Halloween a Catholic holiday?

Halloween a Catholic holiday?

All Saints' Day also sometimes known as All Hallows' Day is celebrated on the 1st of November.  Sometimes the prayers started on the eve of the day, that is why over the years Halloween is celebrated on the evening of October 31st.  It came from t Feast of All Holy Martyrs, which was on the 13th of May. Pope Gregory IV, in 837AD extended the festival to remember all the saints. When its name became the Feast of All Saints, and the date was moved to the 1st of November.

All Souls Day follows All Saints Day and is on the 2nd of November or the 3rd if the 2nd is a Sunday. It is a day for people to pray for the dead, and for the souls of people who are in Purgatory.

So is Halloween a Catholic holiday, yes, however it has been co-opted by a consumer society and stripped of its religious meaning. But Halloween or All Hallows day is a Catholic holiday and there is nothing wrong with celebrating it. Especially if you do a bit of sneaky re Catholicising of it.

There are some who state that Halloween is in fact a pagan holiday originally. This is historically false, it is true that in recent history, some neo pagans have pushed this disinformation. There may be some legitimate confusion here, because peoples of the past, all around the world, used to have celebrations or festivals at the start and end of the seasons. With the end of summer or harvest time being one of the largest, most of the people who bring this up tend to use either certain Celtic or Germanic culture groups as proof of this, but again all cultures have this. The Celtic and Germanic historically had no overt religious meanings to these celebrations. If anything the timing was more likely that 1st of November was chosen to be after these celebrations so as not to ’spoil’ or lessen either event.

So feel free to enjoy Halloween just remember what is really all about. Stay away from some of the modern aspects, like Ouija boards, witchcraft and other demon led activities. Dressing up can be fine, so is trick or treating and pumpkin carving. So this is a holiday where you can let your children join in for the most part.    

Check out this video for some more information.

The Catholic Talk Show: The Catholic Origins of Halloween.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VqnDR-msahc

 

Mass of the Ages episode 1 review

Mass of the Ages episode 1 review

Mass of the Ages is a documentary about the Latin Mass also know as the Old Mass, Mass of the Ages and Tridentine Mass. The full title of the first episode is Mass of the Ages: Episode 1 - Discover the Traditional Latin Mass. It is available on YouTube on the channel Mass of the Ages: The Latin Mass TRILOGY. There are plans for three episodes, while the original made to be a film it was later decided to split it into three parts.

Cameron O'Hearn is the director, producer, editor, presenter, spokesman of the project. Others on the team are Jonathan Weiss as Producer, Thomas Shannon as Cinematographer, Jacob Tate as Communications Manager and Michael Prevosk as Assistant Editor.

The first episode or film premiered on 16 Aug 2021 on YouTube, the run time is 47:32 minutes long and it was well received.

It follows the story of one family’s struggles and looks into the Latin Mass through interviews and a general explanation of the subject. It really was a good introduction into the Latin Mass, from the human point of view via the family and through an educational perspective using interviews and voice over.

At no point does this film preach or lecture it simply gives the viewer a story to watch and information to receive. It is well shot, and it looks like a lot of time was spent making sure the quality of the production was high. The pace is also good, with the right balance of story and information shown. I would also say that no knowledge really is needed going into it, which is a good thing, as it can appeal to a wider market. However if you have been paying even a little attention to church politics and history recently, then this will appeal even more to you.

Overall I would highly recommend this to all, and I am eagerly waiting for the second and third episodes to drop.

 

Link to episode one.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xdbwNMYKhw0&t=2s

    

Hold My Beer An Apocalypse book review

Hold My Beer An Apocalypse book review

Hold My Beer An Apocalypse is a small novel or novella by Fr. Mark Goring, CC. Published in the summer of 2021. It has 84 pages and is available on amazon in paperback only, for £6.50. The book has many good reviews for an overwhelmingly positive consensus that it is a very good read.

