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The "Church's" problems are very much the personal problems of most Traditionalists.

Before Vatican II your simple work-a-day Catholic life went hand in hand with your simple Average American life.

No moving all over the country all the time to increase Sacramental opportunities.

No total breakdowns of family relationships due to one Thanksgiving argument to many over the REAL motives of Cardinal Pizzalardo in playing nicey-nicey with His Grace.

No visits from the FBI because I once sold a book to a devout Catholic whose devout Catholicism led him to try to kill the putative pope.

In any case, we ARE the Church. Its problems are ours and vice versa.

To raise your kids decently (an eminently PRACTICAL business) you have to avoid the catechetical hellholles of what passes for the Catholic Church of Rome in this world.

The issues discussed on this message board very much pertain to the practical business of seeking the good and the true and the safer in this world.

I just wanted to add that I tried the home alone method for about a month . "Pope" Ratzinger's visit to the USA made me want to barf. It took a non Catholic from India to convince me that a flawed institution like the SSPX is better than nothing at all. I just have to wise up and keep my mouth so that some semblance of unity can be preserved.

Like I said before, you would be put in jail if you sold a car without brakes or warning lights. The anti church of today is too risky for anyone's soul. This is a special time where you have to use the critical thinking and spiritual discernment God has given you. If the bus driver gets drunk, its ok to push him on the floor and take the wheel. Today's traditionalists would rather let the bus crash rather than make an original move. People like to beat you over the head with the "infallible" stick, or say that your spirit of disunity can only be diabolical. I say unity with diabolical beliefs is not a good thing. Where was the spirit of unity when the money changers were driven out of the temple.? Certain behavior fits certain situations. A Good soldier will do what is necessary. A mutiny is the correct answer after finding out the captain is an enemy agent. You make a bad call, you pay the price.

As far as the sheep and shepherd symbolism goes, if you can understand that the sheep are being led astray, that qualifies you as a potential shepherd. If the sheep follow your voice, than there is a good chance that Jesus Christ has influenced your voice to say the correct words. Maybe that is final lesson for Catholics. Instead of some sort of sociology course, Christianity needs the Spirit of God rather than just blind following of a catechism. no matter how good the catechism may be.

So be of good cheer. We have a shipwreck on our hands, but there will be a few survivors. Don't make the swim to shore any harder than need be. (quit hitting me with that infallible oar!)

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  I am sure that will offend a few here. Its the best that this very flawed writer can understand. Just to bolster my opinion on Mr. Infallible , Pope Pius IX , I just read that he came from a very well to do (read elitist) family. (Mazeratti?) With the loss of the Papal states, He had to deal with the question of temporal power vs. spiritual power. An intersting tidbit after his death, his body was moved to a new resting place but an angry crowd of Romans attempted to throw his body into the Tiber. I wonder what that was all about.  

     I am not quite the anarchist you think I am. I have to admit I was wrong in the 60s when I believed pseudo scientist Paul Erlich rather than the Pope in regards to birth control. The Catholic Church has the only true doctrine on salvation.  The rambling point is that there are vital Catholic truths that need to be preserved. If you love the truth, I think that you have to admit there is a lot of housecleaning that needs to be done.  The Day of the Lord seems to be the only remedy to accomplish that task.

The idea is that the Church of Christ is a supernatural institution with a supernatural principle of unity.

There should be no question of fallible human beings "keeping up a semblance of unity."

What's wanted is the real thing. Not a semblance. And the real thing cannot be faked just by following the right rubrics with your mystic incantations.

To a great extent Catholic reaction to Vatican II has been a matter of false, utterly unspiritual folk wisdom and not of doctrine or faith or piety. That's why we hear so-called Novus Ordo conservatives compare Traditionalist separatists to rats leaving a sinking ship. Or, we hear more generic good Catholic soldiers say that the Church's dirty laundry should not be aired in public, and that proper Catholic Team Spirit demands that we all smile along with out Head Guy in Rome and say that the New Pentecost is a roaring success.

The rules that govern the camaraderie of a frat house should not be applied to the Church of God.

You are bound to find more than "some" Catholics at a Traditional message board who will be offended by Pope Pius IX's being referred to as "Mr Infallible."

There is nothing sinister about a pope's having come from the upper class.