Thursday 30 April 2020

'PRUDENT' OR COURAGEOUS? WHAT ARE WE? CATHOLICS - OR WHAT?

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Pope Francis on the cover of Rolling Stone.




As churches stay shut and Mass stays unsaid, Pope Francis and Cardinal John Dew are telling us Catholics that we "must be prudent". But Bishop Athanasius Schneider of Kazakhstan says "we are not to be fearful! Catholics "need to be courageous!"

Which do we choose? To be prudent or courageous?

To add ballast to his argument for prudence, Cardinal Dew whistles up Fr Ron Bennett of Otari, whose credentials would seem to rest on surviving five stints in Antarctica rather than getting lost on Mount Taranaki, as he had the misfortune to do. 

Look, Cardinal Dew and Father Bennett, we know you mean well but what we need from the virtual pulpit is not a rejig of TvOne 'News' propaganda. We don't need understudies for Drs Fauci and Bloomfield, we need shepherds. 

What you're talking about is worldly prudence. That's very different from the supernatural prudence which is your proper concern as clergy, and indeed the proper concern of every Catholic. Yes, the silly old world thinks it's prudent to do everything and anything to avoid catching Covid-19. But God's will - which is a prelate's and a priest's primary business - is not the way of the world.

God's will is that we all do everything and anything to avoid Hell, especially when threatened with an untimely demise. That is prudence in the eyes of God.

By far the best means we have for avoiding Hell is the Mass. And how have Pope Francis and you, Cardinal Dew, responded to our need for the Mass in order to avoid Hell? You cancelled it. 

Supernatural prudence guides all the other virtues, and tells us to use each and every moment to practise virtue, because "the night cometh, when no man can work" (Jn 9:4). 

The Masses and Holy Communions which we need to love God and our neighbour more, and which the hierarchy have denied us, are lost to us forever. There may be other Masses in future - please God, soon- but the graces we'd have won from the Masses we've missed are gone - but not forgotten. We have much to forgive, and forgive we must.

Jesus tells us, "Beware of false prophets, who come to you in the clothing of sheep, but inwardly they are ravening wolves" (Mt 7:15). The hierarchy who stole the Mass are selling us false doctrine: by preaching safety for our physical health and obedience to the Government, they offend the doctrine of worshipping God as the first duty of man (the first Commandment), and of keeping the Sabbath Day holy (the third).

Let's get the nasty taste of heterodoxy out of our mouths by returning to Bishop Schneider, for what John-Henry Westen in an interview on Tuesday called "spiritual leadership from afar".

"This crisis (Covid-19) is the first time since the persecution of Christians in Roman times that public worship has stopped. This phenomenon has deep spiritual meaning for us. This could be divine intervention to awake people and also to awaken the Church. Catholics deprived of Holy Mass and the Sacraments must appeal to bishops and priests to reflect and repent for sins inside the Church, especially committed in the Eucharist, in Holy Communion. 


"God says "You have outraged Me, you have trampled on Me in the churches." Now Communion has been taken away from us. God has done this before in the history of salvation as the judgement and punishment of a loving Father, a Father who wants to awaken His children through extraordinary signs to repentance, to a deeper esteem for the Holy Mass." 

Asked whether, if there is no repentance for such mistreatment of the Eucharist, the punishment might end, Bishop Schneider quoted Our Lord weeping over Jerusalem, saying "They shall not leave in thee a stone upon a stone: because thou hast not known the time of thy visitation" (Lk 19:44). 

"Because we "did not know the things that are to thy peace, but now they are hidden from thy eyes" (ibid., 42) we need to make acts of public repentance, especially for sins against Our Lord in the sacraments, and against the commandments, especially the First Commandment which was committed in the Church last year. 

"We must ask for repentance individually and publicly. We have to ask the Holy Father to make acts of repentance for crimes against Our Lord inside the Church and make public acts of reparation for crimes outside the Church, especially killing innocent children in the womb of their mother, and make public reparation for sins against the Sixth Commandment, against holy Matrimony."

Pope Francis obviously does not know the time of this visitation: for Pope Francis, Covid-19 is not a chastisement by God for mistreating the Eucharist, but earth's punishment for mistreating the planet. 

On this particular papal notion, Bishop Schneider says that "the Pope is not speaking ex cathedra, as infallible. Climate change, the earth, they are temporal realities. He can commit errors in these and it is legitimate to say, "this is error". The Pope has to have a supernatural view of all events, like Jesus did, like the saints and the prophets did. At least Pope Francis sees it as a punishment."

