Category Archives: Spiritual Reflection

The Garden of Life

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What is the world’s oldest profession? – and it’s not what you are thinking. As an avid gardener, I realized some time ago that it is gardening which can rightfully claim the title of “world’s oldest profession.” In fact, the Book of Genesis makes ii abundantly clear that the garden is a metaphor for the mystery of human life and endeavor when God delegates to the man and woman a responsibility to oversee the various life forms, animal and vegetative, placed in Eden. To phrase it in pun form, man’s first job was guarding the garden. Yet even after the man and woman failed in that original task, thus allowing the invasive weeds of sin and death to mar the beauty of His garden, we see that God already had a ‘Plan B’ in mind.

The woman herself would become the bearer of new life, designated to nurture and bring it to fruition. Man was likewise commanded to “till t he earth” although both of their respective tasks would henceforth be carried out in difficulty and pain. To the woman God promised, “in pain shall you bring forth children” and to the man, “Cursed be the ground because of you. In toil shall you eat its yield… thorns and thistles shall it bring to you as you eat the plants of the field.” (Gen. 3:16-18) The garden then became an image of our human destiny to be played out in each and every human life. When we are born we inherit a symbolic patch of earth to cultivate, but only for a season before it passes on to another generation.

When we are first born, this symbolic ground of our body (“Remember man that thou art dust”) is dormant from the winter frosts but as spring approaches it begins to thaw and sprout new organisms and budding flowers. This represents childhood when everything is new and fresh to our senses. We are filled with discovery and hope. Life seems endless and opportunities are unlimited as the springtime of our life holds out its myriad promises. But as the days lengthen we realize the need to organize the profusion of growth within us into some kind of order. Each person must thus assume the responsibility of planning and ordering his or her garden, meaning one’s personal life, This entails plowing and planting; deciding what flowers or other plants one intends to raise. Depending on variations in climate, different soils, and particular localities, etc. added to the different talents and interests of any given individual there will undoubtedly emerge thousands, even millions, of diverse garden schemes. No two gardens will look exactly alike, for each human life represents a unique and original contribution to the story of mankind.

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Vatican II and the Traditional Roman Rite

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October 11, 1962 is a day I well remember. It was the day Pope John XXIII opened the vaunted Second Vatican Council in Rome, but that is not why I remember it. October 11 was my parents’ silver wedding anniversary and our family held a joyous, and for me unforgettable, celebration of that momentous event. I was a ten year old product of a staunchly Catholic family just beginning the fifth grade in parochial school. My world was family, neighborhood, and St. Vincent de Paul parish where I had been baptized and received the sacraments. Though I was only dimly aware of it, in far off Italy the Pope and 3,000 bishops were assembled and talking excitedly about a new “springtime in the Church.”

At the time such a promise seemed plausible enough. After all Masses were packed every Sunday, Catholic schools were bursting at the seams, seminaries couldn’t handle all the new vocations – all attested to by relentless parish building campaigns. Religious communities were flourishing and missionaries around the world were making tremendous strides in bringing the Gospel into remote regions which had never been evangelized. In the United States the first ever Catholic president was bravely standing down the Soviets during the Cuban missile crisis. Among Catholics there was every reason for optimism. The Church had never been stronger or more sure of her divine mission, or so it appeared.

Ten years later a far different picture had emerged, that of a Church in crisis. Priests and religious were leaving their vocations in droves. Catechesis had fallen off a cliff along with Mass attendance. Seminaries were closing for lack of vocations even as the Pope himself was under siege by many of his own clergy for daring to restate the Church’s timeless teachings regarding openness to human life in Humanae Vitae. Catholics were struggling to adapt to a new, diluted Liturgy promulgated by that same Pontiff, Paul VI, and which seemed to be enervating Catholicism across the board. The Holy Mass somehow no longer felt as holy as it had been before 1962. The Council’s oft stated goal of a more active lay participation had instead manifested as restless boredom in the pews and indifference towards fulfilling one’s Sunday obligations.

