Notes from FEMA Region #7

Hi, everyone! Laudetur Iesus Christus!

Let’s begin today by considering three paragraphs from that wonderful and reliable catechism, The Catechism of the Ca the St. Pius X Catechism:

176. (35) Can the Catholic Church be destroyed or perish?

A. No; the Catholic Church may be persecuted, but she can never be destroyed or perish. She will last till the end of the world, because Jesus Christ, as He promised, will be with her till the end of time.

177. (36) Why is the Catholic Church so persecuted?

A. The Catholic Church is so persecuted because even her Divine Founder, Jesus Christ, was thus persecuted, and because she reproves vice, combats the passions, and condemns all acts of injustice and all error.

178. (37) Has a Catholic any other duties towards the Church?

A. Every Catholic ought to have a boundless love for the Church, ought to consider himself infinitely honoured and happy in belonging to her, and ought to labour for her glory and advancement by every means in his power.

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The battle we are in will not result in the destruction of the Church. A basic point, but this is one for meditation. As long as at least one Catholic perseveres, the Church perseveres. Christ has guaranteed it.

And you never know but it might be you.

_________________

Next up on the agenda, I listened to Ann Barnhardt’s latest podcast and she made some great points about the ability— and NEED— to use the intellectual gifts God gives us to make decisions of conscience about the identity of the pope. Of course we need to do this. I have been guilty myself of saying the lame-dodge-disguised-as-holy-prudence-or-humility phrase “above my pay grade”. Yes, factual conclusions one draw can be incorrect. But one has the moral duty to seek the truth in good faith.

And once one reaches a decision, a real one, in conscience, the moral law requires you to act consistent with the truth. Not choosing is a choice. Not realizing that is either a dodge or paralysis. We need to man up.

To use an example, if you believe Bergoglio is an antipope and that Benedict still reigns, when you pray for the pope you must pray for Benedict. It’s that simple. God knows your heart. If you’ve reached the incorrect conclusion, there is no sin in that. Refusing to find out, to seek, and to accept the correction and authority of the Church, that’s the problem. If you believe a glass has poison, but drink it anyway, you sin. If you think it holds water but it is really poison, you might die, but you commit no sin.

Moving on, a couple of related items:

I was thinking the other day that, after dealing with Bergoglio for 8 years, that I have no problem with any so-called harsh treatment of famous heretics of the past. I mean, I really get it now— they kill souls, which is a magnitude of orders worse than murdering bodies. I pray that those heretics of today who are persecuting the Church will convert and work to repair their damage. Otherwise, let them be justly punished, if they do not convert. And as we are all sinners, and our sins harm the Mystical Body, may we all humbly convert, make reparation, and seek mercy while we may.

So, here is a helpful recap of true things: Only the pope can issue a papal motu proprio that binds the Church. Only the pope can suppress an order. Being excommunicated, placed under interdict, or otherwise being disciplined by an antipope MEANS NOTHING.

AND

NOT EVEN THE TRUE POPE CAN ABROGATE THE TRADITIONAL MASS.

Finally, on a personal note, I have just gotten over the Coof. I don’t want to be dramatic, but let’s just say it was either on the easy side of serious, or the serious side of easy. I thank God that I have a doctor who actually treated me with therapeutic treatments that actually work: ivermectin, quercetin, D, C, zinc, prednisone, antibiotics and other supplements. And thus, I avoided the professional covid medicine political machine and I’m still here.

First sign of symptoms, I just gave it to Our Lady. I didn’t care about outcome after that, except obviously I was cognizant of praying to fulfill my duties of state as husband and father if God wanted that to continue. Like I posted before, I give thanks to Our Blessed Mother in this and all things.

We are all going to die, or else perhaps go through a wild end-of-the-world experience instead/in addition. I think it’s important we don’t worry about the particular vehicle that transports us to our particular judgement. We won’t get special treatment because it’s a virus or something else.

Be glad you are a child of the Church! Seek her glory and advancement everywhere. Be content, be brave!

Public Thanks to the Mother of God

And her Divine Son, obviously, for favors received. Her love for us cannot ever be adequately praised

Woman Has a Point

Resist the destruction of our faith, our sacraments, and the Church. Stand!

In the Footsteps of Our Dear Mother of Sorrows

Do not look forward in fear to the changes and chances of this life; rather, look to them with full confidence that, as they arise, God, to whom you belong will in His love enable you to profit by them. He has guided you thus far in life, and he will lead you safely through all trials; and when you cannot stand it, God will bury you in his arms. Do not fear what may happen tomorrow; the same everlasting Father who cares for you today will take care of you then and every day. He will either shield you from suffering, or will give you unfailing strength to bear it. Be at peace, then, and put aside all anxious thoughts and imaginations. Amen.

St. Francis de Sales

Just Hanging Out

With my family and Our Lady at Blues City Deli on this beautiful feast day.

Nativity of Mary

It’s Blessed Virgin’s Birthday,

The swallows do depart;

Far to the South they fly away,

And sadness fills my heart.

But after snow & ice & rain

They will in March return again.

The above little rhyme, commemorating the change of seasons traditionally associated with Our Lady’s Feast today can be found at a nice article from Tradition in Action here.

May I take the liberty of saying to you that if have not already consecrated yourself to Mary, it would be a really, really great idea? I owe her so much myself, and whatever chance of salvation I have I have only because of her constant intercession on my behalf before Our Lord, Whom I have so often offended.

Blessed Feast Day to you all, and a very happy birthday to Our Mother!

