Coming Soon! Excercise your Soul! - Diocese of Scranton

I see it day and day out.

"Catholics" with no idea of what it means to be Catholic, and "Catholics" with no idea what the tenets of the Catholic Church actually are. Oh, they go to church on Saturday evening, their wives help make pierogies for the bazaar while they set up the grounds for the bingo.

But they do not have prayer groups anymore. No rosary societies. They are too busy with parish politics.

Fear not my Protestant friends, for there is news that should bring shouts of joy from deep in your souls!

Traddy is going to teach you the Catechism of the Catholic Church!

As I prepare to introduce my four year old to the ways of Holy Mother Church, I intend to share with you, the uninstructed in your faith, what you have been missing.

What you have forgotten in some cases.

What you can have back.

Concrete answers.

No ambiguity.

Traddy's pulling out the ruler and assigning homework! 

If you want it, here it is.

Come and get it.

Watch this spot and tell your friends.

God love you!
  

Tried and True

The Baltimore Catechism, that is. As a young lad, the Baltimore Catechism was the book that taught me my faith in a clear, concise manner. Straight forward and no beating around the bush, it is the tried and true catechism of the Catholic Church. No other catechism is needed.

In clear, no nonsense terms it tells you the truth. If you commit a mortal sin and die without confession, you go to Hell. That's pretty clear, huh?

But in modern times, clear and concise is frowned on. What if it offends someone? The book shelves are heavy with "catechisms" with inclusive language and new definitions, meant to confuse and coddle rather than teach and enlighten.

And now every year, the modernist rock concert/pentecostal service know as "World Youth Day" will soon be upon us, and with it will come yet another catechism.



But this one condones he use of contraception.

Yes, you read that correctly.

On page 420 in the Italian language version of YouCat, it clearly says:

“Q. Puo una coppia christiana fare ricorso ai metodi anticoncezionali?” (Can a Christian couple have recourse to contraceptive methods?)

“A. Si, una coppia cristiana puo e deve essere responsabile nella sua facolta di poter donare la vita.” (Yes, a Christian couple can and should be responsible in its faculty of being able to give life).

The hip, cool catechism, entitled YouCat (because it's all about YOU!) will be given to all the unfortunates attending WYD, along with a sleeping bag, map, and "other" accessories. Condoms perhaps?

When Bishops allow people with evil intentions onto church property to give talks, that is bad enough. Now we have church officials actually printing books with doctrinal error that have the approval of the Bishops! Granted, they say that it was a "translation error", but what really happened was that they got caught. Now they are trying to fix it. Supposedly the error will not appear in the English language edition.

If it was an error, great, just fix it. Or better yet, just cancel publication. We don't need another catechism. Hand out the Baltimore, because somehow a hundred years ago the church was able to write and print doctrinally sound books without "mistakes", something we can't seem to duplicate in our modern times.

Here's the link to the news story.

Dogma! Part Deux

Two days ago I started a Lenten series based on the Dogmas of the Church. Today I present part two.

II. God the Creator

1. All that exists outside God was, in its whole substance, produced out of nothing by God.
2. God was moved by His goodness to create the world.
3. The world was created for the glorification of God.
4. The Three Divine Persons are one single, common principle of creation.
5. God created the world free from exterior compulsion and inner necessity.
6. God has created a good world.
7. The world had a beginning in time.
8. God alone created the world.
9. God keeps all created things in existence.
10. God, through His Providence, protects and guides all that He has created.
11. The first man was created by God.
12. Man consists of two essential parts - a material body and a spiritual soul.
13. The rational soul per se is the essential form of the body.
14. Every human being possesses an individual soul.
15. God has conferred on man a supernatural destiny.
16. Our first parents, before the fall, were endowed with sanctifying grace.
17. In addition to sanctifying grace, our first parents were endowed with the preternatural gift of bodily immortality.
18. Our first parents in Paradise sinned grievously through transgression of the Divine probationary commandment.
19. Through sin our first parents lost sanctifying grace and provoked the anger and the indignation of God.
20. Our first parents became subject to death and to the dominion of the devil.
21. Adam's sin is transmitted to his posterity, not by imitation but by descent.
22. Original sin is transmitted by natural generation.
23. In the state of original sin man is deprived of sanctifying grace and all that this implies, as well as of the preternatural gifts of integrity.
24. Souls who depart this life in the state of original sin are excluded from the Beatific Vision of God.
25. In the beginning of time God created spiritual essences (angels) out of nothing.
26. The nature of angels is spiritual.
27. The evil spirits (demons) were created good by God; they became evil through their own fault.
28. The secondary task of the good angels is the protection of men and care for their salvation.
29. The devil possesses a certain dominion over mankind by reason of Adam's sin.

