.....
this missal is hereafter to be followed absolutely, without any scruple of
conscience or fear of incurring any penalty, judgment or censure, and may
freely and lawfully be used ..... Nor
are superiors, administrators, canons, chaplains, and other secular priests, or
religious, of whatever title designated, obliged to celebrate the Mass otherwise
than as enjoined by Us. ..... Accordingly,
no one whatsoever is permitted to infringe or rashly contravene this notice of
Our permission, statute, ordinance, command, precept, grant, direction, will,
decree and prohibition. Should any person venture to do so, let him
understand he will incur the wrath of Almighty God and of the Blessed Apostles
Peter and Paul.
Pope
St. Pius V, Papal Bull, QUO PRIMUM,
Tridentine
Codification of the “received and approved” traditional Roman Rite of the Mass.
PDF PRINT
Third Sunday of Advent-Gaudete Sunday
Octave Day of the Immaculate Conception
EMBER WEEK
December 14, 2025
“The Lord is now at hand, come let us
adore Him.” The First Coming: It is Mary
who gives us Jesus: “Blessed are thou, Mary….those things shall be accomplished
in thee, which were spoken to thee by the Lord” (Antiphon at the Magnificat).
It is from Bethlehem that the King, the Ruler, shall go forth who is to
bring peace to all the nations (2nd response) and who will deliver
his people from the power of their enemies (4th response). In a special way our souls will share in this
deliverance during the Christmas celebrations which mark the anniversary of the
entrance into the world of Christ, the vanquisher of Satan. “Grant, we beseech Thee,” the Church prays,
“that the new birth of Thine only-begotten Son may set us free, whom the old
bondage doth hold under the yoke of sin” (Third Mass, Christmas Day). “Make straight the way of the Lord,” cried
the forerunner of Christ. So let us make
straight the way into our hearts, that our Savior may enter and give us his
graces of life and freedom.
The Second Coming. It is to our
Lord’s coming at the end of the world that St. Gregory alludes in his
explanation of the Gospel: “John,” he says, “the forerunner of the Redeemer,
goes before our Lord in the spirit and power of Elias who will be the
forerunner of Christ as Judge” (9th lesson). So also in the Introit and Epistle, taken
literally, the allusion is our Lord’s coming for the Judgment. If we feel great joy at the approach of the
Christmas feast, reminding us once more of the lowly Infant in the Manger, how
much more should the thought of His Coming in all the splendor of His power and
majesty fill us with a holy sense of triumph, since only then will our
redemption be fully accomplished.
St. Paul writes to his Christians: “Rejoice in the Lord always: again, I
say, rejoice….. the Lord is nigh.” As on
Mid-Lent Sunday, the priest may celebrate in rose-colored vestments. Rose is a paler kind of violet; it expresses
some relaxation in penance, owing to the joy of the heavenly Jerusalem into
which our Lord will lead us when time shall be no more, “Rejoice, O Jerusalem,
with great joy, for there shall come unto thee, a Savior” (2nd
Antiphon of Vespers). Let us greatly
desire this coming which the Apostle tells us is near. We should long with a holy impatience that it
may quickly come to pass. “Stir up, O
Lord, Thy might, and come to save us” (Alleluia). “Come, Lord, and tarry not.” “Per Adventum tuum, libera nos, Domine.”
INTROIT:
Philipp. 4: Rejoice in the
Lord always; again I say, rejoice. Let
your modesty be known to all men. The
Lord is nigh. Be nothing solicitous, but
in everything, let your petitions be made known to God.
Ps. 84: Lord, Thou hast
blessed Thy land; Thou hast turned away the captivity of Jacob. Glory be, etc. Rejoice in the Lord, etc.
COLLECT:
O Lord, we beseech Thee, mercifully
incline Thine ears unto our prayers, and enlighten the darkness of our minds by
the grace of Thy heavenly visitation.
Who liveth and reigneth, etc.
O God, who by the Immaculate
Conception of the Virgin didst prepare a worthy dwelling-place for Thy Son, we
ask that, as by the foreseen death of this Thy Son thou didst keep her from all
stain, so too Thou wouldst permit us, purified through her intercession, to
come to Thee. Through our Lord, etc.
EPISTLE: Philipp.
4. 4-7
Rejoice in the Lord always; again, I say, rejoice. Let your modesty be
known to all men. The Lord is nigh. Be nothing solicitous; but in every thing,
by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your petitions be made known
to God. And the peace of God, which surpasseth all understanding, keep your
hearts and minds in Christ Jesus our Lord.
What does it mean to rejoice in the Lord?
It means to be glad in remembering the grace by which God called us to
the true faith, and gave us the hope of eternal salvation, and to rejoice even
in all our tribulations and adversities for the Lord's sake, as St. Paul did (2
Cor. 7, 4). It also admonishes us to give a good example by modesty and an
edifying life, and to fix our desires on God, Who will never fail us if we make
our wants known to Him by prayer and supplication, and give Him thanks for
benefits received.
In what does the peace
of God consist?
It consists in a good conscience, such as St. Paul enjoyed. It is this
peace, this tranquility of the soul, which sustained the holy martyrs in their
agonies, and consoled others under persecution for Christ's sake (Matt. 5,
11-12).
Aspiration:
O Lord, grant that
Thy peace, which Thou hast given us, and which the world knows not, may keep
our hearts and minds in Thee. O wisdom! proceeding from the mouth of the
Highest, and reaching to the ends of the world, who governest with power and
grace, come and direct us all, that we may walk in the path of wisdom and of
the peace which surpasseth all understanding. Amen.
THE
BEST REMEDY IN THE HOUR OF SORROW
In need, sorrow, and dejection
the best means to relieve our distressed hearts is humble and confiding prayer,
in which we can pour out our hearts before God, and give ourselves up to His
love and mercy, as did Anna, the sorrowful mother of Samuel the prophet,
Josaphat in painful uncertainty, Susanna falsely accused and condemned to
death, and innumerable other servants of God. These all prayed to God and were
delivered from their afflictions, received help and consolation. St. James
therefore admonishes us, "Is any one of you sad? let him pray" (James
5, 13); and St. Paul, in the epistle for this Sunday, encourages us not to
be solicitous about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication,
with thanksgiving, to let our requests be known to God. Are you, then, sad and
discouraged? Lift up your soul to God, and say with David, "Give joy to
the soul of Thy servant, for to Thee, O Lord, I have lifted up my soul" (Ps.
85, 4).
GRADUAL:
Ps. 79: Thou, O Lord, that
sittest above the cherubims, stir up Thy might, and come. Give ear, O Thou that rulest Israel, Thou
that leadest Joseph like a sheep.
Alleluia, alleluia. Stir up Thy might, O Lord, and come, that
Thou mayest save us, alleluia.
GOSPEL: John
1, 19-28
At that time: The Jews sent from Jerusalem priests and Levites to him,
to ask him: Who art thou? And he confessed, and did not deny: and he confessed:
I am not the Christ. And they asked him: What then? Art thou Elias? And he
said: I am not. Art thou the prophet? And he answered: No. They said therefore
unto him: Who art thou, that we may give an answer to them that sent us? What
sayest thou of thyself? He said: I am the voice of one crying out in the
wilderness, make straight the way of the Lord, as said the prophet Isaias. And they
that were sent, were of the Pharisees. And they asked him, and said to him: Why
then dost thou baptize, if thou be not Christ, nor Elias, nor the prophet? John
answered them, saying: I baptize with water; but there hath stood One in the
midst of you, Whom you know not. The same is He that shall come after me, Who
is preferred before me: the latchet of Whose shoe I am not worthy to loose.
These things were done in Bethania, beyond the Jordan, where John was
baptizing.
Why did the Jews send messengers
to John to ask him who he was?
Because his baptizing and preaching, with his life of austerity and
penance, made such an impression that the people took him not for an ordinary
prophet, but for the Messias Himself.
Why did the messengers ask John
whether he was Elias or the prophet?
The Jews believed that either Elias or another of the prophets would return to
earth to prepare the way for the coming of Christ; and from St. John denying
that he was the Christ they concluded that he was either Elias or that prophet.
Why did St. John say
that he was not that prophet, but only the voice of one crying in the
wilderness?
He said so out of humility; but he uttered no untruth, since he was not the
prophet predicted by Moses (Deut. 18, 15), but only "the voice of
one crying in the wilderness, Make straight the way of the Lord," as the
prophet Isaias said (Is. 60, 3).
How do we make straight the
way of the Lord?
By sincere penance, which consists not merely in going to confession, and
making hollow resolutions, but in bringing forth fruits worthy of penance (Matt.
3, 8; Luke 3, 8).
How do we bring forth fruits
worthy of penance?
If we wish to bring forth fruits worthy of penance, we must endeavor to make
amends for what is past, and use all possible means to avoid in future those
sins to which we have been most given; we must love and serve God as much as
and more than we before loved and served the world.
What
was the baptism of John, and what was the effect of it?
It was a baptism of penance, for the forgiveness of
sins; thus it was a preparation for the Baptism of Christ, through which sins
are actually forgiven, and the Holy Ghost received (Mark 1, 4, 5).
What
are we further taught by this gospel?
We are taught to always speak the truth, like St. John;
not to desire to appear more, or better, than we are; and, in particular, to
make a good and sincere confession. We should, therefore, before confession
often ask ourselves, "Who am I? How do I live? How do I stand before God?
How do I deal with my neighbor?"
We learn also from St. John to confess our sins without
reserve, neither concealing nor excusing them; above all, we learn to be
humble, for although he might have passed for the Messias had he chosen to, he
refused that honor, and held himself unworthy to loose the latchet of Christ's
shoe
Prayer: O Lord, banish from
my heart envy, self-love, and pride; give me grace so to know Thee and myself
that, in contemplation of Thy majesty, omnipotence, love and wisdom, and other
perfections, I may love Thee above all things, and in regarding my own
nothingness, misery, and sins may always humble myself before Thee, and be
little in my own eyes. Grant also that I may judge my neighbor with justness
and tenderness, and love him as myself.
OFFERTORY:
Ps. 84: Lord, Thou hast
blessed Thy land, Thou hast turned away the captivity of Jacob, Thou hast
forgiven the iniquity of Thy people.
SECRET:
May the offering of our devotion,
O Lord, we beseech Thee, be immolated to Thee continually; that the due rites
of the sacred mystery be accomplished, and Thy salvation wonderfully wrought
out in us. Through our Lord, etc.
Receive,
O Lord, the saving victim which we offer to Thee on the festival of the
Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary: and grant that, even as we proclaim her to
have been preserved by Thy grace from all stain, so may we be delivered, by her
intercession, from all our sins. Through
our Lord, etc.
COMMUNION:
Isa. 35: Say to the
faint-hearted: take courage, and fear
not; behold, our God will come, and will save us.
POSTCOMMUNION:
We implore Thy clemency, O Lord,
that these divine aids may be the expiation of our faults and our preparation
for the festivities to come. Through our
Lord, etc.
May the sacraments
which we have received, O Lord, our God, heal in us the wounds of that sin from
which Thou didst wonderfully preserve the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed
Virgin Mary. Through our Lord, etc.
…but there hath stood One in the midst of you, Whom
you know not. The same is He that shall come after me, Who is preferred before
me: the latchet of Whose shoe I am not worthy to loose.
There hath stood One in the midst of
you, whom you know not, says Saint John the Baptist to them that were sent by
the Jews. So that our Lord may be near, He may even have come, and yet by some
be not known! This Lamb of God is the holy Precursor’s consolation: he
considers it a singular privilege to be but the voice, which cries out to men
to prepare the way of the Redeemer. In this, St. John is the type of the
Church, and of all such as seek Jesus. St. John is full of joy because the
Saviour has come: but the men around him are as indifferent as though they
neither expected nor wanted a Saviour. This is the third week of Advent; and
are all hearts excited by the great tidings told them by the Church, that the
Messias is near at hand? They that love Him not as their Saviour, do they fear
Him as their Judge? Are the crooked ways being made straight, and the hills
being brought low? Are Christians seriously engaged in removing from their
hearts the love of riches and the love of sensual pleasures? There is no time
to lose: the Lord is nigh! If these lines should come under the eye of any of
those Christians who are in this state of sinful indifference, we would conjure
them to shake off their lethargy, and render themselves worthy of the visit of
the divine Infant: such a visit will bring them the greatest consolation here,
and give them confidence hereafter, when our Lord will come to judge all
mankind. Send Thy grace, O Jesus, still more plentifully into their hearts;
‘compel them to go in,’ and permit not that it be said of the children of the
Church, as St. John said of the Synagogue: There
standeth in the midst of you One, whom you know not.
Dom Gueranger, The Liturgical Year, Third Sunday of Advent
"Twofold is our nature, twofold also is the adoration which we
offer to God. We adore Him spiritually
by the inward devotion of the mind; we adore Him corporally by the outward
humiliation of our body; and as in all worship the outward act is referred to
the inward, so by the signs of humility, which are manifested in the body , the
soul is stirred to subject itself to God."
St. Thomas
PROPER OF THE SAINTS FOR THE
WEEK OF DECEMBER 14th:
Date Day
Feast
Rank Color F/A
Mass Time
|
14
|
Sun
|
3rd Sunday of Advent – Gaudete
Within the Octave
Immaculate Conception
|
sd
|
Rose
|
|
Mass 9:00 AM; Rosary of
Reparation 8:30 AM; Confession 8:00 AM
|
|
15
|
Mon
|
Octave Day of the
Immaculate Conception
|
dm
|
W
|
|
Mass 8:30 AM; Rosary of Reparation
before Mass
|
|
16
|
Tue
|
St. Eusebius, BpM
|
sd
|
R
|
|
Mass 8:30 AM; Rosary of
Reparation before Mass
|
|
17
|
Wed
|
Ferial Day
EMBER DAY
|
|
V
|
F/
PA
|
Mass 8:30 AM; Rosary of
Reparation before Mass
|
|
18
|
Thu
|
Ferial Day
|
|
V
|
|
Mass 8:30 AM; Rosary of
Reparation before Mass
|
|
19
|
Fri
|
Ferial Day
EMBER DAY
|
|
V
|
F/A
|
Mass 8:30 AM; Rosary of
Reparation before Mass
|
|
20
|
Sat
|
Ferial Day
Vigil of St. Thomas, Ap
EMBER DAY
|
|
V
|
F/
PA
|
Mass 9:00 AM; Confession 8:00;
Rosary of Reparation 8:30 AM
|
|
21
|
Sun
|
4th Sunday of Advent
|
sd
|
V
|
|
Mass 9:00 AM; Rosary of
Reparation 8:30 AM; Confession 8:00 AM
|
Let us once more devoutly reverence the mystery of Mary’s Immaculate Conception:
our Emmanuel loves to see His Mother honoured. After all, is it not for Him and
for His sake that this bright star was prepared from all eternity, and created
when the happy time fixed by the divine decree came? When we honour the
Immaculate Conception of Mary, it is really to the divine mystery of the
Incarnation that we are paying our just homage. Jesus and Mary cannot be
separated, for Isaias tells us that she is the branch and He the Flower.
"And there shall come forth a rod out of the root of Jesse, and a flower
shall rise up out of his root" (Isaias 11:1).
It is not surprising that the
Incarnate Word of God should have spent so much of His three short years of
public life among men teaching and preaching, and confirming His doctrine by a
profusion of miracles. For this is man’s
great privilege, his supreme sharing in the government of the universe : that
by his efforts other men may have truth.
Truth is crucial to men’s living; so crucial, that the Lord could say of
Himself : “For this was I born, and for this came I into the world; that I
should give testimony to the truth.” To
His disciples He promised : “You shall know the truth, and the truth shall make
you free.” Man perishes in the darkness
for he was made for truth’s kingdom of light.
Rev. Walter Farrell, O. P., My Way of Life, commentary on the Summa
“Let your modesty be known
to all men” (Phili. 4, 5)
St. Paul did not content himself with
entrusting dogmatic teaching to his disciple Timothy; he said to him: ‘Be thou an
example to the faithful, in word, and in living.’ He said much the same to Titus: ‘Show thyself
an example of good works, in doctrine and in integrity of life.’ He repeated to all: ‘Be ye followers of me,
as I also am of Christ.’ He sent Timothy
to the Corinthians, that he might remind them, or, where it was necessary,
might teach them, not only the dogmas of his Gospel, but likewise his ways in
Christ Jesus, that is, his manner of life.
For this manner of life of the apostle was, in a certain measure, his
teaching everywhere in all the Churches; and he lauded the faithful of Corinth
for being mindful to imitate him in all things, which was a keeping to the
tradition of Christ… St. Paul says of the Thessalonians, they had so thoroughly
entered into this teaching, taken from their apostle’s life, that, as St. Paul
says of them, they had become a pattern to all believers; this silent teaching
of Christian revelation, which they showed forth in their conduct, made it
superfluous for the messengers of the Gospel to say much.
Dom Gueranger, The Liturgical Year
Neither shall they say: Behold here, or behold there. For lo, the
kingdom of God is within you. (Luke
17:21)
Seek ye therefore first the kingdom of God, and his justice, and all
these things shall be added unto you. (Matt. 6:33)
Amen I say to you, whosoever shall not receive the kingdom of God as a
little child, shall not enter into it. (Mark 10:15)
Jesus said to him: No man putting his hand to the plough, and looking
back, is fit for the kingdom of God. (Luke 9:62)
And from the days of John the Baptist until now, the kingdom of heaven
suffereth violence, and the violent bear it away. (Matt. 11:12)
A tremendous
mystery certainly, and one never sufficiently meditated, that the salvation of
many souls depends on the prayers and voluntary mortifications offered
for this end, by the members of the Mystical Body of Christ, and on the
collaboration of both pastors and the faithful.
Pope Pius XII Mystici
Corporis
The submission of our will
is the most pleasing sacrifice that we can make to God, and the one that honors
Him most. It is the most perfect act of
love, the most elevating and meritorious virtue. By it we can at every moment amass
incomparable treasures of grace, and gain in a short time the richest merits
for eternity.
Fr. F. X. Lasance, Peace,
Not As The World Gives
Nothing indicates
better the nature of self-love, or should make it more hateful to us, than the
idea that it is the rival of the love of God.
Homines sunt voluntates, Men are their wills, says St.
Augustine. We can bestow our whole love
on but one only of two objects: God or self.
If we put God first and refer all things to Him, then His love will make
us good and pleasing in His sight, imparting a supernatural value to all our
actions, and perfecting us as we grow in purity and simplicity. If, on the other hand, we refer everything to
ourselves, our self-love will upset God’s order in us, rendering us most
displeasing to Him, vitiating actions otherwise holy, and lowering us in
proportion to the sway it exercises in our hearts…. Such is the enemy we have
to fight, with the help of grace: an enemy born with us, and in some way part
of our very self. Age, passions, habits,
thoughts- all, even our good qualities and occasionally our virtues, contribute
to strengthen its hold upon us, and drive it deeper. It is so involved with ourselves that it
seems almost impossible to distinguish it, and to attempt to destroy it is to
jeopardize our very existence… We may assume as a fact, without fear of
contradiction, that we are blind on many points concerning our perfection, and
perhaps our salvation. We should pray
continuously for God to enlighten us, either directly by His Holy Ghost, or
indirectly by the advice of our friends or by the reproaches of our
enemies. In whatever way light may come,
it is always a blessing sent by God, and we should welcome and receive it
gratefully, encouraging others to offer it, and neglecting nothing that may
lead us to profit by it.
John Nicohlas Grou, S.
J., Spiritual Maxims
“Prepare ye the way of the
Lord” (Lk. 3, 4)
This cry of St. John the Baptist is implicitly a call to the apostolate,
to that apostolate practiced by St. John himself, when he tried to prepare the
hearts of his brethren for the coming and for the work of the Messiah. This invitation is addressed to us too, not
only by St. John, but also by Jesus, who wants to make of every Christian a
collaborator in His work of Redemption.
“It
is manifestly clear that the faithful need the help of the divine Redeemer….
Yet this, too, must be held…. Christ requires the help of His members…. This is
not because He is indigent and weak, but rather because He has so willed it for
the greater honor of His spotless Spouse.” Blessed Pope Pius XII, Mystici
Corporis
“The apostolate should always be exercised in a saintly manner, with
such purity of intention, such interior union with God, such generous love for souls
the it flows from the interior spirit which informs it and at the same time
nourishes and renews this same spirit.”
Blessed Pope Pius XII, Primo Feliciter
Examining our apostolate in the light of these words, we shall be able
to detect its weak points, to discover the defects to be avoided and the
remedies to be applied. There are four
conditions proposed: purity of intention, union with God, self-abnegation, and
love of souls. They are so important
that while guaranteeing a fruitful apostolate, they constitute an efficacious
means of spiritual progress. Striving to
realize them, we shall simultaneously raise the level of our activity and of
our interior life.
Rev. Gabriel, O.C.D., Divine Intimacy
Ember Day Meditations
EMBER WEDNESDAY IN ADVENT
EPISTLE (Is.
7:10-15). And the Lord spoke again to Achaz, saying: Ask thee a sign of the
Lord thy God, either unto the depth of hell or unto the height above. And Achaz
said: I will not ask, and I will not tempt the Lord. And he said: Hear ye,
therefore, O house of David; Is it a small thing for you to be grievous to men,
that you are grievous to my God also? Therefore the Lord himself shall give you
a sign. Behold the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and his name shall be
called Emmanuel. He shall eat butter and honey, that he may know to refuse the
evil, and to choose the good.'
EXPLANATION In this Epistle is contained the
important prophecy of the Savior's birth from a virgin. War was declared by the
kings of Israel and Syria against Achaz, king of Juda, who at their approach
was overpowered with fear, and thought of seeking aid from the Assyrians
instead of looking to Almighty God for help; and for this lack of confidence in
God, the prophet Isaiah was sent to announce to him the destruction of both
kings, and his own preservation. The prophet, wishing Achaz to prove his
assertion, requested the king to demand a sign from God; but he being given to
idolatry, did not wish to ask a sign from heaven, for he had more faith in the
assistance of the demons and of the Assyrians. He offended God by his refusal
and the prophet rebuked him, saying: The Lord himself will give you (that is,
your posterity) a sign, for the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and he
shall be called Emmanuel, that is-God with us. By these words Isaias desired to
impress upon the king, that as surely as he should be preserved from his
enemies, so surely this Emmanuel, the Son of the Virgin, would appear to redeem
the world from Satan's power. Let us learn from this lesson always to trust in
God, who can deliver us from all danger, and let us also be grateful to Him,
who seven hundred and forty-three years before the time, permitted, for our
consolation, the announcement of the coming of His Son, our Savior.
The gospel (Lk. 1:26-28) of this
day will be found in the second part of this book on the Feast of the
Annunciation of the Blessed Virgin.
ASPIRATION O Emmanuel, powerful, holy God!
Our Savior and our Redeemer! be with us always in life and death: for, if Thou
art with us who can be against us?
COLLECT Grant, we beseech Thee, Almighty God,
that the approaching celebration of our redemption may bring us the necessary
graces for the present life, and bestow upon us the rewards of eternal
happiness. Through our Lord.
EMBER FRIDAY IN ADVENT
EPISTLE (Is.
11:1-5). And there shall come forth a rod out of the root of Jesse, and a
flower shall rise up out of his root. And the Spirit of the Lord shall rest
upon him: the spirit of wisdom, and of understanding, the spirit of counsel, and
of fortitude, the spirit of knowledge, and of godliness, and he shall be filled
with the spirit of the fear of the Lord. He shall not judge according to the
sight of the eyes, nor reprove according to the hearing of the ears. But he
shall judge the poor with justice, and shall reprove with equity for the meek
of the earth: and he shall strike the earth with the rod of his mouth, and with
the breath of his lips he shall slay the wicked. And justice shall be the
girdle of his loins: and faith the girdle of his reins.
EXPLANATION In this epistle the Lord announced to the
Jews, through the prophet, the consoling promise that when they were
sufficiently punished, and had come to the consciousness of their own misery,
the Savior would come and bring all things to order. The rod spoken of by the
prophet, is the Blessed Virgin who would proceed from the root of Jesse, that
is, from the stem of David, and give birth to the flower, viz., to the Savior
upon whom the Holy Ghost, with His sevenfold gifts, would descend, that is,
dwell in Him. As a reader of the heart He would judge man, not according to his
outward appearance, but according to his intentions. He would not flatter the
sinner, but with severe words punish his sinful life, and because just and
faithful, He would reward every man without respect to person. Let us be always
mindful in all our omissions and commissions, that our Lord sees into our
hearts, and judges not only according to our works, but principally according
to our intentions, and let us strive ever to have pure motives in all our
actions.
ASPIRATION O Fragrant Flower of the Virgin, Jesus
our Savior, come and draw us to Thee, that we may walk in the perfume of Thy
ointments, and obtain a merciful judgment from Thee.
COLLECT Show forth, we beseech Thee, O Lord, Thy
power, and come, that we who confidently trust in Thy love, may be the sooner
delivered from all adversities. Through our Lord.
EMBER SATURDAY IN ADVENT
EPISTLE (II
Thess 2:1-8). Brethren, we beseech you, by the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ,
and of our gathering together unto him: that you be not easily moved from your
mind, nor be frighted, neither by spirit, nor by word, nor by epistle, as sent
from us, as if the day of the Lord were at hand. Let no man deceive you by any
means: for unless there come a revolt first, and the man of sin be revealed,
the son of perdition, who opposeth, and is lifted up above all that is called
God, or that is worshipped, so that he sitteth in the temple of God, showing
himself as if he were God. Remember you not, that when I was yet with you I
told you these things? And now you know what withholdeth, that he may be
revealed in his time. For the mystery of iniquity already worketh: only that he
who now holdeth, do hold, until he be taken out of the way, and then that
wicked one shall be revealed, whom the Lord Jesus shall kill with the spirit of
His mouth, and shall destroy with the brightness of His coming.
EXPLANATION At the time when St. Paul wrote this
epistle, the false report was circulated that the Last Day was at hand, and
Christ was coming to judge all men. The Apostle warns the faithful against
trusting this, telling them they should not permit themselves to be misled; for
first, the greater part of mankind would fall away from God, and Antichrist,
the son of perdition appear, but not until the gospel was everywhere preached.
The great falling off would be gradual, caused by the heresies which would
arise from time to time, and would be completed by Antichrist, whom our Lord,
at last, on the Day of Judgment would kill with the breath of his mouth. Let us
learn from this epistle not to be curious concerning the Last Day, and the
Advent of Christ, but to prepare, rather for the coming of Jesus into our
hearts, that He may be merciful to us in death, and at judgment.
ASPIRATION The gospel of this day will be found in
the instruction on the Fourth Sunday of Advent.
COLLECT O God, who seest us afflicted on account
of our own wickedness; mercifully grant, that by Thy coming we may be comforted.
Through our Lord.
Neither living nor
lifeless faith remains in a heretic who disbelieves a single article of
faith. All those who deny one article of
faith, regardless of their reason, are by that very fact excommunicated. Hence, he who does not adhere to everything
Jesus Christ has prescribed for our salvation does not have any more of the
doctrine of Jesus Christ than the pagans, Jews, or Mohammedans.
St. Thomas Aquinas
There is no middle way
between Catholicism and Atheism; hence, Protestants have abandoned themselves
to the extreme of Atheism or Materialism, denying every maxim of the
faith. If you take away obedience to the
Church, there is no error which will not be embraced.
St. Alphonsus Maria
Liguori
For what stands in strongest opposition to the growth of the grace of
love in us if not that we are no sooner at the feet of our good Master than we
straightway speak to Him of ourselves, of our sins, of our defects, and of our
spiritual wretchedness? In other words,
we tire our mind with the sight of our misery, we sadden our heart with the
thought of our ingratitude and unfaithfulness. Sadness gives rise to distress,
and distress to discouragement; and it is only after much humiliation,
affliction, and suffering that we finally get out of this maze and recover our
freedom before God. Do not therefore go
about it that way any more. But since
the first movement of the soul ordinarily determines what the whole action will
be, direct this first movement to God and say to Him: "O my good Jesus,
how happy and pleased I am to come to see Thee, to spend this hour with Thee
and tell Thee my love! How kind of Thee
to have invited me! How lovable Thou art
to love such a poor creature as I am!
Oh! yes, I really want to love Thee!"
Love has then opened the door to the Heart of Jesus; go in, love, and adore. St. Peter Julian Eymard, The Real Presence
Sanctity properly
consists only in conformity to God’s will, expressed in a constant and exact
fulfillment of the duties of our state in life.
Pope Benedict XV
It takes uncommon
virtue to fulfill with exactitude, that is, without carelessness, negligence,
or indolence… but with attention, piety, and spiritual fervor, the whole
combination of ordinary duties which make up our daily life
Pope Pius XI
The Church finds herself in an hour of anxiety,
self-criticism, even auto-destruction.
It is an interior upheaval, sharp and complex, which none expected after
the Council. We looked forward to a
flowering, a serene expansion of conceptions which matured in the great
sessions of the Council. But… one must
notice above all the sorrowful aspect.
It is as if the Church was destroying herself.
Pope Paul VI, in a lucid moment
It suffices to keep well
closed the outside doors, that is, the senses, so that the soul and the heart
cannot go elsewhere than to their center, which is God; I shall fix my gaze on
my heart and I shall raise my heart to God.
St. Teresa Margaret of
the Heart of Jesus
For nourishment of
virtue, abstinence is the source of chaste thoughts, of wise resolutions, and
of salutary counsel. By voluntary
mortifications, the flesh dies to its concupiscences, and the spirit is renewed
in virtue. But since fasting alone is
not sufficient whereby to secure the soul’s salvation, let us add to it works
of mercy towards the poor. Let us make
that which we retrench from indulgence, serve unto the exercise of virtue. Let the abstinence of him that fasts, become
the meal of the poor man.
St. Leo the Great
I am worried by the
Blessed Virgin’s messages to Lucy of Fatima.
This persistence of Mary about the dangers which menace the Church is a
divine warning against the suicide of altering the Faith, in her liturgy, her theology
and her soul. … I hear all around me innovators who wish to dismantle the
Sacred Chapel, destroy the universal flame of the Church, reject her ornaments
and make her feel remorse for her historical past. A day will come when the civilized world will
deny its God, when the Church will doubt as Peter doubted. She will be tempted to believe that man has
become God. In our churches, Christians
will search in vain for the red lamp where God awaits them, like Mary Magdalene
weeping before the empty tomb, they will ask, ‘Where have they taken Him?’
Pope Pius XII, Devant
L’Histoire by Msgr. Georges Roche
These pan-Christinas who strive for the union of the
churches would appear to pursue the noblest of ideals in promoting charity
among all Christians. But how should
charity tend to the detriment of faith?
Everyone knows that John himself, Apostle of love, who seems in his
Gospel to have revealed the secrets of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, and who never
ceased to impress upon the memory of his disciples the new commandment “to
love one another,” nevertheless strictly forbade any close social contact
with those who professed a mutilated and corrupt form of Christ’s teaching: “If
any man come to you, and bring not this doctrine, receive him not into the
house, nor say to him, God speed you” (II John 10).
Pope Pius XI, Mortalium Animos
Do not permit my senses
to go astray, but do You Yourself deign to call them back to You, like the good
shepherd who, who with his flute, calls his sheep dispersed in the valley. You, more than any other shepherd, have a
call so sweet and so powerful that the senses, as soon as they hear it, cannot
resist, and quickly come back into the sanctuary of the soul where You await
them and to which You call them. O
loving Shepherd of my soul, do not refuse to show me this mercy, so necessary
for my weakness.
St. Teresa of Jesus
The priest at the altar is the representative and image of the praying
and sacrificing Saviour. Now, as on the Mount of Olives and on the Cross, Jesus
prayed not only in loud tones, but also in a low voice and in the silence of
His heart to His Father, so also it is proper that the priest should even
herein resemble His Divine Model, when representing and renewing the Sacrifice
of the Cross. The altar becomes not merely the Cross, but also the Crib; for at
the moment of Consecration the marvels of Bethlehem as well as those of
Golgotha are renewed. Whilst deep silence pervaded all things and the night was
in the midst of its course, the Almighty Word of God descended from His royal
throne in heaven to the crib of Bethlehem; in like manner, does the King of Glory
at the consecration come down upon the altar, amid the most profound
silence.
Rev. Nicholas Gihr, The Holy Sacrifice of the Mass; Dogmatically,
Liturgically and Ascetically Explained
The
Holy Spirit was not promised to the successors of Peter that by His revelation
they might disclose new doctrine, but that by His help they might guard
sacredly the revelation transmitted through the apostles and the deposit of
faith, and might faithfully set it forth.
Vatican
Council I, Pastor Aeternus
So
capital a point is humility, that we are not left to learn it from any common
teacher. It is our Divine Saviour
Himself who says, "Learn of Me, for I am meek and humble of heart."
St.
Dionysius the Great
If anyone
despises or rejects any written or unwritten ecclesiastical tradition, anathema
sit.
Second Council
of Nicea, 787 A.D.
THE LORD IS NIGH THIRD SUNDAY OF ADVENT GAUDETE SUNDAY
PRESENCE
OF GOD ‑
The Lord is always drawing nearer to my soul by the solicitations of His grace;
I too wish to draw near to Him by a renewal of my faith and my desires.
MEDITATION:
I . "O Lord, we have patiently waited for
Thee: Thy name and Thy remembrance are the desire of the soul. My soul hath desired
Thee in the night; yea, and with my spirit within me in the morning early I
will watch for Thee" (RB).
If you also, O consecrated soul, are
preparing to commemorate the Incarnation of the Word in loving, watchful
expectation, today's happy announcement will resound in your ears more joyfully
than ever: "Rejoice in the Lord always; again I say, rejoice . . . the
Lord is nigh." Thus today's Mass begins and the Epistle (Phil 4:4‑7)
repeats the theme. It is one of exultant joy: "The Lord is nigh!" For
the soul who waits for Jesus and seeks Him alone, sincerely and ardently, with
lively desire and love, there can be only one motive for its joy, to know that
Jesus is near, nearer with each day. Even St. Paul admonishes us to have no
other desire, "The Lord is nigh. Be nothing solicitous .... And may the
peace of God, which surpasseth all understanding, keep your hearts and minds. .
." (Ep).
The more a soul concentrates its desires
and affections on God, the more it will be freed from earthly cares. It will no
longer be troubled about anything, knowing that only one thing is necessary,
"to seek God," and that in God it will find everything it needs.
Hence to draw near to God, is to find not only true joy, but also peace. In Him
it has everything, and God alone suffices.
2.
"The Lord is in the midst of you." This is the second joyful message
in today's liturgy. It is St. John the Baptist who speaks to us in the Gospel (Jn 1:19-28), "There is one in the
midst of you whom you know not." John, a man of faith, was telling the
Jews with full conviction that Jesus had been living among them for thirty
years and that they did not know Him because He had not yet manifested Himself
by miracles.
His words have value for us, too; Jesus is
really present in our midst: present in our tabernacles by the Eucharist,
present in our souls by grace. But who recognizes Him? Only those who believe.
Revive; then, your faith; you will find Jesus, and will know Jesus according to
the measure of your faith in Him. Sometimes He conceals Himself from you, and
you think that you will never find Him, never feel Him again. This is the time
to redouble your faith, to walk “in pure faith." "Blessed are they
that have not seen, and have believed" (Jn 20:29). Such was the
faith of St. John the Baptist, who had not seen Jesus' miracles, and
nevertheless believed. Such was Mary's faith, to which the Vesper antiphon
refers, "Blessed art thou, O Mary, that hast believed the Lord; those
things will be fulfilled in thee, which were spoken to thee." Even Mary
lived by faith; she had to believe in the words of the Angel, and when she
agreed to become the Mother of God, she had to accept a mystery which she did
not understand. But Mary did believe, and by her faith, God's words were accomplished
in her. And so shall they be in you; you will see all your hopes fulfilled, you
will be able to realize your ideal of intimate union with God ‑ if one
have faith in Him and in His promises.
COLLOQUY:
“O God, my God, to Thee do I watch at break
of day. In a desert land, and where there is no water, my soul thirsts for
Thee; my flesh hath thirsted for Thee. It is Thou I seek, O Lord; without Thee
the world is a desert burned by the sun where nothing can quench my thirst.
Thou alone art my salvation, my refuge, my Savior, and my Redeemer. Day and
night I sigh for Thee; to Thee I direct all my desires and affections. As the
eyes of the handmaid are on the hands of her mistress, so are my eyes always on
Thy face. Show me Thy face, O Lord, and illumine my path; be Thou my light and
my strength.
"Come, Lord, and tarry not; reveal Thy
power and come to save us. Come and be our salvation, according to Thy promise!
