Did God killed Onan for birth control? Yes.

Birth Control Condemned In Bible

No, you are wrong.  Even in the early Church it was understood that God killed Onan for birth control.  Here's St. Augustine (4th century):

"Intercourse even with one's legitimate wife is unlawful and wicked where the conception of the offspring is prevented. Onan, the son of Juda, did this, and the Lord killed him for it."

The claim that God killed Onan for failing in his duty toward his brother is false, and it makes no sense because the punishment for that was not death but a slight humiliation (Deut. 25:7-10). Onan was killed, however, for a contraceptive act.  It sounds like you are lashing out in order to justify a sin.  The primary purpose of the marriage act is the procreation and education of children.  When people take positive steps to avoid that, they sin.  That's why the Catholic Church has correctly taught that contraception is a mortal sin.

Now

“Magicians” Prove A Spiritual World Exists – Final Edition

Thanks for your work… now I know the real Truth thanks to you

Med Mt.

Justice

Americans charged for violating "COVID rules" while criminals with life sentences are set free - video

Justice has been turned on its head.

Francis

“Do you also believe that unless an infant receives the Eucharist, he is lost, even if he is baptized?”

Arizona

Rigged

Baptism vs. Eucharist

You need to see this video/article, in which we specifically address and refute that objection: Baptism (John 3:5) Vs. The Eucharist (John 6:53) In Regard To Necessity

Once a priest, always a priest; but that doesn't apply to membership in the Church

Counter Church

Ravi Zacharias Sex Scandal Shocks Protestant World (Catholic Analysis)

The dead end of protestantism, outside of the Church, no salvation.

Da'if al-Bukhari 

Comment

Ravi Zacharias Sex Scandal Shocks Protestant World (Catholic Analysis)

Awesome video!

L C

Membership

No, you are incorrect.  The Catholic Church teaches that heretics lose membership in the Church and cannot hold office in the Church.  See this video: Great Proof Texts For Sedevacantism. You have also confused the power of order with membership in the Church and jurisdiction.  They are not the same.  Once a priest, always a priest; but that doesn't apply to membership or authority in the Church.  Further, Jorge Bergoglio is not even a valid priest, as our material explains.

“The state cannot dictate what religion its people follow” - REFUTED

New gospel

Antipope Francis Instructs “Vatican Communications Employees” Not To “Try To Attract More People” To The Catholic Faith

This new gospel is a different gospel. This teaching of the Novus Ordo sect of non-proselytism goes against the Great Commission of the Church, to preach the good news to all creation; "Go into all the world and preach the gospel to the whole creation." (Mark 16:15)

Rodney Ford

State

Does the state have the duty to recognize Christ the King and the laws of God?  Yes.  Does it have the duty to outlaw evils such as abortion?  Yes.  Likewise, it should give a special status to the true religion (i.e. traditional Catholicism).

Pope Pius X: “That the State must be separated from the Church is a thesis absolutely false, a most pernicious error... Hence the Roman Pontiffs have never ceased, as circumstances required, to refute and condemn the doctrine of the separation of Church and State.” (Vehementer Nos #3, Feb. 11, 1906)

Raised

Hello, I’ve been watching your videos lately and I couldn’t help but resonate with them. I was raised in a Baptist Church that unfortunately taught faith alone. I was also baptized in the name of the Father, Son and Holy Ghost. I grew disillusioned due to most of the people my age claiming to be saved yet smoking weed doing fornication etc. The Deacons would just excuse it as “struggling with sin”… At First I was drawn to Steve Anderson but quit watching him after awhile. YouTube then recommended me one of your videos and that’s how I found out about you guys. My question is what process due I need to complete for salvation? Is my Baptism legit? I’m sorry for the long post but I thought it would help to get a little background. Thank you for your channel and all that you do God bless.

Ja

Becoming aware

Hi MHFM, I recently reverted after 20 years astray and am now becoming aware of the great apostasy. I live in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada…

Thank you,

Christopher H

What Is True Liberty?

Liberty

Converted

True Christianity

Ravi Zacharias Sex Scandal Shocks Protestant World (Catholic Analysis)

Great video!… I pray that Protestants will be guided by the Holy Spirit, and embrace Traditional Catholicism, which is True-Christianity.

Anti-Socialist

What is the ‘wonder’ in Revelation 17?

Thauma

Claims

Biden "HHS Nominee" Xavier Becerra Could Not Name A Single Abortion Restriction He Would Support - video

Xavier Becerra is a hypocrite... He claims to believe that "Black Lives Matter", however he refuses to protect unborn black people in their mother's womb and women who are pregnant with black babies who die from "botched" surgical abortions and abortion pills.

Simon Turac

“If the pope is the head leader of all, what do I make of his acceptance of gays?” [ANSWERED]

Isaiah

If

The Bible Proves The Papacy

Francis is not a pope but an apostate antipope.  This is explained in our material.  The current situation in Rome was prophesied. See this video, among others on our site: https://endtimes.video/apocalypse-now-in-the-vatican/ God wants you to become a traditional Catholic.  It's the one true faith necessary for salvation.  Our material explains how to do that.

“How do I know whether a priest is valid or not?”

India

Hello.  We're glad you are looking at the material.  'Priests' ordained in the New Rite of Ordination (promulgated by Antipope Paul VI in 1968) are not validly ordained.  You can read about that here: The New Rite of Ordination is Invalid.

Series

John Paul II Taught That Man Is The Truth

Dear Brothers:

Thank you so very much for your series on John Paul 2.  MHFM was the first (and perhaps only) organization to identify John Paul II as the Antichrist, and probably still is -- even though you have proven this fact beyond any shadow of a doubt.  With trembling, I can recall being in the Vatican II Sect where neither I nor anyone I knew of could figure out what John Paul II was actually saying.  But unfortunately, so many didn't care what they saw him saying and doing.   They weren't really troubled by it.  They either just shrugged it off and ignored it.  Or, they implied that he was an "intellectual" of some sort - as almost all false traditionalists would do, including the SSPX (no doubt because these proud heretics imagined themselves to be "intellectuals" as well).  They would even write and publish commentaries on JP2's writings - without ever reaching the correct conclusions!!  And the conclusions are horrifying.

But the worse thing of all was when people tried to defend the Antichrist and, by all sorts of mental gymnastics, would explain his words as if they were consistent with Catholic teaching.  All I can say is:  Thank God for MHFM!

Lee Ann

Comment

John Paul II Taught That Man Is The Truth

Brothers, these are fantastic videos…

Anthony Olenski

Can two baptized heretics have a valid marriage? Yes, but...

Marriage

No, you are wrong.  Non-Catholics (whether baptized or unbaptized) who were not baptized into the Catholic Church are not bound to the Catholic form of marriage.  Thus, when they contract marriage among themselves it is valid.  That is specified in the 1917 Code of Canon Law (Canon 1099.3).  Two baptized heretics (who were never baptized into the Catholic Church) would also have a sacramental marriage (although it would be contracted in sin).

Comment

Rush Limbaugh Did Not Go To Heaven

God bless you MHFM!  Thank you for this!

Corina Avelar

After

Apocalypse Now In The Vatican

Great video. After watching some of these videos, a lot of things make more sense.

Brandon Martinez

Was

Exactly Why Joe Biden Is Not A Catholic

First off I love your guys videos they’ve helped me a lot. I was a Protestant Seminarian…

T M C

Astounding, Rebellion

Comment

The middle-aged man claiming to be a "transgender woman" praised for joining a female college BB team

Sick pervert.

Mike

Children

Propaganda video indoctrinates children to see population control activist Bill Gates as a hero

It's disgusting. The evil cabal are working overtime to kill as many people as possible. It is noteworthy that all three of the synoptic Gospels include Jesus' warning about scandalizing the youth.

Mt. 18:6: "But he that shall scandalize one of these little ones that believe in me, it were better for him that a millstone should be hanged about his neck, and that he should be drowned in the depth of the sea."

Francis

The First Epistle Of John Also Refutes Protestantism

Society

America’s Fall To Communism (2021) – Documentary

Dear MHFM

Your new video “America’s Fall to Communism” is outstanding.  What most secular people fail to understand is that the destruction of society is taking place through impurity viewed on the Internet.  

Thank you for all your hard work and continued guidance.  

MG

Detroit

1 John, Salvation

Basically every book of the New Testament warns justified believers that if they commit certain sins they will not be saved.  So, the New Testament directly contradicts your understanding of 'assurance' and salvation over and over again.  There can be a 'confidence' (1 John 5:14), however, about being in God's grace if one keeps the commandments, etc.  That's why 1 John repeatedly warns the already-justified believers about committing sins, apostasy, etc. (e.g. 1 John 2:24-26; 3:6-7; 5:16; and more).

Watch this video and you will see your false view of salvation totally refuted:

https://endtimes.video/fake-christians-bible/

Relations of Origin

Essence and Relation

Sweden

Vatican requests "dioceses" to not apply ashes to the forehead due to COVID hoax - 24 second video

...the world has gone mad. I live in Sweden and everything is streaming, on line and what not, except for going about outside, for shopping and having coffee…

Lena Burh

Invincible Ignorance? - St. Robert Bellarmine (Powerful New Quotes)

The King James Translation And John 3:36

Here’s what the Greek which St. John actually wrote says:

“ὁ πιστεύων εἰς τoν υἱoν ἔχει ζωήν αἰώνιον· ὁ δε ἀπειθῶν τῷ υἱῷ, οὐκ ὄψεται ζωήν, ἀλλ’ ἡ ὀργη τοῦ Θεοῦ μένει ἐπ’ αὐτόν.”

“He who believes in the Son has eternal life, and he who disobeys the Son shall not see life but the wrath of God abides on him.”

Notice that St. John uses a participle of the verb πιστεύω in the first part of the verse, which says “he who believes” or “the one believing” (ὁ πιστεύων).  However, in the second half of the verse, which is translated in our video as “he who disobeys” or “the one disobeying”, St. John uses a participle of a different verb.  He uses “ὁ δε ἀπειθῶν”.  ἀπειθῶν is a participle of ἀπειθέω.

ἀπειθέω is primarily defined as to refuse to obey, be uncompliant, disloyal, etc.  In fact, in the King James Version, that verb ἀπειθέω is translated as ‘disobey’ or ‘disobedient’ in the following verses: Romans 2:8; Romans 10:21; 1 Peter 2:8; 1 Peter 3:1; 1 Peter 3:20; and 1 Peter 4:17.

If St. John had intended to repeat the exact same thought of believing in both parts of the verse, then he could have contrasted ὁ πιστεύων (the one believing) with ὁ ἀπιστέων (the one not believing).  But he uses a different verb, ἀπειθέω, in the second half of the verse.  This emphasizes that one must comply with and obey Jesus to be saved – a truth taught throughout the New Testament (Hebrews 5:9, etc.).  So, the question is, what carries more authority: the words that St. John actually wrote or the words of Anglicans in 17th century England?  For a Christian, the answer is obvious.  It’s the former.  But to a King James Only cultist, the answer is the latter.  You should watch this video.  It has a section refuting and exposing the absurd position of King James Onlyism.

The 'LGBTQ' Movement's Use Of The Rainbow - A Sign Of The End Times

MHFM: Yes, we believe so.  It’s as if they are trying to shield themselves from destruction under the cover of the rainbow (the sign of the promise that God would never destroy the entire world again through a flood), when God says: Okay, I can just destroy the world in another way (e.g. by fire).  Scripture specifically tells us that the end is associated with a destruction by fire.

2 Peter 3:7- "But by the same word the heavens and earth that now exist are stored up for fire, being kept until the day of judgment and destruction of the ungodly."

The fact that the rainbow is being used in connection with a totally abominable movement and abominable activity that has gone mainstream and been embraced across the world (the ‘LGBTQ’ movement), activity for which God is known to destroy and eliminate through fire (e.g. Sodom and Gomorrah), is another indication of where we are in the End Times - that is, the time shortly before God will destroy and cleanse the Earth by fire.

Jude 1:6-7- "And the angels who did not stay within their own position of authority, but left their proper dwelling, he has kept in eternal chains under gloomy darkness until the judgment of the great day— just as Sodom and Gomorrah and the surrounding cities, which likewise indulged in sexual immorality and pursued strange flesh, serve as an example by undergoing a punishment of eternal fire."

How To Overcome Mortal Sin

I am 23 years… I really need your help and guidance for praying the rosary. I pray but it's not on daily basis but whenever I pray I find obstacles in prayers. I get different thoughts accompanied with it which really hurts me. Please help.

[Name not given]

MHFM: Are you committing mortal sin?

Yes. I have also tried to resist it but I fail. Please tell me how I can resist from committing mortal sin. I cannot confess my sins to priest here because all of them here are invalid. Please help me.

MHFM: Your struggle to pray is obviously connected to your commission of mortal sin. You are giving your soul to the Devil.

St. Bruno (c. 1070): “He has a demon within him who persists in any grave sin.”

You need to cut off the occasion of sin. Jesus provided the answer to your question here:

Jesus said: “If your right eye causes you to sin, tear it out and throw it away. For it is better that you lose one of your members than that your whole body be thrown into hell. And if your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away. For it is better that you lose one of your members than that your whole body go into hell.” (Matthew 5:29-30)

Thus, if it's your computer or your phone or your internet access or something else that’s the occasion of your sin, get rid of it. Cut it out of your life. Note: people should be able to use the aforementioned things without a problem, but those who are falling into mortal sin need to get rid of them or drastically change or restrict their use of them (if such things are in fact the occasion of their mortal sin). Mortal sins that are putting multitudes on the path to Hell, and destroying lives, include fornication, looking at pornography, masturbation, giving full consent to impure thoughts, etc. Removing the occasion of your sin from your life is something that you can do. If you don't do that, you will perish; for, given your current spiritual state, if you continue to put yourself in the occasion that has been connected to your sin you will fall.

Out of sight, out of mind, is a true statement.

Matthew 6:22-23- “The eye is the lamp of the body. So, if your eye is healthy, your whole body will be full of light, but if your eye is bad, your whole body will be full of darkness. If then the light in you is darkness, how great is the darkness!"

If you get rid of what's providing the opportunity for that sin - if you get it out of your sight - you will think about it less frequently or perhaps soon not at all. As a consequence, you should be able to avoid the sin.

Also, you should be praying the Rosary each day and the Hail Mary frequently --- soon you should be praying 15 decades each day and the Hail Mary frequently. That's very important. Further, you should not go to confession until you have changed and you are resolved to not commit the sin anymore. One must have the firm purpose of amendment prior to going to confession.

Moreover, the next time you get into a hot shower, and it's too hot, and you quickly turn it down because you can't bear it, think about burning in a scorching lake of fire for all eternity. Think about how you will handle that, because that's where you are headed unless you change.

