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| The Catholic Trumpet: The Latin Vulgate - The Sole Authentic Bible |
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Posted by: Stone - Today, 08:25 AM - Forum: The Catholic Trumpet
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The Latin Vulgate: The Sole Authentic Bible
![[Image: rs=w:1280]](https://img1.wsimg.com/isteam/ip/df55e1a9-c854-4d0b-a2a9-94177954436c/IMG_0259.jpeg/:/cr=t:0%25,l:0%25,w:100%25,h:100%25/rs=w:1280)
The Council of Trent (1545–1563), specifically Session IV (April 8, 1546), which issued the infallible decree on the Canon of Scripture and the Latin Vulgate.
The Catholic Trumpet [Slightly adapted and reformatted, emphasis mine.] | March 6, 2025
"Understanding this first, that no prophecy of scripture is made by private interpretation." (2 Peter 1:20, Douay-Rheims Bible)
Lent has begun, and many of our readers and subscribers will be turning to their Bibles for spiritual nourishment. Given the crisis in the Church, it is critical that Catholics arm themselves with the true, unaltered Word of God. But which Bible should they read?
•The Latin Vulgate is the official and infallibly declared text of the Catholic Church.
•The Douay-Rheims is the only faithful English translation of the Latin Vulgate.
Today, even so-called "traditional" Catholic apologists rely on modernist Bibles drawn from Protestant and Jewish corruptions, betraying the very faith they claim to defend. This confusion did not arise by accident. In 1969, Paul VI’s Nova Vulgata poisoned the Church’s official Bible, abandoning the Vulgate’s purity in favor of Masoretic distortions and modernist textual criticism—an outright defiance of Trent’s infallible decree that the Vulgate alone is authentic Scripture.
Pope Pius XII reaffirmed this truth, stating that the continuous use of the Vulgate in the Church for many centuries proved it to be “free from any error whatsoever in matters of faith and morals” (Divino Afflante Spiritu, §21).
What follows is not our opinion or speculation. We have done nothing special—we have simply compiled the teachings of the Church, the decrees of her Councils, and the irrefutable facts of history. Every Catholic must know the truth: there is only one authentic Bible, and it is the Douay-Rheims, based on the Latin Vulgate.
As we enter Lent, let us arm ourselves with the true Word of God, reject every modernist counterfeit, and hold fast to the only authentic Bible—the Douay-Rheims, the unaltered Word entrusted to the Catholic Church alone.
TIMELINE OF THE BIBLE: FROM DIVINE REVELATION TO MODERN CORRUPTION
"The Church has always held the Latin Vulgate as authentic. But the heretics, following their own spirit, twist the Scriptures to their own destruction."
— Pope Clement VIII, Cum Sacrorum (1592)
1. THE INSPIRED SCRIPTURES BELONG TO THE CATHOLIC CHURCH ALONE (1400 B.C. – A.D. 100)
1400–400 B.C.: THE ORIGINAL HEBREW SCRIPTURES (PROTO-MASORETIC TEXT)
The Old Testament is written in Hebrew and some Aramaic, consisting of the Law, Prophets, and Writings.
These original texts were not identical to the later Masoretic Text, which was deliberately altered after Christ.
250–100 B.C.: THE SEPTUAGINT (LXX) – THE OLD TESTAMENT OF THE APOSTLES
Seventy-two Jewish scholars in Alexandria translate the Old Testament into Greek for the growing Jewish diaspora.
Includes the Deuterocanonical books (Wisdom, Sirach, Tobit, Judith, Baruch, I and II Maccabees, and additional parts of Daniel and Esther).
This is the version quoted by Christ and the Apostles in the New Testament.
Proof: Christ Himself Uses the Septuagint, Not the Masoretic Text
Luke iv. 18 – Christ reads from Isaias, but His quotation only matches the Septuagint, not the Masoretic Text.
Acts vii. 14 – St. Stephen quotes seventy-five souls entering Egypt (Septuagint), whereas the Masoretic falsely says seventy.
The Septuagint is the true Old Testament used by Christ and the Apostles.
A.D. 30–100: THE NEW TESTAMENT IS WRITTEN BY THE CATHOLIC CHURCH
The Gospels, Acts, Epistles, and Apocalypse (Revelation) are written in Greek, fully inspired by the Holy Ghost.
These writings belong exclusively to the Catholic Church—not Protestants, not Jews, not heretics.
Proof: Scripture Declares That the Church, Not the Bible, Has Authority
"The Church is the pillar and ground of the truth." (I Timothy iii. 15)
The Bible was given to the Catholic Church, not private individuals.
2. THE CHURCH INFALLIBLY PRESERVES THE BIBLE (A.D. 100–500)
A.D. 382: THE COUNCIL OF ROME DEFINES THE CANON
Pope Damasus I, at the Council of Rome, issues the first authoritative canon of Scripture.
This canon is later upheld by:
Council of Hippo (A.D. 393)
Council of Carthage (A.D. 397)
Council of Florence (A.D. 1442)
Council of Trent (A.D. 1546)
The Catholic Church alone determines the canon.
A.D. 405: ST. JEROME COMPLETES THE LATIN VULGATE
St. Jerome translates the Bible into Latin, using the Septuagint and Hebrew texts.
He initially doubts the Deuterocanonical books but ultimately submits to Church authority.
The Latin Vulgate becomes the official Bible of the Catholic Church.
Proof: The Council of Trent Later Confirms the Latin Vulgate as the Sole Authentic Scripture
"If anyone rejects the books of the Latin Vulgate as not authentic, let him be anathema." (Council of Trent, Session IV)
The Latin Vulgate is the only true Catholic Bible.
3. HERETICS CORRUPT THE BIBLE (A.D. 500–1600)
A.D. 500–1000: THE MASORETIC TEXT CORRUPTS THE OLD TESTAMENT
Jewish scribes systematically alter the Old Testament to remove references to Christ.
1. Psalm xxi. 16 – The Pierced Hands and Feet
Septuagint/Vulgate:
• “They have pierced my hands and my feet.”
• This is a Messianic prophecy directly fulfilled in Christ’s Crucifixion (John 20:27). The piercing of Christ’s hands and feet is a key detail of His Passion, confirming His role as the Suffering Servant.
Masoretic Text:
• “Like a lion are my hands and my feet.”
• A deliberate distortion—there is no reference to Christ’s Crucifixion. This alteration obscures the prophecy’s fulfillment in Jesus Christ and removes the Messianic context altogether.
• Deliberate distortion aimed at removing Christ from the prophecy, as it was too clearly fulfilled in the Crucifixion.
The Septuagint/Vulgate preserves the Messianic prophecy pointing to Christ’s Crucifixion, while the Masoretic Text distorts it to remove Christ as the fulfillment.
