The supernatural is overrated…
A Perfect Example of Naturalism: Francis reflects on Death without mentioning Judgment, Heaven, or Hell
The world was given a rather generous glimpse into the Naturalist mind of Jorge Bergoglio today as the man otherwise known as “Pope Francis” reflected on death during his daily homily.
As we have pointed out numerous times on this web site, Francis preaches what we call the “gospel of man”, a false gospel that focuses almost exclusively on the temporal, the mundane, the natural. His concern is always with this world: Whether it be helping the needy, eradicating poverty, improving education, combatting economic injustice, advocating for a “culture of encounter” or of “tenderness”, or improving working conditions for coal miners in Indonesia, the “Pope” is always there with his oh-so tender-hearted solicitude and unsolicited advice.
While all these goals may be quite noble in and of themselves (excepting the encounter/tenderness junk), eventually people will figure out that no one really needs a Pope or a Catholic Church if the ultimate goal is simply the combatting of social problems — especially not if the remedies offered are always of the natural, humanist, and therefore lowest-common-denominator kind, which could just as easily be provided by the United Nations, Kiwanis International, or the Red Cross.
In 2016 German journalist Alexander Kissler hit the proverbial nail on the head when he called Francis a “U.N. Secretary General with a pectoral cross” (source). This apt observation takes on greater weight still when we consider that even his pectoral cross leaves a lot to be desired, as it reminds one more of a bottle opener than of the Redemption wrought by our Lord Jesus Christ.
In the First Letter of St. John, Sacred Scripture speaks about people whose primary concern is the natural world instead of the salvation of their own and others’ souls: “They are of the world: therefore of the world they speak, and the world heareth them” (1 Jn 4:5). And of course St. Paul had reminded the Colossians: “Mind the things that are above, not the things that are upon the earth” (Col 3:2).
Let’s have a look now at Francis’ Feb. 1 homily, given at the Casa Santa Marta. Its subject was death, which marks the end of the temporal and the beginning of eternity. It is thus a perfect opportunity to speak about our supernatural vocation, the fact that God created us, ultimately, not to eat, drink, and help others on planet earth, but to see, know, and love Him as He really is, for all eternity in Heaven. This is called the “Beatific Vision” and is defined as:
The immediate knowledge of God which constitutes the primary felicity of Heaven. The souls of the blessed see God directly and face to face, unveiled, clearly, openly, as he is in himself; and in this vision they equally enjoy God. This vision is supernatural, not proper to our human nature, so that the intellect of the blessed is supernaturally enlightened by the lumen gloriae [light of glory]. The primary object of the Vision is God himself as he is, in all his perfections and in the three persons of the Trinity.
(Donald Attwater, ed., A Catholic Dictionary, 3rd ed. [New York, NY: Macmillan Publishing Co., 1961], s.v. “Beatific Vision”; italics given.)
In the 14th century, Pope Benedict XII defined dogmatically:
Since the passion and death of the Lord Jesus Christ, these souls [in Heaven] have seen and see the divine essence with an intuitive vision and even face to face, without the mediation of any creature by way of object of vision; rather the divine essence immediately manifests itself to them, plainly, clearly and openly, and in this vision they enjoy the divine essence. Moreover, by this vision and enjoyment the souls of those who have already died are truly blessed and have eternal life and rest. Also the souls of those who will die in the future will see the same divine essence and will enjoy it before the general judgment.
Such a vision and enjoyment of the divine essence do away with the acts of faith and hope in these souls, inasmuch as faith and hope are properly theological virtues. And after such intuitive and face-to-face vision and enjoyment has or will have begun for these souls, the same vision and enjoyment has continued and will continue without any interruption and without end until the last Judgment and from then on forever.
(Pope Benedict XII, Apostolic Constitution Benedictus Deus; Denz. 530)
The Beatific Vision is the ultimate goal of human existence. To attain it is the reason why God created us. It is perfect happiness and perpetual bliss, infinitely and essentially superior to any created thing. In the Beatific Vision, all our desires will be perfectly satiated by God, in overabundance, “good measure and pressed down and shaken together and running over” (Lk 6:38). If we do not attain this Beatific Vision, we will have lost everything there is to lose and we will be an eternal failure in hell.
