Tradicat

 + JMJ  Something to keep in mind. P^3  

+ JMJ  A long time ago I worked for a Defence Contractor and during that time I took to reading the magazines and journals available at my workplace. It still keep tabs on military developments by reading public domain sources like Defense News, Defense One and other reports. The following statement made by the Polish DPM and Defence Minister caught my eye: “States are safe when three principles are met: the strength of their societies, the strength of their militaries, and the strength of their alliances,” Polish Deputy Prime Minister and National Defence Minister Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz said, as quoted in a statement released by his ministry. Defense News: German Patriot batteries begin guarding Ukraine aid hub in Poland While I'm not certain if the principles are all encompassing, but they do provide a point to ponder.  Rome's fall, according to popular assessment, coincided with its economic, moral and military decay. Looking at these words, I wonder if there is a hierar...

 + JMJ  As I write this on December 23, 2023, I can't help by wonder what the next Pope (i.e. Vicar of Christ) will do in the aftermath left by Pope Francis (the First and hopefully the Last). Pope Francis has placed another landmine on the path outwards of this Crisis of the Catholic Church. Simply put, it is the allowance of 'blessings' for Gay Couples.  The list of other landmines is long and glorious but some highlights would be the dismantling of the hierarchy, removal of priests and bishops for being 'divisive', ambiguous documents that open the Catholic Church to the acceptance of sinful acts as practical doctrine,  Yes, Pope Francis (elected March 13, 2013) has left quite a mess and this mess is what the next Pope, if he is a great (not just good) Vicar of Christ will have to walk the Way of the Cross to undo the evil Gordian knot tied by Popes since Pius XII.  Each Pope has, by their decisions, added Bights, Crossings, Elbows, and loops to the knot that...

 + JMJ In my opinion (IMO)... The Catholic Church has, since the Second Vatican Council, been in a civil war between no less than four groups of Catholics: Neo-Modernists, Liberals, Conservatives and Traditionalists. The difference between the Neo-Modernists and Liberals is practically indistinguishable. Both want to change Church Doctrine to make it something other than it is. Like the heresies of the past, instead of leaving the Church and splitting off ... they want to mutate the Catholic Church into something else. While normally nice, when confronted with anything resembling pre-conciliar thinking, doctrine or liturgy the knives come out. The only, and I'm serious, the only real reprieve to this war was a momentary cease-fire created by Pope Benedict XVI and ended by Pope Francis I.  Pope John Paul II's 1982 indult and the Ecclesei Dei communities had to tow a very narrow line to avoid being noticed by the internal enemies of the Church (again IMO).  What does this m...

 + JMJ We seem to be in transition from the persecution of the SSPX and other faithful Catholics to a civil war within the Catholic Church i.e. a true schism. Several Bishops, Priests and Dioceses have rejected outright Fiducia Supplicans (link) . This, in my opinion (IMO), is a new inflection point on the way to what will amount to an civil war within the Catholic Church. Pope Francis had spent the past ten years putting the final touches on the fault-lines within the Church and this may be the final blow that actually awakens Our Lord sleeping in the bow of the Barque of St. Peter.  That is something that we need to remember, Our Lord is with his Church, even on its way to Calvary. So, what is about to happen is that, IMO, faithful Catholics will find themselves in the same situation as the SSPX.  Persecuted and fighting for the heart of the Catholic Church. The history of the SSPX provides a microcosm of what we might expect to happen in the Catholic Church during a 'c...

 + JMJ  It is unavoidable that the conflict between the Church and the World will ... inspite of the Church basically surrendering to the World during and after the Second Vatican Council ... enter the family. First, it is unlikely that an entire family will be "Traditional Catholic". This will lead to conflict between the various "sides" of the family.  Next there is the impact of the world around them.  In other words, you can't keep your children out of the world indefinitely. There are so many pressures and stessors that work against keeping the Catholic Life that it seems that heroic virtue is needed in this day and age. A final aspect is related to the second.  Their companions, especially if they are not Catholic. In some cases you may hope that your children will influence instead of be influenced. In this case you will have to intervene if they are underage and if adults, pray and act prudently. With all these forces stacked up against you, the best you...

 + JMJ  The culture that permeates Western culture is actually difficult to pin down. There is a constant tension between the liberals and the conservatives.  However, the question is, what have the conservative managed to conserve? In this case, in my opinion (IMO), the conservatives are fighting a losing battle because they, like much of Western Culture have become disconnected from the root of Western Culture, Catholicism.  What's more Catholicism has likewise become disconnected from its own roots.  God created nature to abhor a vacuum so something has be replace what has been abandoned. In this case, Liberal Catholicism and Modernism have filled the gap. So to fix modern culture before it completely self-destructs, it is necessary for its root, the Catholic Church, to re-anchor itself - prophesized by St. Don Bosco as to the Eucharist and the Blessed Virgin Mary. The true culture wars are those in the hearts and minds of the people who collectively make the...

 + JMJ  Society seems to be ripping itself apart, both morally and socially.  Morally, the world continues its steady decline.  Israel vs Hamas The confusion over the morality of the Israel vs Hamas War is one example. It is a war and, this time, in response to the October 7th attack.  I've noticed two perspectives emerge from the two combatants.  For the Israeli, it is that they are the only Nation that is not allowed to win a war.  Public opinion is always at play in wars, but in the case of Israel against anyone in the area, public opinion quickly becomes a factor.  For Hamas and its supporters it is embodied in the phrase:  From the River to the Sea, Palestine will be Free.  This is the goal of Hamas, the elimination of the Jewish state of Israel according to its 2017 Charter (link) .  I understand that their original charter was more explicit.  Tied to this is that Hamas obviously, prioritizes its goal over the Gazans that...

 + 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    Hamas is getting the war that it wanted, but I wonder who is the real opponent. The media is focused on the Gazan civilian's that Hamas is putting or holding in the crossfire, and people are going to die. However, the question becomes who provides the weapons to the terrorist organizations like Hamas, Hezbollah et al?  Who provides the resources of people, equipment, training, and most of funding?  They say to follow the money to get to the root. So far we've heard that Iran is a big supplier as the leaders of Hamas in Qatar or the attack and await the outcry when civilians are killed as a result. Is this really just a war about secular matters, i.e. the erasure of Israel from the map?   ... or ... Is it actually a religious war under the cloak of secularism? Something to consider and watch - even if the Israeli's think of this as a secular war, is that the same for the Muslims? I'm beginning to wonder if this is linked in some fashion to the...

+ JMJ There have been a number of reactions to the attacks in France, which have been followed by others in Mali. Judge for yourself whether or not this is a Catholic response! P^3 Courtesy of the Remnant