The Second Commandment by St. Alphonsus Liguori
Many good Catholics today have now become acutely aware of sexual sins (the Sixth and Ninth Commandment) as well as the First Commandment (partly due to public violations of this like the worship of the Pachamama statue near the Vatican a few years ago.) In light of this, I believe that the most underrated of all Commandments is the Second Commandment. Keep in mind that the Ten Commandments given on Sinai come in order of importance. Thus, the misuse of the Holy Name of Jesus is one of the worst sins one can commit. We look to the doctor of the Church, St. Alphonsus Liguori, to consider the weight of [...]
Archaeologism Part II: Not Real Archeology
In Archaeologism Part I, I demonstrated that Popes from 1786 to 1947 condemned the heretics projecting Protestant notions of liturgy onto the early Church under pretext of "archeology" or "Church history." This modernist fad is also called "antiquarianism." Realize first that Pope Pius XII basically warned the faithful not to believe the Holy Spirit was less active in guiding the Church of the Middle Ages than the Church of the Primitive Ages. Secondly, he wanted us to realize the Holy Spirit does not change His directives in liturgy or doctrine. But on top of this, I personally believe the modernists executing "archaeologism" (saying the early Church had no complex rites, [...]
Archaeologism Part I: The Synod of Pistoia
Before looking at the Synod of Pistoia, let's define Archaeologism (also called antiquarianism.) Unam Sanctam defines it: Archaeologism is not so much a heresy as a fad, a certain approach to Catholic liturgy and practice. Its distinguishing characteristic is an excessive value placed on those Catholic practices which came earlier in historical-chronological succession. For the archaeologist, first is always best. A practice or prayer of the patristic Church is “better” or “purer” than a practice of the medieval Church. Consequently, the goal of any true liturgical renewal ought to be to return to the practice of the first Christians, inasmuch as possible. The modern Church ought to imitate the apostolic [...]
Does a Priest Need a Lay Person at His Mass?
p/c Notre-Dame De Fontgombault Several years ago, as I was switching from the new sacraments to the ancient Roman sacraments, I stopped at a parish in Tampa one afternoon. I asked the parish secretary if I could offer Holy Mass there. She asked who was going to attend my Mass. I said I was alone. She looked bewildered. No youth group? No family of origin traveling with you? The parish secretary only thought of the Mass in anthropocentric terms: If no one was there to receive Holy Communion, why would this priest show up at her parish and try to offer Mass alone? It was as crazy to this lady [...]
Better to Attend a Parish That Lacks Truth? Or One That Lacks Love?
Should you attend a parish that promotes truth or charity? The obvious answer is both. But what if you had to choose? I ask this parish-based question because I have been hearing horror stories lately on some unbelievably mean things that traditional priests have said in the confessional to lay people. Also, we just saw more priest-child scandals explode from the past in the Traditional Latin Mass (TLM) world. But the question I am proposing here doesn't have to do with such scandals. Obviously, one must avoid like the plague any parish with a groomer priest. I am talking about something slightly more nuanced than the following dilemma but here's [...]
Bill Maher Admits Abortion is Murder.
Recently on his show, Bill Maher shocked his audience in admitting that pro-lifers are correct: "They think it’s murder—and it kind of is." The audience enters a nervous silence. Then he adds a shocking line: "I’m just okay with that." The audience enters another nervous silence, not sure if he's joking. But he is not. He adds: "There’s 8 billion people in the world. I’m sorry, we won’t miss you.” Wow. Bill Maher ADMITS abortion is “murder” and that he is “okay with that.” “I can respect the absolutist position. I really can... They think it’s murder—and it kind of is. I’m just okay with that. There’s 8 billion people [...]
God: Spes Única Mundi
p/c R.P. at Holy Ghost. The pre-55 Easter Vigil's 12th Prophesy (sung before Holy Mass) ends with a prayer naming God as the "Only Hope of the World" (Spes Única Mundi.) I went to that very long vigil on Saturday night at a traditional parish in my area and then on Sunday Morning, I offered my own low Mass in my hermitage. Later that day, I started wondering if I was too heard on modernism. Ultimately, my conclusion was: Yes, in personal conversations. No, in my online apostolate of Church reform. One of the reasons I came to the latter conclusion was thinking about how slowly many of the Eastern [...]
The Three Divisions of Western Catholicism
I wish there were not divisions in Christianity, but there are. I wish there were not any divisions in Catholicism, but there are. In this article, I'm going to show the roots of the three factions of Western Catholicism as found in recent Church history. This is not to further divide, but so that readers may better understand the motivations of such groups. It's also to teach the first group listed below how to better evangelize the other three groups. Traditional Catholics are those I usually label Apostolic Catholics because their roots in both doctrine and liturgy go back historically to what Jesus Christ gave to the Apostles. This group [...]
Three Heresies in “Dignitas Infinita.”
The newly-invented "DDF" just released Dignitas Infinita. It has many heresies, but we'll just tackle a few below: Error 1: "The glorious Christ will judge by the love of neighbor that consists in ministering to the hungry, the thirsty, the stranger, the naked, the sick, and the imprisoned, with whom he identifies (cf. Mt. 25:34-36). For Jesus, the good done to every human being, regardless of the ties of blood or religion, is the single criterion of judgment."—DI #12. Truth #1: The interesting thing is that I "called it" even before it came out. In a recent Video Lectio Divina I did on Matthew 25, I explained how modernist heretics [...]
Expiation of Your Era’s Sins
The men of that [last] generation will have no deeds whatever, but there will come upon them temptation, and those who are worthy in this temptation will be higher than us and our fathers.—St. Ischyrion of Egypt. I have wondered for a long time if good Catholics in any given period in history have to “take the hits” (so to speak) of that specific era in which they live. In other words, if Medieval Catholics were physically very cold, it is no wonder that saints like St. Francis of Assisi had to face to cold as a poor beggar. If Christians in Muslim lands had their throats slit, it is [...]