by Br. Alexis Bugnolo
The last 60 years, and especially the last 2 months are making one question more relevant every day: Is the fact that the Catholic Clergy have the Catholic Faith become an article of faith?
I mean to say, since there is less and less evidence daily that the clergy believe the Catholic Faith, because they do not show it by their actions, has confidence that they are Catholic become an article of belief, something we must trust is true even without visible evidence?
This is the Question.
Share your own opinions in the comments here below.
Most do not because the faith has been stripped almost bare in the seminaries, beginning with the cessation of teaching the dogma, no salvation outside the Church. Moreover the Masonic NO mass has de-Catholized the people, most especially and cruelly the priest.
In my days as a fundamentalist Baptist pastor it was nearly universal that prospective candidates for the pastorate were required to agree to the doctrinal statement prepared by the local church and affirm it publicly usually by his signature. Nothing has been so distressing to me having joined what I thought was the Catholic Church to find so many bishops and particularly priests who absolutely were not Catholic. Equally distressing to me was seeing so many faithful Catholics accepting the communion from heretical priests when the Catholic Church historically honored with sainthood those who died for refusing to accept communion from heretics! Equally distressing and perhaps an even more unforgivable crime is the silence of “conservative” and “traditionalist” Catholic voices in leadership on this incredible scandal which to me is the primary reason God has taken the Church Sacraments from us — we simply no longer deserved them.
Who except the Blessed Virgin Mary ever really “deserves” the Holy Eucharist? I mean to say, that of course, with the sacramental grace available to us through Confession and Absolution, God gives us the means to be able to “stand in His presence and serve Him”. At the same time, as mere creatures, apart from Him, we can only ever deserve what Divine Justice (without Christ’s life and death) would render unto us.
All this to say that we have thrown God out of society and out of the anti-church; thus, He has allowed Himself to be suspended at GREAT cost to Himself because, I believe, it is He Who desires to be with us even more than we desire to be with Him. His is an infinite desire and ours is not.
I spoke similar words to my pastor on April 26th. He said that he would just hate to infect one of the kids at the grade school and that the bishop had made a difficult decision on behalf of the “common good” especially with such an aging priesthood in our diocese. On April 20th I hand delivered all the various and sundry data to the pastor and associate pastor, the bishop, and his ten-member “Corona Response Team” and spoken briefly with the bishop in person regarding the non-theoretical, health “data driven” facts that we now have to help with certainty and confidence-based policies.
Mass is still suspended even though the state’s recovery planners have said that it’s probably safe to have Mass again WITH the “new normal’ in place: masks, social distancing, sanitizing, etc.. Thus the bishop has decided that since he doesn’t want to unfairly choose the 10-faithful per Mass who would be allowed to be in the building at one time to assist, he will just continue to keep the public Mass suspended until there is an “all clear” signal from the state health officer.
Keep in mind that our county recovery plan itself states that “the guidelines will evolve” based on their chosen metrics, which of course, can arbitrarily change without notice. Since the Association of Territorial and State Health Officers (ATSHO) use the same resources for ALL their planning needs, most if not all recovery plans in the USA will be eerily, boiler plate similar.
Here is a link to the article with the suggested think tank policy resources which, by the way, are heavily funded by……(wait for it)…..the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. The American Enterprise Institute in 2009 over 2 MM dollars and in 2012 over 1.7 MM; the Center for American Progress, AND Resolve to Save Lives (Initiative for Vital Strategies) which is funded by Bloomberg, Gates, and Zuckerberg. Yep, yep, yep.
https://www.astho.org/StatePublicHealth/What-is-Needed-for-Community-Recovery-from-the-COVID-19-Pandemic/04-17-20/
You’re blessed to have found the One True Holy Apostolic Church, outside of which there’s no salvation. Those protestant sects might sometimes look attractive but they each have their own creed so their apparent faith is not what it may seem.
I’m sorry – I meant what I wrote earlier as a reply to david webster.
I personally know four priests in Hong Kong and a fifth that visits regularly that have genuine Faith. I have known others, but some have died and some retired to their countries of origin.
I know OF others who I have heard have genuine Faith, but I cannot verify that personally.
The two Cardinals and one Bishop here, including the so-called “Apostolic Administrator” (not sure when that title was invented or what it really signifies) appear NOT to have genuine Faith.
Hong Kong was one of the first Dioceses worldwide to suspend public Masses, weeks before Civil authorities required this. And even though we are basically clear of new COVID-19 infections now, and have been for some weeks, it seems we won’t have public Masses until next month now, much later than many places that suspended Masses well after Hong Kong.
