Four Last Things

10 01, 2023

The Bridge Given to St. Catherine of Siena
The Bridge Given to St. Catherine of Siena

The Bridge Given to St. Catherine of Siena

By Father David Nix|2024-09-21T17:12:14+00:00January 10th, 2023|Theology|

Some leftist "Catholics" now call traditional Catholics names like "Pelagians." Pelagianism is the 4th century heresy that one could be saved by good works alone with no need for grace. It's very ironic that leftists call traditionalists "Pelagians" since we are always confessing our sins to obtain the grace of forgiveness. But the other reason it's ironic that leftists call traditionalists "Pelagian" is because nearly every lefty-Catholic is a Pelagian by virtue of their own theology. Here's why: Most lefty-Catholics believe that following one's own conscience is enough to be saved, even if you die a pagan or Jew or Muslim. That is exactly the same definition as Pelagianism, but [...]

6 09, 2022

St. John Vianney on the Final Judgment
St. John Vianney on the Final Judgment

St. John Vianney on the Final Judgment

By Father David Nix|2022-08-24T21:24:47+00:00September 6th, 2022|Theology|

And then they shall see the Son of Man coming in a cloud with great power and majesty.—St. Luke chapter 21. Not a God clothed with our weaknesses, hidden in the darkness of a wretched stable, housed in a crib, treated with derision and mockery, bowed to earth by the heavy burden of His Cross, but a God who, clad in the glorious splendor of His great power and majesty, makes known His advent by the most terrifying manifestations, by the darkening of the sun and the moon, by the falling of the stars and by the upheaval of all creation. Not a Redeemer who comes with the meekness of [...]

1 09, 2022

Don’t Talk to the Dead Even If You Think They’re Saved
Don’t Talk to the Dead Even If You Think They’re Saved

Don’t Talk to the Dead Even If You Think They’re Saved

By Father David Nix|2022-09-01T15:05:44+00:00September 1st, 2022|Theology|

Except for asking for the intercession of canonized saints, our main contact with those who have gone before us should be praying for the souls in Purgatory. In other words, we're supposed to be praying to God for them, not usually discussing things with them. It is true that we can ask souls in Purgatory for help, but that has to be done in general asking their intercession, not specifically. In fact, it's either St. Alphonsus or St. Bellarmine who teaches that such requests on earth for intercession from the Holy Souls in Purgatory must be addressed to God first to then He asks the Holy Souls to intercede. (It's [...]

8 02, 2022

Is Water Baptism Necessary for Salvation?
Is Water Baptism Necessary for Salvation?

Is Water Baptism Necessary for Salvation?

By Father David Nix|2022-02-05T02:13:37+00:00February 8th, 2022|Theology|

Is water baptism necessary for salvation? The first Pope (St. Peter) wrote under inspiration the following: Baptism, which corresponds to this, now saves you, not as a removal of dirt from the body but as an appeal to God for a good conscience, through the resurrection of Jesus Christ, Who has gone into heaven and is at the right hand of God, with angels, authorities, and powers having been subjected to Him.—1 Peter 3:21-22. The Catholic Church has interpreted this as water baptism being ordinarily necessary for salvation. However, there are some extraordinary circumstances to consider. The Church also teaches officially that baptism by blood (martyrdom) is sufficient for salvation [...]

29 01, 2022

How To Assist Someone in Making an Act of Perfect Contrition
How To Assist Someone in Making an Act of Perfect Contrition

How To Assist Someone in Making an Act of Perfect Contrition

By Father David Nix|2022-01-29T20:23:43+00:00January 29th, 2022|Theology|

Under all these continued lockdowns, I believe the below video might be the most underrated thing on YouTube. It's Fr. Philip Wolfe FSSP describing how to assist someone in making an act of perfect contrition. Most people would find it quite a show-stopper to learn that the Catholic Church teaches that a person dying in original sin (like a Muslim or Jew) or a person in mortal sin (like a Catholic who has not been to confession in a decade) can still be saved by God with only a layman at his deathbed! It is so important as more priests and sacraments are cancelled and as hospitals double-down on [...]