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The Pruning of Vines, and CREDO

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As an avid gardener I am constantly amazed how God uses the natural world as a living parable of the supernatural order. My garden includes 15 grape vines which in summer literally explode with new shoots and foliage. Every vine dresser knows that in order to produce large and abundant grapes vigilant pruning is required, so I spend many hours cutting back excess foliage. While thus engaged I am constantly mindful of Christ’s teaching, “I am the true vine and my Father is the vine grower. He takes away every branch in me that does not bear fruit, and every one that does He prunes so that it bears more fruit.” (Jn 15:1,2)

What I never fully understood until I began raising vines was just how few branches on a vine actually produce fruit. I have seen new shoots, or suckers, which can run for 8 or 10 feet without ever sprouting a single runty grape cluster. In fact, I have noticed with certain varieties that 90% of shoots which branch off from the main vine will never produce a single grape. These must all be cut away in order to redirect the vine’s energy into the branches that are actually forming fruit. And pruning is not a one time thing but a continual process throughout the entire growing season. In other words, the vast majority of any vine’s growth is ultimately removed and cast into the mulch pile. It is no accident that Our Lord used the analogy of dressing vines because his listeners in that intensive grape growing culture around the Mediterranean would have clearly understood his meaning, namely that “Many are called but few are chosen.”

It is not enough to simply know about Christ or even to believe in Him in a casual or haphazard way. To wear the label of a nominal Catholic or a Christian who has “accepted the Lord Jesus as my personal Savior” is to be like that long branch with lots of beautiful leaves but no fruit. For those whose faith is all about interior feelings yet have nothing concrete to show for it, they are like those barren branches cut away from the source of life which is the vine. “What good is it my brothers if someone says he has faith but does not have works?… So also faith of itself, without works, is dead.” Jas 2:14;17)

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Prayers We No Longer Pray at Mass

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Introibo ad altare Dei – “I will go up to the altar of God.” For centuries this was the way every Mass began, invoking the beautiful Psalm 42, the Judica me, a Psalm of deliverance and praise. “Judge me O God and plead my cause against an ungodly nation; deliver me from the unjust and sinful man, For you are my God and my strength… Send forth your light and your truth; they have led me and brought me to your holy mountain, and to your tabernacle.”

Before approaching the sacred space in those dark, pre-Vatican II days, priest and servers would humbly pray at the foot of the altar, confessing their sins in the Confiteor and begging God’s mercy, pardon, and absolution. Only then would the priest ascend the steps to the altar even as he entreated God, “Take away from us our iniquities, we implore thee, Lord, that with pure minds we may worthily enter into the holy of holies: through Christ Our Lord, Amen.” Foremost in the former Mass ritual was the sense of man’s unworthiness and abject humility before God, for what priest and people were about to enter into was the most profound worship of the infinite, all powerful Godhead. This supreme act of adoration entailed man’s most solemn duty toward his Creator and Savior, and so one had to carefully prepare oneself carefully before performing it.

In the wake of Vatican II those prayers at the foot of the altar as well as many other Mass prayers were suppressed, ostensibly to make this, the highest prayer of the Church, “more understandable” to the faithful. With the introduction of the so called Novus Ordo or New Mass in 1970 even more prayers from the Sacred Liturgy disappeared. Today, with no utterance of preparatory prayer, the priest boldly processes without pause up to the altar itself, then begins the Mass not by addressing God, but rather the people. “The grace and peace of God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ be with you.” He may even add a little chit chat or introduce various guests. In any event the priest’s initial dialogue is clearly directed not towards God but to the assembly. The emphasis has shifted from the once humble reverence and piety prerequisite to approaching the Divine (“Moses, take off your sandals, for the ground on which you are standing is holy ground”) to a self-congratulatory, gee, it’s great we all showed up to engage in our little tea party with God.

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In Remembrance of 15 Years

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Today, the great Feast of St. Mark the Evangelist, marks the 15th anniversary of marriage to my wonderful wife, Jeanne. Pondering our anniversary I am reminded of some of those great men and women saints whose holy friendships have so profoundly influenced the Church and the world: Augustine and Monica; Benedict and Scholastica; Francis and Clare. God, in His inscrutable providence, often pairs up individuals who will inspire and even incite one another to ever higher degrees of humility, charity, and ultimately sanctity which overflows into love of God and neighbor. I hereby share with you a brief sketch of two of these holy collaborators who lived in very difficult times, not unlike those that we are experiencing in today’s Church and world.