The great apostasy. Predicted. I don’t think a generation or two of the priests learned the Faith I did in the 50’s. I was once in a priest’s office who had a picture of Jesus heartily laughing. A priest who knew the Faith I was taught said Jesus didn’t laugh. For to laugh you have to be surprised, hear a punch line, and Jesus always knew what was coming, was never surprised. Plus he was the man of sorrows. Test everything, hold on to what is good. Thank you Brother.
By now, the demons must have more faith in God and in the Eucharist than the clergy because they have succeeded in shutting down masses and laughing at the reopening of masses with all sorts of crazy, sacrilegous, profanations and customs, such that it would be better NOT to have masses at all!!
Heck, the clergy no longer believe in demons! It’s almost a dogma of the faith to say the clergy have lost the faith were it not for the few who are fighting and vowing loyalty to the true Vicar of Christ.
Most of the clergy have Vatican II Catholic faith or the same faith of most Protestants. Vatican II faithful believe God is a God of Mercy who wishes us to be good world citizens by showing obedience to the government and helping the needy. By doing this we assure ourselves a place in heaven.
Traditional Roman Catholics who believe and practice their faith have become a rarity, maybe 2% of all Catholics.
They don’t believe in EENS which is a dogma of the faith. They feel justified but don’t have anything to offer infidels except that God is merciful, but you have to believe in Him, be a member of His Church & faithful to His precepts. The Enlightenment wasn’t very enlightening after all.
I reserve judgment until after things begin. I want see what happens when The Warning, The Chastisement, The Great Tribulation and the Reign of the Antichrist run their course. Then it will be revealed who among the clergy posseses the moral courage to adhere to the True Teachings of the Roman Catholic Faith.
I remember back in the sixties when priests were given salaries, greatly reduced hours & the ability to form unions, I remarked to our curate that the CC had joined the proletariat – a Marxist word for workers. He was shocked but I knew it was the beginning of the downgrading of the vocation of the priesthood. Satan had entered the Vatican & has been allowed to do what he set out to do – demolish the OHC&A Church. With the demise of the SSPX & the other so-called traditional orders just hanging on by their teeth (they all accept Antipope F) there is really no way out for the orthodox Catholic to go. Rome needs exorcising as well as their episcopates, not from the air but actually inside their churches, cathedrals, seminaries & dwelling places. Russia must be consecrated to the Immaculate Heart of Mary soonest before any progress is made & AF needs immediate removal from the PO which was demonically usurped from PBXVI.
I have a question. If a pastor demands the faithful obey all restrictions the state demands for public Masses, as long as the restrictions don’t intrude on receiving the sacraments the normal way, is it a sign of weak faith if the pastor goes along with the demand that masks must be worn?
I could be talked out of it but at the moment I can’t bear the thought of wearing a mask because it seems a sign that I personally believe the danger of not wearing one is very high, and I think it’s fair to say that it should be common knowledge by now that the danger is very low. On the other hand, I wonder if I might be sinning by refusing to go to a church that demands everyone wear a mask. The pastor has said the Sunday obligation will only be in effect again once all restrictions are lifted.
Essentially I think my question is: Should my will to receive the sacraments be stronger than my will to always tell the truth? I think I’d be lying by wearing a mask.
I wouldn’t have any problem with the distancing rules because that’s not under my control, whereas what I wear certainly is.
Communion with God requires that we live the truth and live in the truth and testify personally to the truth. We cannot compromise on any truth to receive the Sacraments. Just as if a pastor was required by the state to say that man evolved from monkies and required all at mass to say the same to receive, no Catholic could do this. How can we approach Infinite Truth pretending a lie. It would be the occasion of mortal sin and a horrible insult to God. The clergy who do this, knowing there is no reasonable threat from covid are false pastors leading souls to sacrilege. The state cannot change the rubrics of the mass, covid is not the black death. Politics cannot replace faith or reason.
Already this pastor has said in an email to me that of course we won’t be required to wear masks to receive Holy Communion…so he’s basically laughing at me. I guess I’m supposed to be grateful that he hasn’t said ‘Don’t worry. You’ll be receiving Communion intravenously in a state approved vaccine.’
I personally agree to the comments appearing here.
I got hundreds of friend-priests, majority of them replied, “well, if our bishops will tell us to do it (to say Mass against the directives of the government), we will follow’.
However, I have more priests telling me that they should follow the governments directives “for the general safety of the majority”. Likewise, that many bishops are scolding their priests who officiated the Mass without their permission afraid that the government authorities will sanction them…..
This is the very horrible and very sad state of the Catholic Church today.
There is one priest that I know who has the true Catholic faith. He is in his nineties. However, below is a letter sent to LifesiteNews which is a letter to the Bishops and is generally a letter which was sent to our Bishop.
