http://www.dailycatholic.org/issue/07Mar/mar25ftt.htm

When getting to the root cause of the crisis in the Church and figuring out what a poor Catholic is to do when there is no Catholic leadership, I started thinking about the poor souls of those who are sincere and mislead. I concluded that, during times of great crisis and apostasy, our Just and Merciful Judge is more lenient in His Judgments, "Father forgive them for they know not what they do." This is the case for those who are sincerely mislead and not in regards to those who prefer to be willfully blind to the reality of the false leadership and the resulting chaos that surrounds those of us who purport to be striving to be good Catholics.

    Because of the unprecedented situation of the Church (and the current situation is unprecedented in that the apostasy is world-wide) people write articles that are considered controversial and therefore "bad" or "mean-spirited" or "negative". The truth is not always pretty but it is always true and that fact is quite beautiful indeed. I say that because there are many "Moses'" out there pointing the way to the promised land who are dealing with people are more concerned with food and rest than their own salvation it seems; Thus the aforesaid introduction to yet another "bad", "mean-spirited" and "negative" article.

    In this article I would like to help you see where various sects are coming from making us less likely to judge them as reactionary idiots and more likely to pray for all men of good will from the heart.

    There are those who believe that the New Mass is invalid. Others merely say its validity is doubtful. There are those who believe the Church has reinvented herself and is now much better off than she has been in the past. There are those who believe the Church has reinvented herself and is now much worse off than she has been in the past. There are those who think that Church who reinvented herself is not the true Church but that the true Church still remains as Christ said she would much as the Jєωιѕн faith continued to exist after the exiles until the coming of Christ apart from the supposed "Jєωιѕн" faith of the Northern Kingdom that did in fact reinvent itself. There are those who think those that go to an "unapproved" Tridentine Mass are schismatic and on their way to hell. There are those who put more weight on supposed Marian apparitions than the Real Presence of the Eucharist which they can visit daily merely blocks away. There are those who hold that outward manifestations and various other types of sensationalism found in healing services and charismatic movements are the sure proofs of the one true faith. There are those who believe the chair of Peter is vacant or merely believe it could be and I will show you why.

    Our Lady of Fatima seemed to think 1960 would be an important date and wanted the third secret of Fatima to be revealed by then. It was not revealed then and was not revealed in that little dissertation of "Cardinal" Ratzinger a few years back. Hindsight being 20/20 we can now see considering what has happened with the Church since 1960 why our Lady may have thought that date was important.

    The great mystery of this recent era has become increasingly clearer to me in recent years:

" For there shall arise false Christ's and false prophets and shall shew great signs and wonders, insomuch as to deceive (if possible) even the elect." (St. Matthew 24:24)

    Many of us reading this article including me fall into one of the categories I mentioned at the top of this message. I have a friend who has conveyed to me what I have taken to mean as the following:

We should not make our primary focus speculation about things that are unsolvable amongst those who lack the technical expertise and intellectual capacity to solve - those things we have not the authority to proclaim definitively based upon our own natural understanding of things such as whether the new Mass is valid or not or whether the see of Peter is vacant or not. These are things that we do not have control over. What we should do is try to be the best Catholic we can possibly be for the rest of our lives by nurturing our souls with a deep and constant prayer. Perseverance in prayer whether it be purgative, contemplative, unitive, adoration, petition, thanksgiving. Prayer for our soul and prayer for the souls of others living and dead.

    I agree with those thoughts expressed above. Others may not. But we all should agree that speculation can be dangerous. To speculate further: I believe the third secret of Fatima predicted by our Lady in 1917 is the Great Apostasy that would be more evident to the powers that be in 1960 which is when our Lady said this secret should be revealed . In the end, I dislike speculating about end times (we have been in the end times since the time of Christ by the way) but it is not mere speculation to claim that in the end there will be a faithful remnant holding fast to the one, true, faith as it has always been taught and practiced for over 1900 years.

