Sunday Meditation: A few words of wisdom from Blessed Pope Pius IX

But first a fake meme. Pope Blessed Pius IX never warned about a future pope. The quote above is all over the internet, but there's no evidence that the pope ever said it. And in view of his statements on papal infallibility, it immediately raised question marks when I saw it. Serious Catholics need to check, check, check! Don't pass along incorrect information. Whoever's doing it are the Joseph Goebbels of the Church.When you see things on the internet, it's wise to check them, especially if a quote has no attribution. We don't need fake quotes. Pope Blessed Pius IX was a zealous shepherd totally committed to defending the faith and how he suffered for it!

To Restore All Things in Christ

I finished reading Pope Pius X's first encyclical, E Supremi Apostolatus, this morning. What a wonderful pope! The document could have been written yesterday and what a clarion call for today's Catholics. Please read it. I'll give you just a few bits of its brilliance:

• Who can fail to see that at the present time society is suffering more than in any past age from a terrible and radical malady which, while developing every day and gnawing into its very being, is dragging it to destruction? You understand, Venerable Brethren, this disease is apostasy from God.

Think about it. That statement was made in 1903. What would the saint say about the situation today when the attack on reason has led to people justifying the insane proposition that man can choose his own sex, mothers can kill and be celebrated for murdering not only their unborn babies in the womb but their born children. How would that saintly pope respond in order "to restore all things in Christ." Do you think he would be telling the world that all religions (including paganism) are pathways to God? Would Pachamama be celebrated in the Vatican garden? Would he invite representatives of other Christian denominations, Buddhists, Muslims, etc. to come to Assisi and worship together? Read his words and answer for yourself:

St. Pius X, Pray for us!

Yesterday was the feast of St. Pope Pius X, so today is good day to read about his life and examine some of his writings. Here's a list of his encyclicals, 17 in all. His motto was "To restore all things in Christ" which was the subject of his first encylical published on October 4, 1903. 

Bishop Schneider Makes First Statement Following SSPX Consecrations

This bishop speaks with a clear voice and what he has to say should give all those saying the SSPX acts like Protestants pause. The real Protestants promote the synodal church, disregarding dozens of popes who spoke with clear voices. They have traded those popes for those who speak off the cuff on airplanes and other miscellaneous locations causing serious confusion among the faithful

Here's the statement of Bishop Athanasius Schneider who is well named. Thanks to Diane Montagna for posting it on her substack:

The Dilemma Between Preserving the Unambiguous Integrity of the Catholic Faith and Being Canonically Recognized by the Pope

by Bishop Athanasius Schneider

Pray the Rosary to Survive the Scourge of Modernism and Keep the Faith!

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

"They have the buildings, but we have the faith."

Neo-Arians take note!

Letter of Saint Athanasius to His Flock (4th Century A.D.)

"May God console you! ... What saddens you ... is the fact that others have occupied the churches by violence, while during this time you are on the outside. It is a fact that they have the premises --- but you have the Apostolic Faith. They can occupy our churches, but they are outside the true Faith. You remain outside the places of worship, but the Faith dwells within you. Let us consider: what is more important, the place or the Faith? The true Faith, obviously. Who has lost and who has won in the struggle --- the one who keeps the premises or the one who keeps the Faith?

Another Monday: But Not an Ordinary One

No indeed. This is no ordinary Monday. It begins the week leading up to the SSPX consecration of bishops on Wednesday, July first. In 1988 Archbishop Lefebvre consecrated four bishops calling the event Operation Survival. The traditional Mass and sacraments likely would have disappeared without his actions. One could call the Wednesday consecrations Operation Survival Redux. It's a sad thing that the Vatican let it come to this, but the pope and Cardinal Fernandez have shown their willingness to allow and even enable dissent and heresy while they punish orthodoxy. 

I began my day with morning prayer and reading from the Credo Catechism by Bishop Athanasius Schneider. I'm in the section on faith, a providential place to be this week. 

If You've Never Watched The Catholics, Now is the Time!

