Dear Friends in Christ, Jesus.
Faith is often tried and made strong in times of hardship. A case in point is the present Great Apostasy. Because of the Great Apostasy that has changed the Church forever into a very small flock as opposed to the great number that has apostatized and those that have been led into schism by false teachers, the remnant of the Church is often physically isolated from other members of the One, Holy, Catholic and Apostolic Church.
Our once-Catholic schools are no longer Catholic because Catholic doctrine is no longer taught in them. There is no longer a reason for these schools because the true faith is not taught in them. They are nothing more than private schools where falsified history is taught. The churches built by our parents and grandparents for the offering of the Sacrifice of the Mass are no longer used for that purpose. Instead, token pieces of the true liturgy are embodied in the spread of false doctrines concerning the Holy Eucharist. True, many Catholic-sounding names are still used in many places. But, the reason for this is to keep the people deceived. Old maids who were once dedicated Religious have abandoned their religious garb and arrogantly parade as semi-official “pastorettes”. In some places, even the valid priest is not honored with the title “Father,” but now he is the “sacramental minister” – thus, erasing any indication of gender. Future “sacramental ministers” will easily be women…
With the falsification or complete denial of Holy Scripture, the way has been made open for any outrageous conclusions. We see the judaizing of the Church with the antipope, Joseph Ratizinger, under the hypocritical disguise of “ecumenism”.
The Great Apostasy is irreversible. It is irreversible because it has been foretold in the Holy Scriptures. Once it takes place, there is no “going back” to the old days when Catholics were numerous. Our concern today should not be negative. It is a waste of time to look back at those days when we all went to church on Sunday with our families; when the good Nuns sacrificed themselves to instill not only worldly knowledge, but above all to teach our children the truths of the Catholic Church.
There are no Catholic nuns anymore! Just as there no Catholic schools anymore! What remains are only the buildings and sometimes the Catholic names of saints. Once the faith is gone, everything else is gone. There remains only the empty shell of what once was. A new religion, a new spirit animates those who openly call themselves “Catholic,” yet are more liberal than the most liberal of Protestant sects.
What are isolated Catholics to do? How can they receive the Sacraments if all they have around them are heretics and schismatics _ Modernists and rabid Traditionalists _ neither group having either Sacraments or fruitful Sacraments? Our Lord will not abandon those who believe in Him and love Him. A true Catholic is only a thought away from a true representative of the Roman Catholic Church. Modern technology comes to the aid of those who would remain faithful in these trying times. The example of the ruler ought to give courage to all those who are physically separated from true Catholic clergymen. Our Lord cured the ruler’s son without physically going to the man’s house. Jesus did this knowing that His power could not be held within the bounds of space and time. He gave this power to His Apostles and even told them that they would do even greater things. Is it, then, an impossible thing for a true priest of the Roman Catholic Church to urge the isolated faithful to have recourse to the genuine teachings of the Church regarding the spiritual desire to receive certain Sacraments? Only those who are ignorant of the Mystical Body of Jesus Christ fail to comprehend the mercy of God.
Printed in the Adoremus Newsletter 10-13-2005