Traditional Roman Catholic Thoughts

Traditional Roman Catholic Thoughts

Reintroducing Logic and Reason to the Age of Sentimentalism

Modernists and the Synod: Pride

With the Synod of the Family looming only two weeks away, it is crucial that we spend this time focusing all of our energy and prayers on this event. Never in the history of the Church have we been in such a crisis as we are today. Bishops, Cardinals, and even the Pope are speaking openly about the need for Church teaching to change. The majority of prelates in attendance at this Synod is in favor of allowing the divorced, remarried, and openly homosexual to receive the Holy Eucharist, without amending their lives. This is a truly wicked and evil perversion and scandalous to be hearing from those who have been ordained to safeguard Christ’s teachings with their very lives.

catechism of modernism

After spending some time with the Catechism of Modernism, a catechism written using Pope St. Pius X’s encyclical Pascendi Domini Grecis,  few paragraphs stuck out to me as being related to what we are currently witnessing in the Church today, especially what will be present at the Synod of the Family. Over the course of the next two weeks leading up to the Synod, as well as the two weeks of the Synod, I would like to continually bring these nuggets of gold into focus, and apply them to the statements and actions we are witnessing coming out of Rome.

Q. Can you describe that pride which fills the Modernist?

A. It is pride which fills Modernists with that confidence in themselves and leads them to hold themselves up as the rule for all, pride which puffs them up with that vainglory which allows them to regard themselves as the sole possessors of knowledge, and makes them say, inflated with presumption, ‘We are not as the rest of men’, and which, to make them really not as other men, leads them to embrace all kinds of the most absurd novelties; it is pride which rouses in them the spirit of disobedience, and causes them to demand a compromise between authority and liberty; it is pride that makes of them the reformers of others, while they forget to reform themselves, and which begets their absolute want of respect for authority, not excepting the supreme authority.

At the Synod we see these prelates are confident in themselves and hold themselves up as the rule for all. Walter Cardinal Kasper, for example, has been touted by Pope Francis as having “serene theology” and has even been commented as having done “theology from one’s knees”. Pope Francis has made Cardinal Kasper one of his right-hand men at the Synod. Cardinal Kasper believes that the teaching on administering Holy Communion to adulterers regardless of sexual orientation should be changed. So confident is this Prince of the Church, that he has gone on record as saying that he “speaks for the Pope”.

CARDINAL-KASPER-AND-POPE-FRANCIS

Cardinal Kasper lambasted the African bishops and Cardinals who have been defending the Church’s teaching by saying that they “should not tell us too much what we have to do”. Through this attitude, we see that the Cardinal has puffed himself up and regards himself and like-minded prelates as the sole possessors of knowledge. By his words, he views himself and his companions as not being like the rest of men, and through this erroneous thinking has allowed them to embrace all kinds of absurd novelties.

When those faithful bishops and Cardinals present at the Synod of the Family in 2014 cited Pope St. John Paul II’s teachings on the family, the response given was that the sainted Pope’s teachings were too traditional. At the conclusion of the Synod, Pope Francis stated that “God isn’t afraid of new things” implying that those in opposition to the proposals put forth by the Synod to allow adulterers to receive the Holy Eucharist are not following what God wants. Pope Francis also stated that we can’t be too strict, nor too lax, but we need to find a compromise. Here we see an example of finding a compromise between authority (God’s law) and liberty (give adulterers Our Lord’s Body and Blood).

Finally, in all of this pride, we see their refusal to conform themselves to the will of God, and to the teachings of Him and His Spotless Bride, the Church. They seek the authority and approval of man and society, all along, ignoring the approval of the One Who they swore to serve, God.

We must pray that God’s law be upheld at this Synod of the Family. Read that sentence again. We are at a point in the history of the Church, that we must pray that the Church upholds Her teachings. Let that sink in. We can no longer trust the majority of the prelates to uphold Church teaching.

God, have mercy on us!
Blessed Louis and Azelie Martin, pray for us!

To read the next post in this series, please click here.

Jeff September 21, 2015 1 Comment Permalink

Stop Talking About the SSPX’s Supposed ‘Schism’ and Focus on the Synod’s Proposed Schism

While I do not attend chapels of the Society of St. Pius X (SSPX), nor have I ever recommended anyone to visit one of their chapels, I admit that I have respect for this order of priests. They are unarguably some of the most Catholic priests out there. The SSPX is undoubtedly Catholic, but just in a state that is discussed by the Vatican as “canonically irregular”.

sspx symbol

To make matters even more confusing, Pope Francis has given the priests of the SSPX the authority to absolve the sins of any penitent who comes to them for confession during the Year of Mercy. Since words have meaning, I feel it is important that we properly define words. Schism, as defined in the Concise Catholic Dictionary of 1943 is:

“Formal separation from the unity of the Church, a separation from communion with the Church; separation from the head of the Church or from the jurisdiction of the Supreme Pontiff. The movement of any person or group of persons of the Church who refuse to recognize the central authority of the Church; a denial of the authority of the Pope of Rome.”

