Mark, Buddy, You Got Real Pals and Siblings in Christ Who Get You and Have Seen the Truth

Hello Everyone, but specifically, Mark Shea,

The Church has been a trying time for many of us, especially with the Francis Papacy. Every off the cuff statement and interview he does with reporters can lead to a new fiasco, and another round of Satan's bile being thrown at the Holy Father by Radicals Misrepresenting Traditionalists of all people.

Sadly, even the more centralist "orthodox" people, are committing slander and calumny and sin, all in the name of religious purity and in being the Church's self-appointed liturgical and moral police officers. In reality, these "I'm with Stupid" (I.W.S.) Catholics, to coin the phrase, from blogger David Wanat at "If I Might Interject," are committing the same sins and violation of the 2nd Commandment, like their Radical Traditionalist brethen, despite not being Latin Mass afficionados. Their "sacred cow"/idols might not be the Latin Mass/liturgy, but it could be something like abortion, euthanasia, homosexual issues, women's issues, etc. They defend the issue in a manner so zealously with the writings of the Church, they become modern day Pharisees, often involving the slagging and contempt of Pope Francis. Their language is passive-aggressive, and the underlying meaning of it is truly hatred and disgust for the Holy Father.

However, the Holy Father is not the only target of their moral and/or liturgical purism. They target anyone who attacks their rigorist standards of what they think the Church "teaches" as its authority and final words on matters. I myself have been attacked online and in person, and even stalked at a parish, for daring to fight against these people's demands and desires.

Unfortunately, their actions have consequences, spiritually and mentally, on their audiences, such as despair, inordinate anger, etc. and they are accessories to the sins of their affected audience. One good veteran and Catholic family man has been afflicted, and he needs our support.

A good blogger I have admired throughout the years since I've entered the fray, Mark Shea of Catholic Patheos web portal, a convert to the Church, has written numerous books, and produced numerous articles and work for North America's leading Catholic apologetics apostolate, Catholic Answers. In his spare time, he blogs at "Catholic and Enjoying It!", though he did recently break from the blog for personal reasons. Now he's back in action, though someone, a good friend, decided to employ proper fraternal correction of him, as it seems Mark, to this friend, has gone past his usual defining snarkiness that makes Mark a fun Catholic blogger to read.

Personally, I haven't met Mark in Person. I do hope he comes to Canada again, to my Archdiocese of Toronto, where one day I will meet him. However, I have had some correspondence with him, being in a similar "blogger's circle" as it were (kinda like the analogy of cliques in high school lunch rooms) and despite the low popularity and power that my Servimus Blog yields, Mark has been kind and gracious enough to link to my blog a couple of times for when I've poured out my soul and stated things of importance.

The post where this happened, and Mark's reply, is here: http://www.patheos.com/blogs/markshea/2016/07/an-honest-and-heartfelt-exchange-with-a-friend-who-feels-that-ive-changed.html.

Mark decides to open up about this heart to heart discussion, revealing what has happened to him spiritually over the years. One of the biggest things spiritually that has happened is some despair, laced with disillusionment into thinking that the readers he was once evangelizing to, have revealed their true and darkest sides to him. Some of this also revolves around the Francis Papacy and this current 2016 election in the United States of America, with Catholics, surprisingly, defending narcissist :

"The past 15 years have been one long slow disillusionment which went into high gear with the election of Francis and the poisonous reaction of that whole subculture against him ... I’ve watched for *years* while the people who once were eager to hear the gospel have morphed into a people eager to battle the Church every time she says something they don’t like, who use the lamest sophistries to do it, and who consistently use the unborn as human shields and fig leaves for that project.... Times this by literally thousands of encounters. It grinds you down. You lose patience and you lose hope. These are the people you took to be the faithful remnant of the Church and it turns out they are consistently fighting the Church and regard the Magisterium as a threat–especially Francis. Meanwhile, I regard him as a gift and am heartsick at the warfare–open and naked, as well as subterranean and passive (like a tree burning at the roots)–that comes from one sector of the Church and one only: the people I trusted as “faithful Catholics”..."

Heartbreaking indeed! This is exactly like the betrayal of Judas Iscariot at the Passion of Jesus Christ, who turned his back on the Lord and turned him over to be crucified. Mark here is like Mary, sadly watching his Son be mocked, tortured, hurt, and rejected and abandoned by the people who were once his closest friends and allies. Surely, haven't you had a moment in your life, even in your childhood, when a friend you once had, dumped you because he say, found someone else they thought was better, or joined a clique and embraced their "lifestyle" to the point it had to exclude you cause you are against their new "friends?" That here, is exactly what Mark Shea is experiencing.

The hypocrisy and sins of the I.W.S. crowds and their self-serving need for hearing they are the Holy Remnant of Jesus' "TRUE" Church, and not the modernist one passing for it today, is the high source of frustration for Mark's writing and correspondence in the hopes at evangelizing, and counselling the (willfully) ignorant:

" ...  I find myself in the bizarre position of meeting Lefties who are genuinely interested in hearing what the Church has to say, all while having to explain to Righties that this does not make me ritually unclean for consorting with them in order to evangelize them .... They now seek a Fortress in which to remain safe from a world they fear while Francis has left the Fortress, flung open the door and is proclaim the joy of the gospel to the very people the subculture would pour boiling oil on before they let them into the Church.  It’s not merely that they think he evangelizes badly.  It that they want him to stop evangelizing lest riff raff get in and make life complicated .... I no longer felt as though I had an audience who wanted to hear the Church’s teaching in fullness. They wanted to hear me tell them they are awesome and righteous and the Remnant of the Faithful and they wanted to hear me tell them liberals and CINOs are the enemy, including Francis. "

And because Mark Shea refused to fall off the narrow path on the right side of the road to the gate of heaven, the very people who enjoyed his blog, have become his worst enemies, just like the Jewish people from Palm Sunday, whom by Good Friday were now his hecklers and detractors.

The prideful and wicked RMTs and I.W.S., rarely admit to their sins and when they do, still do it in a prideful manner with the utmost unrepentance and mockery of their opponents. Mark, in a humble, true, mea culpa, has admitted that he has allowed such worries of the world, the flesh, and the Devil, affect him spiritually and in his writing, as correctly pointed out by the concerned friend:

"It has affected my writing, I know. I have felt more and more blocked and frustrated. More and more aware of how profoundly out of step I am with my peers. And no small part of that is due to the fact that there are deep mental and social “structures of sin”, as the Church calls them, that most on the right are completely unaware of. That’s why they see Francis as a threat and it is excruciatingly difficult for them to understand what he means on even the simplest points .... None of this is to try to justify my sins of anger. They are real and I keep going back to the sacrament for them (just went again today). It’s more to say, “Have mercy on me, a sinner.” I don’t *like* myself very much these days. I wish I was a better man, but I’m just not. I keep praying for daylight and trusting that it will come. I think I got a piece of it yesterday and so will explore in that direction.

