Varying Opinions Of Lenten Fasting

I think that many of us are all too aware of the "dumbing down" of various Church disciplines, including those called fasting and abstinence.  When I made my First Holy Communion, the Vatican II council was still in session.  That means that the Sacraments and various disciplines were still "pre-Vatican II".

We were required to fast for three hours before Holy Communion.  As I was a small child, I was exempt from the stricter Lenten fast.  Fish on Fridays was always the norm, however.  Vatican II and its misapplications began to be made manifest while I was twelve years old, so I was never obliged to engage in the strict Lenten fast.

That was also the time when there was much upheaval and "dumbing down".  I won't rehearse them all, but suffice it to say that when I rediscovered Church patrimony, I was by far not alone in lamenting the de facto disappearance of ascetical discipline.  That lamentation, however, came with its own spiritual perils.  Quite a few traditionalists, in their zeal for restoring Church disciplines, seem to make it a point of pride - and I do mean "pride" in the harmful sense of the word - to pursue rigor and to chide others for not conforming to their particular standards.  In other words, sometimes the pendulum swings too much in the opposite direction.

A year or two ago, a well-known podcaster, during Holy Week, announced that he was going on a "black fast" for Holy Saturday.  That is, he would eat no solid food nor take liquid nourishment.  Then he challenged his listeners to do the same, to "not be wimps".  Hmmm... Isn't that interesting, in light of today's Gospel, where Jesus exhorted His followers to fast and not to make their fasting manifest?  Since when did a fast become an occasion for swaggering bravado?

Today, Ann Barnhardt, whom I do hold in respect, published an unfortunate piece regarding fasting.  It is actually factually inaccurate.  She states that "fasting means to not eat any food whatsoever".  That's not how the Church has defined it - and I'm talking about the Church's definition for the past several hundred years, not just since Vatican II.

I am now going to post links to other sites so that I don't have to "reinvent the wheel", as it were.

• https://voxluci.com/catholic-fasting-rules-then-vs-now/ 
• https://acatholiclife.blogspot.com/2022/02/history-of-lenten-fasting-how-to.html 
• https://fatima.org/news-views/pasting-part-7-fasting-in-the-1900s-pre-vatican-ii/ 

Only for a short while was Ash Wednesday taken to be a day of total fast.  The typical fast day in Lent was a meal after Vespers was prayed, with two smaller snacks (not summing to the regular meal) were permitted.  No warm-blooded meats were to be consumed.  The fast was binding on adults between the ages of 21 to 59 years, while abstinence bound those from 14 on up.

One might have certain convictions about their need to observe a more rigorous fast.  That's fine.  However, we dare not imagine that our convictions are somehow binding upon other Catholics.

16th Century Roots Of The Deep State And Deep Church

In this evening's episode of the Anchor Team, Michael Hichborn traced some roots of the deep state/church as they went all the way back to the Protestant Revolt of the 16th century.  With the heresies of protestantism taking root, the rot of Christian civilization got underway and freemasonry spread and grew in influence.

I am not going to try to rehash the entirety of this program.  Suffice it to say that anyone who calls themselves a faithful Catholic has a duty to inform themselves regarding the forces that impact their church, their countries, the futures of their children and grandchildren.  The hour that will be required to watch this clip will be well worth it.  We talk of praying for the Church and the present woes, as well as that of society in general.  How do we think we can pray effectively and intelligently if we can't be bothered to understand how we got to this sorry position in which we find ourselves?

I will point out one thing.  We know that President Trump is no perfect person.  We saw proof of that when he stated that he wanted to expand the availability of in vitro fertilization, an inherently sinful practice.  However, he has cut off the funding to various arms of the deep state.  Had Kackles won the election, IVF would still be available, and funding to the deep state/church would have been unabated.

Archbishop Vigano Faces Vatican Kangaroo Court

Archbishop Carlo Vigano, former Papal Nuncio to the United States, has been one of the few prelates to call a spade a spade when it comes to the mischief occasioned by Vatican II and in particular, this current papacy with which the Church is now being scourged.  He has also been a key factor in exposing the former prelate Theodore McCarrick as being not only a sexual predator, but also a facilitator in the progressive rot that has infested the Church hierarchy.

