Deceit: The Epidemic in America

A strange poem, incorrectly attributed to William Blake, and of an unknown writer gives the source of a popular child's refrain--"liar, liar, pants on fire".

 The Liar

Deceiver, dissembler

Your trousers are alight

From what pole or gallows

Shall they dangle in the night?

 

When I asked of your career

Why did you have to kick my rear

With that stinking lie of thine

Proclaiming that you owned a mine?

 

When you asked to borrow my stallion

To visit a nearby-moored galleon

How could I ever know that you

Intended only to turn him into glue?

 

What red devil of mendacity

Grips your soul with such tenacity?

Will one you cruelly shower with lies

Put a pistol ball between your eyes?

 

What infernal serpent

Has lent you his forked tongue?

From what pit of foul deceit

Are all these whoppers sprung?

 

Deceiver, dissembler

Your trousers are alight

From what pole or gallows

Do they dangle in the night?

One the other hand, we have this sublime truth from Our Lord Himself.

John 14:6 Douay-Rheims

6 Jesus saith to him: I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No man cometh to the Father, but by me.

This passage from Scripture is not merely a strong statement of the Identity of Christ, as the Way, the Truth, and the Life, but a clarion call to choose Him over deceit and eternal death. If Christ is the Truth, and He is, the Antichrist will be the Deceiver. Get ready.

People comment almost daily about the political leaders who have consistently lied to the public about foreign affairs, finances, even personal sins, which cannot be hidden and should not, in a public person's life.

People talk to me about betrayal in their families, children who lie, adult children who lie and, tragically, husbands and wives who live in various levels of deceit. When married couples lie to each other, this symptom of the complete breakdown of the trust in marriage leads to the inevitable break-up,

The world, and America face an enemy which does not consider lying to their enemies as a sin, as in their religious code, one may do so.

I have been told by some people "that everyone lies". Of course, this is not true. Many good Christians do not lie. Some good "nones" do not lie. However, this culture of deceit, which includes big business, as well as the kid on the block, seems to have been created almost overnight.

Perhaps one can blame the mad pursuit of money and status. Perhaps one can blame advertising, which is based on deceit. Perhaps one can blame the "texting culture", which fudges communication.

Or, perhaps we forget who is the Father of Lies and has managed, rather succinctly to undermine society and a civilization which must have trust in commerce and relationships as a basis for normal interactions.

I found these statistics, which is a way, do not surprise me, but show the prevalence of deceit in our culture. From here.

The Most Honest Cities for Online Dating

MEN
1. Houston
2. Phoenix
3. Boston
4. Pittsburgh
5. Chicago

WOMEN
1. Charlotte
2. Houston
3. Minneapolis
4. Seattle
5. Phoenix
The Least Honest Cities for Online Dating

MEN
1. Washington D.C. (Career & Education) 37%
2. San Francisco (Career & Money Earned) 35%
3. New York (Everything) 34%
4. Philadelphia (Height & Money Earned) 33%
5. Miami (Relationship Status & Height) 31%

WOMEN
1. Las Vegas (Age & Career) 39%
2. Washington D.C. (Career & Education) 37%
3. Atlanta (Age & Weight) 36%
4. Los Angeles (Age & Weight) 35%
5. New York (Age & Career) 33%

Scary, and I had a friend years ago who had to take out a restraining order on a man from a Catholic dating website. His life consisted of a huge spider's web of lies, including hiding a violent temperament.

Deceit is born in the desire not to suffer, to avoid suffering. Deceit denies Providence. Deceit covers other sins, like greed, gluttony, adultery, stealing, fornication, and contraception. When life is denied, in abortion and euthanasia, this denial comes from the deceit that God is God and is in charge of life, from conception to natural death.

But the real source of lying, the deep root of small and large lies, is self-deceit. When one refuses to face one's sins, when one refuses to admit evil in one's own soul, the pattern of deceit becomes a habit.

Some of us know compulsive liars. Some of us know those who always "get a deal" by lying or doing underhand business deals.  Some of us know those who lie about their own state of grace, thinking they will get to heaven without repentance or penance. Some of us know men and women who persist in unhealthy, even abusive relationships, because they lie about their boyfriend or girlfriend "changing" after marriage. The pursuit of security or "love" creates a life of deceit.