On the topic of bishops forbidding their priests to celebrate Mass in public when "it is easily done, but forbidden", Bishop Schneider says priests can ignore this. "This is an obvious abuse of the bishop's powers, his authority. Never did God give a bishop the power to stop celebrating Mass." He concedes that safety measures can and should be put in place but bishops cannot just prohibit the celebration of the Mass.

"In the Middle Ages during the plague, St Charles Borromeo obliged his priests to celebrate Mass to ask forgiveness. He closed the churches for a time to protect the people: the plague was far more dangerous than Covid-19; the mortality rate was up to 90%. But he ordered Mass in public places, in squares, to multiply Masses for the public to assist from their windows. 

"Forbidding priests to give the sacraments to the sick and the dying and to celebrate Mass is wrong. Priests are not to obey man, but to obey God! The bishops are committing a grievous sin against God."

Asked about civil authorities permitting grocery stores to be open, Bishop Schneider asked if it is not forbidden to visit a store, why is it forbidden to visit a church? "Bishops should be happy if their priests have zeal to find creative solutions for Mass and the sacraments without infringing on the laws of the state. 

"But many governments' laws have followed what the bishops had to say. It is a grievous omission by the bishops. They should insist to the Government on at least the same rights for the Church as for stores, with the same prescriptions and observing the same safety measures. That should have been the method of the bishops and the Holy See. 

"If a Government refuses the Church the same rights as stores have, that is implicit persecution of the Church. This is what we are witnessing."

Asked about the UK proposal to extend social distancing and other extraordinary laws until after CHristmas, Bishop Schneider pointed out that Germany and Austria will re-open churches for limited numbers - up to 50 - in May and that what's suggested for the UK is "completely against proportionality. Covid-19's mortality rate is not such that would warrant it.

"We are going into a time of the catacombs. We are not to be fearful! We need to be courageous! The Church has a lot of experience to be underground. God gave plenty of spiritual fruits as reward. This visitation is to purify the Church through persecution, otherwise the Church would not be awakened or purified in our time. 

"Confusion on morals, doctrines and heresies is so deep in the life of the Church, there must be a very strong intervention from the Divine to awaken us. A time of catacombs would be good for the Church.

"It is the Lord who will determine the time of our visitation, not governments. Christ is Ruler; He is King. We have to have this trust and live our Catholic faith. Christ is Victor; He is the Winner. We have to accept this from the hands of God. Be defenders of the rights of Christians! Protest when there is discrimination! We have to protest, we have to defend the rights of Christians."

On natural family planning, Bishop Schneider said that it's "a very delicate issue. Catholic couples have to gather in the presence of God to ask for strength and trust. "You are the Giver of life. We are only collaborators."

"The beginning of potential citizens of Heaven is tremendous, really tremendous  In past generations people accepted children as they came, and the last children in big families were often a great gift to the Church. If those parents had applied natural family planning, some great saints and geniuses would not have been born.

"Trust God. He will always reward. God will never abandon a family which accepts all children. That is the loving Providence eof the Father, vesting the lilies of the field and feeding the birds in the sky. 

"Catholics deprived of the Mass should make acts of Spiritual Communion, live a more intense spiritual life. Make acts of Examination of Conscience, exercise the virtues, make acts of perfect loving contrition in view of your next Confession. Ask for priests like the Irish had in penal times.

"Go to church spiritually. And at least some are still open. Or send your guardian angel to represent you at the tabernacle."

Bishop Schneider described the extent of the prohibition on the Mass as "apocalyptic" and connected it with the third part of the Third Secret of Fatima. "The signs of the End Times could come slowly."

In conclusion, Bishop Schneider agreed that the Consecration of Russia to the Immaculate Heart of Mary should be made in the way Our Lady asked.

In conclusion, may I say that Pope Francis, Cardinal Dew, Father Bennett and their allies Jacinda Ardern et Al have not got a leg to stand on. Not doctrinally, not commonsensically, not realistically, not morally, not ethically.

Not empathetically, even. But - perhaps - pathetically.

This evening we prayed the following as the Magnificat Antiphon for today's feast, of Pope St Pius V:

"This is the faithful and wise steward whom the Master placed over his household to give their measure of food at the proper time, alleluia."

Lord, please grant us faithful and wise stewards.


Words of Encouragement From Our Contemporary Athanasius 30
Bishop Athanasius Schneider, Auxiliary Bishop of Astana, Kazkhstan



Wednesday 29 April 2020

PN PARISHIONER IMPLORES CARDINAL DEW: RE-OPEN CHURCHES, SAY PUBLIC MASS

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St Peter's Basilica Rome, closed for the Easter Triduum
 although Pope Francis could have kept it open



"If Christ is the Head and Our Lady is the neck, would it follow that His bishops and priests are the spine of the Mystical Body of the Church?  Who are you bowing to?  Why do you not fight to gain an 'essential' status for the Church you were indelibly marked to serve?"