Comes now the news that the Vatican's Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith demanded that Vigano go to the Vatican for an "extrajudicial process" to answer for the "crime of schism".  That phrase "extrajudicial process" is quite intriguing. The "extra" prefix hints that this process does not fall within normal canonical guidelines for a normal judicial process.  Without canonical regulations, anything goes, right?  Unless I am misunderstanding something (could be quite possible), that phrase "extrajudicial process" might just be a fancy synonym for "kangaroo court".

The communication from the Vatican to Vigano can be found on that LifeSiteNews page.  Archbishop Vigano has issued a response, and it is well worth studying.  Every word of it is true.  It can be found at this link.  Should it go "missing", I have saved a copy of it, and suggest that all readers do the same.

Archbishop Vigano is by no means in schism.  He does, however, represent a threat to those who are treating their episcopal authority as their personal plaything, a tool to undermine and even destroy the Church from within.  We are seeing concurrently another manifestation.  LifeSiteNews and other Catholic outlets are reporting that the pope et al are frustrated that the Latin Mass is not withering away.  In fact, interest in it has even increased.  Details are not yet clear, but it seems that even more draconian restrictions are set to be inflicted on July 16.  

This Mass will NOT shrivel up and go away.  It has nurtured many Saints over the last several hundred years.  It is protected by Quo Primum, the papal bull issued by Pope St Pius V.   Other prelates such as Bishop Schneider and Cardinal Burke have stated that the Mass belongs to the Church's tradition and thus cannot be legitimately eliminated.  I wonder - will those two eventually be summoned to their own "extrajudicial processes"?

We need to stand with Archbishop Vigano and these others.  We need to stand for the Traditional Latin Mass and tell these prelates that they must back down.  It is not we who have forgotten who they are; it is they who disregard their own sacerdotal offices.

The Disaster Known As Vatican II

In the middle of this video, Michael Matt shows the opening ceremonies of Vatican II.  One thing that one immediately notices is the grandeur that one belonged to the Catholic Church.  This was when she knew her place as the Bride of Christ, entrusted to bring the Gospel of Jesus to the world and to lead them to salvation via the Sacraments and her Teachings.  Alas, some nefarious elements had already insinuated themselves into the hierarchy by stealth.  They sought to undermine the Church's teaching authority to her clerics and laity; in large part, they succeeded.

After watching the video, please scroll below it for there is much more to be said.

Some have opined that the Vatican II fathers might have meant well and the whole thing simply ran amok in its implementation.  Those good intentions might well have been held by the majority of the bishops, but enough of them, particularly those in high offices of the Vatican, seem to have had intentions to undermine the Church.  Pope John XXIII was either their willing dupe or their accomplice.  Michael Matt, in another piece, detailed how the then-pope undermined and directly thumbed his nose at an encyclical written by his immediate predecessor, Pope Pius XII.  That encyclical is Humani Generis.  That link takes you to the English translation on the Vatican website.  Please read it in its entirety.

Take a look at Matt's piece and study closely some of the quotes from John XXIII.  Regarding the errors condemned by Pius XII, he said, "Frequently she has condemned them with the greatest severity. Nowadays, however, the spouse of Christ prefers to make use of the medicine of mercy rather than that of severity.'

Now who else has yammered about "mercy" as though it is superior to God's justice?  We also know that quite a few dissidents were invited to Vatican II, such as Yves Congar and Hans Kung, along with various Protestant leaders.  Francis continues that practice today.

There is no gainsaying that highly placed dissidents planned the deconstruction of the Church during Vatican II.  Today, they are making no secret of it.  Do we have eyes and ears to perceive what is so plainly set before us?  Do we have the resolve to resist them with prayer and fidelity to the One True Church as she has always existed before she was deformed during these past 60 years?

Freemasonry Infiltrated The Church Decades Ago - The Novus Ordo Mass Is Just One Result

I have known that for a while now, having read a bit about Freemasonry and how it insinuated itself into the Church over the past 100+ years.  LifeSiteNews published a report six weeks ago entitled "Is Masonic Infiltration Responsible For The Widespread Apostacy Among Catholic Clergy?"  That and more.  Anyone who is seriously concerned about the state of affairs in the Church (that should be everyone who calls themselves "Catholic") needs to read that report carefully.  It is long past the time when faithful Catholics can wear rose-colored glasses in regards to the quality of our clergy.  If such Catholics remain stubborn against calling a spade a spade, they will be held culpable of aiding great sin in the Church.