2. Daniel ix. 24-27 – The Prophetic Timing of Christ’s Arrival
Septuagint/Vulgate:
• The prophecy in Daniel 9:24-27 provides a clear timeline for the arrival of the Messiah and details His ministry and suffering.
• The Vulgate faithfully preserves this prophetic timeline, marking the exact time of Christ’s Passion and pointing directly to Jesus Christ as the fulfillment of the prophecy.
Masoretic Text:
• The Masoretic Text removes the clear reference to the Messiah’s timing and obscures the prophecy. The passage becomes vague and non-specific, no longer pointing clearly to Christ.
• The Masoretic Text distorts the prophetic fulfillment, making it difficult to connect the prophecy to the coming of Christ.
The Septuagint/Vulgate maintains the original, precise timeline pointing to Christ’s arrival and ministry, while the Masoretic Text distorts the prophecy, removing Christ’s clear identity.
The Masoretic Text: A Post-Christian Corruption of the Old Testament
The Masoretic Text is a post-Christian distortion of the Old Testament Scriptures. After the time of Christ, Jewish scholars altered key passages to remove references to Christ as the Messiah and Savior. These changes, particularly in Psalm xxi and Daniel 9, show evidence of a deliberate effort to obscure Messianic prophecy in order to deny Jesus Christ’s fulfillment of these prophecies.
In contrast, the Septuagint/Vulgate remains the true and faithful transmission of the Old Testament, as it was translated centuries before Christ and preserves the original Messianic intent that points directly to Christ’s coming, death, and resurrection.
A.D. 1516: ERASMUS’ GREEK TEXT (TEXTUS RECEPTUS) BECOMES THE BASIS FOR PROTESTANTISM
Erasmus, a Catholic humanist, compiles a Greek New Testament but relies on late Byzantine manuscripts.
Later, Luther, Calvin, and Protestants misuse this text to attack Catholic doctrine.
The Protestant Reformation was built on a man-made, incomplete biblical text.
A.D. 1522–1534: MARTIN LUTHER REMOVES SEVEN BOOKS AND FALSIFIES ROMANS III. 28
Luther removes Tobias, Judith, Wisdom, Ecclesiasticus (Sirach), Baruch, I and II Maccabees.
He adds the word “alone” to Romans iii. 28 to justify his doctrine of sola fide.
The Protestant Reformation was a deliberate attack on Sacred Scripture.
4. MODERNIST ATTACKS ON THE BIBLE (A.D. 1600–2025)
A.D. 1611: KING JAMES BIBLE INITIALLY INCLUDES DEUTEROCANONICALS, LATER REMOVED IN 1885
The original 1611 KJV included the Deuterocanonical books.
Protestants later removed them in 1885, proving that their rejection was not part of the Reformation.
Protestant Bibles are man-made distortions.
A.D. 1881: WESTCOTT AND HORT CONSTRUCT A NEW GREEK TEXT, REJECTING CATHOLIC TRADITION
These Anglican modernists favor Vaticanus and Sinaiticus, leading to doctrinal omissions in Protestant Bibles.
Modern Protestant Bibles (RSV, NIV, ESV) are built on false manuscripts.
A.D. 1947: DEAD SEA SCROLLS CONFIRM THE SEPTUAGINT, EXPOSING THE MASORETIC TEXT AS CORRUPT
A.D. 1969: PAUL VI’S NOVA VULGATA UNDERMINES TRENT BY ADOPTING MASORETIC READINGS
The Vatican issues a new “Vulgate” which incorporates Masoretic readings, contradicting Trent.
Vatican II’s new “Bibles” are modernist distortions.
ONLY THE DOUAY-RHEIMS IS AUTHENTIC
The Masoretic Text is a Jewish corruption.
The Textus Receptus is a man-made Protestant compilation.
The KJV, NIV, ESV, RSV, and all modern Bibles are heretical distortions.
The Vatican II Church betrayed Trent by adopting modernist Bible translations.
Only the Latin Vulgate, declared authentic by the Church, contains the infallible Word of God, and the Douay-Rheims is the only true English translation of it.
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| Transcription: Fr. Hewko's Sermon for Quinquagesima Sunday - March 2, 2025 |
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Posted by: Stone - 03-06-2025, 09:59 AM - Forum: Fr. Hewko's Sermons, Catechisms, & Conferences
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Many thanks to The Catholic Trumpet for providing this transcription!
[Slightly adapted and reformatted]
Fr. Hewko: He Shall Be Mocked & Scourged
Quinquagesima Sunday - March 2, 2025
![[Image: rs=w:1280]](https://img1.wsimg.com/isteam/ip/df55e1a9-c854-4d0b-a2a9-94177954436c/IMG_0204.png/:/cr=t:0%25,l:0%25,w:100%25,h:100%25/rs=w:1280)
Today is Quinquagesima Sunday.
The Epistle is taken from St. Paul, his letter to the Corinthians, chapter 13:
Quote:“Brethren, if I speak with the tongues of men and of angels and have not Charity, I am become a sounding brass or a tinkling symbol. And if I should have prophecy and know all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I should have all Faith so that I could remove mountains and have not Charity, I am nothing. And if I should distribute all my goods to feed the poor, and if I should deliver my body to be burned and have not Charity, it profiteth me nothing. Charity is patient, is kind. Charity envieth not, dealeth not perversely, is not puffed up, is not ambitious, seeketh not her own, is not provoked to anger, thinketh no evil, rejoiceth not in iniquity, but rejoiceth in the truth. Beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things. Charity never falleth away, where the prophecy shall be made void, our tongues shall cease, our knowledge shall be destroyed. For we know in part and we prophesy in part, but when that part which is perfect is come, that which is in part shall be done away. When I was a child, I spoke as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child, but when I became a man, I put away the things of a child. We see now through a glass in a dark manner, but then face to face. Now I know in part, but then I shall know even as I am known. And now there remain Faith, Hope, and Charity, these three, but the greatest of these is Charity.
The Holy Gospel from St. Luke chapter 18:
Quote:“At that time Jesus took unto Him the twelve and said to them, Behold we go up to Jerusalem and all things shall be accomplished which were written by the prophets concerning the Son of Man. For He shall be delivered to the Gentiles and shall be mocked and scourged and spit upon. And after they have scourged Him, they will put him to death, and the third day He shall rise again. And they understood none of these things, and this word was hid from them, and they understood not the things that were said. Now it came to pass, when He drew nigh to Jericho, that a certain blind man sat by the wayside begging. And when he heard the multitude passing by, he asked what this meant. And they told him that Jesus of Nazareth was passing by, and he cried out saying, Jesus son of David have mercy on me. And they that went before rebuked him that he should hold his peace. But he cried out much more, Son of David have mercy on me. And Jesus standing commanded him to be brought unto him. And when he was come near, He asked him saying, what wilt thou that I do to thee? But he said, Lord that I may see. And Jesus said to him, receive thy sight, thy Faith has made thee whole. And immediately he saw and followed Him, glorifying God. And all the people when they saw, gave praise to God.”