_________________________________

If there is anything I can say, it's that Mark deserves our prayers and support. People who are more devout in their faith, should not be dividing their Brother and Sisters of Christ to ruin and sin. They should not be hurting and re-crucifying our Lord, yet they do. Even the best of our apologists and defenders, like Mark, are being hurt and wounded by these new allies and actors of the Devil's works. AND THEY TRULY DON'T DESERVE IT. NO ONE DESERVED TO BE HATED IN THIS WAY. 

Friends, I am happy that Mark does his service. I empathize with him. Despite his recent slump, he is truly one of the best faces out there for our Faith, warts and all, who is genuinely acting out his Faith.

Mark, let it be known that there still a few genuine "Orthodox," Traditionalist, even Latin Mass loving (ok, maybe just ONE or Two of us), Catholics who know you are practicing the truth of Jesus and have not fallen to the demons of your accusers. We care, and support you, and will continue to do so. You DO have online friends, and you can count me as one of them.

Friends, and true Catholics, please Give Mark your support and a shout, and your prayers.

Deo Gratias, and Pax Tibi Christi, Julian Barkin.

Triple Highlight: Terry Nelson, Mark Shea, and Catholic Culture Hit It on the Head!!! Re +Daneels Conspiracy and Radicals Misrepresenting Traditionalism!!!

Hello Everyone.

So it looks like Pope Francis' visit to the USA, as well as some stupid documentary where a cardinal in the Church "plotted" with others to sway the conclaves of 2005 and 2013, has made the Radicals Misrepresenting Traditionalists froth at the mouth like crazy.

Thankfully, to protect the Catholic faithful from being swayed by detraction and slander of the Holy Father, as well as from acts of the Devil, a number of bloggers have risen to the Church's defense against, sadly, the slings and arrows from their own disgruntled members.

First up is one of my favourite bloggers, Terry Nelson, an outstanding young man who blogs at Abbey Roads. This young buck, like me, hates radical traditionalism and sees the damage it is causing the Catholic Church, especially in the wake of the Francis Pontificate. Adding to his credibility, is that he is a chaste man, who carries the cross of Same-Sex Attraction, yet he is faithful to Holy Mother Church, an important stance to take especially with the whole Synods of the Family occurring. He`s even not afraid to take to task other SSA individuals, whose approaches to being gay and Catholic, steer somewhat in a darker direction, despite appearances of being ``chaste.``

In the comment box of one of his posts, "Papal visit - it's not over till the fat lady sings ... and I'm sure she will," Mr. Nelson comments on how he is keeping his soul pure by avoiding certain blogs. He states his reasoning why:

"Terry Nelson4:24 PM
These are a few blogs I consider poisonous gossip-mongers:

Vox Cantoris
Pat Archbold
Carol McKinley
Ann Barnhardt
and a few others they link to.

Other blogs by people with admitted mental health issues or who give indications of it, I simply avoid.

This type of conspiracy chatter and traditionalist extremism has plagued me my entire adult life - since my return to the sacraments. This constant vitriol and suspicion and requirement to check the papers of all who profess to be Catholic. The constant repetition of false visionaries and reinterpretation of Fatima and pulling out ancient encyclicals to bang over people's heads. Today Medugorje is very near to be being discredited, The Locutions to the World lady is backtracking and saying the time of collapse has been put back. The fake prophets are falling - yet doomsayers are repeating their warnings. Even the politicians who promise an end to abortion if we elect them - and when we do - nothing happens - let it all fall to pieces.

Who cares if the economy collapses? Who cares about predicting the future? Why do we waste our time worrying about the Synod? Defaming people who went to see the pope or did the readings? Pray - yes - but working ourselves up over this stuff? To what end?

How can we keep doing this? Why? Just to taunt and drive OCD people nuts? To heap guilt upon the guilty? To shame the shameful? 

I don't get it.

LarryD once said my blog is littered with road kill - I laughed so hard because it's true. My entire life is too.

Nutcases have come and gone. Doomsayers predicting the Ball of Redemption - aged, infirm, some dead now - I hope they saw it before they died - just like Joey Lomangino and Padre Pio before they died, huh? Who taught people to believe this crap? To talk this crap? 

The Pope spoke about salvation. The Pope came preaching Jesus Christ. The Pope came to teach us about mercy. I need mercy. I need salvation. My fear and trembling is before God - not the Catholic blogosphere.

Sorry - I'm tired of it."

Well Said Terry. He's also not the only one, who is fed up with this nonsense which is damaging souls. Another commentator by the name of "Joshua" also comments, with this zinger in the comment:

".... One identity I do own is Catholic, which is why I can't read any of the blogs Terry mentioned. (Terry, I think you left off one. Starts with R, ends with orare Caeli :) ) They attack the Church. They attack her priests and bishops. They don't critique in charity--they attack. Just like a man can commit adultery in his heart without ever touching anyone other than his wife, you can do the same with schism (which is really just ecclesiastical adultery). They make me angry, so I don't read them. (Also, there is absolutely nothing to learn from them that can't be learned elsewhere, assuming it's worth learning.) .... "

Wow .... Joshua really has a great point about sinning via spiritual adultery and schism. Sins apply in more than just one specific context, and we don't need flesh acts to commit them. 

So in that post, Terry quotes from another fighter against RMTs and also, those "conservatives" who are falsely pro-life and anti-social justice, Mark Shea. The post of Shea's he quotes from concerns the release of a book chronicling the life of some cardinal named Danneels. So the short story is him, and a bunch of cardinals, including the oh so anti-doctrine front man of the 2014 synod, Cardinal Walter Kasper, were meeting together to try and influence the Synod to get Francis in, and therefore Pope Francis I`s election was invalid and Super Trad Hero, Pope Benedict XVI, is reigning pope and will come back and save the Church from the total ruin it is becoming!!!!

Well all I got to say ... is THEY ARE DARN TOOTING WRONG!!!

Mark has this to say on his blog, "Catholic and Enjoying it!" about the stupid Daneels conspiracy plot to overthrow the Papacy via rigging the conclaves, ironically involving Pope Benedict XVI himself as part of his reply to these conspiracy theorists: 

``... Here’s the thing: Benedict has already schooled the Conspiracy Theorists on this:

“There is absolutely no doubt regarding the validity of my resignation from the Petrine ministry,” Benedict, 86, who now has the title “pope emeritus,” said in a letter to the Italian website Vatican Insider published on Wednesday.

“The only condition for the validity of my resignation is the complete freedom of my decision. Speculation regarding its validity is simply absurd,” he wrote in answer to a request by the website for comment on recent Italian media reports.