A Letter from Earth, Just Before

I used to wonder if citizens of the Roman Empire right before it fell had knowledge that the end was near, and if so, what they thought about it. Life goes on, day-by-day. One gets out of bed, prays (hopefully), lives out their state in life, engages in commerce and conversation, and goes to bed at night. But hanging over the Romans, whether they knew it or not, was the end of all they knew as normal life. Did it hang over them in a palpable way, like a pall? Did it infect and infuse these actions and affect their quality? Did they think they could change things? Did they pray God not to let it happen? That it couldn’t possibly happen?

As I sit here, typing away about our similar– or likely far, far worse– situation, the meteor is relentlessly and remorselessly hurtling towards us. I get up, pray (hopefully), live out my state in life (poorly), engage in commerce and conversation, and go to bed at night. Every day that goes by, I know we approach a date with destiny– a destiny we are choosing by our actions and inactions. By our sins and good works. I don’t know about you, but the sense of impending danger is palpable to me. It affects me and my actions. It alters how I experience trials and successes. I am a naturally outgoing and extroverted person, and thanks be to God I have faith and hope, and I pray also charity. But it is difficult to focus.

My dear wife is more easily affected and discouraged by the evil and stupidity that rules our countries and the Church. “Surely, people can see what’s going on?!”, she observes. But they generally don’t, and those who do seem to be satisfied with the mere fact that at least they themselves see it.

Nothing happens. We have no leadership. Nobody is organized, nor can a leader be found to do so. It is too late, and too early, as I read in an article recently. Too late to stop the disaster that has befallen and continues to befall us. Too early to address the aftermath.

No less an Authority than Our Lord said, “When the Son of Man returns, will He find faith on the earth?” The question implies, as I’ve written before, that absolutely He will, but that it is a damn near run thing.

Ann Barnhardt cites scripture today, noting that because iniquity hath abounded the charity of men will run cold. It is cold indeed, and getting colder. The so-called shepherds of the Church are trying to kill the Mass. They are cooperating, some enthusiastically, with the cabal that wants us to be injected–at great harm to our physical and spritual lives– with experimental genetic material derived from aborted fetal cell lines. Some support persons losing their jobs, access to education, healthcare, the economy, and social life if they fail to do so. Many bishops last year shut down Masses more quickly and for longer that even the godless, secular governments.

In so doing, they have betrayed their flocks. They have sent the clear message that not only will they not stand up to the forces of evil, neither will they support our efforts to stand. Their actions betray an apparent lack of supernatural faith.

Not to mention the Bergoglio “reign”, yet enough has been said in this forum on that.

But this is not to let ourselves off the hook. We are paying for our own sins, our own laziness and effeminacy, our own slavish concern for our creature comforts. God will not be mocked. He is sovereign.

But He is also faithful, and His Mother’s Immaculate Heart will triumph. Never doubt it. Thus, I’m not writing a post of despair. Stand firm. We must. It will almost certainly get a lot worse.

But just in case this kind of record survives the crash, and someone in the future wonders if the people of the early 21st century knew what was hanging over their heads, I just wanted to say, “Yes. We do.”

Our Lady of Fatima, pray for us.

If/Then…If/If/Then

2+1=3

Or 1-0=1

So the rumors of what any good Catholic would pray for the Church to avoid have begun. Antonio Socci is reporting that Bergoglio, as early as this Fall, may resign whatever of the Petrine ministry he currently holds. So what does that mean?

It’s a disaster far beyond the disaster that Bergoglio’s reign of terror has been. There cannot be two popes. But Bergoglio would give us three. That is, if he could.

If Benedict did not abdicate effectively, of course, he remains pope. And Bergoglio and all his anti-successors would be just so many antipopes. Human psychology being what it is, the longer it goes on the more established the idea becomes. The more you knit the cable-knit sweater, as Pee-Wee Herman would say, the harder it is to unravel.

Yet if the papal office could be broken down into two or more ministries or functions, thus splitting the whole into fragmented parts, as say Ganswein and Socci, and—allegedly— Bergoglio and Benedict, then soon we’ll have three popes. Why not four? Or forty?

No, I’ll just go with the one pope thing.

If Benedict is pope, he remains pope regardless of Bergoglio being forced out of office resigning the office. If somehow Benedict did resign, then whether Bergoglio resigns or not, I must return to my lawyer’s task of straining gnats to swallow the camel of papal infallibility not being disproven by the current regime in Rome.

I guess what I really want is credit for being the first Catholic blogger to quote Pee-Wee Herman.

The Assumption of Our Lady

In the presence of God Almighty, Father, Son, and Holy Ghost, and with heaven and earth as our witness, we prostrate ourselves at thy feet, O Mary, Our Lady.

We acknowledge Thee as our Mother, as the Immaculate Conception, living tabernacle of the Divinity, as Queen of angels and of men, as Mother of the Church and of the Catholic priesthood, and as refuge of the afflicted. That is why, small and weak that we are, we wish to consecrate to Thee our Institute, our families, our persons, our works, our future, all that pertains to us and is in us, and which God, in His immeasurable goodness, has entrusted to us for our good use.

We also consecrate to Thee the value of our good actions, past, present, and future, leaving to Thee the entire and full right of disposing of us and all that belongs to us. Mary, be our Mother; sanctify us, purify us, correct us, guide us, pray for us and protect us.

Help us to perfectly fulfill the duties of our state of life. Extinguish in us all self-love, which prevents Thy Divine Son, King and Sovereign Priest, from reigning in and around us.

Cover abundantly with thy maternal protection all the parishes, chapels, schools, works and missions entrusted to the Institute, and mayest Thou forever impede the devil from reigning, in any manner, in this Institute which desires to be entirely Thine for the greater glory of God, the exaltation of our Mother the Holy Catholic Church, and for the conversion of sinners. Amen.

Pray for Pope Benedict XVI