Traditional Roman Catholic Thoughts

Traditional Roman Catholic Thoughts

Reintroducing Logic and Reason to the Age of Sentimentalism

You Have a Moral Duty To Vote Trump and Defeat Hillary Clinton

With the election looming only three short weeks away, we are hearing more and more Catholics and conservatives talking about something that seems rather absurd; voting for a third party candidate.

Photo taken by Gage Skidmore

Photo taken by Gage Skidmore

Why would I call this idea absurd? Simply put, we have Hillary Clinton, the most radical, pro-abortion candidate to ever run for President in this country as the front-runner of this race, according to polls released thus far.

Hillary Clinton has an excellent chance of winning this election, whether through honesty or rigged elections. The only other candidate who has an excellent chance of winning this election is Donald Trump, a man who has proposed giving us pro-life Supreme Court justices, willing to defend the 2nd Amendment, and many other pro-family values. He has also written a sincere letter to Catholics discussing the importance Catholics have had in building this country and how he will fight for our religious freedom.

No matter what your argument may be in Donald Trump not being “the best man for the job” there is a near zero chance of a third party candidate winning this election. Unless you can convince 60 million people to vote for said candidate in the next 20 days, you are throwing your vote away and allowing Hillary to walk away with this election.

In the third Presidential debate, Hillary admitted that she would put justices on the court that will make abortion legal for all nine months, up until the day the baby is ready to be born. If you are pro-life in the slightest, the very thought of this should leave you appalled, and this should send shivers down your spine. Babies who are ready to be born will die under this woman.

abort baby

But what I have discovered is that it almost appears to me that the Catholic “pro-life” Church in America might want Hillary to win. I have seen numerous Bishops (Archbishop Chaput for example), come out against both candidates, treating Donald Trump as bad, if not worse, than the most radically pro-abortion candidate in the history of this country, a woman who admires Margaret Sanger, the founder of Planned Parenthood.

In 2008, we were told that we couldn’t vote for Obama, but we had to vote for McCain.

In 2012, we were told that we couldn’t vote for Obama, but we had to vote for Romney.

Both of these men were known as soft Republicans who had no interest in running a pro-life platform, except for those pesky six months before the election. Romney ran all of his previous election campaigns for various offices under a pro-choice position. “Well, he is from Massachusetts, but he was pro-life.” McCain was another soft Republican who never did much for the pro-life platform. But with both of these candidates, we were told that we had to stop Obama because of his staunch pro-abortion stance.

Apparently, that isn’t the case anymore now that Hillary is the nominee.

In 2016 we are told to vote our conscience even though Trump has done far more than either McCain or Romney ever had with pro-lifers or Catholics. Trump has given us a list of 20 Supreme Court justices who will uphold the Constitution, and overturn Roe V. Wade when given a chance. But apparently, when push comes to shove, it’s easier to claim to be pro-life when it makes one look like a good Catholic than to actually put those principles into practice.

Catholics and every single person on this planet have a moral duty to stop evil. But all I see Catholics doing is getting up on their high horses, puffing out their chests, and pretending that they are so high and mighty by ignoring Trump and allowing Hillary to walk away with this election, all because they voted their “conscience.”

As Pope St. John Paul II says in Christifideles Laici:

Above all, the common outcry, which is justly made on behalf of human rights-for example, the right to health, to home, to work, to family, to culture-is false and illusory if the right to life, the most basic and fundamental right and the condition for all other personal rights, is not defended with maximum determination.

The USCCB, in their document Forming Consciences for Faithful Citizenship write:

Sometimes morally flawed laws already exist. In this situation, the process of framing legislation to protect life is subject to prudential judgment and “the art of the possible.” At times this process may restore justice only partially or gradually. For example, St. John Paul II taught that when a government official who fully opposes abortion cannot succeed in completely overturning a pro-abortion law, he or she may work to improve protection for unborn human life, “limiting the harm done by such a law” and lessening its negative impact as much as possible (Evangelium Vitae, no. 73). Such incremental improvements in the law are acceptable as steps toward the full restoration of justice. However, Catholics must never abandon the moral requirement to seek full protection for all human life from the moment of conception until natural death.

Pope Pius XII, in his March 16, 1946, letter to the Pastors and Lenten Preachers of Rome, wrote:

The exercise of the right to vote is an act of grave responsibility, at least when there is the question involved of electing those whose office it will be to give the country its constitutions and its laws, particularly those which effect, for example, the sanctification of feast days, marriage, family life and school, the various phases of social life. It therefore falls to the Church to explain to the faithful their moral duties which derive from their right to vote.