Now, with the recent SCOTUS decision, lying has been enshrined into law, a false law contrary to God's natural and revealed law.  This huge unnatural lie permeates the family lives of so many, that lies will not be able to be ignored to the cost of individual souls. People will go to hell not only for lying about God's perfect plan for humans and the real meaning of marriage, but for tolerating evil, which is a lie against conscience.

Tolerating evil is based on deceit, coupled with a fear of rejection. I know too many families which tolerate the evil of fornication, adultery, and sodomy in their families, creating an atmosphere of lies, setting up an entire false structure of family unity and security.

Christ instructs us plainly as to what Truth is--Himself, the Second Person of the Blessed Trinity.

When we lie, we reject Christ, choosing other gods, such as family members, or status, or security.

One of the greatest lies has to do with the reality of "love". Love is not sex, or passion, or lust.

We cannot label something love which is impure, immoral, unnatural.

But, the greatest lie is the denial of God being God. Idolatry of any kind comes from self-deceit.

The other day, I posted an article about a bishop who may go to prison for up to six years for upholding Church teaching regarding ssm in his diocese in Switzerland.

What struck me most in that article was the great lie that the Bible truths cannot be applied to daily life. Can you imagine laws of this land and in Europe no longer being based on Biblical truths, on Revelation? Can you imagine a life lived without Bibles, and the trust in God's Own Word?

Recall this statement, 

The bishop had crossed a “red line,” said the head of Pink Cross, in a statement reported by Newsweek. “We believe in freedom of expression, and taking quotes from the bible is fine. But then he said the words should be applied to real life, which is the equivalent of calling for the death penalty for gay people. We were worried about that. He is the leader of a big church, and he was calling for people to follow his words, and we thought this could be dangerous.”

Two lies can be spotted here. The first is that the passage quoted called for the death of homosexual people; the second is that the Bible cannot be used to apply to life.

See how far Western culture has fallen into deceit?

If one is not faithful in small things, one cannot be faithful in large things. Those who grew up lying, or fell into deceit through repeated sin, must heed Christ's words.

Luke 16:10-12 Douay-Rheims

10 He that is faithful in that which is least, is faithful also in that which is greater: and he that is unjust in that which is little, is unjust also in that which is greater.

11 If then you have not been faithful in the unjust mammon; who will trust you with that which is the true?

12 And if you have not been faithful in that which is another's; who will give you that which is your own?

Teach your children to be honest. Do not think that deceit is a lesser sin. It comes out of the damned spirit, the Father of Lies. Christ addressed those living in lies, as those in the religious system had created a false religion, far from the deep spirituality of the Revelation of the Old Testament.

May God preserve us from such hypocrisy.

John 8:44 Douay-Rheims 

44 You are of your father the devil, and the desires of your father you will do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and he stood not in the truth; because truth is not in him. When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own: for he is a liar, and the father thereof.

Lying about one's spiritual life has to be the worst symptom of deep-seated deceit. Some think that they are holier than they are because they act holy, do good works, or attend Sunday, even daily Mass.

Years ago, I had to speak with a priest about my trying to understand how a woman I know who was embezzling money, (I tried to tell her board members of her company as I discovered this, as well as another woman with whom I was working),  I could not understand how this woman could go to daily Mass, receive Christ, and continue her stealing and misuse of funds. Several of us tried to convince those who ran the company that this was happening. They did not want to admit this, as the people were all "friends" as well as business partners.

The priest, from the FSSP congregation, told me that one does not receive grace if one receives Communion unworthily. I was struck by the level of deceit, not only in this woman, but in those who refused to admit what she was doing. Some did come to the truth later, after I left the company, but they did not press charges. Fear kept them from doing so. Fear and the fact that they had chosen to live in self-deceit for years concerning this problem involving their friend kept the lie going. They would have had to face repentance for not listening to me and others. who brought this sin to their attention. One person was fired, and two of us resigned rather than take part in this charade.