"And Isaias cried out concerning Israel: If the number of the children of Israel be as the sand of the sea, a remnant shall be saved." (Romans 9: 27)
"Even so then, at this present time also, there is a remnant saved according to the election of grace." (Romans 11: 5)

    Again I mentioned several categories at the top of this essay. Many of us are in one or more of those categories. Some of us are not. Supposing we are living during the time of the Great Apostasy who in fact is the faithful remnant? Who is not? The Novus Ordo Establishment? The SSPX? The Sedevacantists? The Charismatic movement? Those who strictly go to the Mass immemorial approved by St. Pius V 'til the end of time but not approved by Ratzinger and or his bishops? Those who only go to that Mass immemorial approved by by Ratzinger and his bishops? Those that seek this Mass due to their concern about whether the new Mass is valid or not or whether the chair of Peter is vacant or not? Those who do not speculate over the validity of the new Mass nor associate themselves with it, who go to what they call the True Mass rather out of a concern for their soul - the nourishment of which they get from the unchanging, universal, clear doctrines and disciplines and Mass as celebrated in the Original Rite?

    The only point I am trying to make is that it is easy to judge people when we do not fully understand where they are coming from. And I should add that it is easy to think we know where they are coming from when we really do not. It is so easy to judge everyone from charismatic to sedevacantist. Sometimes they make it easy for us to judge them it seems. But we are talking about immortal souls here. The charismatic could have more sincerity, concern for other, and humility than the many in the Traditional movement. Replace "charismatic" and "traditional" with whatever word you like "neoCatholic"
"conservative" "liberal" "ignorant" "self-righteous" "know-it-all" "radical extremist" "cafeteria catholic" "pick and chose catholic" "apparition chasers" and it still holds true. Their thinking can be warped but their sincerity could be hard to surpass.

    Despite what some think - ignorance is NOT bliss; especially culpable ignorance. Any of us could be on a trajectory to hell - we need each others prayers. There are many like me who need your prayers. There are many entirely different from me that could be on a trajectory to hell that need our prayers. Ignorance does not damn a man but neither does it, of itself, save him. We are obligated to seek the truth and to try to understand one another - not in a relativistic sort of way that compromises the truth or pretends that there is no absolute truth we must abide by - but in a way that acknowledges the fact we all could have mistaken notions of things that are not clearly defined or spelled out for us - and to lead others to truth to the degree that we can. Those in positions of leadership are not leading or teaching clearly. But the truth of authentic Catholicism always remains. Sometimes the faithful from amongst the laity must rise above the chaos and lead or teach or share or clarify because no one else will do it.

    I ask those who think they have the capacity to do so to do so after first setting yourself apart for a time of prayer, invoking the Holy Ghost for guidance, and of feeding upon the literary manna of the teachings of the Fathers, Doctors and Saints of the One, True, Faith. That means looking to books and writings from those Fathers, Doctors and Saints and only those Fathers, Doctors and Saints and then go out into the world and share. I am the first to admit that I could be the most ignorant of all reading this article. But I am seeking truth and always trying to come to the most accurate conclusion based upon the firm foundation of (you guessed it) the Fathers, Doctors and Saints of the (pre-conciliar - for here there is no contradiction, for here there is not ambiguity but clarity, for here there is unity in language, scholastism and truth in doctrine and discipline - let us engulf ourselves here and see - if we must - how this fits with the post-conciliar "developments" novelties) Church, with neither convenience nor the opinions of others playing a part in those conclusions.

    So I guess what I am trying to say is do not let these controversies or speculations that are shared by those of us on this site that have woken up and smelled the coffee and embrace reality rather than pretend reality isn't real get you all in a huff but rather let them spur you on to seek truth, combat error and kindle that spiritual fire within and pray for those you think need it the most.

    In my opinion things do not look so good for this country and the world right now or for the foreseeable future and with that in mind I just hope those of us with a faith that seeks understanding will be motivated to put their lives in order and keep it that way. Feed your head with good things - with lives of the Saints - the Catechism of Trent and other inspirational items, including The Liturgical Year by Dom Prosper Gueranger.

