'Hi Padraig! I saw a link on the forum to a story on how a German bishop is predicting sweeping changes to the church after the synod in October such as allowing gays, etc. Whether true or not who knows, but it does make me think, when the time comes whether under Francis or another pope, how will we know who to follow? If something like that happened say under Francis and we say all of the changes they are allowing are heresy, would we be in schism if we broke away in disagreement or would we stick it out and protest to the heavens because we cannot abandon the church. I want to be sure I'm doing the right thing when that day does arrive, and I fear we are not too far off. I know wherever the true Eucharistic celebration is, that is where I want to be. Anything short of that is a false religion.'
Well Jesus said, 'Sufficient unto the hour is the trouble thereof'. ' In other words that we should not get too far ahead of ourselves as far as worrying is concerned. That we have enough on plates for today. But the Church is basically a Communion a sharing. A family. But oil and water cannot mix. Good cannot be in Communion with that which is evil. Imagine you were a child of a Mafia family and your brothers and sisters , mother and father were all part of a Mafia Clan. Imagine you were a good Catholic; could you really be part of such a family? Not really, because they have chosen one road and you have chosen another. They have chosen the road to hell and you have chosen the road to heaven. You both cannot walk on the same road because each road is going to different places. It would not be a matter of you leaving them. For there is only one true road and that is the road to heaven. All other roads are lies. So it would not be a matter of you leaving them but of them leaving you. For there is only one true road and only one true destination. If the rest of your family choose hell to spend Eternity, well. that is their choice. But you could never walk the road with them to hell. That would not be an act of Communion and love but and act of foolishness and despair. A good example at the moment is Germany were nearly all the Bishops are Apostate. Such Fathers are false Fathers and could never be followed. But time enough to worry about such things when the times come; if they come. But if they do the Father has sent us a guide, the Holy Spirit to lead us in the Truth. The Good Father in Heaven would never leave us orphans. The Light, the Quiet Light of our conscience within will always lead us home. 2 Corinthians 6:14 Do not be yoked together with unbelievers. For what do righteousness and wickedness have in common? Or what fellowship can light have with darkness? 1 Corinthians 5:9 I wrote you in my letter not to associate with sexually immoral people. Ephesians 5:7 Therefore do not be partakers with them. Ephesians 5:11 Have no fellowship with the fruitless deeds of darkness, but rather expose them. 1 John 1:6 If we say we have fellowship with Him yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth. At the end of the day we shall be judged on love.
As has been said many times there already is a spiritual schism. Those of us here, for example do not share the same faith as say Fr. James Martin. I do not mean we see things from a somewhat different point of view, I mean it is an entirely different system of belief. An actual physical schism would be just horrible.
I wonder if we not might be better not being stuck i nthe same boat as these heretics, for as Jesus said: Matthew 5:30 29If your right eye causes you to sin, gouge it out and throw it away. It is better for you to lose one part of your body than for your whole body to be thrown into hell. 30And if your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away. It is better for you to lose one part of your body than for your whole body to depart into hell. 31It has also been said, ‘Whoever divorces his wife must give her a certificate of divorce.’…
One thing that is fascinating is the close link between heresy and sexual immorailty. We seem to see this again and again. They seem to use heresy as a means of justifying their sinful lives.
It darkens the mind when one is given over to their passions. It is the exact same homo policy of the oligarchs in the west that they are now pushing inside the church. They are carrying water for western oligarchs. I doubt that they even realize it or that they can be brought to reason. They blame clericalism and pederasty when everyone knows it is homosexuality. The media loves the message they are pushing so they support these men and push their propaganda in the hope of drowning out all opposition. This is why places like YT, FB, and Twitter are censoring anyone who doesn't go with the approved narrative. All we have to do is keep stating the truth.
Yes this kind of threw me. I thought because they studied theology and philosophy it was their minds that wer eobscured. Their minds are darkened, but onlybecause their hearts got darkened first. It rmeinded me of what has been often siad that we must listen to the person rather than to what they say in the first place; what the person is. The srguments they make are the arguments theyhave to make in order to justify themselves. One of the main arguments they make is that God's grace is insufficient for them to live a good life. So, therefore if they do not live a good life it is not their fault, for it is impossible for them or anyone esle to live a good life. So the you mightargue withsuch people until you re blue in the face it won't make aan impact they beleive in bad things that they feel they have to believe in. It means they will be very,very,very dtermined because they will not want to give their sinful lives up. It wil lalso mean thatthe devils will have great, great power over them. Frightening. A bad Bishop of Cardinal would be a million times more evil than a simply bad layperson. Rome is a very,very scarey place at the moment. It most be horrifc for good clergy living there; I can't imagine.
