Quote from: StonewallCatho 2025-08-04, 4:39:47 PM
POSTED WITH FR. GIROUARD'S PERMISSION.

Sermon of August 3rd, 2025.

SERMON SUMMARY FROM FR. GIROUARD:

INTRODUCTION:

With God's grace, we shall study some verses of today's epistle of St. Paul to the Romans, Chapter 8. The great Apostle reminds us that we are not debtors to the flesh, but rather debtors to Christ and the Holy Ghost. He shows us what we need to do if we want to obtain the inheritance promised us. It is a question of eternal Life or Death! So we can ask ourselves: Am I truly in the State of Grace? Are my sins truly forgiven? Am I doing the right thing? (Remember: To feel no guilt doesn't mean we are not guilty). Fortunately, we can obtain a degree of certainty about it.

1- ST. BERNARD GIVES US THREE SIGNS OF BEING IN THE STATE OF GRACE.

A) We recall the story of the paralytic forgiven and healed by Our Lord. "Stand up! Pick up your stretcher, and walk!"

B) St. Bernard, on the spiritual meaning of this story, shows us three signs of the remission of our sins:

    a-To  aspire to supernatural things, and have a supernatural outlook on everything.

    b-To rule over all the inclinations of nature by mortification.

    c- To leave the past behind, and move towards our true Home: Heaven! We must always make progress. We are not on a cruise ship, but on a Battleship!

2- OUR NATURE CANNOT BE MORTIFIED WITHOUT THE GREATEST PAINS!

A) Verses 12 and 13 of today's epistle.

B) Mortification is so difficult, because the ennemy is within: The "Flesh" is our "Old Man"! We must battle against our bad inclinations of body and soul.

C) We must mortify ourselves for supernatural motives.

D) Great quote from Cornelius A Lapide: The immense pain we have to endure if we truly endeavour to rule our Nature.

3- FORTUNATELY, THE HOLY GHOST MAKES UP FOR WHAT WE LACK IN STRENGTH.

A) Verse 14 of today's Epistle.

B) Quote from St. Augustine: This help from the Holy Ghost is a sign that we are in the State of Grace!

C) Example of Samson in the Book of Judges: "The Spirit of God rushed into him."

4- BUT THESE THREE SIGNS GIVE US NO ABSOLUTE CERTITUDE OF THE REMISSION OF OUR SINS.

A) Only a Moral Certitude.

B) Quote from St Gregory to his spiritual dirigée Gregoria: We need tears of contrition.

C) Acts of Mortification can be like such tears, if done for supernatural motives.

D) Fear for our salvation is much better than security.

CONCLUSION:

If we want to have a moral  certainty that our sins are forgiven, and therefore that we are in the State of Grace, we must follow the advices we have received from Saints Bernard, Augustine, Gregory, and the great Cornelius A Lapide: 1-Be Supernatural in all things; 2-Pray the Holy Ghost to help you truly put to death your "Old Man"; 3-Combat with vigor against error and sins, and aim to make progress in sanctification. Our greatest ally to obtain the help of the Holy Ghost, is Our Lady, who is the Spouse of the Holy Ghost. She is the Seat of Wisdom (Holy Ghost). Let us pray her under this beautiful title, and she will come to our aid!

VIDEO LINK:  https://iframe.mediadelivery.net/play/79118/f3489aef-0c1f-4553-839d-d0a2b8a0f4fe

Father, your sermon was moving. It was structured with grace, filled with the wisdom of the saints, and clearly aimed at sanctifying souls. But with all reverence and sorrow, I beg you. This is not enough.

These are not ordinary times. The Church is eclipsed. Vatican II, the New Mass, and the new religion are deceiving millions and taking souls to hell. The wolves are no longer at the gate. They wear the mitre. And when sermons speak only of interior struggle without naming the war around us, the faithful are left unarmed.

This homily could have been delivered in a Fraternity parish or even a well-meaning Novus Ordo chapel. But Father, we remember your voice when it thundered with clarity. You once warned us of the apostasy. You once named the enemy. You once stood where few dared to stand.

