Griff Ruby begins a new series on the Bible of the First Century Church. Many fail to realize the situation in the Early Church for they did not have the "New Testament" as we know it today at their beck and call. Rather, they were living it and immediately after Christ ascended into Heaven not a word had been 'published.' What was playing out in those days was awareness of the fulfillment of the "Law and the Prophets" of the Old Testament. The transition would come gradually and there was much parsing out to do in discerning what was truly inspired by the Holy Ghost and what was interesting and applicable, but not divine revelation, and what was quite possibly rubbish from which much of it was damaging, even heretical. Carefully, those ordained by Heaven to participate in establishing what the Spirit directed, would separate the wheat from the chaff and in due time, taking the scrolls written down in Hebrew, Aramaic and Greek, it would all be amassed into one language: the mother tongue of the Church by one equally inspired: St. Jerome. That would not happen until early in the fifth century when the first bible was compiled: The Latin Vulgate. Griff explains in his first installment
Transition from the Old to Ascertaining the New .
Though superseded this year by the 24th Sunday after Pentecost, Sunday was the feast of a man the Church rightfully labels Magnus: Saint Albert the Great. He was a man who the devil definitely did not want to become a priest, let alone a Dominican. He was the only saint of the Church called "Great" who was not a Sovereign Pontiff. He was part and parcel of the fruits of the century of saints in the thirteenth century and played an integral role in the 14th Ecumenical Council. Albert staunchly defended his pupil once called "the dumb ox" against all kinds of calumny and subterfuge, and always in charity. Little did he or anyone else at the time realize how smart St. Thomas Aquinas truly was. Through the guidiance of the Holy Ghost and spurred by a deep love for Christ and His Church, St. Albert continued right up to his death with teaching the Faith even though he suffered in his later years from Alzheimer's well before it was even called that. This great saint was truly Albertus Magnus: Tutor to the Angelic Doctor.
For the Twenty-Fourth Sunday after Pentecost the Propers are taken from the Sixth Sunday after Epiphany. Father Haydock provides in his commentaries the essence of what Christ illustrates in His parables in St. Matthew's Gospel today of the mustard seed and the leavened bread to signify the growth of grace by those who seek the kingdom of Heaven by adhering to God's holy will. This is referenced in St. Paul's Epistle to the Thessalonians wherein the Apostle speaks of the profit garnered through faith, works, charity with patience and a labor of love. The mustard seed planted in the Holy Land by our Lord has spread its branches to every corner of the world, fulfilling the prophesies of the Old Testament prophets that the Messias will utter in parables things hidden from the foundation of the world as noted in the Haydock Commentary, The Prophets Prove the Profits of Grace
Stephen Grieve continues his multi-part series that should stir the sensibilities of those who continue to elude the inevitability that a true pope would never and could never do what the conciliar leaders in Rome have done for the past 50 years. For his sixth installment, Steve provides more scriptural evidence that Peter was the one Paul was protecting for while Paul was preaching to the Greeks, Peter was in Rome laying the foundations for the Church entrusted to him by Christ in St. Matthew 16: 18-19. It was a commonly held secret that Peter was the chief man above all in the position he had been appointed to by Our Lord. Steve shows how this was known as was the fact that sometime in the future another man (katechon) [ό κατέχων] 'acting as a pope' would rise to the position Peter held and would lead the Church away from Christ into apostasy. Paul was speaking in code for it did not pertain to the generation he was preaching to, but to a later generation - ours. Hopefully all will take note of this sixth part of "Towards a Scriptural Brief proving Sede Vacante" with The 'Secret' and The Roman Connection - Further Backgrounder on 2 Thessalonians 2: 6-7
Editor Michael Cain presents an instant lesson on herpetology, reminding all that a reptile can shed its skin, but it cannot shed its predatory nature, especially if it is venomous. Peel away the surface and you'll see what lurks beneath. Much like the rotting sepulchres and vipers Our Lord castigated, today the climate is even worse. Sin is rampant everywhere and those of virtue are being isolated. But there are a few brave ones who have joined the Resistance against the 'Visitors' from the netherworld. Such is also the scenario of a fictitious account out of Hollywood with a series called "V" that contains more truth than many realize. There is an eerie parallel to the very fact that, just over a year ago, America elected a man who totally mesmerized the masses. Without doing the proper security search, they bought the exotic basket and now they seem paralyzed in a trance, unable to do anything until it's too late. Others are beginning to truly see the wicked in the wicket and are now snapping out of their stupor and stepping back, trying to warn others that the fancy basket contains a deadly cobra, a Communist one at that. This should shock everyone into realizing the parallel of perils we find ourselves in as Cain reveals in his editorial Beware of the Serpent Behind the V