What’s hilarious is that the Always Obviously Wrong Charism of Discernment of the Reactionaries manages to ignore the plainly truthful Benedict while somehow managing to make the person they themselves declare to be a Deceiver the fount of all truth–and all on the say-so of two guys hawking a book. The spectacular ability of Reactionaries to be wrong about everything, and to believe whatever their itching ears want to hear, is just breathtaking.

And it’s amazingly postmodern. What matters is not facts, but how it hits Francis Haters in the feels. Facts are unimportant. What matters is truthiness.

Sorry guys. Francis really is the Pope. Deal with it.``

Not to mention that he added an update to the post, which includes analysis from a canon lawyer with the chutzpah to put his name out there and blog, who is often sought by Trad blogs for his analysis on Canon Law, Ed. Peters.  

Finally, to truly cast the final nail on the coffin of the conspiracy theory of rigging the 2013 Conclave and Pope Francis being ``invalidly elected,`` Catholic Culture, a balanced orthodox blog with useful Catholic resources and balanced news and reporting, covered the whole issue of the supposedly rigged conclave thanks to that biography, and blew it out of the park with proper deductive reasoning and logic:

``On the other hand, there are compelling reasons to dismiss the claims of conspiracy:

• Even if the authors of the Danneels biography were quoted accurately, they had an obvious incentive to exaggerate the power of the St. Gallen group, to create publicity for their book. A story about a secret cabal is more likely to sell briskly than the life story of a retired cardinal.
• If the St. Gallen group did make an effort to control the conclave of 2005, they failed miserably. The conclave almost immediately turned to Cardinal Ratzinger: the man whose influence the group was allegedly fighting to curtail.
• Cardinal Martini was widely seen as the leader of the liberal group that might have sought for an alternative to Cardinal Ratzinger. But Vatican insiders know that Cardinal Martini was not at all favorably disposed toward his fellow Jesuit, Cardinal Bergoglio, and would never have supported his election.
• Since the St. Gallen group stopped meeting in 2006, it was not likely to be an important factor in the conclave of 2013, which elected Pope Francis. By that time Cardinal Martini was dead, and other members—Cardinals Silvestrini and Murphy-O’Connor—were too old to participate in the conclave.
• In the days leading up to the 2013 conclave, virtually no one expected the election of Cardinal Bergoglio. If a group of cardinals had been working for years to generate enthusiasm about his candidacy, they must have been singularly inept .``

And I`d say that between these wonderful bloggers and their defense, not much more needs to be said, other than that with each strike from these RMTs, credibility is diminished as to the value of their words, ramblings of internal discord being expressed publicly, and further damages the good name of the Pope, the Church, Catholicism, and good movements of the Reform of the Reform such as the revitalization of the Latin Mass. 

Finis.  

Example #224 of Why People Reject Catholic Traditionalism and the Latin Mass ... RMT Combox "Trolling"

Hello Everyone,

You know, I was just having a pleasant time as of late blogging less frequently and uploading more spiritually fruitful and charitable posts in the form of my Liguorian Series, as well as promoting one of my fellow young Catholics, Maggie a.k.a. "MAGS" Wang in her endeavours. Seems there can be no peace in "Traddie Land" as someone had a speckled-filled nutty in my combox today.

Recently, I've been allowing for anonymous comments, because my friends have desired to leave comments on the comment box, but do not desire these radicals chasing them down online or in person. So I did, but did not allow for automatic comment release. Well I knew eventually someone would use the combox to harass me after being considerate to my friends.

Upon creating my support post for crowdfunding Maggie's latest musical endeavor (please click above! She still needs your support!) some Radical Misrepresenting Traditionalist (RMT) with a bone to pick for MAGS, left me this statement, anonymously:

"Misrepresenting the facts again, I see."

My guess is this person decided to be an RMT at this statement from my post: "The Radicals Misrepresenting Traditionalists tried to harass her and her family. They tried and failed miserably."

Alright, "Anonymous," Time to break things down, shall we?

1. The fact that you didn't have the gall to leave even a pseudonym or at the absolute worst, your initials, while taking a nice little shot at me and Mags, is quite cowardly. Further, you sound like you KNOW intimately the full details of the situation, so how about coming out from your shadows and perhaps saying who you are, and even sharing with me your details??? You can even link to your own blog then and show the world your entry. 

2. I have a pretty good idea who this could be based on what the comment reveals, Thanks to your anonymous comment, you didn't leave your name, but it reveals enough, pointing to a past history with MAGS and or intimate knowledge of certain things, either because you were involved with the situation, or you work for her diocesan chancery, or the parish she filmed at. Just forget it, move on, go to the Latin Mass, and turn a new leaf away from the computer. 

3. This is my blog, and if I choose to editorialize or add flair to my writing, that's my style, it's a "free country" still for blog writing, so tough. You don't like it, go write your own blog, or find somewhere else to comment to your liking. 

4. What I said in the statement above is true. Mags is still writing music, has three or four albums out on Itunes, and is continuing her foray into music. She has not quit her hobby or career (if she does it full time in future), nor is suffering from some sort of psychological/spiritual/physical trauma, just because a couple of local bloggers had some sort of hangup with RMT liturgical stuff shooting a video in a parish a few years ago. SO WHAT I HAVE SAID IS TRUE. She's thriving and the RMTs lost.   

5. Finally, going back to my title of the post, you are not the only one who has maligned my comment box like this. I've also seen this online, even on good, "Traditional," Catholic sites. This kind of behaviour, raiding people's comboxes and/or email addresses, is standard fare for RMTs who do not like the person, or consider them heretics, or who write things that are not correct. This kind of behaviour gives Latin Mass attendees and Traditional Catholics (the good ones, who don't think Francis is violating doctrine) a bad name, and deters people from wanting to pursue the lifestyle/deepening their Faith, in person and online. 

Worse, the lot of you then give the chancery the "crazy person" signal to them, and believe me, they are not stupid and will know who the frequent offenders are and take note. And if you have a ``ministry`` of any sort trying to promote the good of the Church and it`s teachings, liturgical or  doctrinal, well consider your ministry unsupported by the (arch)diocese and it will not be received by the Catholic public and parishes. Then again maybe you belittle those 95% or so of lukewarm Catholics anyways who don`t meet your standards. Just don`t whine in the same breath when your ministry is stagnant because you alienated yourself from the bulk of the Body of Christ in your beliefs and behaviour. 

Keep it up boys and girls. I am sure with behavior like that in 5, exemplified above, all Latin Mass parishes with their offerings will be bursting out of the pews in every Mass, full of joyful, loving Catholics who are evangelizing the Church and their neighbours anew. You will surely convert lots of non-Catholics to the Church that way. 

Oh, and for the record, I'm not officially releasing that comment, nor anything else you throw at me in the combox. However, send me something delicious and juicy, in my combox or email, and it will be ripe for posting, to show the blog-o-sphere your maturity level and the state of your soul. 

