The Wayward Pope

 As if the Catholic Church hasn't been through enough, we have been hit with another "surprise" from Francis this past week - the document Fiducia Supplecans, a declaration issued by the Dicastery for the Deposit of Faith.  This piece of true garbage sanctions "blessing" couples in irregular (particularly "same-sex") relationships in an informal way without actually performing a matrimonial or liturgical rite, but it still has fundamental problems.  Given this was issued essentially on the back of Traditiones Custodes, which essentially limited celebration of the Traditional Latin Mass, and the punitive measures Francis has been taking against more orthodox clergy such as Cardinal Raymond Burke, Bishop Joseph Strickland, and Father Frank Pavone, the suspicious nature of such a document is well-justified.  I wanted to address this today because it does raise some fundamental questions about the overall future of the faith, and it is an integral issue to all Catholics. 

Let me first explain myself.  I am not an exclusive TLM Mass devotee, and I also do not totally reject everything in Vatican II - I think the Council was legitimate, and there were some good things that came from it. That being said, I also am not opposed to the celebration of the TLM either, and although not part of that myself, I tend to hold a lot of convictions which the TLM proponents share, and I am definitely supportive of their right to celebrate the Mass in that very valid form.  I consider myself a traditionalist as well, although I also do have some convictions that would not be shared with my TLM brethren although they are relatively minor.  I attend a parish that is very soundly orthodox and does use a very reverent form of the Ordinary (or Novus Ordo) Mass, and I find it to be spiritually good for my own faith and its practice. Reverence in religious practice is vital, and should be based on our faith in Jesus Christ, and that is what is vital as well as being what the Church has affirmed for its 2000 years of existence.  This is known as Christocentricity, and everything about the faith we as Catholics practice should always lead us to Christ.  It is because of this that I have growing concerns with Francis and his regime as Pope, because I am not sure if God allowed Francis to be in power to test us, or if Francis is a plant of the enemy to attempt to destroy the Church - or, it could be a combination of both.  I am reminded however of the words of the Apostle in Romans 8:28 - all things work together for those who love God and are called according to his purpose. This means that there are some takeaways we need to keep in mind as this whole situation continues to unfold. 

First, the true Church will never be destroyed.  She is the eternal Bride of Christ, and if we read the end of the story, she prevails.  Scripture itself reminds us of this in Matthew 16:17-19, where Our Lord commissions St. Peter as the first Pope, and in doing so He makes the proclamation "on this rock I will build my Church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it."  What this means is quite profound actually - even though the Church will be tested, and apostasies may happen, the true Church will always stand, even if only a faithful remnant.  The previous Pope, Benedict XVI, expressed this when he said that as Pope, he desires a Church that is small and faithful over one that is large and unevangelized, and in all honesty, the late Pontiff may get his wish if Francis keeps acting like the proverbial bull in the china shop with Church teaching.  This leads to my second takeaway.