This special feature is provided through the efforts of John Gregory. For the Twenty-Third Sunday after Pentecost Father Leo Haydock provides a few commentaries that have been abandoned by the conciliar church, so intent on playing down, if not omitting miracles. In today's Gospel two miracles are performed by Christ, one who had the faith but to touch our Lord's garment which, of course, Jesus, by His divine nature, knew immmediately what was in her heart. So also with the young girl whom He had compassion on and rose from the dead, playing it down to diminish the sensational by merely saying "back up and put away your mourning for she is only sleeping." Of course, she was not, but as Fr. Haydock points out it is a way of saying that Christ alone can restore grace to the soul. It symbolizes that she was dead to mortal sin, but revived by sanctifying grace from the touch of our Lord for Christ is the key to all things in life and in death. Something we should all remember well in these times when man places so much emphasis on the temporal and turning to the finite for answers that can only be provided by the Infinite. "Thy faith hath made thee whole"
Stephen Grieve continues his multi-part series that should stir the sensibilities of those who continue to elude the inevitability that a true pope would never and could never do what the conciliar leaders in Rome have done for the past 50 years. For his fifth installment, he provides an appendix which serves as a backgrounder for the contention that St. Peter and his successors are the restrainer/withholder (katechon) (κατέχων) and that this was known by more than a few in the early Church, focusing on the whys and wherefores of Paul's deliberate calling Peter out on the matter of Jewish customs no longer having effect in reinforcing Our Lord's stance on this. Despite Peter's primacy, which is fully recognized and respected by Paul, he rebukes Cephas for that very reason and for the Church. This is reinforced by none other than the holy Doctor of the Church St. Jerome as Steve illustrates in the fifth part of "Towards a Scriptural Brief proving Sede Vacante" with St. Paul Rebukes St. Peter - More Background on 2 Thessalonians 2: 6-7
Griff Ruby continues his series on critiquing the SSPX-published Sedevacantism - A False Solution To a Real Problem where he illustrates how the authors of the book attempt to calumniate those who hold that during a time when the Chair is vacant, true bishops not only compose the Teaching Church but also have full Power of Jurisdiction. After stumbling through this, the SSPX authors then turn around and reinforce the very arguments that prove Sedevacantists are right. Duh! Since the Society has been well known to waffle in never settling on a set theological position, thus causing constant confusion among the faithful, should we be surprised at the contradictions that exist in their feeble attempt to berate the position of those who hold Sede Vacante? With those who continue to straddle the fence, it's a "now you see it, now you don't" scenario where the rabbit the SSPX authors are trying to pull out of their hat actually becomes the Mad Hatter in a scenario right out of Alice in Wonderland with the tales they stretch to try to make their points; points that get swallowed up like the oysters by the walrus. Perhaps if the SSPX authors could extricate themselves from this tenebrious labyrinth of convoluted fantasy and see things in the light of day and tradition, they'd see without a shadow of doubt, the undeniable deviation of the faith by the conciliar church collective and that the only true Teaching Church in action today with the full Power of Jurisdiction are those true successors of the Apostles who have not compromised one iota with the Modernists as Griff reaffirms in his fourth installment
The Case of the Disappearing Disappearance .
Traditional Thoughts
Do we realize when we die we could very well be in the same predicament of the souls in Purgatory today? Do we feel comfortable with that? Father Paul O'Sullivan, O.P. helps us better understand what we must do. Do we realize how few pray for the souls in Purgatory today? Who knows, the way the conciliar church is going, they may soon attempt to do away with the Church Suffering. Don't put it past them. First Limbo, then Purgatory. After all, they've tacitly done away with hell, giving the impression to many that everyone goes to Heaven and there is no need to convert. If that's true, then the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass, the centerpiece of our Faith and the only true worship pleasing to God, is useless. True Catholics see the error in such logic for they know the truth of the fruits of the Holy Mass and prayers for the souls in Purgatory. They also know that the conciliar church has borne no good fruits and cannot per our Lord's words in St. Matthew 7: 15-20. It's another reason to read Fr. Paul O'Sullivan's poignant words
Read Me or Rue It!