Or maybe I won't, cause I have better things to do with my time than hate my fellow "pagan" Catholics or those outside of the faith you see as pagans. 

Finally .... just give it up to Him. Our Church, despite errors due to human concupiscence, is not really that bad. There IS Joy, and that Joy is in the Gospel, in Christ, and if you truly invested in it, you`d be spreading joy too. 

Ahhhhh ..... My Mark Shea moment for today. Pax Tibi Christi, Julian. 

2 Weeks of Blogging Despair: Embarrasment from the Radical Catholic Reactionaries over ++Burke and ++Dolan

Hello Everyone,

I realize that this is a lengthy post. Bear with me though. It needs the length as this is 2 weeks worth of observation and reflection.  

These past two weeks have been a sad and woeful one on the Catholic blog-o-sphere. This has been one of the worst periods of recent, where it feels like there is no hope living as a Catholic. The players who are directly responsible for carrying out the sin of despair are powerful men in esteemed positions of authority, who are not speaking with the Mind of the Church, despite the responsibility given to them by our Lord. Are you thinking what I am thinking, or whom I am directly referring to?

Perhaps I should explain further, by discussing what I have been witnessing on the Catholic blog-o-sphere. The situations that have been of critical (as well as hateful) discussion these past two weeks, are in regards to two cardinals, on opposite sides of the theo-political spectrum. They are Cardinal Timothy Dolan of the Archdiocese of New York, who’s what we could call “pastoral”, while at the other end, the “spiritual” end, is Cardinal Raymond Leo Burke, possibly soon to be ex-prefect of the Apostolic Signatura in Rome.

Summary of the Major Events

Dolan’s criticism, and fury amongst the Traditionalists Behaving Badly (my term by the way that I created, like Dave Armstrong with Radical Catholic Reactionary, to purposely ostracize the Traditionalists who are disobedient and hateful to and within Holy Mother Church, from the good, loyal traditionalists who don't do what they do,) deal with the fact the jolly Cardinal is MC for the upcoming St. Patrick’s parade in New York in 2015. The parade is now letting in pro-gay groups. Dolan's acceptance of the "honour" is being seen as an OK for being gay in the Church. Further, the TBBs are likely thinking of him as the Devil’s minion, for wanting to close down Holy Innocents Catholic Church in NYC, the U.S.A base of operations for valiant Glad Trad hero, Fr. John Zuhlsdorf of WDTPRS. The critics are also implying that the only reason Dolan extended the possible merger/closing of H.I is because too much bad press got out about him, despite his response, so he's saving face for himself and the office of the Archdiocese of New York.

At the other end of things, Cardinal Raymond Leo Burke is likely being re-assigned to another office of the Church, a superior of sorts of the Knights of Malta, based in Rome. This move by Pope Francis is being seen by the TBBs as a “demotion” and part of a conspiracy theory of Pope Francis’ and company’s hate for anything dealing with that trad hero, Benedict XVI. They are also attributing this demotion to the fact that ++Burke and other traditional bishops and Jesuits wrote a book defending the traditional teachings of the Church on marriage and the family, in contradiction to the violation of Church teaching in the “tolerated but not acceptable” position of ++Kasper on non-annulled Catholics receiving communion. In addition, ++Kasper is getting a “ringmaster’s stage” for the upcoming Extraordinary Synod of the Family. The worst of the rumour mill at Rorate Caeli, even says that Francis was royally pissed off at this book, and even scolded ++Muller of the Congregation for Doctrine of the Faith not to promote the book … if you believe the worst PR site for radical traditionalism who’s one step away from sedevacantism that is. 

So, what am I getting at?

With the summary of the main events, it seems as if our appointed leaders in the Catholic world are failing us. The disgusting liberal clergy who are wolves in sheep’s clothing are heroes, the good Cardinals are being destroyed by the Spirit of Vatican II clergy including our Pope of Mercy, and St. Anna Catharine of Emerich’s prophecy is coming true right? Well the leadership of the Church certainly has failed …. But surprise! It’s not entirely the clergy. 

I am talking about those of us laity charged with the full participation of Christ’s priesthood, prophecy, and kingship.

The laity who are being leaders, fighting what they think is their quest to maintain the Church’s order and governance, have done the greatest disservice these past two weeks for the Church. THEY DO NOT, IN ANY WAY, SHAPE, OR FORM, HAVE VESTED AUTHORITY TO DICTATE OR ENFORCE THE CHURCH’s LAWS OR TEACHINGS. If they say they do, they are liars and only have the privileges every ordinary Catholic has, albeit at the service and mercy to the clergy and Canon Law (including choice to wield said law.) Many of them, are laypeople, with nothing more than an acumen to see black wherever there is white, and no good of the Church. 

Now, by no means am I wearing rose coloured glasses and saying "all is well", but they have crossed a line between critical evaluation and fraternal correction, into the Devil’s camp using his weapons of slander, calumny, and detraction. They have also aided in committing the sin of despair, sister to the deadly Sloth.

Despair

If anything, the bloggers have allowed for the fruition of the sin of despair amongst what they say. What is the sin of despair? The Sin of Despair is, as per Catholic Catechism of the Catholic Church 2091, ".... By despair, man ceases to hope for his personal salvation from God, for help in attaining it or for the forgiveness of his sins. Despair is contrary to God's goodness, to his justice - for the Lord is faithful to his promises - and to his mercy."

What the bloggers have been reporting constantly, with hatred/anger, pride (also deadly sins, evidenced in their writing), actually detracts from Holy Mother Church’s mission of evangelizing and the salvation of souls. People want to be saved or seek internally salvation, or being “happy.” Every person’s reason for existence, a la Baltimore Catechism #1 is to know, love, and serve God all their lives. The Church is that spiritual and physical means by which in His Eternal Sacrifice on the Cross, Christ gave us, so that we could be with Him in Heaven. All that these bloggers have done is contravened the Holy Father’s “mission of mercy” and have shown that the Church is another institution with corrupt people in it via their coverage. To show that there is nothing but corruption in the Church and no means of salvation via their blogging coverage is exactly causing despair, a loss of any hope in the Church because of the institutional problems (and false boogeymen) within it. 

  

Let's continue. As traditional Catholics, one would know a number of lists that is nearly forgotten and not taught by current “Catholic” teachers and clergy. One of these lists is The Nine Ways of Being An Accessory to Another's Sin. Allow me to refresh your memory with the list:

1. By Counsel
2. By Command
3. By Consent
4. By Provocation
5. By Praise or Flattery
6. By Concealment
7. By Partaking
8. By Silence
9. By Defense of the ill done

This list, by the way, is in the little red missal books you Latin Mass attendees see at most chapels, churches, and lay-organized Masses. 