14 11, 2021

How Hard Is It To Avoid Heresy?

By Father David Nix|2021-11-15T12:49:52+00:00November 14th, 2021|Theology|

Consider a putatively-conservative Roman Catholic archbishop who invites his priests to pray with Lutherans in a Lutheran community building. This really happened. But because this bishop is "pro-life," he is considered "conservative" by most of his laity. Thus, most mainstream Catholics will pretty quickly forgive a bishop inviting their own Catholic priests to a Lutheran prayer service. That is, if they even think there's anything to forgive in that. I think the attitude among most of the laity today is basically: Well, I make mistakes in my vocation, so I can't judge my superiors who make mistakes in their vocations. Fair enough. There's some humility in that attitude. But there's [...]

28 09, 2021

How Christians Should Mock Death

By Father David Nix|2021-09-21T20:59:28+00:00September 28th, 2021|Theology|

“For when one sees human beings, who are weak by nature, leaping towards death, neither shrinking from its corruption nor fearing the descent to hell, but with an eager spirit challenging it and not flinching from torture, but rather for the sake of Christ preferring instead of this present life zeal for death; or if one were to watch men and women and young children rushing and leaping towards death on account of their devotion to Christ, who is so silly or who is so incredulous, or who is so maimed in mind, as to not understand and reason that it is Christ, to whom human beings are bearing witness, [...]

13 07, 2021

Teamwork in Saving One Soul
Teamwork in Saving One Soul

Teamwork in Saving One Soul

By Father David Nix|2021-07-13T17:12:51+00:00July 13th, 2021|Theology|

There's a couple who listens to my podcast from California, but the wife had to rapidly return to her home state of Louisiana for an emergency: Her uncle (who she described as basically her brother growing up, as they were close in age) was hit by a drunk driver. The drunk driver then ran over his head. Somehow, he surived and was life-flighted to a trauma center in another part of Louisiana. He lived for about 10 days after numerous surgeries. I received a modification to my blog after publication from his niece about what really happened on scene: "You wrote that his head was ran over, which is technically [...]

16 03, 2021

Fear of Death Makes You Subject to Lifelong Slavery
Fear of Death Makes You Subject to Lifelong Slavery

Fear of Death Makes You Subject to Lifelong Slavery

By Father David Nix|2021-03-16T21:20:07+00:00March 16th, 2021|Theology|

Since therefore the children share in flesh and blood, He Himself likewise partook of the same things, that through death, He might destroy the one who has the power of death, that is, the devil, and deliver all those who through fear of death were subject to lifelong slavery.—Heb 2:14-15 Wikipedia reports that the Black Death or Bubonic Plague between 1346 to 1353 left 70M-200M dead "and it is estimated to have killed 30% to 60% of Europe's population." Thus, a real plague is one where one out of every two people you know is dead. Imagine 50% of your neighbors dead. Imagine 50% of your family members dead. Imagine 50% [...]

14 01, 2021

Injecting Appeasement and Shame Into Others’ Lives For Your Own Sins Prevents Repentance
Injecting Appeasement and Shame Into Others’ Lives For Your Own Sins Prevents Repentance

Injecting Appeasement and Shame Into Others’ Lives For Your Own Sins Prevents Repentance

By Father David Nix|2022-05-10T23:08:18+00:00January 14th, 2021|Theology|

Here's a situation relatively new to the past 50 years, but especially pronounced in the past year in the USA: Liberals justify their sins in front of conservatives by demanding either the conservative ratify the liberal's conscience (appeasement) or the liberal flips the tables and shames the conservative for implying anything shameful exists about the liberal's life-decisions. When a liberal injects appeasement or shame into the mind of any conservative who questions the left's behavior, this seems very much to hurt the right. But from a Christian point of view, it hurts the left. Here's why: The left's every sin demands appeasement and shame from the other (not himself) which [...]