Thus are the words of the Holy Gospel.
So it's a joy to come back to St. Catharines for Mass here in the middle of winter. And we left New Hampshire on Friday and had Mass in Erie, Pennsylvania. And then up here in St. Catharines. And then tonight Barry’s Bay. And then tomorrow North Bay. And then Ottawa on Wednesday for an Extreme Unction for Mr. Damien Oyet. So pray for him. And of course we have the Oratory in New Hampshire. And the two first candidates are right here. And pray for them. They are here to discern God's will. Perhaps they will be priests. Perhaps they will just be here to test their vocation to see. But pray for them. They're the first two to come. And there certainly is a growing interest. So pray for all the young men who will still come.
And also pray that if God wills, we can find a house close by to begin the sisters. We need prayers. We need the prayers of nuns, of women consecrated to God, married to Jesus Christ. And by their prayers and penances draw down much grace on the whole world. And does this world ever need an army of priests, an army of monks and nuns consecrated to God? To draw down God's mercy on this world that continues to mock Him, blaspheme Him, and draw down the anger of God. As you know by the Catechism there are four sins that cry to heaven for vengeance. They are willful murder, abortion, sodomy, the rainbow agenda, which is being heavily promoted on the children and the youth. Thirdly, a willful oppression of the poor. And fourthly, with defrauding workers of their lawful wages. So these four sins [have] really become daily life almost in modern society. And God is heavily provoked. So let's pray. Pray for these two candidates and pray for the Oratory.
Pray also for the soul of Bishop Richard Williamson, who died on January 29th. His funeral and Requiem Mass were just a couple days ago. Pray for his soul. Pray for Bishop Tissier de Mallerais. They were sons of Archbishop Lefebvre. And they should have continued the work of Archbishop Lefebvre. They should have just continued the seminary training, the fight for Tradition, the opposition to modernist Rome. They should never have compromised and gone with the compromise of the new SSPX. They should never [have] gone with compromise trying to justify the New Mass as “giving you grace” and promoting New Mass miracles. This should never have been done. They knew better. They have now gone to their judgments.
And I am sure that all of our judgments of the Society of St. Pius X priests, of which I am one, traditional SSPX, not the conciliar SSPX, I am sure that Archbishop Lefebvre is at the judgment as well. And he told those bishops, all four of them, two have now gone into eternity and the other two are now still alive and betraying Archbishop Lefebvre, betraying what they were consecrated for. And they need prayers. So the two bishops that are alive, Bishop Fellay and Bishop de Galarreta, they knew well what the warnings of Archbishop Lefebvre [were]: “Do not make compromise with modernist Rome until Rome comes back to Catholic Tradition.”
It is not that difficult in order. It's very clear. It's very clear. No compromise with modernist Rome. Don't accept any New Mass, no Vatican II juggling. Just persevere in the Faith and oppose modernist Rome until Rome comes back to Tradition. Rome is not back to Tradition and they tried to argue that it was because Pope Benedict allowed the Latin Mass here and there. But that was just all games, all games. So Archbishop Lefebvre was right and his sons did betray him. The fact has to be said. They did betray him. They did not keep what he commanded them to keep. They did not uphold what he commanded them to uphold.
Now maybe none of us would do any better, but we have to just pray for those bishops. However, to Bishop Williamson's credit, to his credit at least, he did consecrate six bishops and these bishops are Bishops Zendejas, who you never hear about, and then Bishop Faure, Bishop Ballini in Ireland, who is the most favorable, it seems, to help Catholic Tradition and to help the cause of the work of Archbishop Lefebvre. So pray for him especially, Bishop Ballini. Also Bishop Thomas Aquinas, who is down in Brazil. He's at the prior of the Monastery of the Benedictines. And then there's Polish Bishop Sobieski, or I can't pronounce it, and then Bishop Paul Morgan. And so pray for those six bishops and Bishop Williamson admitted he did two of them, two or three clandestinely at their request. We know that Archbishop Lefebvre would never do clandestine Consecrations. He would never do that. He would never step into that. But Bishop Williamson did, but to his credit at least he consecrated six bishops.
And let's pray that these bishops, you know, start acting like bishops and preaching the Faith and upholding the light of Catholic Tradition and imitate Archbishop Lefebvre. A consecrated bishop that you don't hear, what good is that? What good is a bishop that doesn't do his duty? He's supposed to preach the Faith publicly. He's supposed to be heard. He's supposed to preach the Faith for all to hear. He's supposed to condemn error. He's supposed to condemn all that is opposed to Catholic teaching and he's supposed to stand against all compromise of the Holy Faith. That means all compromise with Vatican II, with the New Mass, with the New Code [of Canon Law]. The bishops are supposed to hold that light. The bishops are the ones to be in the front of the army leading the charge.
And it's not I who say that, it's Pope Pius VI, Pius VII, Gregory XVI, Pope Pius IX, Pope Leo XIII, Pius X, Pope Pius XI, Pope Pius XII, Benedict XV, all these popes commanded the bishops, “You must preach and be preached publicly and oppose error, condemn error and never compromise with error.”
So, so far some people don't even know that Bishop Williamson even consecrated six bishops. Because why? Because you never hear them. Why are they so silent? I don't know. And pray for them, now that Bishop Williamson is buried, pray for his soul. Maybe these bishops will start realizing their duties before God and really help the Church. It really is the survival of the Faith. It really is the survival of the Catholic Tradition. And God Has allowed this punishment on the Church: Rome wrapped in darkness. Rome allowing pagan idols into St. Peter's Square, into St. Peter's Church, like Pope Francis did. And Rome blinded these bad popes. We've had six bad popes. What a scourge for the church. And this one, Pope Francis is on the verge of his judgment. And even on his deathbed, he's still giving orders to smash Catholic Tradition. Poor man. What a judgment he's gonna face. Pray for his conversion because his hell will be very terrible. His hell will be very terrible. Unspeakable.
In Quebec, there was that holy nun, Blessed Catherine of St. Augustine. And she saw hell, like many saints have. She went down into hell. The angels showed her hell. And she saw bishops, cardinals, and popes in hell, in the lowest part, and priests. And she noticed some priests that she knew on earth. And she probably saw some popes that she had known about. And that was in the 1600s. So, we would say the good old days.