There is, then, plenty to say and meditate on concerning death, which is the gateway to eternity, and the way of the Cross we must tread to attain, aided by divine grace, our final end. But how does “Pope” Francis reflect on death? What does Mr. Bergoglio have to say about it?
Both Vatican News and Zenit reported on the “papal” homily. The report published by Zenit summarizes Francis’ message in its subtitle: “Death is a fact, death is an inheritance and death is a memory.” If you’re suspecting already that this isn’t going to be a Catholic reflection on death, you’re suspecting correctly.
Francis wasted no time reminding his hapless audience that “we are men and women on a journey in time” and that “we have to look forward”, lest we “go wandering in this selfish labyrinth of the moment”. He pointed out that everyone needs “to pray, and to ask for the grace of a sense of time” so that one is not “imprisoned” by the present moment because that would mean one is “closed in on oneself.”
Continuing with this profoundly insightful and spiritually unparalleled analysis, Francis emphasized that “death is a legacy”:
…not a material inheritance, but a legacy of memory.
And so we should ask ourselves:
“What would be my legacy if God were to call me today? What legacy would I leave as a testimony of my life?” It is a good question to ask ourselves. And thus we can prepare ourselves, because each one of us… none of us will remain “as a relic.” We must all go down this path.
(“Pope reflects on death at Mass at Casa Santa Marta”, Vatican News, Feb. 1, 2018; italics given.)
The Modernist pretend-pope concluded his reflection on death by noting that the end of life is also an “anticipated memory”:
Finally, the Pope said, “death is a memory,” an “anticipated memory” to reflect upon:
When I die, what would I like to have done in this decision that I must make today, in my way of living today? It is an anticipated memory that illuminates the “moment” of today, illuminating with the fact of death the decisions that I must make every day.
Knowing that we are on a journey that leads to death, Pope Francis concluded, “will make us treat everyone well.”
And there we have it: A “papal” reflection on death that says nothing supernatural whatsoever. This goes with his repeated assertions that the Last Judgment is not to be feared, a truly diabolical piece of “advice”!
We see here once more that Francis is concerned only with this temporal life, not with eternity. Even death itself he does not use to talk about our supernatural destiny and the fact that we will be judged immediately after we have died, to go either to Heaven or to hell.
And so Francis has managed to talk about one of the so-called “Four Last Things” (Death, Judgment, Heaven, Hell) without mentioning the other three. In his words there is no mention of soul, grace, original and mortal sin, judgment, purgatory, Heaven, hell, penance, conversion, faith, hope, or charity. Instead, he blathered on about a journey, a legacy, and something about memory. Perhaps these are his very own “Three Last Things”.
For those who might be wondering what a real Catholic sermon on death sounds like, we recommend the following:
- “The Sinner at Death” by St. Alphonsus Liguori
- “Time is now No More” by St. Alphonsus Liguori
- “Careful Preparation for Death” by Fr. Francis Hunolt
- Sermons on the Four Last Things (vol. 1) by Fr. Francis Hunolt
- “The Particular Judgment” by Bp. Donald Sanborn (audio, 1991)
- “The Particular Judgment” by Bp. Donald Sanborn (audio, 2002)
The best way to see the apostate Vatican II religion for what it is, is to exclusively immerse oneself in the true Roman Catholic religion as the world knew it from 33 AD until 1958. Having fed your soul on the timeless truths of the real Catholic faith, you will be appalled and disgusted with the Novus Ordo counterfeit. Most importantly, though, you will no longer be deceived by it.
Bergoglio is a Naturalist through and through. This was also very evident in the embarrassing “Ten Tips for Happiness” he gave in 2014, in which God did not even make so much as a cameo appearance. For Bergoglio, the supernatural, if it is admitted at all, is almost always placed at the service of the natural or at least given secondary importance. God is there to solve our problems, to make us feel good, and to forgive our sins. Jesus Christ is important only insofar as we see Him in the beggar, the unemployed, and the elderly. Even a sermon on death itself this “Pope” keeps entirely horizontal: Reflecting on death “will make us treat everyone well.” But then, since virtually everyone goes to Heaven, what is there to talk about but helping our neighbor and taking care of the environment?
