Guest Post: Daniel Graham Gives a History Lesson on the Crisis in the Church

I'm delighted to post this article from Daniel Graham, author of Lex Orandi, a book that 
gives a side-by-side comparison of all the sacraments before and after the changes made in the spirit of Vatican II. Every concerned Catholic should know exactly what we've lost. I highly recommend Dan's book. Only when we understand what's been lost can we be like the woman in the parable who sweeps her house looking for her lost coin and rejoicing when she finds it. Those of us who defend the faith of our fathers are also like the man who sold everything to buy the pearl of great price. When one has a treasure, he protects it. And that is what Archbishop Lefebvre did. Those of us who go to SSPX chapels love the faith, love the Church, and love the papacy. Read the encyclicals of Pope St. Pius X and then read those of Pope Francis to see the conflict. Will the real defender of the faith please stand up. Don't get lost in the weeds. Be at peace and soldier on.

The Conflict between Modernism and Tradition

by Daniel Graham

Thank God for Bishop Strickland and His Defense of the SSPX!

Bishop Strickland: The Church is facing a ‘real emergency’

Every Texan knows this story:

Long before we knew about politics, before we knew the arguments, before we knew how to quibble over details, we were taught something in school that shaped our bones. At the Alamo, there came a moment when there were no more letters to send, no reinforcements coming, no negotiations left to try. The enemy was at the gates. Surrender had been demanded. And everyone knew what surrender would mean.

We All Need the Courage of Don Camillo!

When I was a child I read all the books in The Little World of Don Camillo series set in Italy after World War II. Don Camillo, the fictional priest of the fictional village of Boscaccio on the Po river is a foil to Peppone, the Communist mayor of the town. Don Camillo and Peppone often fight as you can see from this clip.

While they often fought, however, they also often worked together against injustice.

Do You Simply Stand Against What you Oppose, or Do You Witness For What You Believe?

I have just returned from a 12 day road trip with a friend who needed a companion along for the ride to Texas where she had the task of preparing her parent’s home to be sold.  It was also her goal to retrieve some precious treasures still in the house which were too large to be carried on a plane.  One such jewel was a cradle her father had made for his own children, including my friend, and which has now been slept in by most of his grandchildren.  

As we drove along, I read aloud from a tote bag full of books I had selected for the purpose of sharing specific chapters with my friend, a like minded Catholic, thoughtful, very smart, and leaps and bounds ahead of me, a convert, in knowledge of Church history and doctrine. 

Our trip each way took three days in the car so we had a LOT of time to read and discuss and read and discuss.  It was a kind of “retreat from the world” which whizzed by us, as we rolled along from one state to the next, and an opportunity to step outside our daily routines and spend the kind of time you generally only WISH you had with a good friend. 

Guest Post: Francis Calls Keepers of Doctrine "Fanatics"

By David Martin

Solicitous concern over the purity of doctrine reflects the truest love of God and neighbor, since doctrine, as with any of the Ten Commandments, is not an ideal that may be watered down or dismissed to suit ones fancy, but an eternal command set in stone for man's sanctification. In the same way a healthcare expert does not tolerate poison in the diet, so a true priest will never tolerate poison in the spiritual diet. It has to be pure, which means it has to be clear, without which it is poison. 

But Pope Francis has now come out and slammed conservative Catholics who earnestly maintain that purity of doctrine be preserved. Concerning such people, the pope said in his Friday morning homily: "They are fanatics about things that are not clear, such as these fanatics who go about there, sowing discord in order to divide the Christian community."

I Agree with VOX. Starve the Beasts at Patheos and Aleteia!

Caution: Click with care.

Catholic bloggers at Patheos and Aleteia are Click Hounds

It started for me with Mark Shea. I won't click on any of his articles because I refuse to feed the beast. There is something a little sick about measuring your income in internet clicks and engaging in strategies that foment discord to get them. So I just don't go to either Patheos or Aleteia. 

Where do I go?