May the peace of the Eucharistic Jesus be with you. I pray this letter finds you and those in your dioceses in good health – spiritually, first, and then physically.
This letter comes from Divine Charity and a heart which desires the salvation of souls. Admittedly, when the churches were first closed in this Nation, there was anger and confusion in my heart. However, Mother Mary turned this anger into tears. Tears of repentance and tears for the many souls that could be lost at this time. I beg each of you to read and consider this letter carefully as I wish the very best for your souls and the souls of those in this Nation – Heaven.
Just as a bishop or priest is called to admonish and help his flock understand when they have strayed from the path toward Heaven so are those of the flock called to admonish and help one another, even bishops and priests when their decisions cause more confusion than understanding. Would this not be a corollary spiritual work of mercy? I will admit that I may not have all the information that you have, but the actions of preventing the faithful from participating in Mass and receiving the Sacraments shows the mind and hearts of the Bishops.
Saint Maximilian Kolbe is quoted as saying, “Do not fear death – fear sin!” His short quote is nothing more than a summary of what our Lord Jesus Christ is quoted as sayings in the Gospel of Saint Matthew (10:28), “And do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul; rather fear him who can destroy both soul and body in hell.” Does not the Church and Our Lord teach us that our spiritual well-being is more important than our physical well-being? Does not the soul have a higher priority than the body? “For what does it profit a man, to gain the whole world and forfeit his soul?” says the Lord in the Gospel of Saint Mark (8:36). If this is true, the spiritual well-being is greater than the physical, it appears the message and actions by the Bishops are different than the teachings of Christ and His Church.
First, there are some States that did not prevent religious services from occurring. It is difficult to understand why dioceses in these States would stop all Masses and Sacraments when the States did not direct religious services to stop. The following guidelines would have been appropriate to implement: (1) asking those who were sick to stay home, (2) asking those who were higher risk for infection such as elderly and those who had pre-existing conditions to stay home, (3) suspending the distribution of the Precious Blood in the chalices. During this time of Masses being cancelled, grocery stores, gas stations, and even restaurants with driver-thru service have been operating. All of these feeds the physical, but not the spiritual. Could not the churches have continued with other options as outlined above?
Second, it seems statements regarding the dispensation from attending Mass is dangerous to the souls of the faithful. Is it not God who gave us the Third Commandment – “Keep holy the sabbath” which was fulfilled by Christ and is now – “Keep holy the Lord’s Day?” There are two ways of attending Mass. We can attend Mass physically and spiritually. This is how the faithful were attending Mass before the introduction of the Wuhan-virus. We were present at the church. We physically and spiritually received the Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity of Christ. The second way of attending Mass is spiritually. In our homes or at our work or in a hospital bed, we can spiritually attend Mass. We can spiritually receive the Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity of Christ. Is one ever dispensed from the worshipping of the Creator of the world? We are not dispensed from giving honor to God and Christ our King on Sunday or any day of the week for that matter. Is it not true when we leave this life we will either live forever in the presence of Divine Charity or forever separated from God existing in a state of utter despair? Many souls are in danger of spiritual death when they are not aware a spiritual option is available for their soul. Please let the faithful know that they are not dispensed from worshipping God, the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost.
There is another Commandment of Jesus that is not being fulfilled by preventing the faithful from attending Mass. Even though we can receive Jesus spiritually at this time, He desires that we receive Him physically as well. At the Last Supper, Jesus commanded the disciples to “Take and eat” and to “Take and drink” for it was His Body and Blood that was being offered for them and for us. He commanded that this be done in remembrance of Him. This Commandment of Jesus is not being obeyed. Yes, the priests are able to “Take and eat,” but the faithful have been prevented from receiving Jesus physically.
Third, do we have faith in Jesus Christ or in man in times of crisis? The Church has always placed its faith in Jesus when there is a crisis or a need and not in man. On April 30, we remembered Saint Pius V who called on all Catholics to pray the Rosary as the Turks were planning an invasion of Rome. In a battle in which the Catholics were outnumbered, the Turks were defeated. Many people are cured of diseases because they call on the intercession of holy men and women who followed Christ. They had faith that from Christ through these men and women they would be cured. The woman in the Gospel of Saint Mark who had a blood disorder for years and sought cures from men came in faith to Jesus, touched the hem of His garment, and was cured (Saint Mark 5:25-34). Finally, in AD 591, there was a plague in Rome. Many people were dying from this plague. Saint Gregory the Great took up the image of Our Lady, painted by Saint Luke, and walked through the streets of Rome. They prayed for the end to the plague. Saint Gregory the Great understood the plague to be a chastisement from God, and encouraged the faithful to repent of their sins and pray for deliverance from the plague. This plague was so powerful that many people died as they walked toward the place where the procession would begin. They were not encouraged to stay home. They were called to stand in faith for Christ through Our Lady against this scourge. As the procession neared the Vatican, the participants all saw Saint Michael as he sheathed his flaming sword and the plague had ended. The people and the Bishop of Rome had faith in God.
