Reminder

VIDEO: Do Catholics really worship images?

 "Thou shalt not make to thyself a graven thing, nor the likeness of any thing that is in heaven above, or in the earth beneath, nor of those things that are in the waters under the earth. / Thou shalt not adore them, nor serve them." (Exodus 20:4-5 DRV)

An evangelical Protestant reader has written to take us traditional Catholics to task for worshipping images -- he uses the term "idols" -- such as that to be seen on the iconostas and elsewhere in our churches.

Yesterday, at Saint Elias Ukrainian Greco-Catholic Church, in Brampton ON, Protodeacon David Kennedy, took up this question. In under eight minutes (!) he explains the difference between worship and veneration, and why the icons help us to visualize the God we worship. 

Click here for more information on the architecture and iconography of the Church of Saint Elias the Prophet, and here for a further explanation of the church interior. To see what actually happens during an Eastern Catholic worship service, go to the Friends of Saint Elias YouTube channel. New videos  of Vespers, Matins and the Divine Liturgy are added at least once a week.

VIDEO: Faith Goldy talks about the de-Christianization of Québec

Faith Goldy (who is not Jewish, by the way), reports on a letter sent by a group of young French-Canadian Catholic men to their bishops, asking them to teach the traditional Catholic Faith -- the faith of our fathers -- and give the spiritual leadership they say is essential to combat the nihilistic culture that tempts many to despair. That includes allowing access to the traditional Latin Mass.

Twenty-nine men between the ages of 18 to 44, including university students, a doctor and two lawyers, calling themselves "The Disinherited", signed the open letter titled "We Ask for Faith: Open Letter to the Bishops of the Catholic Church in French Canada". Ms Goldy says the message of the letter "will stir your soul." It stirred mine, and so I share it here.



If God has spoken to you through this message, please pass it on by sharing the link to this post. And do it quickly, before YouTube takes the video down! Saint Joseph, patron of Canada, pray for us.

Thanks to Poor Len Canayen for alerting us to the publishing of this fine video.

VIDEO: What's wrong with relativism? Brian Holdsworth explains

The dictionary defintion of relativism is: the doctrine that knowledge, truth, and morality exist in relation to culture, society, or historical context, and are not absolute. In other words, there is no absolute right or wrong, no absolute good or evil, and, of course, no religion which possesses the whole and absolute truth about God (who may or may not exist) and our relationship with Him.

In this short video (7 minutes), Brian Holdsworth, the pride of St. Albert AB, takes a closer look at relativism, and why it's totally incompatible with being a Catholic. So also with socialism. You can't be a "Catholic socialist" or a "socialist Catholic", or, for that matter, a "liberal Catholic" or a "conservative Catholic". Can one describe oneself as a "traditional Catholic"? This video certainly got me thinking, so I commend it to you.

Salvini commends Italy to the Blessed Virgin Mary - Pope displeased

On Tuesday, Walt told you about Italian Deputy Premier Matteo Salvini's speech on May 19th at a rally of populist leaders in Milan, in which he decried unchecked migration, pledging to close Europe's borders to migrants. He also attacked Islam, saying it mistreats women. He said Turkey would never be a part of Europe and rejected the label of extremists for the leaders with him.

"In this piazza, there are no extremists," said Sig. Salvini. "There are no racists. There are no fascists. If anything in Italy and in Europe, the difference is between who looks ahead, between who speaks of the future...instead of making trials of the past." The "piazza" to which he referred was the huge square in front of Milan's Duomo cathedral, in which 10s of 1000s had gathered to support the right-wing populist parties contesting the European Parliament elections, which are under way at this very moment.

In my earlier report, I concentrated on politics, but the fact is that the struggle to keep Europe European -- so to speak -- is not just political but religious, for European values, the values of civilization, are Christian values, and are under attack by both Islamists and secular humanists. Make no mistake! Europe is, at this very moment, a key battleground in the war against Christianity!

Sig. Salvini did not neglect to mention the religious struggle, and we are indebted to LifeSite News for reporting on this aspect of last Saturday's rally. In "Vatican leaders outraged as anti-immigration politician commends Italy to Mary", LS reveals that Sig. Salvini kissed a rosary as he commended his country, Italy, to the Immaculate Heart of Mary, to the cheers of the crowd.

He also appealed to the patron saints of Europe: Sts. Benedict of Norcia, Brigid of Sweden, Catherine of Siena, Cyril and Methodius. And he said, "I entrust Italy, my life, and your lives to the Immaculate Heart of Mary, who I'm sure will bring us to victory."

You would have thought that the leader of the world's billion-plus Catholics, the man who calls himself "pope" and professes his devotion to the Blessed Virgin, would applaud the Deputy Premier's action. You would be wrong. Francis (whose name was greeted with boos and catcalls) immediately sent out his henchmen to denounce Sig. Salvini's action.