Many orthodox faithful Catholics - both TLM proponents as well as sound conservative Catholics who attend good Ordinary Form Mass parishes - are questioning what to do right now.  Should we go to movements such as the SSPX or the sedevacantists?  Do we split off from the Holy See, declare Francis an illegitimate Pope, and do another "Babylonian captivity" scenario such as what happened with the Avignon Papacy several centuries ago?  These are serious questions to ponder, but there is a simple answer.  Dr. Taylor Marshall and others I listen to essentially say to stay put, pray, and that God will prevail in the end, and that is a good point.  I will go one step further however by saying this - if schism happens, I will always be on the side of orthodoxy, and will align with the side that maintains traditional doctrine and faith.  Simply, the sound, orthodox Catholic way is the true way, and it is the one that Catholics who love the Church and take their faith seriously should pursue.  Also, if Francis does cause a schism, there is something very important to keep in mind - it will not be us leaving the faith, but rather Francis by promoting heresies and abhorrent garbage.  While his faction may have all the wealth and control the Vatican and the infrastructure, it is important to remember that those things are temporal in the greater scheme of things - wealth is fleeting, and it will not benefit us much in eternity in all honesty, so let's not labor under the impression that holding onto the great cathedrals and other treasures the Church has been steward of for centuries will somehow make whoever possesses them the valid party.  God sees things much differently.  Plus, cathedrals can be rebuilt, and even at some point the material treasures of the Church could be restored, so let's not focus on that.  Our focus is ultimately beyond temporal things - not that there is anything wrong with those, as we are not Gnostics who deny the material because we are too "spiritually-minded" or something - and those can be easily replaced or even recovered.  Our eternal soul, however, is much more precious - saving that is a greater treasure than any riches on the earth, which Lent reminds us of every year.  We need to focus on the greater vision, and if that means exile from some aspects of the Church's historic holdings, then we must make that sacrifice.  We can learn a lot from what has happened to some Protestant and Anglican groups in recent years - they went through this same stuff more intensely and with greater sacrifice than we have thus far as Catholics, but they prevailed.  As a former Anglican myself, I remember when the Anglican Communion split essentially over the very issues Francis is trying to promote now - there were orthodox Anglicans locked out of their parishes, some of which were hundreds of years old, and they in many cases were forced to meet in storefronts and funeral homes to preserve their faith as the "powers that be" seized their assets and even tied some of their parishes up in court (this led to many of them seeking out orthodox bishops in Africa, and founding communions such as ACNA and AMiA).  The same thing recently happened to two Protestant groups - the United Methodists and the Church of the Brethren.  Both of these denominations suffered fracturing, but the ones who were more committed to an orthodox expression of their faith formed new and more vibrant fellowships (the Global Methodist Church and the Covenant Brethren Church, respectively).  Will Catholics face a similar issue?  It remains to be seen, but that still small voice of Our Lord is whispering to us now, "Trust me."  Ultimately, trust in Our Lord is the best remedy we can hope for in these uncertain times. 

So, if I have advice for my fellow Catholics, it is this.  Let Francis Bergolio play his little games while kissing his Pachamama idols and watching drag queens get validated by the likes of apostate priests like "Father" James Martin, and in time it will come back to haunt him, either in this life or the next.  We stand firm as faithful Catholics against these tricks of Satan, and there are ways we can express this that are wise and nuanced.  For one, if an orthodox priest is asked by a gay couple living in an irregular relationship to "bless" them, the priest can be creative and give them a "blessing" - that their hearts are converted, that they live chaste, celibate lives, that grace will elevate, heal, and fix their concupiscent nature, and that God will convict their hearts and examine their consciences.  The document does not prescribe what blessing to give, so this will be a way to deal with an issue like this.  Secondly, for those in bondage to the vice of "same-sex attraction" or gender dysphoria, it is important that they be loved and treated with compassion as human beings like the rest of us.  These individuals are being deceived into thinking that what they feel and are even practicing is somehow "good" and "normal," and we need to pray God opens eyes and hearts for transformation.  These types of feelings and behaviors are a symptom of the concupiscent nature mankind has had since the Fall, and as we strive to be the person God called us to be, it is important to let his grace work in us to elevate, heal, and perfect us.  This is true not only of these particular vices, but also anything - stealing, pride, hatred, addictions, etc.  We all have sinful inclinations of some sort we struggle with, as we are part of a fallen world.  The question is whether we are open to surrendering ourselves and letting God's grace work in us? That is what true Catholicism will encourage us to do. 

Any rate, I wanted to just address this and share thoughts on it.  Time does not permit me to really examine this in detail, but at least you get the idea of where I stand.  May God bless you and give you a wonderful holiday season with your loved ones, and please remember to keep in mind the reason we celebrate this holy season.  

Year-End Review

 Although it is officially still the beginning of December, I feel it is appropriate both in concord with my schedule as well as just practically speaking to do my year-end perspectives.  There are many things about 2023 I am glad to see go, some I will miss, and others I will just build upon.  So, let us start the conversation and see where it goes.