In this report, you'll see some background information regarding:

• Setting an arbitrary retirement age of 75 years for bishops, allowing Masonic Vatican officials to replace the retirees with their Masonic accomplices
• The placement of harmful prelates such as McCarrick, Mahoney, Brown, etc in their respective sees
• The assassination of Pope John Paul I
• The creation of the Novus Ordo Mass by the Mason Anabale Bugnini

The report, at the beginning, cites "Alta Vendita", where the plan for the ruin of the Church was laid out.  It is readily available for reading.  I'd suggest getting it from the Tan Books site.  As you read it, bear in mind that it was written over 100 years ago.  The authors knew that their plans would take decades to implement and that they wouldn't live to see them come to fruition.  But they advocated patience.  Now we may wonder, since they have come to their final end, what they think now - but I digress.

So what brought about this infiltration?  Obviously evil people have been trying to destroy the Church since Christ founded it Himself.  I cannot recall, though, when the evil inside the Church has had such an upper hand.  Perhaps this quote from Saint John Eudes might shed some light.  From his book, "The Priest: His Duties and Obligations"..The most evident mark of God’s anger and the most terrible castigation He can inflict upon the world are manifested when He permits His people to fall into the hands of clerics who are priests more in name than in deed, priests who practice the cruelty of ravening wolves rather than the charity and affection of devoted shepherds. Instead of nourishing those committed to their care, they rend and devour them brutally. Instead of leading their people to God, they drag Christian souls into hell in their train. Instead of being the salt of the earth and the light of the world, they are its innocuous poison and its murky darkness. St. Gregory the Great says that priests and pastors will stand condemned before God as the murderers of any souls lost through neglect or silence….

When God permits such things, it is a very positive proof that He is thoroughly angry with His people, and is visiting His most dreadful anger upon them. That is why He cries unceasingly to Christians, “Return, 0 ye revolting children . . . and I will give you pastors according to my own heart” (Jer. 3, 14-15). Thus, irregularities in the lives of priests constitute a scourge visited upon the people in consequence of sin."

For instance, so many of us have decried the refusal of the popes since 1960 to consecrate Russia to Mary's Immaculate Heart.  Yet how many of us are faithful to the daily Rosary and the Five First Saturdays devotion?  How often do we advocate it?  Also, how many of us tolerate the liturgical abuses of the Novus Ordo without raising one protest, for fear of incurring personal dislike from the priests?

Many of us decry the errors of Francis as he occupies the Chair of Peter, but how many of us have turned blind eyes to the errors of Pope John Paul II and even Pope Benedict XVI?  How many of us complied with the lockdowns and absented ourselves from Mass, when Masses were available (albeit at some sacrifice)?

I will suggest some things that I and others have been suggesting for some time.

• Attend the Traditional Latin Mass, even if you have to drive a bit.  By the way, contrary to popular fairy tale, the SSPX is NOT in schism.  You can attend those Masses and still fulfill Sunday obligation.
• If you have no other choice but to attend Novus Ordo, be reverent and respectful of the Blessed Sacrament on the altar.  Do not behave as though the nave of the church is a social hall.  You might stick out like a sore thumb by so doing, but so what?  Perhaps others, by reason of your example, might come to deeper belief in the Real Presence.
• Pray your Rosaries daily for the conversion of the world.
• Learn as much as you can regarding how the Church got to this sorry state of affairs and tell others about it.

To Demonstrate Collegiality A La Pope Francis, Progressive Prelates Hold Hush-Hush Meeting To Complain About Traditional Faithful Catholics

Much of the internet is ablaze with discussions about some local activists who came across bodies of children murdered by abortion and their subsequent arrests.  I will have much to say about this very soon, but first I am in the process of verifying some facts.

Meanwhile, much mischief is afoot in progressive circles of the Catholic Church.  Last week the pope engaged in what some hope is a consecration of Russia to Mary's Immaculate Heart.  The question is whether or not the consecration happened in accord with the stipulations set forth by Our Lady of Fatima.  I'm no theologian, but it appears to me that at least Pope Francis' prayer came a lot closer to those specifications than did those of his predecessors.  Now did the bishops of the world join him?  That is questionable.