If you notice, some of the ways of assisting in committing sin are blatantly being committed by these members on the Net, which I`ve highlighted:

Partaking: Between the quantity and slanderous and calumnous nature of the postings, this is clear provocation of sin, division, and the like amongst members of the Church. This is even more so when these attacks directly concern the Holy Father. Might I also remind you that the Holy Father himself equated gossip and calumny as the devil's works? Those "works" would obviously be sins of grave Matter. The devil's works are no laughing matter. They are always serious business. 

Provocation: The provocation of what they have done is on numerous levels: 1) Vs. the clergy and establishment in place, to anger them, and drive those targets to sin further themselves, 2) Amongst their fellow Traditionalists, by once again embarrassing them and can prompt further persecution. 3) Others, that is, it provokes others to experience the sin of despair. 

Defense of the Ill Done: And how do they justify their actions? They continue to say they will not stop in attacking the Holy Father, will not stop attacking others, and will not stop harming the faithful spiritually. Their defense of their sins committed is that it's all for the Good of the Holy Church, when it's pure bullying, harassment, and hatred dressed up as religion. 

Whether it is in disparaging the Jesuits, the Holy, Father, or Cardinals, this is blatant Pharisee-ism at its worst. In doing the disservice, those leaders on the Catholic blogosphere are leaving us with only one question: Why would anyone in their right mind want to be part of the Church when it is no different from its secular counterparts of schools, government, workplaces, etc.?

Furthermore, people like myself, who actually care about Traditional Catholicism, can only leave shaking our heads in disgust. We want to have a vibrant and happy life with traditional Catholicism as part of the beautiful fabric of worship and liturgical rites in the Church, not the sole be all and end all that is enforced upon everyone! When these leaders embarrass us, misrepresent ALL CATHOLICS, say cruel barbs at our priests and clergy, and fellow Glad Trads and Catholics alike, either we desire to depart from our sinful siblings by having nothing to do with the Latin Mass, or worse, we put our heads in the sand and sin by omission when those significant few do their dastardly deeds, because we fear the “big bad bishops” will take away our Mass in violation of Church Law. Better to continue going to the Latin Mass every Sunday and not say anything right? Both approaches do nothing to increase participation and/or respect for the Latin Mass and Traditional Catholicism. Yet it's all because of a few spiritually misguided souls who just haven't found the proper means to say, "Hey! The Church is awesome! Even though our leaders do sin, there is STILL Spiritual salvation here!" 

I, myself, became quite disparaged about the Church this week, thanks to my sad “brothers and sisters” of Christ. It affected my disposition with my relationships and made me question if there is anything positive in the Church when we are all mucking it up, bloggers included. Thankfully, Christ in Matthew 16:18 promised us Hell would not prevail!

My Appeal

To those specific bloggers, you are making Traditional Catholicism a hateful place to be, and all your Catholic brothers and sisters and clergy will want none of it! Even your closer friends and clergy, can only stand so much, and will be forced in their fidelity to the Lord, to part ways for their souls. Do you care about the actions and influence that you wield on your fellow Catholics? You do want more people to discover the Latin Mass and become traditional Catholics right? Have you heard the expression, “you attract more flies with honey than vinegar?” 

Listen, I get that we have collectively “became awake” to politics and how we were not taught the truths of the faith in light of the institutional, NOT "TRUE", Church’s adoption of the “Spirit of Vatican II” a.k.a. pastoring gone wrong as extreme liberalism, misinterpreting the Vatican II documents. I also understand that some of you are war survivors, carrying around battle wounds that have never been fully healed deep within. There is scar tissue, but it's only a patch that easily opens with the slightest provocation. 

But does bearing your scars mean we are to wage war against the Church and smear every clergy member and layperson who does not practice the doctrine and laws perfectly, even at the cost of your eternal salvation when you go too far, too deep in your conquest? 

I can only end with saying this in necessity. While you have used this in past against me in anger and hatred, or others just like me on the blog-o-sphere not in your "camp," I must appeal to you in earnest. Please, for your spiritual health and others, seek the help of those who can assist you and give you spiritual mercy. What good has airing our all this on the Internet done for your spiritual health? Do you feel any better after? Has the institutional Church around you, or in a large scale, "changed" in any way from your actions? Please refrain from causing sin and grave spiritual harm to yourselves, and those others you associate with. Find a proper, Biblical, and truly, Theological way to love your brother with True fraternal, Catholic charity, according to the virtues (theological, cardinal, others) without resorting to the Devil’s trickery.

If you do not have counselling, please do seek a good and noble priest (preferably), or other orthodox Catholic who can help you with your issues. I do not mean simply a “yes man” who agrees 100% with your ideas and thoughts. I mean someone who can honestly acknowledge your concerns, your hurts, your pains, and assist you in fully seeking and obtaining Christ’s Love and mercy. This might even challenge you, or contradict your thoughts now, but that person will do so in order you to come to a deeper relationship with Christ, and lead a more true, Catholic life. 

Final Words

If anything, it shows that Pope Francis’ mission of mercy is more pertinent than ever, as even Christ’s “best soldiers” of the Church Militant, are badly wounded and their armor in need of major black-smithing to repair the damage.

Finally, allow me to end off with a pertinent link from "Neo-Trad" (a.k.a. Orthodox Good Guy) Mark Shea who succinctly shares to a degree my feelings and concerns, in an excellent interview about the changing face of Catholic Internet blogging:

 http://americamagazine.org/content/all-things/blogging-pope-francis-interview-mark-shea

Everyone, I know that things are rocky right now, but we have to do better than this. As Fr. Z says, Benedict XVI gave us the tools we need. It’s time to get the training wheels off the bicycle and ride with it!

Pax Tibi Christi, Julian Barkin.

P.S. I haven't forgotten about SINE, or my Latin Mass Serving Posts. Give me a break here as I got a significant lady in my life, a Mon-Fri job, and 3-7 other things on the go I gotta worry about, plus being stressed out at the end of the day needing to unwind. You try it and let me know if you do better. I'd like to know your strategies. 

A Heartfelt Plea To the "Players" in the Neopelagian Evangelii Gaudium Ga-fuffle: Please Stop Giving into the Wishes of the Enemy ...

Hello Everyone.

I realize that it's been almost a month since I've posted on S.U.D. Part of the reason is because of my daily life, which is eating up most of my time between a girlfriend, an odd-hours Monday-Friday Part Time job in afternoons, and my other ministry commitments, outside of the Extraordinary Form.

However, I'll be up front, part of me is becoming torn apart spiritually with all the garbage going on in the Church, some of it wondering what the Holy Father is saying at times to Traditionalists (and what he intends), which also includes the ongoing war between Catholic Traditionalism and the "Novus Ordo Church" as some traditionalist radicals coin it. It is eating at my heart and soul, and permanent spiritual damage has been wreaked upon me while I have ventured into the Extraordinary Form.