    By doing this we enhance our chance of avoiding the dangers of the exclusivist mentality that stems from following the purported and the legitimate heroes of our era from Father Feeney through Archbishop Lefebvre to Bishop Clarence Kelly. One can over-react to the heresy of universal salvation and end up holding to an opposite erroneous extreme. Another can under-react to the possibility of sedevacantism which can result in his harshly over-reacting against those who hold that theory, yet another might over-react to the repeated stupid blunders of one well-intentioned bishop to the point of excommunicating himself and his order from the rest of part (the best part) of the Catholic Church.

    The difficulty for sheep without a true shepherd at the top and very few anywhere at all is they find a hero that obviously knows more than they about the faith and assume because he is right about one thing that he must be right about everything else. I know, I did this with JPII, it is a VERY dangerous trap. I would by far rather be a Feenyite, anti-sedevacantist or strict sedevacantist, than be a JPII "Catholic". The mere thought of being a JPII Catholic is most repulsive to me. But as many should be able to see, if they would only look, they would realize that it is dangerous to latch on to any particular living individual during these times to the point where they take the place of your brain.

    Feeney could be in Heaven while many of his devout followers could end up in Hell. Lefebvre would seemingly most likely end up in Heaven now if he is not there already (I call him the Athanasius of our times) but many of HIS followers could end up in Hell. The leaders of the SSPV on the other hand could end up in Hell for misleading their flock about their fellow Catholic CMRI while the followers of the SSPV could end up in Heaven.

    Confused? It's obvious many are. So what is one to do? Go to Trent. Go to the "Sources of Catholic Dogma". Go To the solid Doctors of the Church Saint Thomas Aquinas, Saint Robert Bellermine and Saint Augustine. That is where any true leader of our day will point you. The false leaders will foist their speculative opinions on you, even when you don't ask and damn you to hell if you do not agree with them. Do you think I am being dramatic? Think again my friends. Don't trust me. Find out for yourselves. Go to the sources themselves. Ask the SSPX about sedevacantism and the SSPV about the CMRI.

Traditionalists should be eternally grateful to these groups but we can't make them pope. Talk to the Feeneyite Benedictines about the necessity for water baptism in each and every individual circuмstance for the need to attain the Beatific Vision. Many Traditionalists hate the Feeneyite Benedictines because the same condemn everyone but themselves to Hell, but they have a lot to say apart from their one error. They are doing what they think is right and boldly defending all they have serious reason to believe to be true. The one point where they err is due to their making an idol out of their leader and acting as if ALL his opinions are ex cathedra statements.

    Go to the reliable sources I have repeatedly mentioned where you cannot go wrong and cling to them until we get a Catholic Pope but do not make an idol out of any living soul that still has a chance to go to Hell. These are confusing times and the people that live in them are anything but infallible no matter how holy and knowledgeable they are or seem to be. Trust Sacred Scripture and the constituted evangelic traditions handed down to us by reliable, holy disciples of the Church. Go to the unchanging Deposit of the Faith and what the true Magisterium has set in stone.

    In life we all have ups and downs and it can be particularly difficult for the religious and also the single in some aspects. During down times it can seem as if everything is crashing to the ground and that there is no hope for happiness - this is why we must pray often and fill our head with good things. The controversial stuff which I share, as interesting as it may be, is nothing - from a spiritually beneficial perspective - compared to the pure unadulterated Catholic teaching and writings and examples of those we should follow - the Saints, Fathers and Doctors of the Church.

The Embracing of Madness

The First Step Towards Recovery From Willful Blindness

    "Conservative" Novus Ordo Priests (some of which I have no doubt are very holy and very probably isolated, and even persecuted at times, by their superiors. They might even be suffocated by the people who worship them and tax their time for needless reasons) are another example of idols people worship. My advice to the Nordites who really want the truth and to see if they are truly on the right path, but are too lazy to read substantive stuff, is to ask the most conservative NO priest where the Traditionalists claims are wrong regarding their comments and docuмentation about Vatican 2, the new mass, communion for heretics in canon law, worshiping with heretics, false religious liberty, ecuмenism, new-fangled protestantized liturgy and on and on, and realize the questions cannot be legitimately, logically, soundly or reasonably answered. Usually their best response is silence and the worst, and we've all heard it from Novus Ordo lips somewhere at one time, "their wrong" without ever giving a logical, honest reason.