Revelation 21:8- “But as for the cowardly, the faithless, the detestable, as for murderers, the sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars, their portion will be in the lake that burns with fire and sulfur, which is the second death.”

How to Pray the Rosary [PDF]

THE HAIL MARY PRAYER

Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee. Blessed art thou among women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners now and at the hour of our death. Amen.

PRAYER TO ST. MICHAEL

St. Michael, the Archangel, defend us in battle. Be our protection against the wickedness and the snares of the Devil. May God rebuke him, we humbly pray; and do thou, O Prince of the heavenly host, by the divine power of God, cast into Hell Satan and all the evil spirits who wander now throughout the world seeking the ruin of souls. Amen.

Death and the Journey into Hell (3rd edition) (video)

The False Translation Of Pope Leo XIII's Iucunda Semper On the Matter Of "Co-Redemptrix"

Contrary to what many assert, Pope Leo XIII does not call Mary 'Co-Redemptrix' in his encyclical Iucunda Semper Expectatione of 1894.

THE FALSE TRANSLATION OF IUCUNDA SEMPER EXPECTATIONE OF POPE LEO XIII

OBJECTION- In his Sept. 8, 1894, encyclical Iucunda Semper Expectatione, Pope Leo XIII stated:

Pope Leo XIII, Iucunda Semper Expectatione (#2), Sept. 8, 1894: “The recourse we have to Mary in prayer follows upon the office she continuously fills by the side of the throne of God as Mediatrix of Divine grace; being by worthiness and by merit most acceptable to Him, and, therefore, surpassing in power all the angels and saints in Heaven.  Now, this merciful office of hers, perhaps, appears in no other form of prayer so manifestly as it does in the Rosary.  For in the Rosary all the part that Mary took as our co-Redemptress comes to us, as it were, set forth, and in such wise as though the facts were even then taking place; and this with much profit to our piety, whether in the contemplation of the succeeding sacred mysteries, or in the prayers which we speak and repeat with the lips."

ANSWER- No, that is not what he said.  The translation above, which is commonly cited, is a false translation.  Here's the Latin of the passage:

LATIN: "Quod Mariae praesidium orando quaerimus, hoc sane, tamquam in fundamento, in munere nititur conciliandae nobis divinae gratiae, quo ipsa continenter fungitur apud Deum, dignitate et meritis acceptissima, longeque Caelitibus sanctis omnibus potentia antecellens.  Hoc vero munus in nullo fortasse orandi modo tam patet expressum quam in Rosario: in quo partes quae fuerunt Virginis ad salutem hominum procurandam sic recurrunt, quasi praesenti effectu explicatae: id quod habet eximium pietatis emolumentum, sive sacris mysteriis contemplandum succedentibus, sive precibus ore pio iterandis…"

A proper translation of this is as follows:

"As for the assistance of Mary that we seek in prayer, that of course is based as though on its foundation on the office of procuring divine grace for us, (an office) which she herself continually performs before God, (being) by reason of (her) dignity and merits most acceptable (to Him), and far surpassing all the holy residents of Heaven in (her) power.  Now this office is perhaps in no manner of prayer so patently expressed as in the Rosary: in which the parts that were of the Virgin for the procurement of men’s salvation recur in such a way as though unfolding with present effect: something that holds exceptional devotional benefit, whether through the sacred mysteries as they succeed each other for our contemplation or through the prayers to be repeated with devout lips..."

As this correct translation shows, Pope Leo XIII does not call Mary the 'Co-Redemptress' in this encyclical.

The dogmatic definitions below prove that the Catholic Church teaches that Jesus Christ alone is our Redeemer and that He alone redeemed us.  Mary is thus not to be considered or called 'Co-Redemptrix'.  For a full treatment of this matter, see this article: Mary is not the Co-Redeemer (Co-Redemptrix).

Pope Eugene IV, Council of Florence, “Cantate Domino” 1441, ex cathedra: “The Holy Roman Church firmly believes, professes, and teaches that no one conceived of man and woman was ever freed of the domination of the Devil, except through the faith of the mediator between God and men, our Lord Jesus Christ; He who was conceived without sin, was born and died, ALONE BY HIS OWN DEATH LAID LOW THE ENEMY OF THE HUMAN RACE BY DESTROYING OUR SINS, and opened the entrance to the Kingdom of Heaven, which the first man by his own sin had lost…” (Denz. 711)

Pope Pius IV, Council of Trent, Sess. 25, On Invocation, Veneration and Relics of Saints, and on Sacred Images, ex cathedra: “… the saints, who reign with Christ, offer up their prayers to God for men; and that it is good and useful to invoke them suppliantly and, in order to obtain favors from God through His Son JESUS CHRIST OUR LORD, WHO ALONE IS OUR REDEEMER and Savior… And they must also teach that images of Christ, the virgin mother of God and the other saints should be set up and kept… But if anyone should teach or maintain anything contrary to these decrees, let him be anathema.” (Denz. 984)

Catechism of the Council of Trent, Part III: The Decalogue – First Commandment – Thou Shalt not Have Strange Gods, etc. – Objections Answered: “True, there is but one Mediator, Christ the Lord, who alone has reconciled us to the heavenly Father through His blood, and who, having obtained eternal redemption, and having entered once into the holies, ceases not to intercede for us.”

Brother Michael Dimond and Brother Peter Dimond on Coast To Coast AM

On early Feb. 8, 2017, Bro. Michael Dimond and Bro. Peter Dimond appeared on Coast to Coast AM (the largest overnight radio program in North America).  Bro. Michael and Bro. Peter were supposed to be on the program for two hours, from 3 to 5 AM; but George Noory decided that it had to end after one hour.  Apparently he couldn’t handle hearing any more of the message.

Woman heard voice warning of 'Evil' in John Paul II

Dear Brothers,

I have just discovered your website, and your words ring true in my heart.

In 1999, Pope John Paul II came to my city.  I gathered with the crowds to see him pass by in his pope mobile near the Basilica. It seemed an historical day even though I was not Catholic.  I was really the last person in line before his procession ended.  As he came down the street and when he came in front of me, our eyes met.  Immediately I heard in my heart a voice that said "Evil".  I was horrified!  I thought surely the word must have been referencing me, certainly not the Pope! I shrunk backwards, and was distraught for weeks. My prayer since has been that God would reveal to me the meaning of that horrible experience. 

In the meantime my heart is being called to the Catholic Church (which has been so confusing to me after my experience).  I'm currently in RCIA with an eager heart to learn, but the classes lack real substantial education and enthusiasm.  Again I have assumed that the problem has been me and a wrong attitude.

Then I found your website! You have answered my question regarding the Pope, and perhaps even why RCIA seems so difficult as a post Vatican II church.

Your input would be so greatly appreciated. Should I try to find a Latin rite church instead? I think there are 1 or 2 in the city.  I truly believe I am to become Catholic but my journey has been discouraging.

Thank you for your time, I look forward to your answer… I have already viewed the justification video as well as the 3rd secret of Fatima.  Frightening and well done…

Vicki

Vicki,

That's an interesting story.  We’re very glad that you came across the material and that you are looking at it.  You prayed to find the truth about that experience, and you found our material.  God led you to our website because it contains the truth about Antipope John Paul II and the traditional Catholic faith (the one true faith of Christ which is necessary for salvation).  Antipope John Paul II was indeed evil and much more, as the material covers (see below).  He was not a valid pope, but an antipope.  It's crucial to make that distinction.  The Catholic faith is the true faith, and it is necessary for salvation.  However, to be a true Catholic one must be a traditional Catholic.  The material explains exactly how to do that: Steps for those converting or coming from the Novus Ordo.

Before converting, one must be convinced on the issues.  You should not remain in RCIA.  RCIA is for initiation into the post-Vatican II sect, which is not the Catholic Church (even though it purports to be).  We are in the prophesied Great Apostasy, as our material covers in detail.  Also, you should not go to a 'Latin Rite' Church.  You should stay at home on Sundays, learn the faith and the true positions from the material.  The principles are covered in our 'where to receive sacraments' file.  When you are convinced, you should follow the steps to convert; and then we can help you with how to receive baptism, a valid confession, etc.

Also, it's very important to pray the Rosary each day and the Hail Mary frequently.  That will give you necessary graces to convert and embrace the truth.  Eventually people should be praying 15 decades of the Rosary each day and the Hail Mary frequently.  We hope you continue to look at the material, become fully convinced, and follow through with the conversion process.

Sincerely,

MHFM

Here are some important materials about Antipope John Paul II:

“Saint” John Paul II Exposed (video)

Babylon Has Fallen, Fallen!!  (video)

The Antichrist Revealed: The Beast that Was, and Is Not, Has Returned

“Saint” John Paul II’s Heresies (video)

John Paul II (manifest heretic who claimed to be pope 1978-2005) [section]

Beware Of Heretical Priests Who Take The Sedevacantist Position But Deny The Salvation Dogma

Poland, Heretical Sede Priests

Dear Brothers,

I am from Poland and I'm professing the traditional integral catholic faith. I'm watching your videos and I'm reading your articles very often and I'm promoting your great work here in Poland.

I have three questions for you in connection with receiving sacraments from one priest.

We have one traditionally ordained priest in Poland, who celebrates the traditional latin mass exclusively. After he graduated from the SSPX seminary he then was ordained by the SSPX bishop. He left the SSPX voluntarily because he is sedevacantist and he claims that it was very uncomfortable for him to be privately sedevacantist and act in a non-sedevacantist community, although he knew that the SSPX has a number of priests who are privately sedevacantists.

After he left the SSPX he - if I'm correct – received conditional baptism and conditional confirmation from sedevacantist bishop Olivarec. He was probably also conditionally ordained by this bishop.

This priest celebrates mass in his own apartment and has nothing to do with the SSPX anymore.

The problem is that I asked him in private conversation if he believes in baptism of desire, baptism of blood and salvation of non-catholics through invincible ignorance. Then he answered that he never examined those issues closer from theological standpoint but… also said that baptism of desire and salvation through invincible ignorance in exceptional cases because of God’s mercy also seems to be in accordance with catholic teaching.

… This priest cooperates with bishop Donald Sanborn, for example bishop Sanborn was his guest when he arrived from the US to eastern and central-eastern Europe.

I received communion from this priest twice in this year… Summarizing, he is a traditionally ordained priest who celebrates traditional latin mass and he is commonly known in Poland for his sedevacantist position but he privately claims (as far as I know - only privately) – although he said he never examined those issues closer – that BOD, BOB and salvation through invincible ignorance in exceptional cases are rather in conformity with Church's teaching.  I have questions for you in connection with this case:

1) Can I receive communion from this priest?

2) Am I allowed to be married by this priest?

3) Can I help him materially?

Please, answer me as fast as you can because this problem is crucial for my salvation and also for the salvation of many other Poles.

Yours sincerely, Daniel

MHFM: We’re glad that you are promoting the material.  The answer to your questions would be ‘no’ to all three.  The priest you mention is in heresy, and he’s associated with the imposing heretic Sanborn.  So, you should not receive Communion from him; no one should be married in front of him; and of course you should not help him materially at all.  (There are certain sacraments one may receive from certain undeclared heretics who claim to be Catholic, but one must not receive sacraments from a heretical priest who imposes his heresy upon you.  The principles on this matter are covered in our Where To Receive Sacraments file.)  Even though Sanborn holds some true positions, he is sadly a heretic and an imposing one.  To this day, Sanborn actually condemns adherence to the Church’s dogmatic teaching on water baptism – the position repeated in all papal encyclicals on the issue – as “mortally sinful”!  That is truly outrageous, heretical, and disgusting.  He is a total heretic who condemns the words and teaching of Jesus Christ, the popes, and the councils as “mortally sinful”.

Pope Eugene IV, The Council of Florence, “Exultate Deo,” Nov. 22, 1439:  “Holy baptism, which is the gateway to the spiritual life, holds the first place among all the sacraments; through it we are made members of Christ and of the body of the Church.  And since death entered the universe through the first man, ‘unless we are born again of water and the Spirit, we cannot,’ as the Truth says, ‘enter into the kingdom of heaven’ [John 3:5].  The matter of this sacrament is real and natural water.”

Pope Pius XII, Mystici Corporis Christi (# 22), June 29, 1943, addressed to the universal Church: “Actually only those are to be included as members of the Church who have received the laver of regeneration and profess the true faith…”

Notice that Pius XII officially teaches that if you have not received water baptism, you cannot be considered a member of the Catholic Church.  That’s the exact same doctrine that we find in the infallible teaching of the councils.  We see it repeated in the official teaching of the Magisterium after Trent and Vatican I.  We don’t find baptism of desire or blood.

Pope Pius XII Mediator Dei (#47), Nov. 20, 1947, addressed to the universal Church, referring to the Sacrament of Baptism: “… the washing of baptism distinguishes and separates all Christians [christianos omnes] from the rest whom this stream of atonement has not washed and who are not members of Christ…”

Pius XII specifically teaches that the Sacrament of Baptism distinguishes and separates all Christians (christianos omnes) from the rest.  It distinguishes the baptized from non-Christians in the same way that the priest is distinguished from the rest of the faithful by the reception of the Sacrament of Order.  According to the Magisterium, you cannot be a Christian without the Sacrament of Baptism; and only Christians are saved, as the Church dogmatically teaches.  Hence, the exact same doctrine that we find in the infallible teaching of the councils is repeated here, in the official teaching of the Magisterium after Trent and Vatican I.  We don’t find baptism of desire or blood.  This is the position that heretical sedevacantist priests not only reject, but call mortally sinful.

Pope Pius XI, Quas Primas (#15), Dec. 11, 1925, addressed to the universal Church, concerning entrance into the Kingdom of God: “Which Kingdom indeed is set forth in the Gospels as one into which men prepare to enter by doing penance but are unable to enter except through faith and baptism, which, although it is an external rite, nevertheless signifies and effects an interior regeneration.”

Sanborn also adheres to the utterly modernist denial of the salvation dogma that was rampant in the years before Vatican II.  He is a modernist, but he doesn’t even realize it.  Heretics like Sanborn and the priest you mention actually profess the heresy that pagans, Jews, Muslims, etc. can be saved without the Catholic faith, if such pagans, Jews, Muslims, etc. believe that God exists and is a rewarder.   That is the opposite of the Church’s profession at the Council of Florence, etc.  People who cling to such a position are not real Catholics.  They would even apply their heresy to Jews, Muslims, etc. who reject Christ!  Sanborn told someone we know that a rabbi who rejects Christ can be saved.  In this video you can see the absolute proof and documentation that Sanborn and similar priests hold that pagans, idolaters, Jews, etc. can be saved without the Catholic faith.  They do not profess the Church’s teaching on salvation.  They are not real Catholics.

