See - this is exactly what I've been saying ...

Pope Francis in the Wilderness.

Today there is a New York Times article about the Pope's waning popularity and isolation.  It doesn't bother me at all, nor does it worry me.  The article quotes Fr. James Martin in an apparent reference to the 'Dubia Brothers' request for clarification ...

But he (Fr. Martin) said that the cardinals, not Pope Francis, were generating confusion in the church.

“The crashing irony is that some of the same people under John Paul II and Benedict XVI said that any disagreement with the pope is tantamount to dissent,” Father Martin said. - NYT

As I've said before - these people and their friends on social media and in Catholic media generate the confusion, not the Pope.

Catholic doctrine and the means of Eternal Salvation has not changed one iota for me or for anyone else.  The Pope has never taught that it has, nor will he ever do so. 

It is the enemies of the Church and the misled enemies of the Pope who are generating confusion in the Church.

Pope Francis is indeed a 'voice crying out in the wilderness'.  So what do we expect?  As Christ asked his followers, "What did you go out to the desert to see?  A reed swayed by the wind?  Someone dressed in fine clothing?  Those who wear fine clothing are in royal palaces.  Then what did you go out to see?  ... A prophet?"

I'm with the Pope.

Today is the feast of my Confirmation patron saint, St. Peter of Verona, who died writing the Creed in his own blood ... that is why I chose him.  I have great devotion to the Creed.  (It is one of three  essential prayers to gain a plenary indulgence BTW.)

S. Peter Martyr, Credo

Despite their bad laguage and condemnations, sometimes Tradsters get it right.

Case in point: Don't whitewash history - Paul VI was front and center ... Novus Ordo ...

You know - blame it on the Novus Ordo.  New Catholic contradicts Sandro Magister's claim the Bugnini did it and poor Pope Paul had little control over the so-called New Mass.  NC insists  that Paul VI was creator of the Novus Ordo and fully responsible for it.  He's not wrong.  (Ed. note: First the Mass wasn't created or recreated, it was reformed.  I'm not a liturgist, but I think that is a better way to express that.  It is Holy Mass after all and remains the Ordinary Form of Holy Mass in the Latin Rite.  No Pope since has decreed otherwise and has never ever condemned either Bugnini or one of his predecessors for having 'created' a 'bad Mass'.  That, despite what Katherine Emmerich allegedly wrote.)

Aside from the grave disrespect - which I omit, I totally agree with NC's statement below:

Saying Paul VI had little responsibility for the New Mass of Paul VI is like saying Louis XIV had no responsibility for Versailles, since he was not a mason and didn't actually build it with his hands.

Give us a break! Paul VI was the driving force of the liturgical reform. He was front and center the man responsible for it. - Rorate

The buck stops here.

As for the tears of Bl. Pope Paul the Monday after Pentecost, I've always called BS on that as well.  The Holy Father knew and approved the new Missal.  It's my understanding the anecdote originated from a book written by Bishop John Magee, who had been secretary to three Popes.  I find it hard to believe the Holy Father was taken by surprise, but I may be wrong.

The thing about the fault finders is that they can tell the truth about stuff, but they say it like it is a 'bad thing'.  Know what I mean?

Can't take this crap no more!

More bad news for locutionists and seers of the Apocalypse...

North and South Korea.

GOYANG, South Korea (AP) -- The leaders of North and South Korea vowed Friday to seek a nuclear-free peninsula and work toward a formal end to the Korean War this year, though their historic summit concluded with few specifics on how they will reach those ambitious goals.

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and South Korean President Moon Jae-in set aside a year that saw them seemingly on the verge of war. They grasped hands and strode together across the cracked concrete marking the Koreas' border.

The sight, inconceivable just months ago, may not erase their failure to provide any new measures on a nuclear standoff that has captivated and terrified millions, but it allowed the leaders to step forward toward the possibility of a cooperative future even as they acknowledged a fraught past and the widespread skepticism that, after decades of failed diplomacy, things will be any different this time. - AP

What?

Increasing antisemitism in Europe and the United States ...