Francis continually tempts men to keep their eyes fixed on the temporal, thus leading them into a great danger warned against by Christ in the parable of the sower: “And others there are who are sown among thorns: these are they that hear the word, and the cares of the world, and the deceitfulness of riches, and the lusts after other things entering in choke the word, and it is made fruitless” (Mk 4:18-19).
“Pope” Francis is not a true shepherd but a hireling “and he hath no care for the sheep” (Jn 10:13). St. Paul had warned us of people like him: “For such false apostles are deceitful workmen, transforming themselves into the apostles of Christ” (2 Cor 11:13).
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A very good critique, NOW.
Nothing wrong with the words, “Knowing that we are on a journey that leads to death, Pope Francis concluded, “will make us treat everyone well.””
If they were to be understood against the background of the particular judgement at the end of one’s life, then they would be perfectly reasonable, since it is according to one’s works that one is to be judged, and because one’s love for God is expressed through one’s dealings with one’s neighbour. But for all of these good deeds to have any real value, presuppose faith in God, obedience of his law, and hope in his promised inheritance, which is one’s true home.
And to speak of one’s legacy in history is one thing, and nothing wrong with that; but it is infinitely more important to consider one’s deeds in the context of what one takes into the next life. The parable of the unjust steward, in Luke chapter 16, comes to mind.
Most importantly, the words of Francis call into question the objective for which one is good to others. In order merely to be remembered? – A pagan view. Or to be remembered before God by those we were kind to? – A somewhat mercenary view, but prudent enough, nonetheless. Or because we wish to express our desire to be servants of God? – Too theocentric, nowadays, I admit.
Very well said. Yes, the problem is not so much that every idea proposed by Mr. Bergoglio is evil; rather, it is a matter of context, of emphasis, and of omitting what else ought to be said, especially things of greater priority and importance.
Tragic times when the Vatican speaks as the mendacious media.
I am not looking for pigs to fly anytime soon. Neither do I expect Jorge to say or do anything which even hints at the Catholic faith.
“The Four Last things- Heaven Hell Death Judgement” by Fr. Martin Von Cochem is a good book as well. I have to put it down for a few minutes sometimes, so that way I can compose myself before I return reading it.
As President Trump always says, “America first” as he should, you would think that Francis would say something in regards to putting the salvation of souls first or the Catholic Church first among his priorities, but no the world and its social problems come first. I doubt this man even believes in hell. He talks as if everything is pie in the sky.
We all need to expose this modernist Bergoglio and his anti-Christ teachings. I thank NOW for this constructive expose.
A true Catholic fears death of the soul, not death of the body.
We should love God with all our heart, mind soul and strength, and our neighbor for love of God.
Bergoglio’s teachings are totally devoid of any supernatural content, this is the modernist ecumenical religion of man that he is promoting. His followers will no doubt be quite pleased with it because it
makes them ‘feel’ good treating their neighbor ‘well’. Do they really fear death in the Catholic sense?
I don’t think so.
Pope Pius XI had a priest put to death by firing squad for sexually abusing a child. Was that treating this priest ‘well’? Pope St. Pius V said homosexual clergy should be put to death, was that treating them well?
Pope St. Pius X said that modernists should be beaten with fists, is that treating treating them well?
Jesus Christ embraced suffering and death on the cross in order to make all things new, he was opening the way for our redemption. Bergoglio continues to reject the cross, the suffering and death of Jesus Christ.
Here is a link to a short video entitled ‘Another View’ by Fr. Jenkins that is very edifying. From it I learned about Pope Pius XI having a priest put to death by firing squad in the Vatican for sexually abusing a child:
So much for Bergoglio and ‘treating others well’. This modernist usurper hasn’t a clue what it means to ‘treat people well.’