Fear of repercussions makes people accept deceit. I do not mind telling people that I was a whistleblower years ago, and acted honestly, which interfered with and finally ended an academic career. Before I brought a serious situation to light, some of my friends told me to be quiet and not bring the evil thing to light. However, the situation was serious, very, and I suffered the consequences of not being able to continue in my position, being forced out, not being protected by those in authority who said they would do so.

I could not have lived with myself for overlooking a dangerous situation for students.  And, I am convinced that if more people were willing to suffer for the truth, evil would vanish from this land. But, no, people allow evil to grow and grow and grow. They cooperate with evil.

There is no doubt that God will judge us for complicity with evil.

When we lie, or ignore others lies, reparation has to be made. God will have His Justice done. I have seen this in my own life as well, that personal purgation involves facing one's sins not only of the day, but of the past. Thank God if He lets you be purged now, in this world, accepting your purgatory not only for your own sake, but for the sake of the Church. Purgation brings self-knowledge and truth into one's own life and into the society around one.

The Holocaust happened because people were complicit with evil, not ignorant, but willing to either turn a blind eye, or tolerate, or even support great evil. This type of persecution, but against Catholics, will happen for the same reasons--cowardice, fear, and deceit.

Cowardice and fear allow deceit to flourish.  We allow lying to flourish by compromise and false tolerance.  A civilization, a culture, a family, a marriage, a friendship, cannot endure in deceit. Our nation will not endure, lying about Who is God and what are His eternal laws.

When the Bible is attacked, deceit has been allowed to have the upper hand. 

The Church, even you, even me, will be persecuted for upholding the Truth.

But, being that strong involves the daily encounter with one;s own sins. Self-knowledge marks the saint.

Make Sure You Do Not Become Hateful-Full of Malice

I am reposting this because of two parishes which are being torn apart by a lack of charity and lies. One is in England. We cannot judge a situation from gossip, either gossip in the press or gossip in the pew before Mass. One SHOULD not be spreading even true stories of other people's sins. No, one goes to the person's involved themselves, and not spread calumny or cause a second scandal on top of a first. The two sins of calumny and scandal involve not only those who are public sinners, but those who talk about public sin. There is too much of this and not enough prayer and sacrifice.

MYOB was the great motto of the Midwest in years past. If the business was not your very own, you were trained not to speak of it. We are responsible to speak truth in love in our families and in the world. but not to spread stories of another person's sins.

No, no, no...there is no reason for this.

Be sober and watch: because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, goeth about seeking whom he may devour 1 Peter 5:8 DR

Pointing out error is a good, but being caught up constantly in an adversarial spirit is not a good.

Who is called the Adversary? Satan.

More and more frequently in the Church, I am seeing traditional Catholics who are laymen stepping out of their worlds, their own spheres of influence and condemning things over which they have no authority.

Our lay world provides enough grist for the mill-we are supposed to be evangelizing our families, our friends, our workplace.

To try and pretend we have the right and duty to continually criticize the clergy, including bishops, cardinals and popes reveals hubris and the adversarial spirit.

If one is continually looking for faults and not giving real answers on how to deal with these faults, in other words, giving remedies. one has fallen into the spirit of the adversary.

The adversarial spirit is not kind, charitable nor fair. It judges and does not bear with the burdens of others. There are few who are pure enough in heart, mind and soul to be real critics.

The adversarial spirit causes hatred, dissension, and eventually, schisms and splits in the Church.

If you are finding that you argue too much and are always finding fault, look towards your own sins and failings first.

Those who want to change priests and bishops only have to raise holy boys to become holy men to go out and change the Church as holy priests and bishops.

It is not only naive but wrong to think the crusader spirit must be aimed at the Church first. No. Our enemies are those of the devil and the world, as well as the flesh. If such enemies have inflitrated the Church, even at high levels, we can pray, but our words mean nothing.

Tearing down is not building up.

A person caught up in the adversarial spirit will not find peace in God, but fall into rancor,anger and depression. If you are merely tearing down, you have let satan use you. Eventually, the person with the adversarial spirit becomes a heresiarch. Those people most likely will find themselves judged as they have judged-severely and without mercy.