-public domain-

Lvov pogrom: Women being chased by men and youths 

armed with clubs on Maduba Street, 1941

(Many of the Jews were refugees from

Poland, fleeing Nazis,

 who were in turn murdered by

Ukrainians who did not want them.)

Evidenced online among 'closed' groups of Traditional-ist Catholics.

First, I apologize for the photo of the poor Jewish woman chased by Ukrainian antisemites in WWII.  This image popped up as I was researching another image used in a Crisis article, written by a priest.  The priest was writing about how 'nice' people murdered Jews, or looked on without protest, or just looked away.  The priest suggested the victim in his photo - 'looked defiant and not 'nice''.  It impressed me as wrong for the author to attempt to impute what the man's thoughts were before execution, and to use him like that to contrast the 'niceness' of the Nazi soldiers with the 'not so nice' look of the victim.  In our attempt to humanize-relativize contemporary issues, we can end up exploiting the sufferings of others.  Despite the fact these photographic records can help us to truly 'never forget'.  (Hence my own apologies for using the very sad and frightening photo at the top of the post.)

That said, recently on Facebook a longstanding feud exploded between some bloggers who have always disliked Mark Shea and several other Patheos bloggers.  I don't follow these feuds very closely, I like Mark Shea and some of the Patheos writers just fine, their opponents are mostly people I wouldn't be friends with in the first place.  Those in the group who do know of me do not like me anyway.  (I have deleted some of those I know who are friends or associated with the group and/or members of the group, simply to avoid involvement with all of their traditionalist crisis propaganda.)

Long story short, I saw screen shots containing blatant antisemitic remarks as well as hate-filled mockery against some of the Patheos writers - specifically one woman.  (Here)  The literary assault reminded me of the photo at the top of my post.  It has nothing to do with being nice or not nice.  It portrays terror.  It is a historical record illustrating how the stuff these people write or support in and through their 'friending/following' these people online, on FB, is in fact a form of terrorism.  Hounding people online and calling for them to be raped or beat up is easily recognizable as a form of terrorism, as depicted in the photo I used here.  These holy people claim not to know what Pope Francis is talking about when he addresses the wicked online exchanges, calling detraction and gossip terrorism and even assassination, yet they engage in it day after day, hour after hour online, on FB, on Twitter, on whatever social media site they can hide behind.

Screen shot.

-public domain-

People pretend it's not happening but it is here and it is growing, and those who write about not being 'nice', not being 'kind' are enabling the more creepy people online who flatter themselves for their orthodoxy and impeccable moral superiority.

Happy indeed is the man who follows not the counsel of the wicked, nor lingers in the way of sinners nor sits in the company of scorners,  but whose delight is the law of the Lord and who ponders his law day and night. - Ps. 1

How much we need recourse to Our Lady of Good Counsel in our day.

Feast of Our Lady of Good Counsel 2018.

Our Lady of Good Counsel became a symbol and special patroness of lay involvement and responsibility during the Counter-Reformation. The Jesuits have been instrumental in spreading devotion to Our Lady of Good Counsel since the 1700's.

Prayer 

Holy Virgin, moved by the painful uncertainty we experience in seeking and acquiring the true and the good, we cast ourselves at thy feet and invoke thee under the sweet title of Mother of Good Counsel. We beseech thee: come to our aid at this moment in our worldly sojourn when the twin darknesses of error and of evil that plots our ruin by leading minds and hearts astray.

Seat of Wisdom and Star of the Sea, enlighten the victims of doubt and of error so that they may not be seduced by evil masquerading as good; strengthen them against the hostile and corrupting forces of passion and of sin.

Mother of Good Counsel, obtain for us from thy Divine Son the love of virtue and the strength to choose, in doubtful and difficult situations, the course agreeable to our salvation. Supported by thy hand we shall thus journey without harm along the paths taught us by the word and example of Jesus our Savior, following the Sun of Truth and Justice in freedom and safety across the battlefield of life under the guidance of thy maternal Star, until we come at length to the harbor of salvation to enjoy with thee unalloyed and everlasting peace. Amen. (By Pope Pius XII, 23 January 1953)

Fr. James Martin, SJ - Public Enemy?