St. Francis de Sales  (1567-1622)

Francis was born to a noble family in Savoy in the southeast corner of France on August 21, 1567, the eldest of six sons. Studying theology in Paris he was came under a spiritual temptation to despair from which he was freed after making a vow of perpetual chastity and consecrating himself to the Blessed Mother Mary. He then went to Padua to take a law degree in 1591, returning to Savoy where a prosperous career awaited him. His father had even arranged an advantageous marriage for him. Instead, under the direction of his Jesuit spiritual director, Francis revealed his intention to enter the priesthood which caused a serious rift with his father. Francis patiently worked to convince his father of his true vocation who finally yielded, but only after the Bishop of Geneva obtained a papal patronage position for the young man. Francis was then allowed to be ordained in 1593.

Geneva was at the very center of Calvinist Protestantism so the Catholic bishopric had relocated to Annecy, some 20 miles away. In the second year of his priesthood Francis volunteered as a missionary to Le Chablais which had succumbed to the Calvinist doctrine. At great risk to his own life Francis began the daunting task of bringing the district back to the Catholic faith, even confounding Calvinist preachers sent out from Geneva. Several attempts against his life failed. By his heroic patience, kindness, and perseverance the young priest slowly began winning the hearts and minds of his listeners. For those who would not hear him he printed little tracts on the truths of the faith which he would slip under the household doors.

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The Eight Daughters of Lust

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Blessed are the Pure of Heart, for they shall see God. (Mt. 5:8) According to our Blessed Mother’s apparition to the children of Fatima, it is the sins of the flesh which are responsible for the majority of people caught into hell. Modern culture has stubbornly rejected her celestial insight, however, arguing in effect that God is not overly concerned with what transpires in the bedroom. Progressive Christians have decided that only an antiquated, frustrated puritan would bother to obsess over such trivialities. What is really important they say is to be “accepting,” “inclusive,” and “non-judgmental.” Sex is a morally agnostic expression of love in their view. But if we are to take Christ’s words in the Beatitudes seriously then can one really hope to see God with an impure heart, the same God who is the very perfection of purity and goodness?

We are living in a society submerged in a putrid deluge of sexual indulgence and pornography which pollutes minds and souls, particularly those of younger people, on a scale unprecedented in human history. Thanks to modern digital technology the filth literally enters your home unsolicited. Pornography’s clear message is that unfettered lust should be considered a private and protected human right. It supposedly doesn’t hurt anyone else so why, in a free country, shouldn’t you be entitled to see whatever you want to view? Of course it’s also highly addictive, and so would a just and loving God really condemn a “good person” eternally for entertaining such a small vice?

Perhaps it’s not so small as many would assume, which might also explain why lust easily made the list of the Seven Capital Sins, a designation referring to it as the root cause of a whole category of sexual transgressions: adultery, fornication, sexual abuse, homosexuality, etc. St.Thomas Aquinas noted that this particular capital sin produces eight consequent effects which he termed the Eight Daughters of Lust. The first four of these effects act upon the intellect, he says, while the last four affect the free will. The will can be thought of as the very center of our being, the thing which combined with our reason makes us uniquely human, and sets us apart from the animal kingdom. So let us examine each of those eight effects of lust, starting with the four that affect the intellect, i.e., our reasoning ability.

1. Lust darkens the intellect, not as in a loss of mental acuity but rather as a certain blindness of the mind in apprehending the good. The greatest good is God, who is all good, and lust places a lesser good, pleasure, ahead of the greater good. Lust thus creates a blind spot impairing our ability to see beyond a lesser good to the greater good. Rev. William Smith referred to what he called a “swiss cheese conscience” which features strategic holes in our mental perceptions of good and evil. It does not mean that one overtly rejects the goodness of God, but rather we subconsciously place Him into a subordinate position. Blinded by lust to His supreme goodness it then becomes easy to rationalize, “God wants me to be happy, and this or that pleasure makes me happy, and so it must be okay.” Under the influence of lustful desire, the intellect can no longer make a clear distinction between my apparent good and what is objectively good. Such cloudy thinking ultimately leads to one justifying any and every sexual aberration: self abuse, fornication, adultery, masochism, and even sodomy. This is why hardened porn addicts will tell you that the content they view increasingly becomes more twisted, depraved, and violent as one goes deeper down the rabbit hole.