Living in Tradition
Because of the emphasis on the Church Suffering during November we bring you another excellent work from the noted pre-conciliar Irish priest Father Paul O'Sullivan, author of "The Wonders of the Mass" and several magnificent traditional booklets that have increased in popularity as the years go on and as the souls in Purgatory increase and sit, and wait, and wait, and wait because we here on earth are not doing our part as the Church Militant to relieve those poor souls of their suffering. Only by helping them can we avoid Purgatory, only by remaining in the State of Sanctifying Grace, assisting at the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass - the centerpiece of our Faith and the only true worship pleasing to the Holy Trinity. Through the propitiatory sacrifice, our Rosaries, and making reparation for our own sins and those of others can we help the holy souls in Purgatory and hope to either cut down our time there or, by the grace of God and our total commitment as members of the Church Militant, to discover How to Avoid Purgatory
We continue this special feature provided by John Gregory with the Haydock Commentary found at the bottom of each page of the Douay-Rheims Bible. With the type so small in most bibles, we publish it here in larger type in conjunction with the Epistle and Gospel for the Sunday Mass, with the cogent comprehensive Catholic Commentary penned by Father George Leo Haydock. For the Double of the First Class Solemnity of All Saints, Father Haydock provides a plethora of commentaries on practically every verse of importance. While the Epistle identifies the sign by which we see what constitutes sinners striving to be saints - the sign of the cross, the Gospel lays out the formula for becoming saints with the Beatitudes which Christ our Lord explains with such clear simplicity that any and all can understand. These steps to sanctity are all contained in the Lord's Prayer, and the platform for being Christian in every way for saints are nothing but sinners striving to do God's holy will in all things no matter what the world, the flesh and the devil throw their way as indicated in the Haydock Commentary, Blessed are they who strive to be saints
Stephen Grieve continues a multi-part series on proving the basis for a sede vacante stance based on holy Scripture itself; something that should stir the sensibilities of those who continue to elude the inevitability that a true pope would never and could never do what the conciliar leaders in Rome have done for the past 50 years. Basing his research on the roots of Holy Writ, he has titled his columns, "Our Scriptural Roots", all based on the divine Word. Steve continues his treatise on the meaning of St. Paul's words in 2 Thessalonians 2: 6-7, turning to some backgrounder on this by focusing on the fact the Petrine Primacy was known to more than a few from early on as he documents in the scriptures in citing St. Luke and St. Paul's own words in acknowledging Peter as the first among the apostles. This is important in realizing the syllogism of the restrainer/withholder (κατέχων) being the Primacy of Peter, ergo the Vicar of Christ - the Pope. Steve shows in a backgrounder on 2 Thessalonians 2: 6-7 that politics is nothing new and even in the early years of Christianity there were many disputes. St. Paul and the Papacy: The First Generation
Griff Ruby points out that everyone should be concerned that it is the SSPX supposedly representing Traditional Catholics in 'theological discussions' that begin today in Modernist Rome. By and large, the SSPX consider any argument for Sede Vacante to be a false solution, yet neither in the book nor anywhere else, have they ever come up with a solution, going all the way back to Archbishop Lefebvre who vacillated greatly on this very issue. Yet, today, with Bishop Fellay more and more clamming up when it comes to speaking out for the truths and traditions of holy Mother Church, a solution is necessary for the sake of souls everywhere. Meanwhile the conciliar leaders from the top on down are taking souls further and further from the Roman Catholic Faith and closer to a syncretic New World Order while we all dicker over terms like Formal and Material. We can be formal or informal in taking the matter in hand and providing and proving the material available that makes it material, but if those who should see such are unwilling to understand or research further and connect all the dots, how then can sedevacantists make the point? It is a conundrum that Griff says needs to be addressed as he notes in his third installment
Is it Too Complicated? .