We hope that you can give some of the information we have published on the salvation issue to the priest you mentioned, so that he can look at it and hopefully change his position.

The truth is that almost all the priests, sedevacantist or otherwise, do not profess the Catholic faith on salvation.  Some people are deceived by those priests because they are ‘traditional’ in numerous ways and they reject Vatican II.  But that’s not good enough to be a Catholic.  To be a Catholic you can’t just be liturgically traditional, accept some teachings of the Church, and reject the Vatican II sect.  No, you must profess the Catholic faith whole and entire.  You must profess all of the dogmas of the faith, including the Church’s teaching on salvation.  (Sanborn also accepts and promotes the sinful birth control method of NFP.)

Since the aforementioned priests and groups do not adhere to the Church’s dogmatic teaching on salvation, they are, in a real way, comparable to the schismatic ‘Orthodox’.  The ‘Orthodox’ accept some elements of Catholic Tradition, but they don’t have the true faith because they dissent from various teachings of the Church.  Even though the priests you mentioned accept more elements of the Catholic faith, they are still not real Catholics, as they dissent from the Church's dogma, and God's revelation, on salvation.  They are actually a deception.  To be Catholic you must profess belief in all Catholic dogmas.  To dissent from even one destroys faith and one’s relationship with God.  In fact, almost 100% of the people who attend the chapels of such priests agree with or accept the heresy that Jews who reject Christ can be saved.  They don’t have the true faith, and they don’t please God.  They are fake ‘Catholics’.  In fact, we recently corresponded with another such heretic, who shares the position of the aforementioned priests.  She pretended to be a traditional Catholic and claimed to be a sedevacantist.  However, when asked about Fr. Denis Fahey’s heretical statement that Jews who reject Christ can be in the state of grace, she responded by arguing that it’s not contrary to the teaching of the Council of Florence!  Such a person is a liar, a heretic, and a false ‘Catholic’ devoid of the true faith of Jesus Christ.  A person like that cannot please God and is on the road to Hell.  That’s the case with the heretical priests you mention and those who cling to their positions.

That’s why this battle for the faith in the end-times is not just about rejecting the Vatican II sect, the end-times Counter Church, and an obvious apostate like Francis.  No, it’s also about the entire Catholic faith, and in a special way the Church’s dogmatic teaching on the necessity of the Catholic faith and Baptism.  The pathetic and wicked apostates of the CMRI are a prime example of how priests of the aforementioned groups have no faith.   They all believe that Jews, Muslims, etc., even those who reject Christ, can be saved.  They reject the Church's necessity and they are not remotely true believers, as the following information sent to us by a reader further illustrates.  Those who support or follow such unbelievers will be condemned.

Dear MHFM,

The email from Steven really touched my heart.  It’s sad when dying family members turn a deaf ear to the truth regarding the state of their souls.

It’s the same with my family.  Most are Protestant.  They refuse to believe there is no salvation outside the Catholic Church…

I once discussed this with a CMRI priest and to my utter shock he told me he does not evangelize outside of his church family.  If he encounters someone who is not Catholic he prays for them, but says nothing about the need to convert to the True Faith... As for Mother Teresa, two CMRI priests made known to me the need to pray for the repose of her soul.   Just plain bad will...

Your web-site has been a blessing.

Immaculate Heart of Mary, pray for us!.

Toni

Mother Teresa said that she loved all religions.  So, they believe that one can love idolatry, love the rejection of Christ, love false ecumenism, etc. and go to Heaven.  That’s diabolical.  Someone who believes that does not have a faith that can please God.  Since he doesn't believe that the Catholic faith is necessary, it's also not a surprise that the CMRI priest doesn't evangelize outside of his “church family”.  Their heresy corrupts everything about their spiritual lives.  The faithlessness of the aforementioned priests and groups is also reflected in the fact that many of them, if not almost all of them, don't believe we are in the last days, despite the overwhelming evidence and the significance of the current crisis.  Apparently they think we could have another 100 or 200 years of antipopes!  They are truly blind and faithless individuals.  Here are some important materials on the matter of the Church's teaching on salvation and Baptism, which is so frequently denied in these last days:

The Best Argument Against “Baptism of Desire” (article & video)

The Latin Text of the Oldest Surviving Papal Decree Rejects “Baptism of Desire” (article & video)

Outside The Catholic Church There Is Absolutely No Salvation (book)

Debate: Do ‘Baptism of Desire’ Traditionalist Priests Believe Souls Can Be Saved in False Religions? (video)

The Revealing Heresies in Msgr. Van Noort’s Pre-Vatican II Dogmatic Theology Manual (article)

Yes, the Apostasy Began Before Vatican II (article)

APPENDIX

Pope Clement V, The Council of Vienne, 1311-1312: “Besides, only one baptism regenerating all who are baptized in Christ must be faithfully confessed by all just as ‘one God and one faith’ [Eph. 4:5], which celebrated in water in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit we believe to be the perfect remedy for salvation for both adults and children.”

Pope Eugene IV, The Council of Florence, “Exultate Deo,” Nov. 22, 1439: “Holy baptism, which is the gateway to the spiritual life, holds the first place among all the sacraments; through it we are made members of Christ and of the body of the Church. And since death entered the universe through the first man, ‘unless we are born again of water and the Spirit, we cannot,’ as the Truth says, ‘enter into the kingdom of heaven’ [John 3:5]. The matter of this sacrament is real and natural water.”

Pope Paul III, The Council of Trent, Can. 2 on the Sacrament of Baptism, Sess. 7, 1547: “Si quis dixerit, aquam veram et naturalem non esse de necessitate baptismi, atque ideo verba illa Domini nostri Iesu Christi: ‘Nisi quis renatus fuerit ex aqua et Spiritu Sancto’ [Io 3, 5] ad metaphoram aliquam detorserit: A.S.”

“If anyone should say that real and natural water is not necessary for baptism, and on that account should distort those words of Our Lord Jesus Christ: ‘Unless a man be born again of water and the Holy Spirit’ [John 3:5], into some metaphor: let him be anathema.”

Pope Paul III, The Council of Trent, Can. 5 on the Sacrament of Baptism, Sess. 7, 1547: “If anyone says that baptism [the sacrament] is optional, that is, not necessary for salvation: let him be anathema.”

THE ‘CATHOLIC FAITH’, NOT JUST A ‘SUPERNATURAL’ FAITH, IS REQUIRED FOR SALVATION

Pope Paul III, Council of Trent, Sess. 5, On Original Sin: “… our Catholic faith, without which it is impossible to please God…”

Pope Pius IX, Vatican Council I, Session 2, Profession of Faith, 1870: “This true Catholic faith, outside of which none can be saved, which I now freely profess and truly hold…”

Pope Paul III, Sublimus Deus, May 29, 1537: “The sublime God so loved the human race that He created man in such wise that he might participate, not only in the good that other creatures enjoy, but endowed him with capacity to attain to the inaccessible and invisible Supreme Good and behold it face to face; and since man, according to the testimony of the sacred scriptures, has been created to enjoy eternal life and happiness, which none may obtain save through faith in our Lord Jesus Christ, it is necessary that he should possess the nature and faculties enabling him to receive that faith; and that whoever is thus endowed should be capable of receiving that same faith. Nor is it credible that any one should possess so little understanding as to desire the faith and yet be destitute of the most necessary faculty to enable him to receive it. Hence Christ, who is the Truth itself, that has never failed and can never fail, said to the preachers of the faith whom He chose for that office 'Go ye and teach all nations.' He said all, without exception, for all are capable of receiving the doctrines of the faith…By virtue of Our apostolic authority We define and declare by these present letters… that the said Indians and other peoples should be converted to the faith of Jesus Christ by preaching the word of God and by the example of good and holy living.”

Council of Trent, Sess. 6, Chap. 3: “But though He died for all, yet all do not receive the benefit of His death, but those only to whom the merit of His passion is communicated; because as truly as men would not be born unjust, if they were not born through propagation of the seed of Adam, since by that propagation they contract through him, when they are conceived, injustice as their own, SO UNLESS THEY WERE BORN AGAIN IN CHRIST THEY WOULD NEVER BE JUSTIFIED, since by that new birth through the merit of His passion the grace by which they become just is bestowed upon them.”

Heretics who write on this matter often ignore the dogma that one must have THE CATHOLIC FAITH to be saved.  Remember, the Church doesn’t merely declare that one must be inside the Church to be saved.  It also declares that one must have the Catholic faith to be saved.  The two truths are inseparable, of course, but examining each aspect of this dogma becomes important when refuting heretics.  The supporters of BOD in our day ignore the dogma that one must have THE CATHOLIC FAITH to be saved simply because it’s impossible to twist their heretical view into language that comports with the dogma that no one is saved without the Catholic faith.  After all, how can one who is a ‘pagan’ (who doesn’t believe in Jesus Christ and the Trinity) also have the Catholic faith?  How can a pagan and a Catholic both be in the one Church? – the one Church, which, by definition, only has ONE FAITH AND ONE LORD?  It doesn’t make any sense.  So, the BOD heretics typically avoid the dogmatic pronouncements which declare that one must have the Catholic faith to be saved.  They also avoid the related dogma that one must be “born again in Christ” to be saved, for it’s absurd to argue that a person who is still a pagan or a Jew has been “born again in Christ”.  They thus prefer the language that one must merely have ‘supernatural faith’ to be saved.

‘TRADITIONAL’ AND SEDEVACANTIST PRIESTS EMPHASIZE ‘SUPERNATURAL’ FAITH AND DENY CATHOLIC DOGMA ON THE NECESSITY OF ‘CATHOLIC’ FAITH 

On this point it’s very interesting to consider the comments of sedevacantist priests Anthony Cekada and Donald Sanborn.  In a theological discussion some months ago, they were asked whether an atheist can be saved.  The person who posed the question pointed out that their view on ‘baptism of desire’, ignorance, salvation, etc., according to some critics, requires them to believe that an atheist can be saved.  Sanborn, with Cekada agreeing, objected.  He asserted that an atheist cannot be saved because one must have ‘supernatural faith’ to be saved, and ‘supernatural faith’ absolutely requires, at the bare minimum, belief in God and that He’s a rewarder.  Sanborn emphasized that belief in those two dogmas (the existence of God and that He’s a rewarder) is what’s absolutely necessary for salvation, for without such belief an act of faith cannot be made.

So, according to them, the requirement to have ‘supernatural’ faith (a belief that God exists and that He is a rewarder) would exclude an atheist.  But notice what such an assertion reveals.  It reveals that their position does not exclude Jews, Muslims and many others from salvation: for Jews, Muslims and many other non-Catholics claim to believe that God exists and that He’s a rewarder.

In short, their position on ‘supernatural’ faith denies the dogma that ‘Catholic’ faith is what’s absolutely necessary for salvation.  They thus depart from the revelation of Jesus Christ and the dogmatic teaching of the Catholic Church on salvation.

The Son of God became man in order to redeem the world and reveal the Catholic faith.  The faith Jesus Christ came to reveal (the ‘Catholic’ or ‘universal’ Christian faith) is not merely a belief that 1) God exists and 2) that He’s a rewarder.  No, those truths were known in the Old Testament.  The Catholic faith, which the Lord Jesus Christ came to reveal, of course includes those truths (Hebrews 11:6).  But it also includes, in terms of its simplest components, a belief in Jesus Christ and the Holy Trinity.  If someone who wishes to be saved doesn’t know Jesus Christ and the Holy Trinity, he cannot have the Catholic faith.  That’s made clear in the dogmatic Athanasian Creed.

Pope Eugene IV, Council of Florence, Sess. 8, Nov. 22, 1439, ex cathedra: “Whoever wishes to be saved, needs above all to hold the Catholic faith; unless each one preserves this whole and inviolate, he will without a doubt perish in eternity.  But the Catholic faith is this, that we worship one God in the Trinity, and the Trinity in unity; neither confounding the persons, nor dividing the substance; for there is one person of the Father, another of the Son, another of the Holy Spirit, their glory is equal, their majesty coeternal…and in this Trinity there is nothing first or later, nothing greater or less, but all three persons are coeternal and coequal with one another, so that in every respect, as has already been said above, both unity in Trinity, and Trinity in unity must be worshipped.  Therefore let him who wishes to be saved, think thus concerning the Trinity.  But it is necessary for eternal salvation that he faithfully believe also in the incarnation of our Lord Jesus Christ…the Son of God is God and man…This is the Catholic faith; unless each one believes this faithfully and firmly, he cannot be saved…”

As we can see, the dogmatic teaching of the Church is not, as Sanborn, Cekada and countless other heretics teach, that one must simply believe that God exists and that He’s a rewarder.  No, a person who wishes to be saved must know Jesus Christ and believe in the Holy Trinity in order to have the Catholic faith and be saved.

John 17:3: “Now this is life everlasting, that they may know thee, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent.”

John 14:6: “Jesus saith to them: I am the way, and the truth, and the life.  No man cometh to the Father, but by me.”

Pope Paul III, Sublimus Dei, May 29, 1537: “The sublime God so loved the human race that He created man in such wise that he might participate, not only in the good that other creatures enjoy, but endowed him with capacity to attain to the inaccessible and invisible Supreme Good and behold it face to face; and since man, according to the testimony of the sacred scriptures, has been created to enjoy eternal life and happiness, which none may obtain save through faith in our Lord Jesus Christ, it is necessary that he should possess the nature and faculties enabling him to receive that faith; and that whoever is thus endowed should be capable of receiving that same faith. Nor is it credible that any one should possess so little understanding as to desire the faith and yet be destitute of the most necessary faculty to enable him to receive it. Hence Christ, who is the Truth itself, that has never failed and can never fail, said to the preachers of the faith whom He chose for that office ‘Go ye and teach all nations.’ He said all, without exception, for all are capable of receiving the doctrines of the faith… By virtue of Our apostolic authority We define and declare by these present letters… that the said Indians and other peoples should be converted to the faith of Jesus Christ by preaching the word of God and by the example of good and holy living.”

They deny that dogma.  They are modernists.  (In fact, both of those men still actually condemn adherence to the Church’s dogmatic teaching, that no one can be saved without the Sacrament of Baptism, as “mortally sinful”.  That’s a further illustration of their heretical audacity.  The fact that the Catholic Church dogmatically teaches that no one is saved without rebirth of water and the Spirit in the Sacrament of Baptism is proven by the words of Jesus Christ, the Council of Florence, and numerous other things.)