2. Lust leads to rash judgment which is the absence of counsel or moderation. The virtues of prudence and temperance get set aside, even in a person who may be punctilious and exacting in other areas of life such as their diet, personal appearance, or finances. Despite knowing the risks involved, such a one is tempted to throw away hard-earned money, a successful career, even a good marriage in the insatiable quest for ever more exciting experiences because, like the junkie, a lustful person’s sexual cravings demand ever more intense levels of dopamine to stimulate the pleasure center in the brain. How many high level politicians and executives have been forced out of their positions due to sexual improprieties? Recall former NY governor Andrew Cuomo just to name one.

3. Thoughtlessness is a daughter of lust, increasing as the mind becomes ever more self-absorbed by bodily pleasures. Other people then become objectified rather than loved or respected for who they truly are. Seeking the good of the other is the true meaning of love, but the thoughtless person is seeking only his/her own good. They have thoughtlessly exchanged the pursuit of real happiness for the pursuit of pleasure, two very different animals. This attitude leads inexorably to the fourth daughter of lust.

4. Inconstancy, which is the inability to remain faithful to another person or to an ideal. Lust causes one to rush from one experience (or person) to another in an endless quest to secure a fuller experience of personal pleasure. The modern divorce treadmill is a telling feature of widespread inconstancy. St. Augustine says that the restless human heart has an insatiable desire for happiness, but only God can fill that desire. Trying to fill the heart’s chasm with earthly things or pleasures leads one on a wild goose chase of always looking for the next person or thing that will finally satisfy one’s deepest longing. But outside of God no such creature exists. Only God can fill that God-sized hole in our heart.

These four daughters of lust which subvert the intellect have another four companions which are far darker and more malevolent, because these four are attached to the will. Whereas the first four primarily affect our temporal thoughts and attitudes which can be changed or corrected, those daughters of lust able to manipulate the will can have eternal consequences. That is because it is the will which ultimately determines our relationship to God, and consequently our eternal destiny. Lust may be the most commonly imbibed capital sin, but its companions are even deadlier in terms of the eternal punishment they will ultimately exact. Think of lust as the gateway vice that surreptitiously leads one into other more deadly arenas of sin. Just as lust perverts the mind, so also it perverts the will with even more catastrophic consequences.

5. Lust imbues one with an inordinate self-love, meaning the vanity of believing that we are entitled to every conceivable pleasure in life. This attitude is not surprising considering what we just discussed above. To love oneself is not evil per se in the sense that we have human dignity and a healthy self-respect for who we are, children of God. But it is the vain love of self to the exclusion of God and others that leads to eternal perdition. Such a self-love yields the most deadly of all sins, pride. Pride is, by definition, inordinate self-love. It is Satan’s most fatal, damning fault. It is the very antithesis of what God exemplified by taking on lowly human flesh, namely humility. Succumbing to the temptations of lust can take one two possible ways. If it produces sufficient shame it can lead the soul to repentance and humility, and God often uses it in this way to humble us. But it can also steer one in the other direction by inflating the very same self-love which activates pride. We now live in a world which preaches that there must be no shame attached to any sexual disorder. Everyone should feel proud of their sexual preferences and orientation. Shout it from the rooftops! Shame is out, pride is in. To revel in one’s shameful disorders is the worst of sins, however, because it is the height of arrogance and pride. It blasphemously mocks God and the divinely ordained natural order.