Where is our sense of righteous indignation, our sense of injustice concerning these modernist’s? I pray
God send us holy souls that can articulate clearly what has happened and show us how to fight this evil.
I pray we learn the true Catholic faith and hold fast to tradition no matter what the cost. I mentioned the encyclical Acerbo Nimis by Pope Pius X (1905) in a previous post. What ever happened to his command that priests educate the laity in the Catechism of the Council of Trent for one hour every Sunday and holy days of obligation? How are Catholics to know how to save their souls if they don’t know the faith? What happened to the priests prior to Vatican II, why weren’t they doing this? Is Vatican II a punishment for the disobedience of these priests? I was raised in the Novus Ordo Religion, born in 1957. My parents didn’t teach me the Catechism of the Council of Trent, they followed the whole Novus Ordo program of indoctrination. It took me until 2016 to figure it out that the Novus Ordo Religion had apostatized from the Catholic Church. I am appalled at the total chaos with regards to legitimate Catholic teaching even by the so called ‘traditional’ Catholics and ‘traditional’ priests. Currently there is a whole smorgasbord of various flavors of traditionalists, semi-traditionalists, sedevacantists, sedeprivationists, etc.
http://www.papalencyclicals.net/Pius10/p10chdoc.htm
The chaos is so bad there are even groups of sedevacantists that have elected their own ‘Pope’,
including Hadrian VII, Linus II, Clemens XV, Gregory XVII, Peter II, Gregory XVIII, Peter III, Emmanuel I, Pius XIII, and Michael:
http://www.cesnur.org/2009/plz_sedevacantism.htm
What about the ‘letter of the nine’ that describes the break away from the SSPX what does that tell us about the sedevacantist position? There is no united position. No true Pope to resolve the chaos and bring about unity. On the contrary these Vatican II anti-Popes are continuing to scatter the flock.
http://www.traditionalmass.org/articles/article.php?id=48&catname=12
Personally, I welcome these postings by NOW regarding the modernist Novus Ordo Church because they provide an ongoing incentive to keep searching for the truth. This is bigger than just Bergoglio and the Novus Ordo modernist takeover, it involves the coming of the anti-Christ as per St. Paul and his second letter to the Thessalonians.
Jesus Christ asked the question in Luke 18:8 ‘But the Son of man, when he cometh, shall he find, think you, faith on earth?’
Strike the shepherd, scatter the flock. We have exactly that, a scattered flock. That fact alone should be enough to convince us, that is a key sign of the times we are in. We are living in a great apostasy from the faith, 92% down to 6% attendance at mass on Sundays in the province of Quebec Canada since Vatican II, a microcosm of the disaster since Vatican II. All this and the SSPX and semi-trads still cling to the Novus Ordo hierarchy? They cling to their ‘Pope’ while rejecting his teaching authority? Sedevacantist’s elect their own ‘Popes’? Sedeprivationist’s hold that Bergoglio is a material ‘Pope’ but not a formal ‘Pope’? Some semi-trads hold that Benedict XVI is their true Pope and not Bergoglio?
In the light of all this, how does one discern the true course of action to take? Pray, pray, pray. Seek and ye shall find.
Our Lady of Sorrows pray for us, Our Lady destroyer of Heresies pray for us.
Sedevacantists should elect a Pope. That is what Catholics do when the See is Vacant. Fill it. But I guess no one wants to take on task of electing a new Pope. (Besides Bawden)
The short answer to this is: It is not possible to elect a Pope, at least not in the practical order. You see what happens when people like David Bawden take matters into their own hands. All it does is cause more confusion and strife.
But instead of being frustrated at this fact, we should recognize in it the working of Divine Providence: God has seen fit not to allow us to solve this on our own. We must rely entirely on Him, walking by Faith and not by sight (cf. 2 Cor 5:7).