Stephen hails from across the pond in England and has agreed to provide interesting articles that should stir the sensibilities of those who continue to elude the inevitability that a true pope would never and could never do what the conciliar leaders in Rome have done for the past 50 years. Steve continues a multi-part series on proving the basis for a sede vacante stance based on holy Scripture itself. Thus the title of his columns, "Our Scriptural Roots", all based on the divine Word; the same Word Who was made flesh, suffered and died for us, all prophesied in the Old Testament. Steve continues his treatise on the meaning of St. Paul's words in 2 Thessalonians 2: 6-7 and today focuses on identifying who the restrainer/withholder (κατέχων) truly is. He shows by deduction and logic that it could only be the Papacy and ergo the Pope. This makes perfect sense when you read his arguments and syllogism on how Sacred Scripture reveals that the Pope will remove himself from the Church and there will be no one in authority to abate the "Mystery of Iniquity" - the "man of lawlessness" who is commandeered by the devil himself as Steve presents the third installment of his series Towards a Scriptural Brief suggesting Sedevacantism with Identity of the (κατέχων) Restrainer/Withholder = (Πέτροσ) The Papacy/Pope
Editor Michael Cain recalls how, as a child, one loved going to the circus, but things have definitely changed from those innocent times to the reality that is today's conciliar circus where the insignificant carnival barker William Levada is hawking tickets for admission into the big tent to see what next trick the ringmaster Ratzinger can pull off. Like circuses of old there are many death-defying acts, but in this bizarre bazaar (cirque 1964) these acts can greatly threaten souls and are definitely dangerous to your spiritual health. That warning seems to be ignored by many who only want to be entertained with no accountability for what they are participating in. Why, they've even expanded the seating to make room for the Anglicans, but don't worry they can still be Anglicans in every way and cling to the heresies of Henry VIII while still being considered part of the big tent through such circus lingo as "subsisting in." Yeah the clowns are aplenty in this rogue circus and they specialize in faux pas and pratfalls and making spectacles out of themselves while igoring Who's really important, Who should be featured front and center without clowns, without balloons, or any other trappings other than the solemnity of candles and reverence for the True Presence of Christ, Body and Blood, Soul and Divinity, in their presence. Except He is not there and hasn't been since the sixties when, like Henry VIII, those men who thought they knew better than God, threw Him out and brought in an imposter as they have been trying to pull a rabbit out of the hat ever since in trying to convince Catholics that He's still here. No, this circus is not the dwelling place of our Sovereign King Jesus Christ. We hope Bishop Fellay will realize that before it's too late as Cain points out in his editorial Conciliar Circus
Griff Ruby reminds all that one week from today on Octobere 26 a contingent from the SSPX will engage in theological discussions with Modernist Rome in a secluded room within the building known as the Palace of the Holy Office in the southeast area of Vatican City behind the south Colonnade of St. Peter's Square. Like any high-stakes poker game, it will be highly secretive with few knowing what cards the players are holding. But if Bishop Fellay plays his cards right from the onset on the Lumen Gentium issue, what he could accomplish would be the biggest boom for tradition since...well, Pope Pius XII. Griff offers eight key points that can most definitely call Ratzinger's bluff and trump whatever deck the Modernists might try to shuffle. If Fellay is sincere and not just opting for a red hat, it could be 'Jackpot!' for Tradition. It's a gamble most everyone is praying will turn into a sure thing for those intent on preserving the truths and traditions of holy Mother Church and wiping out 45 years of devastation in proving one cannot "subsist in" any kind of endeavor - be it a card game or theological discussion or the Church herself - if one is not a legitimate player as Griff identifies in his eight points in A Brief for the First Discussion
Stephen Grieve, who hails from across the pond in England, continues a multi-part series on proving the basis for a sede vacante stance based on holy Scripture itself. Thus the title of his columns, "Our Scriptural Roots", all based on the divine Word; the same Word Who was made flesh, suffered and died for us, all prophesied in the Old Testament. With the Cross, Christ fulfilled all that was necessary for the Old Covenant and established the New Covenant with the ultimate Sacrifice on Calvary leading to His Resurrection and Ascension, leaving us His Spirit, the Third Person of the Holy Trinity to guide us with the Word and Tradition of the only Church Christ established on earth. St. Paul was filled with the Spirit and conveyed the truths of Christ and His Church in his epistles, specifically to the Hellenic regions where the root of his words are in Greek. Thus, in getting to the root of the meaning, Steve applies the application of both the Greek and Latin etimology to see what the Apostle of the Gentiles truly meant, specifically in 2 Thessalonians 2: 6-7. Last week he dealt with the restrainer/withholder; this week he delves into the meaning of έκ μέσου (phonetics: ek mesoo and in Latin: 'qui tenet nunc donec de medio fiat') in part two of his series "Towards a Scriptural Brief suggesting Sede Vacante" with the meaning of that Greek phrase of Out of the Midst
In light of the passage of the so-called "hate crimes" bill by those intent on foisting unnatural laws on the lawful, Griff Ruby pulls no punches in addressing a sensitive subject that has spiraled out of control because of the proliferation of sin, unjustly justified by liberalism and a government out of control. Decent citizens, true Catholics, are shocked at how far society has sunk in its immoral miasma just in the last few decades where today evil is considered acceptable and proper while virtue is considered a vice that must be indoctrinated to modern times. Yes, thanks to liberalism, modernism, and satan-bar-the-door, it's become a topsy turvy world and another sign that we are in those times foretold in Sacred Scripture. Nowhere is this more prevalent than in the liberality of sexuality where God's natural and supernatural laws have been shunned for the beastiality of pure lust in every form and fashion. Little do these epicurean enemies of Christ consider St. Paul's words in 1 Corinthians 6: 9-10 and thus society today sinks deeper into the swamp of serious sin, assuredly heading for the abyss known as hell. What then are we to do? Follow them? Hardly. Rather, return to the prudence and continency of our forefathers who held proud the faith, living it fully in obedience to holy Mother Church as the Authority Christ appointed, and setting an example for this generation that we stand firm to tradition and will gladly show the side of decency in all things whether seen or unseen. And in these times when everything is seen, not only do people need to cover their bodies, preserving them untouched, but we must all have custody of the eyes and heart. Our faith compells us so as Griff explains in
The Roots of Liberalism.