We are here for the building up of the Church.

In a grown man, the adversarial spirit could be connected to a male being caught up in teen-age rebellion-a sign of the peter pan. The teen thinks he knows better than the parent and rebels against imperfections, not understanding that he himself is a sinner. It is too easy to point out the evils of another, rather than looking at one's own sin.

Ask yourself if you are constantly arguing.

Ask yourself if you are playing into the hands of the great Adversary of the Church.

He has been defeated but is still looking maliciously for souls to bring down with him in defeat.

29 Let no evil speech proceed from your mouth; but that which is good, to the edification of faith, that it may administer grace to the hearers.

30 And grieve not the holy Spirit of God: whereby you are sealed unto the day of redemption.

31 Let all bitterness, and anger, and indignation, and clamour, and blasphemy, be put away from you, with all malice.

32 And be ye kind one to another; merciful, forgiving one another, even as God hath forgiven you in Christ. Ephesians 4:17-32 DR

http://supertradmum-etheldredasplace.blogspot.com/2014/03/are-you-fighting-wrong-battles-could-be.html

http://supertradmum-etheldredasplace.blogspot.com/2014/04/on-coming-canonizations.html

Thank you, Mr. Voris

Since last July, when I realized some of the trad newspaper were becoming rabid against the Pope and purposefully misleading the faithful with regard to his opinions, I have been warning people against the adversarial spirit. One can read an old post on that below with two more links

I no longer read any trad newspapers, (newspapers, not mags or periodicals which I do read), as all of them have fallen into, in one or more articles, this idea that the Pope has or will overturn Catholic doctrine.

It aint gonna happen.

To pit churchmen against each other is the work of the great Divider, and we know who that is.

Divide and conquer....

Wins every time...

Be prudent, be charitable.

Pray for all bishops, cardinals, the pope.

The Fall of Lucifer

Matthew 12:22-28

22 Then they brought to him a demoniac who was blind and mute; and he cured him, so that the one who had been mute could speak and see. 23 All the crowds were amazed and said, “Can this be the Son of David?” 24 But when the Pharisees heard it, they said, “It is only by Beelzebul, the ruler of the demons, that this fellow casts out the demons.” 25 He knew what they were thinking and said to them, “Every kingdom divided against itself is laid waste, and no city or house divided against itself will stand. 26 If Satan casts out Satan, he is divided against himself; how then will his kingdom stand? 27 If I cast out demons by Beelzebul, by whom do your own exorcists[a] cast them out? Therefore they will be your judges. 28 But if it is by the Spirit of God that I cast out demons, then the kingdom of God has come to you.

Saturday, 26 April 2014

The Adversarial Spirit in The Traditional Church

Posted by Supertradmum

Be sober and watch: because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, goeth about seeking whom he may devour 1 Peter 5:8 DR

Pointing out error is a good, but being caught up constantly in an adversarial spirit is not a good.

Who is called the Adversary? Satan.

More and more frequently in the Church, I am seeing traditional Catholics who are laymen stepping out of their worlds, their own spheres of influence and condemning things over which they have no authority.

Our lay world provides enough grist for the mill-we are supposed to be evangelizing our families, our friends, our workplace.

To try and pretend we have the right and duty to continually criticize the clergy, including bishops, cardinals and popes reveals hubris and the adversarial spirit.

If one is continually looking for faults and not giving real answers on how to deal with these faults, in other words, giving remedies. one has fallen into the spirit of the adversary.

The adversarial spirit is not kind, charitable nor fair. It judges and does not bear with the burdens of others. There are few who are pure enough in heart, mind and soul to be real critics.

The adversarial spirit causes hatred, dissension, and eventually, schisms and splits in the Church.

If you are finding that you argue too much and are always finding fault, look towards your own sins and failings first.

Those who want to change priests and bishops only have to raise holy boys to become holy men to go out and change the Church as holy priests and bishops.

It is not only naive but wrong to think the crusader spirit must be aimed at the Church first. No. Our enemies are those of the devil and the world, as well as the flesh. If such enemies have inflitrated the Church, even at high levels, we can pray, but our words mean nothing.