Do You Believe?

Do you?

Do you actually believe everything that Holy Mother Church teaches?

Do you believe that women should be priests?

The Catechism of the Catholic Church, paragraph 1577 states that

Only a baptized man (vir) validly receives sacred ordination."⁶⁶ The Lord Jesus chose men (viri) to form the college of the twelve apostles, and the apostles did the same when they chose collaborators to succeed them in their ministry.⁶⁷ The college of bishops, with whom the priests are united in the priesthood, makes the college of the twelve an ever-present and ever-active reality until Christ's return. The Church recognizes herself to be bound by this choice made by the Lord himself. For this reason the ordination of women is not possible.

Now that you've read it yourself, do you still believe that women should be priests?

What do you do?

Do you accept the Church's teaching, or do you decide to ignore it and continue pretending to be Catholic?

Because, if you do not believe the Church's teaching, why be a part of her? I have always found it puzzling, how people can support abortion, how they can use birth control, or how they can denounce some teaching of the Church and still consider themselves Catholic. Why be a part of any organization with which you do not agree?

You wouldn't be a democrat of you believed in limited government and lower taxes, would you?

So why go to a church you do not agree with? What's the point? What are you trying to prove?

What if everyone went around espousing their own beliefs about what the Church should teach? Well, then you have Bob's Catholic Church. And Jane's Catholic Church. It is no longer the Catholic Church instituted by Jesus Christ. The Holy Catholic Church and the teaching she imparts are divinely inspired by the Triune God, Father, Son and Holy Ghost.

You think you know better than Him?

Good luck explaining that at your judgement!

Teach The True Faith

As you all know I've been railing against the lackluster teaching of the faith by laymen, priests and Bishops, not just in this Diocese, but worldwide ever since I underwent the travesty known as RCIA.

It seems that most "catholics" today either don't understand what the Church teaches, or have allowed themselves to be influenced by pop culture, and they pick and choose what they do and do not believe. They think that the Catholic faith can be shaped by their personal beliefs, chief among them, those "catholics" who believe that abortion should be permitted in the case of rape or incest. Or those who believe that to further the cause of women's equality, they should allowed to be priests. Or that priests should marry. Or any of a thousand other ideas floating around out there.

Michael Voris from RealCatholicTV.com touches on this issue. Give it a look and leave your comments.

POP QUIZ! What's Mentioned In The Bible 90 Times By Jesus?

Everyday, roughly 150,000 people die. That's a huge number, 150,000. So that means that if everyday roughly 150,000 people die, roughly 150,000 souls makes their journey from this life to the next.

How many of those souls are thrown into Hell?

If roughly 150,000 people die everyday, then that boils down to roughly 100 die every minute.

So, lets say 'Christine' just passed away and has made her journey to the afterlife.

'Christine' was a nice girl. She liked kittens, she helped out her local cat rescue and gave money to her local animal shelter.

But 'Christine' was just thrown into Hell.

'Christine' had no religion to speak of. She was just a nice person.

But right now 'Christine' is burning in Hell.

"But Traddy!", you say "God is merciful. He wouldn't throw a nice person like Christine into Hell!"

Well, in the post Vatican II world, where black is white and vice versa, that's most likely what you've come to understand about God and his mercy. But the reality is quite different.

Jesus Christ, our savior, mentioned Hell 90 times throughout the Bible.

90 times.

He mentioned Heaven just 27 times. So clearly he had an agenda.

When Saint Paul wrote his 12th Epistle to the Phillipians he said: "...with fear and trembling work out your salvation."

Fear and trembling?

Was Saint Paul frightened that he would end up in Hell?

You betcha.

And you should be too.

Catholics today have lost their sense of sin, and along with it, their fear of Hell. Hell and sin is not only barely mentioned in the Novus Ordo church, preaching about this doctrine of the church today is actually frowned upon.

People don't like to hear about it. It makes them uncomfortable. It causes them to squirm in the pews. We all know that all you have to do is be 'nice'.

'Nice' isn't mentioned in the Bible, folks. Look it up.

But Hell is.

90 times.

By our savior, Jesus Christ.

If Jesus Christ is our savior, what did he come to save us from? Bad people? Bad movies? Bad curry?