On a broader level, 2023 has been a challenging year for our nation - with godless Democrats still wielding power, the economy in the US is worse than it has been in a long time.  Then, our government's own failures in East Palestine, OH, as well as in Maui, compounded with the fact we have Establishment hawks beating war drums to provoke World War III in either the Pacific or in Eastern Europe, have made many people somewhat disillusioned.  Add to that the failure of "woke" policies, which are still being pushed on us despite the fact they are increasingly unpopular and also just stupid.  I get sick of hearing about what "pronouns" to address people with, especially when an obviously male individual puts on a dress and wants to be called "her."  Thankfully, "woke" ideology is being shown for the failure it is - the huge corporate example of Bud Light is a case in point.  For those who may have been blissfully unaware of that issue, several months ago Bud Light hired a freak named Dylan Mulvaney to be its "spokesperson," and that proved to be a disaster for the corporation.  Dylan Mulvaney is a gay man who all of a sudden decided he was a woman, and he did so in a very ridiculous way - for instance, glorifying tampons (which most real women would not dream of doing) and acting like a real horse's ass in the public arena.  The most recent thing about Mulvaney is that while he is still identifying as "her," he decided he was attracted to women and wanted to get pregnant!  So, here is the thing - a guy who likes girls (normal so far) decides to be a girl (getting weirder), and then says he wants to be with a girl (he wants to be Chris Hayes in other words, a male lesbian??), and wants her to get him pregnant!  By this point, a normal human being is probably ready to beat their head against the wall trying to figure this all out and is muttering "what the hell???"  But, for the leftist elitists, it is perfectly natural (these are the same people who engage in "puppy play," or "furry culture," a sexual fetish where a person identifies as an animal like a dog).  My advice is to just cynically mock it for being obviously ridiculous and go on with your own life - the freaks and weirdos of "wokeness" will destroy themselves in due time, so I don't let it worry me.  Any rate, that, as well as a clinically senile President who has all the cognizant ability of a Christmas cactus, is where we are at in our nation.  However, it is also important to remember that ultimately God is in control, and in the end everything works out for the better one way or another.  It is just one hell of a ride getting there. 

It is true that to some degree our individual lives are a microcosm of the society around us, and in the case of the economy, that has been very apparent this year.  I have faced probably what is one of the most intense financial situations this year I have had in a long time, and to be honest I was really caught up in uncertainty.  Having limited income, my financial situation has affected even my basic expenses, but overall things are starting to come together now which is good.  A realization came to me just a month or so ago when a friend of mine I was praying with observed that God is telling us to contend for what is rightfully ours, as there are forces out there trying to destroy us.  I need to clarify some concepts in this, because by contending for what is rightfully ours, I am not speaking of the heretical "blab it and grab it" garbage that people like Kenneth Copeland and Joel Osteen teach millions of gullible people. What I do mean is that for things you have rightly achieved and earned, one should be entitled to stake a claim on that.  For example, let's say you are due a settlement from something that would be a significant amount.  Legal documents and correspondence have confirmed you are to receive that compensation, but there is bureaucratic red tape and other issues tying it up while you may be struggling just to make your rent or mortgage payment every month.  The bureaucratic structure holding the benefit back is a hindrance orchestrated by the enemy, and there needs to be an offensive launched to reclaim what is rightly yours.  The difference between this and the "blab it and grab it" teaching is a fundamental one - in the right case, it is an asset you know about, are aware of, and is technically yours as established by legal authority.  In the case of the "blab it and grab it" mentality, those people are telling you to "claim" things you may not have a right to, nor may you actually need - for instance, "claiming" a fortune of millions of dollars and a Rolls Royce is stupid and not grounded in reality, unless you legitimately acquired the fortune and it is being held back by some hindrance.  Also, no one needs millions of dollars or a Rolls Royce, and Philippians 4:19 tells us that God supplies our needs and not some crazy obsessions.  When my friend and I discussed this, it made perfect sense, and we both began to reclaim what was taken from us, and within a week or two later, I get this letter from my university saying that I was awarded additional financial aid, and it could not come at a more perfect time - I was behind on my rent, and was struggling to figure out how to take care of holiday expenses and other things, and God provided for that.  The same week, I also got another unexpected blessing too.  A devout Catholic donor who was of some means wealthwise had decided he was going to bless a number of Catholic people with a very beautiful gift.  So, around the first of November I get the notification that I was having two huge packages delivered to me by Fedex.  I was puzzled by that, as I had not ordered anything, so it made me very curious.  Turns out the packages were a very beautiful Nativity set that this guy had bought several of and was sending out all over the nation to different people, and somehow I was chosen to get one.  This was not a little set either - each piece was over 25 inches high, and the whole set together weighed 42 pounds.  I have the beautiful set displayed now in my living room, and my prayer is that whoever the person was who blessed me with that will be abundantly blessed as well, as that individual has a good heart and he may have made a difference in many people's lives.  Any rate, as I write this now I have a very good outlook for 2024, and if I have learned anything in the past couple of years, it is that I don't have any choice but to trust God - somehow, he always comes through, even when I get upset and impatient waiting on him.  That was something for the year I wanted to share and hopefully it will be an encouragement to others. 