6. From lust, pride causes one to despise and hate God, precisely because He so perfectly modeled the virtue of humility, the antagonist of pride. This is why Christianity, which teaches the absolute need of repentance and humility, is so attacked and hated by the current woke culture. As Christ forewarned, “they will hate you because they hated me before you.” What we are seeing in real time is the spirit of lust opening people up to the capital sins of envy and anger. They envy innocence and so they angrily try to destroy it. To merely live a virtuous life in this sexually saturated environment becomes an affront to the lustful. One need not speak a word of protest against the perversions, yet you will be vilified as offensive, intolerant, and a danger to society simply for exhibiting innocence and the fear of God. The lustful abandon themselves to every unruly passion and then wrathfully blame God for the unhappiness they inevitably experience as a result.

7. Lust ensnares one in the love of this world. This involves ushering lustful souls into the capital sins of avarice and gluttony. When one cannot deny the body any carnal pleasure then these two added vices cannot be far behind. And as we becomes ever more entangled in the snares of consumerism and food indulgence, (nor is it surprising that within a generation obesity and diabetes have skyrocketed in America) people become ever more infatuated with the world of here and now. What used to be called a “valley of tears” is now marketed as endless luxury cruise vacations, video games, and virtual reality schemes like Zuckerberg’s metaverse. But in all the worldly hype and glitz where is there any time for reflection on the fact that someday we will be faced with the reality of death, not in some glorified Hollywood big screen sense, but as the serious moment of accountability for one’s life and deeds? This leads to the final daughter of lust and its corresponding capital vice.

8. Lust leads one to despair of the future world. The reason we were created in the first place is to one day be joined with God in heaven. But despite the ridiculous “she’s now in heaven” rhetoric typical of many contemporary church funerals, such a celestial destiny is not automatic. It has to be actively sought and worked for in this present life. But the demands of lust prevent one from spending too much time and effort (if any) preparing adequately for eternity and this is the capital sin of sloth.The reason there seem to be so many agnostics in today’s world is that the thought of a future existence, either in heaven or hell (no third option available), is too uncomfortable to reconcile with their “liberated” sex-driven lifestyles. The result is our modern-day indifferentism – eat, drink, and be merry while begging the seminal question of what happens after we die. But if you haven’t prepared for that eventuality, in Our Lord’s phraseology “dressed properly for the wedding feast,” your chances for admittance don’t look too good. In that case you’d better hope to hell that it (hell) doesn’t really exist! Sloth therefore undermines any hope in a future world, leaving only despair to fill the vacuum.

Lust in its various manifestations of pornography, extra-marital sexual activity, perversions, etc.is not some annoying little vice to be taken lightly or shrugged off as an innocent diversion. It is a mortal threat to one’s very salvation, regardless of how many volunteer soup kitchens or other good deeds one engages in. Purity of heart is a lifelong struggle which one must engage in, a battle we must fight against the sirens of this world of the flesh. Purity is a precondition of obtaining the eternal beatific vision. It must be carefully cultivated in order to thrive in our gardens. That means guarding what you watch and hear on media, frequenting the sacraments especially confession, and developing a deep and constant prayer life. We live in the belly of the most sensual beast in human history and so purity of heart is not going to be an easy virtue to live out, even more so for our children. Pray the Rosary daily, with those little ones if possible, so that our Mother of Pure Love and Help of Christians will be standing at your side to help you, even as the battle rages.

O, Mary conceived without sin, pray for us who have recourse to Thee!

Francis J. Pierson +a.m.d.g.

Paralysis in the Ecclesial Spine

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Using the analogy of a body for the Church as St. Paul often did, we naturally refer to Christ as the head. We might just as rightly refer to the saints in heaven, starting with the Blessed Virgin Mary, as the heart of that mystical body. We of course, the Church Militant, represent the various other members ~ hands, feet, etc. So what connects all these various members to the head, Christ, is the spinal chord or backbone. That metaphorical backbone of the Church would be the clergy: priests bishops, cardinals, and the Pope himself. For without the priesthood there simply can be no sacramental life, no true governance, and no Church. These men represent the indispensable neuro-pathway linking the Church’s many members to Christ her head. Sever the spine and the Church will die, cut off from its one true head. But what if that same spine is only damaged? Then, like our bodies, a full or partial paralysis will occur so that the Church, although it may continue to limp along, it will no longer function in a healthy or robust manner. It will become a weakened invalid.