He came to save us from Hell. And yes, His mercy is infinite - on this side of the aisle. When we cross over to the next life and we find ourselves in His presence for our judgement, He is no longer merciful. He's not our cosmic buddy who wants to hug us like the new age movement in the church would like you to believe. He is the Just Judge. The time for mercy and for being forgiven "...seventy times seven." as Matthew wrote in chapter 18 is over. Now it's time to face the music for our actions.

So now, lets go back to 'Christine'. She's been burning in Hell for a few minutes now. She has been cursing God. Damning Him. For her pain and suffering which is what she deserves, she is cursing God. While unimaginable pain and suffering is coursing through her body she is cursing God. And it won't end anytime soon. It will go on for eternity.

How long is eternity? Eternity means forever. If we get a pebble in our shoe, we stop everything to get rid of it right away. Because we don't like it, it's uncomfortable. But 'Chrisitne' will suffer endlessly, with no hope of parole. She will burn forever. Tonight when you go to sleep, she will be burning.

Tomorrow when you get up she will still be burning.

In the 66th chapter of Isaias' prophecy we are told "... And they shall go out, and see the carcasses of the men that have transgressed against me: their worm shall not die, and their fire shall not be quenched: and they shall be a loathsome sight to all flesh." In like fashion, Saint Mark wrote "...And if thy foot scandalize thee, cut it off. It is better for thee to enter lame into life everlasting, than having two feet, to be cast into the hell of unquenchable fire: Where their worm dieth not, and the fire is not extinguished."

You see, in Hell, there is no peace. No love. Only hatred and suffering. Remember when I said 'Christine' is cursing God? It's because that is all that is left for her in her desperation. Our prayers cannot help poor 'Christine' who is "...consigned to flames of woe", as Mozart's Requiem said. 'Christine' will suffer for all eternity. Dante correctly placed above the gates of Hell this motto: "Abandon hope, all ye who enter here". For there is no hope, no peace, no love, nothing but torments and pain.

Why am I telling you this? To save you. It is not me being mean, it is not fear-mongering, it is the truth, as revealed to us by our Lord and savior. We hear the truth so rarely in the Novus Ordo church, that I have to tell you, because they won't say it. You probably don't want to hear this either, because you have grown up in a church that tells you it's ok to pick and choose for yourself what you believe.

It's not.

You have been commanded to do certain things in a certain way. If by your actions you do not follow God's will, then you will be "consigned to flames of woe" for all eternity. You make the choice to follow God or not. Noone else to blame. You. You either do it or you don't.

And let's set someting else straight about God. God doesn't throw you into Hell. You throw yourself. You make the decisions in your life. You have been given free will to do as you please. Most choose unwisely, I'm afraid.

It's that simple.

You see, God HATES sin. He hates when you sin. He hates when I sin. Sin cuts off our souls from the grace of Almighty God. It slowly pinches off our relationship with him until it is no more. And then if we die in sin, we go to Hell. That's it. Hell.

Forever.

But if we are lucky enough to work out our salvation, and die in a state of grace, we live forever with Him in Heaven, we will reach our goal.

Well, it SHOULD be our goal. Getting to Heaven. That should be everyone's primary goal, and getting our loved ones there should be our goal as well.

We are called to do so, to help our friends and neighbors find the narrow path. That's what "love thy neighbor" means. Not giving them that cup of sugar they want to borrow, or the hedgeclippers. Help them get to Heaven. Keep them out of Hell, that's love.

But it's not easy, I know that. It's hard enough to find the path ourselves and stay put. But that's what we must do.

And 'Christine' continues to burn in the everlasting, the unquenchable fire.

What can you do that 'Christine' didn't?

Well for starters, you can go to Mass every Sunday. On time. If Mass begins at 9, don't show up at 9:10. And don't leave before the priest does, either. Show respect to our Lord and stick it out. It's really not that tough.

Get to confession. Remember how I mentioned God forgives infinitely on this side of the aisle? Take advantage of it. I understand most Catholics today believe they are living saints, with much adoration due to them, but let me give you another sobering dose of reality.

You aren't. Get yourself to confession. The pitifully short lines for the confessional shows that there is much more other than your salvation on your minds. Knock it off. Go to confession. Often.

Follow his Commandments.

Love one another as he loves us. Remember who came to earth and who died upon the cross for our sins because we could not possibly pay the price of our transgressions ourselves. He had to pay the price. He suffered, was tortured, and died a terrible, unimaginably painful death so that you and I could enter the gates. Don't screw up the opportunity He has presented you with.

This is what he Church teaches us. More important, this is what Christ teaches us through His church. Take advantage before it's too late.

And 'Christine'? Well, she continues to burn in Hell. Please do all you can to void her fate.

God bless you.