One bunch of prelates who most likely did not join him was a gaggle of progressive bishops who met in Chicago during the time of the consecration.  The meeting itself was rather secretive and people came only by invitation.  The organizers admitted the existence of this gathering only because some media got wind of it.  One Mad Mom has a write-up on it as does Complicit Clergy. 

One prelate who was in attendance was Cardinal Maradiaga, who has the pope's ears on many matters.  Since this gabfest happened in Chicago, we can be certain that Cardinal Cupich at least gave his blessing for it and most likely participated.

They attempted to put forth the image of Francis' papacy as carrying on the work of Vatican II - as if that's a good thing.  They are concerned - very concerned, I tell you - about "opposition to the pope", people "looking to the old liturgy", "the impact of moneyed conservative influence in Catholic social movements" and "reluctance of some U.S. dioceses to implement the grassroots consultation process".  They also blathered about "collegiality".  Yes, nothing exudes "collegiality" like having secretive meetings by select invitation only.  Keep it us guys, and keep demonstrating why you all don't deserve one dime of our contribution dollars.

A 1960s Documentary On The Stupefying Of The Church

Today a facebook friend suggested that we watch an NBC documentary called "The New American Catholic".  I did that about five months ago and blogged on it then.  Some of the commenters on my friend's post pointed out that most of the clergy featured in that film left the priesthood.  I googled some of the names and sure enough, they did.  Look up Bishop James Patrick Shannon or Father William Nerin, for example.  As I listened to some of that guitar stuff, I noticed Ray Repp's music being featured; he died recently and is survived by his "husband", that is, his accomplice in sodomite perversion.  Please pray for his soul.

Admittedly that clip is full of NBC bias, but still the faith of so many Catholics evaporated like water after these changes were crammed down our throats.  I witnessed it first-hand, some of it in my own family.  I wrote some posts in attempts to clarify my own thoughts as to how Catholics could give up their faith without so much as a whimper.  See here, 

As I write this, Lent is just around the corner.  For those of us who follow the Traditional Latin calendar, this Sunday is Septuagesima Sunday, when Lenten preparations begin in earnest.  A few sessions of listening to that film clip might count as mortification of the senses.

Michael Matt On The Movement For The Traditional Latin Mass

Ever since progressives used Vatican II in their attempts to suppress the Mass of the Ages, faithful Catholics have been resisting them.  Some even hosted underground Masses in their homes, as did Walter Matt, first publisher of the Remnant and Michael's father.  Michael Matt now gives a brief synopsis of that history.  We can expect to endure some similar hardships; these must be embraced and not avoided.

The Decades-Old Masonic Infiltration Of Church Hierarchy

We are experiencing a myriad of attacks on our Faith and western civilization.  The crisis at the southern border, the attacks on Traditional Latin Mass, the talk of "vaccine passports" and forced masking - these occurrences are not disjointed from one another.  All of them have undercurrents of Freemasonry to them.  It is quite easy to see how some of this relates to Vatican II, particularly the animosity against the Mass of the Ages, but it goes back further than that.  The masons had to do considerable ground work to get the results they wanted from that council.

Below the jump break I will post three videos that will touch upon the historical background that has led to the mess we see today.  Some cynics might scoff at these as "proponents of conspiracy theories", but truth be told, these days "conspiracy theories" might more accurately be called "spoiler alerts".

Saul Alinsky, Vatican II, And Cancel Culture

 I will be posting a number of videos that may seem somewhat disjointed, but they are really examinations on what has been happening in the Church lately.  The mess started decades ago, quite some time before the obviously turbulent 1960s.

In the first video, Taylor Marshall exposes the friendship that existed between Saul Alinsky and Cardinal Montini in the late 1950s.  Cardinal Montini, a few years after their conversations, became Pope Paul VI.  Doesn't that put Vatican II in a different light?

So it seems that these troubling occurrences of highly-placed prelates hobnobbing and even taking cues from progressive anti-God subversives is nothing new.  It goes back over sixty years and involves the sitting pope at the time.  Could this be one reason why Pope Francis desired to canonize Paul VI?  At Vatican II, the New World Order's war on Christianity was significantly advanced, and continues to this day, with greater momentum.