MaryAnn Keenan of St Mary's Palmerston North is imploring her bishop - who at the moment (+Charles Drennan having done a runner) is Cardinal John Atcherley Dew - to re-open our churches. 

Her emailed letter is a model for all faithful NZ Catholics to emulate. Please email or phone your bishop, wherever, using her plea to inspire your own words, your own viewpoint.

"I am writing from isolation," writes MaryAnn, "beseeching you to implement the strengths and faith that raised you to your position as leader in Our Lord's Church, to bring a hasty return for us to our Mass and Sacraments.

"This time has been a real test of patience and endurance for us, with deep lows of spirit in being separated from loved ones, from our faith community and our Lord Jesus.  

"But the pain and anxiety could be easily alleviated by some simple communication from your end.  It feels like we are living in a spiritual eclipse with no idea when this darkness will end. 

"There are only a few who can light-foot it through life. The rest of us carry weights, griefs and concerns which only the Lord can salve. We need the reassurance of the sanctuary light, to tell us He is truly present there for us.  We need His sacramental food and grace.

"It's only going to get harder from here on. There will be many struggling because of the economy and God knows what else is coming ... We need the spiritual strength and moral support of the Mass and our faith communities! 

"Why have you shut us out?

"If Christ is the Head and Our Lady is the neck, would it not follow that His bishops and priests are the spine of the Mystical Body of the Church? Who are you bowing to? Why do you not fight to gain  'essential' status for the Church you were indelibly marked to serve?

"At the end of your life it won't be the government who will reward you. Make the decision now to stand faithfully in persona Christi or you may lack the grace and courage to do so later when things get really serious.  

"There is no allegiance between God and Satan. The House of God must stand united against the storms that are coming.  We will be sifted like wheat ...

"Leadership is the position you have been given. LEAD US! Through Him, with Him, in Him! Communicate with His faithful, console us, feed us - strengthen what remains! 

"The antidote to fear and grief in this mess of a world is HOPE, and that is what our sacraments offer us. The hope of salvation, hope of eternal life, hope of freedom from slavery.  He holds His Pierced Heart out to us, but you have shut the doors and we can't receive Him! 

"We are not asking for much. We just want to be with our Lord.  We want to pour out our hearts and worship Him. The acute danger of Covid 19 has passed; we are not without commonsense and there are protocols which can be adopted to keep us safe.  

"Is it not more 'essential' for us to receive the Bread of Life than government-stamped junk food?  If we can click n' collect retail goods, can we not be absolved of our sins in a compliant fashion?  

"BECAUSE THIS MATTERS! The strongest defence we can mount against this pandemic is prayer, contrition and PENANCE, the greatest prayer being the Holy Mass.  

"Our government has deceived us by slipping the new abortion Act through while the world was so distracted by the germ. We are skating on thin ice.  

"In Jesus' Name, fight like a victor!  Do your part. Please. Just open the churches!


May God bless you and keep you safe, 

(signed)


MaryAnn Keenan. 



Post Script:
Pope Francis has called upon Catholics to pray for the “grace of...obedience” 
regarding Phase 2 of state lockdown regulations.
 https://www.lifesitenews.com/news/pope-francis-calls-for-obedience-to-italian-phase-2-restrictions-that-continue-ban-on-mass?utm_source=LifeSiteNews.com&utm_campaign=c0991a68d4-Catholic_4_28.20&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_12387f0e3e-c0991a68d4-405142193

Post post script:

The Catholic bishops of the United States and Canada are joining forces in reconsecrating their nations to the Blessed Virgin Mary, asking her to intercede in the battle being waged against the coronavirus global pandemic. https://www.lifesitenews.com/news/us-canadian-bishops-to-consecrate-nations-to-mary-seek-her-intercession-against-covid-19?utm_source=LifeSiteNews.com&utm_campaign=c0991a68d4-Catholic_4_28.20&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_12387f0e3e-c0991a68d4-405142193

Post post post script:

Two weeks ago on Good Friday a small group of Catholics prayed outside Holy Name Cathedral in Chicago as a way of expressing their desire for churches to be deemed “essential” during the COVID-19 outbreak.https://www.lifesitenews.com/news/chicago-catholics-urge-cdl-cupich-to-help-ease-restrictions-on-church-closings?utm_source=LifeSiteNews.com&utm_campaign=c0991a68d4-Catholic_4_28.20&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_12387f0e3e-c0991a68d4-405142193