That point at the very top of the spinal column where the spine merges into the actual brain matter would be the Petrine office of the Pope. Christ after all founded his Church on all twelve apostles but he gave a special authority to Peter, calling him the “Rock” who would support, encourage, and at times even correct his brother bishops. Peter was to be the visible sign and cause of unity in the Church. Nevertheless it would take all of the apostles, not just Peter to manage and extend the Church to the ends of the earth. And yes, there were times when even Peter himself needed correction as we know from the Acts of the Apostles.

With Advent we are entering a new liturgical year, so it might be a good time to take the current pulse of Christ’s Church. And yet, what we observe coming out of the Petrine office these days is very disturbing. I am referring of course to the current Bergoglian papacy euphemistically called the “Francis Church.” (What used to be known as the Roman Catholic Church increasingly resembles a strange new body, the Jesuit Catholic Church.) Beginning March 13, 2013 the world’s Catholic faithful have been living in a surreal dream-like state of two popes which, in the past year since the death of Benedict XVI, has increasingly morphed into a frightful nightmare. We have observed the so-called Church of Mercy descend into the Church of petty retributions, vindictiveness, and patent injustice. Saintly bishops are deposed unjustly and without cause, most recently Bishop Joseph Strickland of Tyler, Texas who it seems has now been forbidden to even celebrate Mass in his former diocese among friends he has known for years. It is a demonstration of just how petulant the henchmen of Bergoglio’s brutal authoritarianism have become.

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Ecclesial Freemasonry Today

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In light of recent strange events in the Catholic Church, inquisitive people are considering what role Freemasonry may be playing in Catholic hierarchy. Although unable to prove definitively that overt Masonic infiltrators are at the helm, I offer as exhibit “A” the ongoing Synod on Synodality, an ambiguous and peculiar title seemingly meant to throw one off the track (meaningless wordplay as in a “conference on conferencing”). Add to this murky moniker the now imposed dark veil of secrecy, a virtual gag order placed on all Synod participants regarding any discussions, or even the airing of their own thoughts, relating to the Synod summit. This can only create more distrust and suspicion about what is really going on here. After all, this is not some papal conclave but an ecclesial “listening session,” but one to which ordinary Catholics or uninvited clerics are apparently not permitted to listen. Only those exclusive, pre-screened insiders are to be let in on the secrets. Let’s see, what other organization veils its activities in the dark cloak of secrecy? Oh yes, the Freemasons!

Exhibit “B” could be the latest encyclical hailing from the Bergolian papacy, “Laudate Deum,” a more compact 10 year follow up to its tedious progenitor, “Laudate Si.” This papal exhortation which obsequiously bends the knee to the dubious “threats” of climate change and environmental catastrophe barely finds space in its 73 paragraphs to mention anything remotely connected to eternal salvation, but it has a lot to say about Co2. Church, the Bible, and Christianity each get one mention whereas Jesus himself merits a whopping three references sprinkled into an official 7,500 word Church document. These two samplings, many more could be cited, betoken the increasingly secular temporal sounding Vati-speak regularly oozing out of the Vatican these days. And like many aspects of the Francis papacy, they waft a strong odor of Freemasonry.

I do not mean to imply that Francis or his curial staff are all card carrying Freemasons but I think by now it has become apparent to anyone with a half raised antenna that much of the Catholic world has become drenched in Masonic ideology. To support that claim I refer to two of the more prominent principles of Freemasonry, both of which have all but seamlessly been incorporated into today’s median clerical consciousness. From its inception Freemasonry has championed two axioms, 1: spiritual and moral relativism and 2: the perfectibility of both the human person and society.