In this video, Michael Matt talks of the "encouraging" letter that Pope Francis wrote to heretic Fr James Martin, carrying on the dubious tradtion established with the Montini-Alinsky gabfests.

So Father Martin, owing to his dissidence, is one priest who was not canceled at the behest of the New World Order demagogues.  But plenty were.  Several days ago, Steve Bannon interviewed Liz Yore on his War Room podcast, discussing the various "cancellations".  She pointed out two things.  First, the progressives are coming out of hiding and are doing their mischief quite blatantly.  Second, more and  more good people are waking up and are starting to stand up to the nonsense.  My prayer is that this is not "too little, too late".  Here's that video.

Let's be praying our Rosaries.

The Unhinged Father Reese Tips His Progressive And Tyrannical Hand

The above title is an apt summary for the latest rantings by Father Thomas Reese.  He is a Jesuit purveyor of dissidence and general hatred of the One True Faith.  I suppose that last statement contains some redundancies but it still bears saying.

We find his latest piece of manure at Religion News Service, entitled "The Future Of Catholic Liturgical Reform".  In truth, he is simply engaging in a death throe of the glory days of hippie priests and pant-suit nuns.  It is a hodge-podge collection of anti-Catholic and anti-God slogans, all disjointed from each other.  There is so much error in it, one scarcely knows where to begin to unpack the mess.

You'll notice that he has an axe to grind with Pope Benedict XVI.  No doubt this grudge is a result of Pope Benedict's removal of Reese from his editor position at America rag-mag.  One of the more outlandish statements he made was that "children and young people should not be allowed to attend such Masses (meaning the Traditional Latin Mass)."  One of the commenters in the article rightly pointed out that any such prohibition is a usurpation of parental authority.  Please do read the comments for that article; by and large, the readers see through the farce that pours forth from Reese.  

He no doubt notices that the abandonment of tradition is itself passing away with each aging hippy that goes to his or her eternal reward.  The young people who stay with the Church understand, even if only instinctively, that progressive wreckovators like Reese have done nothing but mock our Lord and leave many of their contemporaries rudderless and without knowledge of eternal matters.  They understand that tradition is the guardian of timeless truth and are flocking to it.  Some of us older folks get it, too.  I go to Traditional Latin Masses on Sundays these days.  A goodly percentage of those attending these Masses are young couples with their children - and often quite a few children at that.  Now we see why Reese wants them banned from the Mass.  Reese seems to have jettisoned his faith and replaced it with both ignorance and arrogance.

At least he understands, from a perverse perspective, the principle of "lex orandi, lex credendi, lex vivandi".  This is why he states quite plainly that he wants the Latin Mass to disappear.  That Mass is the most sublime prayer of the Church.  He and his buddies understand that if the Latin Mass is jettisoned, then both faith and morals will likewise be lost.  We've seen it happen on a large scale now for at least 50 years.  Reese wants it to continue unchallenged.

Below I post an analysis of Reese's screed by Taylor Marshall.  Please take the time to listen to this.  I echo his suggestion that all attend the Traditional Latin Mass. 

Suppression Of The Traditional Latin Mass

This video from Taylor Marshall confirms many of my suspicions regarding the way that too many prelates have treated the Traditional Latin Mass.  Incidentally, I've always held the Second Eucharistic Prayer in less than high regard.  I've always known that many priests - particularly older and/or liberal priests - use it because of its hurried brevity.  Younger priests are more apt to choose one of the others, including the first Eucharistic prayer, which is the traditional Roman canon.

During this year-long pandemic, I've not had to miss one Mass.  However, had it not been for the priests offering the Traditional Latin Mass, I would have been deprived of the Mass.  For obvious reasons I cannot go into that detail on this blog.  Suffice it to say that it has only been the priests committed to the Traditional Mass that understood the importance of providing that Sacrament to the faithful Catholics.

Pacts Of The Catacombs Are Pacts With The Devil

Immediately after the Second Vatican Council, in 1965, a group of council attendees met at the Catacombs of Domitilla and signed something called the "Pact of the Catacombs".  I never knew this, but then again I was only a child when Vatican II happened.  Earlier today, some of the sin-nod fathers decided to repeat history, with some more embellishment.  They returned to those catacombs to sign something called "Pact of the Catacombs for the Common Home".  Actually the name is so long as to be ostentatious so I'll just use that shorter version.