Post post post post script:

Italy’s Catholic bishops have rebuked the Italian government after it announced new lockdown guidelines that permit various social and commercial activities but not public worship. 
https://www.lifesitenews.com/news/italys-bishops-rebuke-government-for-extending-mass-ban-as-other-restrictions-loosen?utm_source=LifeSiteNews.com&utm_campaign=c0991a68d4-Catholic_4_28.20&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_12387f0e3e-c0991a68d4-405142193

Post post post post post script:

It’s essential that churches be reopened. Our psychological, spiritual, and in some ways physical health, depends on it.
https://www.lifesitenews.com/opinion/priest-spiritual-and-psychological-health-demands-that-we-reopen-churches?utm_source=LifeSiteNews.com&utm_campaign=c0991a68d4-Catholic_4_28.20&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_12387f0e3e-c0991a68d4-405142193










Tuesday 28 April 2020

SAINT OR IDOLATOR? THE CURIOUS ANTICS OF JOHN PAUL II

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Catholicism and Buddhism: Compatible Beliefs? | Catholic Culture
Pope John Paul II accepts statue of Buddha at Assisi

"In light of the first commandment of God, how can we evaluate the acts of a pope who, by his words and by his kiss, seemed to raise the Koran to the same level as the Word of God?" (Rome, May 14, 1999.)

A reader of this blog has raised objections to Communion in the hand being described as "sacrilegious", saying that "Cardinal Raymond Burke's thinking is not in accordance with St John Paul II or Pope Benedict Emeritus on Communion in the hand!

"Do you think if it is as you say a 'sacrilege' that these two Pontiffs would have allowed this sin to take place! Hardly!"

My reply to this exhortation was: "I guess they allowed this sin to take place in the same way they allowed so many priests to disobey the rubrics, which when done deliberately is a mortal sin. They were powerless to stop it."

My reader was not so easily persuaded. "Julie!" she cried. virtually (people who've known me a long time call me Julie, not Julia which is my given and preferred name).

She protests that "Heaven would not have granted the second miracle for JPII's canonisation." She goes on to say that Communion in the hand is accepted by the Church and that Jesus Christ would not condemn something that the Church was legitimately going to approve."

First things first: I thought I'd take a look at JPII's canonisation. Even though for years he was my hero, those were years in which I didn't know Grade A from a bull's foot and for some time now, sadder and I hope wiser, I've been thinking there was something shonky about Karol Wojtyla's rapid ascendancy into glory.

What's shonky is this sort of thing: 


  • as Pope II he publicly kissed the Koran
  • placed a statue of Buddha on top of a tabernacle in Assisi. Archbishop Marcel Lefebvre has said of Assisi, “In my view, this is a diabolical act” and “the supreme imposture, the culminating insult to Our Lord”.  
  • prayed to St John the Baptist for the protection of Islam (Holy Land, March 21, 2000)
  • actively participated in animist rituals in the sacred forests of Togo (August 9, 1985)
  • presided over an interfaith meeting at Assisi (October 27 1986)
  • visited a synagogue, the first visit ever by a pope
  • received the 'sacred' ashes of Shiva (Madras, February 5, 1986)
  • prayed in the Jewish manner at the Wailing Wall (March 26, 2000)
  • had the epistle read in his presence by a topless woman (New Guinea, May 8, 1984)
  • expressed idolatry, for example, in the discourse delivered by the aforesaid Servant of God at UNESCO on June 2, 1980: in the cultural domain, man is always the primary factor: man is the primordial and fundamental factor in culture... In thinking of all cultures, I wish to say here in Paris, at the seat of UNESCO, with respect and admiration, Behold the man ! »
https://www.remnantnewspaper.com/Archives/2011-0315-cotter-assisi.htm

So those are just some of the curious antics he got up to as Pope. But wait, there's more - and it doesn't apply just to JPII but to John XXIII as well. 

Since Vat II, procedures for beatification and canonisation have (surprise, surprise!) been radically altered, by JPII himself in the apostolic constitution Divinis Perfectionis Magister (1983). And you won't be surprised either, in this modernist age of collegiality, to hear that the process is now all down to the local bishop. Would we trust any of NZ's bishops, should a candidate for sainthood pops up in Enzed, to investigate their life, writings, virtues (virtues? what are they?) and miracles, and send the dossier to the Holy See?

Huh, say I. In my book there's Bishop Athanasius Schneider, Bishop Peter Jugis, Bishop Joseph Strickland, Bishop Bernard Fellay, and then the duds, wash-outs, write-offs and also-rans - including Bishop Emeritus of Palmerston North, the Right Reverend Peter Cullinane DD, whose 40th anniversary of ordination today is cause for celebration as far as our parish is concerned. Huh, say I.