As far as my doctoral work goes, at the end of 2023 I am officially in the dissertation phase of my program now, which translates to almost being at the finish line.  I am honestly very happy about that, for I can officially "retire" from school after being constantly working on my education for well over 50 years now - that is taking my whole academic history from kindergarten to the Ph.D.   It has been a lot of work, and with drafting the dissertation and anticipating revisions, I still have a bit to go yet, but I will get there.  At this moment, I have 5 of the 7 chapters (about 200 pages) of my initial draft done, and will be working on the last two chapters starting in January.  If I keep up the pace, I may finish strong and can have a "Dr." in front of my name by this time next year.  It still amazes me how far I have come, and again, it is by the grace of God I have done so well.  In addition to my Ph.D. program, I have also done coursework in German language (which I needed for approval to advance to the dissertation phase), as well as earning a certificate in Podcasting and successfully completing a Tax Preparer course through Jackson Hewitt.  I am currently also finishing up a course in Tagalog I am taking for personal reasons (all in good time, but I will have an announcement at some point next year), and may pursue some software programming and Montessori education coursework to enhance my marketable skill set.  I will be busy for a while, but the good thing is that this coming Saturday I will be seeing some fruits of my effort, and I will share that now. 

A few months back, there was a call for papers to be presented at a small academic conference over in Charles Town dealing with the Catholic contributions to American History.  The chief organizer of the conference, author and historian Stan Williams, is a major researcher on the whole Wizard Clip legacy that plays an integral role in West Virginia Catholic history.  The Wizard Clip incident happened in the late 1700s at the site of the conference, a retreat center operated by our parish called Priest Field, and essentially it is a story of evangelization and conversion.  A Lutheran farmer who had settled the area was having some issues with unusual phenomena occurring on his property, and he sought the counsel of a Catholic priest, Fr. Gallitzin, to remedy it.  Fr. Gallitzin, if I remember the details correctly, came and performed an exorcism on the property, after which all the weird manifestations ceased.  Moved by this, the farmer and his family converted to Catholicism, and history was made for the Church in West Virginia.  On my other blog, I documented the Wizard Clip story a couple of years ago, so feel free to read that if your interest is piqued (also, it will clarify any errors here that I may have accidentally made in the facts).  The conference for me will entail presenting a paper on the significance of Our Lady of Guadalupe, and it is a topic I did the same paper for as a class project back in 2016 for a Mariology course at Steubenville.  I am a little nervous about my first conference participation as a speaker, but it is experience that is crucial to my career, so I gladly take all opportunities like this as God providing me some background which will benefit a possible instructor position later.  I may or may not create a post on the conference next week - we'll see how the schedule goes. 

We also had a few tragedies as well - I lost three finches this year, and Barbara lost her cat Mallory in September. Mallory was originally her sister's cat, but when she passed away in 2020, Barbara adopted both Mallory and her brother Mickey and brought them back. Both of these cats are really old cats too, as I still recall when my ex-sister-in-law got them in 2008 and they were adorable kittens.  Mallory had been declining healthwise for several months in that somehow she had sustained a nasty injury to her jaw and it became infected - the infection spread into her body, weakened her, and that is what I feel took her out.  Mickey is still alive and very healthy, but Mallory is now resting in her final spot in the back yard.  Any rate, it was a loss, and I am sorry for Barbara that it happened. 

There are many more details I could share, but I am on a tight schedule with many things I need to do as well, so we'll have to talk about those some other time.  Thank you for allowing me to visit with you virtually, and my prayers for a blessed holiday season for each of you who read this.