Today, that silence is more dangerous than ever. The faithful are not looking for soft encouragement. They are looking for the trumpet to give a clear sound. Not just to pray, but to fight. Not just to be holy, but to reject error. Not just to mortify the flesh, but to resist the conciliar betrayal.

If you do not speak, who will? If even the priests who once stood firm now preach like the reconciled, where shall the sheep go?

We do not need safe sermons. We need fearless ones. You once knew that. I pray you will remember it again.

Quote from: Miseremini 2025-08-04, 7:34:24 PM
Your post should have stopped there.
You're obviously not on Father's mailing list or you'd realize how disrespectful and INCORRECT the rest of your post was.  Father has never been hesitant to bluntly inform, warn, and steer his flock through the present mire we find ourselves in today.
You owe him an apology.

Thank you. If Father is still speaking boldly in private, I am truly glad. But this sermon, while spiritually rich, gave no warning about the crisis that is tearing the Church apart.

When wolves are attacking in public, silence in public no matter how beautiful leaves souls exposed. The faithful are confused. Bishops are leading souls astray. The sacraments themselves are in question. In times like this, comfort is not enough. We need clarity.

I meant no disrespect. Only sorrow. Many of us remember when Father’s voice was clear and unshakable. This sermon felt like a retreat when what we need is a call to arms.

If that voice still lives in him, I pray he brings it back to the pulpit. The flock needs it more than ever.

this sermon, while spiritually rich, gave no warning about the crisis that is tearing the Church apart.

The people to whom Father addressed this sermon are well aware in detail of the crisis that is tearing the Church apart and are informed of every new infraction that comes along by Father.
Their souls need the ammunition to fight, which Father also gives them.

I would say the exact opposite. Priests like Fr. Pfeiffer are also problematic: they OBSESSES with "the fight" to the point they are constantly fighting, EVEN WITH THEIR FELLOW-PRIESTS WHOM THEY SHOULD BE ALLIES WITH.
And they have been adversarial and "fighting" for so long, they forgot what they are even fighting for. They can't even remember the "basics" of how to live a Catholic life -- basic Ascetical & Mystical theology. Bitter zeal has become a way of life.

We all admire the "fighters" who name names, speak truth to power, fight against whoever they have to, in pursuit of truth and righteousness. The modern-day heroes and martyrs.
But once in a while you have to put down your sword and pick up your rosary, and in general foster a deep and real PRAYER LIFE.

As someone above pointed out, these topics of basic Catholic life are EVERY BIT AS IMPORTANT as naming the Jew, criticizing the Pope/SSPX/etc. or any other "fighting" or controversial topic.

You can't leave out these basic topics, just because there is a Crisis.

Personally, I think priests like Fr. Pfeiffer are a sad collateral damage from the Crisis in the Church. Imagine forgetting how to just stop and be Catholic. Just stop and serve God, meditate on the life of Our Lord, the Blessed Virgin, enjoy a good Catholic hymn, enjoy the beauty of God's creation, offer praise to God -- you know, stop and "live". Especially doing things constructive (helping new converts, mentoring young Catholics, volunteering at a Trad chapel, etc.) We shouldn't lose sight of these positive things because we've been fighting a bitter fight for so long.

It reminds me of a soldier who has been at war for 10 years and can barely remember what he was fighting for. He can no longer enjoy most of what he is "defending" in the war -- he has lost all taste for actual day-to-day life in the country he left to fight.

In fact, I would also point out that constant reminders about the Crisis are kind of stupid, if your whole congregation is well aware.

"Novus Ordo Watch" and such websites come to mind. Some people (recent converts to Tradition?) need that "pull" to help them make a clean break from their (recent) Novus Ordo life. But most Trads do NOT need this.
That's why I never visit Novus Ordo Watch, or any site like it. It's not aimed at me, or people like me. I have moved on DECADES ago, and am interested in living a good Traditional Catholic life, 24/7, in this messed-up modern world.
I don't need the play-by-play of the latest madness in the Conciliar Church. It serves no purpose for me.

Most Trads are well aware there's a Crisis in the Church, and have no temptation to go follow the modern Popes and Conciliar madness. Occasional reminders are sufficient.