Not only are the procedures handed over to bishops but the number of miracles required has been halved; only one for beatification and one for canonisation. The Sovereign Pontiff no longer signs off on three consecutive consistories before canonisation. No, we place our trust in bishops. 

And not only that, but JPII decided to bend his own rules by authorizing the introduction of the cause for Mother Teresa just three years after her death - and rigor mortis had barely set in before before Benedict XVI did the same favour for JPII. We doubt there'll be a rush to canonise Benedict (a tad too trad) but just wait till Francis shuffles off this mortal coil (do we really have to?) and we'll have St Francis Mark II canonised in his coffin. 

So I think we've dealt sufficiently with the authenticity of JPII's canonisation, be the second miracle ever so Heaven-sent and signed off. I mean, Heaven-sent opportunities have been abused before now. Look what the guys in charge at the time did with Jesus Christ.

And just who is it that's ferreted around and dug up the dirt on the gang of miscreants in the Vatican who handle beatifications and canonisations, and their legislation reverting to the XIIth century, so that now the pope leaves it to the bishops to make a direct judgment of the causes of saints and reserves to himself only the power to confirm the judgment of the Ordinaries (yes, that's right, bishops).

The Society of St Pius X, that's who. A professor of Ecclesiology at the seminary of Econe, Fr Jean-Michel Gleize, ratifies the conclusions of the SSPX, expressed in a theological study submitted to Rome several times over through several different pipelines, to no avail - it was mysteriously mislaid by the office boy (a bishop, perhaps?) and discovered the day after the diocesan process closed. I guess that office boy, if he was a bishop, got promoted to the archbishopric smartly.

The goalposts have shifted. "Taking into account both the apostolic constitution Divinus Perfectionis Magister of 1983and the motu priprio Ad Teundam Fidem of 1998, when the pope exercises hix personal teaching authority (magisterium) to proceed to a canonization, it seems that his will is to intervene as the organ of the collegial magisterium; thus canonizations are no longer guaranteed by the personal infallibility of the pope's solemn magisterium.

"Would they be so in virtue of the infallibility of the ordinary and universal magisterium of the College of Bishops? Until the present, the entire theological tradition has never said that such was the case, and has always regarded the infallibility of canonizations as the fruit of a divine assistance granted only to the personal magisterium of the pope, which can be likened to ex cathedra pronouncements [locutio ex cathedra]."

Then there's the question of "heroic virtue" the practice of which is traditionally required to be evident for beatification and canonisation. It's those goalposts again: one of them has disappeared. There's common sanctity, and then there's heroic sanctity - which is never mentioned in the post-conciliar documents. Theologians now seem to think of heroic virtue as being out of the ordinary, natural virtue instead of out of the ordinary supernatural virtue. So that their judgment as referees on the playing ground of holiness would seem highly suspect.

https://sspx.org/en/news-events/news/canonization-doubts-john-xxiii-john-paul-ii-2637


So if that's got JPII's miracles out of the way, there remains the question of Jesus not condemning Communion in the hand when the Church was legitimately going to approve of it.

Pope Paul VI took a survey of the world's bishops to ascertain their opinions on the subject. On May 28, 1969 the Congregation for Divine Worship issued Memoriale Domini, which concluded: "From the responses received, it is thus clear that by far the greater number of bishops feel that the present discipline [i.e., Holy Communion on the tongue] should not be changed at all, indeed that if it were changed, this would be offensive to the sensibility and spiritual appreciation of these bishops and of most of the faithful." 

After he had considered the observation and the counsel of the bishops, the Supreme Pontiff judged that the long-received manner of ministering Holy Communion to the faithful should not be changed. 

The Apostolic See then strongly urged bishops, priests and the laity to zealously observe this law out of concern for the common good of the Church. 

In 1969 Pope Paul VI decided to strike a compromise with his disobedient bishops on the continent. Given “the gravity of the matter,” the pope would not authorize Communion in the hand

He was, however, open to bestowing an indult – an exception to the law – under certain conditions: first, an indult could not be given to a country in which Communion in the hand was not an already established practice; second, the bishops in countries where it was established must approve of the practice “by a secret vote and with a two-thirds majority.” 

Beyond this, the Holy See set down seven regulations concerning communion in the hand; failure to maintain these regulations could result in the loss of the indult. The first three regulations concerned: 1) respecting the laity who continue the traditional practice (of receiving kneeling and on the tongue), 2) maintaining the laity’s proper respect of the Eucharist, and 3) strengthening the laity’s faith in the real presence.