Hudson Byblow wrote a piece for NCRegister going after Fr. Martin.

Going after James Martin, S.J. seems to be the new battlefront in between papal exhortations. One problem I have with this constant battle over how Martin fails to acknowledge Courage members is this statement from the Hudson Byblow post:

"Fr. Martin speaks about building bridges. However, he does not seem to be interested in building bridges to people like me who have same-sex attractions as a part of their story but who have found joy in pursuing a heart of chastity within the Catholic Church. " - NCR Courage and Chastity

Obviously Fr. Martin's book isn't written for Byblow. I have posted in the past saying Fr. Martin's book isn't written for me either. Truth be told, if, as Byblow insists, we have found joy in living a chaste life within the Catholic Church, why would we need a special bridge, a special outreach? It seems a bit like the older son's complaint in the Prodigal Son's story - we are already with the Father, with the Church.

If people have problems with Fr. Jim's outreach, with how he presents Catholic teaching, that is one thing, but don't expect him to reach out to you or me or the next Courage member - Courage is already an established and approved apostolate.  Besides, we are doing just fine. Right? That's what we all say - SSA but not gay, and all that stuff. It's quite clear Fr. Martin writes for those who aren't here or there yet - and maybe never will be.

He thinks people are born that way? - prove him wrong, refute his argument, debate him online or in articles such as this, but don't expect him to write a book just for you and me, when we've already crossed that bridge and "found joy in pursuing a heart of chastity within the Catholic Church." Unless you want to have special treatment and recognition all your life.  Our conversion should be the bridge to our integration within the Church, not forming a sect within it.

Just sayin'.

Just a note on how healthy the Roman Catholic Church is in the Archdiocese of St. Paul/Minneapolis

Good Shepherd

Duncan Grant

Lincoln Cathedral

PSA

I'm not sure how it happened, but I get a lot of people on FB friending me - every time I delete friends.  A lot of people is maybe an exaggeration, but if I delete 3, 2 show up.  So I think it may have something to do with my art.  Most of the new people seem to be big 'T' trads - which is fine, I only delete them when they say or link to something crazy, knowing they will be deleting me sooner or later anyway.

Yesterday I came across a comment on one site I soon deleted, complaining about the Novus Ordo, saying everything NO drives him crazy - he hates it.  I thought, do these people even know what they are talking about?  The Ordinary Form of Mass is the Mass of the Church - it is the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass.  Christ is confected in the Eucharist - the Real Presence dwells among us.

This is the main reason why I say social media is spiraling downward and sucking the faith from the users, when I read crap like that.  So many online are jumping on the news that Catholic church attendance is down, and people are reacting to that news.  Many continue to blame the Novus Ordo, chanting 'save the liturgy, save the world'.  Fr. Z knows who he is.

I went to Mass late in the afternoon at my parish yesterday.  I stopped in the Adoration chapel beforehand.  Whenever I go to the chapel there is always one or two young people there.  (Late teens, early 20's.) It's amazing what our very young pastor has done in just under 3 years.  Sunday afternoon Mass is filled - with young families.  Eucharistic adoration has been established, the school is thriving, the youth group is huge.  The ordinary form of Mass is celebrated - and celebrated well, with solemnity and devotion, confession times have multiplied, doctrine - Catholic doctrine is taught.  Twice yearly retreats are held.  There is so much new life in my parish it is astonishing.  We even have weddings again.  The parish is flourishing with our new pastor, who 'smells like his sheep'. 

I'd like to tell all the critics, all the seminary academics, all the priests who were kicked out of diocesan seminaries and had to find a bishop to ordain them, all the tradsters who claim the Novus Ordo is a bad Mass and Vatican II is a bad council - THE Church is alive and well in Minneapolis/St. Paul.

Yeah.  So be very careful - beware - any Catholic who claims the Ordinary Form of Mass is a bad Mass, and be very wary of those who claim Vatican II was a bad council.