Thou art our Savior; Thou wilt free us from all our iniquities and cast our
sins into the depths of the sea. Thou wilt descend like rain upon the fleece
and wilt bring us justice and peace.... Thou wilt be my guide and my shepherd;
Thou wilt teach me Thy ways and I shall walk in Thy paths. Thy coming fills me
with joy and my soul rejoices in Thee, my God and my Savior. O Lord, I rejoice
in all Thy deeds and I exult in Thy works. How admirable are Thy works and how
great is Thy mercy"! (RB)
My God and my Savior, I believe in You, I
trust in You. I seek for You, yet I know that You are near me, and in me: near
me, hidden under the Eucharistic veil; in me, by grace. O Lord, make me know
You! Do not permit it to happen to me as to the Jews: You were living in the
midst of them and they knew You not. Grant that my soul may always have a
lively faith; increase my faith, for faith is the light by which I can know You
on earth. You are within me, Lord, I know it, I believe it, even if I cannot
feel You. But if You wish, You can illumine my soul with Your light and make me
know Your divine, mysterious presence.
"You are the light surpassing all
other light; You give supernatural light to the eye of the intellect with such
abundance and perfection that You clarify the light of faith. My soul has life
in faith, and in faith it receives You and knows You. In the light of faith, I
acquire wisdom in the wisdom of the Word. In the light of faith, I am strong,
constant and persevering. This light will never fail me in my way; it teaches
me the path, and without it, I would walk in darkness. Therefore I beg You, O
Lord, to illumine me with the light of holy faith" (St. Catherine of
Siena).
It is
undisputable that the last twenty years have certainly been unfavorable for the
Catholic Church. The results of the Council seem cruelly contrary to everyone’s
expectations, beginning with John XXIII and Paul VI (…). We expected a leap
forward, and instead we were faced with a gradual decadence that had been
developed mostly in the name of a supposed “Council spirit” that has actually
discredited it …. The post-conciliar
Church is a large building site, but a building site where the project has been
lost and everyone continues to build as he pleases.
Pope Benedict
XVI, The Ratzinger Report, 1987
Virtue cannot
grow in the company of vice. If the one is to flourish, the other must perish.
Clear away, then, what is superfluous and vicious, and that which is wholesome
and virtuous will at once spring up. Whatever you withhold from your lusts will
turn to the profit and advantage of your spiritual life. Therefore let us take heed to cut down by a
diligent self-examination the noxious growth of faults, vices, and defects, if
we wish to see the flowers of every virtue bloom forth in the garden of our
souls.
St. Bernard
Be strong! You must not give in where it is not
necessary to give in... You must fight, not half-way, but with courage instead;
not in hiding but in public; not behind closed doors, but out in the open.
St. Pius X
The
Virtues of Faith, Hope and Charity
–
Made Manifest Through the Virtue of Religion
To this effect St. Augustine says: "God is to be honored by faith,
hope and charity". The acts of faith, hope and charity are in themselves
acts, not of the moral virtue of religion, but of the three essentially
different theological virtues ; yet they may be elicited with the intention of
acknowledging the divine truth, fidelity and goodness, and God is thereby
greatly honored and glorified. In believing, hoping and loving we give
ourselves to God with all the powers of our soul, we lean upon God and rest in
God as our last end; in other words, we render to the divine perfections and
majesty due homage and submission. The three divine virtues also condition the
development and completion of the Christian life, which is founded on faith,
nourished by hope and animated by charity. Faith enlightens the understanding
with celestial light, hope endows the soul with supernatural strength, and love
inflames the heart with divine fire ; thus these, three virtues enable us by a
new and holy life to announce to men the glorious prerogatives and perfections
of God, that they may see our works and glorify our Father who is in heaven (i
Peter 2, 9; Matt. 5, 16). They give rise to the virtue of religion, and excite
us to glorify God through works of piety, mercy and penance.
Rev. Nicholas Gihr, The Holy Sacrifice of the Mass; Dogmatically,
Liturgically and Ascetically Explained
Holy self-sacrifice forms the seal of the life of Christ on earth: His
life was a constant martyrdom, a blood sacrifice of mortification, an
incense-offering of devotion and prayer, a burnt-offering of love for God and
men. Truly, the whole earthly career of Christ from the womb of His Mother to
the grave, was a sacrifice of abnegation and self-denial. A vail of mourning
shrouded His entire life, bearing the character of severe penance and atonement
for a world full of frivolity, sinful, sensual enjoyment and horrible
godlessness. This painful way began in the crib, to end only on the Cross: crib
and Cross are closely connected with each other. In the crib Jesus lay as a
meek, lovely Infant-God; on the Cross He was suspended, His body torn and
bleeding: but in the one situation as well as in the other, He is the Lamb
sacrificed for the sins of the world. Calvary cast its shadow upon His hidden,
silent life at Bethlehem and Nazareth. "Poor and sorrowful' (Ps. 68, 30)
was Jesus throughout the whole course of his life. Privations, humiliations,
sufferings were His inseparable companions: they surrounded Him on His entrance
into the world, accompanied Him during His earthly pilgrimage and ascended with
Him on the Cross. Whatever the world cherishes, seeks and values, all its joys,
riches and glory, all its pomp and grandeur, He despised and disdained; in
their stead He endured poverty, hardships, hostility, contradictions, vexations
innumerable, such as only an unbounded love could choose and endure. As a
stranger who had not whereon to lay His head, did the Lord of Heaven dwell many
years upon this earth, an earth yielding thorns and thistles. At the same time,
we must remember that His pure, delicate body and noble and holy soul were
created peculiarly susceptible of suffering, and consequently experienced, a
thousand times more than men can imagine, the severity, acuteness and
bitterness of all corporal and spiritual sufferings. His infancy, boyhood and
youth were passed in retirement and obscurity, in poverty and self-denial, in
painful labor and austere penance; also the three years of His public life, His
ministry among an "unbelieving and perverse generation" (Matt. 17,
16) were filled with bitterness arising from the inappreciation, ingratitude
and persecution on the part of His own nation; and this was all the more
painful to Him, since He had come but to seek and save those who were lost. He
was repudiated, blasphemed and calumniated by the obdurate Jews, so that before
leaving this world, He could apply to Himself these words of the Prophet:
"They have hated Me without cause" (John 15, 25; cf. Ps. 68, 5), and
He could say to His disciples : "If the world hate you, know ye that it
hath hated Me before you" (John 15, 18).
Rev. Nicholas Gihr, The Holy Sacrifice of the Mass; Dogmatically,
Liturgically and Ascetically Explained
St. Thomas
Aquinas was not an “Aristotelian,” and the neo-Modernists are not saints
When, in the
13th century, Aristotelian thought entered into contact with Medieval Christianity,
formed by the Platonic tradition, and when faith and reason were at risk of
entering into an irreconcilable opposition, it was Saint Thomas Aquinas who
played the role of mediator in the new encounter between faith and philosophy,
thus placing faith in a positive relation with the form of reason dominant in
his epoch. […] With Vatican Council II the moment when a new reflection of this
type was necessary arrived. […] Let us read it and welcome it, guided by a just
hermeneutic.
Benedict XVI,
speech of December 22, 2005
The simple fact
is that those who have dubbed Thomas with the epithet "Aristotelian"
have not hit the mark. This is the
reason why the first modern efforts to open up the world of St. Thomas, which
date from about 1890, failed. Yet they
established an image of Thomas which prevailed for a long time, an image which
has in fact prevailed to the present day..... From a purely historical point of
view, it is a misinterpretation of what really happened to imagine that young
Thomas turned to Aristotelianism because it had become modish and that he thus
became an "Aristotelian." This
notion literally obstructed any real understanding of Thomas for decades until
in recent years it was energetically pointed out that Plato too, Augustine too,
the Neo-Platonists Dionysius Areopagita too, are very much very much present
and effective in the work of St. Thomas, and that Thomas himself was not
unaware of their presence. Thomas
frequently defends Plato against Aristotle; he points out that Aristotle, in
his polemics, often did not consider the substance of what Plato said, the veritas occulta, but only the
superficial phrasing, the sonus
verborum. The doctrine of Ideas, the
conception of the Creation as following prototypes living within the divine
Logos, this central Platonic concept was something that Thomas never
abandoned. And a tally of the works of
St. Thomas has turned up almost seventeen hundred quotations from Dionysius
Areopagita. This will astonish only
those who regard intellectual history as a succession of "isms" that
replace one another.... For St. Thomas was anything but a participant in the
"excessive cult of Aristotle" which had become a fad in his
time.
Josef Pieper, Guide to Thomas Aquinas
The assistance of the Holy Spirit
presupposes that on the part of the Pope, there would be unreserved
correspondence with the Holy Spirit; without it, the assistance of the Holy
Spirit is purely negative i.e.: it only prevents the Vicar of Christ from
imposing an error as an infallible dogma.
Msgr. Francesco Spadafora
This
time... is a stormy time! The Council has not given us, in many ways, the
desired serenity, but rather caused turbulence…
Pope Paul VI, July 15, 1970
There would be today neither Socialism nor
Communism if the rulers of the nations had not scorned the teachings and
maternal warnings of the Church. On the basis of liberalism and secularism they
wished to build other social edifices which, powerful and imposing as they
seemed at first, all too soon revealed the weakness of their foundations, and
today are crumbling one after another before our eyes, as everything must
crumble which is not grounded on the one cornerstone of Jesus Christ.
Pope Pius XI, Divini Redemptoris
St Paul says,
"If we judge ourselves we shall not be judged." If we examine and search into our conscience,
submitting it to a rigorous trial, and if when we discover any sins, we wash
them away with tears of Contrition, we shall not be judged by God; in other
words, we shall escape punishment at His awful judgment. Rev. Cornelius a
Lapide
Fifty Years After Vatican II
- The Blight Continues
From the 2011 England and Wales census data
released today, a 12-point fall in only 10 years - and the number of
irreligious people nearly doubled in the same period. Office of National
Statistics, The Guardian
Christian: 2001: 71.7%, 2011: 59.3% (-12.4%); No religion:
2001: 14.8%, 2011: 25.1% (+10.3%)
The only Protestant sect that is not deceived by a devil is Luther’s -
and he was devil enough.
We believed, during the reign of the pope,
that the spirits which make a noise and disturbance in the night, were those of
the souls of men, who after death, return and wander about in expiation of
their sins. This error, thank God, has been discovered by the Gospel, and it is
known at present, that they are not the souls of men, but nothing else than
those malicious devils who used to deceive men by false answers. It is they
that have brought so much idolatry into the world.
The devil seeing that this sort of
disturbance could not last, has devised a new one; and begins to rage in his
members, I mean in the ungodly, through whom he makes his way in all sorts of
chimerical follies and extravagant doctrines. This won't have baptism, that
denies the efficacy of the Lord's supper; a third, puts a world between this
and the last judgment ; others teach that Jesus Christ is not God ; some say
this, others that ; and there are almost as many sects and beliefs as there are heads….
I have plenty to do in the course of the
year with these poor people: the devil could not have found a better pretext
for tormenting me. As yet the world had been full of those clamorous spirits
without bodies, who oppressed the souls of men; now they have bodies, and give
themselves out for living angels . . .
When the pope reigned we heard nothing
of these troubles. The strong one (the devil) was in peace in his fortress;
but now that a stronger one than he is come, and prevails against him and
drives him out, as the Gospel says, he storms and comes forth with noise and
fury.
Dear friends, one of these spirits of
disorder has come amongst you in flesh and blood; he would lead you astray with
the inventions of his pride: beware of him.
First, he tells you that all men have the
Holy Ghost. Secondly, that the Holy Ghost is nothing more than our reason and
our understanding. Thirdly, that all men have faith. Fourthly, that there is no
hell, that at least the flesh only will be damned. Fifthly, that all souls will
enjoy eternal life. Sixthly, that nature itself teaches us to do to our
neighbour what we would he should do to us ; this he calls faith. Seventhly,
that the law is not violated by concupiscence, so long as we are not consenting
to the pleasure. Eighthly, that he that has not the Holy Ghost, is also without
sin, for he is destitute of reason.
All these are audacious propositions, vain
imaginations; if we except the seventh, the others are not worthy of reply….
Martin
Luther, Letter to the “Lutheran” sect in Antwerp, 1525, (Luth. Werke,tom. ii.
p. 61,sqq.)
Ecumenism of Recent Popes
We profess that there is no salvation outside
the Church. …For the Church is the pillar and ground of the truth. With
reference to those words Augustine says: “If any man be outside the Church he
will be excluded from the number of sons, and will not have God for Father
since he has not the Church for mother.” Pope
Leo XII, Ubi Primum
It is not possible to worship God truly
except in Her; all who are outside Her will not be saved. Pope Gregory XVI, Summo Jugiter
But, as is Our Apostolic Duty, we wish your
episcopal solicitude and vigilance to be aroused, so that you will strive as
much as you can to drive from the mind of men that impious and equally fatal
opinion, namely, that the way of eternal salvation can be found in any religion
whatsoever. ...
For, it must be held by faith that outside
the Apostolic Roman Church, no one can be saved; that this is the only ark of
salvation; that he who shall not have entered therein will perish in the flood;
... let us hold most firmly that, in accordance with Catholic teaching, there
is "one God, one faith, one baptism" (Eph. 4.5); it is unlawful to
proceed further in inquiry. Pope
Blessed Pius IX, Singulari
Quadem
This is our last lesson to you; receive it,
engrave it in your minds, all of you: by God’s commandment salvation is to be
found nowhere but in the Church. Pope
Leo XIII, Annum Ingressi
Sumus
He scatters and gathers not who gathers not
with the Church and with Jesus Christ, and all who fight not jointly with Him
and with the Church are in very truth contending against God. Pope Leo XIII, Sapientiae Christianae
It is our duty to recall to everyone great
and small, as the Holy Pontiff Gregory did in ages past, the absolute necessity
which is ours, to have recourse to this Church to effect our eternal salvation.
Pope Saint Pius X, Jucunda Sane
Such is the nature of the Catholic faith that
it does not admit of more or less, but must be held as a whole, or as a whole
rejected: This is the Catholic faith, which unless a man believe faithfully and
firmly, he cannot be saved.
Pope Benedict XV, Ad Beatissimi Apostolorum
The Catholic Church alone is keeping the true
worship. This is the font of truth, this is the house of faith, this is the
temple of God; if any man enter not here, or if any man go forth from it, he is
a stranger to the hope of life and salvation…. Furthermore, in this one Church
of Christ, no man can be or remain who does not accept, recognize and obey the
authority and supremacy of Peter and his legitimate successors. Pope Pius XI, Mortalium Animos
By divine mandate the interpreter and
guardian of the Scriptures, and the depository of Sacred Tradition living
within her, the Church alone is the entrance to salvation: She alone, by
herself, and under the protection and guidance of the Holy Spirit, is the
source of truth. Pope
Pius XII, Allocution to
the Gregorian, October 17, 1953
It is indeed
the most powerful means to arouse a man, to make this serious reflection: I am
going to perform the holy Consecration, to hold God in my hands, to converse
with Him and to receive Him into my heart.
Who will not be inflamed with love by making the reflection to himself:
I am on the point of receiving the Infinite Goodness? Who does not tremble and shudder out of a
loving awe toward Him, before whom the heavenly Powers themselves shudder and
tremble? Who does not tremble with the
fear of offending Him, and does not tremble with the desire to praise and serve
Him? Who does not experience sorrow,
confusion and remorse for having offended the Divine Master, whom he beholds
before him? Who is not filled with
confidence by such a pledge? Who does
not endeavor - having such a Viaticum with him in the desert of this world - to
do penance? In short, such a meditation,
dictated by the spirit of God, entirely transforms man, and carries him away
and beside himself, - at one time by a sense of reverence, now by love, again
by other powerful emotions. How cautions
should we not be to keep ourselves wholly and unreservedly for Christ, who so
greatly honors us, as to descend unto us and place Himself in our hands, when
the words of Consecration are pronounced.
St. John of the Cross, Reflection for priests about to offer the Holy
Mass
WITH ALL HER HEART THE DEVOUT SOUL SHOULD DESIRE UNION
WITH CHRIST IN THE SACRAMENT
THE DISCIPLE:
LET it be granted me to find You alone, O Christ, to open to You my
whole heart, to enjoy You as my soul desires, to be disturbed by no one, to be
moved and troubled by no creature, that You may speak to me and I to You alone,
as a lover speaks to his loved one, and friend converses with friend.
I
pray for this, I desire this, that I may be completely united to You and may
withdraw my heart from all created things, learning to relish the celestial and
the eternal through Holy Communion and the frequent celebration of Mass.
Ah Lord God, when shall I be completely united to You and absorbed by
You, with self utterly forgotten? You in
me and I in You? Grant that we may
remain so together. You in truth are my
Beloved, chosen from thousands, in Whom my soul is happy to dwell all the days
of her life. You are in truth my pledge
of peace, in Whom is the greatest peace and true rest, without Whom there is
toil and sorrow and infinite misery.
You truly are the hidden God.
Your counsel is not with the wicked, and Your conversation is rather with
the humble and the simple.
O
how kind is Your spirit, Lord, Who in order to show Your sweetness toward Your
children, deign to feed them with the sweetest of bread, bread come down from
heaven! Surely there is no other people
so fortunate as to have their god near them, as You, our God, are present
everywhere to the faithful, to whom You give Yourself to be eaten and enjoyed
for their daily solace and the raising of their hearts to heaven.
Indeed, what other nation is so renowned as the Christian peoples? What creature under heaven is so favored as
the devout soul to whom God comes, to feed her with His glorious Flesh? O unspeakable grace! O wonderful condescension! O love beyond measure, singularly bestowed
upon man!
What return shall I make to the Lord for this love, this grace so
boundless? There is nothing I can give
more pleasing than to offer my heart completely to my God, uniting it closely
with His. Then shall all my inner self be glad when my soul is perfectly united
with God. Then will He say to me:
"If you will be with Me, I will be with you." And I will answer Him: "Deign, O Lord,
to remain with me. I will gladly be with
You. This is my one desire, that my
heart may be united with You."
Thomas a Kempis, Imitation of Christ, Thanksgiving after Holy Communion
Quotations of St. Ignatius
Loyola on the Virtue of Faith
1. There is
only one Catholic Church. As the Bridegroom is One, the bride is one also.
There was only one Noah’s ark, outside which no one
was saved at the Deluge; there was only one tabernacle constructed by Moses,
only one Temple at Jerusalem built by Solomon for sacrifice and for worship;
only one Synagogue the sentences of which were legal.
2. Outside
the Church there is nothing good. Whoever is not united with this mystical body
will not receive from its Head, Jesus Christ, Divine grace which vivifies the
soul and prepares it for everlasting life.
3. Laying
aside all private judgment, we ought to keep our minds prepared and ready to
obey in all things the true Spouse of Christ our Lord, which is our holy
mother, the Hierarchical Church.
4. All
Jesus Christ’s faithful people should cling to the opinions of the Church, and
consult her when they meet with anything ambiguous or obscure.
5. Far from
disapproving of what is the custom among Catholics, we should always have
reasons ready to defend it.
6. In order
to be free from all error, we should conform our private way of looking at
things to that of the Church, so as to hold what seems to us white to be black,
if the Hierarchical Church pronounces it so.
For this end we must be convinced that between Christ
our Lord, the Bridegroom, and the Church, His bride, there is one and the same
spirit, which governs and directs us to the salvation of our souls; and that
our holy mother the Church is guided and ruled by the same Spirit and Lord that
gave the Ten Commandments.
7. Positive
and scholastic theology cannot be too highly praised.
As it is the special work of the positive Doctors to excite
the affections and to lead men to love and serve God with all their might; so
it is rather the object of the scholastic Doctors, to define and explain more
exactly, in conformity with the wants of our times, what is necessary for
salvation, the better to attack and to expose the errors and fallacies of the
enemies of the Church. The saying of Luther is well known: “Get rid of Thomas, and I will rid you of the Church.”
8. However
enlightened we may be, we should never judge of Divine things from a human
point of view; but we ought always to submit our judgment to the principles of
faith, and to the authority of the Church, since it is not right that things
which are certain should be regulated by those which are doubtful, and on the
contrary, it is reasonable that things which are doubtful should he decided by
such as are certain.
9. With
regard to religion, the most pleasing novelties are often the most dangerous.
The reasons which support a doctrine do not render it
Catholic; and until the Church has decided what is to be believed concerning
such opinions, we should be careful neither to condemn them, nor to speak
favourably of them. This is the advice sent by St. Ignatius to Fathers Lainez,
Salmeron, and Le Jay, during their stay at Trent at the time of the Council.
10. All
that proceeds from heretics should be suspected, especially books, however good
they may be.
When one reads a good book by a bad man, one is
insensibly drawn towards the author, sometimes even so far as to think all that
he has written to be reasonable and orthodox.
Salvation a Difficult Work -
Man's Unwillingness
IT is manifest
that there is in man’s nature a deep and settled unwillingness, which is the
first and greatest barrier to his salvation an unwillingness not simply to be
saved, that is, to be made everlastingly blessed—this, as a mere end of their
desires, all men long after—but an unwillingness to be saved in the way of
salvation which God has ordained. They would fain enter into the strait gate,
if they could do it without repenting, or denying self, or crossing their own
will, or changing their way of life. If they might live on the very threshold
of His kingdom with an unchastened heart, and then, without struggle, shed off
the unmortified body of sin and death, and enter new-born into His joy; if,
after a life of self-indulgence, they could inherit eternal bliss, and so draw
out the indolent, self-pleasing luxury of earth into the perfect blessedness of
heaven,—then, indeed, there would be no unwillingness; then the way of life
should be broad enough, and many should go in thereat; and the way of
destruction narrow, and few should there be that find it. But because the
carnal mind is enmity against God, it is the severe holiness of salvation from
which they shrink. They know that salvation is, the being saved from sin, from
its guilt and from its soil, from the power with which it rules over us, from
the love with which we cling to it;—in a word, it is the healing of the soul;
the cleansing of its deadly sickness; the making of the sinful creature a holy
being. From this men shrink by the recoil of their natural will. They too
clearly see that it is from themselves that they must be saved; from what they
love and pamper with perpetual license; that they must renounce what they are,
and become what they are not; that they must absolutely submit their will to be
changed and subdued to His will;—and they are not prepared to put so great a
yoke upon themselves. And, besides this, the thought of God’s awful and
searching presence, all pure, all holy, is insufferable. They feel the awful
contrast of their own sullied spirits with His spotless sanctity; and they can
neither endure to forsake the sins they doat on, nor dare to draw nigh Him
without repentance.
Cardinal Henry
Manning, sermon
“Behold,
my brethren, how many have lived and died in infidelity! Go to Hell and count
them there! Count, if you can, the pagans who have lived from the beginning of
the world until now, and who are all damned. Count all the heretics who have
died in their heresy and who are all damned. Count all the bad Catholics who
have died in mortal sin and who are all damned. How many have gone to Heaven?
Two, three, five, or ten out of ten thousand?”
St. Leonard of Port Maurice, The Little Number of Those Who Are Saved
“Hell strives with all its might to break the unity of those who recite
the same Credo.”
Ernest Hello
“Truth is One, and religion, being true, can
neither contradict nor embarrass Truth… God is never in danger. Error is
charged with its own destruction… As Truth does not belong to us, we cannot
concede on fraction of it.”
Ernest Hello, French Catholic apologist and
journalist
Lord
God our Master, Who established in heaven the ranks and armies of angels and
archangels for the service of Your glory, grant that as we make our entrance,
the holy angels may enter too, serving with us and joining in the praise of
Your goodness. For all glory, honor and worship befit You, Father, Son and Holy
Spirit, now and for ever and ever Amen. Byzantine Liturgy, Entrance prayer
Now that the gross
mistranslations of the Novus Ordo,
the “Ordinary Form” of the Bugnini liturgical revolution, have been corrected,
we are back to the Critical Study of the Roman Theologians on the New Mass,
otherwise known as the “Ottaviani Intervention”. This evaluation was done on the normative
Latin text before any vernacular mistranslations.
They spotlighted the many
deficiencies inherent in the New Mass: Here are some of the defects noted:
• A new definition of the Mass, as an
‘assembly’ rather than as a sacrifice offered to God;
• Omissions of elements emphasizing the
Catholic teaching that the Mass makes satisfaction for sins, a teaching utter
rejected by Protestants;
• The reduction of the priest’s role to a
position approximating that of a Protestant Minister;
• Implicit denials of Christ’s Real Presence
and the doctrine of Transubstantiation;
• The change of the Consecration from a
sacramental action into a mere narrative retelling the story of the Last
Supper;
• The fragmentation of the Church’s unity of
belief through the introduction of countless options;
• Ambiguous language and equivocation through
the rite which compromises the Church’s doctrine.
• The Study said, “It is obvious that the Novus Ordo obsessively emphasizes
‘supper’ and ‘memorial,’ instead of the unbloody renewal of the Sacrifice of
the Cross.
• The Study points out that in the New Mass,
“the central role of the Real Presence has been suppressed”.
• The Study accurately noted that the New
Mass “has much to gladden the heart of the most modernist Protestant”.
Catholic Family News
Our refuge in
temptation
LET us take two
very simple practical rules.
One is: when we
are tempted by any approach of evil, to fix our eyes inwardly upon Him hanging
upon the Cross. Let us then call to mind His five wounds, and His crown of
thorns. This will abate our pride, break our will, and cast out our evil
thoughts. If the temptation be strong and abiding, keep your eyes upon him
until you are delivered. Look upon Him, as upon the true Serpent of brass, till
the fever and the poison of your sin be healed. Go, if you can, into some
secret place, and kneel down in His sight; and, there, stay upon your knees
till the sting of sin is allayed, and the temptation passed away.
The other rule
is: to pray, day by day, that our will may be crucified with Him. This prayer,
if we persevere, will, by His grace, slay the enmity that is in us, and make
us, not enemies, but lovers of His Cross. St. Paul says, “They that are
Christ’s have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts;” (Gal. v. 24.)
and again, he says still more, “I am crucified with Christ;” (Gal. ii. 20.)
This shall be even our state at last. Happy and blessed are they who are dead
to themselves, alive to Him alone. Let us, therefore, pray Him so to unite us
to the spirit of His crucifixion, that we may die to sin, to the world, to our
own will; to all that flatters, fosters, strengthens the love of ourselves. As
in Baptism we were signed with His life-giving sign, and charged to fight
manfully under His banner, so let us pray, that in life and in death we may be
under the shadow of His Cross. Howsoever He may fulfil this prayer, be not
afraid. It may be He will send you sickness, or sorrow, or contradiction of
sinners, or suffering of some kind. For your prayer is an appeal to His
Passion. He may suffer you to receive the stigmas which the world printed on
Him. Be it so. Let come what may, if only we have upon us the mark of our
crucified Master at that day when the sign of the Son of Man shall appear, and
the angels “shall gather His elect from the four winds of heaven.”
Cardinal Henry
Manning, sermon
The
Barbarian hopes — and that is the mark of him, that he can have his cake and
eat it too. He will consume what civilization has slowly produced after
generations of selection and effort, but he will not be at pains to replace
such goods, nor indeed has he a comprehension of the virtue that has brought
them into being. Discipline seems to him irrational, on which account he is
ever marvelling that civilization, should have offended him with priests and
soldiers.... In a word, the Barbarian is discoverable everywhere in this, that
he cannot make: that he can befog and destroy but that he cannot sustain; and
of every Barbarian in the decline or peril of every civilization exactly that
has been true. We sit by and watch the barbarian. We tolerate him in the long
stretches of peace, we are not afraid. We are tickled by his irreverence; his
comic inversion of our old certitudes and our fixed creed refreshes us; we
laugh. But as we laugh we are watched by large and awful faces from beyond, and
on these faces there are no smiles.
Hilaire
Belloc
If Jesus Christ does not reign through the
blessings inseparable from his presence, he will reigh through the calamities
unavoidably caused by his absence.
Cardinal Pie
It is ordained in the
eternal constitution of things, that men of intemperate minds cannot be free.
Their passions forge their fetters.
Edmund Burke
"Hospital of Saint Cross and Alms House of Noble Poverty" -
A
sketch of the institution before the Reformation. It was a diocesan institution that served for
care of the poor and as a hospital. These were commonly seen in England before
the Reformation but were nearly all destroyed with their assets distributed to
the criminal abettors within the nobility.
The destruction of charitable institutions would eventually give England
debtors prisons like the infamous Marshalsea, Fleet, and many others. On this alms house and hospital, Bishop John Milner (1752-1826), Winchester,
England, said, “The present establishment is but the wreck of the two ancient
institutions, having been severely fleeced, though not quite destroyed, like so
many other hospitals, at the Reformation.”
Nothing indicates better the nature of self-love,
or should make it more hateful to us, than the idea that it is the rival of the
love of God. Homines sunt voluntates,
Men are their wills, says St. Augustine.
We can bestow our whole love on but one only of two objects: God or
self. If we put God first and refer all
things to Him, then His love will make us good and pleasing in His sight,
imparting a supernatural value to all our actions, and perfecting us as we grow
in purity and simplicity. If, on the
other hand, we refer everything to ourselves, our self-love will upset God’s
order in us, rendering us most displeasing to Him, vitiating actions otherwise
holy, and lowering us in proportion to the sway it exercises in our hearts….
Such is the enemy we have to fight, with the help of grace: an enemy born with
us, and in some way part of our very self.
Age, passions, habits, thoughts- all, even our good qualities and
occasionally our virtues, contribute to strengthen its hold upon us, and drive
it deeper. It is so involved with
ourselves that it seems almost impossible to distinguish it, and to attempt to
destroy it is to jeopardize our very existence… We may assume as a fact,
without fear of contradiction, that we are blind on many points concerning our
perfection, and perhaps our salvation.
We should pray continuously for God to enlighten us, either directly by
His Holy Ghost, or indirectly by the advice of our friends or by the reproaches
of our enemies. In whatever way light
may come, it is always a blessing sent by God, and we should welcome and
receive it gratefully, encouraging others to offer it, and neglecting nothing
that may lead us to profit by it.
John Nicohlas Grou, S. J., Spiritual Maxims
The Sacrifices
our Fathers in the Faith endured to whom we are much indebted for keeping the
Faith.
Sunday, 23 -
About eleven o’clock, the Peace Officers going their rounds to the
public-houses, to prevent disorderly smoking and tippling in time of Divine
Service, discovered a private Mass-house at a little alehouse at the back of
Shoreditch, where nearly a hundred people had got together in a garret, most of
them miserably poor and ragged, and upon examination appeared to be Irish. Some
few were well dressed and several Mass-books were found with them. The priest
made his escape out of a back door, leaving the rest to shift for themselves,
whereupon some got out of a trap-door, and others, after giving an account of
their names and places of abode, were let quietly depart. Notwithstanding, a
great many met in the evening at the same place, declaring that Mass should be
said there.
Gentleman’s
Magazine, London, England, February 23, 1735
Inspired
by the grace of God, we join the saints in honoring the holy virgin Frances
Xavier Cabrini. She was a humble woman who became outstanding not because she
was famous or rich or powerful, but because she lived a virtuous life. From the
tender years of her youth, she kept her innocence as white as a lily and
preserved it carefully with the thorns of penitence; as the years progressed,
she was moved by a certain instinct and supernatural zeal to dedicate her whole
life to the service and greater glory of God.
She welcomed delinquent youths into
safe homes, and taught them to live upright and holy lives. She consoled those
who were in prison, and recalled to them the hope of eternal life. She
encouraged prisoners to reform themselves, and to live honest lives.
She comforted the sick and the infirm
in the hospitals, and diligently cared for them. She extended a friendly and
helping hand especially to immigrants, and offered them necessary shelter and
relief, for having left their homeland behind, they were wandering about in a
foreign land with no place to turn for help. Because of their condition, she
saw that they were in danger of deserting the practice of Christian virtues and
their Catholic faith.
Undoubtedly she accomplished all this
through the faith which was always so vibrant and alive in her heart; through
the divine love which burned within her; and finally, through constant prayer
by which she was so closely united with God from whom she humbly asked and
obtained whatever her human weakness could not obtain. Although her
constitution was very frail, her spirit was endowed with such singular strength
that, knowing the will of God in her regard, she permitted nothing to impede
her from accomplishing what seemed beyond her strength.
Pope Pius XII, Canonization of Saint Frances
Cabrini
“The measure of your holiness is proportionate to the goodness of your
will.”
Blessed John
St.
Thomas was once guilty of doubting, when he ought to have believed, and learnt
the necessity of faith only by the sad experience of incredulity: he comes then
most appropriately to defend us, by the power of his example and prayers,
against the temptations which proud human reason might excite within us. Let us pray to him with confidence. In that heaven of light and vision, where his
repentance and love have placed him, he will intercede for us, and gain for us
that docility of mind and heart, which will enable us to see and recognize Him,
who is the Expected of nations, and who, though the king of the world, will
give no other signs of His majesty, than the swaddling-clothe and tears of a
Babe.
Dom
Gueranger, The Liturgical Year, St.
Thomas
Quotations of St. Ignatius Loyola on the Virtue of Faith
v
There is
only one Catholic Church. As the Bridegroom is One, the bride is one also.
There was only one Noah’s ark, outside which no one was saved at the Deluge;
there was only one tabernacle constructed by Moses, only one Temple at
Jerusalem built by Solomon for sacrifice and for worship; only one Synagogue
the sentences of which were legal.
v
Outside the
Church there is nothing good. Whoever is not united with this mystical body
will not receive from its Head, Jesus Christ, Divine grace which vivifies the
soul and prepares it for everlasting life.
v
Laying
aside all private judgment, we ought to keep our minds prepared and ready to
obey in all things the true Spouse of Christ our Lord, which is our holy
mother, the Hierarchical Church.
v
All Jesus
Christ’s faithful people should cling to the opinions of the Church, and
consult her when they meet with anything ambiguous or obscure.
v
Far from
disapproving of what is the custom among Catholics, we should always have
reasons ready to defend it.
v
In order
to be free from all error, we should conform our private way of looking at
things to that of the Church, so as to hold what seems to us white to be
black, if the Hierarchical Church pronounces it so. For this end we must be
convinced that between Christ our Lord, the Bridegroom, and the Church, His
bride, there is one and the same spirit, which governs and directs us to the
salvation of our souls; and that our holy mother the Church is guided and ruled
by the same Spirit and Lord that gave the Ten Commandments.
v
Positive
and scholastic theology cannot be too highly praised. As it is the special
work of the positive Doctors to excite the affections and to lead men to love
and serve God with all their might; so it is rather the object of the
scholastic Doctors, to define and explain more exactly, in conformity with the
wants of our times, what is necessary for salvation, the better to attack and
to expose the errors and fallacies of the enemies of the Church. The saying of
Luther is well known: “Get rid of
Thomas, and I will rid you of the Church.”
v
However
enlightened we may be, we should never judge of Divine things from a human
point of view; but we ought always to submit our judgment to the principles
of faith, and to the authority of the Church, since it is not right that things
which are certain should be regulated by those which are doubtful, and on the
contrary, it is reasonable that things which are doubtful should he decided by
such as are certain.
v
With
regard to religion, the most pleasing novelties are often the most dangerous.
The reasons which support a doctrine do not render it Catholic; and until the
Church has decided what is to be believed concerning such opinions, we should
be careful neither to condemn them, nor to speak favourably of them. This is
the advice sent by St. Ignatius to Fathers Lainez, Salmeron, and Le Jay, during
their stay at Trent at the time of the Council.
v
All that
proceeds from heretics should be suspected, especially books, however good
they may be. When one reads a good book by a bad man, one is insensibly drawn
towards the author, sometimes even so far as to think all that he has written
to be reasonable and orthodox.
OBEDIENCE is
only a virtue when it is properly regulated by the virtue of RELIGION which is
the FIRST DUTY of everyone of the FAITHFUL under the virtue of JUSTICE!
“When a law is enacted contrary to reason, or
to the eternal law, or to some ordinance of God, obedience is unlawful, lest
while obeying man, we become disobedient to God.”
Leo XIII
“There is a time when those who obey, obey to
their own condemnation.”
St. Catherine of Siena
“The devil has the Bible but he is in
Hell. It is Tradition what will bring
you to Heaven.”
St. Maximilian Kolbe to Fr. Victor Mrosz, who
was “excommunicated” for being faithful to Tradition
Revolutionary France: Civil
Constitution of the Clergy, Title II, Article XXI
Things
began to change quickly in 1789. On August 4, the newly assembled National
Assembly drafted the ‘Declaration of the Rights of Man and Citizen,’ and over
the next year completely dismantled French society and rebuilt it from the
ground up. Part of this included nationalizing all Church lands and
transferring ownership to the state. By June 1790 the Assembly had officially
abolished the nobility, and on July 12 passed the Civil Constitution of the
Clergy.[.....]
The
most contentions aspects of the constitution, however, involved how new bishops
would be appointed to office and the duties required of them. The Church was
now essentially completely incorporated as a branch of government, and bishops
were to be elected by popular vote. This was received with outrage by many
clergy, as it not only completely up-ended the top-down appointment system of
the Church, but would then allow Protestants, Jews, and atheists to directly
influence Church matters. What would cause the greatest problems though, was
Article XXI of Title II. This required bishops to take an oath before municipal
officials asserting their loyalty to the nation of France before all other
things, or their office would be declared vacant.[.....]