Maintaining the laity’s proper respect of the Eucharist:
  • While I can relate to many of the following, here is a testimony from a Deacon: 
  • I've watched a mother receive communion, her toddler in tow, then take it back to the pew and share it with him like a cookie. 
  • At least four or five times a year, I have to stop someone who just takes the host and wanders away with it and ask them to consume it on the spot. 
  • Once or twice a month I encounter the droppers. Many are well-intentioned folks who somewhere, somehow drop the host or it slides out of their hands and Jesus tumbles to the floor. 
  • I've found the Eucharist in a hymnal, under a pew, in the bathroom and in the parking lot. 
The Vatican does not allow communion in the hand … one reason is because tourists were taking the Holy Eucharist home as a souvenir of their trip to Rome.

Not too long ago, I was alerted to someone who did not consume the Host. After Mass I confronted the young man, and he pulled it out of his shirt pocket. It seems he wasn’t Catholic and didn’t believe, and so didn’t know what to do. But, I am very worried these days, with the rise of satanic cults who use the Eucharist in their rites. In fact, someone shared this story of his youth, as he admitted these satanic cults are everywhere now …

When I was in junior high I started hanging out and getting high with some of my older brothers’ friends. They would “play around” with ouija boards and tarot cards. They would get dropped off at “youth group” at church – go in the front door and out the back into the woods for sex, drugs, and booze.

They would brand each other with pentagram rings and even sacrifice small animals. I never participated in it – cause I was the “little brother” – but they would talk about the Black Mass all the time. There was an older guy – our dealer – in his late twenties who claimed to be a wizard and showed us his pyx (I didn’t know what it was at the time) that he would use, because the priest at the Catholic Church he went to wouldn’t pay much attention, “well, they have a pyx, they must be legit!”

He even said he could find hosts after most Masses on the floor or sometimes between hymnal pages, like bookmarks.

I remember that, when he opened it to show us, he told us it was Jesus and that we were gonna “have a party” with him … well, I chickened out and went back to “youth” group – a couple nights later…our friend, after the “Jesus party” with the “wizard,” decapitated his sleeping aunt with a samurai sword because he “heard voices” telling him to … she was a regular Mass-attending woman; the only one left in the family.

He’s locked up in a mental institution for life. When I started learning about Catholicism, I always remembered that awful time, and couldn’t – can’t – shake the feeling that my friend opened himself up to demonic possession by participating in the Black Mass that night…there were no drugs in his system when they arrested him that night.”

Strengthening the laity’s faith in the Real Presence:
  • In 1950, 87% believed in the Real Presence. Today, that number has plummeted to a mere 34%. The abusive and hurried manner in which the practice of Communion in the hand was imposed after Vatican II lead to a widespread lack of reverence for the Eucharist and caused great pain for many in the Church. It disoriented many people, who with real justification — especially in light of the recent and overwhelming loss of faith in the Eucharist as the real presence — feared that the very heart of Catholic belief had been compromised. 
So, we see that Pope Paul VI’s regulations for maintaining the temporary indult are not even close to being realized.St. Thomas Aquinas reminds us, with respect to Communion in the hand … that reverence demands that only what has been consecrated should touch the Blessed Sacrament. He writes:
The dispensing of Christ's body belongs to the priest for three reasons. First, because . . . he consecrates in the person of Christ . . . Secondly, because the priest is the appointed intermediary between God and the people, hence as it belongs to him to offer the people's gifts to God, so it belongs to him to deliver the consecrated gifts to the people. Thirdly, because out of reverence toward this sacrament nothing touches it but what is consecrated, hence the corporal and the chalice are consecrated, and likewise the priest's hands, for touching this sacrament. Hence it is not lawful for anyone else to touch it, except from necessity — for instance, if it were to fall upon the ground, or else in some other case of urgency.
In his apostolic letter Dominicae Cenae, Pope John Paul II also states: "How eloquent, therefore, even if not of ancient custom, is the rite of the anointing of the hands in our Latin ordination, as though precisely for these hands a special grace and power of the Holy Spirit is necessary. To touch the sacred species, and to distribute them with their own hands, is a privilege of the ordained, one which indicates an active participation in the ministry of the Eucharist."
http://www.newliturgicalmovement.org/2014/03/truth-about-communion-in-hand-while.html#.XqfmMmgza00

I think we may safely conclude that the Church has never "legitimately approved" of Communion in the hand.