    At least take this first step to see there is no valid response to defending the heresies inherent in the Novus Ordo liturgy and Vatican 2 'pastoral' pabulum. You'll see the reaction of those who don't want to know Catholic truth, who want to just go along to get along. Then you will have taken the first step toward recovery from the NO, new church anti-catholic facade.

    The first step to recovery is admitting that you have a problem.

    Not just with some bishops here and there. It starts at the top. The VERY top.

    And THE problem is in fact Vatican 2 and the door it opened for the false mass/protestant community gathering, salvation outside the Church, the Church of Christ being more than the Catholic Church - THIS IS V2 and you claim this is not the problem?!?

    This is V2's mantra:

There is no heresy in V2. And that heresy you point out that is in V2 is not really heresy because it is only pastoral.

So I can say God is the devil and the only thing I have to do if I get accused of being a heretic is to say I don't mean it dogmatically and I'm okay. The amount of garbage the blind sheep have been fed and swallow most willingly, umm umm good, is beyond astounding.

    When you get to the point of seeing AND ACCEPTING these facts things become a lot less confusing for the few conservative NO's that care. The rest are not concerned or even aware of the insanity because they do not care. They are lukewarm and will be vomited out of the mouth of Christ where the second it is too late they will no longer be lukewarm but rather indescribably hot (cf. Apocalypse 3: 16)

    If you are a good Catholic who truly knows the faith then you have nothing to fear from Traditional sites or books. The book, "Council of Trent", which is not an interpretation of the council or a spin, but the Council itself; or "Sources of Dogma" from Denzinger for instance are must read for those Catholics claimants/Catholic at heart people who need to learn or re-learn their faith. If you are afraid of reading that, if you are afraid to truly know your faith, then you are not a Catholic. But once you commit for the sake of your soul to really know the faith, that will entail unlearning the heresy that has been constantly spewed out during and since V2, except to point out where it is wrong and why. So regarding the Traditionalists and their claims about the Novus Ordo Church? How does a "conservative" N.O. type respond to such a one? Based upon my rather extensive experience the response to such a one usually goes like this "They can't be right." Case closed huh. Good thing these people are not defense lawyers, actually some of them might be.

    No, no, no! You are guilty of culpable ignorance here if you leave it at that. You will be held accountable for all that you have done and shouldn't have done based upon what you have no excuse for not knowing and you will be held accountable for all that you have done and should not have done for the same reason.

    Why aren't the Traditionalists right? You have to answer that question or deal with the eternal ramifications. Why was the Church of Christ wrong until the 1960's and right ever since? You have to legitimately answer these questions to get to the root cause of the scandal/crisis/apostasy. We are not talking about window dressing here but the faith itself.

    I would strongly recommend you read more of the writings of Dr. Thomas A. Droloskey on his CHRIST OR CHAOS site. He, like me, used to be a conservative NO; Then Indult alone. Now he avoids the indult like the plague but does not condemn those that go if they are inculpably ignorant as he and I were at one time. He's woken up and smelled the coffee. It can be a difficult journey emotionally (intellectually it becomes a huge relief because things actually make sense again and logic, reason, scholasticism and intrinsic truth gain their proper place once again, and the emotional relief follows simultaneously) but, once you completely understand what happened and why, and how it was predicted by Christ and our Lady at Fatima and Saint Paul and Saint John, you will wonder how you could have been so foolish. But it is not really foolish to believe your parents and priests and "popes" during sane times. But these are not sane times. Read, read, read and then read some more but spend twice or more time praying. Ask the conservative NO's - who might be more intelligent than you might think you are - to refute the Traditionalists and, when they can't, be prepared to accept the truth and then live it. That begins by getting out of the Novus Ordo entirely and completely for good.

    If you have humility, avoid willful blindness and find some time to familiarize yourself with the facts you just may be able to see the madness for what it really is and realize the truth really will set you free!