The
oath of loyalty created a massive schism within the clergy. Many lower clergy
had supported revolutionary calls for reform, even reform within the Church,
but this was beyond the pale. Thousands of priests, monks, and nuns now had to
choose between refusing the oath and risking arrest and punishment, or taking
the oath and risking their salvation. In March 1791, the Pope forced the issue
by issuing a papal bull officially condemning the Revolution's actions towards
the Church and leveling excommunication upon any clergy who took the oath.
The
clergy was then split into juring priests (those who took the oath) and
non-juring or refractory priests (those who refused). ....
Wikipedia
COMMENT: The situation in revolutionary
France is analogous to the revolutionary Church that is known as the
"Church of the New Advent."
Article XXI of Title II required of every Catholic priest as a necessary
condition to function as a priest that he take an oath placing the authority of
man above the authority of God. Today, the Church of the New Advent imposes the
1989 Profession of Faith and Oath of Fidelity upon every priest in the Church
as a necessary condition to exercise any authority. This Profession includes an
unconditional oath of submission of the mind and will, or as Lumen Gentium say,
submission of the soul, to the authentic magisterium of the pope. The
"authentic magisterium" is a term that only identifies the person who
occupies the office of the papacy. The Profession of Faith and Oath of Fidelity
demand an unconditional submission of the mind and will to a man as man.
Unconditional submission of the mind and will can only be given to God and to
God alone. It is time that those priests in the Church of the New Advent be
referred known as "juring" priests as it will become more and more
evident with the passage of time when they will be required to go along with
Pope Francis' overturning all Catholic morality.
"Two loves have built two cities: the love of self even to the
contempt of God, the city of the earth; the love of God even to the contempt of
self, the city of God." St. Augustine of Hippo
Remember in your charity:
Remember the welfare of our
expectant mother: Cecilia Zepeda,
Victoria Dimmel, Vanessa LoStrocco, and Elizabeth Allen,
Mary Lou Loftus' aunt, Susan Hendricks, who is gravely
ill after emergency surgery,
Fred Holder, for his spiritual and physical welfare,
Thomas Soul, a nursing home patient who has suffered a
stroke,
Donna Kallal, a dear friend of the Schiltz family who is
dying,
Philip Thees requests our
prayers for the heath of Mary Glatz
and Lenny and Agnus Messineo,
For the welfare of Aaron, a York resident in need
of conversion,
For the spiritual welfare of Margaret Connelly is the
petition of Camilla Meiser,
Linda Boyd, for her health,
Pete Schiffbauer, a cousin of Monic Bandlow who
is gravely ill,
Joan R. Barr, the widow of F. Donald Barr who died March 7,
they were married 70 years
Cole Schneider, prayers for his welfare are
requested by Camilla Meiser,
JoAnn Niekrewicz, for her recovery from a
recent fall and shoulder injury,
The Drews ask prayers for the
spiritual and physical welfare of Robert
Carballo,
Conversion of Jack Gentry, the nephew of
Camilla Meiser,
For Sr. Maria Junipera, who took her final vows as a nun with
the Slaves of the Immaculate Heart of Mary in Richmond, New Hampshire April 8,
Stephen Bryan, the brother of a devout Catholic religious,
for his spiritual welfare,
Marie Kolinsky, for her health and spiritual welfare is the
petition of her family,
Gene Peters requests our
prayers for the conversion of Shirley
Young and Carl Loy
who are dying, and the conversion of Dawn
Keithley,
Rev. Leo Carley, an eighty-nine year old priest faithful to Catholic tradition, who is
seriously ill,
For the recovery of Hayden Yanchek, the grandson of
Francis Yanchek, injured in a farming accident,
Maureen Nies, for the recovery of her health is the petition
of Camilla Meiser,
Daniel Vargs, for his health is the petition of his parents,
Art Noel, for the restoration of his health,
For the welfare of Peg Berry and her husband, Bill,
Marianne Connelly asks
prayers for Chris Foley, who
is gravely ill, and the welfare of his wife, Mary Beth,
The spiritual welfare of the Sal & Maria Messineo family
is the petition of the Drew’s,
Liz Agosta, who is seriously ill, for her spiritual and
temporal welfare,
Warren Hoffman, a long time member of our
Mission who is in failing health,
Patrick Boyle, for the recovery of his health and his
spiritual welfare,
For the spiritual welfare of
the Drew children,
Monica Bandlow request our
prayers for the welfare of Ray who
is recovering from a MVA, and his daughter, Sonya, and Tera
Jean Kopczynski, who is in failing health, and for a good death for Mr. Howald, Kathy Simons, Regina Quinn, James Mulgrew, Ruth Beaucheane, John
Kopczynski, Roger & Mandy Owen
The health and spiritual
welfare of Nate Schaeffer is
the petition of Gene Peters,
Peg Berry requests our
prayers for her brother, William
Habekost,
For the recently widowed, Maike Hickson, and her children,
For the spiritual welfare of
the Carmelite nuns in Fairfield, PA,
Geralyn Zagorski,
recovery of her health and spiritual welfare and the conversion of Randal
Pace is the petition of Philip Thees,
For
the grandson of Joe & Liz Agusta,
Fr.
Waters requests our prayers for the health and spiritual welfare of Elvira
Donaghy,
For
the health and conversion of Stephen Henderson,
Fr.
Paul DaDamio requests our prayers for the welfare of Rob Ward,
and his sister, Debra Wagaman,
For
the health and spiritual welfare of Peggy Cummings, the neice of
Camila Meiser, who is gravely ill,
Kaitlyn McDonald, for the recovery of her
health and spiritual welfare,
Roco Sbardella, for his health and spiritual welfare,
The Vargas’ request our
prayers for the spiritual welfare of their son, Nicholas,
Family, for the welfare of Lazarus Handley, his mother, Julia, and his brother, Raphael,
with Down’s Syndrome,
Fr. Waters requests prayers
for the spiritual and physical welfare of Frank
McKee,
Nancy Bennett, for the recovery of her
health,
For the spiritual welfare of Mark Roberts, a Catholic
faithful to tradition,
Joe Sentmanet request prayers
for Scott Nettles (who is in
need of conversion), who is gravely ill,
Michael Brigg requests our
prayers for the health of John Romeo,
The health and welfare of Gene Peters and his sons,
Conversion of Anton Schwartzmueller, is the
paryer request of his children,
Christine Kozin, for her health and spiritual
welfare,
Teresa Gonyea, for her conversion and health, is the
petition of her grandmother, Patricia McLaughlin,
For the health of Sonya Kolinsky,
Jackie Dougherty asks our
prayers for her brother, John Lee,
who is gravely ill,
For the health and spiritual
welfare, Meg Bradley, the
granddaughter of Rose Bradley,
Timothy & Crisara, a couple from Maryland have
requested our prayers for their spiritual welfare,
Celine Pilegaard, the seven year old daughter
of Cynthia Pilegaard, for her recovery from burn injuries,
Rafaela de Saravia, for her health and welfare,
Mary Mufide, requests our prayers for her family,
Abbe Damien Dutertre, traditional Catholic priest
arrested by Montreal police while offering Mass,
Francis (Frank) X.
McLaughlin, for the recovery of his health,
Nicholas Pell, for his health and spiritual welfare is the
petition of Camilla Meizer,
Mary Kaye Petr, her health and welfare is petitioned by
Camilla Meizer,
The welfare of Excellency Archbishop Carlo Maria Viganò,
The welfare of Rev. Fr. Martin Skierka, who
produces the traditional Ordo in the U.S.,
For the health and welfare of
Katie Wess, John Gentry, Vincent
Bands, Todd Chairs, Susan Healy and James O’Gentry is the petition of
Camilia,
Marieann Reuter, recovery of her health, Kathy Kepner, for her health, Shane Cox, for his health,
requests of Philip Thees,
The Joseph Cox Family, their spiritual welfare,
Luis Rafael Zelaya, the brother of Claudia
Drew, spiritual welfare,
For the health of Kim Cochran, the daughter-in-law
of Joseph and Brenda Cochran, the wife of their son Joshua,
Louie Verrecchio, Catholic apologist, who has
a health problem,
John Minidis, Jr. family, for
help in their spiritual trial,
Joann DeMarco, for her health and spiritual
welfare,
Regina (Manidis) Miller, her spiritual welfare and
health,
Melissa Elena Levitt, her conversion, and welfare
of her children,
For the grace of a holy
death, Nancy Marie Claycomb,
Conversion of Annette Murowski, and her son Jimmy,
Brent Keith from Indiana has
petitioned our prayers for the Keith
Family,
The welfare of the Schmedes Family, and the Mike and Mariana Donohue Family,
The spiritual welfare Robert Holmes Family,
For the spiritual and
temporal welfare of Irwin Kwiat,
Fr. Waters asks our prayers
for Elvira Donaghy,
Kimberly Ann, the daughter of John and Joann DeMarco, for
her health and spiritual welfare,
Mufide Rende, a traditional Catholic from India has asked
our prayers for her welfare and he family members, living and deceased,
Mary Glatz, her health and the welfare of her family,
Barbara Harmon, who is ill, and still cares for her ailing parents,
Jason Green, a father of ten children, recovery of his health,
For the health and welfare of
Sorace family,
Fr. Waters asks our prayers
for the health and spiritual welfare of Brian
Abramowitz,
Thomas Schiltz family, in grateful appreciation
for their contribution to the beauty of our chapel,
Welfare of Bishop Richard Williamson, for
strength and courage in the greater battles to come,
John Rhoad, for his health and spiritual welfare,
Kathy Boyle, requests our prayers for her welfare,
Joyce Laughman and Robert Twist, for their conversions,
Michael J. Brigg & his family, who have helped with the
needs of the Mission,
Nancy Deegan, her welfare and conversion to the Catholic
Church,
Francis Paul Diaz, who was baptized at Ss.
Peter & Paul, asks our prayers for his spiritual welfare,
The conversion of Rene
McFarland, Lori Kerr, Cary Shipman and family, David Bash, Crystal and family,
Larry Reinhart, Costanzo Family, Kathy Scullen, Marilyn Bryant, Vicki Trahern
and Time Roe are the petitions of Gene Peters,
For the conversion of Ben & Tina Boettcher family, Karin
Fraessdorf, Eckhard Ebert, and Fahnauer family,
Fr. Waters requests our
prayers for Br. Rene, SSPX
who has been ill, and for Fr. Thomas
Blute,
For the health and conversion
of Kathryn Lederhos, the aunt
of David Drew,
For the welfare of Fr. Paul DaDamio and Fr. William T.
Welsh,
The Drew’s ask our prayers
for the welfare of Joe & Tracey
Sentmanat family, Keith & Robert Drew, Christy Koziol & her children,
Fred Nesbit and Michael Nesbit
families, and Gene Peters Family, the John Manidis Family, the Sal Messinio
Family, Michael Proctor Family,
Ryan Boyle grandmother, Jane Boyle, who is failing
health,
Mel Gibson and his family, please remember in our
prayers,
Rev. Timothy A. Hopkins
requested our prayers for the welfare of
his Fr Jean-Luc Lafitte,
Ebert’s request our prayers
for the Andreas & Jenna Ortner
Family,
Joyce Paglia has asked
prayers for George Richard Moore Sr.
& his children, and her brother, George Panell,
Philip Thees asks our prayers
for his family, for McLaughlin Family,
the welfare of Dan & Polly Weand,
the conversion of Sophia Herman,
Tony Rosky, the welfare Nancy Erdeck, the wife of
the late Deacon Erdeck, John Calasanctis, Tony Rosky, James Parvenski, Kathleen Gorry, health of mind and body of Cathy Farrar.
Pray for the Repose of the Souls:
Rev. Nicholas DeProspero, a faithful Ruthenian Eastern
rite Catholic priest, died December 10,
Monica Bandlow petitions our
prayers for her friend, Patricia
Messineo, died November 28,
Thomas Soul, died November 8 after receiving the last rites
of the Church,
Etta Van Der Werken, a dear friend of Barbara
Taffe, died 10-21-2025,
Gary Potter, Catholic writer and apologist and great long
time defender of Catholic doctrine and tradition, died 9-9-2025,
Elizabeth Gorska, who died September 9, a
relative of Lidia Gjec,
Camilia Meiser request our
prayers for the souls of Peggy
Cummings and Elizabeth Genter,
Thomas A. Nelson, founder of TAN Books and
Publishers, died August 16,
Juan D. Gonzalez, our former sacristan,
choir director, and dear friend, died July 23,
Sal Messineo, a faithful traditional Catholic, died Augsut
14,
Patricia Askew, a friend of Camilla Meiser,
died July 3,
Joseph Kerney, a young man whose family provided the statues
of the Sacred Heart, Mary and Joseph in our sanctuary, died May 30,
Louis Richard Ajlouny, the father of Randa Sharpe,
died May 15,
Rene Guidicessi, died April 25, an old
friend of the Drews,
F. Donald Barr, died March 7 at 94 years of
age, co-founder of Robert Francis Religious Goods, in Philadelphia,
Dr. David Allen White, a well known defender of the
Catholic faith, died February 11,
Bishop Richard Williamson, a renowned defender of the
Catholic faith and most charitable gentleman, died January 29,
Rodolfo Alberto Lacayo, a cousin of Claudia Drew,
died January 4,
Genieve Wallace, died Christmas day,
Ruth Marion Beaucheane, died
December 8, is the petition of Monica Bandlow,
Ana Maria Salcedo, the sister of
Mario Fiol, died November 26,
Fr. Johin Cardaro, a traditional Catholic priest who was found dead in
his home November 2,
Robert Carballo asks that we remember his parents, Roberto & Aida
Carballo, and his friend, David Duclos, who died April 15,
Bishop Bernard Tissier de Mallerais who may have been responsible for
preventing the SSPX's public reconciliation with Rome in 2012, died October 8,
Lorna Edwards, our dear friend and loyal supporter of this
Mission, died August 10,
Lois Petti, died July 28 two hours after receiving the
Last Sacraments from Fr. Waters,
Wolfgang Smith, a renowned Catholic scholar,
mathematician, scientist, philosopher, who helped the Kolbe Center for the
Study of Creation, died July 19,
Willaim Glatz, a good and faithful Catholic, died July 17,
Alicio Gonzalez, a Catholic who asked for the
sacrament of Extreme Unction, unfortunately did not receive, died July 9,
John Zavodny, a
faithful Catholic who died wearing the scapular of Mt Carmel on the first
Saturday of May, requested by Phyllis
Virgil,
Catherine Martel, a lapsed Catholic, received the
last sacraments in a good disposition from Fr. Waters on March 25 and died on
April 4,
Father Basilio Méramo, a faithful priest, died
March 5, removed from the SSPX for opposing their accommodation with Rome,
Julia McDonald, the mother of Kyle McDonald, died March 1,
Agnus Melnick, died February 28, a long time faithful
Catholic and mother of eight children, including a traditional priest,
Kathryn (Drew) Lederhos, of
Wellesley, MA, died February 3, 2024,
Chris Foley, the brother of Mary Lou
Loftus, died February 1,
Louis Zelaya, the brother of Claudia Drew, died January
30,
Fr. James Louis Albert Campbell, a faithful priest who died
December 18 at 91 years of age, and her mother and father, Teresa and Thomas Maher,
Charles Harmon, the father of Tracey Sentmanet, died October
1, after receiving the rites of the Church,
Fr. Waters requests prayers
for Elvira Donaghy, his
friend and former secretary a for Bishop Gerado Zendejas, died September 9,
Robert Hickson, a faithful Catholic apologist who died Septembber
2,
Monica Bandlow requests
prayers for her parents, Thomas &
Teresa Maher, her husband, William
Bandlow, her brother-in-law, Richard
Bandlow, her sister, Mary
Maher, Fr. Christopher Darby,
SSPX, who died March 17, Robert Byrne, Michelle Donofrio McDowell,
her cousin, Patricia Fabyanic,
the Prefect of Our Lady’s Sodality, March 8, for John Pfeiffer who died August 20, Theresa Hanley, died July 23, Fr. Juan-Carlos Iscara, SSPX, who died December 20, John Kinney, died December 21, Willaim Price, Jr., and Robert Arch Ward,
died January 10, and Myra,
killed in a MVA June 6,
John Sharpe, Sr., died July 20,
Maria Paulette Salazar, died June 6,
Dale Kinsey requests prayers
for his wife, Katherine Kinsey,
died May 17,
Richard Giles, who died April 29, the father of Traci
Sentmanat who converted to the Catholic faith last All Saints' Day,
Joseph Sparks, a devout and faithful Catholic to tradition
died February 25,
Joyce Paglia, died January 21, and Anthony Paglia, died January 28,
who were responsible for the beautiful statuary in our chapel,
Joe Sentmanet request prayers
for Richard Giles and Claude Harmon who converted to
the Catholic faith shortly before their deaths,
Rodolfo Zelaya, the brother of Claudia Drew,
died January 9,
Elizabeth Agosta petitions
our prayers for Joseph Napolitano,
her brother, who died January 2,
Michael Dulisse, died on December 26,
Michael Proctor, a close friend of the Drews,
died November 9,
Richard Anthony Giles, the father-in-law of Joe
Sentmanat converted to the Catholic faith on All Saints Day, died November 5,
Robert Kolinsky, the husband of Sonja, died September 18,
Gabriel Schiltz, the daughter of Thomas & Gay Schiltz,
died August 21,
Mary Dimmel, the mother –in-law of
Victoria Drew Dimmel, died July 18,
Michael Nesbit, the brother-in-law and dear friend of the
Drew's, died July 14,
Thomas Thees, the brother of Philip, died
June 19,
Carmen Ragonese,
died June 22,
Juanita Mohler, a friend of Camella Meiser,
died June 14,
Kathleen Elias, died February 14,
Hernan Ortiz, the brother of Fr. Juan
Carlos Ortiz, died February 3,
Mary Ann Boyle, the mother of a second order Dominican nun, a
first order Dominican priest, and a SSPX priest, died January 24,
John DeMarco, who attended this Mission in
the past, died January23,
Charles O’Brien, the father of Marlene Cox,
died December 30,
Mufide Rende requests our
prayers for the repose of the souls of her parents, Mehmet & Nedime,
Kathleen Donelly, died December 29 at 91
years of age, ran the CorMariae website,
Matthew O'Hare, most faithful Catholic, died at age 40 on
November 30,
Rev. Patrick J. Perez, a
Catholic priest faithful to tradition, pastor Our Lady Help of Christians,
Garden Grove, CA, November 19,
Elizabeth Benedek, died December 14, requested
by her niece, Agnes Vollkommer,
Dolores Smith and Richard Costello, faithful
Catholics, died November,
Frank D’Agustino, a friend of Philp Thees,
died November 8,
Fr. Dominique Bourmaud, of
the SSPX, Prior of St. Vincent in Kansas City, died September 4,
Pablo Daniel Silva, the brother of Elizabeth
Vargas, died August 18,
Rose Bradley, a member of Ss. Peter &
Paul, died July 14,
Patricia Ellias, died June 1, recently returned
to the Church died with the sacraments and wearing the brown scapular,
Joan Devlin, the sister-in-law of Rose Bradley, died May
18,
William Muligan, died April 29, two days after
receiving the last sacraments,
Robert Petti, died March 19, the day after
receiving the last sacraments,
Mark McDonald, the father of Kyle, who died
December 26,
Perla Otero, died December 2020, Leyla Otero, January 2021, cousins of Claudia Drew,
Mehmet Rende, died December 12, who was the
father of Mary Mufide,
Joseph Gravish, died November 26, 100 year
old WWII veteran and daily communicant,
Jerome McAdams, the father of, died November 30,
Rev. James O’Hara, died November 8, requested by
Alex Estrada,
Elizabeth Batko, the sacristan at St. John the
Baptist in Pottstown for over 40 years, died on First Saturday November 7
wearing the brown scapular,
William Cox, the father of Joseph Cox, who
died September 3,
James Larson, Catholic apologists, author
of War Against Being publication,
died July 6, 2020,
Hutton Gibson, died May 12,
Sr. Regina Cordis, Immaculate Heart of Mary
religious for sixty-five years, died May 12,
Leslie Joan Matatics, devoted
Catholic wife and mother of nine children, died March 24,
Victoria Zelaya, the sister-in-law of Claudia
Drew, died March 20,
Ricardo DeSilva, died November 16, our
prayers requested by his brother, Henry DeSilva,
Rev. Fr. Joseph F. Collins, died April 27, 2019 to whom
we are indebted for establishing our traditional pre-Bugnini Holy Week in all its beauty,
Roland H. Allard, a friend of the Drew’s, died
September 28,
Stephen Cagorski and John Bogda, who both died wearing the brown scapular,
Cecilia LeBow, a most faithful Catholic,
Rose Cuono, died Oct 23,
Patrick Rowen, died March 25, and his brother, Daniel Rowen, died May 15,
Sandra Peters, the wife of Gene Peters, who died June 10
receiving the sacraments and wearing our Lady’s scapular,
Rev. Francis Slupski, a priest who kept the
Catholic faith and its immemorial traditions, died May 14,
Martha Mochan, the sister of Philip Thees, died April 8,
George Kirsch, our good friend and supporter of this
Mission, died February 15,
For Fr. Paul J. Theisz, died October 17, is the petition of Fr.
Waters,
Fr. Mecurio Fregapane, died Jan 12, was not a
traditional priest but always charitable,
Fr. Casimir Peterson, a priest who often offered
the Mass in our chapel and provided us with sound advice, died December 4,
Fr. Constantine Bellasarius, a
faithful and always charitable Eastern Rite Catholic Melkite priest, who left
the Roman rite, died November 27,
Christian Villegas, a motor vehicle accident,
his brother, Michael, requests our prayers,
John Vennari, the former editor of Catholic Family News,
and for his family’s welfare, April 4,
Mary Butler, the aunt of Fr. Samuel Waters, died October
17,
Joseph DeMarco, the nephew of John DeMarco, died October 3,
John Fergale, died September 25 after receiving the traditional
sacramental rites of the Church wearing the brown scapular,
John Gabor, the brother of Donna Marbach, died September
9,
Fr. Eugene Dougherty, a faithful priest, fittingly
died on the Nativity of the BVM after receiving the traditional Catholic
sacraments,
Phyllis Schlafly, died September 5,
Helen Mackewicz, died August 14,
Mark A. Wonderlin, who died August 2,
Fr. Carl Cebollero, a faithful priest to
tradition who was a friend of Fr. Waters and Fr. DeMaio,
Jessica Cortes, a young mother of ten who died June 12,
Frances Toriello, a life-long Catholic faithful
to tradition, died June3, the feast of the Sacred Heart, and her husband Dan, died in 1985,
John McLaughlin, a friend of the Drew’s, died
May 22,
Angela Montesano, who died April 30, and her
husband, Salvatore, who died
in July 3, 2013,
Charles Schultz, died
April 5, left behind nine children and many grandchildren, all traditional
Catholics,
Esperanza Lopez de Callejas,
the aunt of Claudia Drew, died March 15,
Fr. Edgardo Suelo, a
faithful priest defending our traditions who was working with Fr. Francois
Chazal in the Philippines, died February 19,
Conde McGinley, a
long time laborer for the traditional faith, died February 12, at 96 years,
The
Drew family requests your prayers for Ida Fernandez and
Rita Kelley, parishioners at St. Jude,
Fr. Stephen Somerville, a traditional priest who
repented from his work with the Novus Ordo English translation, died December
12,
Fr. Arturo DeMaio, a priest that helped this
Mission with the sacraments and his invaluable advice, died December 2,
J. Paul Carswell, died October 15, 2015,
Solange Hertz, a great defender of our Catholic faith, died
October 3, the First Saturday of the month,
Paula P. Haigh, died October 22, a great defender of our
Catholic faith in philosophy and natural science,
Gabriella Whalin, the mother of Gabriella
Schiltz, who died August 25,
Mary Catherine Sick, 14 year old from a large
traditional Catholic family, died August 25,
Fr. Paul Trinchard, a traditional Catholic
priest, died August 25,
Stephen J. Melnick, Jr., died on August 21, a
long-time faithful traditional Catholic husband and father, from Philadelphia,
Patricia Estrada, died July 29, her son Alex
petitions our prayers for her soul,
Fr. Nicholas Gruner, a devoted priest &
faithful defender of Blessed Virgin Mary and her Fatima message, died April 29,
Sarah E. Shindle, the grandmother of Richard
Shindle, died April 26,
Madeline Vennari, the mother of John Vennari,
died December 19,
Salvador Baca Callejas, the uncle of Claudia Drew,
died December 13,
Robert Gomez, who died in a motor vehicle accident
November 29,
Catherine Dunn, died September 15,
Anthony Fraser, the son of Hamish Fraser, died August 28,
Jeannette Rhoad, the grandmother of Devin Rhoad, who died
August 24,
John Thees, the uncle of Philip Thees, died August 9,
Sarah Harkins, 32 year-old mother of four
children, died July 28,
Msgr. Donald Adams, who offered the Indult Mass,
died April 1996,
Anita Lopez, the aunt of Claudia Drew,
Fr. Kenneth Walker, a young traditional priest
of the FSSP who was murdered in Phoenix June 11,
Fr. Waters petitions our
prayers for Gilberte Violette,
the mother of Fr. Violette, who died May 6,
Pete Hays petitions our
prayers for his brothers, Michael,
died May 9, and James, died
October 20, his sister, Rebecca, died March17, and his mother, Lorraine Hayes who died May 4,
Philip Marbach, the father of Paul Marbach who was the
coordinator at St. Jude in Philadelphia, died April 21,
Richard Slaughtery, the elderly sacristan for
the SSPX chapel in Kansas City, died April 13,
Bernedette Marie Evans nee Toriello, the daughter of Daniel
Toriello , died March 31, a faithful Catholic who suffered many years with
MS,
Natalie Cagorski, died march 23,
Anita Lopez de Lacayo, the aunt of Claudia Drew,
who died March 21,
Mario Palmaro, Catholic lawyer, bioethicist and professor,
apologist, died March 9, welfare of his widow and children,
Daniel Boyle, the uncle of Ryan Boyle,
died March 4,
Jeanne DeRuyscher, who died on January 25,
Arthur Harmon, died January 18,
Fr. Waters petitions our
prayers for the soul of Jeanne
DeRuyscher, who died January 17,
Joseph Proctor, died January 10,
Susan Scott, a devote traditional Catholic who made the
vestments for our Infant of Prague statue, died January 8,
Brother Leonard Mary, M.I.C.M., (Fred Farrell), an early supporter and
friend of Fr. Leonard Feeney, died November 23,
John Fergale, requests our prayers for his sister Connie,
who died December 19,
Jim Capaldi, died December 15,
Brinton Creager, the son of Elizabeth Carpenter, died
December 10,
Christopher Lussos, age 27, the father of one
child with an expecting wife, died November 15,
Jarett Ebeyer, 16 year old who died in his sleep, November
17, at the request of the Kolinsky’s,
Catherine Nienaber, the mother of nine
children, the youngest three years of age, killed in MVA after Mass, 10-29,
Nancy Aldera, the sister of Frances Toriello, died October
11, 2013 at 105 years of age,
Mary Rita Schiltz, the mother of Thomas
Schiltz, who died August 27,
William H. (Teddy) Kennedy, Catholic author of
Lucifer’s Lodge, died August 14, age 49, cause of death unknown,
Alfred Mercier, the father of David Mercier, who died August
12,
The Robert Kolinsky asks our
prayers for his friend, George
Curilla, who died August 23,
John Cuono, who had attended Mass at our Mission in the past,
died August 11,
Raymond Peterson, died July 28, and Paul Peterson, died February 19,
the brothers of Fr. Casimir Peterson,
Margaret Brillhart, who died July 20,
Msgr. Joseph J. McDonnell, a priest from the diocese
of Des Moines, who died June 8,
Patrick Henry Omlor, who
wrote Questioning The Validity of the
Masses using the New, All English Canon, and for a series of newsletters
which were published as The Robber Church, died May 2, the feast of St
Athanasius,
Bishop Joseph McFadden, died unexpectedly May 2,
Timothy Foley, the brother-in-law of Michelle Marbach
Folley, who died in April,
William Sanders, the uncle of Don Rhoad, who died April 2,
Gene Peters ask our prayers
for the repose of the soul of Mark
Polaschek, who died March 22,
Eduardo Gomez Lopez, the uncle of Claudia Drew,
February 28,
Cecelia Thees, died February 24,
Elizabeth Marie Gerads, a nineteen year old, the
oldest of twelve children, who died February 6,
Michael Schwartz, the co-author with Fr.
Enrique Rueda of “Gays, Aids, and You,” died February 3,
Stanley W. Moore, passed away in December 16,
and Gerard (Jerry) R. Pitman, who died January 19, who attended this Mission in
the past,
Louis Fragale, who died December 25,
Fr. Luigi Villa, Th.D.
author of Vatican II About Face! detailing the heresies of Vatican II, died
November 18 at the age of 95,
Rev. Michael Jarecki, a faithful traditional
Catholic priest who died October 22,
Jennie
Salaneck,
died September 19 at 95 years of age, a devout and faithful Catholic all her
life,
Dorothy Sabo, who died September 26,
Cynthia (Cindy) Montesano Reinhert, the mother of nine
children, four who are still at home, died August 19,
Stanley Spahalski, who died October 20, and his
wife, Regina Spahalski, who
died June 24, and for the soul of Francis
Lester, her son,
Julia Atkinson, who died April 30,
Antonio P. Garcia, who died January 6, 2012
and the welfare of his teenage children, Andriana and Quentin,
Helen Crane, the aunt of David Drew who died February 27,
Fr. Timothy A. Hopkins, of the National Shrine of
St. Philomena, in Miami, November 2,
Frank Smith, who died February 7, and the welfare of his
wife, Delores,
Eduardo Cepeda, who died January 26,
Larry Young, the 47 year old father of twelve who died
December 10 and the welfare of his wife Katherine and their family,
Sister Mary Bernadette, M.I.C.M., a founding member of the
Slaves of the Immaculate Heart of Mary, died December 16,
Joeseph Elias, who died on September 28,
William, the brother of Fr. Waters, who died September 7,
Donald Tonelli, died August 1,
Rev. Fr. Gregory Hesse, of Austria, a great
defender of Catholic Truth, died January 25, 2006,
Emma Colasanti, who died May 29,
Mary Dullesse, who died April 12, a Catholic convert who
died wearing our Lady’s scapular,
Ruth Jantsch, the grandmother of Andre Ebert, who died
April 7, Derrick and Denise Palengat, his godparents,
Philip D. Barr, died March 5, and the welfare of his
family,
Judith Irene Kenealy, the mother of Joyce Paglia,
who died February 23, and her son, George Richard Moore, who died May 14,
For Joe Sobran who died September 30,
Fr. Hector Bolduc, a great and faithful priest,
died, September 10, 2012,
James & Jean Rowan and their sons, Patrick & Daniel,
John Vennari asks our prayers
for Dr. Raphael Waters who
died August 26,
Stanley Bodalsky, the father of Mary Ann
Boyle who died June 25,
Mary Isabel Kilfoyle Humphreys, a former York resident and
friend of the Drew’s, who died June 6,
Rev. John Campion, who offered the traditional
Mass for us every first Friday until forbidden to do so by Bishop Dattilo, died
May 1,
Joseph Montagne, who died May 5,
For Margaret Vagedes, the aunt of Charles Zepeda, who died
January 6,
Fr. Michael Shear, a Byzantine rite Catholic
priest, died August 17, 2006,
Fr. James Francis Wathen, died November 7, 2006,
author of The Great Sacrilege and Who Shall Ascend?, a great defender of
dogma and liturgical purity,
Fr. Enrique Rueda, who died December 14, 2009,
to whom our Mission is indebted,
Fr. Peterson asks to
remember, Leonard Edward Peterson,
his cousin, Wanda, Angelica
Franquelli, and the six priests ordained with him.
Philip Thees petitions our
prayers for Beverly Romanick, Deacon
Michael Erdeck, Henry J. Phillips, Grace Prestano, Connie DiMaggio, Elizabeth
Thorhas, Elizabeth Thees, Theresa Feraker, Hellen Pestrock, and James &
Rose Gomata, and Kathleen
Heinbach,
Fr. Didier Bonneterre, the author of The
Liturgical Movement, and Fr. John Peek, both were traditional priests,
Brother Francis, MICM, the superior of the Slaves
of the Immaculate Heart of Mary in Richmond, NH, who died September 5,
Rodolfo Zelaya Montealegre, the father of Claudia Drew,
who died May 24,
Rev. Francis Clifford, a devout and humble
traditional priest, who died on March 7,
Benjamin Sorace, the uncle of Sonja Kolinsky.
Hermeneutics of Continuity/Discontinuity
– Even JPII did not deny this dogma!
Pope Francis Teaches:
We hold the Jewish people in special regard
because their covenant with God has never been revoked, for “the gifts and the
call of God are irrevocable” (Rom.11:29). The Church, which shares with Jews an
important part of the Sacred Scriptures, looks upon the people of the covenant
and their faith as one of the sacred roots of her own Christian identity (cf.
Rom. 11:16-18). As Christians, we cannot consider Judaism as a foreign
religion; nor do we include the Jews among those called to turn from idols and
to serve the true God (cf. 1 Thes. 1:9). With them, we believe in the one God
who acts in history, and with them we accept his revealed word. Pope Francis, Evangelii Gaudium
The Church officially recognizes that the
People of Israel continue to be the Chosen People. Nowhere does it say: “You
lost the game, now it is our turn.” It is a recognition of the People of
Israel.
Pope Francis, On Heaven and Earth
The Catholic Church Teaches:
Hebrews
7:18: “On the one hand, a former commandment is annulled because of its
weakness and uselessness…”;
Hebrews
10:9: “Then he says, ‘Behold, I come to do your will.’ He takes away the
first [covenant] to establish the second [covenant]…”;
2
Corinthians 3:14: “For to this day when they [the Jews] read the Old
Covenant, that same veil remains unlifted, because only through Christ is it
taken away”;
Hebrews
8:7: “For if there had been nothing wrong with that first covenant, no
place would have been sought for another”;
Colossians
2:14: “Having canceled the written code, with its decrees, that was against
us and stood opposed to us; He took it away nailing it to the cross”;
Pope
Pius XII, Mystici Corporis, para. 29: “…the New Testament took the
place of the Old Law which had been abolished…but on the gibbet of His death
Jesus made void the Law with its decrees fastened the handwriting of the Old
Testament to the Cross”;
The
Catechism of the Council of Trent: “…the people, aware of the
abrogation of the Mosaic Law…”;
Council
of Florence: [This council] firmly believes, professes, and teaches that
the matter pertaining to the law of the Old Testament, of the Mosiac law, which
are divided into ceremonies, sacred rites, sacrifices, and sacraments, because
they were established to signify something in the future, although they were
suited to the divine worship at that time, after our Lord’s coming had been
signified by them, ceased, and the sacraments of the New Testament began; and
that whoever, even after the passion, placed hope in these matters of the law
and submitted himself to them as necessary for salvation, as if faith in Christ
could not save without them, sinned mortally. Yet it does not deny that after
the passion of Christ up to the promulgation of the Gospel they could have been
observed until they were believed to be in no way necessary for salvation; but
after the promulgation of the Gospel it asserts that they cannot be observed
without the loss of eternal salvation. All, therefore, who after that time
observe circumcision and the Sabbath and the other requirements of the law, it
declares alien to the Christian faith and not in the least fit to participate
in eternal salvation, unless someday they recover from these errors. Pope Eugene IV, Council of Florence, Cantate Domino
Council
of Trent: “but not even the Jews by the very letter of the law of Moses
were able to be liberated or to rise therefrom”;
Cardinal
Ratzinger: “Thus the Sinai [Mosaic] Covenant is indeed superseded” (Many
Religions – One Covenant, p. 70).
St.
John Chrysostom: “Yet surely Paul’s object everywhere is to annul this
Law….And with much reason; for it was through a fear and a horror of this that
the Jews obstinately opposed grace” (Homily on Romans, 6:12); “And so while no
one annuls a man’s covenant, the covenant of God after four hundred and thirty
years is annulled; for if not that covenant but another instead of it bestows
what is promised, then is it set aside, which is most unreasonable” (Homily on
Galatians, Ch 3);
St.
Augustine: “Instead of the grace of the law which has passed away, we have
received the grace of the gospel which is abiding; and instead of the shadows
and types of the old dispensation, the truth has come by Jesus Christ. Jeremiah
also prophesied thus in God’s name: ‘Behold, the days come, says the Lord, that
I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel, and with the house of
Judah…’ Observe what the prophet says, not to Gentiles, who had not been
partakers in any former covenant, but to the Jewish nation. He who has given
them the law by Moses, promises in place of it the New Covenant of the gospel,
that they might no longer live in the oldness of the letter, but in the newness
of the spirit” (Letters, 74, 4);
Justin
Martyr: “Now, law placed against law has abrogated that which is before it,
and a covenant which comes after in like manner has put an end to the previous
one; and an eternal and final law – namely, Christ – has been given to us, and
the covenant is trustworthy…Have you not read…by Jeremiah, concerning this same
new covenant, He thus speaks: ‘Behold, the days come,’ says the Lord, ‘that I
will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of
Judah…’” (Dialogue with Trypho, Ch 11).