The first axiom means that there are no absolute truths or moral standards which apply to all of humanity. Everyone is entitled to determine one’s own truth and reality. Consequently the Church’s 2,000 year old teaching that Jesus Christ is the only pathway to salvation has been hotly contested by Freemasonry from day one. Rather, they claim there are many pathways to salvation (whatever such a term may mean to the Mason) and so all creeds stand on equal footing. Wicca or Buddhism is therefore just as expedient as Christianity in achieving one’s eternal end and sanctification. Apparently that relativist message now resonates with many cardinals and bishops. Consider the recent World Youth Day in Lisbon, Portugal where the hosting archbishop of Lisbon made it clear that this event was not about evangelization but merely a feel-good cultural exchange. The gospel it seems needs to be re-scripted ( a project already being undertaken by geniuses at the WEF assisted by AI of course) to read “Go ye not and make disciples of all nations, for that would be culturally insensitive and intolerant.” Yet as a reward for his heterodox sentiments the archbishop in question was awarded a red hat in the Francis Church.

The second Masonic axiom referred to above can be summed up in the popular phrase, “doing something to make the world a better place.” Just so, countless foundations, governments, and political activists have been working feverishly and spending trillions for several generations to make the world a better place. Instead it seems to be going hellishly in the other direction at an accelerated pace. This is perhaps because the Masonic premise that human nature can somehow be perfected in this world is a false premise. After all, the gospel isn’t about cleaning up the planet but rather cleaning up our souls. “Seek first the Kingdom of God and all these other things will be given to you besides.”

Subversive Masonic philosophy imposes its own culture of temporalism, an obsession with the here and now, where spiritual and moral cleansing up takes a back seat to making the world a better place. Even so the high sounding utopian ideals of Freemasonry seem to have caught the eyes and ears of many of today’s Catholic hierarchy. You don’t have to be a Mason to think like a Mason, which appears to be a real problem for the Church today. Too many prelates are suffering from severe mission creep syndrome. Thinking that through global initiatives, programs, and collaborations the Church can be part of creating some Masonic vision of “heaven on earth” is a dangerous path to tread. It smacks of base materialism, substituting the temporal for the eternal so that in the end man worships not God but man. This is one reason why Freemasonry is rightly called the anti-Church or the Synagogue of Satan, because it fosters human pride on so many levels. The father of pride is Satan and so to indulge so freely in human pride and accomplishment is ultimately to pay homage to Satan.

It is incumbent to remember that the Church’s true mission has always been saving souls, not social equality or saving rain the forest. Yet humanist Freemasonry for 300 years has belittled the Church’s divine spiritual mandate, all the while chipping away at the ecclesial edifice like water dripping steadily on soft clay-stone even as the dire warnings of too many popes have gone unheeded. In 1989 the Blessed Mother, referring to images in the Book of Revelation, gave several warnings to Fr. Gobbi concerning Freemasonry. She specifically declared, “The aim of Masonry is not to deny God but to blaspheme Him.” She continues, “The task of Masonry is that of fighting in a subtle way… to obstruct the soul… To the seven theological and cardinal virtues, the fruit of living in the grace of God, Freemasonry counters with the diffusion of the seven capital vices, which are the fruit of living habitually in the state of sin. To faith it (Masonry) opposes pride; to hope, lust; to charity, avarice; to prudence, anger; to fortitude, sloth; to justice, envy; to temperance, gluttony.

Again, in her many messages to Fr. Gobbi the Blessed Mother warned specifically about the imminent dangers of ecclesial Freemasonry (#406 June 13, 1989)

“Above all, as Mother, I have wanted to warn you of the grave dangers which threaten the Church today, because of the many diabolical attacks which are being carried out against it to destroy it. To attain this end there comes out of the earth by way of the Black Beast which arises out of the sea, a beast which has two horns like those of a lamb.

“The Black Beast like a leopard indicates Freemasonry. The beast with the two horns indicated Freemasonry infiltrated into the interior of the Church, that is to say ecclesiastical Freemasonry, which has spread especially among the members of the hierarchy... If the task of Masonry is to lead souls to perdition, bringing them to the worship of false divinities, the task of ecclesiastical Masonry is that of destroying Christ and his Church, building up a new idol, namely a false christ and a false church.”