The truth is that the Catholic faith (true, supernatural, saving faith in Jesus Christ and the Holy Trinity) is actually only received at Baptism, as the Church has always taught.  That’s how one is saved “through the faith.”  That’s why no one can be saved without Baptism.

Pope St. Damasus I, Council of Rome, 382, Canon 24:

“Haec ergo est salus christianorum, ut credentes Trinitati, id est Patri et Fllio et Spiritui Sancto,(et) baptizati in ea, veram solam unam divinitatem et potentiam, maiestatem et substantiam eiusdem esse sine dubio credamus.

“This then is the salvation of Christians, that believing in the Trinity, that is, in the Father, and in the Son, and in the Holy Spirit, and baptized in it, we believe without doubt that there is only one true divinity and power, majesty and substance of the same.” (Denz. 82)

Colossians 2:12- “… having been buried with him in baptism, by which you were also raised with him through the faith [διὰ τῆς πίστεως]…”

Galatians 3:26-27- “For in Christ Jesus you are all sons of God, through the faith [διὰ τῆς πίστεως].  For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ.”

Furthermore, in Van Noort's heretical book it is taught that a man could love God with “his whole heart”, and want to do everything required for salvation, and still be left in ignorance of Christ.  The notion that God would leave such a person in ignorance of Christ and the essential truths of the Catholic faith is contrary to the explicit teaching of Jesus Christ, as well as the position of the fathers and doctors of the Church:

John 10:14: “I am the good shepherd, and I know mine, and mine know me.”

John 10:16: “And other sheep I have, that are not of this fold: them also I must bring, and they shall hear my voice, and there shall be one fold and one shepherd.”

John 18:37: “Everyone who is of the truth hears my voice.”

'Gay' Supporter of Bishop Richard Williamson Writes In

[THIS MAN POSTED A COMMENT ON OUR ARTICLE, Does God Create Homosexuals? BELOW IS OUR RESPONSE]

You are lying, that is not and never has been the teaching of Mother Church. I remember being different from other boys as far back as age 3...

I am a Catholic and I accept whole and undefiled the doctrines of the Church. I identify with the Resistance of Bishop Williamson. So you cannot claim I am a Modernist, I am simply saying you are not accepting the true Catholic teaching on same sex attraction. It is not because of my sins, but original sin and our fallen nature and race that I have the attractions I have. I remember as a child, saying so many times to God, that He needed to fix my broken sexuality, because I couldn't. No matter how much fasting, how many Rosaries, how many Confessions and Communions, no matter how much penance, nothing changed. I always was attracted to girls as well, but I always liked other boys as well. Christ gave this to me as a cross to take up daily.

The Holy Catholic Church was founded by Christ not as a prison of persecution, but a hospital for the broken men and women. Christ is our loving God and Saviour because we are not perfect, yet He loves us beyond the comprehension of man. It may condemn an action or heresy, but will never turn someone away who seeks Christ. His religion is the largest worldwide source of relief for the poor, the hungry, the sick, and repentant. It opens up the doors of unending compassion, for sinners of all kind, for single mothers, widows, orphans, married and divorced. For gay, for straight and for bi for the lonely and for sinners of all kind; her mission is the same. It is that of Our Lord Jesus Christ, true God and true man, Eternal King of the Ages, as she is His Mystical Bride made up of the Mystical Body. Her mission is to save souls. The Church teaches that although it is not of the Natural order that one is homosexual it is not a sin in itself, for one cannot sin if he has not done anything wrong. We are called to a life of celibacy and to be holy, just as all Christians are called to be holy. That is okay, because in reality what people long for is not sex, but love - to love and to be loved, it whatever form. Sexual love is just one form of love, but agape, love love on God can give is so much greater.

I don't want to sound as if I'm not making Holy Mother Church's teachings clear that sexual actions outside of a true marriage between man and woman are sinful, but rather I am also professing that with the Holy Church has always believed. That all people are children of the living God and He loves us all for whoever He made us to be. And that we all will be happiest and holiest when serving Him in the lifestyle He has by Divine Wisdom called us to. Because the Church is not for the Saint but the sinner. Those that are gay, are no different that those who are straight, we are all called to chastity and sexual purity. We all must unite ourselves the Christ and His cross, like Mary, Our Lady of Sorrows. St. Paul said in Scripture, I hath been crucified with Christ: now I liveth not, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loveth me, and gave Himself for me.” He is doing what all are called to do by Our Blessed Divine Lord, “Then Jesus saith unto his disciples: If any man wishes to come after me, let him deny himself, take up his cross, and follow me. For he that will save his life, shall lose it: and he that shall lose his life for my sake, shall find it.”

Joseph Isaiah

MHFM: Joseph, your letter is a prime example of why you remain afflicted with a perverted same-sex 'attraction'.  You are lying to yourself and rejecting the truth.  Our position is very clear: same-sex attraction is not natural.  It is the result of sin and a rejection of God, as Romans 1 teaches (see below).  You make reference to some alleged ‘Catholic teaching’ which you believe contradicts our position.  You believe this ‘teaching’ declares that there is nothing perverted about men being attracted to men, and women being attracted to women, but you cite nothing of course.  That's because no such teaching exists.

You also state: “I identify with the Resistance of Bishop Williamson.  So you cannot claim I am a Modernist…”  This is an example of how you are quite deceived.  Identifying with the false resistance of Bishop Richard Williamson doesn’t prove you are not a modernist.  On the contrary, it actually proves that your positions are heretical and schismatic, and that you are following a modernist.  Richard Williamson is a modernist, a heretic, and a schismatic.  He is not a true Catholic.  You really need to watch this video: The Truth About The SSPX, The SSPX-MC, And Similar Groups (video).  It proves that the 'Resistance' you are embracing is not Catholic.

You should also see this file on him: Williamson, Bishop Richard of the SSPX: a schismatic and a wolf in sheep’s clothing. 

Among other things, Richard Williamson holds that one may attend the invalid, non-Catholic New Mass.  He declared that the notorious idolater and apostate Antipope John Paul II was a “good man”.  He declared that the notorious apostate Benedict XVI is “in good faith”.   He denies the dogma Outside the Church There Is No Salvation, as all priests ordained by the SSPX do.  He, in fact, holds that Jews, Muslims, etc. can be saved without the Catholic faith, contrary to the dogmatic teaching of the Council of Florence.  He therefore does not profess the Catholic Church's teaching on salvation.  In addition to being heretical, his positions are TOTALLY SCHISMATIC and involve a rejection of papal infallibility.  He does not have the true faith.  His positions are a rejection of Catholic truth about the Papacy.  The 'Resistance' is false and schismatic.  Those who obstinately follow him or embrace his positions do not have the true faith.  To obstinately embrace his positions, or those of the 'Resistance', is to be the equivalent of the schismatic ‘Old Catholics’ or the Eastern ‘Orthodox’.  You need to reject his false positions and embrace the true Catholic faith, as covered in our material.  Once you do that and get into the state of grace, then you can and will be delivered from your perverted inclinations.

You also profess heresy when you state that “all people are children of the living God”.  No, all people are not children of God.  It is only through the true faith of Jesus Christ that one becomes a child of God.  “But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, to them he gave the right to become children of God…” (John 1:12)  Those outside the true Church aren’t children of God.  Since you don’t have the true faith at this time, and you are deceiving yourself on these matters, you can’t see the truth about your spiritual situation.

Even though you don’t say it explicitly, you imply that you were ‘gay’ from your earliest years, even from the age of three.  We doubt you have such memories from that age.  Homosexuals deceive themselves and frequently lie.  But even if one were, for the sake of argument, to accept your claim to have been a conscious homosexual from the age of three, we would respond thus: if you claim to have been conscious of such things from the age of three, that suggests that you reached the age of reason at the age of three.  Well, as soon as one arrives at the age of reason, he can reject the truth.  He can resist or reject God and sin mortally.  Deliverance to unnatural attractions can be the result of such a rejection of God, even from an early age.  Some people are just not of the truth. Some people just refuse to have God in their knowledge (Romans 1:28), and they make that decision early on.  St. Thomas explains that as soon as a person reaches the age of reason, he can direct himself to the proper end or he can refuse to do so.  If he chooses to do the latter, he sins mortally.  Since you claim to have possessed such an understanding of yourself and your activity from the age of three, then you could have refused to have God in your knowledge and rejected the proper end at that age.  That could be why you have same-sex ‘attraction’, and had it from a very early age.  But it’s more likely that you rejected God and the truth a number of years later than you describe, and that resulted in your perverted inclinations.  

St. Thomas Aquinas, Summa Theologiae, Pt. I-II, Question 89, A.6: “Now the first thing that occurs to a man to think about then [when he reaches the age of reason] is to deliberate about himself... whereas if he does not then direct himself to the due end, and as far as he is capable of discretion at that particular age, he will sin mortally, for not doing that which is in his power to do.”

You were given over to homosexuality as a result of your resistance to the truth.  You can be delivered from it when you actually become a real Catholic.  Our material covers the true positions, and it explains how to become a true Catholic.  But don’t expect to be delivered from your perverted inclinations while you are following a schismatic false resistance that denies papal infallibility, among other things.  You will only be delivered if and when you embrace the true faith and get into the state of grace.  We hope you embrace the true faith.  When you do, the true power of God's grace will be available to you.  Until then, your prayers (and the other acts you mention) won't be efficacious.  It's necessary for your salvation to embrace the true faith.

Romans 1- “Because that, when they knew God, they have not glorified him as God, or given thanks; but became vain in their thoughts, and their foolish heart was darkened… who changed the truth of God into a lie; and worshipped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed for ever. Amen. For this cause God delivered them up to shameful affections. For their women have changed the natural use into that use which is against nature. And, in like manner, the men also, leaving the natural use of the women, have burned in their lusts one towards another, men with men working that which is filthy, and receiving in themselves the recompense which was due to their error… they who do such things, are worthy of death; and not only they that do them, but they also that consent to them that do them.”

Sister Lucia of Fatima To Fr. Fuentes, 1957: “Look, Father, the Most Holy Virgin in these last times in which we live has given a new efficacy to the recitation of the Holy Rosary.  She has given this efficacy to such an extent that there is no problem, no matter how difficult it is, whether temporal or above all, spiritual, in the personal life of each one of us, of our families, of the families of the world, or of the religious communities, or even of the life of peoples and nations, that cannot be solved by the Rosary.  There is no problem I tell you, no matter how difficult it is, that we cannot resolve by the prayer of the Holy Rosary.”

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5. The Bible On The Papacy (24 min.)
6. The Bible On Justification (Protestantism’s Big Justification Lie) – The Truth That Will Shock Many (1 hour 33 min.)
7. The Antichrist Revealed: The Beast that Was, and Is Not, Has Returned (39 min.)
8. Is the World about to End? (1 hour 9 min.)
9. The Prophecy of St. Malachy (16 min.)
10. Why Francis Must Not Be Considered The Pope (18 min.)
11. Creation and Miracles – Condensed Version (48 min.)
12. Why Hell Must Be Eternal (5 min.)
13. Death and the Journey Into Hell (1 hour)
14. Mary and the Ark of the Covenant (5 min.)

Two Books:

• The Bible Proves the Teachings of the Catholic Church

• Padre Pio: A Catholic Priest who Worked Miracles and Bore the Wounds of Jesus Christ on his Body

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Did The Catholic Church Teach The Earth Is Flat?

‘Eucharistic Miracles’ in the New Mass? No.

... Greetings. I am a nineteen year old student from Sheffield, North England, studying at the University of Sheffield. I am a practicing Catholic, having begun my conversion from unbelief about two and a half years ago. I began watching your videos not so long after having begun my conversion, while I was still at a Novus Ordo church. I began by watching, if I remember correctly, the video comparing Benedict XVI and Alexander VI, and found it shocking. I moved onto your videos concerning salvation, and the errors of Vatican II and scandals of the Vatican II sect. Thank you for your work: I have found it most compelling and edifying.

I do have a few vexing questions I'd like to ask, though, before I would feel comfortable in fully accepting your positions...

[For example]: the invalidity of the Novus Ordo 'priesthood' and the invalidity of the New Mass. I would reject ordinations in the New Rite utterly if there weren't any apparent 'Eucharistic miracles', as there reportedly have been in a number of New Masses. We have the examples of Salt Lake and Buenos Aires. What would be the explanation for such happenings?

That's all I have for now. I hope you can find the time to respond.

God bless,

Joseph S. Clarke

MHFM: We’re glad that you came across the material.  People should be convinced of the positions we hold because they are based upon and proven by the teaching of the Church and the revelation of Jesus Christ.  If you sincerely pray 15 decades of the Rosary each day and the Hail Mary frequently, and continue to look at the material, we believe you will become convinced of the positions.

To your question: With regard to so-called ‘Eucharist miracles’ at the New Mass, the answer is that there aren’t any.  The few that have been reported are definitely false signs and wonders of the Devil or simply false reports.  As an example of some of the false reports, a Novus Ordo publication stated:

Other recent reports of bleeding hosts have turned out to be false.  For instance, last May, several blogs showed a photograph of a bleeding host at St. Patrick Church in Rochelle, Ill.  At least one report even claimed the host had turned to flesh and blood.  The pastor, Father Johnson Lopez, confirmed to the Register that it was only bacteria.  “I truly believe in miracles, and an extraordinary miracle of the Eucharist would be a blessing for our community, but there was no miracle,” he said. (National Catholic Reporter)

Those that are not false reports are certainly false signs.  Sacred Scripture specifically warns us that such false signs and wonders will happen in the final days.  See 2 Thess. 2:9 and Matthew 24:24.

2 Thessalonians 2:9-12: “Whose coming is according to the working of Satan, in all power, and signs, and lying wonders, And in all seduction of iniquity to them that perish; because they receive not the love of the truth, that they might be saved.  Therefore God shall send them the operation of error, to believe lying.  That all may be judged who have not believed the truth, but have consented to iniquity.”

Matthew 24:24-25: “Then if any man shall say to you: Lo here is Christ, or there, do not believe him.  For there shall arise false Christs and false prophets, and shall show great signs and wonders, insomuch as to deceive (if possible) even the elect.  Behold I have told it to you, beforehand.  If therefore they shall say to you: Behold He is in the desert, go ye not out: Behold He is in the closets, believe it not.”

Moreover, our recent video on Magicians is very important to consider in this regard.  It proves that the Devil is capable of working major false signs.

The Devil can only do what God permits him to do, but God sometimes allows him to perform lying wonders to deceive people.  In fact, as the Magicians video shows, in many cases the signs worked by modern magicians are similar to those reported in the places you mention.  Satan can’t turn bread and wine into the Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity of Christ, but he can make bread appear to bleed with regular blood as part of a false sign.  We also learn this from the story of the Exodus.