John Paul II: “Christ fulfills the
divine promise and supersedes the old law.” (Redemptoris Mater)
Taken from Robert Sungenis, The
Old Covenent: Revoked or Not Revoked?
Pope Leo: Don’t let tension between tradition, novelty become ‘harmful
polarizations’
EWTN | Victoria Cardiel | October 27, 2025
Pope Leo XIV said at a Mass on Sunday that
no one in the Church “should impose his or her own ideas” and asked that
tensions between tradition and novelty not become “ideological contrapositions
and harmful polarizations.”
“The supreme rule in the Church is love. No
one is called to dominate; all are called to serve,” Leo said in St. Peter’s
Basilica on Oct. 26.
“No one should impose his or her own
ideas; we must all listen to one another,” he continued. “No one is excluded;
we are all called to participate. No one possesses the whole truth; we must all
humbly seek it and seek it together.” [.....]
COMMENT: The problem
is this: the love of novelty is an ideology, Tradition along with sacred
Scripture is divine revelation. The Church always and everywhere has condemned
novelty until Vatican II and the Novus Ordo Church of Novelty embraced it. The
conflict between novelty and tradition is the conflict between God's revelation
and demonic lies; the conflict between the Church and the World. Those who are
faithful to tradition do not "impose their own ideas" but defend
God's revealed truth against the novelty of the world. The Novus Ordo Novelty
Church is "seeking truth"; the Church of Jesus Christ possesses it.
Pope Leo like his predecessor likes to characterize tradition as rigid and dead
and the novelty of modernism as mature and hopeful. This was once an intensely
debated matter but, at this time, after all the wreckage of the last 50 years
all tradition has to do is to point at the fruit of Vatican II novelty. Both
Leo and his predecessor Francis worked in South America. The total population
of South and Central America is about 600 million. Since Vatican II about 300
million have apostatized from the Catholic Church. These last two popes have
personally presided over the greatest apostasy over the shortest period of time
in the history of the Catholic Church. Anything Leo has to say, as long as he
is not sitting in the Chair of Peter, must be examined in light of this record.
Fruit of
Vatican II - Apostasy
In Honduras,
the country of the once most powerful man in the Roman Curia under
Francis/Bergoglio, Cardinal Rodríguez Maradiaga, a personally corrupt and
immoral man who had been a bishop in the capital since 1978, first as auxiliary then as Archbishop for 30 years,
the hierarchy led by him managed the
amazing feat of transforming that country in the first Catholic-minority nation
in Central America, a vertiginous fall from 94% to 46% in the same period -
and the same happened in Uruguay, across the Rio de la Plata from (Bergoglio's
home) Buenos Aires.
Rorate Caeli
Data Collapse of Catholic Faith in Latin America from 2014 presided
over by Pope Leo/Provost and his predecessor Francis/Begoglio
The “received and approved rites of the Catholic Church,
accustomed to be used in the solemn administration of the sacraments”:
…..Because, as we will see, Catholics must
celebrate only the “received and
approved rites” of the Church as a matter of Divine Law.
God revealed this truth in Scripture
through St. Paul. Before St. Paul teaches the Corinthians liturgical and
theological details concerning the Holy Mass (consecration formula, Real
Presence), he prefaces his teaching by affirming: “For I have received of the Lord that
which I also delivered unto you…”
(I Cor 11:23). St. Paul says again: “For I delivered unto you first of all,
which I also received” (1Cor 15:3). In these and other verses, St. Paul
emphasizes that we must believe and practice only what we have “received” from
Christ and the apostles which has been “delivered” unto us, and which includes
the liturgical rites of the Church. This is a divinely revealed truth and a
matter of Faith.
The Church has taught this divine truth
throughout her history. For example, in the Papal Oath of Coronation, which
originates at least as far back as Pope St. Agatho in 678 A.D. (and which was
set aside by Paul VI), every Pope swore to change nothing of the “received
tradition.” Pope Pius IV’s Tridentine Profession of Faith,
which is binding on the souls of all Catholics, likewise expresses this
principle by requiring adherence to the
“received and approved rites of the Catholic Church used in the solemn
administration of the sacraments.” The “received
and approved rites of the Church” originate from the Spirit of Christ and
the traditions of the apostles which have been handed down to us through the
ages.
Because the “received and approved rites” are part of the Church’s infallible
expression of the unchanging Deposit of Faith, as inspired and nurtured by the
Holy Ghost, they cannot be set aside or changed into new rites. This is why the
Ecumenical Council of Trent (1545-1563) infallibly declared:
“If anyone says
that the received and approved
rites of the Catholic Church, accustomed to be used in the
administration of the sacraments, may be despised or omitted by the ministers
without sin and at their pleasure, or
may be changed by any pastor of the churches to other new ones, let him be
anathema.”
Because the Council declares anathema (that
is, condemned, or severed from the Body of Christ) anyone who would set aside
or change into new rites the already “received
and approved rites” of the Church, proves that adherence to the “received and approved rites” is a
matter of Divine Law. The absolute necessity to preserve the substance of the
Church’s ancient liturgical rites is a requirement of the Faith because the
rites preserve and express that Faith. To hold that the Church’s rites can
change implies a belief that the Church’s doctrines can change, because the
rites preserve and express the doctrines. Hence, those who do not preserve the
Church’s rites (by omitting or changing them) are objectively anathema because they sin
against the Faith itself.
In light of the foregoing
condemnation, the Holy Council of Trent directed that the Roman Missal be
restored so that the faithful would know once and for all what is the “received and approved rite” of Mass.
To that end, Pope St. Pius V issued his papal bull Quo Primum Tempore to legally codify “the decrees of the Holy Council of Trent”
and render a definitive application of the Divine Law dogmatized by the
Council. This judgment mandated a single usage of the Roman rite for the Latin
Church, with some minor exceptions for usages greater than 200 years old, “in order that what has been handed down by
the most holy Roman Church, the Mother and Teacher of the rest of the churches
may be accepted and observed by all everywhere.” Hence, the sainted Pope
declared the oft-called “Tridentine
Mass” to be the “received and
approved rite” of the Church, and which precluded the creation of any “new
rite” of Mass in the future. Further, because Quo Primum is an infallible application of
Divine Law (that is, we must use only the “received
and approved rites”), St. Pius V rightly declared the decree to be
irreformable and valid forever.
This brings us to the inevitable and
troubling question: Is the
Novus Ordo a “new rite” of Mass that comes under the anathema of the Council of
Trent, as definitively interpreted by St. Pius V in Quo Primum? The name of the
rite itself (Novus Ordo
which means “new order” or “new ordinary” of the Mass) certainly suggests the
same. More importantly, so do the words of Pope Paul VI. In his November 19,
1969 General Audience address, Paul VI refers to the Novus Ordo as a “new rite” of
Mass several times, for example: “We wish to draw your attention to an event
about to occur in the Latin Catholic Church: the introduction of the liturgy of
the new rite of the Mass.”
He also says, “In the new rite you will find the relationship between the
Liturgy of the Word and the Liturgy of the Eucharist...”
We also consider the statements of
the members of Paul VI’s liturgical commission that created the New Mass, such
as the secretary and head of the commission, Fr. Annibale Bugnini, who said:
“It is not simply a question of restoring a valuable masterpiece, in some cases
it will be necessary to provide new
structures for entire rites…it will truly be a new creation.” Bugnini’s
assistant, Fr. Carlos Braga, also stated that the New Mass has “an entirely new foundation of
Eucharistic theology” and whose “ecumenical requirements” are “in harmony with
the Church’s new positions.”
Fr. Joseph Gelineau, one of the most influential members of the commission,
also said: “To tell you the truth, it is a different liturgy of the Mass. This
needs to be said without ambiguity: the
Roman rite as we knew it no
longer exists.” Therefore, both Paul VI and his appointed
authors of the Novus Ordo admitted that the New Mass is not the rite “received”
from tradition, but rather a rite created by innovation – an entirely
unprecedented act in the history of the Church.
But we should not rely on these
statements alone. While they may reveal the intent of the innovators, it is
still necessary to look at the substance of the Novus Ordo rite itself. As we have seen, the
Council of Trent and St. Pius V intended to preserve the substantial identity
of the Roman rite forever. If the New Mass does not preserve this identity,
then it cannot be considered the “received
and approved rite” of the Catholic Church no matter what anyone says. Even
the Second Vatican Council, which did not (and could not) mandate the creation
of a new rite of Mass, recognized this truth by directing that the rites “be revised carefully in the light of sound
tradition” with “due care being
taken to preserve their
substance.”
The Council of Trent’s condemnation of omitting or changing the “received and approved rites” into “new rites” is best understood by
referring to one of the oldest maxims of the Church’s sacred theology: “legem
credendi statuit lex orandi.” This is a Latin phrase which means
“the rule of prayer determines the rule of faith” (often referred to as “lex orandi, lex credendi”). In
other words, the way we pray determines what we believe. If a liturgical
tradition which expresses a doctrine of the Faith is altered or removed
altogether, the underlying doctrine will necessarily be compromised. This is
why the “received and approved rites”
must be faithfully preserved and never transformed into “other new ones” as declared by Trent.
…… However, the Novus Ordo Missae deviates from the Roman Missal
of St. Pius V to such an extent that it no longer retains the substantial
identity of the Roman rite. Even before the introduction of such abuses as
audible canons, vernacular and versus
populum (toward the people) celebrations, lay ministers, Communion
under both species, Communion in the hand to standing communicants and the
like, Cardinals Ottaviani and Bacci advised Paul VI that “the Novus Ordo
represents, both as a whole and in its details, a striking departure from the
Catholic theology of the Mass as it was formulated in Session XXII of the
Council of Trent.” Consequently, Cardinal Ottaviani (who, as head of the
Holy Office, was responsible for safeguarding the doctrine of the Faith), in
his famous intervention, concluded that the Novus Ordo was indeed a different
rite of Mass.
For example, Ottaviani says: “To abandon a liturgical tradition which
for four centuries stood as a sign and pledge of unity in worship, and to replace
it with another liturgy which, due to the countless liberties it
implicitly authorizes, cannot but be a sign of division – a liturgy which
teems with insinuations or manifest errors against the integrity of the
Catholic Faith – is, we feel bound in conscience to proclaim, an
incalculable error.” He also says,
“It is obvious that the New
Order of Mass has no intention of presenting the Faith taught by the
Council of Trent. But it is to this Faith that the Catholic
conscience is bound forever.” Accordingly, Ottaviani appealed to Paul VI “not to deprive us of the possibility of
continuing to have recourse to the integral
and fruitful Missal of St. Pius V, so highly praised by Your
Holiness, and so deeply venerated by the whole Catholic world.” Therefore,
both the critics and the
creators of the New Mass, including Paul VI himself, agree that the
Novus Ordo differs
in substance from
the Tridentine Missal and, hence, constitutes a “new rite” of Mass.
John Salza, J.D., The Novus Ordo Mass and Divine Law, excerpt from Catholic Family
News
He failed on
two occasions, 1942 & 1952, to consecrate Russia to the Immaculate Heart of
Mary as our Lady requested! He
contributed his share in liturgical destruction by establishing the liturgical
commission under Bugnini in 1948 and having Bea, his personal confessor,
undertake a new Latin translation of the Psalms.
“I am concerned
about the messages of the Virgin to the little Lucia of Fatima. This
persistence of the Good Lady in face of the danger that threatens the Church is
a divine warning against the suicide that the alteration of the Faith, in its
liturgy, its theology, and its soul, would represent. I hear around me
innovators who wish to dismantle the Sacred Chapel, destroy the universal flame
of the Church, reject her ornaments, and make her remorseful for her
historical past.”
Pope Pius XII,
1933
And now, addressing the “false prophets that exploit fear
and hopelessness to sell magical formulas of hate and cruelty,” Pope Francis
again insults the Catholic Faith as known and practiced by all our forefathers!
COMMENT: Pope Francis often
referenced St. Vincent of Lérins as if his understanding of Tradition is in
accord with that of the great Church Father.
It most certainly was not which is evident to anyone familiar with his
writings. This corruption can only be attributed to malice. Francis the Lutheran and St. Vincent the
Catholic did not profess the same Faith and only one of them is the Faith
without which it is impossible to please God.
Francis characterized faithfulness to the revelation of God as
“rigidity” which was itself attributed to deeper psychological and moral
failings of traditional Catholics. “Love is not rigid,” claimed Francis while
he counseled the overthrow of God’s commandments, but St. John the Apostle of
Love and devotee of the Sacred Heart reports a very different Gospel of Jesus
Christ:
· If you love me, keep my commandments. John 14:15
· If you keep my commandments, you shall abide in my love; as I also have
kept my Father’ s commandments, and do abide in his love. John 15:10
· He that hath my commandments, and keepeth them; he it is that loveth
me. And he that loveth me, shall be loved of my Father: and I will love him,
and will manifest myself to him. John 14:21
· Jesus answered, and said to him: If any one love me, he will keep my
word, and my Father will love him, and we will come to him, and will make our
abode with him. John 14:23
· In this we know that we love the children of God: when we love God, and
keep his commandments. 1 John 5:2
· And by this we know that we have known him, if we keep his
commandments. 1 John 2:3
Love is never lax or slothful in its pious
attention to duty. The laxism and sloth
of Pope Francis was because without Faith, he had no true love of God.
“Only take heed to yourself and guard your soul diligently.” Deut 4:9
"It is a sin to believe there is salvation outside the Catholic
Church!"
Blessed Pope Pius IX
Leo the Homosexual following in the way of Francis the
Homosexual.
Pictured below is Leo and Francis both greeting
homosexual "married" couples for public photo-ops. The other pictures
are Francis and Leo both slumming around with the pervert James Martin.
The Vatican is in the hands of the Homosexual Lobby. We
must pray to God to purge His Church of this gross perversion.
Preaching to the DEAF!
You gather here today, present-day
apostles, as the Church and, therefore, the world stand perched on the edge of
a cliff. And yet you who are entrusted with the keeping of souls choose to
speak not a word of the spiritual danger which abounds. Today we stand on the cusp of all
that has been prophesied about the Church and the abominations which would come
forth in these times, a time when all of hell attacks the Church of Jesus
Christ, and a time when the fallen angels of hell no longer seek entry into her
sacred halls but instead stand inside, peeking out of her windows and unlocking
doors to welcome in more diabolical destruction.
Do you not know that Our Lord will
send forth His avenging angels to heap coals of fire upon the heads of those
who were called to be His apostles and who have not guarded what He has given
unto them?
And yet almost all of you, my
brothers, stood by silently watching as the Synod on Synodality took
place, an abomination constructed not to guard the Deposit of Faith, but to
dismantle it, and yet few were the cries heard from you – men who should be
willing to die for Christ and His Church.
The Synod’s final document has
been released, yet with the sleight of hand which is so characteristic
of the Francis-controlled Vatican. By drawing attention to the issues which
worried many, they have slipped in what was always their real goal without
anyone even noticing. What they were after in the first place was the dismantling
of Christ’s Church by replacing the structure of the Church as Our Lord
instituted it with a diabolically-inspired new structure of “synodality”
which in actuality is a new church that is in no way Catholic.
Bishop Joseph Strickland, former bishop of
Tyler, TX who was removed from his office by Pope Francis the Diabolical for
preaching Catholic truth, addressing the U.S. bishops gathered at their annual
meeting
Latae sententiae crimes in the
external forum require a determination of guilt!
“A sentence
declaratory of the offence is always necessary in the forum externum, since in
this tribunal no one is presumed to be excommunicated unless convicted of a
crime that entail such a penalty.”
Pope
Benedict XIV, De syndod, X, I, 5
COMMENT: Recently
a group of young men and women missionaries for the Church of Jesus Christ of
Latter-day Saints (Mormons) were doing their required missionary work in
central city York. A friendly theological discussion took place on the steps of
our Mission chapel. The friendly exchanged ended and the climate cooled when
the question about the exact number of Joseph Smith's and Brigham Young's wives
was brought up. Mormons believe that Jesus Christ founded one Church. They
believe that that Church became corrupted and God abandoned it. God then,
centuries later, reconstituted His Church when the angel Moroni lead the
illiterate Joseph Smith to a hidden book and provided him with mystical
spectacles permitting him to read it. When you ask a Mormon how is it that Jesus
Christ promised to be with His Church until the end of time and taught that
marriage is between one man and one woman until death, why is it that they
believe Joseph Smith or Brigham Young and not believe Jesus Christ? They answer
by walking away. Jesus Christ uses the metaphor of marriage to describe His
relationship with His Church and with each of the faithful individually. Every
man-made heretical and schismatic sect eventually repudiates marriage because
they cannot abide the metaphor. Luther permitted bigamy. The Orthodox permit
divorce and remarriage three times. Joseph Smith had "up to forty
wives" and Brigham Young had "fifty-six wives, twenty-one had
never been married before; seventeen were widows; six were divorced; six had
living husbands; and the marital status of six others is unknown. Nine of his
wives had previously been plural wives of Joseph Smith, and Young was sealed to
them as a proxy for Smith" (WIKI). The first clue to the Mormons that they were being lead into a spiritual desert was
polygamy but some like the desert. Mormons claim that Brigham Young saw the
light and abandoned the practice for the Latter Day Saints but this occurred
only after the U.S. government told they to give it up or get out. Although
Mormons are no longer polygamists, they permit divorce and "temple"
remarriage which is just serial polygamy. These "missionaries" now
know that Jesus Christ did not abandon His Church and will not do so no matter
how corrupt churchmen become. The Catholic Church alone offers the possibility
of salvation.
It’s Official: Mormon Founder Had Up
to 40 Wives...
Mormon leaders have acknowledged for the first time that the church’s
founder and prophet, Joseph Smith, portrayed in church materials as a loyal partner
to his loving spouse Emma, took as many as 40 wives, some already married and
one only 14 years old.... The biggest
bombshell for some in the essays is that Smith married women who were already
married, some to men who were Smith’s friends and followers.
Religious Liberty from Vatican II has its root in the
Americanist Heresy
On
every side the dread phantom of war holds sway: there is scarce room for
another thought in the minds of men. The combatants are the greatest and
wealthiest nations of the earth; what wonder, then, if, well provided with the
most awful weapons modern military science has devised, they strive to destroy
one another with refinements of horror. There is no limit to the measure of
ruin and of slaughter; day by day the earth is drenched with newly-shed blood,
and is covered with the bodies of the wounded and of the slain. Who would
imagine as we see them thus filled with hatred of one another, that they are
all of one common stock, all of the same nature, all members of the same human
society? ....We implore those in whose hands are placed the fortunes of nations
to hearken to Our voice. Surely there are other ways and means whereby violated
rights can be rectified. Let them be tried honestly and with good will, and let
arms meanwhile be laid aside.
Benedict
XV, Ad beatissimi apostolorum,
November 1, 1914
“We
consider the establishment of our country’s independence, the shaping of its
liberties and laws, as a work of special Providence, its framers ‘building
better than they knew,’ the Almighty’s hand guiding them. We believe that our
country’s heroes were the instruments of the God of nations in establishing
this home of freedom; to both the Almighty and to His instruments in the work
we look with grateful reverence. And to maintain the inheritance of freedom
which they have left us, should it ever–which God forbid—be imperiled, our
Catholic citizens will be found to stand forward as one man, ready to pledge
anew ‘their lives, their fortunes, and their sacred honor.’”
Archbishop
(soon to be Cardinal) James Gibbons, addressing the American bishops at the
Third Plenary Council of Baltimore, 1884 attended by 14 archbishops and 61
bishops.
Moved
to the very depths of our hearts by the stirring appeal of the President of the
United States, and by the action of our national Congress, we accept
whole-heartedly and unreservedly the decree of that legislative authority
proclaiming this country to be in a state of war. Inspired neither by hate nor
fear, but by the holy sentiments of truest patriotic fervor and zeal, we stand
ready, we and all the flock committed to our keeping, to cooperate in every way
possible with our President and our national government, to the end that the
great and holy cause of liberty may triumph and that our beloved country may
emerge from this hour of test stronger and nobler than ever. Our people, as
ever, will rise as one man to serve the nation.
Pledge
of U.S. Catholic Archbishops, April 18, 1917; sent to President Woodrow Wilson
by Cardinal James Gibbons, Archbishop of Baltimore, the leading Catholic
prelate in the United States.
“The
primary duty of a citizen is loyalty to country. It is exhibited by an absolute
and unreserved obedience to his country’s call.”
Cardinal
James Gibbons, Archbishop of Baltimore (1877-1921), April 1917 in support of
the U.S. declaration of war against Germany and Austria-Hungary. The Balfour
Declaration agreement committed the British to deliver Palestine into Jewish
hands in return for the Jews bringing the United States into WWI in support of
the British. Cardinal James Gibbons was the chief propagator of the heresy of
Americanism which became settled Novus Ordo doctrine after Vatican II
(religious liberty) primarily by the work of Fr. John Courtney Murray who
greatly admired Cardinal Gibbons. Gibbons did his best to align American
Catholics with Jewish interests to bring the United States into the Great War.
In doing so Gibbons worked directly to undermine the peace plans of Pope
Benedict XV. Pope Benedict devised a generous peace plan and contacted Cardinal
Gibbons to do what he could to influence the United States government to back
his offer of a negotiated peace. Gibbons did nothing of the sort. While giving
lip service to the Pope's peace plan six months too late, he in fact never
contacted President Wilson or any official of the government to even mention
Pope Benedict's peace plan. Gibbons was too busy building the National Catholic
War Council (NCWC) and supporting the call of universal military service. The
purpose of the NCWC as Gibbons said in a letter to all American bishops was to
form “the mental and moral preparation of our people for the war.”
To Congar's
credit, he at least told the truth about what he helped destroy!
“It cannot be denied that the Declaration on
Religious Liberty does say materially something else than the Syllabus of 1864;
it even says just about the opposite of
Propositions 15 and 77 to 79 of this document..... I collaborated on the
final paragraphs which left me less satisfied.
It involved demonstrating that the theme of religious liberty was
already contained in Scripture. Now, it isn't there.”
Cardinal
Yves Marie Joseph Congar, O.P., forbidden to teach by the Church and
whose books were suppressed in the early 1950s, made a peritus at Vatican II by
Novus Ordo St. John XXIII, and is considered by many to have been the most
influential of all the periti. He was raised to the cardinalate by Novus Ordo
St. John Paul II. He rejected the dogmatic teaching of Trent which his teacher
and mentor, Fr. Marie-Dominique
Chenu, O.P., derisively called “Baroque
theology”.
Excerpts from the Diary of Msgr. Joseph Fenton:
·
“He
[Cardinal Ottaviani] remarked that we were on the eve of the Council, and that
no one knew who the Council’s theologians were to be.” (Sept. 28, 1962)
·
“It is a
crime that we did not take the Anti-Modernist Oath. Poor O[ttaviani] must have
failed to have our own profession passed by the central commission. It
contained his condemnation of [Fr. John Courtney] Murray [the Americanist
heretic who structured the Council teaching on Religious Liberty].” (Oct. 9,
1962)
·
“I had
always thought that this council was dangerous. It was started for no
sufficient reason. There was too much talk about what it was supposed to
accomplish. Now I am afraid that real trouble is on the way.” (Oct. 13,
1962)
·
“I
started to read the material on the Liturgy, and I was shocked at the bad
theology. They actually have been stupid enough [to say] that the Church
is ‘simul humanam et divininam, visibilem et invisibilem’ [at the same
time human and divine, visible and invisible]. And they speak of the Church
working ‘quousque unum ovile fiat et unus pastor’ [until there be one fold
and one shepherd], as if that condition were not already achieved.” (Oct. 19,
1962)
·
“I do not
think that any little work on our part is going to bring good to the Church. We
should, I believe, face the facts. Since the death of [Pope] St. Pius X the
Church has been directed by weak and liberal popes, who have flooded the
hierarchy with unworthy and stupid men. This present conciliar set-up makes
this all the more apparent. [Fr.] Ed Hanahoe, the only intelligent and faithful
member of [Cardinal] Bea’s secretariat has been left off the list of the periti. Such idiots as [Mgr. John S.]
Quinn and the sneak [Fr. Frederick] McManus have been put on. [Fr. George]
Tavard is there as an American, God help us. From surface appearance it
would seem that the Lord Christ is abandoning His Church. The thoughts of many
are being revealed. As one priest used to say, to excuse his own
liberalism, which, in the bottom of his heart he knew was wrong, ‘for the
last few decades the tendency in Rome has been to favor the
liberals.’ That is the policy now. We can only do what we can to
overt an ever more complete disloyalty to Christ.” (Oct. 19, 1962)
·
“[Fr.] Ed
Hanahoe gave me two books on Modernism. In one of them I found evidence that
the teaching in the first chapter of the new schema on the Church [that became
the Vatican II dogmatic constitution Lumen
Gentium] and the language are those of [the excommunicated Modernist Fr.
George Tyrrell [who died outside the Catholic Church and was denied
ecclesiastical burial]. May God preserve His Church from that chapter. If it
passes, it will be a great evil. I must pray and act.” (Sept. 24, 1963)
Paul VI
declared Novus Ordo Saint. So just what is a “Novus Ordo Saint”?
A Novus Ordo
Saint is a man-made saint. Contrasted with Catholic saints who are God-made
saints. In virtue of their union with God they are sanctified, and therefore,
Catholic Saints exhibit heroic virtue in their lives. God confirms their
sanctity by working miracles through their intercession and thus, a cult of
veneration (dulia) develops and spreads throughout the Church. The Church
recognizes God's evidence that they are saints and declares this fact to the
universal Church. Contrary to this, Novus Ordo Saints are man-made saints and
their elevation to the title of sainthood is for the purpose of promoting the
human ideology exemplified in their lives. There is no real cult of veneration
(dulia) among the faithful to Novus Ordo Saints. Since God does not work true
miracles through the intercession of man-made saints, only man-made miracles
are required for the beatification of man-made Novus Ordo Saints. Finally, the
Novus Ordo beatification process does have a promotor fidei, the
so-called “devil’s advocate,” although his role has been change as the promotor ideologiae. The greatest
difference between Catholic Saints and Novus Ordo Saints is that the former are
in heaven and the latter, very well may not be.
COMMENT ON THE
MODERN MIND DEVOID OF GOD’S GRACE
“But instead of a mind, universal literacy has given [the common
man] a rubber stamp, a rubber stamp inked with advertising slogans, with
editorials, with published scientific data, with the trivialities of tabloids
and the profundities of history, but quite innocent of original thought. Each
man's rubber stamp is the twin of millions of others, so that when these
millions are exposed to the same stimuli, all receive identical imprints. [...]
The amazing readiness with which large masses accept this process is probably
accounted for by the fact that no attempt is made to convince them that black
is white. Instead, their preconceived hazy ideas that a certain gray is almost
black or almost white are brought into sharper focus. Their prejudices,
notions, and convictions are used as a starting point, with the result that
they are drawn by a thread into passionate adherence to a given mental
picture.”
Edward Bernays, from his book, The Minority Rules, 1927. Bernays was a Jewish double nephew of
Sigmund Freud and a pioneer in public relations and propaganda. He was called
"the father of public relations" in his obituary. Bernays was named
one of the 100 most influential Americans of the 20th century by Life Magazine.
He was the subject of a full-length biography called The Father of Spin
(1999) and later an award-winning 2002 documentary for the BBC called The Century of the Self. (Wiki)
"Pray for the
conversion of Russia." Blessed Virgin Mary at Fatima
Your must
understand. The leading Bolsheviks who took over Russia were not Russians. They
hated Russians. They hated Christians. Driven by ethnic hatred they tortured
and slaughtered millions of Russians without a shred of human remorse. The
October Revolution was not what you call in America the "Russian Revolution."
It was an invasion and conquest over the Russian people. More of my countrymen
suffered horrific crimes at their bloodstained hands than any people or nation
ever suffered in the entirety of human history. It cannot be understated.
Bolshevism was the greatest human slaughter of all time. The fact that most of
the world is ignorant of this reality is proof that the global media itself is
in the hands of the perpetrators. We cannot state that all Jews are Bolsheviks.
But: without Jews there would have been no Bolshevism. For a Jew nothing is
more insulting than the truth. The blood maddened Jewish terrorists murdered
sixty-six million in Russia from 1918 to 1957.
Aleksandr
Solzhenitsyn (1918-2008), Noble Prize winning novelist, historian and victim of
Jewish Bolshevism
American Catholic Apostasy: PEW POLE 2025
29% of U.S. Catholics say they attend
Mass weekly.
59% of Catholics say abortion should be
legal.
76% U.S. Catholics say society should be
accepting of homosexuality.
61% U.S. Catholics support legal homosexual
"marriage."
80% of Catholics view Pope Francis
favorably.
84% of U.S. Catholics say they have a favorable view of Leo although
67% say they know little about Leo, and 25% know nothing at all.
Pope Leo XIV commemorates Nostra Aetate anniversary with interfaith
celebrations
Catholic NewsAgency | Vatican City |Kridina
Millare | Oct 29, 2025
Pope Leo XIV joined faith leaders on
Tuesday to commemorate the 60th anniversary of Nostra Aetate, the Church’s
declaration on building relationships with non-Christian religions.
Approximately 300 representatives of world
religions and cultures joined the Holy Father for an evening ecumenical prayer
service for peace organized by the Community of Sant’Egidio and held at the
Colosseum in Rome.
“Peace is a constant journey of
reconciliation,” the Holy Father said at the Oct. 28 event.
Thanking religious leaders for coming
together in Rome, he said their interfaith meeting expressed their shared
“conviction that prayer is a powerful force for reconciliation.”
“This is our witness: offering the immense treasures of ancient
spiritualities to contemporary humanity,” he said.
“We need a true and sound era of
reconciliation that puts an end to the abuse of power, displays of force, and
indifference to the rule of law,” he added. “Enough of war, with all the pain
it causes through death, destruction, and exile!”
In his remarks, the pope urged people not to be indifferent to the “cry
of the poor and the cry of the earth” in their pursuits for peace in countries
scarred by ongoing conflict and injustice.
“In the power of prayer, with hands raised
to heaven and open to others, we must ensure that this period of history,
marked by war and the arrogance of power, soon comes to an end, giving rise to
a new era,” he said.
“We
cannot allow this period to continue. It shapes the minds of people who grow
accustomed to war as a normal part of human history,” he continued.
Pope Leo and other religious leaders lit
candles to symbolize their shared prayer and renewed commitment to engage in
interfaith dialogue.
Several people waved small blue banners
with the word “peace” in different languages while Pope Leo and the other
religious leaders lit candles to symbolize their shared prayer and renewed
commitment to engage in interfaith dialogue.
After the prayer gathering at Rome’s iconic landmark, the Holy Father
returned to the Vatican to join colorful celebrations jointly organized by the
Dicastery for Interreligious Dialogue and the Dicastery for Promoting Christian
Unity.
To mark the 60th anniversary of Nostra Aetate, several multicultural music
and dance performances were held inside the Vatican’s Paul VI Audience Hall as
well as a presentation highlighting papal initiatives to promote the Church’s
dialogue with other religions since the pontificate of Pope Paul VI.
Pope Leo’s appearance and special address
toward the end of the two-hour gathering highlighted the Church’s reverence for
all people and its desire to collaborate with others for the common good.
“We belong to one human family, one in origin, and one also in our
final goal,” he said. “Religions everywhere try to respond to the restlessness
of the human heart.”
“Each in its own way offers teachings, ways of life, and sacred rites
that help guide their followers to peace and meaning,” he said.
Emphasizing the common mission shared among people of different
religions to “reawaken” the sense of the sacred in the world today, the Holy
Father encouraged people to “keep love alive.”
“We have come together in this place
bearing the great responsibility as religious leaders to bring hope to a
humanity that is often tempted by despair,” Leo said.
“Let us remember that prayer has the power
to transform our hearts, our words, our actions, and our world,” he said.
COMMENT: Now for the third
time in his short pontificate Leo/Provost quotes Leonard Boff's Cry of the Earth, Cry of the Poor. Boff
is a former Franciscan priest who was censored by the liberal Cardinal
Ratzinger when he headed the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith under
the liberal JPII for his extreme Marxist liberation theology. Boff is famous
for his development of an integrated theology of Marxism, Gaia cult earth
worship and "social justice." He was admired by Francis/Bergoglio and
he is admired thrice as much by Leo/Provost. The picture with its Satanic
imagery was reportedly published by the Vatican. Leo/Provost, like
Francis/Bergoglio, wants to restore native American culture and religious
traditions. It should be remembered that Christopher Columbus encountered
cannibalism on his second voyage of exploration and ritual murder was
widespread not only among the Aztecs and Incas but in smaller tribes across
both North and South America as reported by Jesuit missionaries. In the interfaith
celebrations at the Vatican a young native American boy half dressed paraded an
image of a snake into the assembly before Leo/Provost. Is this the native
American tradition that the Vatican wants to recover?
Doctrinal Note on Marian titles: Mother of the faithful, not
Co-redemptrix
The document of the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith, approved
by Pope Leo XIV, offers clarifications on titles applied to the Blessed Virgin
Mary, and calls for special attention to the use of the expression, “Mediatrix
of all graces.”
Vatican News
The Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith
on Tuesday, 4 November 2025, published Mater populi fidelis (“The Mother of the
Faithful People”), a Doctrinal Note “On Some Marian Titles Regarding Mary’s
Cooperation in the Work of Salvation.” Signed by the Prefect, Cardinal Víctor
Manuel Fernández, and the Secretary for the Dicastery’s Doctrinal Section,
Monsignor Armando Matteo, the Note was approved by the Pope on 7 October.
Mater populi fidelis (MPF) is the fruit of
a long and complex collegial effort. It is a doctrinal document on Marian
devotion, centred on the figure of Mary, who is associated with the work of
Christ as Mother of believers. The Note provides a significant biblical
foundation for devotion to Mary, as well as marshalling various contributions
from the Fathers, the Doctors of the Church, elements of Eastern tradition, and
the thought of recent Popes.
In this positive framework, the doctrinal
text analyses a number of Marian titles, encouraging the adoption of some of
those appellations and warning against the use of others. Titles such as
“Mother of Believers,” “Spiritual Mother,” “Mother of the Faithful” are noticed
with approval in the Note. Conversely,
the title of “Co-redemptrix” is deemed inappropriate and problematic. The title
of “Mediatrix” is considered unacceptable when it takes on a meaning that
excludes Jesus Christ; however, it can used appropriately so long as it
expresses an inclusive and participatory mediation that glorifies the power of
Christ. The titles “Mother of Grace” and “Mediatrix of All Graces” are
considered acceptable when used in a very precise sense, but the document also
warns of particularly broad explanations of the meaning of the terms.
Essentially, the Note reaffirms Catholic
doctrine, which has always emphasised that everything in Mary is directed
towards the centrality of Christ and His salvific work. For this reason, even
if some Marian titles admit of an orthodox interpretation through correct
exegesis, Mater populi fidelis says it is preferable to avoid them.
In his presentation of the Doctrinal Note,
Cardinal Fernández expresses appreciation for popular devotion but warns
against groups and publications that propose a certain dogmatic development and
raise doubts among the faithful, including through social media. The main
problem in interpreting these titles applied to Our Lady, he says concerns the
way of understanding Mary's association with Christ's work of redemption
(paragraph 3).
Co-redemptrix
Regarding the title “Co-redemptrix,” the
Note recalls that “some Popes have used the title “without elaborating much on
its meaning.” Generally, it continues, “they have presented the title in two
specific ways: in reference to Mary’s divine motherhood (insofar as she, as
Mother, made possible the Redemption that Christ accomplished) or in reference
to her union with Christ at the redemptive Cross. The Second Vatican Council
refrained from using the title for dogmatic, pastoral, and ecumenical reasons.
Saint John Paul II referred to Mary as ‘Co-redemptrix’ on at least seven
occasions, particularly relating this title to the salvific value of our
sufferings when they are offered together with the sufferings of Christ, to
whom Mary is united especially at the Cross” (18).
The document cites an internal discussion
within the then-Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, which in February
1996 had discussed the request to proclaim a new dogma on Mary as
“Co-redemptrix or Mediatrix of all graces.” Then-Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger was
opposed to such a definition, arguing, “the precise meaning of these titles is
not clear, and the doctrine contained in them is not mature. […] It is not
clear how the doctrine expressed in these titles is present in Scripture and
the apostolic tradition.”
Later, in 2002, the future Benedict XVI
expressed himself publicly in the same way: “The formula ‘Co-redemptrix’
departs to too great an extent from the language of Scripture and of the
Fathers and therefore gives rise to misunderstandings… Everything comes from
Him [Christ], as the Letter to the Ephesians and the Letter to the Colossians,
in particular, tell us; Mary, too, is everything that she is through Him. The
word ‘Co-redemptrix’ would obscure this origin.”
The note clarifies that Cardinal Ratzinger
did not deny the good intentions behind the proposal, nor the valuable aspects
reflected in it, but nonetheless maintained that they were “being expressed in
the wrong way” (19).