And the fact that it was the Society of St Pius X - firstly Archbishop Lefebvre, then Bishop Bernard Fellay - who blew the whistle on JP II and obrogations to tradition and the magisterium in regard to canonisation, underlines the significance of the Immemorial Mass, the Mass of Ages, the Mass which the SSPX came into being to protect and preserve. 

It's fifty years+ of faithful adherence not just to the Immemorial Mass but to reverence for Our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ in administering Holy Communion only on the tongue, which gives the SSPX that perception of things eternal, that "inward eye" of Wordsworth, which escapes the bishops, the priests and the poor old plodders at the New Mass, fed as they are on pap in the texts and on their Almighty God in their unwashed hand, standing. 

But the sensual man perceiveth not these things that are of the Spirit of God; for it is foolishness to him, and he cannot understand, because it is spiritually examined (1 Cor 2:14)



Featured Image
Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI giving Communion on the tongue

Sunday 26 April 2020

FROM A MODERN CATACOMB MAYBE TO ROCK MASSES:WOULD WE GO THERE

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"The Vatican is a sovereign state. Pope Francis could have kept St Peter's open for the Triduum. Instead he chose to have a very private ceremony with literally only a handful present."

Mass (Rock) in Ireland's Penal Days (With images) | Ireland ...

In the last of his weekday sermons streamed online from what he calls St Anthony's "catacomb" this morning, Fr Michael Johnson - afforded a heaven-sent opportunity with the texts for the Mass of St Peter Canisius - got fairly worked up on the theme of "the craven cowardice of the whole human race". (Methinks we would have to except Fr Johnson.)

The texts were as follows:

"Preach the word: be instant in season, out of season: reprove, entreat, rebuke in all patience and doctrine. For there shall be a time, when they will not endure sound doctrine; but, according to their own desires, they will heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears: And will indeed turn away their hearing from the truth, but will be turned unto fables" (2 Tim 2; 2-4). 

"You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt lose its savour, wherewith shall it be salted? It is good for nothing anymore but to be cast out, and to be trodden on by men" (Mt 5:13).

You see what I mean by a heaven-sent opportunity, and the redoubtable Fr Johnson is not a man to despise such a thing. What follows is a paraphrase only, of a 10-minute sermon (at least). 

He said he was speaking from his own heart, declaring that in a situation that is utterly unique, as "our overlords are ratchetting back from Level 4 to Level 3, these texts are absolutely for our time - which is not a time of Catholic faith."

"The entire world is under house arrest, allegedly to protect us from death: but no one escapes death. No one gets out of this world alive.The response to the 'pandemic' is extraordinarily cynical. "We have become pampered narcissists, and our overlords have perfectly judged us as ripe for the plucking. 

"This is not about a virus, it's about slavery. Mandatory vaccines will be imposed on us. But what's more important is the loss of our Catholic faith, courage and heritage, all given by Our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ to the apostles and their successors until the end of time; this legacy has been progressively leached  from us since Vatican II, proceeding to the idolatry in the Vatican Gardens by Pope Francis, who stands for the faith to which all must adhere in order to possess eternal life.

"Priests, bishops, cardinals, and the Pope have been forbidden by our secular overlords to give the faithful the Sacraments which are essential for life.

"Did not Our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ say, no fewer than six times, "Except you eat the flesh of the Son of man and drink His blood, you shall not have life in you" (Mt 6:54)?

"But our overlords have ruled that these are not "essential". Their more urgent concern is for life here and now. They are fools. And how do priests, bishops, cardinals and the Pope respond?? We obey! That is not the response of Catholic priests, bishops, cardinals and popes."

At this point Father Johnson brought to our notice a photo displayed on the lectern. 

"This is one of the four hundred "Mass Rocks" used in Ireland for nearly 200 years when it was illegal for the Irish to be Catholic (thank you, England, for that time!). Churches were closed and bishops banished. But priests continued at great peril to celebrate Mass for the faithful at these isolated localities.

"These Mass Rocks, where the faith was kept alive for nearly 200 years, are a symbol of the Catholic Irish heritage.

"They were counting on the Mass dying out. And that's what they want now!

 "What would happen to priests today who would violate these strictures against adoring our God? Fines, and prison maybe. Where are our Mass Rocks of today? Would we go to them?

The SSPX (Society of Saint Pius X) are a tiny minority in the Church. If we stood up against this we'd be crushed. That is not our mission; our mission is the transmission and preservation of the Catholic heritage. 

"Modernist churchmen hate that heritage with a passion! They have happily closed their churches in obedience to their globalist overlords. 

"The Vatican is a sovereign state. Pope Francis could have kept it open. Social distancing be damned! But instead he chose to have a very private ceremony with only a handful present. 

"It shows you who priests bishops and the Pope obey. They all did this! 