I agree with the reviews, it is well written, well-paced and an entertaining read, while being thought provoking. I only wish that it was a bit longer and that we would have had more of the story.  Hopefully the Father writes a sequel even if it is only in the same ‘universe’ that this story is in.

I do recommend this book, it is safe for all ages and sensibilities. It won’t take long to read, and I think like I did, you will read it in one sitting.    

RC

Of Gods and Men film review

Of Gods and Men film review

Of Gods and Men is a 2010 French drama film directed by Xavier Beauvois, starring Lambert Wilson, Michael Lonsdale and Olivier Rabourdin. The film was shot in Meknes, Morocco at an abandoned Benedictine monastery. With a 4 million Euro budget the film made over 42 million dollars at the box office. The film won many awards and nominations and was very well received by critics and viewers alike.

The film takes inspiration from a real life event which happened in 1996 during the Algerian Civil War. Drawing from a book about it, which was published in 2002, by John W. Kiser, called, The Monks of Tibhirine: Faith, Love, and Terror in Algeria.

This film is 2 hours and 2 minutes long and has a very slow tempo and though I would not say it is boring, it is slow. However, it does not waste this time it builds the story and the characters and events in it well. The film is well made and very thoughtful in what it is trying to show and communicate to the viewer. This film shows the challenge of deciding one’s fate and how one should deal with it.

I did enjoy this film, but I am not sure it will appeal to all as it is a slow and quiet film, while being sad and meaningful. I think the few and quick but graphic displays of violence will shock some, it does add to the story. I think give this film a chance but make sure you understand it has a slow pace. 

RC

Calvary film review

Calvary is an Irish drama film released in 2014, written and directed by John Michael McDonagh, staring Brendan Gleeson, Chris O'Dowd, Kelly Reilly, Aidan Gillen, Dylan Moran, Domhnall Gleeson, M. Emmet Walsh and Isaach de Bankolé.

The film was well received by critics and audiences alike, it also won several awards.  The film went on to gross around £16.9 million in total at the box office.

The film is well directed and the dialogue is very good, there are multiple meaningful scenes that are between the main character Father James (Brendan Gleeson) and of the other characters that are especially well written. These scenes move from darkness, a loss of hope and sadness, to moments of dark humour, light heartedness and hope. But they show a sad truth to many lives of the modern person and their relationship with faith and the church. The film manages to balance these emotions well and the plot keeps a decent pace and continues to keep your interest.

The film has a sad undertone throughout, as the film shows the loss of faith of the world and the difficulty of Father James to cope with this and with the new burden, he is now burdened with.

I would say the film does have one large fault, that is that it spreads throughout the film some of the lies and disinformation that is spread about church history. Though it does not dwell on them or go into them in any detail, just the acceptance of these lies hurt the credibility of the film. But if prepared these can be ignored or taught away.

I think this film is a good film but I can’t help but feel that it may be a bit of a depressive watch for some, certainly it does show a story of despair with only a little glimpse of hope. I do not think this is a must watch but in a group context it could be useful for showing how we the laity must act to save our fellow man.    

 

RC

Catholics TV film, review

Catholics TV film, review

Catholics also known as, Conflict and A Fable of the Future, and as, The Visitor is a 1973 television film, which is two hours long, some versions of the DVD have been badly copied, still watchable though. Directed by Jack Gold, written by Brian Moore who also wrote the novel of the same name. It stars Cyril Cusack, Trevor Howard and Martin Sheen, as well as a large ensemble cast. It was well received at the time of its debut and still is well reviewed.

The film was shot on Sherkin Island with many interiors shot in Cahir Castle. Which was an excellent choice and helps to add to the atmosphere of the film. The film is excellently written with good dialogue and believable characters, which really give the film a scent of reality. The directing of the film gives it great balance in dialogue, information and silence for moments of great emotion and consequence.

The plot is sadly far too realistic, and it hits home that its predictions are slowly happening or have happened in some shape or form already. It also shows the great virtue of obedience.

The film is really a great look at monastic life and the complexity of living as a monk. It shows how hard it must be for the clergy to obey its superiors and for superiors to give orders. It has a really good balance of drama, thought and calm introspection.