Using the above definition of Schism, the one in which the Church uses to determine if a group is actually in schism, I will analyze the SSPX sentence by sentence to show how they are actually not in schism.

Formal separation from the unity of the Church, a separation from communion with the Church; separation from the head of the Church or from the jurisdiction of the Supreme Pontiff.”

The SSPX has never had a formal separation from the Church. They have articulated their disagreement with the Second Vatican Council, specifically the articles of faith that have changed or diverted course from Catholic doctrine. While Archbishop Lefebvre was excommunicated along with the four bishops he consecrated without approval from the Vatican, these excommunications on the four bishops were removed under Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI in 2009. This does not justify any formal separation from the unity of the Church or separation from communion with the Church. They are also not separated from the head of the Church (the Pope), and report to the Pope when he calls them, much like they had done under the papacies of Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI, Pope St. John Paul II, and Pope Paul VI.

The movement of any person or group of persons of the Church who refuse to recognize the central authority of the Church; a denial of the authority of the Pope of Rome.

As stated above, the SSPX does recognize the authority of the Pope. Pope Francis is recognized by the Society as a validly elected Pope. If Pope Francis was to ask the SSPX to meet him for an audience, they would submit to his request and meet with him. They also recognize the authority of the Church, and are faithful to the Magisterium. They have qualms with parts of the Second Vatican Council, but seeing as there are contradictory statements rooted in Modernist rhetoric, than it is perfectly acceptable to disagree. Bishop Athanasius Schneider has called for a Syllabus of Errors for the Second Vatican Council. He has also spent time with the Society and released a statement saying that “there are no weighty reasons in order to deny the clergy and faithful of the SSPX the official canonical recognition”. Thus, it is clear that the SSPX is not in formal or “objective” schism.

earthquake schism

A particular Catholic media outlet is spending this entire week to discuss the supposed “schism” that the SSPX is in. Seeing as we just outlined what a schism actually is and demonstrate that the SSPX is not in schism, it seems like this is a complete waste of time, both for this Catholic media outlet, as well as their subscribers. With the Synod of the Family only two and a half weeks away, one is left wondering why the spotlight isn’t being pointed at the heretical Cardinals and bishops who are being invited personally by Pope Francis. Perhaps because this particular media outlet has taken the approach that they will not critique the Pope, or any of his actions. Since the Synod of the Family is Pope Francis’ baby, any heretics at the Synod will be ignored.

Seeing as this media outlet won’t point out who will be in attendance, I suggest you read Voice of the Family’s write up. Included are:

  • Lorenzo Cardinal Baldisseri, the General Secretary of the Synod, who ordered the interception of copies of “Remaining in the Truth of Christ” sent to all Synod attendees.
  • Reinhard Cardinal Marx, Archbishop of Munich and Freising (Germany), who declared the German Catholic Church will separate from the Catholic Church (schism) if the Synod does not allow the divorced, remarried, and active homosexuals admittance to Holy Communion.
  • Vincent Cardinal Nichols, Archbishop of Westminster (England), who celebrated the “Soho Mass”, a Mass that “celebrated” homosexuality.
  • Walter Cardinal Kasper, President Emeritus of the Pontifical Council for Christian Unity, who has been handpicked personally be Pope Francis as having serene theology when Cardinal Kasper declared that the Church should change her teachings.

These are the prominent players at the Synod of the Family. These are the men who are proposing actual schism from the Catholic Church in two and a half weeks. These men and the Synod of the Family needs to kept under a close watch for the next month. Every move these prelates make should be held to the highest scrutiny during this unprecedented time in the history of the Church. The SSPX is not the enemy of the Church that we should be spending our energy on during this critical time, but the above men, the men mentioned in the linked Voice of the Family article, and Pope Francis, who invited most of these men personally.

Don’t waste your time with this SSPX nonsense. Focus on the Synod of the Family. All efforts to discredit the SSPX during this time are coming directly from Satan. The SSPX is not our enemy in this time of crisis, but rather, our ally.

Jeff September 17, 2015 18 Comments Permalink

How Would Catholics React if the Synod Were Related to Abortion?

With the Synod of the Family looming only a months away, it is important that all Catholics realize what is at stake. There have been numerous attempts by many bishops, cardinals and even the Pope to look for ways which would allow those who are divorced, remarried, or engaged in homosexual behavior to receive the Holy Eucharist. We are told that we need to extend an olive branch; we need to show them mercy.