And, you know, any bishops and popes that were silent with the Protestant heresy, they probably went to hell for it. Any bishops who were silent against the Arian heresy, they probably went to hell for it. So, bishops who don't oppose publicly Vatican II, the New Mass, and the total destruction of Vatican II on the Faith, if they're silent, they probably can expect to go to hell. And I'm not condemning any bishops to hell. I'm just saying, you know, that's their first duty, is to preach the Catholic faith. If they fail in this, they betray the whole Catholic city. It is so serious a responsibility that none of us would want it, believe me. None of us would want to be Pope, Cardinal, Bishops. That's for sure. It's scary enough being a priest. But if we fail in our duty to preach the faith and sanctify souls, we will have hell to pay. That's the way it is.
You've heard of these recent airplane crashes and near crashes. There's hell to pay for those in charge who allow these plane crashes or near crashes. Someone's going to get fired and lose their job. And they should, because they're failing in their duty. Why? Because it could kill whole groups of people, even hundreds of people. Some of these planes will hold over 200 people. And those engineers and those air traffic controllers, someone's going to get fired when these things happen. And I'm sure there's been a lot of firings going on in the past few months. And if that's the case for engineers, because of the danger to life, how much more serious is the air traffic controllers of the Catholic Church, which are the Catholic bishops? How serious is their job before God to tell souls, “Don't go there because you will go to hell.” “Don't go in that path. It is dangerous to the Faith.” That's their duty. And if they fail in their duty and souls crash and burn and burn in hell forever because of their lack of doing their duty, many bishops go to hell. Even traditional bishops, if they fail in their duty and they compromise.
That's why we got to really pray for Bishop Fellay. He has betrayed in a serious way Archbishop Lefebvre and his mission. And he's still alive and I appeal to him, Bishop Fellay, come back to what you were consecrated for. And he has destroyed the SSPX, basically destroyed it. Turned it in from an army of soldiers fighting for the Faith, for the reign of Christ the King. Opposing modernism and modernist Rome to a bunch of bunny rabbits who will not oppose error publicly. And now they're even afraid to tell the girls at Mass, “Put a dress on and dress modestly for Mass! And modestly at home as well.” Now they won't even do this. They're too afraid for backlash. Well if you get backlash and empty pews, big deal. As long as you're doing your duty.
And that's a scary thing when bishops do not do their duty. And one of their biggest duties is to make sure there are priests for tomorrow. Catholic priests trained against modernism, like Navy Seals, like Marine Corps, who are in the front line to oppose error and preach the Faith and sanctify souls. That's the duty of every bishop is to make priests. Make sure seminaries are there. St. Pius X, he tells the bishops this under his reign: “Watch over your seminaries. Watch over what's being taught. Make sure there's no modernism, no compromise on the Faith. And he really hammers the bishops and encourages them, “Do your duty and make sure you have seminarians and priests.” Because the Church depends on, the Catholic Church depends on the priesthood and the bishops. And good popes, obviously.
So when the bishops do not do their duty and start closing down seminaries instead of building up more, that's a bad sign. It's a bad sign for a marriage if they can have children and they don't have children. That's a bad sign. Because they refuse the children God sends by contraception and other means. So God is pleased when there's fruitfulness in marriage. Children and many children. That's what marriage is about. Marriage is about many children, large families. “Oh, it's hard work. I can't have another one. It's too much.” Well, if you got married, you take another one and you take another one after that. As many as God sends. It's he that determines the size of the family. Not us calculating Protestant people. Protestant Catholics who want to calculate with God. “Well, we'll have two or three but no more.” Well, what if God wants number ten to be a saint to restore the Catholic Faith? What if he wants one to be a holy nun that by her prayers will save many souls from hell? Maybe number 11, 12 or 13, 14 or 15. So God wants fruitfulness. We see that in the Gospel.
Our Lord walks to a tree. It's winter and the fig tree doesn't give fruit in winter. So it's very mysterious that Our Lord is walking to this tree. He looks for fruit on it and curses the fig tree. And it instantly, says St. John Chrysostom, instantly it withered instantly right before the Apostles' eyes. They just looked at each other. And this tree suddenly with green leaves and thick branches withered into sticks and dry leaves at the curse of Christ. So Our Lord, He wants to see good fruits. He wants to see fruits in marriages. He wants to see fruits in our souls by virtues, living in the state of grace. And with this Lent coming we have a great opportunity to really put the axe to the roots of our sins. Root out our sins. Root out the occasions of sin. See where I fall the most. That's where we have to go to war. And Lent is firstly about cutting out our sins. And then secondly the good works of fasting, prayer, and almsgiving. So let's beg the Virgin Mary for this grace to make a good Lent for this holy Lent.
And then our Lord looks for fruitfulness in priests. Priests whose duty is to take care of souls and preach the Catholic Faith, give confessions, baptisms, marriages, and Requiem Mass, Extreme Unction. So priests usually are, today especially, priests are very busy because many people ask for help from the priests, traditional priests. And sometimes the priests will go give Extreme Unction in a hospital. Someone else will say, “Hey father can you come to my grandmother or to my wife? She's dying.” And the priest will come and save a soul, kind of by accident. It was designed by God, not by the priest's schedule, but by God's schedule. He'll save other souls. So that's the nature of the priesthood today. It's very busy, it's very demanding, and the seminarians are certainly under no illusion what they're getting into with the traditional Catholic priesthood. It's hard work and that's the way it is.
So and then the bishops, God wants to see fruitfulness in bishops. How? By seminaries. By seminaries training priests and nuns, formation of nuns, good nuns formed to love our Lord. And if they're teaching nuns to teach well. Hospital nuns, we need that again. And to be trained well and not trained to kill and sicken people like modern medicine, but to help people get better and die holy deaths. That's the purpose of medicine. And then the fruitfulness of bishops of course is in being heard. What good is a shepherd who can't be seen or heard? That's why a lot of people say about the Fake Resistance, where are they? We don't ever hear of these bishops. We don't hear them. You don't see them. Where's their letters? Where's their catechisms? Where's their sermons?
Now I understand some bishops can be found on the website that Father Chazal has called Pre-Vatican II Talks. And there you can find about two or three sermons of Bishop Ballini and one of Bishop Zendejas. But why so few? That's my question. Why so few? Why are we afraid to preach what Christ commanded us to preach? Preach from the housetops, he said. Preach to all nations, not just to our little chapels. All people need to hear the Catholic truth. It's not just for our little chapels and missions. So that's the fruitfulness of bishops, is to preach the Faith.