I posit that we have fully arrived at that point of infiltration which the Blessed Mother has time and again warned of for centuries, beginning in Quito, Ecuador in 1620. The present day cultural absorption of Masonic principles has been so complete and ubiquitous that we hardly even notice that it is the air we now breathe. Its revolutionary spirit has infiltrated virtually every institution in our society and corrupted them. Instead of bringing the promised era of equality, peace, and brotherhood the globalist Masonic matrix succeeds only in setting brother against brother, government against its citizens, and nation against nation. For in the absence of God men cannot create heaven on earth but only a hellish existence.

The final battle with the Masonic Black Beast is rapidly approaching, so offer your prayers and penances for those many good priests and prelates, like Bishop Joseph Strickland, who are on the front lines of the fight. Pray especially to St. Michael and the guardian angels every day for they represent our best defense against the subtle wiles of our arch-enemy. In the end, Mary’s Immaculate Heart will undoubtedly triumph, we simply need to make sure that we remain in her camp. So pray the rosary daily without fail and “fear not” as Pope St. John Paul II never tired of reminding us.

Fran Pierson +a.m.d.g. Feast of the Most Holy Rosary

Baptism ~ the Heavenly Imperative

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You may have read the disturbing news about the Phoenix priest who performed hundreds of invalid baptisms over a period of years through his improper changing of the words “I baptize you…” to “We baptize you…” A small clerical error you may think which, in reality, has had huge and tragic ramifications for hundreds of people who believed they were redeemed Christians but in reality remained under the curse of original sin. This is no small matter, since any of those persons who may have died in that state will be denied the joys of heaven and the beatific vision.

This case represents a prime example of the careless and lax attitude in free circulation today among Christians that good intentions can pave the way to heaven. Actually, that familiar adage says just the opposite, namely that the road to hell is paved with good intentions. For too many contemporary Churchmen the sacraments have become symbols of our inherent virtues. This is a further reflection of the presumptuousness of modern man who has neatly forgotten that salvation is a free gift from God, not an entitlement. In fact sacraments, and especially baptism, are visible concrete realities capable of infusing invisible grace into otherwise deadened souls. As such their form needs to be fixed and precise so that there can be no doubt as to their efficacy. Yet too many “progressive” liturgists have been playing loose and easy with long settled formulas and causing untold damage in their egoistic wake.

For example, over the past 50 years it has become popular among certain priests and ministers to baptize children in the name of the Creator, the Redeemer, and the Sanctifier, a formula that invalidates the sacrament for the simple reason that those things are divine functions – not part of the divine NAME in which Christ himself mandated baptisms be performed (Father, Son, and Holy Ghost). I am reminded of a pithy line from the movie The Princess Bride where Wesley reminds the princess after her hasty wedding ceremony, “You didn’t say it then you didn’t do it.” Words are incredibly important.

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Eucharistic Coherence and Public Sin

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Considering all the brouhaha over the question of pro-abort politicians being admitted to Communion and all subsequent hand-wringing by various bishops on what to do, the answer is simple. Enforce Canon Law #915 which clearly states that obstinate public sinners are to be denied Communion, not out of any meanness but in true charity for these souls which have put themselves in such grave danger. There is really no need for a study group or special commissions or joint statements. Each prelate in his own diocese holds both the power and the responsibility for preventing blatant sacrilege, while also seeing to it that the faithful at large are not unduly scandalized. No, it doesn’t take some special document to fulfill one’s apostolic duties.

One of the issues that seems to be muddying these particular waters, however, is confusion on the part of the laity about the nature of grave sin. Many so called “cafeteria Catholics” have convinced themselves and others that no one should have the right to determine what is objectively sinful. Moral relativism is the flavor of the day among too many Catholic politicians who seem to believe that persons ought to decide for themselves what is sinful and what is not. In this attitude they are confusing two very different things, objective sin and subjective culpability. I am no trained moral theologian, so I need simple illustrations to help me understand the distinction between objective sin and subjective culpability. I therefore imagined some kind of meter with a red line running down the middle marked 100%. Think of that red line as the objective sin boundary. Everything to the left, going from 0 to 99%, is less than grave matter and therefore not sinful (mortally). Everything to the right of the red line, 100% and above, is grave matter which, objectively speaking, represents mortal sin.

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