The Bishops throughout the United States and throughout the world have closed the churches in an effort to stop the spread of the Wuhan-virus. This has prevented the faithful from coming to receive strength and nourishment from Jesus Christ, Truly Present in the Blessed Sacrament. But could this action by the Bishops be permitted by God to prevent further sacrileges from happening? If it is true that about 70% of Catholics do not believe in the True Presence of Christ in the Blessed Sacrament and these same individuals receive Communion on Sunday, they are “eating and drinking judgment on themselves” as Saint Paul tells us in the Scriptures (1 Corinthians 11:29). Do the Bishops believe in the True Presence of Christ in the Blessed Sacrament? If so, why have we not heard more from the Bishops attempting to educate the members of the Church on the True Presence? Why is the Church more focused on climate change and social justice than on changing the hearts, minds, and souls of people away from material, earthly things to Christ Himself? In the end, it should not surprise us that the churches are closed and the Sacraments are kept from the faithful. There is very little faith in God. Remember, when the woman with the blood disorder came to touch Jesus. He asked the disciples who had touched Him because He felt power leave Him. How did the disciples answer? They said, “You see the crowd pressing around You, and yet You say, ‘Who touched Me?’” What is the point? Many people wanted to be around Jesus and be physically healed but they did not have faith in Him. They could touch Him, but His power was not given to them. Only the one who had faith in Jesus received His power and His healing. Only the one with faith in Jesus was saved. Do we have faith that Jesus saves? If we do, we would not prevent people from coming to the One who said, “Come to Me, all who labor and are heavy laden and I will give you rest.” (Saint Matthew 11:28)
I thank you in God for taking the time to read and consider these words which come from a heart concerned for the souls of those in the diocese, in the United States, and in the world. Leon Bloy said, “The only tragedy is that we do not become saints.” We cannot become saints separated from Jesus. He has told us “for apart from Me you can do nothing.” (Saint John 15:5b)
May the Lord bless all of you in all of your work and give you great strength and faith through the Sacred Heart of Jesus and the Immaculate Heart of Mary.
St Philip & St James
What a letter! Beautiful. True.
Who wrote it, the nonagenarian priest!? Deserves universal circulation.
B. B.
A historian, whose name I forgot, once wrote 95% of the bishops during the Arian heresy were Arian. Therefore, Athanasius was one of 5%. Centuries after this heresy ran its course, St. Alphonsus wrote 95% of bishops and 90% of priests go to Hell. Was the Arian heresy worse than the current upheaval we are experiencing? Considering we actually had a legitimate Catholic pope during most of the Arian plague (except antipope Felix II from 355-358 when Pope Liberius was banished by Constantius for his support of Athanasius), I would argue the current situation is worse.
Every sin is connected to some weakness or lack of faith. If we go with Alphonsus’ 90% figure, today more than 90% of priests have a deficiency in faith.
Another problem we have is a complete misunderstanding of obedience. I have run into many Catholics, especially priests, who blindly follow their errant bishops thinking this is a humble and holy action. Predominantly, it is Catholics with military background who grasp the difference between legal and illegal orders or, in this case, virtuous and indiscreet obedience. In the military, we are accountable for following illegal orders. Priests who ignore Church teaching under the guise of obedience also lack faith. How many would that be? Just ask: which priests refused the sacraments to their sheep during the lock downs?
I think it safe to say, faithful priests are part of the one percent which reflects upon the wider Catholic membership. I find it difficult to believe priests had faith when they entered the seminaries, but lost it there. I think it more likely they were not well catechized to begin with. The crisis is in the family. The interesting point here is that, unlike their clerics, most lay Catholics were faithful during the Arian heresy and were able to recover from it. However, that is not true today, so the future does not look promising without Divine interference.
Frs. Isaac Mary Reylea and Michael Rodriguez appear to hold the Faith by their words and actions. I think the true test to see if a priest holds the Faith is in his reaction to a challenge or difficulty like the one we’re experiencing right now. A simple thing such as removing the holy water from the fonts proves that they do not believe in the power of the sacramentals to prevent harm to our bodies and souls, which could then be construed that they do not truly believe in the power of Our Lord Jesus Christ.
We cannot hold as an article of faith that one believes the Faith simply by professing it, it must be shown or proven. Not everyone who says “Lord, Lord” will enter the kingdom of Heaven…