"And there followed Him a great multitude of people, and of women, who bewailed and lamented Him. But Jesus turning to them said, "Daughters of Jerusalem, weep not over Me; but weep for yourselves, and for your children. For behold, the days shall come, wherein they will say: Blessed are the barren, and the wombs that have not borne, and the paps that have not given suck" (because they have aborted their children). 


Old Mass Rock in the Breifne Area, near the Iron Mountains, Ireland







"Then shall they begin to say to the mountains: Fall upon us; and to the hills: Cover us" (Lk 23:27-30)



  

DEAR FAITHFUL CATHOLICS OF NZ: IF WE CAN HAVE A BURGER WHY NOT THE MASS?

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The Most Rev. Peter Jugis, Bishop of Charlotte, conducts Palm Sunday services inside the empty St. Patrick Cathedral in Charlotte on Sunday, April 5, 2020. Due to the coronavirus pandemic, the service was closed to the public but was live streamed across western North Carolina.

The Most Rev. Peter Jugis, Bishop of Charlotte, prepares for Palm Sunday Mass inside the empty St.                 Patrick's Cathedral in Charlotte on Sunday, April 5, Note markers for social distancing.


“If we can shop safely in a food shop full of people and go to a McDonald’s Drive Thru to order a Big Mac, why can’t we pray in a church and participate in the Holy Mass?”

This heartfelt plea comes in an Open Letter to “The Faithful of New Zealand” from a lay person of the Palmerston North Diocese.

I publish the letter below:

“To the faithful of New Zealand,
New Zealand will soon be transitioning to Alert Level 3 Lockdown with more businesses opening. While life is not back to normal, for most people accesses to services are improving, with businesses that can open safely being able to do so. You won’t be able to get that Big Mac, dine in, but you will be able to have it takeaway!
If we can shop safely in a food shop full of people and go to a McDonald’s drive-through to order a Big Mac, why can’t we pray in a church and participate in the Holy Mass?
There are safety protocols that can be put in place to allow Catholics to attend Mass and still comply with the Alert Levels. Social distancing, disinfecting surfaces, and limiting the number of attendees to a set percentage of the building’s maximum capacity are all examples of positive steps that can be put in place to ensure people’s safety.
Online Masses are nice but they don't offer full participation in the Mass as we, the faithful, are not present as Christ is present in the Mass. 
That being said - and the Church is clear on this - the faithful must actually be physically present to receive the sacramental grace that comes from being present at the Mass and in the reception of the Eucharist.
The Conference of Bishops is meeting this week. Depending on the outcome of the meeting we could be locked out of our churches and denied participation in the Holy Mass until we reach Level 1 - or even till the alert levels are lifted altogether.
Please call your Bishop or send him an email. Let him know that the Mass is “essential” and that you want the churches open now. That you won’t accept being denied access to the Mass.

New Zealand Conference of Bishops secretariat@nzcbc.org.nz
Palmerston North bishop-pa@pndiocese.org.nz
In a country where we can soon get a Big Mac we should be able to attend public Mass, albeit with safety protocols in place to protect people.”



May God Bless you.
 (signed)
Michael Fitzgibbon


Post Script:

It can be done - as you see below in North Carolina USA, for instance. Where there’s a will they say there’s a way. And we know, don't we, that true love is of the will.

“In coronavirus response, all Masses and Church activities limited to less than 10 people: All churches of the diocese are remaining open as much as possible so that the faithful may come in and pray, Bishop Peter J Jugis of North Carolina has emphasized.

This is the time in which we do not run from our churches, but we go to God and entrust our communities to His good and perfect will,” Bishop Peter Jugis noted in his guidance to clergy, on how to respond to the coronavirus outbreak.

In times of turmoil, sickness, wars, and natural disasters, the Church throughout the ages has led the way,” Bishop Jugis declared. “As Christians, our hope lies in God alone. Especially during this Lenten period of the Church’s year, we recall that the things of this world in one way or another will pass away.”
The guidelines limiting people from gathering in groups of more than 10 should be maintained even inside the churches by individuals coming in to pray privately: If you enter and see 10 people already inside, please wait outside until it is advisable to enter. Once inside, please practice “social distancing” by remaining 6 feet apart from one another.


The Most Rev. Peter Jugis, Bishop of Charlotte, conducts Palm Sunday services inside the empty St. Patrick Cathedral in Charlotte on Sunday, April 5, Note markers for social distancing.

 Catholic Parish Offers In-Person Communion
Holy Communion distributed in the open air
Spend Holy Week and Easter with Bishop Jugis online!

Eucharist Procession in the car park