George Neumayr wrote an article about both pacts.  He pointed out that the 1965 thing was not much more than a screed for socialism and so-called "social justice".  This new pact is more of the same, but it throws environmentalism and paganism into the mix.  In the Vatican News article, we read a quote from Cardinal Hummes, the chief relator of this Sham-azon Sin-nod, that the sin-nod was a fruit of the Vatican II Council. He may be wrong on so many other matters, but on this matter he is dead-on correct.

I'll now present Michael Matt's commentary on the matter.  As an added treat, we also learn that according to Archbishop Orlando Brandes of San Paulo, we who call out the obvious horror of this synod are "possessed by the dragon of traditionalism".  Whatever.



Now if you want a preview of what the implementation of these pacts will mean for you, take a look at what is likely coming to a parish near you - maybe your own!  The million-dollar question for each one of us is, "in addition to prayer and fasting, what are you prepared to do, should this sacrilege be attempted at your parish?"

Vortex Series On Council Of Trent

Actually the Vortex series started yesterday.  As that video was merely introductory in nature, I saw little point to posting that.

In this clip, Voris makes a point in delineating the differences between the Council of Trent and Vatican II.  He correctly states that the Council of Trent was a dogmatic council, meaning that the proceeds of that council were to be taken as infallible teachings of the Church, while Vatican II was a pastoral council, not intended to produce dogmatic statements.  I must take some issue with Voris at the 1:43 mark, when he describes the Vatican II documents as being "somewhat squishy" and "causing no end of consternation among the faithful".  I certainly agree that many have misinterpreted (sometimes deliberately) those documents and have made overly-much of the "spirit of Vatican II".  However, I think it a grave error to impugn the Vatican II documents themselves as being inherently faulty.  Vatican II may not have held the same weight as Trent, but it was still a Church council and must be respected as such.

That being said, I look forward to hearing more about the Council of Trent, convened to deal with encroaching protestantism among other things.  Click here if you cannot see embedded video.

Sioux City Bishop calls for exorcism of false "spirit of Vatican II"

Most Reverend R. Walter Nickless has been the Bishop of Sioux City (IA) for four years. On October 15th, he released his first pastoral letter Ecclesia Semper Reformanda (The Church Is Always in Need of Renewal). I urge its study; it is an excellent reflection on some mis-applications of Vatican II and what needs to be done to correct some of the resultant damage. He sets these measures forth as "pastoral priorities for the Diocese of Sioux City".

First is the renewal of reverence for the Blessed Sacrament, both in and out of Mass, emphasizing the need for Confession and devotion to the Blessed Mother. In this section he touches upon reverence at Mass and respect for traditions. He reminds folks of the need for Confession in the case of mortal sin before receiving Communion. He exhorts his priests to schedule more frequent and convenient hours for Confession, and to preach on the need for Confession.

As a next priority, he posits the need for catechesis on all levels, beginning with adults. He acknowledges that two generations now have a poor grasp of their faith and this must be remedied through study of the Magisterium and the Catechism.

The next two priorities are the strengthening of the family and the fostering of vocations. I won't go into these here, as I do urge you to read this document for yourselves. It does bear special mention, however, that Bishop Nickless reminds us what the Holy Father has said about the so-called "spirit of Vatican II". The Holy Father said that the meaning of Vatican II is to be found only in the Vatican II documents themselves and that the so-called 'spirit' of the Council has no authoritive interpretation. It is a ghost or demon that must be exorcised if we are to proceed with the Lord's work." What is in italics is a direct quote from the last few sentences of section II of Bishop Nickless' letter.

Let us pray that this is a trend that will spread like wild fire!

Prayers of Pope Leo XIII After Mass

Remember the Leonine Prayers? Pope Leo XIII had a vision in which he saw the Church being attacked by the devil in the 20th century. He was dead-on correct. To call down God's graces on the Church, he directed that certain prayers be prayed after all Low Masses. After Vatican II, those prayers were dropped - with no official directive to do so.

I suggest that these be resumed as soon as possible (click on the link above for these prayers). Even if it doesn't happen in your Church, stay after Mass a few minutes longer and recite them by yourself or with companions. As an added benefit, you will be a witness for reverence to the rest of the congregation who will undoubtedly be carrying on as though the nave of the Church was a social hall.