Exodus 7:19-22- “And Moses and Aaron did as the Lord had commanded: and lifting up the rod, he struck the water of the river before Pharao and his servants: and it was turned into blood.  And the fishes that were in the river died… And the magicians of the Egyptians with their enchantments did in like manner; and Pharao’s heart was hardened…”

That’s why one must always assess and judge these matters not by alleged signs and wonders, but by the teaching of Jesus Christ and His Church.  The teaching of the Magisterium must always be our guide.  It gives us the answer.  According to the Church’s teaching, the New Mass is certainly a false and invalid service because it lacks a valid form.  The New Rite of Ordination is also absolutely invalid based on Catholic teaching.  The evidence against both is overwhelming and irrefutable.  Moreover, the fruits of the New Mass are undeniably rotten and wicked.  Even without considering the dogmatic evidence against the validity of the New Mass, when one thinks of all its rotten fruits and of all the souls being led into sin there, does it make any sense that God would work a miracle at the New Mass?  No, it doesn’t.

God doesn’t work miracles to confirm people on a path to sin and Hell.  Rather, in this time of apostasy God has allowed the Devil, as a punishment for sin and unbelief, to work numerous false signs that mislead those who receive not the love of the truth.  Receiving not the love of the truth means resisting the true revelation of Jesus Christ and the teaching of the Magisterium.  It means not judging all things by that teaching and rule.  People who are not guided by the Magisterium are inclined to strange voices, to false doctrines, and to lying signs.  When they resist what God has revealed and His Church has taught, sometimes God will give them over, in a powerful way, to be convinced by (or subjected to) the aforementioned deceptions as a punishment for their dishonesty and unbelief.

Another example of lying signs would be the many false apparitions that have occurred all over the Vatican II sect (the end-times Counter Church) during this apocalyptic period.  Some of those false apparitions contain blatant heresies.  They have been used to defend or support absurd notions, such as that people who promote false ecumenism and idolatry are good and should be followed.  They are deceptions from Satan, just like any claim that there is a miracle in the New ‘Mass’.  The New Mass is a false and invalid service.  It is actually an abomination, and it must be avoided under pain of grave sin.

Do You Evangelize?

An Astounding Fraud In The 'Traditional Catholic Movement' Exposed - TradCatKnight (Eric Gajewski)

This is an extremely interesting and shocking new video.  It totally exposes one of the biggest frauds we’ve ever seen in the ‘traditional Catholic movement’.  It exposes a false traditionalist heretic and liar named Eric Gajewski (a.k.a. TradCatKnight).  Gajewski is a false traditionalist who constantly claims to have the most followed traditional Catholic apostolate in the world, but his claim is totally false.  The reality is that his alleged ‘following’ is almost totally fake.  He buys fake followers, fake ‘likes’, fake comments, and more all to prop up his elaborate deception.  Indeed, the level of his fraud and deception is astounding.  This is a must-see video for anyone familiar with the aforementioned individual.  It shows again that the Devil is active, and is working to mislead people.  He uses heretics and wicked people.

The Best Bible Passage to Refute Once Saved Always Saved and Faith Alone

The Bible Proves The Papacy

This is one of the most important videos we have ever produced.  Among other things, it covers a new biblical proof of the Papacy that is of great significance.

1 Timothy 2:15 Confounds Protestants

Dear Brothers, I had a discussion which didn't end well with a protestant who happens to be my roommate for a period of 3 weeks. It concerned family planning. He holds that artificial family planning is not sinful. He also said that "it is sinful to give birth when you know you cannot take care of the child".  It’s obvious he failed to realize that it is God who opens and shuts the womb and that a woman shall be saved "THROUGH" child bearing, even when I tried to prove that from Scripture.  He lost complete trust in God and fails to realize the sinfulness of his position.  When I brought up 1 Tim. 2:15, his version (the King James version) read: "she shall be saved 'IN' child bearing" instead of "THROUGH" child bearing.  He argued that the verse teaches that a woman will be saved from death when giving birth if she perseveres in faith, love sanctification & sobriety (i.e. when IN is used).  I told him that it may be a mistranslation in his version.  I tried to give him example of some mistranslations in the KJV, like the one of John 3:36, but he wouldn't accept that because I could not provide the Greek version to prove that it is "THROUGH" not "IN".  That is why I need your help on this.  Looking forward to your response. May God bless your work.

PHILIP MONDAY

BRO. PETER DIMOND

Referring to “woman” (as mentioned in 1 Timothy 2:14), the Greek text for 1 Timothy 2:15 says “σωθήσεται” (she will be saved) “διά” (through/by means of) “τῆς τεκνογονίας” (the childbearing).  In this verse “διά” clearly means “through” or “by means of.”

1 Timothy 2:15- “Yet she [the woman] will be saved through childbearing—if they continue in faith and love and holiness, with self-control.”

The Textus Receptus, the Greek text upon which the King James Bible was based, says the same.

1 Timothy 2:15, Textus Receptus: “σωθήσεται δὲ διὰ τῆς τεκνογονίας ἐὰν μείνωσιν ἐν πίστει καὶ ἀγάπῃ καὶ ἁγιασμῷ μετὰ σωφροσύνης.”

Therefore, the Greek text clearly says that the woman will be saved “through” or “by means of” childbearing. (By the way, the English translation of 1 Tim. 2:15 in the King James Bible, which has “saved in childbearing,” was not necessarily a mistranslation.  That’s because, as someone else pointed out, in the English used at the time the King James Bible was written, the preposition “in” had a wider application than it does in English today.  At that time, the preposition “in” was commonly used to mean “by” or “by means of.”  Regardless, the original Greek of 1 Timothy 2:15 says that “she will be saved through childbearing.”)

Obviously, this verse refutes Protestant theology in a number of ways.  Many Protestants even admit that it’s an extremely difficult verse for them to understand.  When confronted with 1 Tim. 2:15 in a debate, one Protestant did not even attempt to explain it.  He simply said that “it’s quite mysterious.”  Another well-known Protestant named William D. Mounce stated concerning the verse: “V 15 is certainly one of the strangest verses in the New Testament.”  (Pastoral Epistles, Nashville: Thomas Nelson Publishers, 2000, 143.)

They find it troubling, mysterious, and strange simply because it completely contradicts their false theology.  First, by teaching that a woman must continue in faith and holiness to be saved, it clearly teaches that someone who has the faith (i.e. a justified Christian) could lose salvation.  That refutes the idea of once saved always saved.  Second, by teaching that a woman’s actions will be a factor in whether she attains salvation (and therefore whether she maintains justification), the verse refutes the idea of justification by faith alone.

The Bible teaches that women are saved through childbearing because, for most women, fulfilling their state of life as wives and mothers, in accordance with the true faith, is what they must do in order to be saved.  By fulfilling their state of life they will be saved – “if they continue in [true] faith and love and holiness, with self-control.”  The verse also emphasizes the importance of being open to children – a powerful reminder of how God condemns all forms of birth control.  That vexes Protestants as well, for almost all modern Protestants accept or practice some form of birth control.  Protestants’ acceptance of birth control is another clear proof that they don’t have the true Christian faith.  Here are two videos which demonstrate how both the Bible and the Catholic Church forbid all forms of birth control under pain of mortal sin.

Birth Control is Condemned in the Bible (video)

Natural Family Planning: A Birth Control Deception (video)

Since the person with whom you are conversing seems to be inclined to King James Onlyism, he should definitely see this video.  It covers a number of very important matters relevant to the history of the King James Bible, Bible translations, and the text of Scripture.

Is the King James Bible Infallible? (video)

Here are some other relevant videos.

Protestants Err on “The Golden Chain of Redemption” (video)

The Key to John 3:16 – An important Video Refuting the Protestant Position on Justification (video)

Justification Debate with a Reformed Protestant  (video)

Can a Christian Lose Salvation? – 1 Corinthians (video)

www.vaticancatholic.com

Do Animals go to Heaven?

The following article is our personal opinion on this subject. If there is a decision by the Magisterium in the future on this issue, or one from the past we have overlooked, we subject ourselves to it. Based upon papal teachings that MHFM has researched, we are not aware of any magisterial teaching on whether any animals can go to Heaven. It is our opinion that, at the very least, certain animals do go to Heaven.

In Apocalypse 19, we are given a vision of Heaven. Jesus Christ is seen on a horse and the armies of the Word of God follow Christ on horses.

Apocalypse 19:11-17- “And I saw heaven opened, and behold a white horse; and he that sat upon him was called faithful and true, and with justice doth he judge and fight. And his eyes were as a flame of fire, and on his head were many diadems, and he had a name written, which no man knoweth but himself. And he was clothed with a garment sprinkled with blood; and his name is called, THE WORD OF GOD. And the armies that are in heaven followed him on white horses, clothed in fine linen, white and clean…. And I saw an angel standing in the sun, and he cried with a loud voice, saying to all the birds that did fly through the midst of heaven: Come, gather yourselves together to the great supper of God.”

The word translated as “Heaven” in many passages of the New Testament, including Apoc. 19:11, is from the Greek word ouranos. It can refer to the sky or the region in which God dwells. The context of this chapter, which speaks of God sitting on His throne (Apoc. 19:4), makes it clear that “Heaven” in this passage refers to the region in which God dwells. St. John describes the opening of God’s region, as Christ comes to Earth. Animals are said to be there, with Christ and His armies riding on horses.

One might assert that the horses on which Christ and His armies ride are simply symbolic. But would God give us a symbolic picture of animals in Heaven, if the very concept of animals in the next world is repugnant to the ultimate reality? Moreover, the supposition that these descriptions are purely symbolic is no more definitive than the position that they provide us with an actual picture of what will occur.

The early Church father St. Irenaeus (2nd century) seemed to believe that the description of Apoc. 19 constitutes an actual representation of the future reality.

St. Irenaeus, Against Heresies, Book IV, Chap. 20, #11, A.D. 180: “And again, he says, speaking of this very same Lamb: And behold a white horse; and He that sat upon him was called Faithful and True; and in righteousness does He judge and make war… And the armies of heaven followed Him upon white horses, clothed in pure white linen. And out of His mouth goes a sharp sword… And He has upon His vesture and upon His thigh a name written, King of Kings and Lord of Lords (Rev. 19:11-17). Thus does the Word of God always preserve the outlines, as it were, of things to come, and points out to men the various forms (species), as it were, of the dispensations of the Father, teaching us the things pertaining to God.”[1]

The Lord Jesus Christ stated: “Are not five sparrows sold for two farthings, and not one of them is forgotten before God?” (Luke 12:6)

Apocalypse 5:13: “And every creature, which is in heaven, and on the earth, and under the earth, and such as are in the sea, and all that are in them: I heard all saying: To him that sitteth on the throne, and to the Lamb, benediction, and honor, and glory, and power, for ever and ever.”

St. Francis Paola (1416-1507) was one of the greatest miracle workers in the history of the Catholic Church. He had a special interest in animals. He had a pet lamb and a pet fish. He raised his pet fish to life after it had been killed, cooked and smashed to pieces by another priest.

“Francis had a favorite trout that he called ‘Antonella.’ One day one of the priests, who provided religious services, saw the trout swimming about in his pool. To him it was just a delicious dish, so he caught it and took it home, tossing it into the frying pan. Francis missed ‘Antonella’ and realized what had happened. He asked one of his followers to go to the priest to get it back. The priest, annoyed by this great concern for a mere fish, threw the cooked trout on the ground, shattering it into several pieces. The hermit sent by Francis gathered up the broken pieces in his hands and brought them back to Francis. Francis placed the pieces back in the pool and, looking up to Heaven, praying, said: ‘Antonella, in the name of Charity, return to life.’ The trout immediately became whole and swam joyously around his pool as if nothing had happened. The friars and the workers who witnessed this miracle were deeply impressed at the saint’s amazing powers.”[2]

St. Francis also raised his pet lamb, Martinello, from the dead after it had been eaten by workmen.

“Being in need of food, the workmen caught and slaughtered Francis’ pet lamb, Martinello, roasting it in their lime kiln. They were eating when the Saint approached them, looking for his lamb. They told him they had eaten it, having no other food. He asked what they had done with the fleece and the bones. They told him they had thrown them into the furnace. Francis walked over to the furnace, looked into the fire and called ‘Martinello, come out!’ The lamb jumped out, completely untouched, bleating happily on seeing his master.”[3]

It’s noteworthy that St. Francis Paola called the animals by their names even after their lives had ended. He apparently believed they continued to exist after their deaths.

Blessed Martin De Porres (1579-1639) was a saintly brother of the Dominican Order. He was beatified in the 19th century. He also had a special interest in animals. After a dog had been uncharitably killed by its master, Martin raised the dog from the dead. He also spoke to the dog and instructed it not to return to its ungrateful master.

“The procurator of the convent had a dog that served him faithfully for eighteen years. But now, as the animal was old and loathsome, he ordered him to be cast out. However, the faithful beast always came back, looking for his master. Then orders were given that the dog be taken off some distance and killed. This was done, and Blessed Martin on discovering such ingratitude, as it seemed in his eyes, was moved to compassion and asked that the dead dog be carried to his cell. He then sought out the procurator and said to him: ‘My Father, why did you order them to kill that animal? Is that the reward you give him after he has served you for so many years?’ Then shutting himself up in the cell where the dead animal had been placed, Martin knelt for some time in prayer, begging God to restore life to the unfortunate animal if He so willed, and God did not turn a deaf ear to this humble petition. On the following day Martin’s brethren saw him leave his cell, accompanied by the faithful dog, alive and perfectly well. While feeding him in the kitchen, Martin was heard to utter these words of sober advice to the dog: ‘Now, be sure not to return to your ungrateful master’s service, for you have experienced only too clearly how little your long years of faithful service have been appreciated.’ It is said that the dog survived for many years, but that he always followed Martin’s warning, fleeing from his old master whenever he saw him approach.”[4]

In another case, rats were causing problems for a man Blessed Martin had assisted. The problem increased to the point that rats began to invade the sacristy. Martin thought the problem could be solved without killing the rats, but the man decided to set traps. After a rat was caught in one of the traps, Martin urged that it not be destroyed. Instead, Martin spoke to the rat. He told the rat that he and his companions should leave the monastery and go to the garden. To the amazement of many, the rats obeyed.

“When Martin saw the little prisoner, his heart was touched and he would not permit its destruction. Instead, he gave him [the rat] his liberty, saying: ‘Go along, little brother, and tell your companions not to do any more harm. Tell your whole tribe to vacate this holy monastery and to go back into the garden, where I will bring you food each day.’ To the astonishment of all, the mice and rats came flocking out of the convent, finding a refuge in an old shed; and there Martin saw to it that they were provided with daily sustenance.”[5]

The interactions of St. Francis of Assisi with animals are well-chronicled. One of the most famous stories concerns St. Francis and the wolf. A large wolf was terrifying the people of Gubbio. The wolf devoured people and animals. Despite warnings to avoid him, St. Francis decided to approach the wolf, as many watched from a distance.