Pope Francis also expressed his clear
opposition to the use of the title Co-Redemptrix on at least three occasions.
Tuesday’s Doctrinal Note concludes: “It is
always inappropriate to use the title ‘Co-redemptrix’ to define Mary’s
cooperation. This title risks obscuring Christ’s unique salvific mediation and
can therefore create confusion and an imbalance in the harmony of the truths of
the Christian faith. […] When an expression requires many, repeated
explanations to prevent it from straying from a correct meaning, it does not
serve the faith of the People of God and becomes unhelpful” (22).
Mediatrix
The Note emphasises that “the biblical
statement about Christ’s exclusive mediation is conclusive. Christ is the only
Mediator” (24).
At the same time, MPF recognises “the fact
that the word ‘mediation’ is commonly used in many areas of everyday life,
where it is understood simply as cooperation, assistance, or intercession. As a
result, it is inevitable that the term would be applied to Mary in a
subordinate sense. Used in this way, it does not intend to add any efficacy or
power to the unique mediation of Jesus Christ, true God and true man” (25).
Further, “it is clear that Mary has a real
mediatory role in enabling the Incarnation of the Son of God in our humanity”
(26).
Mother of believers and Mediatrix of all graces
Mary’s maternal role “in no way obscures or
diminishes” the unique mediation of Christ, “but rather shows its power […]
Understood in this way, Mary’s motherhood does not seek to weaken the unique
adoration due to Christ alone but, rather, seeks to enkindle it.”
Therefore, the Note states, “one must avoid titles and expressions that
present Mary as a kind of ‘lightning rod’ before the Lord’s justice, as if she
were a necessary alternative before the insufficiency of God’s mercy” (37b).
Thus, the title “Mother of Believers”
“enables us to speak of Mary’s role in our relation to our life of grace”.
However, MPF goes on to urge caution concerning the use of expressions that may
convey “less acceptable notions” (45).
“Cardinal Ratzinger already affirmed” for example, “that the title
‘Mary, Mediatrix of All Graces’ was not clearly grounded in Revelation.” So,
the Note continues, “in line with this conviction, we can recognize the
difficulties this title poses, both in terms of theological reflection and
spirituality” (45). In fact, “no human person — not even the Apostles or the
Blessed Virgin — can act as a universal dispenser of grace. Only God can bestow
grace, and he does so through the humanity of Christ” (53).
“Some titles, such as ‘Mediatrix of All Graces,’ have limits that do
not favour a correct understanding of Mary’s unique place,” MPF explains,
adding, “In fact, she, the first redeemed, could not have been the mediatrix of
the grace that she herself received” (67).
Nonetheless, the Doctrinal Note
acknowledges that “the term ‘graces,’ when seen in reference to Mary’s maternal
help at various moments in our lives, can have an acceptable meaning. The
plural form expresses all the aids — even material — that the Lord may grant us
when He heeds His Mother’s intercession” (68).
COMMENT: Amazing to hear these apostates chirping
about the lack of "precise meaning" of theological terms while
obscurity in definition is, and has been since Vatican II, the calling card of
the Novus Ordo theologian and prelates. They like to muddle what is clear.
Let's start with the title, "Mother of Believers" and "Mother of
the Faithful." These are, in fact, worthy titles of the Mother of God and
frequently occur in St. Mary of Agreda's City of God, yet the Novus Ordo
clerics would never be found offering a precise definition and meaning for the
term "faithful" and then identify exactly who the
"faithful" are.
The term "faithful" has a precise
Catholic definition. It refers to those who have been baptized into the
Catholic Church and profess the one, holy, catholic and apostolic faith. By
virtue of this incorporation by baptism they have become "children of
God." They faithfully believe all the truths that God has revealed on the
authority of God the Revealer. Only those who have become thus members of the
Mystical Body of Christ share by participation in His divine nature and become
brothers and sister of Jesus Christ and therefore, sons of His Mother. This
definition excludes all heretics, schismatics, Jews, pagans, and any other form
of idolaters. Novus Ordo clerics heretically teach that everyone is a child of
God by virtue of the Incarnation. Everyone by nature is a creature of God
created in His image and likeness with the spiritual soul with the powers of
reason and free will, but every creature is born in original sin and cut off
from the friendship of God. He is only a "child of God" in potentia. Without the sacrament of
Baptism and the Catholic faith they can never become "children of
God." This obscurity of definition as to who is a child of God and thus a
child of the Blessed Virgin Mary ultimately obscures what is necessary as a
necessity of means to obtain salvation.
The title Mediatrix of all grace is long
established and of sound and precise theological understanding. Those that
pretend otherwise are ignorant, proud, and deceitful. They have no excuse. 'The
law of prayer determines the law of belief' is, as affirmed by St. Pius X in Pascendi, a canon of faith from the time
of Celestine I, that is, a dogma of the Catholic Church. The immemorial Roman
rite has a Mass in honor of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Mediatrix of all grace
celebrated on May 31 established by Pope Benedict XV. Regarding this feast, Dom
Gaspar Lefebvre, O.S.B. of the Abby of St. Andrew teaches:
"The will of God is that we should
have everything through Mary," says St. Bernard. The Father has sent us
His Son, but His will was to make His coming depend upon the Fiat of the
Virgin, which He commanded to the angel Gabriel to solicit on the day of the
Annunciation.
The Father and the Son send us the Holy
Ghost, but it is through Mary that He comes down to men. On the day of
Pentecost, according to an ancient Tradition, the heavenly fire which descended
on the Cenacle first rested on Mary, and then on the apostles. This is a figure
of what happens every day in the Church where the Holy Ghost is sent invisibly
into our souls. "All the gifts of the Holy Ghost are distributed by Mary
to those whom she chooses, whenever she wishes and as much as she wishes,"
says St. Bernardine of Siena.
The graces which the Holy Ghost pours down
on us are due to the merits of Christ on Calvary; but in order that God may
bestow them on the world, it is necessary that Mary should intervene. Having
cooperated by her divine maternity and by her sufferings at the foot of the
Cross in the Incarnation and Redemption, she has deserved to co-operate when
they are continually applied to creatures by the most High. "By the
communion of sorrows and of will between Christ and Mary," says St. Pius
X, "she has deserved to become the dispenser of all the blessings which
Jesus acquired for us by His blood" (Encyclical 2-2-1904). Such is His
will, but it is essential that she should constantly intercede for each one of
us. This she does, relying on the blood of Christ by whom she was herself
saved, and who alone saves us. This actual intervention of Mary plays a
preponderating part in the salvation of the world. It is important that we
should realize this, and it is the object of the feast of Mary Mediatrix of all
Graces. A clear idea of the fact may be obtained by simple reading the texts of
the Mass and Vespers.
"Through the Virgin," says St.
Bernardine of Siena, "life-giving graces flow from Christ, who is the
head, into His mystical body." "Through her," adds St.
Antoninus, "come from heaven all the graces granted to the world."
"What all the saints united to thee may obtain for us by their
intercession," writes St. Anselm, "thy pleading alone may obtain without
the help of their prayers." The maternal solicitude of Mary for the whole
human race is therefore continual, and it is because of this that unceasingly,
through the Mass, the sacraments, the hierarchy and other channels of grace,
the merits of Calvary are applied to our souls. "We may affirm,"
declared Pope Leo XIII, "that by the will of God, nothing is given to us
without Mary's mediation, in such a way that
just as no one can approach the almighty Father but through His Son, so
no one, so to speak, can approach Christ but through His Mother"
(Encyclical, 9-22-1891).
Let us therefore not consider as of small
importance the efforts made to establish this point of doctrine of Mary's
mediation, since this doctrine enables us to understand the divine plan, and
clearly manifests the mediation of the Son of God of which it is a corollary.
St.
Mary of Agreda at the Coronation of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Queen of Heaven,
writes that Jesus Christ addressed the entire heavenly assembly of angels and
saints saying:
"My
Father and eternal God, this is the Woman, that gave Me my human form in her
virginal womb, that nourished Me at her breast and sustained labors for Me,
that shared in my hardships and co-operated with Me in the works of Redemption.
This is She, who was always most faithful and fulfilled our will according to
our entire pleasure; She, pure and immaculate as my Mother, through her own
works, has reached the summit of sanctity according to the measure of the gifts
We have communicated to Her; and when She had merited her reward and could have
enjoyed it forever, She deprived Herself of it for Our glory and returned to
attend to the establishment, the government, and instruction of the Church
militant; and We, in order that She might live in it for the succor of the
faithful, deferred her eternal rest, which She has merited over and over again.
In the highest bounty and equity of our Providence it is just, that my Mother
should be remunerated for her works of love beyond all other creatures; and
toward Her the common law of the other mortals should not apply. If I have
merited for all infinite merits and boundless graces, it is proper that my
Mother should partake of them above all the others who are so inferior; for She in her conduct
corresponds to our liberality and puts no hindrance or obstacle to our infinite
power of communicating our treasures and participating them as the Queen and
Mistress of all that is created."
Sanctifying
grace is the created participation in the divine nature. The Blessed Virgin is
the "Queen and Mistress of all that is created." In this Mass the
Church prays:
"
O Lord Jesus Christ, our Mediator with the Father, who hast appointed the most
blessed Virgin, Thy mother, to be our mother also and our mediatrix before
Thee: Grant that whosoever draweth nigh to Thee to beseech any benefit, may
receive all things through her and rejoice.
Rev.
Gregory Alastruey's theological work titled, The Blessed Virgin Mary, says that, "There are five principle titles and offices due
Mary, the Mother of God, by reason of her cooperation in redemption: Mediatrix,
Co-redemptrix, Mother of Christians, Patroness or Advocate, and Queen and
Mistress of the universe. I would recommend those who deny this proper
honor to the Mother of God obtain a copy of the book and have their stupidity
erased. I do not say, ignorance erased because willful ignorance is stupidity. Fr. Alastruey affirms that
"Mary is truly mediatrix of the human race and this doctrine pertains to
the deposit of faith." He then draws from Scripture, the Fathers,
and theologians in support of this truth. He proves from the Church Fathers
that the word "mediatrix" was explicitly used by St. Ephrem, St.
Epiphanius, St. John Chrysostom, St. Basil of Seleucia, St. Andrew of Crete, St
Germanus of Constantinople, St. John Damascene, St Theodore, St. Antoninus and
Denis the Carthusian. He draws richly from the divine liturgy from both Eastern
and Roman traditions. The errors of the Protestant heretics are addressed and
exposed which are curiously the same as expressed by the Novus Ordo popes.
Lastly,
it is worth asking Why do the Novus Ordo popes hate these proper titles of the
Mother of God? The answer is simple. The Blessed Virgin asked the three
children at Fatima on June 13, 1917, "Are you willing to offer yourselves to God to bear all the sufferings
He wills to send you, as an act of reparation for the sins by which He is
offended, and of supplication for the conversion of sinners?" To which
question all answered, "Yes, we are willing." The Mother of God said
on July 13 after the children had seen a vision of Hell, "Sacrifice
yourselves for sinners, and say many times, especially whenever you make some
sacrifice: O Jesus, it is for love of You, for the conversion of sinners, and
in reparation for the sins committed against the Immaculate Heart of
Mary." On August 19 (the apparition did not occur on the August 13 because
the children were in prison) the Mother of God continued saying, "Pray,
pray very much, and make sacrifices for sinners; for many souls go to hell,
because there are none to sacrifice themselves and to pray for them." The
Blessed Virgin is asking the children to be co-redemptors and co-mediators of
grace with her in union with our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ for the
conversion and salvation of sinners. If the title of Co-Redemtrix and Mediatrix
of all Grace can be taken away from the Mother of God then no one is responsible
to do penance for their own sins or the sins of others. This falls back to the
Protestant heresy on the dogma of justification and the very nature of our
incorporation into the divine nature in the Mystical Body of Christ.
Leo/Provost, like his predecessor Francis/Bergoglio, believes that proselytism
is "solemn nonsense." They attack the titles to excuse their own
faithless sloth. They are working to obscure the very means of salvation. As
Jesus Christ said: "But woe to you scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites;
because you shut the kingdom of heaven against men, for you yourselves do not
enter in; and those that are going in, you suffer not to enter" (Matt
23:13).
Pope
Leo is just another heretic who denies the Blessed Virgin Mary her just titles
of Mediatrix of all Grace and Co-Redemtrix. Only a few days ago, he celebrated
with heretics, schismatics, Jews, Moslems, and a variety of idolaters a shared
communion praying to their common god a united petition for peace in the world.
He continues to ignore the peace plan offered by the Blessed Virgin Mary,
Mediatrix of all Grace, at Fatima. Pope Leo will soon learn that those who
insult the Mother have made an enemy of the Son.
This
demonstrats the fruit of the “New Evangelization” - which is shameless
apostasy!
Brazil: Catholic Church on
the decline
Catholic Church loses
followers to Evangelicals
Between 2000 and 2010, the number of
Brazilians describing themselves as Catholics has dropped by 12.2%. This record
fall brings the proportion of Catholics down to 65% – the lowest share since
religious affiliations was first surveyed in 1872. In 2000, 74% of the
population had classified themselves as Catholics.
Brazilian census: Catholic population falls to 57%
Catholic News Agency | Nathália
Queiroz | Sao Paulo,
Brazil, Jun 9, 2025
The percentage of Brazilians who identify
as Catholic fell to 56.75% in 2022, a reduction of 8.4% compared with 2010,
according to data from the 2022 demographic census released by the Brazilian
Institute of Geography and Statistics. [....]
“The Rosary is the most powerful weapon for
defending ourselves on the field of battle.”
… The decadence
which exists in the world is without any doubt the consequence of the lack of
the spirit of prayer. Foreseeing this disorientation, the Blessed Virgin
recommended recitation of the Rosary with such insistence. And since the Rosary
is, after the holy Eucharistic liturgy, the prayer most apt for preserving
faith in souls, the devil has unchained his struggles against it.
Unfortunately, we see the disasters he has caused.
… We must
defend souls against the errors which can make them stray from the good road. …
We cannot and we must not stop ourselves, nor allow, as Our Lord says, the
children of Darkness to be wiser than the children of Light … The Rosary is the
most powerful weapon for defending ourselves on the field of battle.
Sr. Lucy of Fatima,
Letter to Dom Umberto Pasquale
“Necessity
Knows No Law”
In 1976, the
head of the UGCC, Cardinal Josef Slipyj, living in exile in Rome after 18 years
in the Soviet gulag, feared for the future of the UGCC. Would it have bishops
to lead it, given that Slipyj himself was now over 80? So he ordained three
bishops clandestinely, without the permission of the Holy Father, Blessed (sic)
Paul VI. At the time, the Holy See followed a policy of non-assertiveness
regarding the communist bloc; Paul VI would not give permission for the new
bishops for fear of upsetting the Soviets. The consecration of bishops without
a papal mandate is a very grave canonical crime, for which the penalty is
excommunication. Blessed (sic) Paul VI—who likely knew, unofficially, what
Slipyj had done—did not administer any penalties.
Fr. Raymond J.
DeSouza
John
Henry Newman: A Novus Ordo Saint and, fittingly, a Doctor of the Novus Ordo
Church
"I see much danger of an English Catholicism
of which Newman (Cardinal John Henry Newman) is the highest type. It is the old
Anglican, patristic, literary, Oxford tone transplanted into the Church. It
takes the line of deprecating exaggerations, foreign devotions, Ultramontanism,
anti-national sympathies. In one word, it is worldly Catholicism."
Cardinal Manning, Primate of England, Letter
to Monsignor Talbot, written in 1866, the second year of his reign as
archbishop
Salvation by
“Implicit” Faith?
But without faith it is impossible to please God. For he that cometh to
God, must believe that he is, and is a rewarder to them that seek him. Heb. 1,
6
Of course charity itself is
impossible without faith and hope. Could
anyone love a man if he did not believe it was possible to be or become his
friend? Or if he despaired of ever
gaining his friendship? So it is with
man in relation to God as He is in Himself.
Man must believe it is possible to attain a perfect friendship with God
in Heaven and he must hope to attain this friendship through God’s power before
he can love God as his supernatural destiny.
Fr. Walter Farrell, O. P. and
Fr. Marin Healy, My Way of Life – The
Summa Simplified for Everyone
Looming ahead is the
Great Apostasy predicted by St. Paul to the Thessalonians when the Antichrist,
“the man of sin” (2 Thess. 2: 3), will engage mankind in wholesale flight from
God and reality. From him can be
expected perfect acquiescence to the three temptations by which the devil
failed to seduce Christ in the desert.
Turning stones into bread by substituting false teaching for true
doctrine, he will confirm the satanic religion by false miracles, (that is
“lying wonders”), as it were casting himself down from the pinnacle of the
temple to be borne up by spiritual hands.
Given “all the kingdoms of the world and all their glory” (Matt. 4: 8-9)
in return for falling down and adoring Satan, Antichrist the King will
establish a universal empire in the fallen angel’s name. Aping as closely as possible Christ’s
consummation of the law and the prophets, he will capitulate in his person the
whole of the world’s apostatic tradition.
Solange Strong Hertz, Apostasy
in America
The Reason the
Message of LaSalette is Rejected or Unknown? They Are NOT 'Her People'!
It was 1846
and France was suffering social and political upheaval. Catholic churches had
been abandoned and the Sacraments neglected… On the eve of the Feast of Our
Lady of Sorrows, eleven-year-old Maxim Giraud and fourteen-year-old Melanie
Mathieu beheld a luminous sphere, radiating like the sun, curiously unfolding
before their eyes. Gradually they made out a woman seated with her face in her
hands, weeping. She slowly arose and crossed her arms on her breast, her head
some what inclined.
The children
were drawn immediately to the lady's tears that adorned her face like perfectly
cut diamonds glimmering the in the sun's rays. Her dynamic features were framed
delicately in a white-satin headdress, on which rested a crown of roses, a
bouquet in all shades of reds and pinks. A crucifix with pincers on one end and
a hammer on the opposite end hung over her satin shawl, which was lined with
more roses. The Madonna wore a long ivory dress embroidered in precious pearls
and a yellow apron tied neatly to her waist. Wearing pearl slippers that peeked
out from underneath her satin robe, she sheltered herself atop a bouquet of
roses.
"Come to
me, my children," she tenderly addressed the two who stood afar,
motionless. "Be not afraid. I am here to tell you something of the
greatest importance."
As soon as
they were in touching distance of her, she began to speak with the urgency of
an ending world:
"If my
people will not obey, I shall be compelled to loose my Son's arm. It is so
heavy, so pressing that I can no longer restrain it."
She told the children that her Son was especially
concerned that people were not keeping holy Sunday, and that religion had lost
its place in their country…. "You will make this known to all my people;
you will make this known to all my people," she repeated to them. Solange
Hertz, Our Lady of LaSalette
"It is a sin to believe there is salvation outside the
Catholic Church!"
Blessed Pope Pius IX
The Church is One, Holy, Catholic Apostolic,
and Roman : unique, the Chair founded on Peter. Outside her fold is to
be found nether the true faith nor eternal salvation, for it is impossible to
have God for a Father if one does not have the Church for a Mother.
Blessed Pope Pius IX, Singulari Quidem
The Great Error of Vatican
II –
The “pastoral” blunder that
there exists a disjunction between Divine Revelation and Dogma
The greatest concern of the
Ecumenical Council is this: that the sacred deposit of Christian doctrine
should be guarded and taught more efficaciously….. the authentic doctrine…
should be studied and expounded through the methods of research and through the
literary forms of modern thought. The
substance of the ancient doctrine of the deposit of faith is one thing, and the
way in which it is presented is another. And it is the latter that must
be taken into great consideration with patience if necessary, everything being
measured in the forms and proportions of a Magisterium which is predominantly
pastoral in character. Pope John XXIII,
Opening Speech for Vatican II
Peace Plan of Our Lady of
Fatima
1.
WHAT DOES THE MESSAGE OF FATIMA REQUEST?
At Fatima Our Lady said that God wished to
establish in the world devotion to the Immaculate Heart of Mary. Our Lady said that
many souls would be saved from Hell and the annihilation of nations averted if,
in time, devotion to Her Immaculate Heart were established principally by these
two means:
A. the Consecration of Russia to the Immaculate
Heart of Mary by the Pope together with the world's bishops in a solemn public
ceremony, and
B. the practice or receiving Holy Communion (and
other specific devotions of about 1/2 hour in duration) in reparation for the
sins committed against the Blessed Virgin Mary, on the first Saturdays of five
consecutive months--a practice known to Catholics as "the First
Saturday" devotion.
2.
HAVE THESE REQUESTS OF OUR LADY OF FATIMA BEEN HONORED?
No, not entirely. A
number of the Faithful practice the "First Saturday" devotion, but
Russia has yet to be consecrated to the Immaculate Heart of Mary in a solemn
public ceremony conducted by the Pope together with the world's Catholic
bishops.
In 1982 the last
Fatima seer, Lucia, when a cloistered nun living in Coimbra, Portugal, was
asked if an attempted consecration by Pope John Paul II had sufficed. She
replied that it did not suffice, because Russia was not mentioned and the
world's bishops had not participated. Another attempted consecration in 1984
likewise did not mention Russia or involve the participation of many of the
world's bishops, and Sister Lucia stated immediately afterwards that this
consecration, too, had failed to meet Our Lady's requirements.
3. WHAT DOES THE MESSAGE OF FATIMA WARN?
It warns that if the
requests of Our Lady of Fatima for the Consecration of Russia and the First
Saturday devotion are not honored, the Church will be persecuted, there will be
other major wars, the Holy Father will have much to suffer and various nations
will be annihilated. Many nations will be enslaved by Russian militant
atheists. Most important, many souls will be lost.
4.
WHAT DOES THE MESSAGE OF FATIMA PROMISE?
The Message of
Fatima promises that if the requests of Our Lady of Fatima are carried out
"My Immaculate Heart will triumph. The Holy Father will Consecrate Russia
to Me, which will be converted, and a period of peace will be granted to
mankind."
The
United States is, as much as Israel, guilty for the Genocide of the Palestinian
People.
“I love Israel. I’m with you all the way...... Thanks to
the bravery and incredible skill of the Israeli Defense Forces and Operation
Rising Lion, the forces of chaos, terror, and ruin now stand weakened,
isolated, and totally defeated.”
“The story of fierce Israeli
resolve and triumph since October 7 should be proof to the entire world that
those who seek to destroy this nation are doomed to bitter failure.”
President Donald Trump, addressing the Israeli Knesset with Prime
Minister Benjamin Netanyahu
“Donald Trump is the greatest friend that the State of Israel
has ever had in the White House. No American president has ever done more for
Israel, and, as I said in Washington, it ain’t even close. It’s really not a
match.”
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu addressing Israeli
Knesset with President Trump
"It is sentiments like these (from President Trump) – backed by a long list of pro-Israel actions
over two terms, including moving the US Embassy to Jerusalem, recognizing
Israel’s sovereignty over the Golan Heights, recognizing Jewish claims in Judea
and Samaria for a 'Greater Israel', brokering the Abraham Accords, striking
Iran alongside Israel, decapitation strikes against Iranian and Hamas peace
negotiators, and directly supporting the Israeli genocide of Gaza with over $30
billion direct aid, billions more in indirect air with military, intelligence,
logistical and political support both in the United States and at the United
Nations including censorship in mainstream media and suppression of free speech
at college campuses."
Catholic political commentary
“For the Jews, ‘Anti-Semitism’ is anything that is in
opposition to the naturalistic Messianic domination of their nation over all
the others.”
Rev. Denis Fahey, C.S.Sp., B.A., D.Ph., D.D.
On the Charge of
Anti-Semitism in Our Time
“…Two reasons can be assigned to the fact
that Our Lord’s faithful members will often be betrayed by those who should be
on the side of Christ the King. Firstly, many Catholic writers speak of Papal
condemnations of Anti-Semitism without explaining the meaning of the term, and
never even allude to the documents which insist on the Rights of Our Divine
Lord, Head of the Mystical Body, Priest and King. Thus, very many are
completely ignorant of the duty incumbent on all Catholics of standing
positively for Our Lord’s Reign in society in opposition to Jewish Naturalism.
The result is that numbers of Catholics are so ignorant of Catholic doctrine
that they hurl the accusation of Anti-Semitism against those who are battling
for the Rights of Christ the King, thus effectively aiding the enemies of Our
Divine Lord. Secondly, many Catholic writers copy unquestioningly what they
read in the naturalistic or anti-Supernatural Press and do not distinguish
between Anti-Semitism in the correct Catholic sense, as explained above, and
‘Anti-Semitism’ as the Jews understand it. …”
Fr. Fahey’s Preface in Grand Orient
Freemasonry Unmasked: As the Secret Power Behind Communism by Monsignor George
F. Dillon, D.D.
Jews have
hated & persecuted the Catholic Church from the time of Jesus Christ to
this very day!
[The Jews are] a people who,
having imbrued their hands in a most heinous outrage [Jesus’ crucifixion], have
thus polluted their souls and are deservedly blind. . . . Therefore we have
nothing in common with that most hostile of people the Jews. We have received
from the Savior another way . . . our
holy religion. . . . On what subject
will that detestable association be competent to from a correct judgment, who
after that murder of their Lord . . .
are led… by. . . their innate fury?
Council of Nicaea, 325 AD
Jewish
Power is inversely proportional to the spiritual health of the Catholic Church
“Jews should not be placed in
public offices, since it is most absurd that a blasphemer of Christ should
exercise power over Christians.”
Fourth Lateran Council
Good Night, Sweet Princeton! By Fr. Leonard Feeney, 1952
Maritainism is a system of thought which
allows Catholics to be both Catholic and acceptable in the drawing rooms of
Protestant and Jewish philosophers. Maritainism is not a seeking and a finding
of the Word made flesh. It is a perpetual seeking for un-fleshed truth in an
abstract scheme called Christianity. Maritainism is the scrapping of the
Incarnation in favor of a God Whose overtures to us never get more personal or
loving than the five rational proofs for His existence. This plot to encourage
only pre-Bethlehem interest in God takes its name from its perpetrator, that
highly respected religious opportunist, Jacques Maritain.
The slightest acquaintance with Maritain’s
history is sufficient to indicate how awry he must be in his Catholicism. He is
a former Huguenot who married a Jewish girl named Raïssa. During their student
days in Paris, both Jacques and Raïssa felt a double pull in the general
direction of belief. Intellectually they were attracted to the religious
self-sufficiency of a Jewish intuitionist named Henri Bergson. Sociologically
they were attracted to the spurious Catholicism of Leon Bloy, a French exhibitionist
who made a liturgy of his own crudeness and uncleaness and tried to attach it
to the liturgy of the Church. At some point in their association with an
unbaptized Bergson and an unwashed Bloy, the Maritains figured out that there
was a promising future ahead of them in Catholicism.
Jacques Maritain is noted for his
solemn-high, holier-than-thou appearance. For this reason, more than one priest
reports that by the time a Maritain lecture is over, any priest who is present
has been made to feel that the Roman collar is around the wrong neck and that
perhaps he, the priest, ought to put on a necktie and kneel for Maritain’s
blessing.
One explanation of Maritain’s distant
expression is that he fancies himself to be the Drew Pearson of the Christian social
order. Judging by Maritain’s passion for the abstract, the fulfillment of all
his prophecies will come in an era when mothers can sing such songs as
“Rock-a-bye Baby, on the Dendrological Zenith,” and children recite such
bedtime prayers as “The Hail Mariology.”
Jacques Maritain prefers Thomism to Saint
Thomas Aquinas and, similarly, he much prefers the notion of the papacy to the
person of the Pope. He could not, however, turn down the prestige of an
appointment as French ambassador to the Vatican. Maritain went to Rome, but he
protected himself against over exposure to Italian faith by visits to Dr.
George Santayana. In Maritain, Santayana recognized a brother, the kind of
European intellectual cast-off that is annually being grabbed-up by American Universities.
That Jacques Maritain should now be found
preaching at Princeton University is not so strange. It did not require too
much insight on Princeton’s part to see that a Catholic who hates Franco,
speaks at Jewish seminaries, and favors “theocentricity” in place of Jesus,
would be a bizarre, but harmless, addition to anybody’s faculty club.
Perhaps Princeton realized also that a
Catholic’s admirers are a good measure of his militancy. Among Maritain’s more
prominent sympathizers are John Wild, Charles Malik and Mortimer Adler (N.B.
Adler was converted and received into the Catholic Church in 1999 only 18
months before he died at 98 years of age), who are, respectively, an Anglican,
a Greek schismatic, and a Jew. Naturally Maritain could not insult intellectuals
like these by telling them that although they are outside the Church they can
get into Heaven because of their “invincible ignorance.” It was necessary that
Maritain concoct a new way of getting around the dogma, “No Salvation Outside
the Catholic Church.”
After a lot of abstract deliberation,
Maritain decided that a man could be “invisibly, and by a motion of his heart,
a member of the Church, and partake of her life, which is eternal life.”
According to Maritain’s new covenant, the important salvation-actions in our
world are no longer a head bowed to the waters of Baptism, a hand raised in
Absolution, a tongue outstretched to receive Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament. “A
motion of his heart,” says Maritain, is all that is required before a man may
partake of eternal life.
The Sacred Heart might have saved Himself a
lot of inconvenience had He only known this, one Friday afternoon on Calvary.
COMMENT: Jacques Maritain was Paul VI’s favorite philosopher. Maritain's reputation as a great philosopher is based on his supposed integration of the Scholastic principles of St. Thomas with the modern world. He had a world-wide reputation and following that extending beyond his
native France to hold visiting professorships
at Princeton and the University of Chicago, as well as a visiting lecturer at Notre Dame, Yale, Harvard, and the University of Toronto. Pope Paul VI publicly confessed his
profound respect and influence by
Maritain’s thought on his Credo of the People of God (1968). At
the close of the Second Vatican Council on December 8, 1965, the pope’s “Address
to Men of Thought and Science” was dedicated to his “dear friend and mentor, Jacques Maritain.” Pope Paul offered Maritain a cardinal’s hat, but the philosopher declined
it. Vatican II’s Declaration on Religious Freedom—Dignitatis Humanae—which teaches that the dignity of man is so exalted
that he possesses the inalienable right to neither conform his mind to God’s
revealed truth nor obey God’s commandments, drew as its inspiration Maritain’s book Man and the State (1951) which is an
articulation of the language
of “rights” that Dignitatis
Humanae employs.
“By
their fruit you shall know them!”; & by their fruit you had better well
know them!
For such false
apostles are deceitful workmen, transforming themselves into the apostles of
Christ. And no wonder: for Satan himself transformeth himself into an angel of
light. Therefore it is no
great thing if his (Satan's) ministers be transformed as the ministers of
justice, whose end shall be according to their works.
II Corinthians
11:13-15
The order of divine justice exacts that
whosoever consents to another's evil suggestion, shall be subjected to him in his punishment; according to II Peter
2:19: "By whom a man is overcome, of the same also he is the
slave."
St. Thomas Aquinas
The proper literal understanding of this dogma from the
Council of Trent:
Canon 4 on the sacraments in
general: If anyone says that the
sacraments of the New Law are not necessary for salvation but are superfluous,
and that without them or without the desire of them men obtain from God
through faith alone the grace of justification, though all are not necessary
for each one, let him be anathema.
The Dogma defines two revealed doctrinal truths:
1.
If anyone says: that the sacraments of the
New Law are not necessary for salvation but are superfluous, let him be
anathema.
2.
If anyone says: that without the
sacraments or (if anyone says) without the desire of the sacraments men
obtain from God through faith alone the grace of justification, let him be
anathema.
Both the Sacrament of Baptism and the will to
receive the Sacrament are necessary for salvation!
“But
God desired that his confession should avail for his salvation, since he preserved him in this life until the
time of his holy regeneration.” St. Fulgentius
“If anyone is not baptized, not only in
ignorance, but even knowingly, he can in no way be saved. For his path to salvation was through the confession,
and salvation itself was in baptism.
At his age, not only was confession
without baptism of no avail: Baptism
itself would be of no avail for salvation if he neither believed nor
confessed.” St. Fulgentius
Notice,
both the CONFESSION AND THE BAPTISM are necessary for salvation, harkening back
to Trent’s teaching that both the laver AND the “votum” are required for
justification, and harkening back to Our Lord’s teaching that we must be born
again of water AND the Holy Spirit.
In fact, you see the language of St. Fulgentius reflected in the Council of
Trent. Trent describes the votum (so-called “desire”) as the PATH
TO SALVATION, the disposition to Baptism, and then says that “JUSTIFICATION
ITSELF” (St. Fulgentius says “SALVATION ITSELF”) follows the dispositions in
the Sacrament of Baptism.
Yet another solid argument for why Trent is teaching that BOTH the votum
AND the Sacrament are required for justification.
“Hold
most firmly and never doubt in the least that not only all pagans but also all
Jews and all heretics and schismatics who end this present life outside the
Catholic Church are about to go into the eternal fire that was prepared for the
Devil and his angels.” St. Fulgentius
“The most Holy Roman Church firmly believes,
professes and preaches that none of those existing outside the Catholic Church,
not only pagans, but also Jews and heretics and schismatics, can have a share
in life eternal; but that they will go into the ‘eternal fire which was
prepared for the devil and his angels.’”
Pope Eugene IV, Cantate Domino
Ladislaus, CathInfo
We will see
the same from Pope Leo!
The
end of dialogue is to produce opinion. The purpose of logical argument is to
appeal to the intellect to arrive at truth.
Rhetoric appeals to the will and poetry to the imagination. The emphasis
of the Novus Ordo Church since Vatican II on dialogue is therefore a
repudiation of any claim to truth offering in its place only the opinions of
churchmen. It is the debasement of Jesus Christ’s gospel from Truth to just
another opinion, from historical fact to mythology. It is only incidental that
Novus Ordo Church, having turned its back against the truth, has also turned
away from rhetoric and poetry which explains why it is both effeminate and
ugly.
“The Church will have to opt for dialogue as her style and method,
fostering an awareness of the existence of bonds and connections in a complex
reality. . . . No vocation, especially within the Church, can be placed outside
this outgoing dynamism of dialogue . . . . [emphasis added].”
Pope Francis’ Instrumentum
Laboris, XV ORDINARY GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF SYNOD OF BISHOPS: YOUNG
PEOPLE, THE FAITH AND VOCATIONAL DISCERNMENT
And
thus, the 'spirit of Vatican II' - dialogue so that everyone can reach an
accomodation of error and the repudiation of logical argument appealing to
truth!
“Don’t proselytize; respect others’ beliefs. We can inspire others
through witness so that one grows together in communicating. But the worst
thing of all is religious proselytism, which paralyzes: ‘I am talking with you
in order to persuade you,’ No. Each person dialogues, starting with his and her
own identity. The church grows by attraction, not proselytizing.”
Pope Francis
Explicit Supernatural
Faith in God’s Revealed Truth is Necessary as a Necessity of Means for
Salvation.
If you do not
believe this, you do not possess Supernatural Faith!
Responses of the Holy Office under Pope Clement XI, 1703:
Q. Whether a minister
is bound, before baptism is conferred on an adult, to explain to him all the
mysteries of our faith, especially if he is at the point of death, because this
might disturb his mind. Or, whether it is sufficient, if the one at the point
of death will promise that when he recovers from the illness, he will take care
to be instructed, so that he may put into practice what has been commanded him.
Resp. A promise is not
sufficient, but a missionary is bound to explain to an adult, even a dying one
who is not entirely incapacitated, the mysteries of faith which are necessary by a necessity of means, as
are especially the mysteries of the Trinity and the Incarnation.
Q. Whether it is
possible for a crude and uneducated adult, as it might be with a barbarian, to
be baptized, if there were given to him only an understanding of God and some
of His attributes, especially His justice in rewarding and in
punishing, according to this passage of the Apostle "He that
cometh to God must believe that he is and that he is a rewarder' [Heb . 11:23],
from which it is inferred that a barbarian adult, in a certain case of urgent
necessity, can be baptized although he does not believe explicitly in Jesus
Christ.
Resp. A missionary should not baptize
one who does not believe explicitly in the Lord Jesus Christ, but is bound to
instruct him about all those matters which are necessary, by a necessity of
means, according to the capacity of the one to be baptized.”
COMMENT: The infamous 1949 Holy Office Letter, sent privately to
Cardinal Richard Cushing of Boston for the purpose of censoring Fr. Lenard
Feeney for his belief in the Dogma that there is no salvation outside the
Catholic Church, affirmed the novel doctrine of 'salvation by implicit desire'.
The "implicit desire" was to be a "member of the Church"
and the evidence of this "implicit desire" was an explicit belief in
a 'god who rewards and punishes'. The Letter teaches that the only requirement
for salvation is found in St. Paul's Letter to the Hebrews 11:13. No longer
were the belief in any revealed truth, the reception of any sacrament, or being
a subject of the Roman Pontiff necessary as necessities of means for salvation.