Tearing down is not building up.

A person caught up in the adversarial spirit will not find peace in God, but fall into rancor,anger and depression. If you are merely tearing down, you have let satan use you. Eventually, the person with the adversarial spirit becomes a heresiarch. Those people most likely will find themselves judged as they have judged-severely and without mercy.

We are here for the building up of the Church.

In a grown man, the adversarial spirit could be connected to a male being caught up in teen-age rebellion-a sign of the peter pan. The teen thinks he knows better than the parent and rebels against imperfections, not understanding that he himself is a sinner. It is too easy to point out the evils of another, rather than looking at one's own sin.

Ask yourself if you are constantly arguing.

Ask yourself if you are playing into the hands of the great Adversary of the Church.

He has been defeated but is still looking maliciously for souls to bring down with him in defeat.

29 Let no evil speech proceed from your mouth; but that which is good, to the edification of faith, that it may administer grace to the hearers.

30 And grieve not the holy Spirit of God: whereby you are sealed unto the day of redemption.

31 Let all bitterness, and anger, and indignation, and clamour, and blasphemy, be put away from you, with all malice.

32 And be ye kind one to another; merciful, forgiving one another, even as God hath forgiven you in Christ. Ephesians 4:17-32 DR

http://supertradmum-etheldredasplace.blogspot.com/2014/03/are-you-fighting-wrong-battles-could-be.html

http://supertradmum-etheldredasplace.blogspot.com/2014/04/on-coming-canonizations.html

"Diabolical Influence" Part Three

I have set forth the definitions of discernment by Garrigou-Lagrange earlier this week and followed up those posts with these on false apparitions. The reason for the connection is this: discernment, a gift given to all Catholics in confirmation as part of the gifts of counsel and knowledge. Counsel perfects the virtue of prudence.

Now, the charismatics and other groups have ruined definitions concerning "gifts" teaching people that not all gifts belong to all Catholics. This is an error. The gifts of the Holy Spirit are given to all Catholics. But, how these gifts are used determines a person's ministry. To deny that all receive the list of gifts below in confirmation would be bordering on heresy. That one needs to cooperate with the development of these gifts in grace is an essential truth. Some extraordinary gifts, as listed by Paul for the up building of the Church, are not given to all in the same way. But, Paul claimed he had all the gifts, and I think his comment was to make us all realize that this is a possibility, even for the extraordinary gifts. These two types of gifts are not to be confused, and some people want to make others think discernment is a special gift, when it is part of the gift of knowledge, which we all get in confirmation, and need.

When St. Paul writes that some people are prophets and some teachers, he is explaining that the roles in the Church use gifts in different ways. As written on this blog in the past on gifts and virtues, the gifts perfect the virtues received in baptism.

Baptism and confirmation are necessary for the life of the Catholic. The list is given below.

What diabolical influence does is twist the virtues and the gifts, taking away the clarity of discernment, knowledge, counsel and wisdom.

For example, in a false apparition or false messages, knowledge of the Church regarding salvation may be and is frequently twisted into heretical statements. One of the most obvious twisting of truths has to do with a famous seer telling people, as if God said this, that it is permissible for Catholics and Orthodoxs to attend regularly each other's liturgies. As this statement is against both the solemn teaching of the Catholic and the Orthodox Churches, one sees immediately a discrepancy in truth.

Those who chose to follow the false teaching of this seer fall into error because of the demonic influences, a serious problem as souls are then led astray into heresy. The gift of knowledge is twisted and the virtue of prudence set aside by those who, instead of following the teachings of the Church, follow the seer.

As I have noted many times here, I found in the early days of the website The Warning many doctrinal errors. I have done what every Catholic adult has done and learned my Faith, which is not exhaustive, as one can study this rich deposit all one's life and not know all, but we must know the basics. That is our responsibility as adults.

Once people are led to leave one truth of Catholic teaching, they open themselves up to following other false teachings. The list of the above errors is on this blog.

