Padre Peregrino – Page 17 – Theology from a wandering priest

21 11, 2023

The Ladder of Divine Ascent for Lay People
The Ladder of Divine Ascent for Lay People

The Ladder of Divine Ascent for Lay People

By Father David Nix|2023-11-15T10:34:36+00:00November 21st, 2023|Theology|

One of the greatest works of the early Desert Fathers is The Ladder of Divine Ascent. It is considered to be a masterpiece of ascetical theology, but it is primarily for monks. Thus, I was surprised when a married man with children started telling me about how this is one of his favorite books. This layman (about my age) usually does one hour of mental prayer a day and lives very impressive asceticism. (He was not bragging to me, but he admitted he and his family try to make their home a little monastery.) Nevertheless, I still wondered if The Ladder of Divine Ascent should be the goal of the [...]

16 11, 2023

A 60 Year Old Pastor’s View of Priesthood in America.
A 60 Year Old Pastor’s View of Priesthood in America.

A 60 Year Old Pastor’s View of Priesthood in America.

By Father David Nix|2023-11-16T13:04:55+00:00November 16th, 2023|Theology|

My article earlier this week is called Are Young Priests More Orthodox? In it, I explained that young guys enter seminary pretty conservative, but slowly become more liberal after ordination. I asked a 58-year-old Catholic Priest friend in the South of the United States for feedback. (He belongs to a different Southern diocese than the one featured in the picture above.) I half-expected him to tell me I was too cynical, so I was surprised that he texted back 21 points much more critical of the American bishops' interactions with their priests than anything written in my blog two days ago. I asked him if I could use it in [...]

14 11, 2023

Are Young Priests More Orthodox?
Are Young Priests More Orthodox?

Are Young Priests More Orthodox?

By Father David Nix|2023-11-15T10:57:34+00:00November 14th, 2023|Theology|

Are young priests more orthodox than previous generations? The good news is the answer is "yes," as proven in the below study. But this means only one of two things: Either younger priests are truly more conservative than older priests -or- the diocesan priesthood in America liberalizes many or most. The above is a picture of the Theological College, the Catholic seminary producing priests across the street from Catholic University of America (CUA) in Washington DC. One of the research groups at CUA is called The Catholic Project which recently published a study on how American Catholic priests self-identify as either orthodox or progressive. The title of the study is [...]

12 11, 2023

Argentine Bishop Sounding Like Viganó
Argentine Bishop Sounding Like Viganó

Argentine Bishop Sounding Like Viganó

By Father David Nix|2023-11-12T08:11:54+00:00November 12th, 2023|Theology|

Archbishop Emeritus Héctor Aguer of La Plata, Argentina recently wrote about cancelled clergy. His letter is especially important in light of recent news on Bp. Strickland. Rorate Caeli had the full translation, so I reproduce it here: 1. Priests cancelled. I am not dealing now with what is happening at the international level, but with a phenomenon that is becoming more and more frequent in Argentina, in various dioceses. "Cancelled" is equivalent to a displacement to non-existence when counting the official number of priests who serve as clergy in a particular (diocesan) church. They are deprived of the means to exercise the ministry and are disavowed before the faithful. They [...]

9 11, 2023

St. Thomas on the Resurrection of the Body
St. Thomas on the Resurrection of the Body

St. Thomas on the Resurrection of the Body

By Father David Nix|2023-11-09T07:58:41+00:00November 9th, 2023|Theology|

I only recently discovered a treasure from St. Thomas Aquinas called the Compendium of Theology. I first wrote a commentary on his book here a month ago. St. Thomas continues the richness of his teaching today on the resurrection of the body in chapters 151-168. I was going to comment on it like last time, but the teaching of the Angelic Doctor will stand alone today. This is what you and I have to look forward to in both body and soul if we make it to heaven: CHAPTER 151 REUNION WITH THE BODY REQUISITE FOR THE SOUL’S PERFECT HAPPINESS We should note that the disquiet of the will cannot be [...]

7 11, 2023

Why Do Rad-Trads Keep “Guessing” Everything Right?
Why Do Rad-Trads Keep “Guessing” Everything Right?