Among them was the Jesuit editor Antonio Spadaro, a close confidant of Pope Bergoglio. Fr Spadaro is notorious among true Catholics for opposing an Italian law mandating that crucifixes be placed in all Italian public buildings. Further rebukes were added by the President of the European Bishops' Conference, and the Vatican Secretary of State, Cardinal Pietro Parolin (aka The Man Who Would Be Pope - see "'Peter the Roman' ready to take over from Pope Francis", WWW 14/1/18).

Dear Catholic readers, the teaching of the true Catholic Church is: De Maria nunquam satis (Of Mary, never enough). Those like Pope Bergoglio and his Modernist acolytes and sycophants place themselves outside the True Faith on this as on so many other teachings. It is the Pope (if such he be) himself who should be publicly calling upon the Blessed Virgin Mary to turn him and his Modernist minions away from their heresies and back to the Catholic Faith. For that, let us pray.

7 famous people you probably didn't know were Catholic

Obi-Wan Kenobi?! Jedi knights are secret Catholics? Well, no... but Sir Alec Guinness, who portrayed Obi-Wan in the first of the Star Wars trilogies, was a devout Catholic, confirmed in the Church on 24 March 1956.

The Fathers [or Father? Ed.] who write the Traditio blog, from which the following list was taken, tell us that Sir Alec was not a "cradle Catholic", and was actually known for his anti-clericalism and anti-Romanism. But something happened to him during the filming in France, in 1954, of Father Brown, the story of a priest-detective based on the books of Catholic author G.K. Chesterton -- a favourite of Walt's Agent 9.

In his autobiography, Blessings in Disguise,  Sir Alec writes "By the time dusk fell, I was bored and, dressed in my priestly black, I climbed the gritty winding road to the village.... I hadn't gone far when I heard scampering footsteps and a piping voice calling, 'Mon père!' My hand was seized by a boy of seven or eight, who clutched it tightly, swung it and kept up a non-stop prattle.... Although I was a total stranger, he obviously took me for a priest and so to be trusted. Suddenly with a 'Bonsoir, mon père,' and a hurried sideways sort of bow, he disappeared through a hole in the hedge.... Continuing my walk I reflected that a Church which could inspire such confidence in a child, making its priests, even when unknown, so easily approachable could not be as scheming and creeping as so often made out [in Britain]. I began to shake off my long-taught, long-absorbed, prejudices [against Roman Catholicism]."

What eventually made Sir Alec Guinness decide, two years later, to convert to the True Faith was a miracle and a "personal encounter" with God. His only child Matthew contracted polio at the age of 11 and was at risk of dying. Sir Alec began visiting a Catholic church and prayed that if his son survived, he and his family would join the Catholic Church. His prayers were answered, and his son recovered from the almost-fatal illness. Sir Alec was as good as his word, and fulfilled his vow. From 1956 until the day he died at age 86 in 2000, he remained a traditional Catholic. A year after he converted, his wife followed him, and his son also joined the Church and was sent to a Jesuit school.

According to Traditio, other noted converts to traditional Catholicism have been:
* Actor Gary Cooper
* Actor Vincent Price
* Actor John Wayne, on his deathbed
* Irish playwright and confirmed bachelor Oscar Wilde, who made a Sacramental Confession and received Extreme Unction
* Composer Ludwig van Beethoven, who had been baptized as a baby, but had fallen from the Faith; he called for a priest and received Extreme Unction on his deathbed
and... believe it or not...
* George Washington -- yes, the George Washington -- who, although known to be a Freemason, was probably baptized on his deathbed by a Jesuit priest from the church across the river, which the President had been known to slip into, on occasion, to hear Holy Mass.

Walt notes with sadness that the Catholic Church into which these seven famous people were received was not the so-called Catholic Church which we know today. It was the traditional, pre-Vatican II Church, that cherished and taught the Faith of our Fathers, the truths taught to us by Our Lord Jesus Christ Himself, when he walked among us. Nowadays, the true Catholic Faith is to be found not in the Vatican, but in the minds and hearts of the remnant of traditional Catholic bishops, priests and laypeople, who may well pray that Pope Francis may experience a similar conversion -- the sooner the better.

New Canuck PM to have a little talk with Archbishop of Ottawa about what it means to be a Catholic

When Ed. told you on Sunday that I would be in Canada for the federal election on 19/10, he described two of the parties' leaders -- Justin Trudeau (Liberal) and Tom Mulcair (NDP) as "cafeteria Catholics". Some readers may think we (Ed. and I) are being judgmental. Others may have no idea what we're talking about. I will explain.

To be a practising Roman Catholic means more than just being baptized and calling yourself Catholic when the census-taker knocks at the door. [Do they still do that? Ed.] It means accepting and applying the teachings and commandments of Holy Mother Church in one's day-to-day life. Not just on Sunday, but every day.

When I say "the teachings and commandments", I mean all of them. You can't pick and choose, as you would in a cafeteria. That means you can't be a good Catholic and go along with the secular humanist orthodoxies of the modern age. Some ideas and acts which are now acceptable to society at large are simply wrong -- sinful -- for Catholics.