While a decent number of adherents to this form of the Roman Rite are good, honest, and LAW ABIDING Catholics who aren't hypocrites, sadly, enough of them are giving everyone a bad wrap, and needless to say, their actions are closing the doors fast on the Extraordinary Form, now that, to quote Fr. Z, "the cutest fluffiest Pope Evah" (read: "Liberal" dissenter ally who is truthfully not one, but now a tool of the liberals) is in power. Those ``Trads Behaving Badly`` (herein, TBBs,) are the ones with their websites and positions of power, who are really ruining it with diocesan offices, and just about everyone in the Church. In turn, Liberals and even neutrals/Orthodox Novus Ordo Catholics, are turning into the very enemies they claim them to be, and in return the TBBs just keep being jerks to everyone around them. Sadly, good young people like myself are turning away from the Mass they love, or worse, once loved, because of their stupid shenanigans.

However, those of the "Novus Ordo"/"Francis Cheering squad"/"Neo-Catholics"/whatever you call them, are also being hypocrites as well in certain cases by giving into the accusations that Trads make of their behavior over the past 50+ years and simply uphold what the clergy/laity have done to them. They are reacting just as brash and rude as their "enemies" or the people they are not supposed to be, those darn TBBs. By doing so, they only harden the mindset of the TBBs to continue what they are doing, and for those like the SSPX to continue being justified in their radical positions and never come into communion with Holy Mother Church. Guess they forget "Extra Ecclesiam Nulla Sulam."

All in all, it is making for a truly, spiritually sick environment in the Catholic Church, one that will overwhelm the field hospital, or destroy the road to the hospital whereby the patients will be unable to be treated. Yesterday, and today, that happened with a number of bloggers: 1 Traditionalist priest, and 3 mega phenom "Neo-catholics" or moderates in the Church, here, here, and here. To all of you, and any other blogger or reader, I write this plea for a ceasefire, a truce, peace, anything. Please listen to what I have to say, and harden not your hearts. My plea is in Courier Font, and quotations are in Verdana Font:

To the Catholic bloggers of the Blogosphere, and the "fighters, soldiers, generals" etc. of the liturgical war on both sides, Novus Ordo or Latin Mass,

I am a casualty, collateral damage, caught in the middle of your bickering, your volleys of detraction and/or slander, your apologetics, and/or whatever you are saying on line, and in person. 

I came to the Extraordinary Form seeking to enhance my growing spirituality, after starting to part ways with a Novus Ordo parish that was choking my soul. When I first came to the EF, I was aware of the havoc that liberals had wreaked on the Church in the last 50+ years in the "Spirit of Vatican II." However, I was also introduced to the Trads Behaving Badly (herein, TBBs), who were doing their own damage to the Latin Mass and hence, traditional Catholicism. Eventually, in my Archdiocese, I became the target of these TBBs, because I rejected what the TBBs stood for, and the malicious behaviour I was witnessing before my eyes. Based on my experiences, I sympathize with the views of bloggers like Mark Shea et al., for I know first hand what sins and horrible works can come from such people. 

Because of what was dealt onto me, I am comfortable at only one parish of 2 with the EF, and Masses organized by one Latin Mass group. The other parish and Latin Mass organizing group in my archdiocese contains the presence of those TBBs at their Masses. Although through my blog and my selective EF serving activities, I have tried to provide a counter presence to the counter-Catholic witness in the Latin Mass/Traditionalist Movement, it has been out-massed by these TBBs and the bad examples of others on the internet. These players still dominate the scene, and after 2 and a 1/2 years of witnessing this, it's safe to say that things, at least in my Archdiocese, are not going to improve anytime soon. 

What I have experienced at home though, is sorely being echoed now throughout the mainstream Church in the papacy of Pope Francis. Granted, yes the Church is supposed to reach out to the poor, but it seems that social justice has become the sole focus on a wider scale, at the cost of anything "liturgical" or Theological/Doctrinal. Worse, Francis has not been careful in his words and off-the-cuff comments. Such words have made many question who his intended targets of his fervorinos and messages are, and what the true feelings of Jorge Bergoglio to traditionalists are, despite him being the Bishop of Rome. Worse, it is giving people more ammunition to hate Traditionalists and the Latin Mass all over again, and to remain stagnant in their own ``Cafeteria Catholicism``. Francis has even changed positions in his Vatican dicasteries for more neutral or ``Francis-like`` bishops, and the JPII/B16 ones are being weeded out. What message is that sending to a young guy like me? That EF/Latin Mass/Traditionalists are hated in the Church again??? 

It also doesn't help when just because one priest decides to make a joke out of the situation with the "Evangelii Gaudium Neopelagian quote", that a number of bloggers who are the "neutral" or "neo-caths" or whatever you get called, all gang up on the priest. A priest no less! Laypeople ganging up on a priest!!! Fraternal correction of a person, is one thing, but what I have witnessed was more on the side of disrespectful, and displayed poor example for a young person like myself to follow. If I was any young buck with no liturgical/theological background at all, I'd think it's open season on priests. To the credit of one of the moderate bloggers, he did rewrite his title of his post seeing it was imprudent and crude. 

What I witnessed in these last two days, sickens me even more, because this is the exact same "ganging-up" and harassing behaviour that I have seen the TBBs do online and in person to good Traditionalists, Novus Ordo Catholics of any age, and anyone that does not fit the TBBs' views of Traditionalism. What a number of bloggers have shown in this scenario with the coffee mug Fr. Z created, and perhaps to some extent Fr. Z, clearly goes against the Gospel of Christ, when he is teaching his disciples about piety, the virtue of Humility, and its counter vice of pride, the Devil`s key sin. Recall Luke 18:9-14 when the Pharisee boasts of all the works he does and how Christ replies in verse 14 ``... for every one who exalts himself will be humbled, but he who humbles himself will be exhalted.`` It is in both`s sides postings and the commentators who did not exert prudence and temperance with what they wrote, I feel this is all I am seeing: Pharisees who are simply on one side or the other of the narrow road, slinging bombs and bullets at each other and accusing each other of spiritual infractions against Jesus, while I, trying to walk in the middle, am being blown apart and/or ridden with bullet holes. 

Both sides, you have forgotten that the true enemy in all this, is the Devil. Via those changes, ushered in with the "spirit of Vatican II", I am sure both of you can agree that much spiritual devastation has been brought upon the laity and clergy of the Church, and to our beautiful and sacred Catholic Liturgy (especially the Roman Rite). As His Holiness, Pope Francis quotes in his new book Open Mind, Faithful Heart" in Chapter 12: Testing and Temptation: ".... The devil is intelligent. He knows how and where to tempt people. Saint Ignatius describes him as a militant commander who is attempting to conquer and plunder his objective ... the enemy of human nature prowls around and from EVERY SIDE probes ALL OUR THEOLOGICAL, CARDINAL, AND MORAL VIRTUES. Then at the point where he finds us weakest and most in need in regard to our eternal salvation, there he attacks and tries to take us" (SpEx 327) .... if he attacks something, it is because he recognizes that it is dangerous ...." 