“The wolf, seeing all this multitude, ran towards Saint Francis with his jaws wide open. As he approached, the saint, making the sign of the cross, cried out: “Come hither, brother wolf; I command thee, in the name of Christ, neither to harm me nor anybody else.” Marvelous to tell, no sooner had Saint Francis made the sign of the cross, than the terrible wolf, closing his jaws, stopped running, and coming up to Saint Francis, lay down at his feet as meekly as a lamb.

And the saint thus addressed him: “Brother wolf, thou hast done much evil in this land, destroying and killing the creatures of God without his permission; yea, not animals only hast thou destroyed, but thou hast even dared to devour men, made after the image of God; for which thing thou art worthy of being hanged like a robber and a murderer. All men cry out against thee, the dogs pursue thee, and all the inhabitants of this city are thy enemies; but I will make peace between them and thee, O brother wolf, if so be thou no more offend them, and they shall forgive thee all thy past offences, and neither men nor dogs shall pursue thee anymore.”

Having listened to these words, the wolf bowed his head, and, by the movements of his body, his tail, and his eyes, made signs that he agreed to what Saint Francis said.

On this Saint Francis added: “As thou art willing to make this peace, I promise thee that thou shalt be fed every day by the inhabitants of this land so long as thou shalt live among them; thou shalt no longer suffer hunger, as it is hunger which has made thee do so much evil; but if I obtain all this for thee, thou must promise, on thy side, never again to attack any animal or any human being; dost thou make this promise?” Then the wolf, bowing his head, made a sign that he consented.

Said Saint Francis again: “Brother wolf, wilt thou pledge thy faith that I may trust to this thy promise?” and putting out his hand he received the pledge of the wolf; for the latter lifted up his paw and placed it familiarly in the hand of Saint Francis, giving him thereby the only pledge which was in his power.

Then said Saint Francis, addressing him again: “Brother wolf, I command thee, in the name of Christ, to follow me immediately, without hesitation or doubting, that we may go together to ratify this peace which we have concluded in the name of God”; and the wolf, obeying him, walked by his side as meekly as a lamb, to the great astonishment of all the people.

Now, the news of this most wonderful miracle spreading quickly through the town, all the inhabitants, both men and women, small and great, young and old, flocked to the market-place to see Saint Francis and the wolf… Then all the people promised with one voice to feed the wolf to the end of his days… Then Saint Francis continued: “Brother wolf, as thou gavest me a pledge of this thy promise when we were outside the town, so now I will that thou renew it in the sight of all this people, and assure me that I have done well to promise in thy name”; and the wolf lifting up his paw placed it in the hand of Saint Francis.”[6]

A mysterious dog also played a role in the life of St. John Bosco.

“God gave to Saint John Bosco a mysterious dog that became the protector of this great saint for much of his life. Where the dog came from and where it went was of no consequence to the saint; he genuinely accepted the friendship of the dog as part of divine providence.

Saint John Bosco did so much good saving the young boys of his time that I am sure it was the influence of the devil that riled up people against him, sometimes to the point that jealousy and hatred led men to try to kill the saint on more than one occasion. It was in response to that danger that a huge gray dog appeared one day when Saint John Bosco was being threatened by murderers. The dog, fearsome to behold, was described as a German shepherd standing three feet tall. Grigio, as he was named by Saint John Bosco, would always appear where trouble waited for the saint. When these ne’er-do-wells finally stopped trying to hurt Saint John Bosco, the dog disappeared. He appeared only one other time, when the saint was lost, to lead him safely to a Salesian home.”[7]

St. Paul of the Cross (d. 1775) once rebuked a farmer who uttered blasphemies in frustration at his oxen. Upset by the admonition, the farmer pointed his gun at St. Paul. “More horrified at the blasphemies than he was at his present danger, the Saint held up the crucifix he always wore around his neck and announced fearlessly, ‘Since you will not respect this crucifix, these oxen will.’ As though they understood, the oxen immediately fell to their knees.”[8] Afterwards the farmer repented.

In the life of St. Anthony of Padua (d. 1231) we read that many heretics resided at Rimini. “But they, not only consenting not to his holy words, but even, like hardened and obstinate sinners, refusing to hearken unto him, the Saint one day, by divine inspiration, went forth to the banks of the river close beside the sea; and, standing thus upon the shore betwixt sea and stream, he began to speak in the guise of a sermon in the name of God unto the fishes. ‘Hear the word of God, ye fishes of the sea and of the stream, since heretics and infidels are loathe to listen to it.’ And having uttered these words, suddenly there came toward him so great a multitude of fishes – great, small, and middle-sized – as had never been seen in that sea or in that stream… all turned their heads out of the water, and all turned attentively toward the face of Anthony.”[9]

In the life of St. Anthony of Padua, we also learn that an Albigensian heretic challenged Catholic teaching on the Eucharist. As a test, the two men agreed to allow the heretic’s mule to choose between its typical food and the Eucharist. The mule was deprived of food for three days. After three days, in the presence of a great crowd, the heretic attempted to feed the mule oats and hay, while St. Anthony held the consecrated Host before the animal. The mule ignored the food, and fell to its knees before the Blessed Sacrament. As a result, the unbelievers were thrown into great confusion and some of them were converted.[10]

Consider the following story from the Old Testament Book of Numbers, Chapter 22:21-35:

“Balaam arose in the morning, and saddling his went with them.  And God was angry. And an angel of the Lord stood in the way against Balaam, who sat on the , and had two servants with him.  The seeing the angel standing in the way, with a drawn sword, turned herself out of the way, and went into the field.  And when Balaam beat her, and had a mind to bring her again to the way, the angel stood in a narrow place between two walls, wherewith the vineyards were enclosed.  And the seeing him, thrust herself close to the wall, and bruised the foot of the rider.  But he beat her again: And nevertheless the angel going on to a narrow place, where there was no way to turn aside either to the right hand or to the left, stood to meet him.  And when the saw the angel standing, she fell under the feet of the rider: who being angry beat her sides more vehemently with a staff.  And the Lord opened the mouth of the , and she said: What have I done to thee?  Why strikest thou me, lo, now this third time?  Balaam answered: Because thou hast deserved it, and hast served me ill: I would I had a sword that I might kill thee.  The said: Am not I thy beast, on which thou hast been always accustomed to ride until this present day?  Tell me if I ever did the like thing to thee.  But he said: Never.  Forthwith the Lord opened the eyes of Balaam, and he saw the angel standing in the way with a drawn sword, and he worshipped him falling flat on the ground.  And the angel said to him: Why beatest thou thy these three times?  I am come to withstand thee, because thy way is perverse, and contrary to me:  And unless the had turned out of the way, giving place to me who stood against thee, I had slain thee, and she should have lived.  Balaam said: I have sinned, not knowing that thou didst stand against me: and now if it displease thee that I go, I will return.  The angel said: Go with these men, and see thou speak no other thing than what I shall command thee.  He went therefore with the princes.”

This passage tells us that an animal could see an angel and was given the ability to speak. When the angel finally appeared to Balaam, he rebuked him for beating the animal. The angel also said that he almost killed Balaam and spared the animal. Balaam had to have his eyes opened in order to see the angel, but the animal did not.

It was based on the reasoning of St. Thomas Aquinas that many Catholics came to think that animals do not possess souls that exist after their deaths. While St. Thomas’ views are always worthy of consideration, they are not infallible or definitive. In some cases, his views have been rejected by the Magisterium. St. Thomas taught that the human embryo proceeded through three stages of soul. He believed that the embryo began with the vegetative soul (anima vegetabilis , which he believed plants possess), then proceeded to the sensitive soul (anima sensitiva, which he believed animals possess), and, after 40 or 80 days, God infused the rational or intellectual soul (anima intellectiva, the human soul).

As the 1907 Catholic Encyclopedia article on “Soul” explains:

“St. Thomas’s doctrine is … In the first stage of embryonic development, the vital principle has merely vegetative powers; then a sensitive soul comes into being, educed from the evolving potencies of the organism — later yet, this is replaced by the perfect rational soul, which is essentially immaterial and so postulates a special creative act. Many modern theologians have abandoned this last point of St. Thomas's teaching, and maintain that a fully rational soul is infused into the embryo at the first moment of its existence.”[11]

In other words, those who claim to adhere to St. Thomas’ view on animation and ensoulment must believe that an embryo begins with a plant soul; it is then replaced by an animal soul, which in turn is replaced by the infusion of the human (rational) soul 40 or 80 days after the initial formation of the embryo. St. Thomas also taught that the soul of Mary did incur the stain of original sin – an idea contradicted by later infallible teaching on the Immaculate Conception.

St. Thomas Aquinas, Summa Theologica, Pt. III, Q. 27, A. 2, Reply to Objection 2: “If the soul of the Blessed Virgin had never incurred the stain of original sin, this would be derogatory to the dignity of Christ, by reason of His being the universal Saviour of all. Consequently after Christ, who, as the universal Saviour of all, needed not to be saved, the purity of the Blessed Virgin holds the highest place.”[12]

As an aside, while we’ve mentioned St. Thomas’ erroneous view on the Immaculate Conception in the past (and this quote in particular), it’s remarkable that many in the traditional movement, including prominent individuals and priests, after being presented with this evidence still wrongly and dishonestly insist that St. Thomas did not contradict the Immaculate Conception! To put it simply, St. Thomas’ views on the soul are not infallible.

While we are not asserting that animals possess rational or intellectual souls (or that they can experience the Beatific Vision) – these are unique to human beings, who alone are created in the image of God – we do not agree with the assertion that the souls of all animals are necessarily mortal and cannot continue after death.  We believe that, at least with some animals, they have souls/spirits that can experience Heaven in a manner proper to an animal.

Anyone who has been around certain animals knows that certain animals demonstrate individuality, an ability to learn and reason, and even personalities. Two animals of the same species will have different proclivities and interests. Their mode of operation is not completely instinctive or based purely on sensory response and reaction. For example, some cats are very curious, while others are not. Some dogs like a certain activity, while others do not. St. Gregory Nazianzen said the following about animals.

St. Gregory Nazianzen, Second Theological Oration (Oration 28), #’s 23-26, A.D. 381: “Shall I reckon up for you the differences of the other animals, both from us and from each other – differences of nature, and of production, and of region, and of temper, and as it were of social life? How is it that some are gregarious and others solitary, some herbivorous and others carnivorous, some fierce and others tame, some fond of man and domesticated, others untamable and free? And some we might call bordering on reason and power of learning, while others are altogether destitute of reason… some strong, others weak, some apt at self-defense, others timid and crafty… some attached to one spot, some amphibious; some delight in beauty and others are unadorned… Is this not the clearest proof of the majestic working of God?”[13]

In the original paradise (prior to the fall of Adam and Eve), God created the whales, the birds, and every moving creature on earth and in the sea. Having placed animals of all kinds in the original, uncursed and sinless paradise, “God saw that it was good” (Gen. 1:25).

Before Adam and Eve’s capitulation to the serpent brought sin and death into the world, God brought all beasts of the Earth and the fowls of the air to Adam so that he could name them.

Genesis 2:19- “And the Lord God having formed out of the ground all the beasts of the earth, and all the fowls of the air, brought them to Adam to see what he would call them: for whatsoever Adam called any living creature the same is its name.”

When God destroyed the Earth at the time of Noah, all things “wherein there is the breath of life” died (Gen. 7:22). The same word for the souls or breath of life of animals is used to describe the soul of man, even though man’s soul is very different from that of animals.

The flood of Noah’s day is described by St. Peter as the end of the original world: “And [God] spared not the original world” (2 Peter 2:5). Yet, when God warned Noah about what he must do to successfully transition from the original world, through the flood, to the new, God also told him to bring animals into the Ark.

Genesis 7:1-5- “And the Lord said to him: Go in thou and all thy house into the ark: for thee I have seen just before me in this generation. Of all clean beasts take seven and seven, the male and the female. But of the beasts that are unclean two and two, the male and the female. Of the fowls also of the air seven and seven, the male and the female: that seed may be saved upon the face of the whole earth. For yet a while, and after seven days, I will rain upon the earth forty days and forty nights; and I will destroy every substance that I have made, from the face of the earth. And Noe did all things which the Lord had commanded him… And of beasts clean and unclean, and of fowls, and of every thing that moveth upon the earth, two and two went in to Noe into the ark, male and female, as the Lord had commanded Noe. And after the seven days were passed, the waters of the flood overflowed the earth.”

God wanted the animals from “the original world” to be present in the next world, and He commanded Noah to go to extraordinary lengths to make it happen.

After the flood, God established His covenant with Noah and with all the animals/creatures on Earth.

Genesis 9:11-17- “I will establish my covenant with you, and all flesh shall be no more destroyed with the waters of a flood, neither shall there be from henceforth a flood to waste the earth. And God said: This is the sign of the covenant which I give between me and you, and to every living soul that is with you, for perpetual generations. I will set my bow in the clouds, and it shall be the sign of a covenant between me, and between the earth. And when I shall cover the sky with clouds, my bow shall appear in the clouds: And I will remember my covenant with you, and with every living soul that beareth flesh: and there shall no more be waters of a flood to destroy all flesh.

And the bow shall be in the clouds, and I shall see it, and shall remember the everlasting covenant, that was made between God and every living soul of all flesh which is upon the earth. And God said to Noe: This shall be the sign of the covenant which I have established between me and all flesh upon the earth.”

The Haydock commentary on Genesis 9:10 acknowledges that God made His covenant also with the animals.

God created animals for the original, spiritually pristine Earth. Is it unthinkable that He would have animals in the new Heaven and the new Earth at the end of time? In fact, the Apocalypse clearly portrays the Second Coming of Jesus Christ as the restoration of the original paradise on Earth.

The first Earth featured the “the tree of life… in the midst of paradise” (Genesis 2:9). The Apocalypse repeatedly tells us that Christ will restore the tree of life.

Apocalypse 22:2- “In the midst of the street thereof, and on both sides of the river, was the tree of life, bearing twelve fruits, yielding its fruits every month, and the leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations.”

Doesn’t it seem consistent that as there were animals of various kinds in the original paradise, there will be animals in the new paradise – in the new Heaven and new Earth? In this regard we should consider a prophecy of Isaiah.