Abortion is wrong. Artificial birth control is wrong. Homosexual acts are wrong. Same-sex "marriages" are wrong. Receiving Holy Communion or other Sacraments is wrong for Catholics who have remarried after being divorced.

That means that faithful -- full of Faith -- Catholics are almost by definition social conservatives. All those wrong are more or less permissible for the majority of "Christians", as well as non-believers. But there is one wrong which is dear to the hearts of a lot of social conservatives. That's capital punishment, which is a sin, condemned by God in the Fifth Commandment.

Yet there are political leaders of all stripes, in North America and Europe, who call themselves Catholics but ignore the commandments of God and His Church. One such is Justin Trudeau, the newly elected Prime Minister of Canada.

M Trudeau is nothing if not "progressive". As such, he supports abortion on demand, LGBT rights, same-sex marriage, the whole lot. (He's against capital punishment though.) Yet he goes to church every now and then, and receives Holy Communion. Whether he commits a mortal sin by so doing is not for me to judge. But Most Rev. Christian Riesbeck, Auxillary Bishop of Ottawa, has suggested that M Trudeau could be denied communion for his public stance on abortion.

The Church’s Code of Canon Law states (Canon 915) that those who are "obstinately persevering in manifest grave sin are not to be admitted to Holy Communion." On May 23rd, Bishop Riesbeck told LifeSiteNews, "Out of concern for safeguarding the reverence that is due Our Lord in the Eucharist, and to avoid scandal, one could possibly apply this norm even in the case of a pro-abortion Catholic politician who is extremely vocal about his position."

Now that he is the Prime Minister-designate, M Trudeau says that he is hopes to speak soon with Bishop Riesbeck's boss, Archbishop Terrence Prendergast, to clarify the implications of his public stance in favour of legal abortion.
Bishop Riesbeck's remarks in May were prompted by M Trudeau's declaration that all Liberal candidates must support access to legal abortion, regardless of their own beliefs on the matter. A day or so later, Abp. Prendergast told the Catholic Register that he would not refuse Trudeau Holy Communion without first having met with him.

The CBC reports that a date for the PM's meeting with Abp. Prendergast has yet to be established. They do not say whether the meeting will take place in the prelate's office or in the confessional.

Further reading: "Justin Trudeau 'looks forward' to meeting with Ottawa archbishop about receiving Communion"

Head of Mormon "church" summoned to face UK charges of "fraudulent teaching"

Here's one for the books -- the law books that is. The Fraud Act, 2006 -- a British statute -- says it is a crime to make representations which are known to be untrue, with the intent of defrauding someone else. The Westminster magistrates believe this covers preaching something which is false, in order to get someone to give money to your "church". The notion invites considerable debate over what's true and what isn't, and whether someone can be persuaded to contribute to a "church" by the power of preaching.

The magistrates have issued a summons requiring Thomas Spencer Monson, of Salt Lake City, to appear before to answer the charge of contravening Section 1 of the said act. Mr. Monson [Elder Monson? Reverend Monson? Ed.], age 86 [definitely "elder" then. Ed.] is the president of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, better known to most of us as the Mormons.

According to The Telegraph, two former Mormons [kind of has a ring to it -- "former Mormons" -- if they were farmers they'd be "former farmer Mormons". Ed.] went to the Old Bill complaining that seven Mormon teachings were fraudulently presented to them as true, causing them to pay an annual tithe to the "church".

The teachings which Mormons believe, but which the magistrates charge are untrue, include:
- The Book of Mormon was translated from ancient gold plates by Joseph Smith, is the most correct book on earth, and is an ancient historical record
- All humans alive today are descended from just two people who lived approximately 6,000 years ago
- Native Americans are descended from an Israelite family which left Jerusalem in 600 B.C.
- The Book of Abraham is a literal translation of Egyptian papyri by Joseph Smith.
Click here to read all seven (allegedly) false teachings.

"Allegedly"... Walt uses the word on the advice of Agent 3, recognizing that there will undoubtedly be considerable argument as to whether the teachings are true or false. After all, just because South Park doubts the veracity of the Word according to Joseph Smith doesn't make Mr. Smith a false prophet...does it?

We must seriously consider attending the trial, if there is one. (Elder Monson might choose to ignore the summons, since it does not purport to be issued on behalf of God or even Her Britannic Majesty. Whatever happened to the old customary language?) Said trial, if there is one, will surely make the Scopes Monkey Trial look like... errr... a Sunday school picnic.

If there is a trial, the verdict will be awaited with considerable trepidation by countless televangelists and, dare we say it, priests and bishops of the One True Church. Suppose the Pope were proven wrong about something which he taught (not infallibly), for instance that you don't really have to be Catholic to be saved. Could we then claim a refund for all those Peter's Pence we've given over the years? Doesn't bear thinking about, does it...