We are responsible not to leave the teaching authority of the Church, preferring individuals who claim direct knowledge from God. The first test of authenticity is whether the messages conform to Catholic teaching and in no way contradict this.

The demons involved in the masterly deceit make some believe "truths" which are lies, contrary to God's Revelation to us already.

This demonic influence involves sin if the persons have been instructed as to the deviations from doctrine and still follow the seers, over the long heritage of teaching in the Church.

When one decides on private revelation over Church teaching, one is in serious sin, if one has had that knowledge shown to them by someone, including the CDF. If people ignore local bishops and the CDF, their souls are in danger of losing first wisdom, then counsel, then knowledge and then the Faith entirely.

Another example is a seer from many years ago who had visions of God the Father as a person, in human form. If one knows one's faith, one knows that the Father is a Spirit, that Christ in Incarnate, and that the Holy Spirit is likewise a Spirit. In the lives of the saints and in the visions of approved mystics, the Father comes to the person through Christ, and in Spirit. But, the setting aside of Catholic teaching reveals an ignorance, or worse, the purposeful acceptance of falsehood.

Satan and the demons of the air are smarter than we are. They have the ability to make something seem true which is false. But, we have the virtues, gifts and graces to withstand such deceit. One can see that if one allows diabolical influences into one's life, the danger of damnation becomes a real possibility. This is why knowing the Faith and obeying the Church regarding visionaries is essential.

Our souls are safe resting in the virtue of obedience. St. Teresa herself wrote that anything which was revealed and against the Creed would not be from God. So too, by extension, anything shared which is against Catholic doctrine would be from satan and not God.

Also, if you readers go back into my posts on St. John of the Cross, you will remember that he said clearly that a sign of holiness is the acceptance of suffering and the moving away from seeking consolation. A sign of those who are on the way to perfection is this acceptance of suffering and ignoring of spiritual consolations, seeing these as distractions. Follow the tags.

The popes and bishops determine true apparitions and messages, not individuals. And until Rome approves, one should avoid. This is more than common sense, it is imperative in order to protect one's soul from deceit.

St. John XXIII made a statement which is hardly considered on this subject on February 18th, 1959:

"We urge you to listen to the salutary warnings of the Mother of God
with simplicity of heart and uprightness of spirit. The Roman Pontiffs are constituted the guardians and interpreters of divine Revelation, as contained in Holy Scripture and Tradition; but they also have the duty to recommend to the attention of the faithful - when, following mature examination, they judge it opportune for the general good - those supernatural lights which it pleases God to dispense freely to certain privileged souls, not in order to propose new doctrines, but in order to guide our conduct." (cf. Saint Thomas Aquinas, II. 11 , q. 174, art. 6 ad 3m)

All Catholics have the gifts given and here, again, is the list from the CCC:

1. 1831 The seven gifts of the Holy Spirit are wisdom, understanding, counsel, fortitude, knowledge, piety, and fear of the Lord. They belong in their fullness to Christ, Son of David. They complete and perfect the virtues of those who receive them. They make the faithful docile in readily obeying divine inspirations.

To be continued....

1. 
   

More showing the errors here

http://refutingmariadivinemercy.blogspot.com/

Some of us had a gut reaction to this stuff years ago. I do not understand why now a heretic is being touted as a true seer?

It can be a serious sin, and a temptation to leave the Church to follow this person.

Please read my posts, these, and others. Many good articles on the above site. This site is one of the best.

And, check this out.

http://midwaystreet.wordpress.com/2013/11/11/8/

On Our Sede Friends

Two lovely women I know get a newspaper which is published by a famous group of Catholics. Thankfully, we had a discussion about some of the anti-papal articles, and these two women can see clearly the false thinking involved.

I have read the July and August editions. Now, I have known for a year or so that some of the writers have crossed into dubious positions regarding some aspects of the Church. I want to address some ideas which indicate that a person's soul is in danger.

First of all, as I have written many times on this blog, to stay with Rome is to be protected from the lies of the evil one. For over two-thousand years, the Church, established by Christ for our salvation, for our guidance and care, has seen saints, sinners, even heretics. The Church has been vigilant in condemning errors in our own times, with both St. John Paul II and the Pope Emeritus pointing out the dangers of the Modernist heresies, which have been highlighted for our benefit for over a hundred years..