They must hate me a lot because I do get on the bishops, especially the six of Archbishop Lefebvre and the two that are still alive. I'm sure they can't stand me nor my name, but better they hear a little barking dog that's annoying and a pain in the neck from a priest that tries to remind them, Please preach the Faith. Please condemn Vatican II and the New Mass like you're supposed to. Please be heard by letters. Use the internet. And if you don't want to use internet, okay, understandable. Put out letters. Archbishop Lefebvre put out letters and used the video and used the radio. He used everything, like Bishop Sheen did, to reach souls. And that fruitfulness is being heard, preaching the Catholic faith. That's the command by Christ himself to the Catholic bishops. So serious is this command that if Trudeau or President Trump were to shut down a bishop and say “You're not allowed to preach the Faith anymore,” they have to disobey the political leaders and say “You have no right over the mouth and the voice of the Catholic bishop or a Catholic priest.” They have no right, no political power can shut up a priest or bishop. If they're preaching the true Catholic faith, they have no right to shut them up. No political power has that right, nor power.
And we have the examples of great saints who stood up to kings, emperors. Look at the first bishops and priests of the Catholic Church for 300 years, martyred and beheaded one after the other for preaching the Faith. Look at St. Thomas of Canterbury opposing the King. Look at the great martyrs of England standing up to Henry VIII and a great St. John Fisher, the only bishop in all of England who did his duty. The rest caved in by compromise, a false fear, a false human respect. So this is how we have to pray for our bishops. Pray for them. Pray for them. And it is a blessing when a Pope does his duty. It's a huge blessing. It's a blessing when a bishop does his duty. It's a blessing on souls when priests do their duty. It's a blessing on society when fathers and men do their duties, fathers of families, which is to lead their family to God, to virtue, take all the children God sends, to love and cherish his wife, to vote wisely for their country. And leaders, men, especially fathers, they have a duty, as Archbishop Lefebvre said, not to allow their country to fall to communism. So they must in some degree be involved with politics, be involved with what concerns the good of their nation. They have to do some activity. And Canada really shined in the couple years ago with the whole convoy and truck movement. It was a wonderful, wonderful display of true patriotism and opposition to the crushing of their country by illegal laws and unjust laws. That was a great thing to see. It was an inspiration for all other countries. And that was the Canadian people, the Canadian blood, the Canadian men who stood up and good ladies. Of course, instead of receiving gold medals, they were crushed by their Prime Minister. Instead of being praised, they were humiliated by their Prime Minister. He'll answer for that.
So no bishop or priest can be shut up. And look at the great Ukrainian Catholic Bishop Andrey Sheptytsky, some difficult Ukrainian name. And then look at Cardinal Mindszenty of Hungary. They were ordered by the Communists, “Shut your mouths, stop condemning Communism or you're gonna you're gonna pay for it.” And these bishops, they understood Christ's command: “You are not allowed to be silent with any political authority telling you to hide the light of the Catholic faith.” And these good bishops, they refused to be silent and they were kidnapped in the middle of the night. And in the case of Bishop Andrey Sheptytsky, he was trained off to the gulag and died in the gulag. He died in the concentration camps. In the case of Cardinal Mindszenty, he was kidnapped and imprisoned in the communist camp for 14 years. 14 years. Tortured. And he told the people, “If you hear me praise Communism outside of prison, you know that I have been drugged.” And even in prison he said he would be careful to eat only the edges of the food, not to eat what he knew would be poison. To make him go back on radio and praise the Communist government.
So far worse than Communism is Modernism, which makes Catholics lose their Faith. So if these bishops were not silent against Communism, how much more they have a duty to be not silent against Modernism, which is really destroying the Catholic Faith and making Catholics lose their Faith. And what is Modernism in flesh and bones? It's Vatican II and the New Mass and the new Code of Canon Law. That's what it is. It's everything there to demolish your Faith.
So Our Lord tells His Apostles: “The Son of Man is going to be betrayed. He'll be delivered to the Gentiles and shall be mocked and scourged and spit upon. And after they have scourged Him, they will put Him to death.” And the Apostles are hearing this, the first bishops of the Catholic Church and our first Pope, they're hearing this about Our Lord, but it's not registering. They're not getting it. And on the third day He shall rise again. And our Lord even says this, 'and they understood none of these things, and they understood not the things.'
It says it twice. They just didn't get it. They were thick, like we can be thick. And the Apostles were thick. They didn't get it. So when the hour of the Passion came, even though they were forewarned, they weren't ready. And they weakened, and they stumbled, and they betrayed Our Lord. One of them hanged himself after getting 30 pieces of silver. Another one betrayed Our Lord, our first Pope, over a threatening [of] a few girls around the fireplace. A few girls asked him questions, and he betrayed Our Lord with cusses and his old sailor language that St. Peter certainly had. He cussed and sweared, and then Our Lord looked at him as He was being led to the dungeon, and Our Lord looked at him with the eyes of a fatherly lover of souls. The eyes of Our Lord, the Sacred Heart, pierced Peter after he just betrayed Him, and Peter went out and wept bitterly.
And then the other bishops of the Catholic Church, where were they? They all scattered. They weren't even at Calvary. They weren't even at the Scourging, the Crowning of Thorns, the Way of the Cross, and on Mount Calvary except one, St. John. St. John stood with the Virgin Mary. He was devoted to the Virgin Mary in a special way because of his purity, his virginal body and soul, and so he was very close to the Virgin of Virgins, the Blessed Virgin Mary. And it's only because of her that he stood by the cross, but even then, standing at Calvary, he lost the Faith. He didn't believe anymore. When he saw Christ panting for air and dying on the cross, he stopped believing. What a frightening thing, but it's a warning to us that the Catholic Church can go through a terrible crisis like we're going through now, and the Pope can lose the Faith, the bishops can lose the Faith, they can be betrayers, traitors to Jesus Christ, scandals by their bad immoralities and bad doctrines, and yet the Faith continues.
And the most stunning of stunning things is St. Dismas. St. Dismas, listen to what some of the saints say about St. Dismas, the good thief on the cross. “This thief purchased salvation from the tree”, says St. John Chrysostom. “This thief stole the heavenly Empire. He used force upon His Majesty.” And then he says, “We find no one before the thief to have merited the promise of Paradise. Not Abraham, nor Isaac, nor Jacob, nor Moses, nor the prophets or apostles, but before all of them we find the thief promised Paradise.” St. John Chrysostom says, “The good thief sees Christ on the cross in torments and adores Him as if He were in glory. He sees Him on the cross and prays to Him as if He were sitting in Heaven. The good thief, St. Dismas, sees Him condemned and he calls upon Him as a king, saying, ‘Lord, remember me when thou shalt come into Thy kingdom.’Thou seest Him crucified and you proclaim Him a King. You see Him hanging on a tree and you think of the Kingdom of Heaven. Oh, admirable conversion of the thief.”
