Between a Rock and a Hard Place!

Hardness can be subjective. If one has a feather in one hand and an egg in the other which one is harder? Obviously, the egg. On the other hand if one replaces the feather with a stone, which one is harder? If you don't know have an egg/stone fight and see.

Those of us connected to the SSPX these days find ourselves between a rock and a hard place. The rock is the faith taught by Peter and the apostles that has been continuous throughout the centuries. Yes, changes have taken place, but always in accordance with Scripture and Tradition. Divine revelation ended with the last apostle. There can be no changes to revealed doctrine and morality. Sins against chastity, like sodomy, can't be evil yesterday and legitimate signs of love as declared by some bishops in good standing today. Any so-called shepherd who proclaims it is a hireling at best or a ravening wolf in shepherd's clothing.

Who Will Ordain the Priests? Anyone?

Today is, in the old calendar, the feast of Cyril and Methodius, slavic brothers who became bishops. As missionaries they were sent to catechize the slavs in the east since they spoke their language. As I was reading their story in Butler's Lives this morning I came across this:

In 863 the two brothers set out with a number of assistants and came to the court of Rostislav (Prince of Moravia); they were well received and at once got to work....The Byzantine missionaries, armed with their pericopes from the Scriptures and liturgical hymns in Slavonic, pursued their way with much success, but were soon handicapped by their lack of a bishop to ordain more priests. The German prelate, the bishop of Passau, would not do it and Cyril therefore determined to seek help elsewhere.

The Argument for the SSPX from Supplied Jurisdiction

If the Society and priests who minister to me are about to be declared schismatic and excommunicated, I want to know the rationale and justification for their consecrating bishops without a papal mandate. Canon law 1387 from the 1983 revised code of 1917 says this about those consecrations:

Can. 1387 Both the Bishop who, without a pontifical mandate, consecrates a person a Bishop, and the one who receives the consecration from him, incur a latae sententiae excommunication reserved to the Apostolic See. [For anyone who wants to read the law, the entire 1983 code is online here.]

Can we stop with the circular firing squad already!

I read a post yesterday that set my teeth on edge. It was from a Catholic who had his assault rifle aimed dead center on traditional Catholics. Well, he wouldn't want to call them "traditional" Catholics because the word Catholic should stand alone -- no adjectives. We're all just plain, old Catholics. 

Sola Scriptura Protestants Don't Really Believe In Sola Scriptura!

I've had a lot of interactions with Protestants on social media over the years, anonymous Protestants usually. They often have no interest in an honest discussion about faith and the differences between Catholic belief and Protestant belief. Often they tell you what Catholics believe which is almost always wrong and, when you correct them, they just repeat their errors insisting they're right. It's actually pretty funny. They know more about what Catholics believe than a life-long Catholic does. They often aren't interested in a good-faith exchange; they just repeat their bigot points. Catholics worship Mary. The Catholic Church is the whore of Babylon and the pope is the anti-Christ. Catholics aren't allowed to read the Bible. Yadda Yadda. Many Protestants are rabidly anti-Catholic bigots who are just trolling and lobbing insults -- not exactly a model of Christian charity.

The Church is Awake Thanks to the SSPX. So What's Next?

"The current situation regarding the episcopal consecrations in the Priestly Society of St. Pius X (SSPX) has suddenly awakened the entire Church."  [Source]                                                         Bishop Athanasius Schneider

Being awake is a good thing as St. Peter reminds us:  

"Be sober and watch: because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, goeth about seeking whom he may devour." [1 Peter 5:8]

In the Old Testament God told Gideon to dismiss any soldiers who knelt and drank directly from the stream. Those who stayed alert, awake so to speak to any advancing enemy by using their hands to bring water to their mouths, became the conquering army. [Judges 7] 

Revelation has a particularly apt point:

"Wake up, and strengthen what remains and is on the point of death, for I have not found your works perfect in the sight of my God." [Revelation 3:2]

Sunday Meditation: Is the SSPX Today's Ark?

You've probably noticed that the world is in a mess! Francis didn't need to call on Catholics to "make a mess;" the mess already existed. Can anyone deny that the secular world rivals Noah's time? Do the sins of Sodom and Gomorrah come close to the diabolical condition of the modern era? Have you read any of the Epstein files? (I don't recommend it; just know that the evil is so satanic it boggles the mind. I had to stop looking at it and pray the St. Michael prayer.)

Update on TLM Ban in Charlotte, The Steel Boot Descends!

October has arrived and the TLM has been deep-sixed except for one small chapel that cannot accommodate the 1000+ weekly attendees. For many, the Sunday Mass requires two-hour travel time to participate at the Mass of the Ages.

Feeling Disoriented? Embrace the Fullness of the Faith!

