sudden death, some within the hierarchy may see it as Divine Intervention and move the needle back in the right direction.  Only, the problem is that Pope Francis the First has placed his mark on the College of Cardinals ... so something would have to either change their minds or something would have to dramatically changed the composition of the College of Cardinals.   An Act of God would make things much simpler, but there is no guarantee of that, we may have to muddle our way through and gain further merit and grace by...

 + JMJ    Just to be clear, neither Pope Francis, nor any of us will get out of 'this' life alive.  So the question that we need consider is will we leave the world better or worse for our having being born and walked the surface of the Earth.  The same Earth that Our Lord Jesus Christ walked. How are we going to stand in front of  a Just Judge when the time for mercy and forgiveness is over. That's, once we cross the line from life to after-life, our fate is sealed.  It will depend on whether or not we die in a state of grace and the life we have lived. Gifts that we have been given by God are many, but the Sacraments, particularly those of the spritually dead are essential, especially confession. Without confession we can't access the other Sacraments! The Council of Trent solemnly defined that there are seven sacraments of the New Law, truly and properly so called, viz., Baptism, Confirmation, Holy Eucharist, Penance, Extreme Unction, Orders, and Ma...

 + JMJ   By Jean-Paul Laurens - Musée des Beaux-Arts, Nantes, Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=109877 Wiki Reference: Cadaver Synod  There are a number of ultimate truths in this world and one of them is that no one gets out alive - at least for us humans. This is also true for Pope Francis.  So yes, I know that he is still the Pope because of Catholic Dogma and Doctrine. I also know that he will remain the Vicar of Christ until one of three things happen: He dies. He explicitly abandons the Faith. The Hierarchy of the Catholic Church declares that he is no longer the Vicar of Christ.  Nota Bene:  Item #2 Emphasis on explicitly so there is no need for a subjective judgement. Item #3 can also happen post mortem. So where does that leave us? Pope Francis is a bad Pope: There is historical precedent for this A following Pope can undo the Bad and improve upon the Good. Yes, Pope Francis has done some good, such as giving the SSPX ...

 + JMJ    I've written some thoughts on War and the present events. These will start to post in April, when perhaps the passage of time will help make clear what in the present is hidden in the fog of the moment. That said, as it is highly unlikely that Pope Francis will change his path, for the Church the next major step is the next conclave. After that, for the Church I see only three possibilities.  First, things will stay the same. The next Pope will follow in the footsteps of Pope Francis. Second, things will get worse. Given the damage that Pope Francis had done in ten years, it sounds impossible. But who would have thought that a validly elected Pope (i.e. Francis) would be so bad???  It is always possible that the next conclave elects an even more deranged Pope. Third, things will get better. A good to great Pope will be elected and start to set things right. The destruction of the past sixty-plus cannot be undone in an instant. God doesn't work that way...

 + JMJ The short answer is that the present version of the Sign of the Cross is a profession of Faith.  By it we profess our belief in: The Blessed Trinity The Incarnation of Our Lord Jesus Christ That Our Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of God, died for us upon the Cross P^3   Excerpts   References Catechism Explained - Spirago and Clark Catholic Encyclopedia (New Advent): The Sign of the Cross WikiSource: Catholic Encyclopedia (1913)/Cross and Crucifix A Manual of Prayers for the Use of the Catholic Laity (1888) Wikipedia: Sign of the Cross