Meanwhile, there IS something we can all do: PRAY! Pray the Rosary for God to give us a true Pope, in whatever way He has determined from all eternity. You can join numerous other sedevacantists already doing this by submitting your pledge at http://prayforapope.com
This then leads to the next question: How are people going to know if we have a “True Pope” again, if we’ve had nothing but False Popes installing False Bishops who elect False Popes (and I’m talking about mainline V2 sedevacantists here, not the Benedict is the Only Pope sedevacantists or those who use it just to either call themselves Pope or have religious justification for skipping out on Mass each Sunday)? I mean, that’s probably half the issue right there, with various sects calling themselves the True Catholic Church while everyone else is supposedly a false one, and the average person on the street sees Catholics as a single entity (if someone was to ask for Traditional Catholic priest, 99.9% of the time you’d get someone from the nearby diocesan church you’re located in).
If a True Pope was elected, would sedevacantists follow? Chances are, a number of them would find something wrong about him on their Purity Tests.
And no, I’m not a fan of Francis.
I’m thinking it will be God himself who sorts out this mess. And when that happens we will all be flat on our faces in in fear, awe and reverence. Do you really thinking anyone is going to say, “But Sir …. ” Yeah, I didn’t think so.
You need a recognized method of election – recognized by all the Catholics of the world – before you can proceed to elect a pope. That is a tall order. It will take some miraculous events.
Thank you for the link.
God Bless
“Jesus Christ asked the question in Luke 18:8 ‘But the Son of man, when he cometh, shall he find, think you, faith on earth?'” Great, frightening quote. Thanks for posting it.
But please clarify: “Pope Pius XI had a priest put to death by firing squad for sexually abusing a child.” I completely doubt that assertion. I am sure you are wrong.
I’ve heard that as well, about Pius XI and the execution in the Vatican. I see no reason to doubt it. Capital crime in Vatican City receives capital punishment.
Again, another reason for N.O.W. to do an article on capital punishment, with quotes from the popes, St. Thomas, and others; and accounts of historical figures such as Giovanni Battista Bugatti, etc.
Montini (a.k.a. Paul VI) got rid of capital punishment in the Vatican in the late 1960’s. Modern usurpers of the papal throne have condemned capital punishment. The Catholic Church always upheld it. Just another example of the “Cult of Man” being 180 degrees out of phase with Catholicism.
I have done some checking. The last execution in the Papal States or under the auspices of a pope was done in 1870, under Pope Pius IX. Right papal name, wrong number.
If you read my whole comment I posted a link to the talk by Fr. Jenkins who mentioned it. I have no reason to doubt Fr. Jenkins. It is is again you will find it at the 10:30 mark in this video:
If you doubt perhaps you should contact Fr. Jenkins and ask for some documentation to back up the claim. My personal opinion is that this penalty should be applied today with clergy who do such evil things. Do you think it is an unjust sentence, is that why you doubt it? I would happily be one of the people on the firing squad. I’m obviously not one of the ‘nice’ people like Bergoglio would want me to be who treat others ‘well’ according to his modernist mindset.
I think Fr. Jenkins is confusing Pius IX with Pius XI. You can ask him. My concern is simply that I don’t want the Novus Ordo Watch website to be embarrassed with an accidental false detail. This website is too good to give any reason for someone to criticize it for a mistake. I have no problems with the death penalty, and I am as aware of the horrors in the modern Church as you are.
If you are so concerned perhaps the Holy Spirit is prompting you to find out for sure,
here is the contact for Fr. Jenkins:
What Catholics Believe
c/o Immaculate Conception Church
2310 Robertson Ave.
Norwood, OH 45212
Daniel, God bless you. I corresponded many years ago with Fr. Jenkins, and that’s enough. Fr. Jenkins made an error — even sede-vacante priests can do that. I have done some more digging. The last man executed in the Papal States Agatino Bellomo, on July 9, 1870. If an execution had been carried out as recently as in the 1920s or 1930s, you can bet that the press would have been all over it.
I am happy to have corrected this accidental error on Novus Ordo Watch, so that non-sede-vacantists won’t be able to use it as a stick to beat the website with. When you are on the fringes, you have to be very precise with what is said, or you give your ideological enemies fuel to make legitimate attacks.