Satan knows that the Latin Mass, Catholic Traditionalism/Orthodoxy, and the Hermeneutic of Continuity of Vatican II, flies in the face of his consolation prize after losing to Christ when He died on the cross: Your souls. And he wants EVERY LAST ONE of them NOT to join Him in Heaven. It also throws a wrench into the Devil's current game plan he has enacted, which has succeeded quite well the last 50+ years. He has pried many souls away from the salvation Christ offers in the Church, with what he's done in liturgy, hererical and/or misguided "catechesis", catholic education, etc. Therefore, with the rest of you who can smell his obvious "traps," He must use a different weapon: Pride, via the twisting of your religious zeal into an ugly, sinful weapon. Yes, our Holy Father might not prefer that Latin Mass over the Novus Ordo, but while our Holy Father has a different goal with his papacy vs. Benedict XVI and John Paul II, the devil is using this liturgical war to every extent to get the fewer, remaining soldiers who love Christ and his Church in these times, to "kill each other" and their own souls, with "friendly fire." 

Everyone ... this friendly fire is exactly what is killing desire in the faithful to not be lukewarm, including embracing proper Catholic teaching, Traditional Catholicism, and/or the Latin mass. This includes us young people. 

If all I see are Trads, hated by liberals and balanced Catholics, and our Pope and those who are "in the middle" are saying non-positive things concerning Trads, and the TBBs are justified in their behaviour, then why should I bother participating in the Latin Mass? 

If the modernists/neutrals/"good" Catholic bloggers act the same as the TBBs, and it's a "Francis or bust" culture, then why should I be part of any Catholic community that doesn't practice love, but rather, conform or be hated? Isn't our Holy Father against regimes and governments who act like dictatorships? Because that's what I feel like I am seeing here with the Fr. Z issue: A Pope Francis or TBB Dictatorship is the only way to go.


Further, if what the neutrals are doing is just the same as the TBBs, then what else am I supposed to feel but justification, that the institutional Church is corrupt and hypocritical? My generation (80's onward), hates the hypocrisy of the generations before us and in our secular/religious institutions. 

Please everyone .... I beg you ... Traditionalist, Orthodox Novus Ordo, or whatever side you take in Traditional Catholicism/
Liturgy or Forms .... please stop the behaviour you are doing online. What hope can a young person like myself have, to even bother with the Latin Mass, or even Catholicism in general, if even our better exemplars (you,) are no different than those hypocrites of our Faith among our family, friends, instructors, and Church clergy? How can I keep being a leader in youth ministry, and try to encourage my tweens/teens to even weekly Mass, when the institutional and ONLINE leadership in the Church keep failing us? 

We hate what is still going on at the ground/parish level in 2013. Many of us reverts have found/renewed our Catholic Faith thanks to your work and examples. But today, you have demonstrated the opposite, and become purveyors of despair in trusting the Church. You, bloggers, myself included, even though we mostly are not clergy, are a PART OF SHOWING PEOPLE WHAT THE TRUE CATHOLIC CHURCH IS, WHETHER YOU THINK SO OR NOT. We are responsible for being those Saints in the sneakers and jeans Francis has asked us to be. It's time again to do that, properly. 

If you want to selectively quote me, bash me, criticize, or repost what I have said, do whatever you must. But please realize what I am saying. Please think about the next generation, and how we are looking up to you to give us the guidance we never got from our clergy and "role models", and more often than not, continue not to get with regards to our Faith. We need saints, not Pharisees, Trad or not. Give us hope and a place to turn to in these trying times. 

Sincerely, with sadness, Julian Barkin, of Servimus Unum Deum .... trying to be a good, young, practicing, Faithful, Somewhat-Traditionalist, Catholic.  

DOUBLE HIGHLIGHT: Oil and Water Mix for a Change: Mark Shea and Latin Mass Society UK Joseph Shaw on Liturgy

Hello Everyone.

Out of interest, two entries appeared on my blog feed, one linking to the other. Some of you who venture into the online Catholic blogosphere, would know of the high quality devotion and defense of the faith provided by Catholic Answers, at www.catholic.com/. One of their frequent authors in their publications, and in numerous collaborations, is Mark Shea, a Catholic apologist, who also writes a weekly column for the more conservative National Catholic Register (NOT the NCreporter!).

Of course, for this week, he decided to cover the Liturgy. On the whole, Mark gets it absolutely right in his column, here:

" .... Quarrels about liturgy have, for me, this same maddening and distracting quality.  I don’t want a liturgy I can look at.  I want a liturgy I can look along—to see God .... I want to enter into the Paschal mystery, not keep being dragged back out by the thought “What is he doing now?”  [as in stupid liturgical abuses or things the priest likes.] I want music that makes me think of God, not ... a riff from Dave Brubeck’s “Take 5” ... I want vestments that clothe the priest in Christ, not in gimmickry.  I want them to just stick to the script. Say the black, do the red, as the saying goes. [Father Zuhlsdorf !!!!]

I’m not at Mass to be entertained, charmed, fascinated by a dazzling personality, or amused.  I’m not there to worship myself or hear about ... which lay martinets dominate a few “ministries” in the parish ... and are now ... tiny tyrannical fiefdoms [over the whole of the parish community].  I don’t want to hear a homily in which a priest is now so remote from the most elementary truths of the Tradition ... I don’t want to improve the Our Father to the Our Mother nor pray in the name of the Creator, Redeemer, and Sanctifier.  I don’t want to live with the impression that the last words of Christ to Peter were “Try experiments on my rats” and not “Feed my sheep.” 

Why am I at Mass?  I want God.  That’s why ...."

Wow! This, Mark, is exactly what those of us of the Generation X and Millenial generation, want of our Catholic liturgy and faith. WE ARE TIRED of the stupid things that priests and misguided lay teachers think we want. We want the whole kit and caboodle, without lies about the true teachings, doctrine, and dogmas of our faith. Screw the "Jesus loves everyone" garbage and "tolerate one another" stuff.

Now, Mark continues on because he's about to, like Christ always has, turn the tables and challenge the other extreme when it comes to the faith: The liturgical Pharisees and/or the "Trads behaving badly."