In 1972 Brian Moore wrote a short novel titled Catholics about a remote abbey on an island off the coast of Ireland. [online here] It's the year 2000 and the monks continue to offer the Latin Mass after Vatican II and even after Vatican IV. The Protestants have long been acclimated to the new Church and the new faith. The move now is to incorporate the Buddhists and a conference is scheduled in which the head of the order is participating. 

The monks have become an embarrassment and stumbling block to the new church. Ever since a television crew televised the Mass thousands of Catholics from all over the world flock to the liturgy offered on the mainland. The crisis comes when the head of the order in Rome sends a young priest to examine the abbey and order the monks to immediately adopt the new mass. There are no more private confessions. No one is required to believe that the bread and wine really become the Body and Blood of Christ at the consecration. No clergy are allowed to resist. They are ordered to conform.

Of Clerics in Black and Small, Black Hive Beetles

My husband and I are beekeepers. During the Spring we check the hives regularly to try to prevent swarming and keep pests under control. On our last inspection we noticed a significant small beetle infestation in the hives. These creepy little black bugs eat the honey, lay their larvae in the cells and can become so great a nuisance that the bees give up altogether and abscond abandoning the hive to the invaders. When we see them, we need to take action. I've ordered traps that I'll fill with a solution of apple cider vinegar, water, sugar, and soap. Hopefully they will be attracted to the scent. They supposedly like fermented things. The scent attracts them and they fall into the traps and drown. Good-bye beetle problem. At least that's the hope.

"The Heresy of Modernism Turns Minds into Oatmeal." Padre Peregrino Explains it all for You.

It's a sad reality today that many in both secular and religious society are "weaponizing language." We see it in the Democrats who call anyone supporting particular policies of Donald Trump Nazis, homophobes, misogynists, gestapo, etc., etc. But in the Church this weaponized language is used primarily against only one group -- those who support Sacred Tradition and embrace the Traditional Latin Mass and the traditional sacraments and rites of Holy Mother Church. We are rigid, schismatic, insane, trapped in the past, etc. You know the drill. And while the pope will meet with material heretics, pagans, pro-aborts, clowns, etc., those who defend Sacred Tradition are treated like lepers. Give us bells to ring to warn all the contracepting, aborting Catholics they need to run for the hills to prevent contamination.

But here's the secret. All these charges are bogus.

The Games Have Begun! How Long Can the Vatican Stall the Consecrations with their Fake Dialogue?

BREAKING: Cdl. Fernandez urges SSPX to drop plan to consecrate bishops

OR ELSE!

When I use the term liberalism and liberal, this is what I mean.

Since I often discuss liberalism which undergirds the nature of liberals, I think it might be helpful to define terms and explain exactly what liberalism is. Socrates often began his dialogues by defining terms. How can people have an intelligent discussion if they aren't using words in the same way? They can end up arguing with Humpty Dumpty who says, "When I use a word, it means just what I choose it to mean- neither more nor less." Unfortunately, many liberals follow Humpty Dumpty's rules of engagement which is a ticket to the Tower of Babel. To use a silly example, suppose an alien landed in Washington, D.C. and someone told him that the first Catholic president, JFK, was born with a silver spoon in his mouth. Imagine the confusion going forward. But that's often true when people use language in contrary ways. 

The Heresy of Americanism and the Serious Sin of Abandoning the Great Commission

The Exhortation to the Apostles -- James Tissot (1836-1902)

This was the lead article from the Spring issue of the Les Femmes newsletter. Vol 21 #1  2016. I'm republishing it here because so many people have been sucked in by the heresy of Americanism and the rather arrogant belief in American Exceptionalism. Both of these beliefs have as their foundation the false beliefs of the French Revolution. And many Catholic prelates including Cardinal Gibbons of Baltimore Catechism fame, who promoted Elizabeth Seton's educational efforts, got caught up in the enthusiasm and desire to be politically accepted. The desire for human respect is a trap that catches many. July 4th seems a good day to reprint it.