Isaiah 65 contains a prophecy about the new Heaven and the new Earth. While a similar prophecy made in Isaiah chapter 11:1-9 finds fulfillment in the coming of Christ and the establishment of the New Covenant Church, the passage in Isaiah 65 seems to have application to the end of time, the Second Coming of Christ and the Apocalypse. Numerous early Church fathers applied Isaiah 65 to the end of time, including St. Justin Martyr.

The prophecy of Isaiah 65 is relevant to this topic because it says that in the new Heaven and new Earth, “the wolves and the lambs feed together, and the lion shall eat straw like the ox; but the serpent [shall eat] earth as bread. They shall not hurt or maltreat each other on the holy mountain…”

Here are the comments of St. Justin Martyr (A.D. 100-165) on the prophecy of Isaiah 65.

St. Justin Martyr, Dialogue with Trypho the Jew, Chap. 81, 2nd century:

CHAPTER LXXXI -- HE ENDEAVOURS TO PROVE THIS OPINION FROM ISAIAH AND THE APOCALYPSE.

“For Isaiah spake thus concerning this space of a thousand years: 'For there shall be the new heaven and the new earth… For according to the days of the tree of life shall be the days of my people… Then shall the wolves and the lambs feed together, and the lion shall eat straw like the ox; but the serpent [shall eat] earth as bread. They shall not hurt or maltreat each other on the holy mountain, i saith the Lord.' Now we have understood that the expression used among these words, 'According to the days of the tree [of life] shall be the days of my people; the works of their toil shall abound' obscurely predicts a thousand years… And further, there was a certain man with us, whose name was John, one of the apostles of Christ, who prophesied, by a revelation that was made to him, that those who believed in our Christ would dwell a thousand years in Jerusalem; and that thereafter the general, and, in short, the eternal resurrection and judgment of all men would likewise take place.’”[14]

We are told that in the new Heaven and the New Earth, the lion, the ox and other animals will live in harmony. Some might argue that this is a metaphor for how Christ’s elect will be comprised of people with different temperaments. Individuals of all types will have found conversion and peace with their incorporation into Christ. However, that is not certain. This passage could speak to the actual working of the future Heaven and Earth. The statement in Isaiah 65:19, that there will be no more “weeping” or “crying” in the new Heaven and Earth, closely parallels Apocalypse 21:4:

“And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes: and death shall be no more, nor mourning, nor crying, nor sorrow shall be any more, for the former things are passed away.”

This strongly suggests that the prophecy of Isaiah 65, concerning the lion, ox, etc. has application to the new Heaven and the new Earth at the end of time. Other than the dogmas of divine revelation, which tell us how humans are to get to Heaven and which humans will be excluded, we know very little about what Heaven actually is or will be like.

1 Cor. 2:9- “But, as it is written: That eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither hath it entered into the heart of man, what things God hath prepared for them that love him.”

In fact, in the original paradise, animals did not kill or eat each other. In God’s original design, the herbs and the trees which bear seed were the food or “meat” of both man and land creatures (Gen. 1:29-30). It was only after the sin of Adam, the changes in the Earth that resulted from the flood, the introduction of various seasons, and the consequent reduction of the tree and herb supply at various times of the year, that animals became carnivores. There is a fascinating lecture on this point by a professor of zoology. He explains that creatures we typically consider hunters and carnivores were not so from the beginning. He shows how their natural equipment is perfectly consistent with this conclusion and an original design as vegetarians.[15]

Therefore, if animals lived in peaceful harmony in the original paradise, it would make sense that they would do so in the new Heaven and the new Earth. The words of Isaiah, which foretell such a situation, would thus be consistent with a more literal understanding of the prophecy. But even if one grants that the description in Isaiah 65 is a symbol or a metaphor, one must ask once again why God would provide us with a symbol of animals in the new Heaven and new Earth if the concept is repugnant to reality.

Of course it needs to be affirmed that the worship of animals is an abominable heresy that plagued people in the Old Testament and still exists among some today. Animals are not God, and they are different from human beings. They do not possess rational souls. However, they have the special form of existence which God gave them; and it’s simply remarkable to consider the amazing abilities and characteristics they continually display. These abilities clearly disprove the assertion that animals are simply beings that function only on instinct and sensory response.

For example, there is an amazing YouTube video called, Hero Dog Tries to Help Wounded Dog – Chile.[16] It has been viewed almost two million times. In an attempt to cross a busy highway, a dog was hit by a car and left helpless in the midst of heavy oncoming traffic. A second dog some distance away spotted him. The second dog decided to venture into heavy traffic and save the wounded one. The second dog evaded oncoming cars, grabbed the wounded dog with its teeth and paws, and pulled it inch by inch to safety on the side of the road. The wounded dog survived. The footage is simply incredible. Stories of this type could be multiplied many times.

There is a fascinating three-part video series called Incredible Creatures that Defy Evolution. This video series, which we sell on our online store, is an astounding documentary about the full capabilities of God’s creatures.

“There are animals that save human beings; animals that manifest extraordinary courage; animals that exhibit an uncanny ability to show emotion, and even to cry, animals that can communicate, some with hierarchical methods and some with sign language; animals that know when a tornado or an earthquake is coming; animals that can smell cancer, drugs, termites…”[17]

“John and Michele Helfrich of Justin, Texas, had a bovine longhorn calf named Beanie that watched John repair a water line that had sprung a leak. To repair the pipe he first had to dig a trench on both sides of the pipe. The heifer stood beside him the entire day, observing his actions. Then, to his amazement, when he started filling the trench back in, she would stand beside him and push the dirt in. Finally, he jumped in the trench, and when he did, Beanie jumped in with him and started stomping the dirt down. When he got back out to shove more dirt in, she would get out and push the dirt with her head.”[18]

“A young girl was abducted by a stranger in a van, driven about twelve miles away, and held captive in the van on a deserted road. It was later learned that the van did not stop once while traveling from the point of abduction to the deserted road twelve miles away.

Several hours after the abduction, the local authorities gave their bloodhound a piece of the child’s clothing for reference and put the dog on the trail. It took several more hours, but the dog led police on foot down the same twelve miles of highway transited by the van, off the same exit ramp, and down the same deserted road. The bloodhound led them right to the van and the victim was rescued unharmed.”[19]

“Mrs. Jensen stayed with the mare and her foal all day long. That evening, the baby horse simply stopped breathing. At that instant, the Jensen’s five other horses, which had over the past few hours gathered themselves as close to the barn as possible, reared up on their hind legs and gave several piercing screams. They could not have seen the foal because it was in the barn when it died – yet they knew. It was an experience Mrs. Jensen will never forget and, in this earthly life, she will never fully understand.”[20]

“A farmer in Australia who suffered serious head injuries after being struck by a falling tree branch was rescued by a partially blind kangaroo who was hailed as a hero. Lulu the kangaroo banged on the door of the family’s home in Morwell, Gippsland in southeast Australia after discovering the farmer lying unconscious in a field.”[21]

By playing music from a harp, animals have seen dramatic health benefits.[22] One music therapist decided to find out how other creatures might respond to music. “She decided to conduct an experiment at a small dairy farm in Sidney, Indiana, where forty-two Holsteins [cows] who had never been exposed to music were treated to measured doses of Classical, Hard Rock, and Country & Western over a thirteen-day period. The results suggested that cows are a sophisticated audience. Milk production rose almost six percent when classical music was being aired (Beethoven’s Symphony No. 7 in C Major) but fell by the same amount when the stereo played the rock band Kiss.”[23]

A Personal Story

We would like to share a personal story. For many years the monastery had a small dog. Around 2003 or 2004, the dog was suffering from old age and had cataracts in her eye. She was very weak and almost blind. The dog was clearly near the end of its life. We decided that it was best to have the dog put to sleep (something that’s morally permissible with animals but not with humans). On the very day we reached the decision, that the dog would sadly have to be put to sleep, we discovered that the dog was spending her time in the monastery’s chapel, on the floor, in the Presence of the Blessed Sacrament. The chapel is accessible from one of the rooms. Prior to that day, the dog never slept at length in the chapel. We do not believe it’s an accident or merely a coincidence that, just before the dog’s life had ended, something drew her into the presence of the One who created her. In fact, when she was picked up to be taken away for the last time of her life, she was picked up from the chapel floor. Something motivated her, in her weakest hour and when she was near her end, to enter the presence of God.

Equally interesting is the fact that the same thing occurred with one of our cats. We currently have two cats. In the Spring of 2008, one of our cats became extremely ill with a stomach infection and would not stop vomiting for an extended period of time. We thought it was probable that the cat would die. As the cat was suffering and in clearly the worst hours of its life, the cat spent almost all day sleeping on the floor of the chapel, just as the dog had years before. When healthy, the cat would very rarely wander into the chapel for short periods of time; but the cat would not sleep there at length, and it certainly would not spend most or all of the day in the chapel. Yet, when it was about to die, the cat spent basically the entire day in the chapel, right near the Blessed Sacrament, for a period of several days. We do not believe it was an accident that in its extreme sickness, the cat entered into the presence of God. Thank God, the cat eventually recovered and is in excellent health today.

In closing, the message of the Gospel and God’s redemption is for human beings, not animals. All animals are innocent. God decided to be born around innocent animals instead of human beings. Animals were required in the Old Testament for a sacrifice covering sin because they are sinless creatures, as well as to destroy the Israelites’ evil propensity to worship animals.

It is our opinion that at least some animals continue to exist after their lives on Earth, as part of God’s design.

Job 12:10- “[The Lord] In whose hand is the soul of every living thing, and the breath of all mankind.”

Hosea 2:18- “And in that day I will make a covenant with them, with the beasts of the field, and with the fowls of the air, and with the creeping things of the earth: and I will destroy the bow, and the sword, and war out of the land: and I will make them sleep secure.”

Colossians 1:17- “He is before all things, and in him all things hold together.”

Proverbs 12:10- “A righteous man regardeth the life of his beast; but the tender mercies of the wicked are cruel.”

Ecclesiastes 3:1, 14-15- “All things have their season, and in their times all things pass under heaven… I have learned that all the works which God hath made, continue forever: we cannot add anything, nor take away from those things which God hath made that he may be feared. That which hath been made, the same continueth: the things that shall be, have already been: and God restoreth that which is past.”

© Copyright 2012: Most Holy Family Monastery.

NOTES:

Where To Receive Sacraments

THE QUESTION OF WHERE TO RECEIVE SACRAMENTS IN OUR TIME

QUICK INTRODUCTION AND UPDATE ON THE CURRENT SITUATION

The Vatican II sect under Antipope Francis is becoming more notorious (and basically openly Protestant) by the day. In fact, it looks poised to openly repudiate Catholic teaching against divorce and remarriage. Moreover, the “canonization” of Antipope John Paul II is a major development. (The Vatican II sect will celebrate Antipope John Paul II’s “feast day” on Oct. 22.) As this video explains, in the aftermath of the “canonization,” essentially everyone in full communion with the Vatican II sect is now, in reality, an idolater. As a consequence, in many cases the few validly ordained priests who acknowledge the antipope, who may previously have been options for receiving Communion, are becoming off-limits for Communion. As we’ve repeatedly mentioned, for some time the number of options for Communion has been quickly diminishing. At this point there are almost no options for receiving Communion. That’s simply an unfortunate consequence of the final stage of the Great Apostasy. In case people haven’t figured it out yet, we are in the last days and the deepest part of the Great Apostasy. Those who aren’t convinced of that should see our video. As Our Lady of La Salette said concerning these times: “… only faith will survive.”

The guidelines and points below are of course relevant to priests who operate in “full communion” with Antipope Francis. Sadly, however, the independent priests don’t offer many alternatives. The independent groups and priests who acknowledge Antipope Francis (e.g., the priests of the SSPX and similar groups) are becoming ever more schismatic as a result of an obstinate and prolonged adherence to false positions. And most of the sedevacantist priests (who claim to reject Antipope Francis and the Vatican II sect) hold that souls can be saved in false religions, and condemn the Church’s dogmatic teaching on the necessity of Baptism for salvation as “mortally sinful.” They are horrible and imposing heretics who must not be approached for any sacraments at all. That leaves a Catholic in a situation with almost no options for receiving Communion. (*An imposing heretic, by the way, is a priest who either requires someone to adhere to his false positions, or holds that the true position on a topic is mortally sinful or heretical. For more on that matter, see the guidelines below.)

We are frequently and understandably asked the important question about where people may receive sacraments in this time of the Great Apostasy. As we’ve pointed out for years, it’s a fluid situation. The answer depends upon what priests say and do; what positions they take; how notorious certain priests become; events that occur in the Vatican II sect; etc. The situation in the 1980s was not necessarily the same as the situation in the 1970s, and the situation in the 2000s was not necessarily the same as the situation in the 1990s. In light of the current “ecclesiastical situation” (i.e., the general situation with priests purporting to be Catholic in our day), recent events, and how clear the true positions should be for people at this stage, below are bullet-points with our advice on where one may or may not receive sacraments at the current time.

The reader will notice that one of the most important updates is: AT THIS TIME, IN THE YEAR 2014, AT LEAST IN THIS COUNTRY, WE ARE NOT AWARE OF ANY CHURCH A CATHOLIC SHOULD ATTEND ON SATURDAY OR SUNDAY IN ORDER TO RECEIVE COMMUNION. PEOPLE SHOULD STAY HOME ON SUNDAY AND PRAY 15 DECADES OF THE ROSARY. THAT’S BECAUSE ESSENTIALLY ALL THE PRIESTS ARE CLEAR HERETICS AND THEY GIVE SERMONS OR TALKS ON THOSE DAYS. WE DON’T BELIEVE PEOPLE SHOULD RECEIVE THE SACRAMENT FROM THEM DURING A MASS AT WHICH THEY GIVE A SERMON. HOWEVER, THERE ARE STILL SOME OPTIONS FOR RECEIVING CERTAIN SACRAMENTS (ESPECIALLY CONFESSION), AS EXPLAINED BELOW.

• It’s of course crucial for people to be sure they have been validly baptized. If there is any doubt about how a baptism was performed (either because it was done in a Protestant sect or questionably in the Novus Ordo), a conditional baptism should be performed following the steps in this file: The Steps to convert to the traditional Catholic faith and for those leaving the New Mass – Baptism and Conditional Baptism – the Council of Trent’s Profession of Faith for Converts. We generally recommend a conditional baptism for those coming out of the Novus Ordo or converting from Protestantism. Anyone who would do it properly could perform it, as the 'steps to convert' file explains.

• Before making a confession or receiving a sacrament, one must reach the point where one believes in all Catholic dogmas, is committed never to attend the New Mass again, rejects the Vatican II antipopes and the Vatican II sect, believes in Outside the Church There is No Salvation without exception (no “baptism of desire,” no salvation for those “invincibly ignorant” of the Catholic faith), rejects NFP, won’t support any heretical priests, etc.