And then listen to Eusebius of Emesa, a holy bishop. “The criminal, how singular and how stupendous that devotion. The criminal believed at the very moment when the elect denied Him.” So all those who believed Our Lord lost the Faith and the good thief, who was not a great virtuous soul, converts. “It was more praiseworthy and more noble than the thief to believe in the Lord when He was on the cross and failing under the last punishments than if he had done so when He was doing mighty works. Not without reason then did he merit such a reward. He adds the cause. Divinity in bodily form had illuminated, I believe, the nascent Faith of the thief, who was now a believer in Christ, which Divinity had infused itself more widely at that moment when Redemption was to be consummated. And then he did not say, ‘If you are God, deliver me from the present suffering, but rather, because you are God, deliver me from the judgment to come.’ Thus the good thief shows to the world it's Judge and the King of ages. Although punishment began in the thief, it is perfected in a new manner in the martyr.”
Saint Athanasius says, “O thou excellent one, you were crucified as a thief and dying on the cross, he preaches the Gospels. He is called by Saint Chrysostom, a prophet, that is, a preacher and proclaimer of the greatness of Christ. O the might of Jesus, he says, the thief is now a prophet and preaches from the cross.” The same author calls him in that work, “a robber and a seizer of paradise. You saw,” he says, “how he did not forget his former craft, being a thief, even when he was on the cross, that by his confession he stole the Kingdom of Heaven.” Saint Cyril, Saint Peter Damian, calls him “the firstfruits of Christ's cross and of all believers. He is labeled Peter on the Cross: You were Peter on the Cross and Peter in the house of Caiaphas was the thief, because Peter, our first Pope, denied Christ, whom the thief on the cross professed before all the world.”
So Peter, our first Pope, denies Him, but the good thief converts and professes Him.
Saint John Chrysostom in his homily says, “The advocate of Christ, because he defended Him against the Jews like an advocate, defends Christ's name.” Saint Bridget of Sweden, she says, “Christ answered her prayers. Saint Bridget prayed for a penitent sinner who had no opportunity to make his confession. Our Lord answered her in these words, “That sinner laments because he has none to hear his confession. Tell him that the will is sufficient. For what benefited the thief on the cross? Was it not his goodwill? Or what opened Heaven to him but his wish to desire good and hate evil? What makes hell but an evil inclination and inordinate concupiscence?” So our Lord says to Saint Bridget.
So Saint Bridget, she says, “Many souls are saved by what the Catholic Church has taught, perfect contrition.” Those who don't have a chance to go to Confession, they tell Our Lord, “I'm sorry, I wish I could go to Confession if I had the chance to [go to] a traditional priest, but I can't. Have mercy on me, forgive me.” And like the good thief, Our Lord can open Heaven to these souls, and he does. So when Our Lord said to the good thief, “Today thou shalt be with me in Paradise.” One of the Fathers says, “When the Jews heard the good thief proclaim Christ as God and King, they had the revenge on the good thief.” They made sure the Roman soldiers beat him heavily by crushing his legs. So they had revenge on St. Dismas for professing the Catholic Faith when they were denying and mocking Christ.
So when St. Dismas went down into Limbo, right before Our Lord arrives, all of Limbo sees the good thief. And all of Limbo, that is Adam and Eve, Jacob, Isaiah, Daniel, all these prophets, all the saints of the Old Testament, they see the good thief arrive at the gates. And he tells them, “I saw the Redeemer on the Cross, and He opened heaven to me.” And then very soon Our Lord dies on the Cross, and he comes and gives Paradise to the saints in limbo. How? The Fathers of the Church say, when Our Lord entered into Limbo, he gave them the Beatific Vision. They could see the Holy Trinity from Limbo. And in Christ, they saw the glory of the Father and the Holy Ghost, because He is the Divine Son. So truly, Limbo was turned into Paradise. And the good thief announced it right before Christ. So the good thief is also, in a way, one of the prophets for Limbo as well. So if the good thief can steal Heaven, there's hope for all of us.
And when all the bishops of the Catholic Church and the Pope betrayed Christ, out came this good thief, professing Him right on the cross. What an amazing thing. And our Lord wants us to do the same. Proclaim Him by your charity, by the good works that people see in you, by your good example, by your honesty and work, by your non-participation in the dirty talk at the workplace and boasting of their adulteries and their fornications. Have no place with that. Make the Sign of the Cross when you say grace. Proclaim the glory of Christ and let your example be a light and profess Christ as God and King to this dark age, this dark and adulterous generation. As if anything is needed more than ever in this world, it is those proclaiming our Lord Jesus Christ.
So you can find good, good talks on The Recusant, on The Catacombs and the recent production, The Catholic Trumpet. The Catholic Trumpet has been putting out some very good stuff. I encourage you to listen to it, just summarizing the fight of Catholic Tradition and of Archbishop Lefebvre.
That's our privilege right now in this dark age is to profess the Catholic Faith and try our best to live by it in this age that denies Him and betrays Him.
May the Queen of Heaven step in and hasten the hour of her victory.
O Mary conceived without sin, pray for us who have recourse to thee.
O Mary conceived without sin, pray for us who have recourse to thee.
O Mary conceived without sin, pray for us who have recourse to thee.
And for those who do not have recourse to thee, especially all Communists, Freemasons, and all other enemies of Holy Mother Church, Amen.
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost Amen.
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| Archbishop Viganò: Homily on Ash Wednesday |
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Posted by: Stone - 03-05-2025, 06:27 PM - Forum: Archbishop Viganò
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Parce, Domine
Homily on Ash Wednesday
Flectamus iram vindicem,
ploremus ante Judicem;
clamemus ore supplici,
dicamus omnes cernui:
Parce, Domine;
parce populo tuo:
ne in æternum irascaris nobis.
The Divine Liturgy accompanies us through the solar year as in a mirror, in which we see the history of the Redemption summarized and represented. The time of Advent takes us back to the expectation of the Messiah in the ancient Law; the time of Christmas celebrates His Most Holy Incarnation; Holy Lent and Passiontide take us back to the times that preceded the Sacrifice of the Cross; the time of Easter celebrates the Resurrection and the Ascension of the Lord into heaven; the time of Pentecost retraces the earthly life of the Savior, His miracles, and His teachings; and at the end of the liturgical cycle – just as at its beginning – we are projected to the End Times, to the Universal Judgment, to the reward or condemnation of each and every person. In a certain way the seasons of the year themselves accompany this sacred summary of Salvation History, so that during the rigors of winter we understand the pains of the Child King born in a manger, and then as nature awakens during springtime we are able to see the homage of Creation to the Lord who rises again and triumphs over death.
