The many problems with Orthodoxy August 21, 2013
Posted by Tantumblogo in Basics, Dallas Diocese, Ecumenism, episcopate, General Catholic, Latin Mass, sadness, scandals, secularism, Society.comments closed
I only have about 5 minutes to throw this out, but a commenter asked what I thought of the Orthodox Churches. Many Catholics are tempted at times to see the Orthodox as some haven of liturgical beauty, doctrinal orthodoxy, and sane administration. Aside from the first one (and even that is very hit or miss), they are mostly wrong.
Doctrinally, the Orthodox are not as sound as they appear on the surface. For instance, the Russian Orthodox Church approved barrier methods of contraception a couple of years ago. This is a huge shift, and a sign that Orthodoxy could go the way the mainline protestants have. I doubt it, but it’s a bad sign nonetheless. In addition, all the various Orthodox Churches believe or stress slightly different things, and are at war with each other more than they are with the Catholic Church. The lack of a singular Authority in the form of the Pope really shows.
In terms of administration, there are many problems with the Orthodox as well, but they simply don’t get as much press in the West because there are so few Orthodox. But they have their liberal and conservative factions, they have careerists and Saints, just like the Church does. They do not appear to have been penetrated by satanic/leftist influences to the extent the Church has, but that’s simply because the Orthodox aren’t viewed as the threat the Church is – or used to be, before the penetrations. They are not a threat because they are so divided, as I said, as much or more at each other’s throats than they are united in their opposition to the Cathoilc Church. Each Orthodox Church is dominated to varying degrees by nationalism, so that you have Greek Orthodox, Russian Orthodox, etc., all claiming to be the “true” Orthodox Church.
Even liturgically, especially here in the US, you can find nuttiness/liberalism. You can find abuses of the Mass. You can find less than reverent liturgies. You probably won’t see much like you see on the videos of Patriarch Kirill in Moscow offering the most solemn of liturgies. You might find something better than your local parish church, but the answer to that is not to go Orthodox, but to find a good Traditional Latin Mass near you.
There are other problems, but I haven’t time to get into them.
The answer, in sum, is not to leave. It’s to remain Catholic, and search for those parishes that are holy, reverent, devout, and traditional. It could be you may have to go some ways to find such. It’s even possible there isn’t anything within an hour’s drive. If that’s the case, I’m sorry, but we have to offer it up. We may all get to enjoy doing so soon if the persecution gets really going, anyways.
What an indictment of our Church, that pious souls are tempted to look elsewhere for sustenance! Americanists, this is what you have wrought! May God have mercy on your worldly souls!
Sorry so quick, I am out of time! 7 minutes!
One more critical, critical bit. You salvation is, to me, much less likely in an Orthodox Church, because of Extra Ecclesiam Nulla Salus – Outside the Church there is No Salvation. Some might argue the Orthodox still constitute a part of the Church, but schismatic. That’s possible. But anywhere outside visible union with the Bride of Christ and Her Vicar, the Pope, is much more problematic than being Catholic.
St. Alphonsus Marie de Liguori’s Rule of Life, Part 3 August 21, 2013
Posted by Tantumblogo in awesomeness, Basics, fun, General Catholic, Glory, Grace, Interior Life, religious, Saints, sanctity, Tradition, true leadership, Virtue.comments closed
The third and final installment of the Great Moral Doctor’s Rule of Life from The Way of Salvation and Perfection. Part 1 here, and 2 here. I would say, if you follow all this Rule observantly, you should just about be assured of salvation.