SIMPLIFIED GUIDELINES ON RECEIVING SACRAMENTS IN THE CURRENT SITUATION

• Don’t ever attend the New Mass for any reason, of course. It’s invalid and non-Catholic. It must always be avoided under pain of grave sin.

• One must not financially support, in any way, any priest or group that holds false positions. We are not aware of any priests, groups or religious communities in the world (besides our monastery) holding the correct positions in a public, clear and uncompromising way.

• Don’t go to any church in this country (“traditional” or otherwise) for Sunday or Saturday Masses, since basically all the priests are heretics and the heretics give sermons or talks on those days. People should stay home on Sunday and pray 15 decades of the Rosary. (This generally applies to other countries as well.)

• Consistent with the above: don’t go to any Sunday or Saturday Masses of the Society of St. Pius X. Don’t go to any “Masses” of the FSSP or similar groups. (Those groups also cannot be considered to have valid priests, as they utilize “bishops” consecrated in the doubtful New Rite of Consecration.) Don’t go to any Indult Masses or Latin Masses offered in the “diocese”. Don't go to any Sunday or Saturday liturgies of priests in the Eastern Rite. Don’t go to any Sunday or Saturday Masses of priests of the CMRI or similar priests and groups who hold heresy on the salvation dogma, as those heretics frequently give sermons on those days. Sedevacantist priests who condemn the true position on water baptism (i.e., the denial of “baptism of desire”) as either heretical or mortally sinful – and that would include most sedevacantist priests in our day – are imposing heretics. They aren’t an option for any sacrament whatsoever. They should be completely avoided.

• If a priest is a heretic, but is not imposing – and that might apply to a small number of independent or sedevacantist priests – it’s possible that he might still be an option for Communion if he’s somewhat close to our positions on the Counter Church. However, one should not receive Communion from him during his Sunday or Saturday Mass, for he might give a sermon or a talk during that Mass. If he meets the criteria for receiving Communion (and that would be rare), one should only receive Communion from him on a different day of the week. If he only gives Communion on Sunday, then one should simply go without Communion. As stated above, an imposing heretic is a priest who either requires someone to adhere to his false positions, or holds that the true position on a topic is mortally sinful or heretical. In the rare case just described, in which a priest might meet the criteria to be an option for Communion (but only on a day on which he does not give a sermon), to find out if he's an imposing heretic, you can call him up and tell him what your positions are - e.g., that you are a sedevacantist and reject “baptism of desire” - and see how he reacts. This kind of discussion would be necessary when considering a priest (in the rare situation just described) for Communion. However, when going to confession only to a validly ordained Novus Ordo priest or to an Eastern Rite priest, such a discussion about the issues (to find out if the priest is imposing) would not be necessary prior to making the confession (unless the issues were to come up), as explained below.

• Don’t receive Communion from (or be present at the Mass of) any priest who accepts Antipope John Paul II as a “saint.” That essentially means that almost all priests who accept Antipope Francis should not be approached for Communion. It’s possible that there might be very rare exceptions to this principle (e.g., non-imposing independent priests who reject much of the Counter Church and the “canonization” of John Paul II, but still absurdly accept Antipope Francis); however, even in those cases, one should not receive Communion from them at their Sunday or Saturday Masses. Likewise, with an independent or Eastern Rite priest who doesn’t accept John Paul II as a “saint,” in order to be approached for Communion he would also have to reject false ecumenism and hold that the Eastern schismatics should be converted to the Catholic faith. (He would not have to hold the correct position on water baptism and the salvation dogma, as many priests before Vatican II were in heresy on that point. But he could not impose his false position on true Catholics or consider the true position heretical or mortally sinful.)

• There are still more options for Confession, and it’s crucial that people who have mortal sins that need to be confessed find a priest from whom they can receive absolution. Options for Confession include: an old Novus Ordo priest ordained before 1968, who says: “I absolve you from your sins, in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost”; a priest ordained in the Eastern Rite; a non-imposing independent “traditional” priest; etc.

• The New Rite of Ordination is invalid. It was instituted by the Vatican II sect on June 18, 1968. Almost all diocesan (i.e., non-independent, non-Eastern Rite priests) ordained since that time were ordained in it. Since “priests” ordained in the New Rite of Ordination are invalid, any mortal sins confessed to such “priests” must be confessed again to a valid priest, once a person is prepared for confession.

• To investigate potential options for confession, people can also look in their telephone books for “Catholic church” or “Eastern Catholic church” or “Byzantine Catholic church” (not “Orthodox”) listings in cities or towns in their area. Looking up those churches, and calling them, might aid in a search for validly ordained priests (either ordained in the Eastern Rite or before 1968) to whom one might go to confession. Note: when going to confession only to an old Novus Ordo priest (ordained in the traditional rite) or to an Eastern Rite priest, one doesn't need to get into the details of one's position or discuss the various theological issues (to find out if he's imposing) prior to making the confession (unless the issues were to come up). At some point, however, one should send him or give him the information from our website or material (e.g., a DVD) covering the true positions people need to take and what has happened.

• There is of course no obligation to attend Sunday Mass when there isn’t a fully Catholic option in one’s area. Therefore, there is no obligation to attend Sunday Mass in our day because basically all the priests are heretics.

• People should pray 15 decades of the Rosary each day.

• We also encourage true Catholics who are presumably in the state of grace to make spiritual Communions.

• Although these guidelines should answer most questions on this matter, people who have further questions can call us at 585-567-4433 and someone can help you.

THEOLOGICAL CONSIDERATIONS

So, to put it simply: there are more options for confession (although they are also becoming harder to find), but very few options for receiving Communion. People should stay home on Sundays and pray 15 decades of the Rosary. If people are holding and practicing the true Catholic faith without compromise, working to spread it, fulfilling their state in life, etc., and have successfully confessed all grave sins (if there were any) committed in their life after baptism to a validly ordained priest, they can feel confident that they are in the state of grace, even though they may not have anywhere to receive Communion.

The reason there is more latitude in approaching someone for confession than for Communion is twofold: 1) making a confession and receiving absolution doesn’t entail showing up at the heretic’s Mass or liturgy; and 2) for most people (and obviously for those who may have grave sins to confess), there is a greater necessity to receive absolution. Hence, a priest who is not an option for Communion could still be an option for confession, if he’s validly ordained, uses the proper form, and does not impose his false views upon you.

By the way, what radical schismatics and “no jurisdiction” schismatics don’t understand about God and this matter is that the issue of where it’s permissible to receive sacraments in this unprecedented crisis and apostasy is not one governed by dogmatic decrees. It’s not a dogmatic issue. It is, rather, an issue that involves making prudential decisions and judgments about the current situation, and applying Catholic principles to this crisis. Moreover, when dealing with matters of ecclesiastical law and how to act in a crisis, the principle that “necessity makes licit that which is illicit” (as long as the faith is not denied) is important to understand and keep in mind. It’s why people could receive sacraments from priests they normally would not approach if they had other options. However, at this point the Vatican II sect is so notorious, the independent priests are so schismatic, and the sedevacantist priests (for the most part) are so openly heretical on the salvation issue, that we believe the above guidelines (with many fewer options for Communion) are the correct ones.

STAYING HOME ON SUNDAY SHOULD NOT DIMINISH ONE’S ZEAL OR HAMPER ONE’S PRACTICE OF THE FAITH AT ALL

The fact that (at least in this country, and generally speaking in other countries) people should be staying home on Sunday should not in any way diminish their zeal for practicing the Catholic faith. It should not lessen people’s enthusiasm for praying, living the life of grace each day, saving their soul and that of others, evangelizing, spreading the faith, growing in their relationship with God, etc. On the contrary, a recognition of where we are in history should spur people to a more aggressive pursuit of spiritual perfection, as well as the desire to practice and spread the faith so that as many souls as possible can be saved in the short time left. Moreover, while God allows the darkness of the world to be ever greater, He counteracts that by making even more powerful graces available for those who practice and live the faith without compromise, and take advantage of the extra power given to the Rosary, the Hail Mary, etc. in our day.

People who think that the Catholic faith ceases to be practiced when there’s nowhere to attend Mass or receive sacraments on Sunday either aren’t Catholic or have an inadequate understanding of the faith. The Catholic faith is lived day in and day out. In fact, the reason so many people have followed heretical groups to their perdition is that their entire “faith” and “relationship with God” is defined by where they go on Sunday. They are purely “Sunday Catholics,” which means that they are not genuine Catholics at all.

Are Catholic Statues Idolatrous?

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… I recently read some of the post in your website and I have started it when I found a video in YouTube entitled Is the World about to End? And after that I tried to read interesting topics on your site. By the way, I was raised as a Catholic when I was young but I am not sure what kind I belong to since I’ve read that there's a traditional and new one (I am not that familiar with all the technicalities, sorry about that). Again, I was raised as a Catholic but I’ve been missing church masses for some reasons. One of the reasons is the one I am about to tell you. Anyway, I have written this, and I've been meaning to ask this particular question to any Catholic member since it has been a looming over me for a very long time - is there any passage in the Bible that pertains to adoration (I'm not sure of the word I’ve use because I don't want to use the word worship) of religious images and sculptures. Do you have any video on it that clearly answers and explain this one?

Most of the Catholic churches I've been to in our country have this, on varying sizes and kinds.

I have this feeling inside me, that it is wrong, and most of the times it really creeps me out especially the big ones. It felt like believing in these man-made statues is like idolatry stated in Exodus. Many people go to them, kneel and pray for them, take care and dress them, and wipe their towels over them as if it would perform a miracle of some sorts. Most of the Catholics said it is mere representation of whom we pray for but (I would contest) Jesus did not bow his head to any statues just to pray to our Father or any man before him, so why do people need to do it now. It felt like this practice has been misleading us. Correct me if I am wrong to think of this matter.

My mother has few of these statues at home (Sto. Ninos, Mother Mary) and lately it bothers me… I hope you could clarify to me about your stand on religious images and statues, looking forward to it.

Thank you very much. God Bless.

Sincerely yours, Rheyan L

MHFM: We’re glad that you came across the material. No, adoration of the Blessed Sacrament is completely Christian. However, Jesus Christ is not present in the Novus Ordo, as our material explains. Your problem on the issue arises because you are not convinced of Catholic teaching on the Eucharist. A properly consecrated Eucharist is the Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity of Jesus Christ. That’s very clear from the teaching of Jesus Christ and the Bible (see John chapter 6). It was held by the entire early Church. Therefore, the Eucharist should be adored. Your position is inconsistent with that truth of Christianity. You need to see our book, The Bible Proves the Teachings of the Catholic Church. It has a section on the overwhelming biblical proof for Catholic teaching on the Eucharist.

With regard to images and statues, your position is not correct.

First, what God forbids and condemns is the adoration of statues/images themselves, and the making of statues/images of idols and false gods.

Deuteronomy 5:8-9- “You shall not make to thyself a graven thing, nor the likeness of any things, that are in heaven above, or that are in the earth beneath, or that abide in the waters under the earth. You shall not adore them, and you shall not serve them.…”

Notice that God says: you shall not adore them or serve them. That’s the key. He forbids making statues or images to adore them or to adore idols, creatures, false gods, etc. But He does not forbid using religious statues or images in His true faith and religion. In fact, He commanded religious statues to be made for his temple and they are approved in numerous places in the Bible.

Exodus 25:18-19- “And you shalt make two cherubim of gold, of beaten work shalt you make them, in the two ends of the mercy seat. And make one cherub on the one end, and the other cherub on the other end: even of the mercy seat shall you make the cherubim on the two ends thereof.”

God specifically commands the making of two statues of cherubim. Cherubim are angels. This obviously refutes the idea that making statues or using religious images is forbidden. Such an idea is a total misrepresentation of the teaching of Sacred Scripture, which forbids them with reference to the idolatrous adoration of creatures, idols and false gods. Other passages in the Bible where we see references to God’s command to make statues for true religious purposes are: Exodus 26:1; 1 Kings 6 (3 Kings 6 in some versions); and 1 Kings 7:25-36 (3 Kings 7:25-36 in some versions).

We also find God commanding the use of an image to cure people – an image which, at first thought, some would find surprising. God commanded Moses to make an image of a serpent for the people to look upon and be healed.

Numbers 21:8- “And the Lord said unto Moses, make thee a fiery serpent, and set it upon a pole: and it shall come to pass, that every one that is bitten, when he looks upon it, shall live.”

Third, when Catholics honor an image, trust is not placed in the image itself. Rather, we honor the one represented by the image by means of the image.

Council of Trent, Sess. 25, Decree on Sacred Images: “Moreover, that the images of Christ, of the Virgin Mother of God, and of the other saints are to be placed and retained especially in the churches, and that due honor and veneration is to be given them; not, however, that any divinity or virtue is believed to be in them by reason of which they are to be venerated, or that something is to be asked of them, or that trust is to be placed in images, as was done of old by the Gentiles who placed their hope in idols; but because the honor which is shown them is referred to the prototypes which they represent, so that by means of the images which we kiss and before which we uncover the head and prostrate ourselves, we adore Christ and venerate the saints whose likeness they bear. That is what was defined by the decrees of the councils, especially of the Second Council of Nicaea, against the opponents of images.”

The Bible also teaches that even the relics of saintly people are venerated and can be miraculous. See Acts chapter 19:11-12 concerning the miraculous handkerchiefs of St. Paul, and 2 Kings 2:13-14 concerning the miraculous cloak of Elijah.

Acts 19:11-12- “And God wrought special miracles by the hands of Paul: So that from his body were brought unto the sick handkerchiefs or aprons, and the diseases departed from them, and the evil spirits went out of them.”

2 Kings 2:13-14- “He picked up the cloak that had fallen from Elijah and went back and stood on the bank of the Jordan.  Then he took the cloak that had fallen from him and struck the water with it… When he struck the water, it divided to the right and to the left, and he crossed over.”

So, the Catholic position on the proper use of religious images, statues and relics is not contrary to the Bible.  It is the truly biblical view.

Moreover, you mention that you were raised a ‘Catholic.’ You were actually raised in the Vatican II sect. That’s not the true Catholic Church. It doesn’t teach or represent the true Catholic faith. Its New Masses are invalid and the sect is empty. That’s a big reason why you and so many others were not inclined to be more interested in what it has to ‘offer.’ It’s crucial that you consult the material on our site, pray 15 decades of the Rosary each day, and take the steps to embrace the traditional Catholic faith.

For more, see our book The Bible Proves the Teachings of the Catholic Church, our Refuting Protestantism section and our future materials on these matters.

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