Interestingly enough, my source for the reported Pius XI-authorized execution is likewise Fr. William Jenkins, although I heard it from him many years ago. It is quite possible that the numerals got confused at some point and that it was indeed Pius IX. It really doesn’t matter that much, but if we have confirmation of Vatican/Papal States executions only through the reign of Pius IX, then I will be happy to adjust what I’ve said on that. Thank you for the research and pointing it out, Patrick!
Daniel: Once you have come to grips with the fact that the Novus Ordo Church is NOT the Catholic Church, you will be able to relax a bit.
Do we wring our hands and bemoan the horrors going on in the Anglican Church? No. Why not? Because it is *another* Church, and not our Church. It is NOT the Catholic Church.
Do we get all flustered and out-of-sorts with the Greek Orthodox, the Russian Orthodox, or the Coptic Orthodox Church of Alexandria? No. We do not, because they are not the Catholic Church.
I am a huge fan of the death penalty. And I am a devotee of the Spanish inquisition and the Holy Roman Inquisition.
Inquisitions and penalties are what Catholics with legitimate authority do to protect and defend the Church and the faithful from evils and dangers. But that is the problem: 1) There is no bishop or priest alive today who has a mission, or legal jurisdiction, from Pius XII. There is no legitimate authority who has the legal, recognized, right to do those things. For a few sedevacantists to go off half-cocked and start trying and convicting folks of heresy, and putting them to death would be lunacy. It would end up with everyone executing anyone for any dispute whatsoever. It would likely end up with the followers of each of those whack job antipopes you mentioned killing off the followers of the other whacked out antipopes, (Hadrian VII, Linus II, Clemens XV, Gregory XVII, Peter II, Gregory XVIII, Peter III, Emmanuel I, Pius XIII, and Michael). That would be counterproductive, lead to chaos, and gravely sinful for multiple reasons. 2) The Novus Ordo Church, the “Cult of Man” as Montini (Paul VI) called it, is NOT the Catholic church. There is no faith in that organization to defend or protect. It is utterly false in its doctrines, morals, laws and disciplines, and worship. Therefore, we as Catholics should treat the Novus Ordo as we treat the Lutherans, Calvinists, Baptists, Anglicans, and even the schismatic “Orthodox” churches. We really don’t give a hill of beans about them.
Therefore, let it go, man. Let that organization destroy itself. Relax. This terrible tragedy had to happen. It was predicted in Sacred Scripture, and it is a just punishment to men for having so much contempt for the Church over the centuries, and, more proximately, for Catholics since the 1920’s not taking their faith seriously.
I appreciate your comments very much but your solution doesn’t make sense to me. You say ‘let it go man, Let the organization destroy itself, relax’.
Is this really the attitude Jesus Christ wants us to take? I’ve always taken my faith seriously and was even labelled a ‘Jesus freak’ by one of my brothers. I have two daughters and two sons whom I raised in this false religion. The two daughters have left the Novus Ordo religion (thanks be to God). Unfortunately they are now leading evil worldly lives (following atheism), and will end up in hell if they don’t repent, and amend their lives. My two sons remain in the Novus Ordo religion together with my wife clinging to the quasi-Latin mass offered by FSSP ‘priests’ and are taking the recognize and resist position accepting Bergoglio as a true Pope in spite of his obvious modernist teachings and practices. They can all look me in the eye and say, you taught and followed this ‘false’ religion, relax get over it, who are you to now say it isn’t true? Their FSSP ‘priest’ when they inquired about my sedevacantist position posited the simple question, ‘who’s Daniel, is he a theologian?’, and then added ‘don’t listen to him when he talks about sedevacantism’.
My example of the priest being put to death for abusing the child illustrates the necessity of extreme penalties in certain cases. This priest can no longer abuse children and his soul will have been saved had he made a good confession and accepted his punishment. Isn’t that true charity? What of these modernists? They continue to destroy countless souls and who holds them accountable? Are we Catholics not to work for justice in this life? What of the words of St. Pius X, ‘modernists should be beaten with fists’? I read somewhere that the cardinals were physically held in captivity by the laity in the Vatican for months during one of the Papal interregnums until they elected a true Pope. Aren’t Catholics supposed to hold these modernists to account? Are we to do what most of the apostles did in the garden of Gethsemane, run and hide, or do we follow the example of St. John the Apostle? We are to stand beneath the cross of Jesus Christ with Our Blessed Mother, and follow him on the way to crucifixion? In practical terms what does that mean?