Heresy, the American Experiment, and the Great Commission of Christ

"The Conclave is Coming, The Conclave is Coming!"

We are on the cusp of a new day of faith or a new day of disaster. Will the successors of the St. Gallen Mafia succeed in placing a clone of Francis in Peter's chair? Or will we see a true shepherd with zeal for the faith and for the salvation of the flock be chosen? 

There is something providential about the week of the conclave beginning with the feast of St. Pope Pius V, one of the greatest reformer popes in the history of the Church. Catholic Online describes his papacy, both the accomplishments and mistakes:

On the Feast Day of Pope St. Pius X: Challenging Times are Nothing New!

In the old calendar, today is the feast of Pope St. Pius X (pope from 1903-1914). In honor of his feast day, I am reading selections from My Words Will Not Pass Away: doctrinal writings of St. Pius X. I am personally grateful to this pope for encouraging the frequent, even daily, reception of Holy Communion and reducing the age for reception to the age of reason around seven years old. [This is what the Church means when it talks about "development of doctrine". It doesn't mean playing fast and loose with the perennial teachings of Holy Mother Church.] We have a lot to learn from this great saint!

Of Groundhogs and False Shepherds

 "Judas went out immediately, and it was night." John 13:30

Every year I plant a small garden. (Underline the small." This year, as usual, I planted six 
tomato plants a handful of summer and spaghetti squash, three assorted pepper plants and a few herbs in containers. Things were going fairly well and I harvested a few squash and am just beginning to get some fresh tomatoes.

But the groundhog found the garden and he has devastated my squash plants gradually eating the leaves until my formerly lush plants are almost unrecognizable. He does all his munching and crunching in the dark when we are asleep.

Judas did his dirty work in the dark as well. So do the false shepherds hiding in their dicasteries at the Vatican plotting the next document or synod to attack the faith. 

This is nothing new!

More on Dignitas Infinita: Is It the Prelude to the Denial of Hell?

At yesterday’s press conference on “Dignitas Infinita”, I asked DDF Prefect Cardinal Fernández: “If man has infinite dignity, how can he be condemned to the eternal suffering of Hell? And why are original sin and its effects never mentioned in the document?” His response below: pic.twitter.com/6odajldIq7

— Diane Montagna (@dianemontagna) April 9, 2024

(To see the statement enlarged click on it and it will open in a new window. Then click on the text.) 

Years ago on a Cursillo weekend, I spent several hours in the stairwell late at night discussing hell with a young woman who didn't believe there was a hell or, if there was, that no one went there. At the end of the evening, she had changed her mind.

It Was a Dark and Stormy Night

Happy Happy Church! 
(Trains in the Sky)

Sir Edward Bulwer-Lytton was a British author made famous in the modern era from the Peanuts cartoon character, Snoopy, and his eternal quest to write a book beginning with Bulwer-Lytton’s classic opening, “It was a dark and stormy night.” 

"The sardonic Bulwer-Lytton Fiction Contest, held annually since 1982, claims to seek the opening sentence of the worst of all possible novels - that is, one which is deliberately bad."

Below are a few bad first sentences from books in the religion category.

PAPAL AUDIENCE SERIES: "Planes and Trains and Acrobats" - Riding his magic carpet made of steel across the Vatican sky over St Peter's (because he no longer trusted Boeing 747's Shepherd One) the pope, in his best Arlo Guthrie impersonation, sang, "Good morning, TLM Catholics, how are ya?" then in a sinister voice said, "Have you not heard the news that before the day is done, one more feckless rigid doctrine will have faded like a bad dream into the disappearing Catholic Church?" but suddenly his train fell from the sky crashing into Santa Marta where the numerous scantily-clad Vatican acrobats were housed.

The Shifting Sands of Modernism

It is enlightening to contrast the weak and false justifications of Modernism presented by its supporters, against the strong and solid foundation on which the teaching of the Catholic Church is based.

Consider the slippery and sliding foundations and constantly shifting justifications given to support the Modernist edifice, as follows: