If this secret pagan publicly professes the Catholic faith I don't see why he wouldn't be a member of the Church. If he was baptized as an adult, but internally rejected this act, even at the very moment of it's carrying out, he would be a member, a dead member.

I just clicked on a thread out of curiosity, and the above quote is what I read. Here is my first impression:
Talk about an ivory tower, hypothetical, useless, academic discussion!  Is that what the rest of this thread is like?

In other news, "here is how many angels could fit on the head of a pin..."

Meanwhile, Tradition burns.

Seriously -- think of the situation for so many Trads today: the downfall of the SSPX, the necessity of Mass, the economic reality of 2018, newlywed couples trying to get by, couples where the wife is forced to work, the issue of education "how to school our children without sending them to public school, and I can't homeschool", finding friends for your children who aren't a horrible influence, young people discerning marriage (both male and female), dealing with non-Trad and non-Catholic family members, dealing with Trad/Catholic/theological disagreements with your spouse, and so many other important, critical, AND PRACTICAL topics.

We're talking about issues that affect Trads everywhere, in all parts of Tradition, regardless of what group they patronize. There are a lot of struggles we have in common. Yes, even between a young sedevacantist couple and a young SSPX couple. Yes, I know that's blasphemy for those who love to divide...

So is this academic issue really the most important issue pressing on Trad Catholics today? Are our lives so stable and worry-free that we can indulge in such academic discussions? I'm sure many would like to say (or shout) MUST BE NICE.

I could go on for hours with examples of the sufferings and struggles faced by Trads in 2018.

NOTE: I'm actually in a pretty stable situation myself -- but A) even I have issues I have to deal with, like the lack of weekly Mass, raising children in the 2018 pagan modern world, lack of friends/family "support network", etc. and B) I'm objective -- I don't always talk about myself. I step outside myself and my situation as easily as others are comfortably stuck thinking from their own situation/perspective :)


TL;DR:
We need less "Crisis in the Church" posts and more "Catholics Living in the Modern World" posts. The latter could have been called "The Rubber Meets the Road" or "Trad Catholic in Action" or "Trad Catholic life all week long - the struggles" and so forth.

I'll add this: when people criticize CathInfo, they are usually talking about the Crisis in the Church subforum -- or the Anonymous subforum. I have heard almost zero criticism over the past 12 years about the contents of "Catholics Living in the Modern World", "The Sacred", or any of the other sub-fora on CathInfo. 

When I went to Mass for Ascension, I caught myself feeling disappointed that it was a Low Mass rather than High.  And I thought "how spoiled I have become!"  I need to more grateful that I have so many opportunities to attend the TLM within a reasonable driving distance.  Not only am I able to attend every Sunday, I am close enough even to go on weekdays.

This is such a great blessing and yet, I have gotten used to it.  I should never take my ability to attend Mass for granted.

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When I went to Mass for Ascension, I caught myself feeling disappointed that it was a Low Mass rather than High.  And I thought "how spoiled I have become!"  I need to more grateful that I have so many opportunities to attend the TLM within a reasonable driving distance.  Not only am I able to attend every Sunday, I am close enough even to go on weekdays.

This is such a great blessing and yet, I have gotten used to it.  I should never take my ability to attend Mass for granted.

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For me, the Feast of the Ascension of Our Lord came and went with very little fanfare. The most notable unique event was the extinguishing of the Paschal candle. It seemed rather anti-climactic in retrospect. Our hymn to Our Lady and crowning her "with blossoms today" was prominent.
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Every year I get the feeling that these past 40 days since Easter have gone by so much FASTER than did the recent 40 days of Lent.
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Our priest managed to give a short sermon, but he somehow missed saying what the Ascension means theologically.
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He pointed out that it was as Our Lord ascended, and was physically not standing on the earth but rising into the clouds that He spoke to His Apostles, giving them their great Apostolic Commission to go forth to the farthest parts of the earth teaching everything as He has commanded you, and instituting the Sacrament of Baptism by giving them the Form: "Baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son and of the Holy Ghost; he that believeth and is baptized shall be saved: but he that believeth not shall be condemned." I keep thinking, that was a whole lot of stuff to drop on them at a time when they couldn't open a discussion or ask Him any questions about it.
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It was a friend who told me that was the time, by ascending, when Jesus opened the gates of heaven. As such the Ascension ought to be a much more prominent Feast Day than it has come to seem in our age.

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Our priest managed to give a short sermon ...
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He pointed out that it was as Our Lord ascended .... that He spoke to His Apostles, giving them their great Apostolic Commission to go forth to the farthest parts of the earth teaching everything as He has commanded you...

Our sermon yesterday included a thing or two about our duty to evangelize by our example, but with the specific proviso advising us that this didn't mean we were supposed to go door to door knocking on people's doors. 

I got to wondering as to why there so often seems to be this standard throw away line in some sermons about going (or rather not going) to the farthest parts of your neighborhood or for that matter not going anywhere knocking on doors.  Why the back handed put down?  Why could one almost get the impression that it was anathema to knock on someone's door to spread the Good News of the Gospel and of Christ's One, Holy, Catholic, and Apostolic Church?  Imagine -- some saints have actually had the temerity to "defy" that seeming de facto anathema.  They weren't any worse off for it now were they?

Are there any specific Catholic trad apostolates that specialize in or at least include going out spreading the word door to door -- actual face to face?

Sorry if my last post sounded ornery or impatient.  I think the example you posted was a terribly poor example of "useless" or "non-practical" discussion.  Beyond that one of course must attempt to strike a moderate balance between learning/knowledge and action.

I think the example you posted was a terribly poor example of "useless" or "non-practical" discussion.  Beyond that one of course must attempt to strike a moderate balance between learning/knowledge and action.

I would agree; however, I think Matthew's general point of posting more in real life issues is noteworthy. It's made me think about why I don't do that on forums (generally speaking).  

It is a good thing that this forum has many specific sections and it is arranged in a way that people can choose whatever topic they are interested in.

No one obliges me to click on a thread I absolutely have no interest in such as Flat Earth. For all I care the earth can be a triangle and still do not understand why this would be relevant to my eternal salvation. But that is just me. I understand there are many out there who are genuinely interested in the topic and it does not bother me at all.

I am only interested in a couple of specific topics and usually only participate in those threads that caught my interest. Not everyone has be to interested in the same topics. A childless Catholic will probably not be interested in homeschooling issues, for instance. Theological matters interest me more than trivialities and I like it that I can post my thoughts anonymously in topics which I would never discuss with anyone in "real life". So I come to Cathinfo for academic discussions mainly. They are not useless to me. I have enough of the practical matters in "real life".

It is a good thing that this forum has many specific sections and it is arranged in a way that people can choose whatever topic they are interested in.

No one obliges me to click on a thread I absolutely have no interest in such as Flat Earth. For all I care the earth can be a triangle and still do not understand why this would be relevant to my eternal salvation. But that is just me. I understand there are many out there who are genuinely interested in the topic and it does not bother me at all.

I am only interested in a couple of specific topics and usually only participate in those threads that caught my interest. Not everyone has be to interested in the same topics. A childless Catholic will probably not be interested in homeschooling issues, for instance. Theological matters interest me more than trivialities and I like it that I can post my thoughts anonymously in topics which I would never discuss with anyone in "real life". So I come to Cathinfo for academic discussions mainly. They are not useless to me. I have enough of the practical matters in "real life".

Well said. I would add that a topic that may seen academic to one person, may very well have practical applications to another person.