This Letter teaches that any "good-willed" Jew as a Jew, Hindu as a
Hindu, Mohammedan as a Mohammedan, Protestant as a Protestant, etc., etc. can
be members of the Church and can obtain salvation because they believe in a
'god who rewards and punishes'. The Holy Office response of 1703 makes it clear
that the belief in a God who rewards and punishes is only the natural philosophical
prerequisite for receiving the gospel good-news of salvation and of itself is
insufficient grounds for receiving the sacrament of Baptism.
After
40 Years of Dialogue, Rabbi identifies papal “conundrum.”
The real conundrum that faces Benedict XVI on his visit to Israel… is
should he be loyal to the Gospels which claim that only acceptance of Christ
can bring the messianic age, or should he endorse Vatican II which acknowledges
that Jews… can find the kingdom of God via a different route? Should he look inwards, backwards or
forwards?
Rabbi Jonathan Romain, The Pope’s Jewish Dilemma, The Guardian
There is yet a time of stillness and indifference. Liberalism is a
twilight state in which all errors are softened, in which no persecution for
religion will be countenanced. It is the stillness before the storm. There is a
time coming when nothing will be persecuted but truth, and if you possess the
truth, you will share the trial.
Cardinal Henry Edward Manning, Archbishop of Westminster
Pope Leo calls for unity in climate action on 10-year anniversary of
Laudato si’
Pope Leo XIV appealed to all of humanity to unite, overcome
differences, and work together to respond to climate change and ecological
destruction
The Tablet | Aili Winstanley Channer | 02
October 2025
He was speaking to climate activists and
religious leaders commemorating the ten-year anniversary of the encyclical Laudato si’ at Castel Gandolfo
yesterday.
It was the opening of the three-day
“Raising Hope for Climate Justice” conference organised by the Laudato si’
Movement in collaboration with ecclesial and institutional partners. Pope Leo reiterated Pope
Francis’ concern about “those who deride climate change” in the 2023
Apostolic Exhortation Laudate
Deum, and asserted, “there
is no room for indifference”.
He asked, “What must be done now to ensure that caring for our common
home and listening to the cry of the earth and the poor do not appear as mere passing
trends or, worse still, that they be seen and felt as divisive issues?”
Attendees at the conference include
Christine Allen of Cafod. Bishop John Arnold, the lead bishop for the
environment for the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of England and Wales, said, “Pope Leo reminded us that Pope
Francis had emphasised that ‘the most effective solutions will not come from
individual efforts alone, but above all from major political decisions on the
national and international levels’. More than ever, we need to work together,
to think of future generations, and take urgent action if we are to truly
respond to the scale of this climate crisis: a crisis which affects those who
are poorest and most vulnerable and have done least to cause it.”
This view reflects Pope Leo’s call for ecological conversion at all
levels of society, including by strengthening democracy: “Citizens need to take
an active role in political decision-making at national, regional and local
levels. Only then will it be possible to mitigate the damage done to the
environment.”
Pope Leo was joined by Marina Silva,
Brazil’s minister of the environment and climate change and the head of the
United Nations Global Ethical Stocktake, an initiative to foster societal
reflection on ethical responsibility for climate change ahead of the 2025 UN
Conference of Parties (COP30), which will be held in Belem, Brazil, in
November. Pope Leo expressed his hope that COP30 and other upcoming
international summits “will
listen to the cry of the Earth and the cry of the poor, families, indigenous
peoples, involuntary migrants and believers throughout the world”.
But Pope Leo also emphasised that although these challenges are “of a
social and political nature”, they are “first and foremost of a spiritual
nature: they call for conversion”. He reaffirmed the spiritual
importance of caring for the Earth as God’s creation and its inseparability
from our responsibility towards the poor and vulnerable: “We cannot love God, whom we
cannot see, while despising his creatures. Nor can we call ourselves disciples
of Jesus Christ without participating in his outlook on creation and his care
for all that is fragile and wounded.”
The film star Arnold Schwarzenegger, known for his roles in
high-profile action films as well as his climate activism as Governor of
California and head of the Schwarzenegger Climate Initiative, spoke alongside
Pope Leo and called him an “action hero” for his message on the environment.
Pope Leo smiled as he began his address. He affirmed the crucial and diverse
contributions made to mitigating the crisis by every individual at the
conference: “There is
indeed an action hero with us this afternoon: it is all of you, who are working
together to make a difference.”
As he closed, he said: “God will ask us if we have cultivated and cared
for the world that he created, for the benefit of all and for future
generations, and if we have taken care of our brothers and sisters. What will
be our answer?”
Pope Leo XIV Blesses Huge 20,000-Year-Old Chunk Of Greenland Ice
Forbes | Leslie Katz | Oct 06, 2025
Pope Leo XIV stood on stage at a climate
conference in Rome last week and laid his right hand on a massive chunk of ice,
blessing it.
This wasn’t just any ice. It had broken off
the vast Greenland Ice Sheet, a key regulator of global climate that’s
shrinking quickly as it melts due to climate change. The resulting rise in
global sea levels could flood many tens of millions of homes, scientists warn.
Danish-Icelandic artist Olafur Eliasson
transported the ice to the Raising Hope Conference with the help of Danish
geologist Minik Rosing to serve as a stark symbol of how quickly the world’s
glaciers are disappearing.
“Lord of life, bless this water,” the pope
said after touching the dripping ice. “May it awaken our hearts, cleanse our
indifference, soothe our grief and renew our hope through Christ our lord.”
Eliasson is known for his installation
art using light, water, and air. Eliasson called it “striking” to
witness the pope bless the 20,000-year-old piece of Greenlandic glacial ice.
“We felt the presence of the fragile ice underscored the importance of
recognizing that nature is not separate from humanity,” the artist wrote on
Instagram.
COMMENT: Pope Leo,
celebrating the 10th anniversary of Laudato si', the earth worshiping
encyclical of Pope Francis, blessed a block of Ice to counteract the diabolical
forces of global warming striking a grave and focused posture that was in
marked contrast to the stupidity of the gesture. The act says a lot more about
Leo than it does about climatology. Leo, like Francis, is believer in the pagan
Gaia cult of Mother Earth worship. Leo refers twice in his sermon to the
"Cry of the Earth, the Cry of the Poor." Leo took this phrase from
Francis' Laudato si' and Francis took
the quote without attribution from Leonard Boff's Cry of the Earth, Cry of the Poor. Boff is a former Franciscan
priest who was censored by the liberal Cardinal Ratzinger when he headed the
CDF under the liberal JPII for his extreem Marxist liberation theology. Boff is
famous for his development of an integrated theology of Marxism, Gaia cult earth
worship and "social justice." He was admired by Francis and he is
admired twice as much by Leo.
If
the ice block is 20,000 years old then the Genesis creation account and the
global flood of Noe is reduced to mythology and not divine revelation. The fact
is, ancient mythology ended with the Christian revelation of Jesus Christ but
the modern scientific world is doing its best to resurrect the cult of
mythology. The world likes to talk about the scientific fables of Big Bang,
primordial soups with lightening bubbling forth proteins that congeal into
cellular life with the teleological purpose of producing the DNA of Darwinian
man. These fables are believed and shamelessly pandered by our neo-modernists
popes. The absurdity is that the neo-modernists popes have embraced the myths
of scientology when science itself has discredited their claims. Scientists
have been predicting global flooding of coastal areas for the last fifty years
with no evidence of rising sea levels. Global warming is not science. It is liberal
ideology applied to climatology that always calls for a one-world governance to
enforce its dictatorial and anti-Catholic mandates. The alleged global warming
is always without exception a man made assault on Mother Earth that requires
the ritual murder of 6.5 billion people for a world "sustainable"
population of 500 million for expiation. Never is it considered in their
calculus that the increase of global
temperature would make available millions of more acres of arable land and
lengthen the growing season in millions of additional acres creating a massive
increase in the food supply and areas of habitable land. Scientists have no
idea whatsoever if global warming, if it is in fact happening at all, would
have overall beneficial or harmful effects. While Pope Leo is a resident in
Rome he might ask what became of Rome's ancient Port City of Ostia which was at
the time of Jesus Christ located directly on the sea at the mouth of the Tiber
River. It is today three kilometers from the coast. Citizens of Ostia may have
lost their beach front property but they are not under water.
Exsurge Domine - USA; Archbishop Carlo Maria
Viganò
The Association Exsurge
Domine is committed to provide
assistance, support and material aid for clerics, religious and consecrated
persons who are victims of the Bergoglian Regime. It is of highest importance
to act, to defend the immutable Tradition of the Catholic Faith, to preserve
and promote the Apostolic Mass, and to save Christendom. In this decisive
moment, we must choose to counter evil, or be swallowed up by its most
pestilent breath. Only those who fight as the Maccabee’s did shall merit
victory.
DEFENDE ECCLESIAM TUAM
In
many nations that are no longer Catholic-such as England, Germany or the
Netherlands, for example-you can still see small chapels carved out of attics
and cellars, or home altars hidden in invisible closets or niches: they were
used for the clandestine celebration of Mass in times of persecution, when it
was a crime to be faithful to the Church of Rome and priests had to hide to
avoid imprisonment or the death sentence. Without going back to Diocletian,
even in the 16th and 17th centuries “papists” were considered a threat, and
were barely tolerated as long as they had no churches, convents, seminaries, or
schools.
These persecutions are recurring today,
in perhaps a less bloody form, and the perpetrators are not Lutherans or the
thugs of Olivier Cromwell, but Cardinals, Bishops and Prelates of the Conciliar
sect, infiltrated into the Vatican and well determined to wipe out all traces
of the “old religion” and the “old Mass” that they have replaced with the
religion of ecology, of welcome, of inclusiveness, of the New World Order.
The apostasy we are experiencing is not
very different from that of the bishops who swore allegiance to Henry VIII in
order not to lose rents and benefits: the difference is that today the act of
obedience is required toward Bergoglio, the Second Vatican Council,
the Novus Ordo, the “synodal church,” Pachamama.
Those who do not yield, those who remain
faithful to the Priesthood or Religious Vows are ostracized, mocked, vilified,
persecuted and above all deprived of ministry, a dwelling place and means of
livelihood. Without mercy, without charity, without humanity.
Exsurge
Domine is
the response of those who do not surrender to this betrayal of the modernist
Hierarchy: it joins us to our brothers of past ages, to the faithful who gave
hospitality to the monk wanted by the soldiers of Elizabeth I, a hot meal to
the nun with no convent left in revolutionary France, a hiding place to the
Mexican priest pursued by the soldiers of the Masonic government. We can help
those persecuted priests, religious men and women who in anonymity, silence,
and humble acceptance of trials show us the suffering face of Christ ascending
Golgotha.
Let us therefore prove that we know how
to accompany the Faith we profess with good works, with prayer, with charity
and almsgiving. For these priests, these friars, these nuns can stop the arm of
divine Justice and give hope for the future in our children.
“Exsurge Domine – USA”
Address: PO Box 121, Rice Lake, WI 54868
Email:
info@exsurgedomineusa.org
501(c)3 approved Tax Code: 93-3884604
EXCERPT: The Vatican has been
covering-up the crimes of homosexual pederasts since 1922 but the practice
became actively enforced policy since 1962!!!
The total payouts by the Catholic Church for sex abuse claims in the
United States have exceeded $5 billion over the past two decades with almost
all of this for homosexual crimes.
FROM FORGIVENESS, TO SILENCE... TO BETRAYAL, By
Michael Kenny
THE FEAR OF SCANDAL: A DEEPENING MOTIF
As the Church gained public visibility and
institutional structure, the fear of scandal – that is, anything that could
bring shame or doubt upon the Church – grew proportionally. This concern is not
without biblical foundation. Apparently Christ Himself warned that:
“Scandals must come, but woe to the one
through whom they come.”
In a world where the Church was often
maligned, the temptation to protect its reputation – even at the cost of truth
– grew strong.
This approach reached its most formal
expression in the 20th century.
CRIMEN SOLICITATIONIS: CODIFYING SECRECY
In 1962, the Vatican issued a secret
instruction titled CRIMEN SOLICITATIONIS. Which laid out procedures
for dealing with priests accused of using the confessional to solicit sexual
acts (an update of canon 904 in 1741). While its original focus was on
confessional abuse – a particularly grievous offense – it extended its
protocols to cover ALL sexual misconduct by clergy, including child abuse.
This document mandated strict secrecy:
“Cases of this nature are subject to the strictest pontifical secret –
under pain of excommunication.”
This meant the victims, witnesses, and
Church authorities were all bound by silence, ostensibly to protect the
sacrament and the dignity of the Church. But in practice, this secrecy
protected the perpetrators and silenced the victims.
The same theological instinct that once
prompted Origen to counsel forgiveness now found its legal expression in
institutional concealment.
The Church fathers were not wrong to value
forgiveness. But forgiveness without justice is not sanctity – it is surrender.
And the Church must never surrender the innocent to the sins of the powerful.
THE COST OF MISAPPLIED MERCY
What unites the early Christian response to
personal violation with the institutional culture of silence centuries later is
a tragic misapplication mercy – a prioritizing of the Church's image, or of the
offender's soul, over the immediate demands of justice and the protection of
the innocent.
In the name of forgiveness, the Church
failed to act.
In the name of avoiding scandal, it created
a greater one.
In the name of unity, it tolerates wolves
among the sheep.
The very teachings of Christ – meant to
uphold truth, protect the weak, and heal the broken – were twisted into
realizations for secrecy and inaction.
TOWARD A NEW ETHOS OF ACCOUNTABILITY
The path forward must involve more
than policy reform. It requires a re-examination of the Church's spiritual
instincts – a return to the full Gospel, where mercy and justice walk hand in
hand.
Forgiveness does not mean the abandonment
of truth.
Compassion does not mean the protection of
the predator.
The Church must rediscover the moral
courage to expose evil, even when it dwells in its own house.
EPILOGUE: A WAR ON INNOCENCE
There is a deeper layer to this crisis.
Darker than secrecy. Worse than betrayal. It is diabolical.
Satan hates God. This hatred is total,
consuming and unrelenting. But Satan can't hurt God directly – God is beyond
his reach. So he strikes where it hurts most: at what God loves – CHILDREN.
Jesus told us to let the children come to
Him. Jesus warned about the millstone. So, what then is a perfect way for
Satan's followers to do his bidding and please him, and hate God at the same
time...
VIOLATE A CHILD, and do it wearing the robes of Christ
In this perverse inversion of the
priesthood, the altar becomes a hunting ground, and the confessional, a trap.
[....]
COMMENT: The problem was
magnified in the 1983 Code of Canon Law protecting homosexual predators. Their
hypocrisy is evident when compared to the treatment given to Fr. Samuel Waters.
Homosexual predators are given the full canonical rights of due process while Fr.
Waters was denied canonical due process for the "crime" of offering
the "received and approved" immemorial Roman rite of Mass.
COMMENT: From the 1917 Code
of Canon Law, clerical homosexual predators and other sex offenders who were found guilty were laicized and
turned over to the state for suffer criminal penalties. Such a response was
necessary to restore justice, protect the faithful, and begin the hard work of
rebuilding. Everything changed in 1922 with a new canon law which required all
bishops of the world to violate mandatory reporting laws of the state by
concealing child abuse and homosexuality by clerics from criminal state law
enforcement. This document, Crimens Sollicitationis, was included in
the 1983 Code of Canon Law and remained in force until 2001.
Abp. Vigano the former apostolic nuncio to
the United States was required first by Crimens Sollicitationis and then by Sacramentum Sanctitatis
Tutela of 2001 and then by Graviora Delicta of 2010 to conceal
any knowledge of sexual crimes by clergy from public disclosure. The
“Spotlight” investigation of sexual abuse in the Catholic Church in 2002
revealed that many clerics found guilty of child sexual abuse were repeatedly
returned to Catholic ministry where they repeated their crimes on new children.
Following this investigation, the United States was the only country that
received an exemption from the Vatican policy to conceal sexual abuse from
state criminal law enforcement.
Canon 1341 of the current 1983 Code of
Canon Law, requires bishops whenever possible to ask priests to stop committing
crimes, instead of punishing them for their actions. What is perhaps worse,
Canon 1324 in the 1983 Code is used to decrease punishment for pedophiles on
the grounds that pedophiles have less freedom than non-pedophiles to control
their perverse passions. Thus, a diagnosis of pedophilia lessens culpability
and imputability of the crime of pedophilia. As a result, bishops have
concluded pedophiles should receive a lesser punishment for pedophilia than
other sex offenders.
The SSPX follows the 1983 Code and has used
it cover up sexual offenders within the SSPX. This includes the former district
superios in the United States for the SSPX, Fr. Arnaud Rostand who was
sentenced to a French prison after conviction of homosexual pederasty in
France, Spain and Switzerland against seven boys on scouting trips between 2002
and 2018. The purpose of this is not detraction of the SSPX but to point out an
ugly fact that every faithful Catholic should be aware of when receiving their
sacraments, attending their schools or participating in their supervised camps
and other summer activities. They as an organization follow the Vatican policy
to cover up any crimes of sexual abuse of children.
"Only the Prudent man can be brave."
Josef Pieper
Pro-abortion Sen. Durbin says he’s ‘overwhelmed’ by Pope Leo’s apparent
defense of his award
‘It is amazing to me. It’s quite a moment,’ Durbin said about Pope Leo
appearing to support the pro-abortion and pro-LGBT senator’s ‘lifetime
achievement award’ from Cdl. Blase Cupich.
LifeSiteNews | Emily Mangiaracina | Oct
2, 2025 — Pro-abortion Senator Dick Durbin said he is “overwhelmed” by
Pope Leo XIV’s apparent support for his “lifetime achievement award” from
Cardinal Blase Cupich.
Leo on Tuesday appeared to imply that he
was not opposed to Cupich’s decision to give the award to the radically
pro-abortion and pro-LGBT Durbin, when asked about the matter by a journalist.
“I think that it is very important to look
at the overall work that a senator has done during … 40 years of service in the
United States Senate,” he stated. “I understand the difficulty and the tensions
but I think, as I myself have spoken to in the past, it is important to look at
many issues that are related to what is the teaching of the Church.”
“Someone who says I’m against abortion but
says I’m in favor of the death penalty is not really pro-life. Someone who says
I’m against abortion but I’m in agreement with the inhuman treatment of
immigrants in the United States, I don’t know if that’s pro-life,” Leo then
said. He went on to conclude, “So, they are very complex issues, I don’t know
if anyone has all the truth on them.”
On the same day Leo appeared to defend Sen.
Durbin receiving the lifetime award from Cupich, the pro-abortion politician
announced that he will decline the award from the Archdiocese of Chicago after
facing a strong backlash, including criticism from several U.S. bishops.
Durbin told NBC News he was surprised by
“the level of controversy” over the award, and that he declined it “because the
reaction has been so controversial against the cardinal who proposed it, and I
see no point in going forward with that.”
Commenting on the pope’s defense of his
award, Durbin said, “It is amazing to me. It’s quite a moment. I didn’t expect
it. I didn’t know it was gonna happen.”
As the Lepanto Institute has pointed out on
X, Durbin’s award violates the very laws of Cupich’s archdiocese. Bishop Thomas
Paprocki of Springfield has affirmed, “The U.S. bishops have clearly taught
that support for abortion disqualifies individuals from receiving honors from
Catholic institutions.”
Durbin’s award, and Leo’s failure to
denounce his award, is even more shocking considering that since his election
to the U.S. Senate in 1997, Durbin has supported every possible brutal method
of abortion, as well as even post-abortion infanticide: He voted against the
Partial-Birth Abortion Ban Act, the Pain-Capable Unborn Child Protection Act,
and the Born-Alive Abortion Survivors Protection Act.
He also supported legislation aimed at
codifying and expanding Roe v. Wade – the “Women’s Health Protection Act” –
despite the Supreme Court’s ruling that it was unconstitutional.
COMMENT: Pope Leo is defending the
pro-abortion Sen. Durbin while at the same time slandering faithful Catholics.
His appeal to the 'seamless garment,' subsequently called the "consistent
ethic of life," is grounded on the Vatican II novelty that the dignity of
the human person is so great that he is not obligated to believe the truths
that God has revealed or obey the commandments God. The novelty was developed
by his Cardinal Joseph Bernardin of Chicago in 1984 who was a notorious and
clever homosexual who did as much damage to the Church as the notorious
Cardinal Theodore McCarrick. To say as Leo has that Catholics who oppose
abortion are not really pro-life if they do not oppose the death penalty for
convicted murderers is to claim that a murderer has a greater right to life
than his victim. As for opposing unjust wars the homosexual crowd and their
liberal Catholic supporters have done precious little over the last 35
years.
Vatican Council I listing the beneficial Fruits of the
Council of Trent which are in every detail exactly the opposite which we have
seen from Vatican Council II
Now this redemptive providence appears very clearly in unnumbered
benefits, but most especially is it manifested in the advantages which have
been secured for the Christian world by ecumenical councils, among which the council of Trent requires special
mention, celebrated though it was in evil days.
Thence came:
1. a closer definition and more fruitful
exposition of the holy dogmas of religion and
2. the condemnation and repression of errors;
thence too,
3. the restoration and vigorous strengthening
of ecclesiastical discipline,
4. the advancement of the clergy in zeal for
·
learning and
·
piety,
5. the founding of colleges for the training of
the young for the service of religion; and finally
6. the renewal of the moral life of the
Christian people by
· a more accurate instruction of the faithful, and
· a more frequent reception of the sacraments. What is more, thence also
came
7. a closer union of the members with the
visible head, and an increased vigour in the whole Mystical Body of Christ.
Thence came:
1. the multiplication of religious orders and
other organisations of Christian piety; thence too
2. that determined and constant ardour for the
spreading of Christ’s kingdom abroad in the world, even at the cost of shedding
one’s blood.
While we recall with grateful hearts, as is
only fitting, these and other outstanding gains, which the divine mercy has
bestowed on the church especially by means of the last ecumenical synod, we
cannot subdue the bitter grief that we feel at most serious evils, which have
largely arisen either because
o the authority of the sacred synod was held in contempt by all too many,
or because
o its wise decrees were neglected.
First Vatican Council, Dogmatic
Constitution on the Faith, listing some of the manifold beneficial fruits from
the Council of Trent!
Regarding the Sin of Schism
and Archbishop Carlo Maria Viganò
There
are no manifest acts of schism with one and only one important exception which
will be identified below. This means there are no acts that are necessarily
always and everywhere evidence of a schismatic motive in the internal forum
excepting one. Contrasted, for example, with abortion and blasphemy which are
acts that are manifest sins because they can never be done with a morally right
intention; the act itself reveals the intent of the internal forum as being
vicious. These are always and everywhere necessarily mortal sins. As St. Paul
says, "Some men's sins are manifest, going before to
judgment: and some men they follow after" (1Tim 5:24). St. Paul gives
specific examples of "manifest sins": "Nor the
effeminate, nor liers with mankind (sodomites), nor thieves, nor covetous, nor
drunkards, nor railers, nor extortioners, shall possess the kingdom of
God" (1 Cor 6:10). What exactly is the schismatic motive that a
contentious canonical process must discover for conviction and attribution of
imputability of the crime?
The
canonical definition for both heresy and schism are taken directly almost
verbatim from St. Thomas Aquinas: "Schismatics are those who refuse to
submit to the Sovereign Pontiff, and to hold communion with those members of
the Church who acknowledge his supremacy." Schism is the repudiation of
the universal jurisdiction of Sovereign Pontiff and communion with those who
accept it. It is the burden of the canonical trial to prove the schismatic
intention for all schismatics are disobedient to the Sovereign Pontiff but not
all who are disobedient to the Sovereign Pontiff are schismatics. St. Thomas'
in his examination identifies schism as a specific species of sin. St. Thomas says, "Hence the sin of schism is,
properly speaking, a special sin, for the reason that the schismatic intends to sever
himself from that unity which is the effect of charity: because charity
unites not only one person to another with the bond of spiritual love, but also
the whole Church in unity of spirit." The genus to which schism belongs is acts opposed to peace which is
the fruit of "that
unity which is the effect of charity." Regarding peace, St. Thomas
continues: "Peace implies a twofold union... The first is the result of
one's own appetites being directed to one object; while the other results from
one's own appetite being united with the appetite of another: and each of these
unions is effected by charity." All acts that disturb the fruit of peace
are directed against the cause of peace which is charity."
Acts
of disobedience against properly constituted authority are only acts of schism
when the intention is to overturn the peace of unity caused by charity. This
intention constitutes the species
difference of schism from other acts opposed to peace, as St. Thomas says, the
schismatic "intends
to separate himself from the unity that charity makes" (Q.39, a.1.) among the faithful. St.
Thomas is offering an essential
definition of schism which is the best of all definitions because it is the
most intelligible because it identifies the essence.
Schism, just as other acts opposed to peace enumerated by St. Thomas, which
include discord, contention,
war, strife and sedition, requires contextualization. Specifically for the case
of Archbishop Viganò, St. Thomas says that morality of contention, which is the opposition to
another in speech, is determined by the intention: "As to the intention,
we must consider whether he contends against the truth, and then he is to be
blamed, or against falsehood, and then he should be praised." Archbishop
Carlo Maria Viganò's "contention" against Pope Francis is the
contention of truth against falsehood and is therefore praiseworthy and not
schismatic. This is why a canonical trial is called "contentious" for
it is intended to reveal who is contending for truth.
The
poles of contention are truth-falsehood which is the same for dogmas of faith.
As St. Jude admonishes: "I was under a necessity to write unto you: to
beseech you to contend earnestly for the faith once delivered to the saints"
(Jude 1:3). Schism is the rejection of the divinely revealed truth of papal
universal jurisdiction, a dogma of faith since Vatican I. Schism is manifested
by disobedience but all disobedience is not schism. Obedience to God is
unqualified. All other acts of obedience are morally good only to the degree
that they are properly regulated by the virtue of Religion which is the primary
subsidiary virtue under Justice. Any act of obedience that violates the virtue
of Religion is a sin. The virtue of Religion above all requires that we
"give unto God the things that are God's." This first and necessary
act of obedience is to believe all that God has revealed and to keep his
commandments. Without this first necessary condition, it is impossible to keep
the greatest commandment to love God above all things and it is impossible to
have "the unity that charity makes."
Archbishop
Carlo Maria Viganò was administratively "excommunicated" for
"schism" because the administrative process avoided the canonical
requirement to prove that his intent was to "separate himself from the
unity that charity makes" among the faithful. They denied the right of
Archbishop Viganò to defend himself in a contentions forum against the charge which would
obviously have included discussing the heretical acts of Pope Francis which are
manifest. The ultimate purpose of the canonical process is to determine truth
and bring those who have deviated from truth back from error. But for many the
contention itself irrespective of truth or falsehood is the manifest evidence
of schism. The reason for this will become clearer after discussing the
relationship in the context of faith and charity, and heresy and schism.
Schismatics
"refuse to submit to the Sovereign Pontiff" because they deny that
the pope possesses universal jurisdiction conferred by God for the legitimate exercise of the
papal office which produces unity and peace. Universal jurisdiction of the pope
is a divinely revealed truth that was dogmatized at Vatican I Council. St.
Thomas says:
"Heresy and schism are distinguished in
respect of those things to which each is opposed essentially and directly. For
heresy is essentially opposed to faith, while schism is essentially opposed to
the unity of ecclesiastical charity. Wherefore just as faith and charity are different virtues, although
whoever lacks faith lacks charity, so too schism and heresy are different
vices, although whoever is a heretic is also a schismatic, but not
conversely."
Since
the universal jurisdiction of the pope has become a dogma at Vatican Council I,
a schismatic is now also conversely always a heretic. Importantly, faith
precedes charity. "Without faith, it is impossible to please God"
(Heb 11-6) because "whoever
lacks faith lacks charity." The keys of universal jurisdiction were
promised to St. Peter after his profession of faith which is its proximate
material cause. Many Church Fathers, such as St. Augustine and St. John
Chrysostom, describe an analogical identity of the rock (petra) with divine
faith, with St. Peter, with Jesus Christ the "cornerstone," and the
Church itself. The faith
proceeds and is the proximate cause of the universal jurisdiction conferred by
Jesus Christ because faith is indispensible to the bond of unity which is
charity. Cardinal Henry Edward
Manning wrote:
“The
interpretation by the Fathers of the words ‘On this rock; etc. is fourfold, but
all four interpretations are not more than four aspects of one and the same
truth, and all are necessary to complete its full meaning. They all implicitly
or explicitly contain the perpetual stability of Peter’s faith...:’
“In
these two promises [i.e. Lk 22:32, Mt 16:18] a divine assistance is pledged to
Peter and to his successors, and that divine assistance is promised to secure
the stability and indefectibiity of the Faith in the supreme Doctor and Head of
the Church, for the general good of the Church itself.”
Cardinal
Henry Edward Manning, “The Vatican Council and Its Definitions: A Pastoral
Letter to the Clergy”, p. 83-84, 1870
All this is nicely summed up by St. Paul who
admonishes "that you walk worthy of the vocation in which you are called;
With all humility and mildness, with patience, supporting one another in
charity. Careful to keep the unity of the Spirit in the
bond of peace. One body and one Spirit; as you are called in one hope of
your calling. One Lord, one faith, one baptism" (Eph. 4:1-5). The primary and essential cause and sign of
the unity in the Church is the faith. The pope is only secondarily and
accidentally the sign and cause of unity in the Church. If the pope falls from
the faith he is to be confronted as St. Paul did to St. Peter when he
"walked not uprightly unto the truth of the gospel" and accommodated
the Judaizers leading others into "dissimulation" (Gal. 2:11). If the
pope is a heretic he "lacks faith (and) lacks charity". Without
charity he breaks the bond of unity in the Church and necessarily becomes
schismatic. Manifest Heresy is the one and only sin that identifies a
schismatic because it manifests a schismatic intent.
Tikkun olam (Hebrew תיקון עולם,
literally, 'repair of the world') is
a concept in Judaism, often interpreted as aspiration to behave and act
constructively and beneficially. Documented use of the term dates back to the
Mishnaic period (ca. 10-220 AD), (that is, the time when the oral traditions of
the Jews were committed to the written form in the Mishna, also called the Oral
Torah). Since medieval times, kabbalistic literature has broadened use of the
term. In the modern era, among the post-Haskalah (Jewish enlightenment,
1770-1880) movements, tikkun olam is the idea that Jews bear responsibility not
only for their own moral, spiritual, and material welfare, but also for the
welfare of society at large. For many contemporary pluralistic rabbis, the term
refers to "Jewish social justice" or "the establishment of Godly
qualities throughout the world". Wikipedia
COMMENT: Jews repeatedly since the
time of Jesus Christ are the passionate creators and principle instigators of
ideological movements conceived as necessary for the moral and material
improvement of political and social order. When one after the other proves to
be a political and social failure, it is simply dropped and they move on to another.
They recognize a ‘fall from grace’ because they recognize the ‘world needs to
be repaired.’ Since they have rejected Jesus Christ, the incarnate Logos, the
eternal Wisdom of the Father, they have rejected His divine plan for the
‘repair of the world’ and in its place offer what Fr. Denis Fahey, C.S.Sp.
described as “Organized Naturalism” in opposition to the Supernatural Order of
Jesus Christ. Unfortunately, the truth of the matter is that whoever is not
working for God is working for the Devil. There is no middle ground. As Jesus
said, “He that is not with me, is against me: and he that gathereth not with
me, scattereth” (Matthew 12:30).
Where Tikkun Olam
can lead
OPINION: Stalin’s Jews
We mustn't forget that some
of greatest murderers of modern times were Jewish
Israel News | ynetnews | Sever Plocker
Here's
a particularly forlorn historical date: More than 100 years ago, between the
19th and 20th of December 1917, in the midst of the Bolshevik revolution and
civil war, Lenin signed a decree calling for the establishment of The
All-Russian Extraordinary Commission for Combating Counter-Revolution and
Sabotage, also known as Cheka.
Within a short period of time, Cheka became
the largest and cruelest state security organization. Its organizational structure
was changed every few years, as were its names: From Cheka to GPU, later to
NKVD, and later to KGB.
We cannot know with certainty the number of
deaths Cheka was responsible for in its various manifestations, but the number
is surely at least 20 million, including victims of the forced
collectivization, the hunger, large purges, expulsions, banishments,
executions, and mass death at Gulags.
Whole population strata were eliminated:
Independent farmers, ethnic minorities, members of the bourgeoisie, senior
officers, intellectuals, artists, labor movement activists, "opposition
members" who were defined completely randomly, and countless members of
the Communist party itself.
In his new, highly praised book "The
War of the World," Historian Niall Ferguson writes that no revolution in
the history of mankind devoured its children with the same unrestrained
appetite as did the Soviet revolution. In his book on the Stalinist purges, Tel
Aviv University's Dr. Igal Halfin writes that Stalinist violence was unique in
that it was directed internally.
Lenin, Stalin, and their successors could
not have carried out their deeds without wide-scale cooperation of disciplined
"terror officials," cruel interrogators, snitches, executioners,
guards, judges, perverts, and many bleeding hearts who were members of the
progressive Western Left and were deceived by the Soviet regime of horror and
even provided it with a kosher certificate.
All these things are well-known to some
extent or another, even though the former Soviet Union's archives have not yet
been fully opened to the public. But who knows about this? Within Russia
itself, very few people have been brought to justice for their crimes in the
NKVD's and KGB's service. The Russian public discourse today completely ignores
the question of "How could it have happened to us?" As opposed to
Eastern European nations, the Russians did not settle the score with their
Stalinist past.
And us, the Jews? An Israeli student
finishes high school without ever hearing the name "Genrikh Yagoda,"
the greatest Jewish murderer of the 20th Century, the GPU's deputy commander
and the founder and commander of the NKVD. Yagoda diligently implemented
Stalin's collectivization orders and is responsible for the deaths of at least
10 million people. His Jewish deputies established and managed the Gulag
system. After Stalin no longer viewed him favorably, Yagoda was demoted and
executed, and was replaced as chief hangman in 1936 by Yezhov, the
"bloodthirsty dwarf."
Yezhov was not Jewish but was blessed with
an active Jewish wife. In his Book "Stalin: Court of the Red Star",
Jewish historian Sebag Montefiore writes that during the darkest period of
terror, when the Communist killing machine worked in full force, Stalin was
surrounded by beautiful, young Jewish women.
Stalin's close associates and loyalists
included member of the Central Committee and Politburo Lazar Kaganovich.
Montefiore characterizes him as the "first Stalinist" and adds that
those starving to death in Ukraine, an unparalleled tragedy in the history of
human kind aside from the Nazi horrors and Mao's terror in China, did not move
Kaganovich.
Many Jews sold
their soul to the devil of the Communist revolution and have blood on their
hands for eternity. We'll mention just one more: Leonid Reichman, head of the
NKVD's special department and the organization's chief interrogator, who was a
particularly cruel sadist.
In 1934, according to published statistics,
38.5 percent of those holding the most senior posts in the Soviet security
apparatuses were of Jewish origin. They too, of course, were gradually
eliminated in the next purges. In a fascinating lecture at a Tel Aviv
University convention this week, Dr. Halfin described the waves of soviet
terror as a "carnival of mass murder," "fantasy of purges",
and "essianism of evil." Turns out that Jews too, when they become
captivated by messianic ideology, can become great murderers, among the
greatest known by modern history.
The Jews active in official communist
terror apparatuses (In the Soviet Union and abroad) and who at times led them,
did not do this, obviously, as Jews, but rather, as Stalinists, communists, and
"Soviet people." Therefore, we find it easy to ignore their origin
and "play dumb": What do we have to do with them? But let's not
forget them. My own view is different. I find it unacceptable that a person
will be considered a member of the Jewish people when he does great things, but
not considered part of our people when he does amazingly despicable
things.
Even if we deny it, we cannot escape the
Jewishness of "our hangmen," who served the Red Terror with loyalty
and dedication from its establishment. After all, others will always remind us
of their origin.
“Don’t Jews still believe in a Messias to come?” asks the credulous
Christian. “And don’t they believe in the same Biblical Heaven and Hell that we
do?”
The answer to both these questions is — no.
And it is an emphatic “No!” as the subsequent Jewish testimony will verify.
Concerning
the Messias: The Jews of today reject the notion of a
personal redeemer who will be born of them and lead them to the fulfillment of
the Old Testament prophecies. The Jews believe that the whole Jewish race is to
be elevated to a position of prosperity and overlordship and that, when this happy
day arrives (the Messianic Age), they will have achieved all that is coming to
them by way of savior and salvation. In his recent book, The Messianic Idea in Israel, Jewish theologian Dr. Joseph Klausner
explains: “Thus the whole people Israel in the form of the elect of the nations
gradually became the
Messiah of the world, the redeemer of mankind.”
Concerning
Heaven and Hell: A succinct summary of Jewish teaching on
“life after death” was given in the May, 1958 issue of B’nai B’rith’s National
Jewish Monthly. Under the caption, “What Can A Modern Jew Believe?” there appeared: “Judaism
insists that ‘heaven’ must be established on this earth. The reward of the
pious is life and happiness in this world, while the punishment of the wicked
is misery on earth and premature death … By hitching its star to the Messianic
future on this earth, Israel became the eternal people.” The article goes on:
“The best Jewish minds have always held that a physical hereafter is a
detraction from mature belief.” And the conclusion: “There is neither hell nor
paradise, God merely sends out the sun in its full strength; the wicked are
consumed by its heat, while the pious find delight and healing in its rays.”