" .... But for exactly the same reason, I’m also not interested in the reaction to all this sort of twaddle from laity who have made it their life’s mission to be perpetually angry or obsessed with the minutiae of liturgy and hyper-critical of the Paul VI rite.  Just as I don’t want a priest to take me out of the Mass and into the cult of “Aren’t I Fabulous?” so I likewise don’t want angry Reactionaries endlessly critiquing and carping about how intrinsically inferior even a well-celebrated Paul VI rite is. [a sadly typical behaviour of Trads Behaving Badly (TBBs), and their organizational counterparts e.g. the Society of St. Pius X.] I don’t want to listen to paranoid rants about the Jewish conspiracy tunneling under the sanctuary, or how the vestments aren’t quite the right color, or how we must all panic because Pope Francis’ priorities are not particularly on gorgeous liturgy. I find his simple offering of a beach ball to God in gratitude for 3 million hearts touched by Christ at World Youth Day to be an occasion of deeply moving joy, not a reason to scream "Sacrilege!" I also don't think the Little Drummer Boy insulted God by not playing Palestrina. I’m not super-inspired by singing “City of God”, and I can't stand "Anthem", but on the whole, I think that if that's the worst suffering I have to endure, I’m getting off way better than the Hiroshima martyrs and I am not going to let it destroy my peace ...."

While I do appreciate the gesture to Pope Francis about the beach ball thing, and I get his point not to act like a `trad behaving badly` to such a thing, personally, beach balls don`t belong on the altar. If you HAVE to absolutely bring something up like that in the Novus Ordo, then put it below the actual altar in front with those ``liturgical displays`` done by ``liturgical committees``. I`ve seen it before though usually with things the "Children's Mass/Liturgy/schools" do. I respect the sacredness, especially even higher, of the Sanctuary, and we should not willingly be doing things to violate that. Though I get we can't take out our mace and batons and do citizen's arrests on priests and people for that. So I`ll take my lumps with Mark on that.

HOWEVER, His overall sentiment rings true. This is the sickness that KILLS any hope of people coming to the Latin Mass, or even the Church in general. It`s not the form of the Mass itself that drives away people. It`s the bitter, angry, TBBs that do it, in person and their social media. This anal-retentiveness about all things liturgical and keeping the purity of "t/T-radition" just angers people off except their own allies/adherents. The Church and the Latin Mass is for everyone, and if you TRULY care about spreading the EF, you don't be like how Mark is describing above. Seriously, youth these days hate over-burdening authority of ANY sort. You have to break down our sensitivity barriers people.
SO, of course someone else decided to chime in, the Latin Mass Society UK head no less on his blog! At first glance of the title, I feared another TBB reaction was coming, and usually, these "Neo-Con" bloggers and Trads don't mix, like oil and water. Interestingly, there is some agreement from the author, Joseph Shaw. I still think there is a tad bit of reactionary "self-defense" mode going on, as I've seen his tone and writing in other posts, especially concerning a Lie-Beral Monsignor Basil Loftus, but he actually had some support for Mark Shea. Let me show you:

".... To liberals, comparing Mass to a piece of theatre is like showing a red rag to a bull. They want it to be natural and spontaneous. Nevertheless, Shea has a point: you need to lose yourself in the liturgy. The trouble is that doesn't make the point he wants it to make, which is that thinking about the liturgy is a Bad Thing.

 

There may sometimes be an element of 'I murder to dissect': if you are thinking too much about how the poet is producing his effect, it won't have its effect on you. But it equally won't have its effect if you can't understand the words or images or references (like me reading Mark Shea's blog), or if it is being read badly or printed in the wrong order. So learning about poetry or drama and getting a good text or a good performance will ultimately enhance your experience. Learning about the liturgy, and attending its worthy celebration, will enhance your liturgical experience.

 

If liturgy is important, as Shea presumably thinks it is, if he thinks it allows you to 'look along - to see God', then we need to argue about it a lot, we need to make it better, we need to adorn it with the best music we can and art set it in the best architecture. There's no easy escape for those 'conservatives' who don't want to takes sides on liturgical issues, I'm afraid ....

.... Shea may be feeling weary of the battle, but bad arguments and poor scholarship must be replaced by better, and a banal liturgy with something which speaks to us more clearly of heavenly things."

So while Joseph is about maybe 89.27546% in agreement with Shea (as he still defends most argumentation about the liturgy in general here, which, I agree somewhat, of the sentiment that we should not be blind sheep obeying our parish overlords and Lie-beral types of clergy and lay authroities), It is great to see some agreement between the Trad and Neo-con side here with this critical analysis blog post from Joseph.

The main message is clear between the both of them:
--> Liberals, stop thinking the liturgy is all about YOU. Stop trying to screw with the means God gives us as the highest form of worship, set about by Christ in his Passion, Death, and Resurrection that Passover Seder 2000+ years ago. Stop trying to violate the Church's doctrines and dogma. It ain't going to Happen as Christ said in Matthew 16:18.  Priests, say the black text in your Missal and do the Red indicated. Nothing else NOT in the liturgy or outside of the General Instruction of the Roman Missal. Give the laity what they deserve: A liturgy fit for Christ the King!

--> Conservatives: Stop being TBBs, over dissecting the liturgy and pitting one form of the Mass against the other, Pope Benedict Emeritus and his preference of the EF over Pope Francis and his preference of the OF against one another, and stop being a bunch of liturgical police that enforces every rubric known to man, 1860 or 2013. You are sickening the liturgy and the people who come to the Church with your overzealous, and often anger-laced behaviour.

Good job to both of them. Pax Tibi Christi, Julian.

Whoa! Never expected this .... Thank you Mark Shea

Hello everyone,

So, in the last day or so, the Catholic Blogosphere has come to the defense of true traditional Catholics out there, and I covered that in my last post. A number of bloggers came to call out a great moral evil and sad trait of a fair number of RadTrads: anti-semitism, particularly connected to a Rorate Caeli post involving a reporter from Argentina on the Latin Mass situation and Pope Francis. I was thankful to all those in my coverage post who are helping traditional Catholicism.

So I get up this morning and find something on one of my blog feeds and an e-mail ... http://www.patheos.com/blogs/markshea/2013/04/excellent-julian-barkin.html

What!!!!! NO WAY!!!! 

Wow. This was totally unwarranted from Mark Shea. I didn't mind thanking them but this is too much. Thanks to this I got the hugest amount of hits to my site and its still ongoing. Once again thank you Mark Shea. Really. As for those of you, I hope you will continue to delve into my prior posts, especially those on the Altar Serving, which was my initial primary focus on Servimus. I will still continue to keep on fighting against RadTrad-ism, and posting and doing my best to be that positive Glad Trad example of what being a Traditional Catholic is all about. 

Pax Tibi Christi, Julian Barkin. 

P.S. Don't forget to also view Mark Shea's blog, whether you are just a good ol' Novus Ordo attendee or EF attendee, or somewhere in between. Did I forget to mention Mark has done great work with Catholic Answers (www.catholic.com/)?