I think this film is a really good watch that will keep you interested until the end and make you wish they had made a sequel, it will also teach you about obedience, and show you how the laity must be the ones to act in preserving the church’s Tradition. It also shows how important belief is and how even the ‘good priests’ can lack it. Altogether a very good film and one worth watching.        

RC

Passion of the Christ film review

Passion of the Christ film review

Passion of the Christ is a 2004 biblical drama film co-written by Benedict Fitzgerald and Mel Gibson,  who also directed the film. Starring Jim Caviezel as Jesus of Nazareth, Maia Morgenstern as the Virgin Mary, Monica Bellucci as Mary Magdalene, Christo Jivkov as John, Francesco De Vito as Peter, Luca Lionello as Judas Iscariot, Hristo Naumov Shopov as Pontius Pilate, just to name a few of the large cast.

The film was well received by most, but anti Catholic and Christian bigotry did dog the film and still does. The film won several awards and was also won a number of nominations including 3 academy award nominations, best cinematography, best makeup, best original score. The films budget was a surprisingly low 30 million dollars, whilst the box office take was a huge 612 million dollars.

This film is incredible in so many ways, the writing, shooting, set designs and other artistic choices are amazing. In everyway the film was fantastically made, no one can fault the film for these choices. The film really immerses you in the story it tells, you are emotionally connected to all the characters. The choice to use Hebrew, Latin, and reconstructed Aramaic was a great choice and suits the emotional tempo of the film.

The film does contain many acts of violence, however, they are important to the story and unlike other films which usually use violence for thrills or to shock, here it is a fundamental part of the story and without it the story is undermined. It could be considered insulting not to show the violence as this film is aimed at adults and as a faithful telling of the crucifixion of Jesus Christ, though it is not a documentary.

I strongly recommend this film to all ages, though parents must decide if it is suitable for their own children of course. I think this film is not only a great film to watch, I also think it is a great aid to strengthening ones faith.

RC

The Way film review

The Way - film review

The Way is a 2010 drama film directed and written by Emilio Estevez, it stars Martin Sheen as Thomas Avery, Deborah Kara Unger as Sarah Marie Sinclair, James Nesbitt as Jack Emerson Stanton and Yorick van Wageningen as Joost Michael de Witt.

The film was well received by both critics and the public, there is not enough public information about whether the film made a profit. It had a very staggered and limited release (2010 to 2013) at the box office, however, it looks to have grossed from the box office and initial DVD/Blu-ray, around twenty million dollars. The film was a small budget film, but it was not an indie film. Emilio Estevez himself said that he did not want a low budget film but wanted enough funds to show the pilgrimage and to tell the story properly. The run time is two hours and three minutes and the film is available on DVD/Blu-ray and on streaming sites.     

The film was made to honour the Camino de Santiago pilgrimage, known in English as Way of St. James. The story is intertwined with the pilgrimage and is about a father that loses his adult son, which leads to his journey on the pilgrimage. It is well shot and the film feels in parts as if you are joining the characters on their journey. The film uses the scenery of Spain excellently and the backdrop adds so much to the film. The characters are very well written and played by the actors, the director was very good at controlling the tempo of the film to ensure that you do not get bored or lose interest. It switches between light-hearted and powerful scenes seamlessly and the all the characters feel as they are meant to be there. The film is very heart warming and a joy to watch, it is very much worth watching, it tells many stories and there are many lines of dialogue that are truly meaningful about life.   

Counter disinformationist

Counter disinformationist 

How to fight disinformation has been a Catholic problem for centuries. But in the last few decades it has been a disaster for us, we have lost nearly if not all major disinformation campaigns waged against us. True in the last ten or so years there is finally hope that some campaigns are beginning to weaken. That Catholics are finally taking it more seriously and are fighting back.

The fighting must not slow down or stop we must always be vigilant.  Disinformation is extremely difficult to stop and correct. They can always pop back up easily, meaning we must always be on a search and destroy campaigns ourselves.

A brief explanation of what the word means first. “Disinformation is false or misleading information that is spread deliberately to deceive. This is a subset of misinformation. "Reversal or removal of information".

The Russians were the first to coin the term and are masters of it, Marxists are excellent at it.

So some brief examples of disinformation campaigns, the assault on Pope Pius the VII (12), abortion is not murder, and the Catholic Church has stunted scientific progress, just to mention a few, there are many more, probably hundreds at least, from minor to major campaigns. Some stand alone, but many tend to connect to each other, so as to strengthen each other.  

How can one be a counter disinformationist, well first you must spot campaigns, then you must learn the truth about them, then learn how to counter them. Spotting some can be easy as they rely on people’s lack of knowledge and of wanting an easy and convenient answer which supports their beliefs. Others are very difficult to spot, sometimes because they are well made, others because they are very devious or are very slight changes to the truth or even that they are wrapped around an uncomfortable/sympathetic subject.

Some could be part of your own beliefs, disinformation is very cleverly made, it works on all sides of a position. Just because it is Catholic or Christian, right-wing or conservative it does not mean it is safe from disinformation, the same goes for the mainstream or moderate positions or ”facts”.

Once you have found a campaign, you must learn about the campaign, why, who, how and what are its objectives. Is it tied to other campaigns, who supports the campaign currently, what are its main sources that prop it up, is there any counter disinformationist material available? Try to use non Catholic sources if possible and also try to have multiple versions of the counter available, a short, medium and long version, or maybe, a simple, average and complex version. That way you can match which counter will work best in any situation. Start simple, do not lead them down the rabbit hole, just correct the disinformation. Also do not expect a full conversion or even a small one, planting the truth is enough to start with.

If there are only videos on the subject then write a book, article, leaflet, if there is only a book on it then make a video or an article, leaflet, or even a simpler book or a more complex version of it.

Do not be afraid, put yourself out there, maybe in person or online or by producing counter disinformation yourself, or support someone who does. Let them know of a campaign and offer help.

Whatever you do, do not stay silent, the key is to spread the truth and became a counter disinformationist.

El Cid season 2 review

El Cid season 2 review

El Cid is a Spanish historical drama TV series about the historical figure, El Cid. Season 2 was released in mid-2021 on Amazon Prime. With five episodes, each with an average time of one hour. There are multiple scenes of violence and sex, as well as cursing. Though the nudity and sex scenes are quick and only briefly show partial nudity. But all said, it is not suitable for children, teenagers or the squeamish. It has received mixed reviews, though it has had a mostly positive reaction.

Jaime Lorente plays Ruy (El Cid), Francisco Ortiz as King Sancho II of Castile, Elia Galera plays Sancha (Queen), Alicia Sanz plays Urraca oldest daughter of the former king, Pablo Álvarez as Orduño Count of Leon, Jaime Olías as Alfonso VI (king of Leon), Nicolás Illoro as García II King of Galicia, with a string of supporting and other main characters.

Season 2 picks up from where season 1 finished, it continues to follow Ruy (El Cid) and his actions during the splitting up of Ferdinand I kingdom to his sons. The show still suffers from the same faults as the first season did, but to a lesser degree. This maybe the writing/acting improving or that I am simply more used to it now, same goes for the dubbing. The backgrounds and locations are again a strength for the show, as are the action scenes. The show continues to be overly dramatic and less of an historical biopic, with this season drifting a little more away from realism, but it is still early in the series run so it may improve, but I think season 3 will be the test. The show does take some liberties with history, yet again, but it is more dramatic license than a deliberate reworking of history for the most part. The violence is quite tame in comparison with other similar shows, so are the sex/nudity scenes but they are still there, they are quite easy to skip without affecting your appreciation of the show as they are very short and not really necessary.

The series could go either way, it could go completely off the historical path really quickly, but we will have to see in season 3 which direction it goes. Overall, the show is entertaining and there are good actors, scenes and plotlines, with some good fight scenes. There does seem to be something missing and this season I know what it is, it is that the plot armour of certain characters due to history or favouritism that stops there being any sense of danger, or that characters have to become “baddies” or likewise they have to quickly become good guys in minutes, for plot to continue, it feels forced and it disengages you from characters and the show at times. Maybe better writing could fix this issue, but I think the limited number of episodes really hurts the series overall.

If you have Amazon Prime already and you are not squeamish, then give it a try, however I would say that it is not worth going out of your way to watch. It has made me go back and look through my early medieval Spanish history books again, so that is a positive and maybe this would be a good device for that. 

RC

Martin Luther the murderer of millions

Martin Luther the murderer of millions

Martin Luther was born in 1483 in the Holy Roman Empire and died in 1546. From a relatively wealthy family, he was given every opportunity, especially educationally. Enjoying the privilege that his status afforded. He moved from one educational establishment to another, probably being exposed to all forms of radical ideas, that the universities and other privileged establishments usually do.

In 1507 he became a priest and quickly gained many qualifications due to his social status. Then in 1517 he wrote and distributed, ninety-five Theses, which is considered by many to be the start of the reformation.

His sinful and evil actions are too many to count, he became drunk with power and fame. Full of pride and hate he would attack Jesus’ church with great vigour and caused the deaths of tens of millions and debatably more.

It is very obvious that he hated the Faith and was probably holding radical and sinful views since his time in education. Like many upper class individuals that are not in power they plot to overthrow the establishment, pretending that it is for the people when really it is about their own sinful ambitions.

He first attacked Jesus’ church and its Pope. Then came his radical ideas which put the power into him and his friend’s hands. His ideas were grossly sinful and hurtful to humanity. They helped spawn Relativism, Marxism, Nazism as well as a host of terrible ideologies and theories. Looking through history, many of the most destructive people and ideas stem from Luther.

Luther tried to build a church with him at its head, he failed of course and became bitter, his hate increased for the people who he had pretended to be trying to help. He happily caused the slaughter of 100,000 people in the empire, who no longer followed him, all they did was follow his teachings, every man is a pope, all men are Gods equal.

Luther’s hands are covered in blood and all for his own ego, pride, and lust for power, all now which are no comfort to him now. Or for the unknown millions that have died because of his betrayal of the Faith. The wars, the persecutions of the Catholics, the twisted ideologies that his sin birthed into the world to attack the Faith again and again. Even centuries after his death, he continues to drag souls to hell in the hundreds of millions, his legacy is one that is full of hate and blood and sin, nothing good came from this wretch of a man.

He desecrated the Bible by putting his own words in there and changing which books belonged in it. He spread anti-Semitic writings, he pretended to be a prophet, his teachings caused so much confusion, so much doubt, so much sin it tore a hole in the souls of so many of his victims. True only the sinful and the weak would fall for such a hoax, but what about future generations, brainwashed into these death cults for their souls. It spawned John Knox and John Calvin two massively evil heretics.    

People somehow, still follow his heretical teachings, they still mistakenly think this man is somehow good, they have been misinformed, tricked, and lied to, even in the true church some think this man is somehow good or of interest. He is only good as a warning and example of sin, if a man or groups start to speak, write, or act in such a manner, then they must be corrected in their errors. If they will not see reason and continue to sin and attack the souls of the world with malice and attack God, then they must be stopped.      

Democracy is dead, no, you just suck at it.

Democracy is dead, no, you just suck at it. 

Some people are starting to say democracy has failed, that it does not work, that it has never worked, and it needs to be scrapped. The same could be said for any other political system. So if this is just blowing off steam, fine, but be careful what you wish for. Democracy has created the unprecedented conditions for wealth, freedom and advancements in all areas of life. Yes, it has allowed negatives to continue, I say continue as many of the negatives existed before democracy came to prominence, of course by modern democracy I mean that of the post industrial revolution era.

The timeline in the context we are talking about is not that important, as really it is the issue that it apparently has had a lack of ability to stop Marxism, or better described as leftist Marxism from spreading. However, I believe that this is simply an attempt to sneak in right-wing Marxism.

There is an issue with calling something left or right wing Marxism, it is all Marxism. I only make the distinction to try to simplify the point I am making.

Marxism is the political form of sin incarnate.

As a group, Catholics are really bad at politics. There are exceptions for individuals, groups, times, countries etc. But in the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia and New Zealand as well as the United States of America they are mostly just bad at it.

The type of person who actually believes that democracy has failed us or that it never worked is probably just either repeating what they have heard, frustrated or a Marxist. Not everyone will know that they are sounding like or supporting Marxism.  Real Catholic monarchists are a completely different group of people not to be put into the same group. The United States is not a monarchy and will never likely be one. So the idea is either frustration, parroting, academic talk, or attempts to form a Marxist government. Most likely of a racial type like national socialism which is a brand of Marxism. Do not get me wrong this is not just confined to the US or the other countries I have named, it also is possible for this style of Marxism, to be anywhere in the world. I do believe that the US is currently the most susceptible to this.        

Let’s get a few things out of the way, democracies fail, they do allow bad things to happen or continue, like sinful action and laws etc, they are not perfect. Yes, Heaven is a monarchy, God prefers no certain type of political system here on earth, many Saints, Popes, etc prefer monarchy, the church and most countries are under attack by leftist Marxism, most companies and institutions are pushing some form of Marxism, the Catholic church is having a bad time of it to put it mildly, so are most places. All of our political parties for the most part are bad, our institutions too have been corrupted or are under some form of control from a Marxist element. Our cultures have been terribly affected and are under constant attack from Marxism. And there is probably more that could be said. No system is impervious to these challenges, but more Marxism will not help, no matter what version or who is running it.

Marxism is sin, fact, identity politics is Marxism, any form of it is sin. Comparing a type of Marxism to Catholic monarchism is a disgusting Marxist trick, Marxism has always used half-truths to cover its lies.  Using facts to cover its made up lies, always using strawman arguments or claiming to want to help whilst using it as a smokescreen for something more sinister. Pretending to only want to ban or limit or enable something for a small portion of the population or in rare cases while really trying to enforce it on all, or to allow for even more changes in the future.

Lately I have seen bits of Marxism creeping into the laity, at first it was a contempt of democracy now it is full hatred of it and racial politics is also beginning to appear, of course this is mainly from younger individuals, completely blinded by their own sin, they have been deep diving into the internet, and think they have found some secret truth, while they have just been tricked into Marxism. For the weakened Marxism is very comforting, it tells you what you want to hear, you are a victim, your failures are not your own, the system is to blame, you do not have a chance, you are special or you are unique because of your born attributes, like race and gender let’s say. Your enemies deserve no quarter, they are not really your equal, you cannot work within the system so you must smash it. The tactics continue, the past was terrible with the exception of the parts they may change to suit their purposes.  Cover your tracks and try not to say what your end goals are. People are brainwashed and so will not understand it is for their own good and greater glory. Except from when advancing your own goals, no compromise is allowed, as this may weaken your future plans.  Make sure to spread disinformation, to confuse and cause anger. Put deadlines on everything so that there is a sense of urgency. If questioned deny and bring up sympathetic causes, past or current injustices, insult and attack anything that allows people or society to be free or freer and attack institutions and the system of government. Make sure to attack anyone outside of the groupthink or people who step out of it. There is more but hopefully this will suffice.                 

The western world is in flames, so some panic and many who do, fall into the Marxist trap.

I said America was at risk of letting some Catholics fall into this mindset, so is the Republican Party, sadly it is already well underway, still small but growing as the leftist Marxist’s continue, their assaults. Some Catholics are becoming hopeless and so turn to the easy option, Marxism. Probably based on racial lines, as they believe in the myth that a white America will solve all issues, ignoring the fact that it is still overwhelming white, that whites own nearly all wealth and have most of the political power. If they were truly Catholic, they would understand that this type of thought is not allowed, it is a sin. Also whites in the past have had 100% of everything described. So obviously a white system does not stop Marxism, also check out Europe’s history too.

Marxism and sin is the problem not the demographics of America or any other country for that matter. (borders are important) Of course that is not the only issue at hand there are others, creating a myth that suits their narrative by abusing IQ research, genetics, forgetting about history or lying about it. Saying for example that when American slavery ended, that means no black American can be affected by slavery after that point.  A strange attitude as our Lord and King Jesus Christ was killed 2000 years ago, many saints too in the past, is no one affected by them now?

Culture, religion, upbringing, community, family, choices and other things, these matter, race does not. That is the Catholic attitude and the western one too. Race is the weapon of Marxism, not their only weapon of course but one of their most powerful as is hopelessness.

Some will quibble about small details and try to shake these arguments, do not, your soul is at stake, there is hope, God is great. The work ahead of us will be difficult and slow, but we must fight for every soul and every country, when we suffer for God, it is a gift to him, we will have losses and setbacks, but it does not matter. As long as we keep our faith to God through his Church, no matter what Marxism does to us or our countries, our families or ourselves or even our Church. We must not let him down, he loves us all, forgiveness is for all, please abandon your sin, not God and his Church.     

RC

The Catholic dream of monarchy

The Catholic dream of monarchy

Firstly, I am not anti-monarchy or constitutional monarchy, I support the constitutional monarchy in my country, and I would like to see wherever possible the restoration of other Catholic monarchies. However, I do find the new trend of Traditionalists being so strongly pro-monarchy a bit disturbing. Do not get me wrong I am not talking about real royalists like in the UK or other places in the world even ones which are no longer in power, for the most part they are more grounded. I do think that monarchies can work well.  

It is more the new trend of saying God wants monarchies and that it would also be the best form of government end of. Firstly, God has no preferred style of government. Yes, some Catholic thinkers and Saints, Popes prefer monarchy and what they have to say does need to be considered seriously. Yes, the old Law does prefer them, and Heaven is one. The New Testament does talk about Christ as King and about order and hierarchy as good. All that is true however God does not say that worldly monarchy are the only or even the preferred form of government for man in the secular state or in general.

Most of history would say that monarchy was neither bad or a good system of government, the evidence is that monarchy is far from being a great system, however, some issues were more technology based and realities of the age rather than the style of government. Yes, they were good Kings, and the alternatives are mostly bad as well, it is true, Socialism and all its horrific spawns like communism, Marxism, identity politics, national socialism, and so on have been and will continue to be awful and uncatholic.  

Democracies have made a huge improvement especially combined with monarchies. But they too have been and, in the future, will go wrong. Sadly, no form of government can be perfect as that is impossible on this planet and only in Heaven is this perfection found.

But can we get close?

No, we cannot, only fools, dreamers, the blind and the desperate think so. A Catholic monarchy would not end Sin or even stomp most of it out just because it is a Catholic monarchy. We have the present to live for and work with and the future to deal with. A Catholic monarchy could fair better maybe for a while in some cases, but it would still most likely turn tyrannical. A Catholic monarchy would not just solve all of lives issues.

Again, I think there is nothing wrong with constitutional monarchy, even one with royal power.

But why now, in the last couple of years has this became a more popular idea, most people are just being parrots of course. But it smells like it could be a disinformation campaign. It does seem to have many of the tell-tale signs of a Marxism plot.

Do I have concrete proof, with files, pictures, film, and confessions, no I do not. Many disinformation campaigns do not. But it could be one it does feel and look like one, let me explain why.

First off, it has a bearing of truth to it, it has support from within, from unsuspecting and unknowing allies. It also seems to answer all of our problems and delivers all of our dreams to us. Without us having to do nearly anything in return. To hand all or most power to the state and have them take care of our problems. It makes us soft and less enthusiastic about real solutions in the present. It also makes us very similar to Russia and China’s style of government in reality. Making us more sympathetic to them maybe. It makes us less willing and less likely to participate in the present political world, where we could do some good, however small, or hard it maybe to do. It is a pie in the sky idea that in most countries will never happen. Many who like it, see themselves as advisors, lords, and part of the establishment of this fantasy monarchy. Why, pride, vanity, greed, or simple hope that they can make a difference in the world.