Why Do Rad-Trads Keep “Guessing” Everything Right?

By Father David Nix|2023-11-06T21:02:59+00:00November 7th, 2023|Theology|

Why do trads keep guessing the outcomes correctly in nearly every issue happening in current events? I usually point out that conservatives and traditionalists understand truth better than liberals and leftists because we put evidence ahead of identity politics. I still think that’s the main reason why we keep “getting it” on so many current events in Church and State. But today, I want to explore some additional reasons. After talking to many traditional Catholics over the past three years, I can say with confidence that over well over 90% of them refused the COVID vaccine. That number may be above 95%. The vaccine is just one of a dozen [...]

2 11, 2023

Miracles and Saints of the Catholic Church
Miracles and Saints of the Catholic Church

Miracles and Saints of the Catholic Church

By guest|2023-11-07T18:44:39+00:00November 2nd, 2023|Theology|

So Jesus said to him, “Unless you see signs and wonders you will not believe.”—John 4:48. This line is typically seen as a reproach from Our Lord Jesus Christ, but perhaps it is a pledge, namely, that we weak human creatures need to see miracles to believe. The following is a brief but powerful compilation of [mostly] modern miracles and saints that gives great evidence to the Catholic Faith. It was put together by my brother's godfather. Miraculous, visible proof; events not explainable by science; A miracle is a sensibly perceptible effect, surpassing at least the powers of visible nature, produced by God to witness to some truth or to [...]

31 10, 2023

Nuchurch’s “Counter-Syllabus” of Errors.
Nuchurch’s “Counter-Syllabus” of Errors.

Nuchurch’s “Counter-Syllabus” of Errors.

By Father David Nix|2023-10-31T19:22:24+00:00October 31st, 2023|Theology|

With providential foresight, Pope Pius IX (top left) saw in the 19th century the heresies that would come upon the Church in the 20th century. So, in 1864, he wrote the Syllabus of Errors. Over one hundred years later, Cardinal Ratzinger (top right, before he was Pope) unfortunately admitted that Vatican II was "a Counter-Syllabus" of Errors. By this, he meant Vatican II was good and the Syllabus' condemnation of heresies was bad, or at least outdated. This is found in his book Principles of Catholic Theology. More specifically, Cardinal Ratzinger said Gaudium Et Spes was a Counter-Syllabus. He meant Catholics needed to get with the times in making peace [...]

26 10, 2023

USA: The Country the Mother of God Called “Wild.”
USA: The Country the Mother of God Called “Wild.”

USA: The Country the Mother of God Called “Wild.”

By Father David Nix|2024-08-31T03:41:33+00:00October 26th, 2023|Theology|

Unless you are a practicing Catholic living in the Great Lakes region of the USA, you probably do not know that an approved Marian apparition happened in the 19th century in Wisconsin. The name of this apparition is Our Lady of Champion, and it was deemed “Worthy of Belief” by the Authority of the Catholic Church and also in 2016 by Bishop Ricken of Green Bay, WI. Adele Brise was a girl born in Belgium in 1831. As a young girl, she lost her sight in her right eye due to an accident. Later, her family moved to Wisconsin with other Belgian settlers. When she was walking through the forest [...]

24 10, 2023

Synod: Beatings Will Continue Until Morale Improves
Synod: Beatings Will Continue Until Morale Improves

Synod: Beatings Will Continue Until Morale Improves

By Father David Nix|2023-10-24T01:36:37+00:00October 24th, 2023|Theology|

As I have written before, narcissism is more than just vanity. For example, the male models in the comedy movie Zoolander are vain. But alas, Derek Zoolander is not smart enough to be a narcissist. (I don't suggest anyone watch a movie as immoral as that, but it was a young-adult favorite of my friends and me.) True narcissism includes much more than the silly vanity of a Hansel McDonald. Due to low self-esteem, the real narcissist begins to manipulate those in his life with calculated gaslighting. Gaslighting is also an over-used term today. It doesn't mean simply winning a debate using evidence. (Evidence is always the pathway to the [...]