Gary L. Morella presents a sobering piece on how the flickering light of faith has almost gone dim in a world shrouded in darkness and sin. To add our comments as a preface for his article, the Last Catholic out of the Vatican, turn out the lights because the most recent praise of an antichrist truly signifies Our Lady's prophecy at La Salette that "Rome will lose the faith and become the seat of the antichrist" has been fulfilled. The Great Apostasy has been the portal for many antichrists to come forth. Just who the main one is can still be left to conjecture considering how much the world has been dumbed down to believe anything. Thanks to Vatican II, the current head in Vatican City is getting some stiff opposition from an arrogant man/beast who would be king of the world once he's dismantled the United States, which is only too evident. Ever since the early conciliar 'popes' began the sell-out practice of abdicating the Vicar of Christ's tri-regno responsibilities to souls by bowing to the UN as the answer for "social peace and justice", souls have been confused and this has only enabled the many antichrists to establish a foothold both in church and state. When will the world know the only peace possible that can come is through adherence to God's laws and submission to the only One Who can bring peace? That would be the only Light of the world: Jesus Christ. When will people learn? When it's too late? Gary warns of the consequences in his article Darkness rules the roost as Obama struts
What? you say, how can this be? Read the First Epistle of St. John 2: 15-29 and you shall see whereof this headline speaks truth and then read Dr. Thomas A. Droleskey's latest pertinent pieces at www.christorchaos.com in which he details how the conciliarists bend over backward to compliment those very men out to destroy all that Christ taught and established on earth. This is especially evident in the reaction of the radical liberal theologists in congratulating one Barack Hussein Obama for being awarded the leftist award known as the Nobel Prize, not to be confused with a Noble Prize which would be believing in Christ and carrying out what He commanded.
Tom weighs in on the similarity of how today's scenario is sadly not stranger than fiction for fiction has proven true as he equates the classic (read: an excellent novel, literally and literature-wise) Lord of the World by Msgr. Robert Hugh Benson, a Catholic British author and priest at the turn of the century depicting a future apocalyptic armageddon in the mideast in a resistance effort against a One World Order in the mode of George Orwell's 1984. Obama's Marxist orientation and desire to be President of the World, aided by the reception of the now besmirched and worthless (other than the monetary value) Nobel 'Peace' Prize is a joke, but not one we should be laughing at, considering the consequences which make Benson a prophet a century or so later. Did the monsignor, like Pope Leo XIII, have a vision of what is to come, what for us is quite near? Tom lays out the signs in his three articles
Stephen Grieve hails from across the pond in England and has agreed to provide interesting articles that should stir the sensibilities of those who continue to elude the inevitability that a true pope would never and could never do what the conciliar leaders in Rome have done for the past 50 years. Stephen begins today a multi-part series on proving the basis for a
sede vacante stance based on holy Scripture itself. Hard to argue with the divine Word. In his first installment he introduces the first passage that indicates such in 2 Thessalonians 2: 6-7 in which he points to the Greek root of the word for 'withholder' as it is in the Douay-Rheims version and 'restrainer' as it is in the newer versions as κατέχων. Should we be surprised considering Greek was the language of the Thessalonians and which Paul was well versed in? In his study, Stephen outlines today his thesis and begins to eliminate possibilities that could not refer to the κατέχων (
o Katechon) as he narrows it down to show that the 'absence' of the 'withholder' or 'restrainer' ultimately refers to the Papacy. He explains in part one of his series
"Towards a Scriptural Brief suggesting Sede Vacante" with
Introduction to an Examination of 2 Thessalonians 2: 6-7