Today, on Ash Wednesday, we enter into a time of penance and purification to prepare ourselves in body and spirit for this Triumph of Our Lord: a real, historical triumph, witnessed by those who were its contemporaries, and celebrated by Christians of every age and place. To accompany us in this purification, the Holy Liturgy shows us what our fathers did in the Old Testament and points out to us the need to be ready in turn to face the great persecution of the End Times. Because one cannot fight without preparation, nor line up for a race without training for it.
In the Old Testament, the priests invoke mercy for the people: Parce, Domine, parce populo tuo! Spare your people, O Lord. In the New Testament, it is Christ himself, raised on the wood of the Cross, who intercedes for us: Forgive them, O Father! And together with Him, the Most Holy Virgin, all the Saints, and the souls in Purgatory also intercede before the throne of the Divine Majesty. We ourselves, members of the Communion of Saints, offer our sacrifices to atone for our sins and those of our brothers and sisters. We pay a debt contracted with the Infernal Usurer: not with his false money, but with the purest gold of the Passion of Christ. That debt that each of us, in Adam, took on against the will of God and despite having received from Him true wealth, the most inestimable treasure.
This Holy Lent, which we begin today by sprinkling ashes on our heads and fasting, occurs at a time of great social, political, and ecclesial upheavals. With each passing day new truths are coming to light, showing us an apostate society, a corrupt and perverted political class, and a sold-out and treacherous ecclesiastical hierarchy. Those whom we believed were taking care of the common good are now revealed as our enemies and the enemies of God. Those whom we thought should defend the Truth and proclaim the Gospel of Christ are now revealed as the followers of error and lies. And the authority that Our Lord, King and High Priest, has granted to our rulers – both civil and religious – has been used for the very opposite purpose of that for which He established it.
In the face of this global rebellion, and especially in the face of the betrayal of those who hold authority, we must return with greater conviction to clothing our souls in ashes and sackcloth, to prostrating ourselves before the Lord and repeating the cry of our fathers: Flectamus iram vindicem, ploremus ante Judicem; clamemus ore supplici, dicamus omnes cernui: Parce, Domine; parce populo tuo: ne in æternum irascaris nobis. Let us appease the vengeful wrath, let us weep before the Judge; let us call upon Him with a supplicating voice, let us prostrate ourselves and say all together: Forgive, Lord, forgive Your people, and do not remain forever angry with us.
However, precisely because of the enormity of our sins and the horror of the public sins of nations and of the ecclesiastical hierarchy, our penance must be accompanied – and preceded, I would say – by the proclamation of the Truth against lies. Because the Truth is of God; indeed, the Truth is God; and lies are the cursed mark of Satan.
Let all the veils and artifices that seek to conceal sin and vice, to deny it, to give it the appearance of good and virtue, come crashing down. Let all the masks that hide heinous crimes and evildoing in a network of shameful complicities among lost souls – crimes against God and against the little ones, first of all – all fall off. Let the fictions of a rebellious world, the lies of a perverted authority, of an infernal system that denies, offends, and fights against Christ and His children all crumble. Let the lies and deceptions of a Hierarchy and a Papacy held hostage by the enemies of Christ who are enslaved to Satan all be exposed. Let the arguments and excuses that we give all too often to justify our laziness, our spiritual inertia, and our inability to take sides and remain under the banner of our Divine King all come tumbling down. Let all the pretexts that we know how to find in order to postpone our conversion and our progress in holiness all fall down.
This is the hour of darkness, probably. But it is a darkness that is destined to be pierced by the Light of Christ, before which everything will appear as it truly is, and not as we would like it to be, not as would be more convenient to indulge our laziness.
And the first truth to proclaim, to shout from the rooftops, is that we are sinners, that there is a certain death, an irrevocable judgment, a hell to punish the wicked, and a paradise to reward the good. And that this ultimate and indefectible truth is part of our very being, is inscribed in our heart as a Law of nature, is revealed in the Scriptures, and delivered by Our Lord to His Church so that She may faithfully preach it to all peoples.
Let us proclaim this truth without fear of contradiction, remembering the words of the Book of Ecclesiasticus: Memorare novissima tua, et in æternum non peccabis (Sir 7:40), Consider what awaits you, and you will never sin. And so may it be.
+ Carlo Maria Viganò, Archbishop
5 March MMXXV
Feria IV Cinerum, in capite jejunii
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| The Catholic Trumpet: Mere Tradition or Mere Compromise? |
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Posted by: Stone - 03-05-2025, 09:54 AM - Forum: The Catholic Trumpet
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Mere Tradition or Mere Compromise?
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The Catholic Trumpet | March 4, 2025
In his latest video on Kennedy Hall’s channel, titled “Are Catholics ‘Cannibals’? Does the SSPX ‘Make it Up?’”, he advises men who have embraced Tradition to drive their wives to the Novus Ordo as a “compromise.”
At 8:41, he explicitly states:
Quote:“Obviously, I don’t go to the Novus Ordo, I don’t recommend it. But we are in this crazy crisis in the Church, in this mysterious time where we have basically two religions operating, and it’s very hard to understand, and people are kind of stuck in the crosshairs.
And so doing our best to try to have a little bit of grace and compromise, not on the principles that are necessary, but let’s say compromise like, you know, hey, if there’s a, you know, a traditional mass available at 7:30, and you go to that one early in the morning, and your wife doesn’t want to go, it’s like you can drive her to the Novus Ordo and just sort of be there and don’t go receive communion if, you know, that sort of thing, because you’ve already gone to mass, but you’re kind of supporting her. There are things like that, if that makes sense. And I think a little bit of understanding will help go a long way.”
This is not leadership—it is surrender.
Would you drive your wife to a Protestant service? A Jehovah’s Witness hall? A Masonic lodge?
No? Then why facilitate a Mass that +Archbishop Lefebvre condemned as a poisoned rite designed to erode the Faith?
Quote:“This new Mass… is impregnated with the spirit of Protestantism. It bears within it a poison harmful to the Faith.”
- (Archbishop Lefebvre, Letter to Friends & Benefactors, Sept. 1975)
Lefebvre never said to “compromise a little” for the sake of “understanding.” He stood against modernism completely. This is not “prudence”—this is capitulation.
Even Bishop Fellay, in an older interview, admits:
“When it goes about us, we begin to be like a… I don’t know, something like a sign of contradiction.”
No. Not a “sign of contradiction.” A sign of compromise.
The Neo-SSPX and conciliar church are two sides of the same compromise—one enables the New Mass directly, the other indirectly under false “prudence.”
There Is No Middle Ground
A Catholic husband leads his wife to truth. He does not chauffeur her to error.