What practical things can we do? That is what I am asking those who are reading my comments. Am I doing enough, just educating myself in the true Catholic faith, praying, holding fast to tradition as best I can? Is prayer and fasting all we can do right now practically speaking? Individually or as a group with other like minded Catholics? Furthermore, where are the legitimate Catholics now? I’ve researched sedevacantists and they are all over the place theologically. Are they really Catholic? How does one know for sure?
Our Lady of Sorrows pray for us, Our Lady Destroyer of Heresies pray for us.
Do what you can. But my point is that there is no civil authority and certainly no ecclesiastical authority to start an inquisition.
Secondly, the NO Church is NOT the Catholic Church. So why don’t we have an Inquisition for Orthodox, Anglicans, Calvinists, various Marranos, etc. It is pointless. They are not the Catholic Church. Inquisitions and the execution of perverted priests are a good idea when the Church had recognized power and authority in society. Those measures are impossible and imprudent in the current state of affairs.
My suggestion: Study your faith, pray, do penance, try to convince your loved ones of their errors, be a good example, and then leave the rest to Our Lady and the Providence of the Almighty.
You are not alone my friend. We are saturated with stories like yours.
Daniel, I am very sorry for your family situation. It would be much easier for everyone if the “good/ godly people” were on one side and all the “evil/ heretical people” were on the other side. But alas, the wheat and the tares grow together.
You did the very best you could with what you knew at the time. Much was hidden from the laity. That is still the case. We have all been deceived; some of us never knew anything different than the NO Church. I was born in 1963. People awaken at different times and in varying ways; some people never awaken.
If the theological ground is unstable and ready to give way (as it is with the Conciliar Church of Vatican II) … then go back to the solid ground of the Baltimore Catechism, the TLM mass, the spiritual classics, the Roman Missal prior to VII.
I have good friends who think Francis is humble and holy and most merciful. They think he is a gift and a blessing to the Catholic faith. The modernization of the Catholic Church is long overdue in their eyes and Francis is courageously leading the way. It is a good thing. Yes, they actually believe all of that.
My words and my warnings have fallen on deaf ears. My gentle questioning is entirely ignored. If I go too far, too fast, the conversation ends with: “I don’t want to talk about that.” So I pray and I turn these loved ones over to God.
I then focus on saving my own soul. What do I need to do to save my own soul. God will judge in the end and he will judge justly. I am not God. Each person must decide for him or herself the truth of Christ, the Gospel, the Church, etc. Each person must follow (or not). There are some places where we walk alone.
Some people use anger and insult to forward their agenda, others use a façade of love and caring to push their beliefs. But when the wool comes off they are like ravenous wolves if they don’t get their way. Christ told us (Matt.10:34) Do not think I came to send peace upon the earth: I came not to send peace but the sword” Bergoglio’s socialism has poison him with a foolish view of the world, many will be holding hands with heretics on their way to Hell and knowing all the way that it was the broad road.
“Maria Divine Mercy” is an absolute fraud and was exposed as such. She most certainly never received messages from Our Lord or Our Lady. That doesn’t mean everything she put out is false, but then that’s what makes a false visionary so dangerous: that he gets some things right, thus deceiving the masses more easily.
The answer is never found in private revelations. The word private is crucial.
Who declared it to be a fraud, the Novus Ordo Church? I’ve never heard of it so a quick search on the web and it supposedly began November 8, 2010. Now that there is no legitimate Catholic Church hierarchy, who decides?
I avoid private revelations as a matter of principle, following the advice of St. John of the Cross. St. John of the Cross spoke about how Satan seeks souls who want
signs and wonders because they are very easily deceived. He lived at the
time of the 40 year deception of Sr. Magdalen of the Cross, the woman who
made a pact with the devil and she was involved in many incredible signs and wonders all worked by the power of Satan. She was possessed by a couple of demons. Fortunately she was exorcised and repented before she died.