In temptations trust not yourself, nor to all the good resolutions and promises which you have made, but rely solely on the divine assistance; and for this reason have immediate recourse to God and the Blessed Virgin. Especially in temptations against purity, the greatest care must be taken not to remain to dispute with the temptation. In such moments some are accustomed to set their will to make 
acts of the contrary virtue; but they run considerable risk. [Risk of failing! We are not nearly so strong as we think!] The best plan to adopt on these occasions is to renew the firm purpose rather to die than to offend God, and forthwith to make the sign of the cross without remonstrance, and to call on God and the divine Mother, making frequent invocations of the most holy names of Jesus and Mary, which have a wonderful efficacy against filthy suggestions, and should therefore be invoked continually till the temptations are over. Of ourselves we have not the strength to overcome the attacks of the flesh, our most cruel enemy; but God readily supplies the strength to all who ask him; but he that fails to do so, almost invariably falls prey to the enemy. [St. Alphonsus speaks great wisdom. It is a very difficult thing to let go. The first recourse, to many, is to try to fight these temptations ourselves. But leads to frequent failure in all but the very strongest. And in our culture today, where we are so soft and pampered and told we should always get what we want, whenever we want it, who is strong? Strive to do as St. Alphonsus says, don’t fight the temptation, simply trust in Jesus and Mary and their protection. Do as he says above!]
If you commit a venial fault, make an act of the love of God and of contrition, purpose of amendment, and forthwith resume your wonted tranquility. To remain troubled after a fault is the greatest fault that a person can commit, for a troubled soul is incapable of doing the least good. If, by mischance, the fault has been grievous, then immediately make an act of contrition, resolve never to be guilty of the same again, and take the first opportunity to go to Confession.
Endeavour to hear all the sermons in your power. And it would be most advisable to make a spiritual retreat once a year in some religious house; [Yes, YES! We did that for a few years in a row but have not done it the past two. This year, we MUST, because I can really feel the difference!] or if that be impracticable, at least in your own house, by applying yourself for eight days to prayer and spritual reading. During this time all company and conversations on secular matters should be avoided. In like manner make a retreat of one day every month, with Confession and Communion. If your state of life allow it, become a member of some confraternity in which the Sacraments are frequented, and there make your eternal salvation the grand and sole aim. Enter such a confraternity solely with a view to your spiritual interests, not to rule or run it.
In all the vicissitudes of life, such as illnesses, losses, and persecutions, be ever mindful to bow with resignation to the Will of God, and repose on these words; “God will it so, and so I will it likewise.” Or thus: “God will have it so; so be it done.” He that behaves in this manner stores up immense rewards in Heaven, and always lives in peace. On the contrary, he that refuses to bow to the will of God only redoubles his afflictions; for he must endure them whether he will or not; and moreover, by his impatience he lays up for himself an additional punishment.
Be especially careful to preserve a tender and marked devotion to most holy Mary, by performing daily in her honor some exercises of piety. Never omit – the first thing in the morning and the last at night – to say three times the Ave Maria in honor of her purity, imploring her to keep you from all sin. Read every day something, be it only a few lines, on the Blessed Virgin. Say her Litanies, and the Rosary, meditating on the mysteries. When you leave or enter the house, ask her blessings with an Ave Maria; and on passing by any of her images, salute her in the same way. When the clock strikes, say the Ave Maria; and then, “Jesus and Mary, I love you! Do not permit me to offend you!” [What a wonderful way to consecrate the day!] With thte advice of your confessor, fast on Saturdays, on the vigils of the seven festivals of our Blessed Virgin, and make the novenas for the said feasts, as also for Christmas, Pentecost, and for the feast of your patron saint.
———————–End Quote——————–
That’s it, you now have St. Alphonsus’ Rule of Life. Go, and be another Saint and Doctor of the Church!