I would even say that 100% constant harping on the Crisis is a bit dangerous. Every Trad is "good" in this category. But what about all the various virtues? What about opposing the World in other ways besides the Novus Ordo? What about advancing our prayer life, committing 0 sins/week, or serving God with all our heart and soul? We're a lot less "good to go" in those areas, right? So which sermons are more COMFORTABLE for the average Trad? Sermons destroying Pope Francis or Pope Leo -- or sermons that force us to admit that we still need work?

A priest who never challenges his parishioners to improve themselves spiritually is dangerous and self-serving, in my opinion.

Quote from: Matthew 2025-08-06, 11:24:27 AM
I would say the exact opposite. Priests like Fr. Pfeiffer are also problematic: they OBSESSES with "the fight" to the point they are constantly fighting, EVEN WITH THEIR FELLOW-PRIESTS WHOM THEY SHOULD BE ALLIES WITH.
And they have been adversarial and "fighting" for so long, they forgot what they are even fighting for. They can't even remember the "basics" of how to live a Catholic life -- basic Ascetical & Mystical theology. Bitter zeal has become a way of life.

We all admire the "fighters" who name names, speak truth to power, fight against whoever they have to, in pursuit of truth and righteousness. The modern-day heroes and martyrs.
But once in a while you have to put down your sword and pick up your rosary, and in general foster a deep and real PRAYER LIFE.

As someone above pointed out, these topics of basic Catholic life are EVERY BIT AS IMPORTANT as naming the Jew, criticizing the Pope/SSPX/etc. or any other "fighting" or controversial topic.

You can't leave out these basic topics, just because there is a Crisis.

Personally, I think priests like Fr. Pfeiffer are a sad collateral damage from the Crisis in the Church. Imagine forgetting how to just stop and be Catholic. Just stop and serve God, meditate on the life of Our Lord, the Blessed Virgin, enjoy a good Catholic hymn, enjoy the beauty of God's creation, offer praise to God -- you know, stop and "live". Especially doing things constructive (helping new converts, mentoring young Catholics, volunteering at a Trad chapel, etc.) We shouldn't lose sight of these positive things because we've been fighting a bitter fight for so long.

It reminds me of a soldier who has been at war for 10 years and can barely remember what he was fighting for. He can no longer enjoy most of what he is "defending" in the war -- he has lost all taste for actual day-to-day life in the country he left to fight.

I completely agree that bitter zeal is a real danger, and I never meant to promote that. But to clarify, I never mentioned Fr. Pfeiffer, nor do I follow him. My concern was not about any individual priest. It was about the need for clarity from the pulpit in the midst of a real and ongoing crisis in the Church.

The saints were not just contemplatives. They were confessors, defenders, and martyrs. Their deep interior lives gave them the strength to speak clearly when it cost them everything. Prayer and combat were never separate. The more they loved God, the more they stood for His truth.

Basic Catholic spirituality is absolutely essential. But it does not exist in a vacuum. Today there are many Catholics who appear devout, who pray and attend Mass, but who remain silent or confused in the face of doctrinal collapse. It is not enough to be pious, not when error is preached from the pulpits and accepted as normal.

We are not in ordinary times. We are in a battle. And in a battle, the faithful need both interior strength and clear direction. No one is asking for confrontation in every sermon. But we do need to be reminded often of what we are up against, because the war is real and it touches every soul. That is not bitterness. That is fidelity.

It is also worth noting, with sadness, that more than half of the faithful who once stood with Father Girouard now attend fully conciliar SSPX chapels. That is not because they stopped praying. It is because they stopped hearing the truth.

Quote from: Miseremini 2025-08-04, 9:50:23 PM
The people to whom Father addressed this sermon are well aware in detail of the crisis that is tearing the Church apart and are informed of every new infraction that comes along by Father.
Their souls need the ammunition to fight, which Father also gives them.

If Father is warning souls privately, then why have so many of his former faithful returned to the conciliar SSPX? Has he publicly called them back?

Now that Father Rusak is heading to the Northwest Territories, who will replace him in Langley? A Novus Ordo priest with no conditional ordination?

Souls do not just need private support. They need public clarity. And silence in times like these is not clarity. It is confusion.