Again, two years later, Pope Pius XII strictly commands:

It is your right and duty to draw the attention of the faithful to the extraordinary importance of the coming elections and to the moral responsibility which follows from it for those who have the right to vote. In the present circumstances it is strictly obligatory for whoever has the right, man or woman, to take part in the elections. He who abstains, particularly through indolence or cowardice, commits thereby a grave sin, a mortal offense.

Photo by Roaming Catholics

Photo by Roaming Catholics

Anybody who decides not to vote, or votes for a third party candidate (their “conscience”) commits a mortal sin. Thus it is important that you form your conscience properly, and use it to stop evil.

Every single vote matters in this election and for Catholics who want to continue down the pro-life, pro-religious liberty, anti-contraceptives in health care, pro-traditional marriage path, I don’t see them rallying around Trump, the man who is going to stop Hillary. Hillary has promised that she will throw Catholics under the bus.

I urge you, to take what could very well be your last stand against evil. Protect innocent life. Cast your vote for Donald Trump.

Or you can stand on your pedestal and vote your conscience. We’ll both be in the gulags if Hillary wins.

Catholic gulag

Jeff October 20, 2016 1 Comment Permalink

Despite What You’ve Heard Jesus Never Permitted Divorce

It is a common misconception that Jesus permitted divorce in certain circumstances, those circumstances being unfaithfulness or spousal abuse. However, this is simply not at all what Our Lord taught.

Matrimony, The Seven Sacraments, Rogier van der Weyden, c. 1445

Matrimony, The Seven Sacraments, Rogier van der Weyden, c. 1445

When it comes to Bible translations, it is important that we use accurate translations, especially with a Catholic Bible. You can not trust that a Protestant Bible will be accurate, as it has been demonstrated that they deliberately mistranslate it so they can validate their Protestantism.

Looking at Douay-Rheims, the official Catholic translation, we read the following:

And there came to him the Pharisees tempting him, and saying: Is it lawful for a man to put away his wife for every cause? Who answering, said to them: Have ye not read, that he who made man from the beginning, Made them male and female? And he said: For this cause shall a man leave father and mother, and shall cleave to his wife, and they two shall be in one flesh. Therefore now they are not two, but one flesh. What therefore God hath joined together, let no man put asunder. They say to him: Why then did Moses command to give a bill of divorce, and to put away? He saith to them: Because Moses by reason of the hardness of your heart permitted you to put away your wives: but from the beginning it was not so. And I say to you, that whosoever shall put away his wife, except it be for fornication, and shall marry another, committeth adultery: and he that shall marry her that is put away, committeth adultery. His disciples say unto him: If the case of a man with his wife be so, it is not expedient to marry. – Matthew 19:3-10

Additionally in the Gospel of Mark we read:

And the Pharisees coming to him asked him: Is it lawful for a man to put away his wife? tempting him. But he answering, saith to them: What did Moses command you? Who said: Moses permitted to write a bill of divorce, and to put her away. To whom Jesus answering, said: Because of the hardness of your heart he wrote you that precept. But from the beginning of the creation, God made them male and female. For this cause a man shall leave his father and mother; and shall cleave to his wife. And they two shall be in one flesh. Therefore now they are not two, but one flesh. What therefore God hath joined together, let not man put asunder. And in the house again his disciples asked him concerning the same thing. And he saith to them: Whosoever shall put away his wife and marry another, committeth adultery against her. And if the wife shall put away her husband, and be married to another, she committeth adultery. – Mark 10:2-12

In both Gospels, we read that Jesus never permitted divorce and further condemns remarriage. In the case of adultery, Jesus allows for the adulterous spouse to be put away, but He does not allow for them to find another spouse. Once the wedding has occurred, and husband and wife have consummated their marriage, they are no longer two, but one, and can only be separated by death.

Many within the Church are encouraging those who have divorced and have remarried to step forward to receive the Holy Eucharist. However, as we see from the mouth of Our Lord that this is not His Holy Will, but the will of the enemy. It is not a matter of disciplinary teaching, but doctrine, a doctrine that can not change.

It is not unloving to point out Our Lord’s teachings, as He is the Way, the Truth, and the Life. Keep true to Christ’s teachings and His Church, even if her members do not.

Jeff October 19, 2016 Leave A Comment Permalink

Martin Luther Welcomed at the Vatican By Pope Francis

For those who argue the orthodoxy of Pope Francis, it is time to admit that he doesn’t have an orthodox bone in his body.

This past Friday, October 13, the 99th Anniversary of the Miracle of the Sun at Fatima, Pope Francis prepared for the 500th anniversary of the Protestant Reformation and Luther’s depart from Catholic teaching.

How did Pope Francis prepare you might ask? By looking into the errors of Protestantism to welcome them back into the fold? By expressing his sincere desire to have Protestants rejoin the Catholic Church and unifying all Christians? No, not quite.