The Roman Pantheon and the American Pantheon August 21, 2013
Posted by Tantumblogo in asshatery, awesomeness, Basics, Christendom, disaster, episcopate, error, foolishness, General Catholic, horror, martyrdom, persecution, Roman Catechism, scandals, secularism, self-serving, Society.comments closed
Both built to honor false gods. Both nations, large pluralistic socieites concerned far more with wealth, power, and order, than Truth, were consecrated to false gods which were nothing more than benign fronts for demons. Thus says the priest below, who very ably encapsulates much of what I’ve been saying of late about the pagan, “enlightenment,” anti-Catholic foundation upon which this nation was built:
http://www.audiosancto.org/auweb/20130818-Roman-Pantheon-American-Pantheon.mp3
When our first president and “father of our country” George Washington laid the corner stone of the US Capitol in Washington, DC, he turned the event into a Masonic simulacrum of baptism. Washington, like most of the founders of this nation and all the leading men of the endarkenment, was a mason. The Capitol was literally “consecrated” (to what?) in a perverse ceremony that both mocked Christian baptism and made plain that building, at least, was being given over to the care of spiritual forces other than God’s. From a small acorn doth the mighty oak grow.
A few select quotes:
“The popular will would trump the Divine Will……” It took it a while to happen, but this country has long since rejected the Divine Will, even as misrepresented in erroneous protestant sects.
“While that pagan filth was removed from the Pantheon……” But we, in this country, have been removing statues of Saints and Angels and letting the filth back in, at least in our hearts.
“A new Pantheon has built in this nation, where people can offer incense to whatever false “god” they wish, so long as peace is preserved……” The endarkenment was founded on an exchange: order, for Truth. Order, it was promised, would beget material prosperity, the likes of which the world had never seen, and it may have worked, for a while. That material wealth was founded on the enlightenment claim that God did not care if we didn’t provide for our fellow man, or conducted our lives towards goals of avarice that would make the most opulent Eastern satrap of old blush. God, the enlightenment claimed, did not care how we conducted our lives, especially with regard to sexual morality and almsgiving, and that was a very powerful allure to draw men away from God. And many were ripe for the picking, because they either had a malformed, erroneous faith in one of the many sects, or were weakly catechized Catholics.
Pope Leo XIII: “Justice forbids the state to be godless, or to treat various religions with “equal rights………” Why is this Pope not a Servant of God, let alone Saint?!?
Americanism: “best way for Church to thrive in this new order……a “free” Church, in a “free” state, competing in a “free market” of religions”……that’s Americanism, for sure. Interesting contrast between a government which goes to great lengths to protect consumers from fraud and bad/dangerous products, but leaves the “religious marketplace” totally unpoliced, where all manner of dangerous, destructive sects are permitted, even encouraged, to flourish. The scientologists have IRS “church” tax exempt status! A “religion” whose own founder admitted to just making it up to get rich, and who was a long time associate of an avowed satanist!
“The Americanist bishops would encourage “dialogue,” not conversion.” Boy, that nails it.
Father then goes through the long, sad history of Americanism in the US Church hierarchy, going all the way back to the first primate of the US, John Carroll. “Another Americanist bishop of the 19th century stated that he would never allow the Pope the smallest interference in the American voting process.” That has to have been Cardinal Gibbons. Americanism is now the dominant trend in the Church today, meaning most of the Church is currently lost to the modernist/Americanist heresy.
The pagan superstate demands that we be at least somewhat indifferent towards the Truth. That is its one unalterable demand. Acquiesce, and riches, comfort, and friendship are yours. Resist, and you will be reviled, despised, and crushed.
Given the timing of this sermon, I almost wonder if Father reads this blog.
Awesome sermon! Spend 16 minutes and get some great catachesis! I think we really need to be careful with the Baltimore Catechism. It has some strong Americanist overtones in sections. The Penny Catechism or Roman Catechism is much better.
Since we’ve been on the topic of the military of late….. August 21, 2013
Posted by Tantumblogo in Admin, awesomeness, Basics, disaster, error, fun, sadness, scandals, sexual depravity, silliness, Society.comments closed
……I thought maybe this would be apropos. The Air Force is standing up a new combat wing, the “(cat)Fighting Sixty Ninth,” the first all-homosexual unit in the US military:
THEIR MOTTO IS:
NEVER LEAVE YOUR BUDDY’S BEHIND!
Sent by reader D. I have a feeling I’m going to get in trouble over this, but I could not resist.
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