However, some Catholics have taken criticisms of prelates and even the current Pope too far.

I shall expand on this.

Second, no teaching of the Church from the Throne, from the Chair of Peter has been heretical. None, and none ever will. This is our faith, our teaching.

Third, we have all been given reason and the ability to study, all. Man is a rational animal. Man has natural law written on his heart. There is no one, except those who are mentally challenged, who cannot read the Catechism of the Catholic Church or the encyclicals.

It is our duty, not merely our right, to study and understand our faith. Those who do not are lax and in danger of losing their souls. If we are dull, it is because of sin in our lives. Dullness of the intellect of an adult is caused by habitual sin. Even children learned the Baltimore Catechism and Latin in previous days.

Fourth, as laity, many things are NOT in our area of expertise and many things are not our business. We have our own call to evangelize and make holy the world, not to be constant critics of popes, cardinals, bishops.

The problem is serious and it has a name.

Pride.

Those who have not allowed God to purify them in the Dark Night of the senses or the spirit are the ones who are writing false teaching in this newspaper and in blogs.

In the Dark Night, one sees one sins, God destroys egoism, and one gains a proper perspective of one's standing before God.

If one is holier than Rome, or thinks one is, one has not worked through the levels of humility.

We cannot follow sedevacantists. Those who do not think the present pope is truly pope are not only in error, but have separated themselves from the Church of Christ. Their souls are in grave danger. They have become Protestants.

This is the way of the heretics. Luther, Zwingle, Calvin all thought their ideas were better than Rome's and that they were holier than the various popes in their times. We can judge objective evil, but we cannot judge the heart of anyone.

Do you remember when, as an adolescent, you first discovered your parents, your good Catholic parents, were flawed? You rebelled for a short time and, then, came to your senses, that all sin and fall short of the glory of God. Some writers are stuck at being fifteen years of age.

Now, we can rationally see mistakes of prelates and in our own parishes and dioceses, if there are serious errors coming from the clergy, we address this personally, and then, if necessary, involve the bishop, with reverence to his role, his call, his apostolic succession. Not all, in fact, very few, bishops are saints, but we still owe them respect.

Pride is a sin which morphs, making the person think he is humble and obedient to Christ, when in reality that person is spinning off into their own church.

There is only one Church.

I am warning Catholics both here in the States and in Europe not to read or listen to those who are sedevacantists. They write poison, which seeps into the soul, the heart, the mind.

To stay with Rome is the only road to salvation, and those of us who have been given the Truth are more responsible for our salvation than others.

I am sad to see bloggers leaving the heart of Rome. We must pray for them, as their souls are in great danger.

Look at the lives of the saints. There is only one St. Catherine of Siena. There is only one Athanasius, and the many, many saints who lived in times of turmoil remained humble, obedient to the Truth, obedient to Rome. Unless one is as holy as those two saints mentioned above, one should be quiet.

Read the Doctors of the Church, read the encyclicals, our rich heritage of truth.

Read the Fathers of the Church.

If the sedes spent as much time on their private lives working to perfection, they would not have time to be so critical. If they were evangelizing, spreading the Good News of the Gospel, they would not have so much time to be critical.

They have taken the war for holiness outside themselves and made it external, political. This is a false position. We fight spiritual warfare primarily in our own souls.

Only those in the highest states of holiness have the "right", the knowledge, to criticize.

Beams and motes....or beams and beams proliferate. Deal with your own beams first.

Priorities. We are not called to be clerical critics first and foremost.

Do what lay people are supposed to do--get holy and be leaven in the world.

Pride is the primal sin. And, those who engage in constant criticisms have fallen into the adversarial spirit, which is not from God.

Here is another post on this subject.

The Adversarial Spirit in The Traditional Church

26 Apr 2014

A person caught up in the adversarial spirit will not find peace in God, but fall into rancor,anger and depression. If you are merely tearing down, you have let satan use you. Eventually, the person with the adversarial spirit ...

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