Fr. Leonard Feeney, MICM, The Point, October
1958
Mons. Carlo Maria Viganò: Replies to the claim that obedience is
unqualified even when the faith itself is in question!!
NON SEQUITUR
Further Clarifications in Response to the Reply of
Prof. Daniele Trabucco
I can only agree with almost everything that Professor Trabucco has stated in
response to my comment [1]. As he writes at the Duc in Altum blog [2]:
A saint who obeys a disciplinary measure that is unjust but not
contrary to faith (as in the case of Padre Pio) performs an act of heroic
self-denial, because he recognizes that even in harshness and iniquity, a
command does not break the bond with the revealed deposit of faith. The
situation, however, is different when an ecclesiastical authority commands
something that contradicts faith: in that case, the order is no longer
authentically disciplinary but is transformed into a deviation that strikes at
the very rationale of the authority. Here, refusal is not rebellion, but
fidelity.
Given that this principle is valid – and
which I agree with sine glossa – I find it difficult to accept as valid the
exception that Trabucco adds immediately afterwards:
However […] such refusal can never translate into schismatic acts, nor
into attitudes that cause public scandal. For if it is true that discipline and
faith complement each other, it is equally true that discipline, as a visible
order, also serves to preserve the unity of the Church. And unity is part of
the supernatural common good of the Mystical Body. Therefore, the truth of
faith cannot be defended at the cost of tearing apart ecclesial communion.
It is true that “discipline, as a visible
order, also serves to safeguard the unity of the Church. And unity is part of
the supernatural common good of the Mystical Body.” But the unity achieved
through obedience is the effect, not the cause, of the profession of the same
Faith: the faithful are united in the Church under the authority of the Roman
Pontiff because they believe the same doctrine, not the other way around. And
this is the error that undermines Professor Trabucco’s argument on obedience.
The refusal to obey an ecclesiastical authority, when that authority commands
something that contradicts the Faith, cannot constitute an attack on unity,
because it is the illegitimate order of the Superior that is schismatic and scandalous
in nature, not the disobedience of the subject who remains faithful to God.
If the refusal to obey an illegitimate authority or order “is not rebellion,
but fidelity”; if the Regula Fidei is the supreme principle that finds its
rationale in the Truth coessential and consubstantial with God [3]; if
obedience itself, as a moral virtue, is ordered toward the good and therefore
toward the Truth – because Faith and discipline, as Professor Trabucco states,
“though different in object, are united in purpose: the glory of God and the
salvation of souls” – how can the Professor affirm: “Therefore, one cannot
defend the truth of faith at the cost of tearing apart ecclesial communion”?
Given an absolute principle, how is it possible to derogate from it with an exception
that makes unity in obedience absolute while the Truth becomes relative and
secondary to obedience?
In fact, just the opposite is true: ecclesial communion cannot be defended at
the cost of tearing apart the Truth of the Faith, because it is obedience that
is ordered to the Faith, and not vice versa [4].
I would add that anyone who contradicts, adulterates, or silences the Faith is
the first to cause scandal, especially if he finds himself in the position of
exercising coercive force as an ecclesiastical Superior over a priest or
religious. It is the duty of every baptized person to defend and proclaim sound
doctrine and to denounce anyone in authority who abuses it, causing grave
scandal to the common people. They are rightly accustomed to obeying—instinctively,
I would almost say—the authority of the Hierarchy and consider its deviation
unthinkable under normal circuмstances. This is especially true for the
priest subject to the jurisdiction of his Superiors and the sanctions they can
impose: dutiful disobedience to an abusive and illicit order entails canonical
sanctions for anyone who dutifully resists, as Trabucco hopes. This punishment
of the disobedient is the scandal – not the act of denouncing the corruption of
ecclesiastical authority. Just as it is a scandal that heretics, schismatics,
corrupt individuals, and notorious fornicators are not prosecuted but rather
encouraged, while anyone who denounces the crisis, identifies its causes, and
identifies those responsible, who have fraudulently held power for sixty years
and can abuse it at will, is declared schismatic and excommunicated.
The Communion of Saints—which is the archetype and model of ecclesial
communion—is founded in God, who is Truth, not obedience. God is not obedient,
because that would presuppose an authority superior to Him. The obedience of
the Son—factus obœdiens usque ad mortem (Phil 2:8)—is a unity of will (idem
velle) between the Three Divine Persons, without an internal hierarchical
relationship between Them [5]. At the same time, God is the primary recipient
of all obedience, because by obeying the Superiors to whom He has granted
authority, we also obey God. But obedience cannot exist if the Superior who
asks to be obeyed does not in turn recognize God’s authority over himself. Such
obedience would accept the premise, even if only theoretical, of being able to
disobey God in order to obey men, contravening the precept of Saint Peter (Acts
5:29) and making earthly authority self-referential and therefore potentially
tyrannical. In this, the concept of synodality is shown to be absolutely
subversive of the order willed by God, in that it tampers with the monarchical
structure of the Church—on the model of Christ the King and Pontiff who is her
Head—by placing sovereignty in the hands of “the people” (even if in reality,
power, as in civil republics, is in the hands of an elite) and by affirming
“that Christ wanted His Church to be governed in the manner of a republic.” [6]
Only universal submission to a true and good God makes obedience a sure means
of sanctity for those who obey their Superiors. And this is why we have both
reason and the Sensus Fidei: to discern when obedience is a virtuous act and
when instead “it transforms into a deviation that strikes at the very rationale
of authority.”
If Professor Trabucco recognizes the possibility that ecclesiastical superiors
may issue orders contrary to Faith or Morals (a possibility confirmed by daily
abuses of authority against traditional Catholics and the equally daily
tolerance of unprecedented scandals), he must also acknowledge the possibility
that subordinates may reject the illegitimate orders of their superiors. The
Church’s hierarchical ladder allows for appeal to a higher authority when one
finds oneself in conflict with another authority subordinate to it. But if the
highest echelons of the hierarchical ladder—in this case, the Roman Pontiff and
the Roman Dicasteries—are themselves implicated in a general subversion of the
Faith (beginning with Leo’s recent declaration that “we must change attitudes”
before we can change doctrine [7]), it is clear that hierarchical recourse is
impracticable and that no earthly authority can remedy the disobedience of
those who are Superiors.
In a nutshell: amidst the obvious general disobedience of Church Authority to
God’s law at all levels, how can a priest or a simple believer subjected to
this Authority remain obedient to it, if one is still bound to continue to obey
God rather than men?
The true h0Ɩ0cαųst of the will that the mystics speak of is
this: knowing how to be obedient unto death, even death on a cross, in
obedience to God. But never, under any circuмstances, can one even
imagine sycophantically obeying heretical and schismatic Superiors, for fear of
shattering “with acts of a schismatic nature” the apparent unity of their
church. Because the unity they claim is a simulacrum, a fiction, a grotesque
imposture hiding the indifferentism of the synodal pantheon, which includes
both the conservatives of Summorum Pontificuм as well as the LGBTQ+
progressives of James Martin, both Our Lady of Fatima as well as the Pachamama,
the Mass of the ages along with the Novus Ordo. The only inalienable dogma is
that everyone must recognize the Second Vatican Council: its ecclesiology, its
morality, its liturgy, its saints and martyrs, and above all its excommunicated
people and its heretics—that is, the “radical traditionalists” who refuse to be
tamed by the new synodal demands. As for the rest of what we believe, Leo has
explicitly said that one can safely gloss over it in the name of
ecuмenical and synodal unity, including the Filioque of the Creed. But
not Vatican II: it is the founding act of a church born in 1962 which claims
the authority of the True Church, from whose Magisterium, however, it distances
itself and opposes it.
We therefore find ourselves before an Authority—the supreme authority—that is
clearly disobedient to Christ, the Head of the Mystical Body, but which,
usurping Christ’s authority, claims to decide in what respects those subject to
it must obey it, disobeying God’s commands.
Can we even imagine recognizing this authority as legitimate and owing it
obedience, lest we tear apart the “unity” that the Hierarchy has already
shattered with its own disobedience to God? How could we possibly ratify its
abuses, making ourselves accomplices of those who are betraying the Truth?
+ Carlo Maria Viganò, Archbishop, 23 September 2025
NOTE
1 – Cfr. https://exsurgedomine.it/250917-trabucco-ita/
2 – Cfr. https://www.aldomariavalli.it/2025/09/21/a-proposito-di-obbedienza-note-sulle-osservazioni-di-monsignor-vigano/
3 – Saint Augustine, De Trinitate, VIII, 2: God is truth itself – ipsa veritas
–, and everything that is true comes from Him, because He is the origin of all
truth.
4 – The decree of the Holy Office of 20 December 1949 condemning the
ecuмenical movement also recalls this: This unity cannot be achieved
except in the recognition of Catholic truth.
5 – Saint Augustine, In Joannis Evangelium tractatus, 51, 8: Christ’s obedience
is not a diminution of His divinity, but an expression of His perfect union
with the Father, for the will of the Son is one with that of the Father.
6 – Pius VI, Brief Super Soliditate of 28 November 1786 condemning Febronianism.
This doctrine fits into the context of the Enlightenment and the tensions
between the temporal power of states and the authority of the Catholic Church,
promoting a vision that limited the primacy of the Pope and strengthened the
autonomy of national Churches and local bishops. Febronius (the pseudonym of
Johann Nikolaus von Hontheim, Bishop of Trier) argued that the authority of the
Pope was not absolute, but derived from the universal Church, understood as the
community of the faithful and bishops. Febronianism also influenced the Council
of Pistoia (1786), in which there appeared heretical demands that are
substantially identical to those that would re-appear in Vatican II.
7 – Cfr. https://chiesaepostconcilio.blogspot.com/2025/09/papa-leone-parla-con-elise-ann-allen-di.html
8 – Cfr. https://youtube.com/watch?v=IkPJn2L9BBs&si=oGcPhGwR5nxQ6jva
TO KNOW THE FAITH, YOU MUST
KNOW THE RULE
The Rule of
Faith was given to the Church in the very act of Revelation and its
promulgation by the Apostles. But for this Rule to have an actual and permanently
efficient character, it must be continually promulgated and enforced by the
living Apostolate, which must exact from all members of the Church a docile
Faith in the truths of Revelation authoritatively proposed, and thus unite the
whole body of the Church, teachers and taught, in perfect unity of Faith. Hence
the original promulgation is the remote Rule of Faith, and the continuous
promulgation by the Teaching Body, (i.e.: DOGMA) is the proximate Rule.
Rev. Scheeben’s
Manual of Catholic Theology
“O Timothy, keep that which is
committed to thy trust, avoiding
the profane novelties of words, and oppositions of knowledge falsely so
called. Which some
promising, have erred concerning the faith. Grace be with thee. Amen.” St.
Paul, letter to his disciple, Bishop St. Timothy (1 Timothy 6:20-21)
... We wish to make our own the
important words employed by the Council; those words which define its spirit,
and, in a dynamical synthesis, form the spirit of all those who refer to it, be
they within or without the Church. The word “NOVELTY”,
simple, very dear to today’s men, is much utilized; it is theirs... That
word... it was given to us as an order, as a program... It comes to us directly
from the pages of the Holy Scripture: “For, behold (says the Lord), I create
new heavens and a new earth”. St. Paul echoes these words of the prophet Isaiah
(II Corinthians 5, 17); then, the Apocalypse: “I am making everything new” (II
Corinthians 21, 5). And Jesus, our Master, was not He, himself, an innovator?
“You have heard that people were told in the past ... but now I
tell you...” (Matthew 5) – Repeated in the “Sermon on the Mount”.
It
is precisely thus that the Council has come to us. Two terms characterize it: “RENOVATION”
and “REVISION”. We are particularly keen that this “spirit of renovation” –
according to the expression of the Council – be understood and experienced by
everyone. It responds to the characteristic of our time, wholly engaged in an
enormous and rapid transformation, and generating novelties in every sector of
modern life. In fact, one cannot shy away from this spontaneous reflection: if
the whole world is changing, will not religion change as well? Between the
reality of life and Christianity, Catholicism especially, is not there
reciprocal disagreement, indifference, misunderstanding, and hostility? The
former is leaping forward; the latter would not move. How could they go along?
How could Christianity claim to have, today, any influence upon life?
And
it is for this reason that the Church has undertaken some reforms, especially
after the Council. The Episcopate is about to promote the “renovation” that
corresponds to our present needs; Religious Orders are reforming their
Statutes; Catholic laity is qualified and found its role within the life of the
Church; Liturgy is proceeding with a reform in which anyone knows the extension
and importance; Christian education reviews the methods of its pedagogy; all
the canonical legislations are about to be revised. And how many other
consoling and promising novelties we shall see appearing in the Church! They
attest to Her new vitality, which shows that the Holy Spirit animates Her
continually, even in these years so crucial to religion. The development of
ecumenism, guided by Faith and Charity, itself says what progress, almost
unforeseeable, has been achieved during the course and life of the Church. The
Church looks at the future with Her heart brimming with hope, brimming with
fresh expectation in love... We can say... of the Council: It marks the onset
of a new era, of which no one can deny the new aspects that We have indicated
to you.
Pope
Paul VI, General Audience of July 2, 1969
And Then, Only Three Years
Later:
Through
some cracks the smoke of Satan has entered the temple of God: there is doubt,
uncertainty, problematic, anxiety, confrontation. One does not trust the Church
anymore; one trusts the first prophet that comes to talk to us from some
newspapers or some social movement, and then rush after him and ask him if he
held the formula of real life. And we fail to perceive, instead, that we are
the masters of life already. Doubt has entered our conscience, and it has
entered through windows that were supposed to be opened to the light
instead....
Even
in the Church this state of uncertainty rules. One thought that after the
Council there would come a shiny day for the history of the Church. A cloudy
day came instead, a day of tempest, gloom, quest, and uncertainty. We preach
ecumenism and drift farther and farther from the others. We attempt to dig
abysses instead of filling them.
How
has all this come about? We confide to you our thought: there has been the
intervention of a hostile power. His name is the Devil; this mysterious being
who is alluded to even in the letter of St. Peter. So many times, on the other
hand, in the Gospel, on the very lips of Christ, there recurs the mention of
this enemy of man. We believe in something supernatural (post-correction:
“preternatural”!), coming into the world precisely to disturb, to suffocate
anything of the Ecumenical Council, and to prevent that the Church would
explode into the hymn of joy for having regained full consciousness of Herself
(!!).
Pope
Paul VI, June 29, 1972
Pope Leo on LGBTQ: ‘We have to change attitudes before we ever change
doctrine’
In this first extended interview he’s just done with Crux Now, Leo XIV
has basically said that the Church’s teaching on sexual morality could change.
LifeSiteNews
| Sep 18, 2025
Friends,
you are not going to believe this.
In
this first extended interview he’s just done with Crux Now, Leo XIV
has basically said that the Church’s teaching on sexual morality could change.
He actually even went there and implied that he could – in his words – “change
the Church’s teaching” on women’s ordination.
Take
a listen to what he said first on sexual morality. This is what he says after
having been talking about LGBT issues for a while:
People want the Church doctrine to
change, want attitudes to change. I think we have to change attitudes before we
ever change doctrine.
That’s
right, he’s strongly implying – well, he’s saying – that
Church teaching could shift, if attitudes change first.
Might
that be why we’ve had so much LGBT stuff in Rome lately, from Fr. James Martin
to the LGBT pilgrimage? Are they trying to get our “attitudes to change”?
And
what do you think the so-called “LGBT Catholics” are hearing when they hear Leo saying such a thing? It’s a
very clear invitation and instruction: work to change attitudes, then we can
change the teaching. Wow.
And
rather than stating such changes were impossible, Leo said he thought it
was unlikely that it would happen soon:
I find it highly unlikely, certainly in
the immediate future, that the Church’s doctrine in terms of what the Church
teaches about sexuality, what the Church teaches about marriage [will change].
Later,
instead of stating that the Church’s teaching could not change, he
merely said that he thought that it would remain the same:
I think that the Church’s teaching will
continue as it is, and that’s what I have to say about that for right now.
You think it’s
going to continue as it is? Aren’t you supposed to be the Pope – the one
responsible for making sure that it continues as it is?
Look
friends, this is just stunning. Catholic teaching on sexual morality –
including the sinfulness of homosexual acts, as well as fornication, adultery
and others – aren’t matters of probabilities or personal conjecture, or
contingent and waiting to be changed.
They’re
definitive, grounded in both the natural law and divine revelation – and so
they’re incapable of being changed.
Reason
alone tells us that sexual activity outside marriage – and thus, obviously, all
sexual activity between two same sex couples – is contrary to the natural law.
This
is also and separately a dogma – divinely revealed in Scripture and
proposed by the universal ordinary magisterium of the Church.
Vatican
I taught that such truths which are to be believed with divine and Catholic
faith.
Female ordination
Leo
also talked about the possibility of the ordination of women to the diaconate
in similar terms:
What the synod had spoken about
specifically was the ordination, perhaps, of women deacons, which has been a
question that’s been studied for many years now. There’ve been different
commissions appointed by different popes to say, what can we do about this? I
think that will continue to be an issue.
Ok,
so in the early Church, there was indeed an office of “deaconess” – but
everyone knows that these women were not ordained to any sacramental holy
order of the diaconate.
But
Leo calls even this into question by equating the female diaconate with that of
the permanent diaconate established after the Second Vatican Council. He gives
a long anecdote about meeting deacons and their wives in Rome before
concluding:
[T]here are parts of the world that
never really promoted the permanent deaconate, and that itself became a
question: Why would we talk about ordaining women to the diaconate if the
diaconate itself is not yet properly understood and properly developed and
promoted within the church?
He
also expressed his willingness for study and debate on the matter to continue,
saying he was “certainly
willing to continue to listen to people,” and pointing to the study
groups in Rome on the subject. “We’ll walk with that and see what comes,” he said.
But
do you know what’s even more shocking? Leo said this:
I at the moment don’t have an intention
of changing the teaching of the Church on the topic.
Friends,
if you say a thing like that, it’s clear what you think. You’re saying
you do have the power to “change the teaching of the Church.”
The immutability of dogma
But
the teaching of the Church says that this isn’t possible. Can that be changed
too?
Vatican
I denied that the Pope could change the Church’s teaching or
introduce new dogmas. It taught:
For the holy Spirit was promised to the
successors of Peter not so that they might, by his revelation, make known some
new doctrine.
It
goes on to say that the purpose of the papacy is to safeguard and preserve the deposit
of faith. Not to consider whether the time is right to change it.
Oh,
some will say, we’re not talking about changes. This is just a development
of dogma.
Come
on. That’s what they always say to justify this stuff. And anyway, Leo was
pretty clear: he’s the one who was talking about changing Church teaching.
And
anyway, that defense is excluded too. There’s a legitimate sense of the
development of doctrine, but changing the meanings of dogmas to something
totally different isn’t it.
Such
an idea has been condemned time and again by the Church.
Pope Pius IX condemned, in the Syllabus of Errors, the idea that divine
revelation is “subject to a continual and indefinite progress.”
Vatican I declared that the “meaning
of the sacred dogmas is ever to be maintained” and that “there must never be
any abandonment of this sense under the pretext or in the name of a more
profound understanding.”
That same
Council anathematized anyone who says dogma can be assigned “a sense
different from that which the Church has understood and understands.”
Pope St Pius X cited all these
teachings in his encyclical Pascendi
Dominici Gregis against Modernism.
In his Oath
Against Modernism, he also required clergy to profess that dogma is handed
down “in exactly the same meaning and always in the same purport.”
This oath also states that the idea “that
dogmas evolve and change from one meaning to another different from the one
which the Church held previously” is a – get this –
“heretical misrepresentation.”
Grave implications
“Heretical”
is a big word. But the truth is clear: homosexual acts are intrinsically
disordered, marriage is between one man and one woman, and these teachings
cannot change.
As
I said above, both the Church’s teaching on sexual morality, and the
immutability of dogma are the sorts of truths we have to believe with divine
and Catholic faith.
The
censure attached to the obstinate denial or doubt of such truths is
indeed heresy. (Can. 751 of 1983 CIC, Can. 1325 of 1917 CIC)
So,
where does that leave us?
The
hugely problematic situation of Leo XIV raising hopes for an impossible change
in the future.
And
claiming the power to change Church teaching, which he certainly does not have.
And…
publicly doubting (or even denying) these two sets of truths in a video interview
– which, as I said, is heresy.
You
know what St. Paul said about those who try to introduce new dogmas, doctrines
or Gospels:
If I, or an angel from heaven, preach to
you a Gospel different to that which we have preached to you, which you have
received: let him be anathema.
COMMENT: The very essence of the Modernist heresy is the denial of immutability
of dogma because they deny that dogma is divine revelation of an immutabile
truth from an immutable God. The Modernist believe that dogma is not a truth revealed
by God but rather a human expression of the subjective religious sentiment and
therefore dogma must change over time as the human sentiment changes. Leo the
Heretic professes that the "attitudes" of Catholics will change only
gradually. therefore, when there is a sufficient number expressing the new
attitude then the dogmas will change to express the new religious attitude. It
is absolutely impossible to hold this belief and be a faithful Catholic at the
same time. Leo is just another Bergoglian who will bring ruin to himself and
others.
Pope Leo is now the CEO of the same HomoLobby his
predecessor chaired! It is impossible to be a defender of homosexuality and a
Catholic at the same time.
Bishop Schneider: Vatican ‘LGBTQ pilgrimage’ an ‘abomination,’ Pope Leo
must make ‘public reparation’
Pope Leo must ‘urgently’ make reparation after the Vatican endorsed an
LGBT Jubilee ‘pilgrimage’ and allowed unrepentant homosexuals to pass the Holy
Doors at St. Peter’s, Bishop Schneider said.
LifeSiteNews | Sept 10, 2025— Bishop
Athanasius Schneider expressed “horror” at the Vatican’s endorsement of the
“LGBTQ Jubilee pilgrimage,” rebuking priests who support homosexuality as
“spiritual criminals” and “murderers of souls.”
“My
reaction was a silent cry of horror, indignation, and sorrow,” the auxiliary of
Astana, Kazakhstan, said regarding the Vatican’s approval of an LGBT-themed
“pilgrimage” on its Jubilee website, in an interview with Diane Montagna, a
journalist in Rome.
Montagna had highlighted the fact that
photos captured an array of rainbow paraphernalia in St. Peter’s Basilica, as
well homosexual male couple “brazenly holding hands there, one with a backpack
saying F*** the Rules,” at the conclusion of their “pilgrimage.”
What took place there could be described as
an “abomination of desolation standing in the holy place,” in the words of
Christ (cf. Mt. 24:15), said Bishop Schneider.
He pointed out that the embrace of
homosexuality by these “pilgrims” contradicted one of the very key meanings of
the Jubilee Year and the Holy Door: “Leading man to conversion and penance,” as
Pope John Paul II explained in the Bull of Indiction of the Holy Year
2000.
“There were no signs of repentance and
renunciation of objectively grave homosexual sins … on the part of the
organizers and participants in this pilgrimage,” noted Schneider. “To pass through
the Holy Door and participate in the Jubilee without repentance, while
promoting an ideology that openly rejects God’s Sixth Commandment, constitutes
a kind of desecration of the Holy Door and a mockery of God and the gift of an
indulgence.”
The bishop had strong words for the Vatican
authorities who “collaborated de facto” in this open rejection of God’s
commandment, expressed aptly in the “f*** the rules” message.
“They stood by and allowed God to be mocked
and His commandments to be scornfully cast aside,” said Schneider.
When asked to compare it to the Pachamama
scandal, he noted that while direct transgression of the First Commandment is
even more grave, the endorsement of sodomy – a sin that cries to Heaven for
vengeance – “amounts to a form of indirect idolatry.”
“Both events must be publicly repaired by
the Pope himself. This is urgently needed, before it is too late, for God will
not be mocked,” said the bishop.
Bishop Francesco Savino, vice president of
the Italian Bishops Conference, welcomed “everyone” to receive Holy Communion
at a Mass for the “pilgrims,” Montagna then pointed out. Schneider affirmed
that assent to “all of the Church’s teaching” is a precondition for receiving
Christ in the Eucharist, as was expressed by St. Paul: “Anyone who eats and
drinks without discerning the body eats and drinks judgment on himself. (1 Cor.
11:29).
He added that this has been clearly stated
by the Catechism of the
Catholic Church: “Anyone aware of having sinned mortally must not
receive Communion without having received absolution in the sacrament of
penance” (n.1415).
Furthermore, it notes, “Sacred Scripture
‘presents homosexual acts as acts of grave depravity, [and] tradition has
always declared that homosexual acts are intrinsically disordered.… Under no
circumstances can they be approved’ (n. 2357).”
Thus, by granting these LGBT groups passage
through the Holy Door and approving their “pilgrimage,” Vatican authorities in
effect rejected “the very doctrine they are bound to uphold.”
Schneider said his message for participants
in the LGBT “pilgrimage” is one of compassion, and he called for all Christians
to show compassion towards not just those living homosexual lifestyles, but
those who support its legitimization and “persist in it unrepentant and even
proudly.”
“For when a person consciously rejects
God’s explicit commandment prohibiting any sexual activity outside a valid
marriage, he places himself in the gravest danger – that of losing eternal life
and being eternally condemned to Hell,” said the prelate.
“True love for such persons consists in
calling them, gently yet persistently, to genuine conversion to God’s revealed
will,” he continued, adding that such people are “ultimately unhappy” even when
they have suppressed their conscience.
“We must be filled with great zeal to save
these souls, to free them from poisonous deceits. Those priests who confirm
them in their homosexual activity or in a homosexual lifestyle are spiritual
criminals, murderers of souls, and God will demand a strict account from them,”
Schneider declared.
To those who defend Pope Leo XIV amid the
Vatican’s approval of the LGBT scandalous “pilgrimage” because he did not
receive a delegation from them or send them a message, Schneider said that “one
cannot reasonably presume naivety on his part,” because it was “entirely
foreseeable” that an LGBT activist group would take advantage of the Holy Door
to promote their sinful lifestyle.
Furthermore, by meeting with Father James
Martin, S.J., a heretical pro-LGBT priest, as well as pro-homosexual “marriage”
Sister Lucia Caram, Pope Leo XIV has expressed that he is not opposed to their
“heterodox and scandalous teaching and behavior – particularly since the Holy
See offered no clarification afterward and did not correct Fr. James Martin’s
triumphant messages circulated on social media,” noted Schneider.
He pointed out that in doing so, Pope Leo
XIV broke with the precedent of all popes before Francis, who “neither received
officially nor posed for photographs with those who, by word or deed, openly
rejected the doctrinal and moral teaching of the Church.”
“There is a common saying that goes: ‘Qui
tacet consentire videtur’ – ’He who is silent is taken to agree,’” Schneider
added.
The prelate called upon all Catholics to
“make a collective act of reparation for the outrage committed against the
sanctity of God’s house and the holiness of His commandments,” and implored
Pope Leo XIV to follow in the footsteps of Pope John Paul II, who Montagna
noted had denounced the first “World Pride” event in Rome during the Great
Jubilee of 2000.
“Should Pope Leo XIV make public acts of
regret and even reparation, he will lose nothing; should he fail to do so, he
will forfeit something before the eyes of God – and God alone matters,” said
Schneider.
“May Our Holy Father Pope Leo XIV take to
heart the following words of Our Lord which He once spoke through St. Bridget
of Sweden to one of his predecessors (Pope Gregory XI)”:
Uproot, pluck out and destroy all the vices of your court! Separate
yourself from the counsel of carnal-minded and worldly friends and follow
humbly the spiritual counsel of My friends. Get up like a man and clothe
yourself confidently in strength! Start to reform the Church that I purchased
with My Own Blood in order that it may be reformed and led back spiritually to
its pristine state of holiness, for nowadays more veneration is shown to a
brothel than to My Holy Church. My son, heed My counsel. If you obey Me in what
I told you, I will welcome you mercifully like a loving father. Bravely
approach the way of justice and you shall prosper. Do not despise the One Who
loves you. If you obey, I will show you mercy and bless and dress you and adorn
you with the precious pontifical regalia of a holy pope. I shall clothe you
with Myself in such a way that you will be in Me and I in you, and you shall be
glorified in eternity (The Book of Revelations, Book IV, chap. 149).
Argumentum ex concessis
Notes in the Margin of an
Article by Abbé Claude Barthe
For if you live according to the flesh,
you will die;
but if by the Spirit
you put to death the deeds of the flesh, you will live.
Rom 8: 13
The
essay by Abbé Claude Barthe’s, recently published in an Italian translation at
Aldo Maria Valli’s blog Duc in altum [1], deserves some attention.
What is most interesting in it is not so much his assessment of the newly
elected Leo XIV, nor the pragmatic realism with which he recognizes Prevost’s
continuity with his predecessor or calls for a loosening of restrictions on the
traditional liturgy.
Abbé Barthe writes:
There is a paradox, even a risk, for
those who invoke freedom for the traditional liturgy and catechism: that of
being granted a sort of “authorization” for liturgical and doctrinal
Catholicism. We have already cited as an example the paradoxical situation that
arose in the 19th-century French political system, when the most staunch
supporters of the monarchical Restoration, enemies in principle of the modern
freedoms introduced by the Revolution, continually fought to be granted a space
for life and expression, freedom of the press, and freedom of teaching. All
things being equal, in the ecclesiastical system of the 21st century, at least
in the immediate future, a relaxation of the ideological despotism of the
Reformation could be beneficial. But while it may be advantageous in the short
and medium term, it could ultimately prove radically unsatisfactory.
What I believe should be highlighted is
the not-so-veiled warning that Abbé Barthe addresses to those who resort to the
adversary’s arguments to gain legitimacy in the ecclesial world, applying
the argumentum ex concessis [2]. In this case, “those who invoke freedom
for the traditional liturgy and catechism” – and who condemn Bergoglian
synodality – appeal to that same synodality so that the “Summorum Pontificum communities”
may be recognized as one among the many expressions of the composite ecclesial
polyhedron.
Abbé Barthe’s denunciation reveals
not a paradox, but the paradox, the contradiction that
fundamentally undermines any claim to orthodoxy on the part of self-styled
conservatives: the acceptance of the revolutionary principles of the so-called
“synodal church” as the (incomplete, moreover) counterpart to being tolerated
by it. In reality, this exchange is far from equal. The “synodal church” merely
applies to conservatives the same legitimacy of existence it grants to any
other “movement” or “charisma” present in the multifaceted ecclesial fabric,
but it carefully avoids acknowledging that their demands might go beyond a mere
aesthetic and ceremonial concession. The unwritten contract between
conservatives and the post-Bergoglian Hierarchy stipulates that the “liturgical
preferences” of a group of clerics and faithful can be tolerated if and
only if they refrain from highlighting the heterogeneity, incompatibility,
and alienation between the ecclesiology and the entire doctrinal framework
underlying the Vetus Ordo and those expressed in the reformed
Montinian rite.
Abbé Barthe does not ignore the critical
issues: referring to Leo XIV’s Electors, he calls them “all of the conciliar
menagerie,” demonstrating a certain courage, especially considering his public
role and his dependence on those Prelates. Nor does he ignore the
deception embraced by those who exploit religious liberty to invoke
for themselves a tolerance that is not denied even to the worshippers of
Amazonian idols.
The deception is twofold: not only
because of the paradox that Abbé Barthe has rightly highlighted; but also and
above all because of a much worse trap, consisting of accepting at least
implicitly the forced, unnatural, and impossible separation between the
ceremonial form of the rite and its doctrinal substance.
This is an operation
of de-signification of the Liturgy, which consists in being
recognized with the right to celebrate in the Tridentine Rite on the condition
that the celebrant does not also accept the doctrinal and moral implications of
that rite. But if that “Summorum priest” accepts this principle, he must
also accept its inverse application. Indeed, the moment one admits that the
Liturgy can be celebrated without regard for the traditional doctrine it
expresses – a doctrine the “synodal church” does not recognize and considers to
be other than itself – one ends up accepting that even the reformed
liturgy can ignore the errors and heresies it insinuates, errors which no
Catholic worthy of the name can absolutely ratify. In doing so, however, one
plays into the hands of the adversary, under the illusion of being more cunning
than the devil. It all comes down to a question of dress and choreography, of
aesthetics and sentiment that satisfies or does not satisfy personal taste, as
Cardinal Burke’s recent words confirmed: “You don’t take something so rich
in beauty and begin to strip away the beautiful elements without having a
negative effect.” [3] Nothing could be more alien to the mindset of the
Roman Liturgy, according to which the beauty of ceremonies is such because it
is a necessary expression of the Truth it teaches and the Good it practices.
The “synodal church” includes
conservatives in its coveted pantheon not only because it gives them
what they want – solemn pontifical liturgies celebrated by influential
prelates, without doctrinal implications – but also because none of the Holy
See’s interlocutors has the slightest intention of demanding more; and even if
someone were to dare ask for more, the gatekeeper on duty –
literally, the ostiarius –would promptly intervene, calling for
“prudence” and “moderation,” more concerned with preserving his own prestige
than with the fate of the Catholic resistance. This is accompanied by the “Zip
it” [4] policy advocated by Trad Inc. [5], according to which the possible
concessions the moderates hope to obtain from Leo suggest they should not
criticize him openly so as not to alienate him.
The path of being persecuted, ostracized,
and excommunicated do not seem to be among the options for my brothers: it
seems they are already resigned to a fate of tolerance, in which they can
neither be truly Catholic nor fully synodal; neither friends of those who fight
the enemy infiltrated into the Church, nor of those who seek to replace her
with a human surrogate of Masonic inspiration. The Lord will hold these
lukewarm priests accountable with greater severity than He will many poor
parish priests who have other, more pressing pastoral priorities. Let us hope
that Abbé Barthe’s warning does not fall on deaf ears, for the hour of battle
approaches, and to be found defenseless and unprepared, in these circumstances,
would be irresponsible.
And it is precisely in times of
persecution that we must rediscover the relevance and validity of the words of
Saint Vincent of Lérins:
In ipsa item catholica ecclesia magnopere
curandum est ut id teneamus quod semper, quod ubique, quod ab omnibus creditum
est; hoc est etenim vere proprieque catholicum. [6]
If anything does not meet these three
criteria – semper, ubique, et ab omnibus – it must be rejected as
heretical. This norm protects us from the errors spread by false pastors, in
the serene certainty of acting in accordance with Tradition and thus being able
to compensate, due to the present state of emergency, for the absence of
ecclesiastical authority.
+ Carlo Maria Viganò, Archbishop
3 September MMXXV
S.cti Pii X Papæ, Conf.
FOOTNOTES
1 – Abbé Claude Barthe, Leone, il pompiere nella Chiesa
divorata dal fuoco della divisione. Ma quale unità ricerca?, published
at Duc in Altum on August 9, 2025 – https://www.aldomariavalli.it/2025/08/09/analisi-leone-il-pompiere-nella-chiesa-divorata-dal-fuoco-della-divisione-ma-quale-unita-ricerca/ – English translation: https://www.resnovae.fr/the-pontificate-of-leo-xiv-a-transitional-stage/
2 – Argumentum ex concessis is a rhetorical and logical
technique in which an interlocutor uses the premises, arguments, or claims
accepted by an opponent to construct their own argument, often to refute them
or demonstrate the inconsistency of their position. This strategy is based on
the idea of temporarily accepting the opponent’s claims (the “concessions”) and
using them to draw conclusions that either challenge them or support their own
thesis.
3 – Cfr. https://x.com/mljhaynes/status/1954919906492747838
4 – Cfr. https://www.radiospada.org/2025/09/leone-xiv-lipotesi-zip-e-la-contropartita-per-i-conservatori-una-strategia-gia-tentata-e-che-lascia-perplessi-in-7-punti/
5 – “Trad Inc.” is the American expression which refers to
conservative believers and blogs organized like companies, which operate
according to market logic and are dependent on their shareholders.
6 – Commonitorium, 2. “In this same Catholic Church, we must take
the greatest care to maintain what has always been believed, everywhere and by
all; this is in fact truly and properly Catholic.”
COMMENT: It is encouraging
for us who have refused the compromises of faith that conservative Catholics have
made in return for their privileged Indult to have a man of Archbishop Carlo
Maria Viganò's stature
agree and defend what we have been doing at Ss. Peter & Paul Roman Catholic
Mission for the last 25 years. We hope and pray that he may have a greater influence
on other resistance bishops and priests.
The proper understanding of this dogma from the Council
of Trent:
Canon 4 on the sacraments in general: If
anyone says that the sacraments of the New Law are not necessary for salvation
but are superfluous, and that without them or without the desire of them
men obtain from God through faith alone the grace of justification, though all
are not necessary for each one, let him be anathema.
The Dogma defines two revealed doctrinal truths:
3.