Men of Tradition: We do not negotiate with error. We do not make peace with a lie. We reject modernism entirely.
The choice is clear: Stand with Tradition or betray it.
Compromise is not Tradition.
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| A Season of Fasting: A few thoughts on a Lenten exercise |
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Posted by: Stone - 03-04-2025, 09:32 AM - Forum: Resources Online
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A Season of Fasting: A few thoughts on a Lenten exercise
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Jesus Tempted in the Wilderness by James Tissot Nantes
Chivalry Guild | Mar 3, 2025
Our Church has gone soft, and so have an alarming number of the men in it. Remember this as we enter Lent.
Once upon a time the season made demands on the faithful: No meat and no dairy for the whole forty days. No food at all on Ash Wednesday and Good Friday. Only bread, water, and salt during Holy Week. One meal plus a "collation" for all other days of Lent.
Over the centuries those demands were relaxed, almost to the point of nonexistence. What the Church asks today barely even counts as "fasting." Just two times per year, on Ash Wednesday and Good Friday, Catholics are supposed to limit ourselves to one meal which can be supplemented by two light meals—enough to make people feel inconvenienced, but not enough to actually challenge them.
Think about it this way: every single day of Lent was more rigorous for the early Christians than Ash Wednesday and Good Friday are for us.
At the heart of so many “reforms” which have lessened the demands on the faithful—not just pertaining to fasting, but to everything—is a tragicomic misunderstanding of human beings: people despise a spirit of excessive accommodation and a culture of low standards. And the Church’s unwillingness to impose real demands on the faithful betrays a lack of confidence. Why would anyone want to belong to an institution that lacks confidence? What’s the point? This is especially apparent in the “updates” and “modernizations” that have been imposed on the Church in recent decades—and the resulting decline in Mass attendance.
Those who want to weaken the Church are thrilled to see the discipline of fasting mostly abolished. If you wish to reverse that trend, consider going a little harder this Lent.
Fasting
I’m convinced that fasting is one of the best things we can do to become more formidable men, almost instantly. At least a few times per year a man should avoid calories for twenty-four hours or more, to test himself and to learn that he can go further and suffer more than he thought. Fasting means grabbing your weakness and throttling it, in several ways.
The spiritual benefits are time-tested.
“Fasting,” according to St Augustine, “cleanses the soul, raises the mind, subjects one’s flesh to the spirit, renders the heart contrite and humble, scatters the clouds of concupiscence, quenches the fire of lust, kindles the true light of chastity.”
St Thomas Aquinas notes three reasons for fasting: “1) to restrain the desires of the flesh; 2) to raise the mind to contemplate sublime things; 3) to make satisfaction for our sins. These are good and noble things, and so fasting is virtuous.”
The effects are powerful enough even to give the faster a certain respect in the eyes of our spiritual adversary: “The enemy,” says St Francis de Sales, “stands more in awe of those whom he knows can fast.” Of course the point is not that you are out to impress Satan, but that his “awe” reflects a real spiritual strength on your part.
The only thing I can add is that while fasting your prayers will be all the more potent and you will have the opportunity to do good with them. We need your supercharged prayers for our country right now.
Cognitive benefits can follow too. This one can be tricky because the temptation to seek distraction and dopamine hits in the place of food can be even more powerful than your literal hunger; a man must be master of his attention during the trip into the desert. But if you can overcome this temptation, levels of focus can rocket upwards. When you are no longer expending so much energy on digestion, that power can be redirected and reality can be seen more clearly.
The physical upsides are the most surprising. I was once under the impression that a man’s body wastes away during a fast—which only increased my aversion to the modest requests of Ash Wednesday and Good Friday. But something very different is happening. Inflammation drops, HGH production ramps up, immunity increases, and more. The list will only get longer as more research is done. Most interesting is the process by which the body, once it has burned the readily available calories, turns to consuming its own cells. The technical term is autophagy (Greek for “self-devouring”) and the beauty of autophagy is that our body first consumes its damaged cells. This means healing happens. I am convinced cases of cancer would nosedive if men fasted like they once did. Far from wasting away, a man can emerge physically better than he was at the start of the fast, especially if he can extend it to a few days.
But the larger lesson of fasting is that you can’t really divide the benefits into clean categories: spiritual, cognitive, physical. What fasting teaches so powerfully is the unity of your incarnated existence. I have never felt my spiritual sensitivities turned up so high as on a fast, and at the same time I have never felt so deeply embodied. In other words, this discipline kills those dumb notions of the neo-Manichaean heresy (physical: bad, spiritual: good). Your body is not a flesh-prison in which your soul is stuck, nor is it a machine piloted by some spiritual essence. As the Catechism says, “spirit and matter, in man, are not two natures united, but rather their union forms a single nature.” That is why a practice which brings such intense spiritual benefits also strengthens the body. Fasts should be seen as special training in chivalry, a code of spiritual and physical excellence.
There’s obviously a limit to what one man can do in reviving a distressingly soft Church—but at the same time the choices of one man mean everything, and echo throughout Eternity. Worth thinking about this season.
Postscript:
A few thoughts for those who haven’t fasted much.
- The fasting I’m talking about is fasting from calories. Some guys apparently abstain from water as well. This is too much for me.
- The gurus say coffee and tea are allowed, but no cream or sweeteners. Again, the point is no calories.
- I don’t love intermittent fasting and prefer a few longer fasts over frequent short ones. If they work well for you, that’s great. But intermittent fasts are not quite what I’m getting at in this essay.
- I avoid physical exertion during fasts. Walks and mobility sessions are the extent of it for me.
- You will need electrolytes to calm your nerves and your stomach. Before I learned this, sleep was all but impossible because my stomach was twisting in discomfort. Sprinkling salt into a glass of water a couple times per day will do wonders. I also use a topical magnesium spray.
- Be prepared for the chill. Digestion is an involved process which generates much heat—and when it’s not happening you will often feel cold. If you have the opportunity, a sauna session does wonders to offset this effect.
- Time takes on strange properties during a fast. This is one of the most interesting experiences—the days become almost literally longer. When you don't eat meals, don’t prepare meals, and don't clean up after meals, suddenly a couple hours are freed up every day. Still more time presents itself when you don’t go to the gym. You also don’t need as much sleep at night when the body hasn’t expended so much energy on digestion. In all these ways, the day is longer. We all say we want more time—but using it well is no small challenge. A man ought to approach fast with the attitude of a warrior-monk going into the desert to do battle with all that is weak within himself. A dopamine fast should probably accompany an actual fast: no pointless scrolling, no podcasts, no background music, no Youtube, etc. All that extra time freed up by fasting needs to be dedicated to prayer, work, and study—and a man needs to be belligerent about making this happen.
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