I was listening to Charles Columbe there advising on ways not to let this crisis undermine our Faith. Funnily enough it has not really threatened my Faith in any way at all. My Faith is really in Christ Jesus. I love the Church of course as a mother, but my Faith really centres on Jesus Christ. Somehow I don;t feel threatened by any of this at all in my Faith. I don't know if others feel the same? I think one thing that helped me was a knowledge of Church History especially that of the Papacy. There's nothing new under the sun, so to speak and the Church has been through huge storms before (though I'd say this is the worst0. I think it would hit hardest those who wer inclined to put Popes And Cardinals too high on a pedestal, those who did not realy realsie we have many evil and bad and stupid and incompetent Popes before, so that there is nothing new in all this. I love the old story I read about two Merchants from Italy in the Middle Ages; one a Jew and the other Catholic. One day the Jewish Merchant told his friend the Catholic that he was going to be baptised because of the good example he had given his Jewish friend. Fors though he had to make a buisness trip to Rome and would get baptised on his return. The Catholic Merchant was downhearted at hearing this thinking that when his friend saw the corruption and evil in Rome he would change his mind. But when his Jewish friend returned he was more determined to join the Church than ever and when asked why said, 'A Church that could survive so much filth for over a 100years must be true. Otherwise how could it have survived?
Yes. We see this over and over. Someone here I think quoted a seminary professor an old priest commenting on heresy and apostasy. "It always begins below the belt."
...must YouTube Charles Columbe. While I'm on it, does anybody know any good speakers on YouTube? I enjoy nothing more than listening to Sensus Fidelium when I'm cooking or washing dishes. The only thing is, sensus fidelium can't keep up with me. I've almost everything listened-to! I can recommend 'john waters ireland'. That fella's bang on the money. And of course anything by Fulton Sheen....
Fr John Ricardo is very good. Fr Isaac Reylea and Fr Michael Rodriguez also very good. The Fatima Center has good videos.
They have some of the best priest and videos. The Fatima Center has been ahead of the game regarding the current condition of our church.
I feel the same Padraig. I also believe that if Satan is attacking our church with such fury, then you know he too is acknowledging that the Catholic Church is the one true church. The pope, Cardinals, bishops, priest are not the church. We are the church. It is our church. I do not place my faith in man....It is for God alone. No man in my church will take away my faith. They will pass away, but the gates of hell will never prevail against the Catholic Church....no matter how small it may become.
No faithful catholic should desire schism, but no faithful catholic can be in communion with a heretical church. What options exist? May Our Dear Lord correct this now for the love of His Bride and His people. Only God can remedy this...imo...
I don't think most realize Father Ratzingers (Pope Benedict) 1969 prophecy was to be taken literally. It was! "The church will become very small, but very holy". We, in the near future, will be dealing within the underground church. It has been told by our prophets and our popes. So, if we need to hold someone's hand in a church to feel the faith, you are doomed for disappointment. You will only find the real presence in the underground church in refuges where God has his protection. We are not there yet, but we are being conditioned to prepare for this day. I don't think many today take Cardinal Karol Wojtyla (Pope John Paul II) 1976 prophetic prophecy seriously either: "We are now standing in the face of the greatest historical confrontation humanity has ever experienced. I do not think that the wide circle of the American Society, or the whole wide circle of the Christian Community realize this fully. We are now facing the final confrontation between the Church and the anti-church, between the gospel and the anti-gospel, between Christ and the antichrist. The confrontation lies within the plans of Divine Providence. It is, therefore, in God's Plan, and it must be a trial which the Church must take up, and face courageously."
I suspect in order for Pope Benedict's Prophecy to come to pass things have to fail first. The Church has to die in order to be reborn. I went to mass in a Church on Saturday morning I don't usually use and was thrown by how many seats were taken. There were more people there than there are in most Churches in Sunday. In the country Churches when I am camping some Churches, even on week days are packed with a very healthy Liturgy, others appear half dead, empty and sleepy. The Spirit appears to blow where He will.
Yes, I suppose faced with our own sins, the sins of others should not throw us too much. One of my own great lessons of the Spiritual Life was to discover that the reason why I often got downcast by my own sins was personal pride. That I was counting on my own efforts rather than God's Grace. What is happening in our own Church is a great source of humility for me. I used to look with a certain contempt on awful things that were happening in the various Protestant Sects. But now the chickens have certainly come home to roost! Instead of me looking down my nose at them it is them looking down their noses at us!..and who can blame them? So at least that is one good thing. Another good thing is to really value good Orthodox teaching and teachers. I used to take this very much for granted , rather than a gift from God. No longer, these things are a huge gift. Also to value a personal , living relationship with Jesus, Jesus as friend to counsel and guide. A huge gift. Also to see saints all around, strong in the fight and ever Faithful. Utterly inspiring. ..and many, many others gifts in the Great Darkness. Yes the chickens have come home to roost and it's been shocking; but it hasn't all been bad.
Lol...Padraig, even with such serious topics, I have to admire you Irish! You have the ability to throw humor( attached photo) into the mix. You particularly have this skill. It’s good...kinda takes the edge off of emotions that do not help matters. Thank you...you seem to find so many!
I think faithful Catholics right now are in a sort of spiritual limbo. We all are in a similar position to the SSPX, we recognize the legitimate authority of Rome and the Catholic hierarchy, but we also realize that some of them have deviated from the faith and are teaching non-Catholic things. This is a horrible place to be for a Catholic, but you are right, schism is not the answer. Schism just makes a mess and splinters the Church over and over. Look at the poor sedevacantists, they broke from the Church and promptly fractured into many small groups. I think the only answer is to become a Church within a Church until God brings the rest of the fold back to the faith.