If anyone says: that the sacraments of the
New Law are not necessary for salvation but are superfluous, let him be
anathema.
4.
If anyone says: that without the
sacraments or (if anyone says) without the desire of the sacraments
men obtain from God through faith alone the grace of justification, let him be
anathema.
Both the Sacrament of Baptism and the will to
receive the Sacrament are necessary for salvation!
“But
God desired that his confession should avail for his salvation, since he preserved him in this life until the
time of his holy regeneration.” St. Fulgentius
“If anyone is not baptized, not only in
ignorance, but even knowingly, he can in no way be saved. For his path to salvation was through the confession,
and salvation itself was in baptism.
At his age, not only was confession
without baptism of no avail: Baptism
itself would be of no avail for salvation if he neither believed nor
confessed.” St. Fulgentius
Notice,
both the CONFESSION AND THE BAPTISM are necessary for salvation, harkening back
to Trent's teaching that both the laver AND the “votum” are required for
justification, and harkening back to Our Lord's teaching that we must be born
again of water AND the Holy Spirit.
In fact, you see the language of St. Fulgentius reflected in the Council of
Trent. Trent describes the votum (so-called “desire”) as the PATH
TO SALVATION, the disposition to Baptism, and then says that “JUSTIFICATION
ITSELF” (St. Fulgentius says “SALVATION ITSELF”) follows the dispositions in
the Sacrament of Baptism.
Yet another solid argument for why Trent is teaching that BOTH the votum
AND the Sacrament are required for justification.
“Hold
most firmly and never doubt in the least that not only all pagans but also all
Jews and all heretics and schismatics who end this present life outside the
Catholic Church are about to go into the eternal fire that was prepared for the
Devil and his angels.” St. Fulgentius
“The most Holy Roman Church firmly believes,
professes and preaches that none of those existing outside the Catholic Church,
not only pagans, but also Jews and heretics and schismatics, can have a share
in life eternal; but that they will go into the ‘eternal fire which was prepared
for the devil and his angels.’” St.
Eugene IV, Cantate Domino
Ladislaus, CathInfo
John Cardinal Newman, another Novus Ordo "saint" soon to be
declared a "Doctor" of the Novus Ordo Church, comments following the
dogmatic declaration of papal infallibility.
“But
we must hope, for one is obliged to hope it, that the Pope (Pius IX) will be
driven from Rome, and will not continue the Council (Vatican I), or that there
will be another Pope. It is sad he should force us to such wishes.”
John
H. Newman, Letter to his companion, Fr. Ambrose St. John, 22 August, 1870
“We
have come to a climax of tyranny. It is not good for a Pope to live 20 years.
It is anomaly and bears no good fruit; he becomes a god, has no one to
contradict him, does not know facts, and does cruel things without meaning it.”
John
H. Newman, The Letters and Diaries of John Henry Newman, v. XXVI by Charles
Stephen Dessain
"This (Divine) law, as apprehended in
the minds of individual men, is called "conscience;" and though it
may suffer refraction in passing into the intellectual medium of each, it is
not therefore so affected as to lose its character of being the Divine Law, but
still has, as such, the prerogative of commanding obedience."
John Henry Cardinal Newman
"It seems, then, that there are
extreme cases in which Conscience may come into collision with the word of a
Pope, and is to be followed in spite of that word."
John Henry Cardinal Newman
COMMENT: Pope Gregory XVI
said, "This shameful font of indifferentism gives rise to that absurd and
erroneous proposition which claims that liberty of conscience must be
maintained for everyone." Conscience is not the Divine Law. St. Thomas
says that, "Conscience is nothing else than the application of knowledge to
some action." He is referring to the knowledge of the Law of God. The Law
of God, whether the eternal law or the positive revealed law of God, is the
objective criteria by which the conscience is obligated to use as the standard
by which any judgment regarding the moral goodness or evil of any particular
act is made. All men are obligated to
obey their conscience because they are obligated to apprehend the objective
Divine Law as the proper criteria. They are not free to invent their personal
subjective criteria in determining what is the right or the wrong thing to
do. Liberalism claims the exact
opposite. It is a fundamental axiom of liberalism that the conscience is free
to establish its own moral criteria. This has been condemned by popes Gregory
XVI, PiusIX and Pius X. John Henry Cardinal Newman can be identified as the
"Spirit of Vatican II."
Hermeneutics of Continuity/Discontinuity
The woman saith to him: Sir, I perceive that thou art a prophet. Our fathers
adored on this mountain, and you say, that at Jerusalem is the place where men
must adore. Jesus saith to her: Woman, believe me, that the hour cometh, when
you shall neither on this mountain, nor in Jerusalem, adore the Father. You
adore that which you know not: we adore that which we know; for salvation is of
the Jews. But the hour cometh, and now is, when the true adorers shall adore
the Father in spirit and in truth. For the Father also seeketh such to adore
him. God is a spirit; and they that adore him, must adore him in spirit and in
truth.
John 4:19-24
Novus Ordo Doctrine: Moslems and Novus Ordo Catholics
Worship the same God!
CCC 841, quoting the Dogmatic Constitution on the Church,
Lumen Gentium 16, from Vatican II, declared:
"The plan of salvation also includes those who acknowledge the
Creator, in the first place amongst whom are the Muslims; these profess to hold
the faith of Abraham, and together with us they adore the one, merciful God,
mankind’s judge on the last day."
CCC 841 also references Vatican II’s Declaration on the Relation of the Church
to Non-Christian Religions, Nostra Aetate,
3, that makes the teaching of the Council perhaps even clearer:
"The Church regards with esteem also the Moslems. They adore the
one God, living and subsisting in Himself; merciful and all-powerful, the
Creator of heaven and earth, who has spoken to men; they take pains to submit
wholeheartedly to even his inscrutable decrees, just as Abraham, with whom the
faith of Islam takes pleasure in linking itself, submitted to
God."
Catholic Church Doctrine: Catholics and Moslems DO
NOT worship the same God.
“Now
the Samaritans had a false idea of God in two ways. First of all, because they
thought He was corporeal, so that they believed that He should be adored in
only one definite corporeal place. Further, because they did not believe that
He transcended all things, but was equal to certain creatures, they adored
along with Him certain idols, as if they were equal to Him. Consequently, they
did not know Him, because they did not attain to a true knowledge of Him. So
the Lord says, you adore that which you do not know [John 4:22], that is, you do not adore God
because you do not know Him, but rather your imagination, by which you
apprehend something as God, just as the Gentiles also walk in the foolishness
of their mind (Eph 4:17).” St.
Thomas Aquinas, Commentary On John 4:22
“How
then did the Samaritans know not what they worshipped? Because they thought
that God was local and partial; so at least they served Him, and so they sent
to the Persians, and reported that the God of this place is angry with us [2
Kings 26], in this respect
forming no higher opinion of Him than of their idols. Wherefore they continued
to serve both Him and devils, joining things which ought not to be joined.” St. John Chrysostom, Homily 33 On The Gospel
of John
COMMENT: When
Jesus said to the Samaritan Woman, "You adore that which you know
not," He is not saying that they adore the One True God that they are
ignorant of. He is saying, that in their ignorance they do not know who they
are adoring meaning that they are adoring in ignorance a devil, for "all
the gods of the gentiles are devils" (Psalm 95:5). Jesus then says, that
"true adorers shall adore the Father in spirit and in truth..... they that
adore him, must adore him in spirit and in truth." To adore in
"spirit" means that to adore God you must be baptized and made sons
of God for as Jesus said: "Amen, amen I say to thee, unless a man be born
again of water and the Holy Ghost, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God That
which is born of the flesh, is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit, is
spirit" (John 3:5-7). And to adore in "truth" means who must
believe what has been revealed by God. Without the true faith it is "impossible
to please God" (Hebrews 11:6). As such, right knowledge of God is
essential to true worship. This is the great sin of Modernism and
Neo-modernism: They make a right knowledge of God impossible!
Hermeneutics
of Continuity/Discontinuity
Catholic
Faith:
Physical
substances come into being through the union of substantial form and primary
matter. The Soul is the Substantial Form of the Human Body; it is immortal and
will be judged after the death of the person and directed to Heaven or Hell for
all eternity awaiting to be joined again to its Body at the Resurrection of the
Dead for the Last Judgment.
“In order that
all may know the truth of the faith in its purity and all error may be
excluded, we define that anyone who presumes henceforth to assert defend or
hold stubbornly that the rational or intellectual soul is not the form of the
human body of itself and essentially, is to be considered a heretic.”
Council of Vienne
Neo-Modernists
Ideology: [Ratzinger quotes provided by James Larson, War Against Being]
“The medieval
concept of substance has long since become inaccessible to us.”
Rev. Joseph
Ratzinger, Faith and the Future
“The proper
Christian thing, therefore, is to speak, not of the soul’s immortality, but of
the resurrection of the complete human being [at the Final Judgment] and of
that alone… The idea that to speak of the soul is unbiblical was accepted to
such an extent that even the new Roman Missal (i.e.: the Novus Ordo) suppressed
the term anima in its liturgy for the dead. It also disappeared from the ritual
for burial.”
Rev. Joseph
Ratzinger, Eschatology: Death and Eternal
Life
“‘The soul’ is our term for that in us which
offers a foothold for this relation [with the eternal]. Soul is nothing other
than man’s capacity for relatedness with truth, with love eternal.”
Rev. Joseph
Ratzinger, Eschatology: Death and Eternal
Life
“The challenge
to traditional theology today lies in the negation of an autonomous,
‘substantial’ soul with a built-in immortality in favor of that positive view
which regards God’s decision and activity as the real foundation of a
continuing human existence.”
Rev. Joseph
Ratzinger, Eschatology: Death and Eternal
Life
And those who
have denied the reality of substantial
being are those who are responsible for the “dictatorship of relativism.”
“Every
day new sects are created and what Saint Paul says about human trickery comes
true, with cunning which tries to draw those into error (Eph 4, 14).
Having a clear faith, based on the Creed of the Church, is often labelled today
as a fundamentalism. Whereas, relativism, which is letting oneself be tossed
and ‘swept along by every wind of teaching,’ looks like the only attitude (acceptable)
to today’s standards. We are moving towards a dictatorship of relativism which
does not recognise anything as for certain and which has as its highest goal
one’s own ego and one’s own desires.”
Cardinal
Joseph Ratzinger, Homily of the Dean of the College of Cardinals, 2005
Sacrament of Baptism: Significance of the Baptismal
Character and why it is absolutely necessary for salvation. Explains why St.
Ambrose said regarding catechumens who die before receiving the sacrament of
Baptism, they are “forgiven but not crowned”.
To be baptized is to become one with the
Church, and one with Christ. Thus
the ritual can say: “enter into the temple of God, that you may have part with
Christ, unto life everlasting.” The two ideas are correlative: to be
baptized into the Church and to be baptized into Christ; they are the visible
and invisible aspects of the same real effect. [….]
The effecting this incorporation into
Christ, Baptism marks the soul as permanently His; it stamps upon the soul a
spiritual “character”, or, as antiquity more commonly called it, a “seal”. For this reason, and putting the cause for
the effect, the rite of Baptism was itself called “the seal”, or “the seal of
faith”, or “the seal of water”, or “the seal of the Trinity” (which last
appellation endures still in the liturgical prayers for the dying, wherein God
is asked to remember His promises to the soul that in its lifetime was “stamped
with the seal of the Most Holy Trinity”).
The word “seal” derives from a group of
texts in St. Paul, which suggest this stamping of the soul at Baptism: “And in
Him (Christ), you too, when you had heard the word of truth, the good news of
your salvation, and believed in it, were sealed with the Holy Spirit of the
promise” (Eph. 1:13); “And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, in Whom you
were sealed for the day of redemption” (Eph. 4:30). However, nowadays we are
accustomed to speak rather of the baptismal “character”, a term that suggests
the text wherein Christ is called “the brightness of His (the Father’s) glory
and the image (in Greek, character) of His substance” (Hebr. 1:3).
Basically, two words give the same meaning:
a seal imprints an image, and a “character”, in the original sense of the word,
means image. Baptism, therefore, stamps the soul with the image of Christ, Who
is Himself the image of the Father. And in the Scripture, this stamping is
attributed to the Holy Spirit, Who is the Spirit of Christ. The fact that we
are stamped with such a character is clearly defined by the Council of Trent:
“If anyone says that by the three Sacraments, to wit, Baptism,
Confirmation and Orders, there is not imprinted in the soul a Character, that
is a certain spiritual and indelible sign on account of which they cannot be
repeated; let him be anathem.” (Denz. 852).
The Council of Trent teaches that this
seal, once stamped on the soul, is indelible. Just as Baptism irrevocable makes
one a member of the Church, so also it irrevocably makes one a member of
Christ. Not the gravest sin, nor even final impenitence and self-condemnation
to eternal separation from Christ in Hell, can avail to erase this baptismal
seal. And the indelibility of the seal is the immediate reason why Baptism can
never be repeated, once it has been validly received. [….]
The sense in which Baptism stamps us with
the image of Christ is suggested in the rite itself, by the anointing which
follows the ablution. It is done with Sacred Chrism, a mixed unguent of oil and
balm, specially consecrated by the bishop on Holy Thursday. Kings and priests
in antiquity (and even today) were anointed with chrism in token of their royal
and priestly dignity. And the baptism anointing signifies, therefore, that the
new Christian has entered into the “royal priesthood” of the Christian people,
and shares in the royal Priesthood of Christ Himself. He bears the image of
Christ, inasmuch as Christ was the Priest of all humanity, Who offered Himself
in sacrifice on the Cross.
The baptismal seal or character, therefore,
endows the Christian with a priestly function, and a priestly power. It is not
that special power and function given by the Sacrament of Holy Orders to
certain selected members of the Church, who are made her official ministers,
and authorized to offer her sacrifice and dispense her Sacraments. But it is
the priestly function and power which is common to all the members of the Body
of Christ. As He was born as Priest, His whole life orientated toward the
Passion and Death which was His priestly Sacrifice, so too, they are priests
from their birth into the Christian life at Baptism; and their lives are
essentially orientated toward sacrifice, in a double sense.
First of all, they receive a function and a
power with respect to the ritual Sacrifice of the Church, which is the Mass.
[….] They are empowered to assist actively in the offering of the Mass, as
members of the Church, in whose name her specially qualified members, priests
and bishops, offer the Mass, which is the sacrifice of the whole Church through
her official ministers. In union with the Priest, the Christian offers up
Christ as a Victim Who belongs to him and to Whom he belongs. An unbaptized
person cannot do this….
Secondly, the baptismal character
consecrates the Christian to sacrifice in a wider sense: it gives him the
function, the duty, the power to lead a life of sacrifice, since He is in the
image of Christ whose life was one long sacrifice – a life of complete
obedience to the will of His Father: “I seek not My own will, but the will of
Him Who sent Me” (Jn. 3:50).The will of the Father is the supreme law of the
Christian’s life; it is all embracing and all pervasive; and constant and total
obedience to it necessarily gives a sacrificial quality to the whole of life,
since it demands the renunciation of many ideas, and a steady refusal to be led
by one’s own emotions or to seek one’s own pleasure and profit – in a word, it
demands the sacrifice of selfishness in all its forms. St. Peter, therefore,
was thinking of Baptism when he wrote:
“Lay aside therefore all malice and all deceit, and pretense, and envy,
and all slander…. Be you yourselves as living stones, built thereon (i.e., on
Christ) into a spiritual house, a holy priesthood, to offer spiritual
sacrifices to God through Jesus Christ” (1 Peter 2:1,5).
Rev. John J. Fernan, S.J., Theology, Christ
Our High Priest, Baptismal Seal
Pius XII - the man responsible for planting the seed of
liturgical destruction!
Fr. Annibale Bugnini had been making
clandestine visits to the Centre de Pastorale Liturgique (CPL), a progressivist
conference centre for liturgical reform which organized national weeks for
priests.
Inaugurated in Paris in 1943 on the private initiative of two Dominican priests
under the presidency of Fr. Lambert Beauduin, it was a magnet for all who
considered themselves in the vanguard of the Liturgical Movement. It would play
host to some of the most famous names who influenced the direction of Vatican
II: Frs. Beauduin, Guardini, Congar, Chenu, Daniélou, Gy, von Balthasar, de
Lubac, Boyer, Gelineau etc.
It could, therefore, be considered as the
confluence of all the forces of Progressivism, which saved and re-established
Modernism condemned by Pope Pius X in Pascendi.
According to its
co-founder and director, Fr. Pie Duployé, OP, Bugnini had requested a
“discreet” invitation to attend a CPL study week held near Chartres in
September 1946.
Much more was involved here than the issue of secrecy. The person whose
heart beat as one with the interests of the reformers would return to Rome to
be placed by an unsuspecting (?) Pope (Pius XII) in charge of his Commission
for the General Reform of the Liturgy.
But someone in the Roman Curia did know about the CPL – Msgr. Giovanni Battista Montini, the acting
Secretary of State and future Paul VI – who sent a telegram to the CPL dated
January 3, 1947. It purported to come from the Pope with an apostolic blessing.
If, in Bugnini’s estimation, the Roman authorities were to be kept in the dark
about the CPL so as not to compromise its activities, a mystery remains. Was
the telegram issued under false pretences, or did Pius XII really know and
approve of the CPL? [.....]
This agenda (for liturgical reform) was set
out as early as 1949 in the Ephemerides
Liturgicae, a leading Roman review on liturgical studies of which Fr.
Annabale Bugnini was Editor from 1944 to 1965.
First, Bugnini denigrated
the traditional liturgy as a dilapidated building (“un vecchio edificio”),
which should be condemned because it was in danger of falling to pieces
(“sgretolarsi”) and, therefore, beyond repair. Then, he criticized it for its
alleged “deficiencies, incongruities and difficulties,” which rendered it
spiritually “sterile” and would prevent it appealing to modern sensibilities.
It is difficult to understand how, in the same year that he published this
anti-Catholic diatribe, he was made a Professor of Liturgy in Rome’s Propaganda
Fide (Propagation of the Faith) University. His solution was to return to the
simplicity of early Christian liturgies and jettison all subsequent
developments, especially traditional devotions.
These ideas expressed in 1949 would form the foundational principles of Vatican
II’s Sacrosanctum Concilium. For all practical purposes, the Roman Rite was
dead in the water many years before it was officially buried by Paul VI.
Dr. Carol Byrne, How Bugnini Grew Up under Pius XII
Wisdom is only
possible for those who hold DOGMA as the Rule of Faith!
Besides, every dogma of faith is to the
Catholic cultivated mind not only a new increase of knowledge, but also an
incontrovertible principle from which it is able to draw conclusions and derive
other truths. They present an endless field for investigation so that the
beloved Apostle St. John could write at the end of his Gospel, without fear of
exaggeration: “But there are also many other things which Jesus did: which if
they were written every one, the world itself, I think, would not be able to
contain the books that should be written.”
The Catholic Church, by enforcing firm belief
in her dogmas—which are not her inventions, but were given by Jesus
Christ—places them as a bar before the human mind to prevent it from going
astray and to attach it to the truth; but it does not prevent the mind from
exercising its functions when it has secured the treasure of divine truth, and
a “scribe thus instructed in the kingdom of heaven is truly like a man that is
a householder, who bringeth forth out of his treasure new things and old.” He
may bring forth new illustrations, new arguments and proofs; he may show now
applications of the same truths, according to times and circumstances; he may
show new links which connect the mysteries of religion with each other or with
the natural sciences as there can be no discord between the true faith and true
science; God, being the author of both, cannot contradict Himself and teach
something by revelation as true which He teaches by the true light of reason as
false. In all these cases the householder “brings forth from his treasure new
things and old.” They are new inasmuch as they are the result of new
investigations; and old because they are contained in the old articles of faith
and doctrine as legitimate deductions from their old principles.
Fr. Joseph Prachensky, S.J., The Church of
Parables and True Spouse of the Suffering Saviour, on the Parable of the Scribe
Baptism imprints in your soul a
spiritual character, which no sin can efface. This character is a proof that
from this time you do not belong to yourself, but that you are the property of Jesus
Christ, who has purchased you by the infinite price of his blood and of his
death. You are not of yourself, but you are of Christ; wherefore, St.
Paul concludes, “that the Christian should no longer live for himself, but for
Him who died and rose again for him;” that is to say, that the Christian should
live a life of grace, and that he should consecrate to his Redeemer his spirit,
his heart, and all his actions. […..]
First, is true
penance; for, as the holy Council of Trent teaches, penance is no less
necessary for those who have sinned after Baptism, than Baptism is necessary
for those who have not received it. The Holy Scripture informs us, that there
are two gates by which we are to enter into heaven—baptismal innocence, and
penance. When a Christian has shut against himself the gate of innocence, in
violating the holy promises of Baptism, it is necessary that he should strive
to enter by that of penance; otherwise there is no salvation for him. On this
account, Jesus Christ, speaking of persons who have lost innocence, says to
them: “Unless you do penance, you shall all perish.”
But in order
that penance may prevent us from perishing—it must be true Penance. Confessors
may be deceived by the false appearance of conversion, and it is too often the
case; but God is never deceived. If, therefore, those who receive absolution
are not truly penitent and worthy of pardon, their sins are not forgiven before
God. In order to do true penance, it is not sufficient to confess all our sins and
to fulfill what is enjoined on us by the priest. There are two other things
which are necessary: First; to renounce sin with all your heart, and for all
your life… and second; to fly the occasions of sin, and to use the means to
avoid it.
St. John Eudes,
Man’s Contract with God in Baptism
Again, in the Office for the feasts of our Lady,
the Church applies the words of Sirach to the Blessed Virgin and thus
gives us to understand that in her we find all hope: In me is all
hope of life and of virtue. In Mary is every grace: In me is all
grace of the way and of the truth. In Mary we shall find life and eternal
salvation: Those who serve me shall never fail. Those who explain me
shall have life everlasting (Sir. 24:25, 30, 31--- Vulgate). And in the Book
of Proverbs: Those who find me find life and win favor from the Lord (8:35).
Surely such expressions are enough to prove that we require the intercession of
Mary.
St. Alphonsus de Liguori, The Glories of Mary
THE NOVUS ORDO CHURCH OF SLOTH AND ENVY
The first effect of charity is joy in the goodness
of God. But this joy can only live through the union of man’s will with God in
charity. And charity demands that man keep all the commandments. Charity
demands a fellowship in good between God and man. When the effort to live in
this fellowship in good begins to appear too difficult to man he begins to be
sorrowful about the infinite goodness of God. This sorrow weighs down the
spirit of man and leads him to neglect good. This sorrow is the sin of sloth,
sorrow about the goodness of God. Sloth is a capital sin. It leads men into
other sins. To avoid the sorrow or weariness of spirit which is sloth men will
turn from God to the sinful pleasures of the world.
When a man falls victim to sloth and is sorrowful
because of the goodness of God it is only natural that he will begin to be
grieved also at the manifestation of the goodness of God in other men. He will
resent good men simply because they are good. This resentment is envy, hatred
of someone else’s good. Since the love of our neighbor flows from our love of
God, it is natural that when we cease to love God’s goodness, we will also
begin to hate the goodness of men. Envy, like sloth, is a capital sin. It will
lead men to commit other sins to destroy the goodness of their neighbors.
When a man’s heart is filled with sloth and envy
the interior peace of his soul which was the effect of charity is destroyed.
The loss of the interior peace leads to the destruction of the peace of
society. When a man’s heart is no longer centered in God, then his life loses
all proper direction. When the love of God is gone he has nothing left but the
love of himself. When a man loves himself without loving God then he can brook
no opposition to his own judgment or arbitrary will. He can tolerate goodness
in no one else. He will even, by the sin of scandal, by his own words and
example, lead other men into sin. He must disagree with all men. He must
dispute with them, separate himself from them, quarrel with them, go to war
with them, set the whole of the community at war with itself.
Wherever the goodness of God is most manifest,
there will the heart of the man who no longer loves God be most energetic in
sowing the seeds of discord, contentiousness, strife and war. That is why
religion and the true Church of God are so viciously attacked in the world
today. Those who do not love God are driven by sloth and envy to attack God’s
tabernacle on earth.
Fr. Walter Farrell and Fr. Martin Healy, My Way of Life, Pocket Edition of St. Thomas
Amoris Laetitia was published in
2016. No answer or corrective action to this "appeal" was ever made.
That is because no clarification was ever needed. Why? That is because the
"numerous propositions in Amoris Laetitia (that) can be construed as
heretical upon the natural reading of the text" is exactly what the author
intended! So in 2016 these "academics and pastors" did "not
accusing the pope of heresy", but what about now?
“Amoris Laetitia.... scandalous, erroneous in faith, and
ambiguous...”
Catholic academics and pastors appeal to the College of Cardinals over Amoris Laetitia
A group of Catholic academics and
pastors has submitted an appeal to Cardinal Angelo Sodano, Dean of the College
of Cardinals in Rome, requesting that the Cardinals and Eastern Catholic
Patriarchs petition His Holiness, Pope Francis, to repudiate a list of
erroneous propositions that can be drawn from a natural reading of the
post-synodal Apostolic Exhortation Amoris
laetitia. During the coming weeks this submission will be sent in various
languages to every one of the Cardinals and Patriarchs, of whom there are 218
living at present.
Describing the exhortation as
containing “a number of statements that can be understood in a sense that is
contrary to Catholic faith and morals,” the signatories submitted, along with
their appeal, a documented list of applicable theological censures specifying “the
nature and degree of the errors that could be attributed to Amoris laetitia.”
Among the 45 signatories are
Catholic prelates, scholars, professors, authors, and clergy from various
pontifical universities, seminaries, colleges, theological institutes,
religious orders, and dioceses around the world. They have asked the College of
Cardinals, in their capacity as the Pope’s official advisers, to approach the
Holy Father with a request that he repudiate “the errors listed in the document
in a definitive and final manner, and to authoritatively state that Amoris laetitia does not require any of
them to be believed or considered as possibly true.”
“We are not accusing the pope of
heresy,” said a spokesman for the authors, “but we consider that numerous propositions
in Amoris laetitia can be construed
as heretical upon a natural reading of the text. Additional statements would
fall under other established theological censures, such as scandalous,
erroneous in faith, and ambiguous, among others.” [......]
Atheists are really anti-theists. They oppose the God who
is God with an idol of their own making.
No atheist chooses merely to deny God. For the
atheist’s spiritual posture against God is at the same time his posture in
preference for some other Being above God. As he dismisses the true God he is
welcoming his New God. Why must this be so? Because every personal commitment
of man presupposes, deep in the metaphysical core of his being, a hunger for
being as truth and goodness. Man is intrinsically burdened with an incurable
hunger for transcendence. If being abhors a vacuum, the vacuum it most
violently shrinks from is the total absence of Infinite Being. And history
demonstrates that man is inconsolable without the True God.
Fr. Vincent Miceli, S.J., The Gods of Atheism
‘When men
choose not to believe in God, they do not thereafter believe in nothing, they
believe in anything.’
There are men who will ruin themselves and ruin
their civilization if they may ruin also this old fantastic tale (of the
Catholic faith). This is the last and most astounding fact about this faith;
that its enemies will use any weapon against it, the sword that cuts their own
fingers, and the firebrands that burn their own homes. … (The atheist fanatic)
sacrifices the very existence of humanity to the non-existence of God. He
offers his victims not to the altar, but merely to assert the idleness of the
altar and the emptiness of the throne. He is ready to ruin even that primary
ethic by which all things live, for his strange and eternal vengeance upon some
one who (he affirms) never lived at all.
G. K. Chesterton, Orthodoxy
“Cultivate a great desire to be firmly rooted in
the sublime virtue of
confidence. Do not fear, but be courageous in serving and loving our
Most Adorable and Amiable Jesus, with great perfection and holiness. Undertake
courageously great tasks for His glory, in proportion to the power and grace He
will give you for this end. Even though you can do nothing of yourself, you can
do all things in Him and His help will never fail you, if you have confidence in His goodness.
Place your entire physical and spiritual welfare in His hands. Abandon to the
paternal solicitude of His Divine Providence every care for your health,
reputation, property and business, for those near to you, for your past sins,
for your soul’s progress in virtue and love of Him, for your life, death, and
especially for your salvation and eternity, in a word, all your cares. Rest in the assurance that, in
His pure goodness, He will watch with particular tenderness over all
your responsibilities and cares and dispose all things for the greatest good.”
St. John Eudes, The
Life and Kingdom of Jesus in Christian Souls
Cardinal Burke offers the
correction for two mistranslations in the English publication of the Motu
proprio of Pope Francis, “TRADITIONIS CUSTODES”
Art. 1. The
liturgical books promulgated by Saint Paul VI (sic) and Saint John Paul II
(sic), in conformity with the decrees of Vatican Council II, are the unique only expression of
the lex orandi of the Roman Rite.
Art. 4. Priests
ordained after the publication of the present Motu Proprio, who wish to
celebrate using the Missale Romanum of 1962, should must submit a formal request
to the diocesan Bishop who shall consult the Apostolic See before granting this
authorization.
"Not a stone upon a stone" - 9th Sunday after
Pentecost
The 'Western Wall' (Wailing Wall) in
Jerusalem is held by Jews as a remnant of Herod's Temple destroyed by the
Romans in 72 A.D. Yet, Jesus prophesized not only that the Temple would be
destroyed but also that there would not remain a "stone upon a
stone." So how is it that there remains a large wall on the western side
at the south end of the 'Temple Mount'? Some Catholics claim the prophecy of
Jesus was referring only to the edifice itself and not the entire foundation
for the Temple. Jesus words must be taken in literally unless there it is
clearly manifest that the metaphorical sense is intended exclusively.
Therefore, the 'Wailing Wall' where the Jews worship is not a remnant of the
ancient Temple, and the 'Temple Mount', on which is currently situated the
Al-Aqsa mosque and the "Dome of the Rock", is not the location of the
Temple destroyed in 72 A.D. The 36 acre 'Temple Mount' is actually the location
of the Roman fortress Antonia built by Herod.
What is the evidence for this? The current
popular claim is the fortress Antonia was located on a five-acre section on the
north-west side of the 'Temple Mount' while the Temple occupied the remaining
30 acres. Five acres is far too small to accommodate a Roman legion (6,000
soldiers plus auxiliary staff) which we know from the writings of Flavius
Josephus that the fortress Antonia did in fact hold. Many Roman fortresses have
been examined by archeologists and they typically are between 45 and 55 acres
but some are as small as 36 acres. As far as the area needed for the Temple of
Herod itself, consider this, the ancient pagan temple complex at Baalek in
Lebanon built by the Romans is less than six acres in total area and encloses
the largest temple to Jupiter in the Roman Empire as well as a smaller temple
dedicated to Bacchus and another to Venus. The Temple built by Herod was a
single temple and much smaller in overall dimensions.
Furthermore, when Solomon was designated by
King David to succeed him (3 Kings 1), King David directed the prophet Nathan
and the high priest Sadoc to take Solomon on the king's mule to be anointed
king at the "Gihon spring" with oil taken from the tabernacle. The
Gihon spring is located in the City of David directly south and adjacent to the
present-day 'Temple Mount'. There Solomon was anointed with oil taken from the
Tabernacle, proclaimed king and celebrated by the populace with great
jubilation and the sounding of trumpets that could be heard outside the city.
The Temple built by Solomon was in the same location as the Tabernacle
established by King David on the threshing floor of the land he purchased
Areuna the Jebusite as God had commanded by the mouth of Gad (2 Kings 24 and 2
Paralipomenon 3:1).
The water from the Gihon spring was
essential for the sacrificial offerings of the Temple. There is no living water
source on the 'Temple Mount' which was required in the washing of the priests
and the sacrifices offered. The water source for the Antonia fortress was
provided by large cisterns located just north of the Antonia fortress and under
the 'Temple Mount' that are still present today.
There is a Catholic tradition the there was
a church called the Church of the Judgment that was built over and enclosed the
Rock that is now enclosed under the Dome of the Rock built by the Moslems in
692 A.D. The Dome of the Rock is located directly north of the Al-Aqsa mosque
on the 'Temple Mount'. The Church of the Judgment was destroyed either by the
Persians who conquered Jerusalem in 614 A.D. with the help of 26,000 Jewish
allies during the Byzantine-Sasanian War 602-628 A.D. (during which many
churches were destroyed including the Church of the Ascension on Mount Olivet),
or the church was destroyed by the Moslems who conquered Jerusalem in 637 A.D.
No living Jew at the time would have knowledge of the exact location of Herod's
Temple because the Jews were forbidden to enter Jerusalem by the Romans since
the Bar Kokhba revolt in 135 A.D. on the pain of death. Two hundred years
later, the Catholic emperor Constantine permitted the Jews to enter Jerusalem
once a year on the feast of Tisha B'Av (the ninth of Av) which is regarded as
the saddest day in the Jewish calendar because it is the anniversary of the
destruction of both the Temple of Solomon and the Temple of Herod! Be that as
it may, many of the pillars used in the construction of the interior of the
Dome of the Rock have Christian markings indicating that they were salvaged from
a destroyed Catholic church.
The Rock itself is regarded (WIKI) as
The Foundation Stone (Hebrew אֶבֶן
הַשְּׁתִיָּה, romanized: ʾEḇen
haŠeṯīyyā, lit. 'Foundation Stone'), or the Noble
Rock (Arabic:الصخرة
المشرفة, romanized: al-Saḵrah al-Mušarrafah, lit. 'The
Noble Stone') is the rock enclosed by the Dome of the Rock in Jerusalem. It is
also known as the Pierced Stone, because it has a small hole on the
southeastern corner that enters a cavern beneath the rock, known as the Well of
Souls. Traditional Jewish sources mention the stone as the place from
which the creation of the world began. Jewish sources also identify its
location with that of the Holy of Holies. Yet, it is not possible for a
threshing floor to be around a large rock or stone.
Before the Muslim conquest, the Rock was
enclosed in the Catholic church known as the Church of the Judgment (destroyed
by the Persians) because it is believed to have been the place where the
condemned stood to hear the judgment against them by the Roman authorities. The
Rock is held to be where Jesus stood when His official condemnation was decreed
by Pontius Pilate and thus, if it is the stone where the "creation of the
world began," it is the stone from which the creation of the world began
anew. John 19:13 says: "Now when Pilate had heard these words, he brought
Jesus forth, and sat down in the judgment seat, in the place that is called
Lithostrotos, and in Hebrew Gabbatha." Lithostrotos in Greek refers to a
stone and Gabbatha in Hebrew an elevated place. According to St. Mary Agreda
after Jesus was condemned by Pilate the decree of condemnation, which she
quotes in its entirety, was then formally read to the Jewish mob assembled
outside the north entrance to Fortress Antonia where Jesus was taken to bear
His cross.
Of the Temple of Herod destroyed in 72 A.D.
there does not remain a "stone upon a stone".
Leo XIV Reinstates Convicted Child-Porn Priest who was protected by
Francis
Carlo Alberto Capella was
Vatican diplomat who was convicted by a Vatican tribunal of possessing and
sharing child pornography. Capella admitted guilt to the charges. He is the
only one who has served a prison sentence in the Vatican jail for this crime or
for any sexually related crime against minors.
Monsignor Capella was ordained a priest in
1993 for the Archdiocese of Milan. After studies of canon law he entered
the Vatican diplomatic corps. He was assigned to the papal nunciature in India
in 2003 and to the nunciature in Hong Kong in 2007. In 2008 he was created Chaplain of His Holiness,
which entitled him to the title of Monsignor. In 2011 he was
transferred to the Vatican to serve in the Secretariat of State. In 2016 he was
assigned to the papal nunciature to the United States.
In 2017, Capella was recalled to the
Vatican by Pope Francis after United States officials informed the Vatican
that he was under investigation for possession and sharing of child
pornography. The government of Canada has issued a warrant for his arrest,
alleging that during his time in Canada in December, 2016 he had possessed and
shared child pornography. He was returned to the Vatican which claimed
diplomatic immunity for Capella protecting him from prosecution in the United
State or Canada.
In 2018, he was convicted and sentenced to
five years in prison, which he served in the Vatican jail. As of 2021, he was
allowed out during the day to work in an office that sells papal blessings. In
2023, following the end of his prison sentence, Capella was permitted to return
to work in the Vatican Secretariat of State.
Now Pope Leo XIV has reinstated Msgr. Capella to a senior diplomatic
position in the Vatican Secretariat of State.
COMMENT: Pope Leo is protégé
of Francis to whom he owns his promotions to bishop and cardinal. It was
Francis who protected this pervert from criminal charges in the United States
and in Canada and now it is Francis' protégé who has restored him the a high
level position in the Vatican. This does not portend well for any serious
reform of the Novus Ordo Church which has become a sinecure for homosexuals and
others perverts.
From Tradition In Action:
You don't have to be a liturgical EXPERT to see that there is no essential difference in the act!
The question is: Is there any essential
difference in the actors?
Top: St. Patrick Catholic Church, Chatham, New Jersey, August 22, 2021
Bottom: First Lutheran Church, Pittsburgh,
Pennsylvania, July 6, 2025
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