Synod of the Family

This message is in spite of St. Paul’s warnings from Scripture:

Therefore whosoever shall eat this bread, or drink the chalice of the Lord unworthily, shall be guilty of the body and of the blood of the Lord. But let a man prove himself: and so let him eat of that bread, and drink of the chalice. For he that eateth and drinketh unworthily, eateth and drinketh judgment to himself, not discerning the body of the Lord. 1 Corinthians 11:27-29

The reality of the situation is this: those who are actively engaged in any immoral behavior and are both unrepentant and have not been absolved are living in mortal sin and thus cannot receive the Holy Eucharist. There is no tiptoeing around the issue. There are no loopholes. Only those in the state of grace may receive our Lord.

A number of Catholics who are considered good, faithful, conservative Catholics are viewing this Synod in a positive light. In mistaken attempts to be viewed as “good Catholics” they will submit to the decisions of the Synod. If the Synod decides that adulterers can receive the Holy Eucharist, then they will assume that is what the Holy Spirit wants, and it is now acceptable to allow the practice, regardless of almost 2,000 years of Church teaching against the matter.

This response does not make one a faithful Catholic in good standing, but rather a sheep who only follows orders, and uses neither the brain nor the intellect with which God has endowed him. It is crucial we view the Synod with a different example of Mortal Sin. Let’s view the Synod in terms of abortion.

Hypothetically, let us imagine this upcoming Synod is not the “Synod of the Family”, but rather, the “Synod of the Child”; bishops and cardinals from around the world and the Pope gather in Rome to discuss the need to be merciful to abortionists, their lobbyists, and those who are in favor of the abortion “option”. We hear the need to be merciful to these poor misunderstood sinners. We are told that there are avenues by which a person who supports abortion in some form or another needs to be accepted at Holy Eucharist, so that they too may not be excluded and may feel welcome.

We see reports from prominent bishops and public figures holding key positions within the Church hierarchy explain the great need for this dialogue. It is important that all of God’s children feel welcome and accepted at the Lord’s Supper. There are numerous articles by several cardinals who are themselves in favor of allowing unrepentant murderers to receive Holy Eucharist, without amending their lives. These same cardinals tell us that even the Pope is on their side. The Pope is even on record as saying that one particular Cardinal’s theology is serene and an example of “doing theology on one’s knees”.

But there are bishops and cardinals who are against this idea. They cite the Church teaching on abortion by citing the recently canonized Pope St. John Paul II. These faithful bishops and cardinals are told that these teachings are “too extreme”. At the end of the first “Synod of the Child” the Pope issues a statement declaring that we can’t be too strict, and we can’t be too liberal. He explains we need to find a happy medium. But we know that when the life of an innocent child is about to be brutally ended that there is no happy medium. The “strictness of the law” protects the innocent child. The Synod even releases a mid-session relatio explaining how abortionists “have gifts and qualities to offer to the Christian community” and asks if the Church is “capable of welcoming these people, guaranteeing to them a fraternal space in our communities?”

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It seems to me that without a doubt this hypothetical situation would not only fall flat on its face in being implemented, but the faithful would rise up in unison to decry this heinous act against the magisterial teaching of the Church. Under no circumstance should an individual whose job is to destroy the life of an innocent unborn child, mutilate her, and sell off her parts to the highest bidder be able to receive our Eucharistic Lord. The evil of abortion is so strong amongst the faithful that they would not accept any teaching given by Rome that stated anything to the contrary.

Yet, the majority of the faithful seem ready to accept what the Synod might say in regards to adulterers being allowed to receive Holy Communion.

If the Church were to be wrong in coming out with some sort of plan allowing abortionists and pro-abortion individuals to receive Holy Communion, then the Church would be wrong in coming out with a plan allowing adulterers to receive Holy Communion. In both cases, we have evil and heinous acts (divorce, remarriage, and homosexuality are all condemned by Our Lord and the Church). If you are one of those Catholics who would accept the Synod’s decision to depart from Church teaching on divorce, remarriage, and homosexuality, then you must also accept a hypothetical future in which the Church might one day accept those in favor of abortion to Communion as well. This isn’t an either/or situation, but rather an all or nothing situation.

Jeff September 2, 2015 Leave A Comment Permalink

Father Corapi Is Back

The news is spreading around the internet that Father John Corapi has returned to the priesthood. He is currently living his life in seclusion.

This is good to hear as it comes at a time when there is much conflict and bad news within the Church. It is uncertain whether Fr. Corapi will be returning to TV or giving talks like he used to. Though wouldn’t it be awesome to see him come back on full fire and start lambasting the Synod, it’s key players and their biggest supporters? That’d be pretty awesome.

I know Fr. Corapi has been influential in many people’s faith, whether they were coming into or back to the Church, or even learning more about Catholicism. His fire and brimstone preaching was much needed during a time where the average preacher talked about the niceness of being Catholic and how we should be “good people”.

It’s also unclear whether or not his mistress is returning to practicing the faith either. I would continue to offer up prayers for her as well seeing as she is also in need of them. Continue to pray for Fr. Corapi.

Jeff September 2, 2015 3 Comments Permalink