Rather, he welcomed them with open arms and received the beautiful gift of a red statue of Martin Luther himself!

Pope Francis and Luther

Additionally, he was presented with a jumbo leather bound copy of Martin Luther’s 95 Theses.

Copyright L'osservatore Romano

Copyright L’osservatore Romano

But, you know, he was actually not happy with receiving this gift because it was practically like having the reformation all over or some lame excuse that his apologists will use.

Seriously, is there any question anymore that Pope Francis is actively trying to undermine and destroy the Catholic faith? The Vicar of Christ is engaging in Protestantism as if it was another acceptable alternative to Catholicism. There is no defense that you can give this man that explains away his actions.

Martin Luther was excommunicated from the Catholic Church and died a heretic. While there is a very minute chance that he isn’t in Hell, the odds are very much in favor of him being there. Martin Luther was a pervert who taught a doctrine contrary to the law of Jesus Christ, despite how much Luther argued to the contrary.

Martin Luther is the reason why there are so many different branches of Christianity when at the time of his revolt there were only the Holy Roman Catholic Church and the Orthodox.

To put it bluntly, if Pope Francis looks to Martin Luther as misunderstood, or a good theologian or what have you, then it explains so much as to why he does the things he does.

I’ve said it before, and I’ll reiterate it again. Pope Francis is a heretic. He proves it over, and over, and over again. It is tantamount that we pray for his conversion, lest he ends up in a place that none of us would like to be.

And is there not a single Catholic bishop or Cardinal that is going to call him out on his error or are we just going to have to sit around and watch him continue to pervert the faith until he draws his last breath?

Jeff October 18, 2016 3 Comments Permalink

What You Need To Know About Priestly Celibacy

As is pretty typical when it comes to certain topics circulating within Catholic media, I am late to the party, again.

latin mass

A couple of weeks ago,  Pope Francis began investigating whether to allow married men to become priests within the Roman Rite. Yes, I know, the Eastern Rites allow for their priests to be married, but we are discussing the matter of whether the Roman Rite should allow this or not.

There is an excellent homily given by a priest that can be listened to on YouTube, courtesy of Sensus Fidelium. You can play it below:

I want to emphasize a warning given by St. Bridget of Sweden that is quoted within this talk.

“But now I shall tell you God’s will in this matter……

Know this too: that if some pope concedes to priests a license to contract carnal marriage, God will condemn him to a sentence as great, in a spiritual way, as that which the law justly inflicts in a corporeal way on a man who has transgressed so gravely that he must have his eyes gouged out, his tongue and lips, nose and ears cut off, his hands and feet amputated, all his body’s blood spilled out to grow completely cold, and finally, his whole bloodless corpse cast out to be devoured by dogs and other wild beasts. Similar things would truly happen in a spiritual way to that pope who were to go against the aforementioned preordinance and will of God and concede to priests such a license to contract marriage.

 

For that same pope would be totally deprived by God of his spiritual sight and hearing, and of his spiritual words and deeds. All his spiritual wisdom would grow completely cold; and finally, after his death, his soul would be cast out to be tortured eternally in hell so that there it might become the food of demons everlastingly and without end. Yes, even if Saint Gregory the Pope had made this statute, in the aforesaid sentence he would never have obtained mercy from God if he had not humbly revoked his statute before his death.”

Allowing married men to become priests, or allowing priests to get married will not aid in eliminating the priest shortage. It will not reduce the abuse scandals either.

What will reduce the sexual abuse is when the Catholic Church kicks out all men who exhibit homosexual behavior from the seminary and the priesthood. Additionally, when the modern Catholic church stops being so effeminate and returns to its masculine roots, then you will see more men who are willing to sacrifice having a family of their own and are willing to lay their lives down for Christ and His Church.

 

Jeff October 13, 2016 Leave A Comment Permalink

Your Guardian Angel Is Waiting For You

From the moment God created the Angels, He assigned one to each and every person that would ever exist. That Angel is responsible only for that person and no one else.

Guardian Angels

Your Guardian Angel is your own, and you are your Guardian Angel’s responsibility. Our Guardian Angel protects us from the evils present in this world, but only if we allow them, for they will never impose their will upon us. This is why we must call upon our Guardian Angel’s intercession every single day.

Due to our fallen nature, we likely forget about our Guardian Angel. Our Guardian Angel desperately wants to help and intercede for us, and when we forget about them, we deprive them of that ability which they were created to do.

Call upon your Guardian Angel and allow them to protect you. Pray to the Guardian Angels of your family and friends.

Angel of God, my guardian dear
To whom God’s love, commits me here
Ever this day, be at my side
To light and guard, to rule and guide.

Jeff October 12, 2016 2 Comments Permalink