Most readers probably recognize the aviation event called spatial disorientation. It occurs when the pilot's senses don't agree with the physical reality of the plane's motion and its relation to the ground. The pilot can't tell up from down or whether the plane is flying level or in a turn. A number of airline fatalities are directly related to spatial disorientation. Certain things exacerbate the problem, for example alcohol and some drugs including anti-depressants, anti-histamines, and some pain relievers (not to mention illegal drugs). 

Why do I bring this up? Because I think this elucidates the term diabolical disorientation. Many people today are living in an upside down world that they insist is right side up. They are often flying blind like the pilate who enters a cloud losing all contact with visual cues. That's when instrument flying becomes crucial. And if you don't have and use the instruments, you're headed for a crash.

Deus Vult: The Enemies of Tradition Can Never Win!

A wise philosopher once said, "Stupid is as stupid does." Read this article and take heart. When things seem dark, they are often closest to the light. You can only eclipse the sun for so long! Pray, hope, and don't worry. Deus Vult! God wills it!

The New TLM Suppression: Crisis Averted?

Remember when everybody was sure that there was a new Latin Mass suppression coming down the pike from The Dictator Pope and his mercy for the margins?

That came from a credible rumour published by our friends at Rorate back on June 17th. While that was brewing, Viganò got the axe from the Vatican, and a different report denied any existence of a new TLM suppression.

Meanwhile, the “Agatha Christie Petition 2.0” was released, along with a second petition by the same authors for the faithful to sign. A third petition was also put out (“An Open Letter from the Americas to Pope Francis”), signed by people like Trad critic Larry Chapp and endorsed by Archbishop Cordileone. [Continue....]

Do We Defy the Authority of the Church if We Disobey the Pope's Demands?

I'll answer a question with a question, two questions in fact. Was it wrong for Catholics to disobey the pope when he said everyone should get the COVID jab? Were Catholics who refused to obey the pope challenging the authority of Holy Mother Church?

Simple answer to both questions: NO! NO! HELL NO!

Ecclesia Dei Part 2: The Motu Proprio is Infected with Modernism

Archbishop Lefebvre, warrior against Modernism! He preserved the traditional Latin Mass.

Let's continue examining Modernism in light of Ecclesia Dei Adflicta (EDA), the document that established the Ecclesia Dei Commission in 1988. EDA allowed the Traditional Latin Mass (TLM) communities to form beginning with the 15 priests who left the SSPX to establish the Priestly Fraternity of St. Peter (FSSP). Read part 1 for a little history about the conflict with Archbishop Lefebvre resulting in EDA which was obviously meant to destroy the SSPX using the archbishop's own priests as the weapon of Mass destruction. All of the other EDA congregations came later. Archbishop Lefebvre is the father of all the TLM communities that exist today. They were all born as a result of the SSPX and Lefebvre's fidelity to passing on what he had received. Without Marcel Lefebvre, the TLM would be a dead memory for the history books.

Is the Other Shoe (or should we say atomic bomb) about to Drop on the TLM (and the Novus Ordo)?

Novus Ordo Clown Mass celebrated in Orlando in 2008.
The craziness continues in many places!

We all know Francis hates the Traditional Latin Mass and all the other Sacraments 
celebrated according to the traditional form. Despite having at least 1500 years behind them and faithfully transmitting the dogmas of the faith, all the sacraments as practiced before the Vatican II revolution must be trashed! Francis seems determined to crush all things traditional in the name of ecumenism. 

Ultimately, that's what this is all about, ECUMENISM.  And it has been since Bugnini (secretary to the Consilium that created the new Mass) vowed to remove anything that was a stumbling block to our separated brethren. If the Protestants wouldn't like it, out it went. 

Will the Three Pillars of the Catholic Faith Remain Firm?

Know the three pillars of the Catholic faith!

Editor's note: This is the lead article from the Spring issue of the Les Femmes newsletter. It isn't on line yet, but most of the past issues (from Volume 5 on) are posted. This is the 27th year of publication. The newsletter began in response to Call to Action invading our churches in the Diocese of Arlington. We were able to expose and even stops a number of scandals by the grace of God and by lifting the rock hiding the creepy crawlies underneath. The laity can play an important role in defending the faith, if we cooperate with God's grace and pursue the truth. And when the Blessed Mother, our 12-star general is the editor, how can you go wrong? She's kept us in print these many years. Thank you, Blessed Mother!

Will the Three Pillars of the Catholic Faith Remain Firm?

The Catholic Church stands on a solid foundation that can’t be shaken when its three pillars are upheld. Scripture and the ruling Magisterium are two of them. The third is Sacred Tradition. Think of a well-balanced three-legged stool. The legs provide a stable foundation for the seat. Now imagine a foolish person who decides to start trimming the legs because he doesn’t like the aesthetics of the chair or thinks it needs an updated look. Trouble ahead!