I pray to St. John of the Cross daily, ‘obtain for me the grace not to be a seek signs and wonders’.
Our Lady of Sorrows pray for us, Our Lady Destroyer of Heresies pray for us
The rule of thumb has to be that unless and until there is a declaration from the Church that a private revelation is safe (i.e. not contrary to faith or morals), then it ought not to be bothered with.
‘Maria Divine Mercy’ is Mary Carberry. She was exposed as a fraud years ago. You can find info on that all over the internet.
Who declared her to be a fraud? Is it possible that people declare themselves by the fruit of their lives (i.e., words and deeds)? Did not Jesus himself say that we will know a tree by its fruit? A good tree bears good fruit and a bad tree bears bad fruit.
Fraud or approved, we are not obliged to know about private revelations. However we are obliged to know the faith to the best of our abilities and state in life. We will not be judged on our knowledge of the apparitions of Our Lady of Walsingham, but we most certainly will be judged on how well we educated ourselves on the doctrines, morals, laws and worship of the Catholic Church. Good examinations of conscience (before the wretched vatican II council) included at least a question, “Have I neglected the means of religious instruction?”
How can we love something we do not know? But, if we love God and His Church having only a rudimentary knowledge, just think how much more we would love God, if we had a greater knowledge of all His truths.
If the Catholic Church will rise glorious after this terrible time of great apostasy (and She will), I believe it will be through those who know the faith better, and love God and the Church more than the Catholics of the 1920s through 1960s.
As a beer enthusiast, I am disturbed at the contempt some of you have for one of the greatest tools invented: the bottle opener.
And, I must say Jorge’s cross is much uglier than any of my bottle openers.
Is Novus Ordo Watch aware of the legitimate criticisms made of this website for posting links to indecent images even with the ‘CAUTION! Indecent image warnings?’ What is Novus Ordo Watch’s justification for posting these links? What purpose does it serve? Isn’t the risk of leading some curious soul into sin reason enough not to post these links?
Is the need to demonstrate the ‘vileness’ of the Novus Ordo Religion sufficient? Has Novus Ordo Watch sought the spiritual advice of a Catholic priest regarding this particular issue? Is that priest willing to post a comment regarding this issue and the policy of Novus Ordo Watch?
Here is a website that makes this criticism:
http://www.trusaint.com/novus-ordo-watch/
I do not agree with the accusations of heresy made by the aforementioned website regarding Novus Ordo Watch. However, being one of those souls who practices custody of my eyes and recognizing how easy it is to fall into the sin of impurity I would encourage Novus Ordo Watch to revisit its policy.
I am well aware of other websites that use graphic images and videos depicting examples of the impure practices of the Novus Ordo Religion. Should Novus Ordo Watch try to set a higher standard than these other websites perhaps?
Isn’t it true that more souls perish in hell for sins of the flesh that any other sin?
Our Lady of Sorrows pray for us, Our Lady Destroyer of Heresies pray for us.
Every so often, someone raises that as an objection. What is the purpose of posting links to indecent images, albeit with a disclaimer? Quite simply: We have to prove our case. We cannot accuse the Vatican II Sect of something horrific and then not prove it. So, unfortunately, in order to be able to substantiate our criticisms of the Novus Ordo Sect, we must offer proof, and so that’s why a link is often necessary. Could this, per accidens, lead a particular soul into sin? Yes, I’m afraid so — but then such souls, if they cannot refrain from clicking on such links, should perhaps avoid this web site or use of the internet altogether, at least without a filter. Clearly, no one ought to be *needlessly* tempted to do anything sinful, but here there is need: People must be provided with the evidence against the diabolical Novus Ordo Sect.
And by the way: There *are* some things that we deliberately do not report on simply because there is not sufficient justification for doing so (i.e. there is greater risk than benefit). But you don’t hear about those stories we omit, precisely because they don’t get mentioned.
I hope this clarifies things a bit. God bless you.