Sound familiar to you, it should its Marxist ideas poisoning people, ideas, and possible the laity again, this time from another angle. Marxism spreads wherever it can, in the light or in the darkness.       

Mostly online, it is an academic discussion, however, it is all in theory and never even particularly mapped out, to the general traditionalist this allows their own imagination to design a perfect world, in their own minds to form what this fantasy monarchy would be, and this creates dangers just like it does with Marxist ideas and plots.

Or maybe this is just a trip into our safe spaces and people just need to hide in fantasies instead of confronting the harsh reality. People do need to have an open mind, heart, and soul to a possibility of a future Catholic monarch. Many have foretold of such a thing happening, but we need to deal with what we have now and what the future currently presents us.    

We as Catholics must act more in the public space, yes wear a Rosary, pray before meals in public and so on. But also act in the political square, for some this may be a step to far, to be fair this will mean you and your family will pay a price for being a Catholic, For some especially for the people who are well off and very comfortable this won’t be acceptable, with lines like ‘the church has always be in crisis’ which in a sort of way it is true, in these modern days it really has reach an all-time crisis though. As Tradition, Scripture and Magisterium are under attack. I do not mind this style of talk if you really believe it and are quiet in your belief and life, however if you also say things like democracy should be abolished and no concessions politically should be considered, even if it does not move the line further away from our beliefs and faith. Where you shoot down talk about action and attempts to move the Catholic cause forward with unrealistic purity tests. These attitudes in the traditional movement leads us to split into tiny ineffective groups as well demoralises us and makes action less likely.

It seems to me people feel frustrated and powerless and so now they are turning on democracy, unhappy that they are not getting the result they wanted. Even though in most cases they did little to fight for their ideals. If we had a Catholic British royal family, it would make near to no difference in this world or the UK. If Prince Charles had married Camilla first and they had both became Catholic and raised their children Catholic, do you really think that would be of help, would it have changed that much, still it would have been better. What would help is making more Catholics in general, traditionalist or not, there are limits of course on how lukewarm they could be. More traditional Catholics going to other Masses to spread ideas would be very helpful. A larger presents of Catholic ideas in the public square and attempts to created Catholic thinktanks etc and entertainments tailored to Catholics would actually help.

If the majority of a country’s population were traditional Catholics and voting this way would you still call for a monarchy. Properly not and so the problem is not democracy, but the lack of Catholic beliefs accepted in the public space.   

To sum up I do not mind theories and far flung ideas from being discussed I do mind when they start to weaken the community. By causing less action to be taken and taking attention away from real and present ideas, plans and actions.        

Generation Z the Marxist generation

Generation Z the Marxist generation

Generation Z is often said to be more conservative or right leaning or even religiously zealous. This is a gross simplification of what is really happening. Of course labels are always changing their meaning and it is important to speak only in generalisations. What does it even mean to be left or right wing anymore, these terms are next to useless in identifying different groups and trends, and party allegiances are becoming more and more meaningless as a way of judging people’s ideologies. Most people are only voting to keep what they perceive to be a greater threat out of power, whilst keeping the most benefits for themselves. What is generation Z, the birth range (birth year) is usually put between 1995 to 2010 but it can move by couple of years either way. Generation Z as a whole are more educated on paper, well-behaved and or obedient to the state institutions. More stressed and risk averse and more depressed and unwilling to engage in real change than other generations. On the whole generation Z are not overly more conservative or right leaning on issues and certainly they do not vote that way at all. When a minority share do support a right leaning issue like being against mass immigration (49% UK), note it is nearly always a minority not a majority, it is only to do with housing, education and jobs not social cohesion, cultural protection or long term economics. For example, building student style studio flats for cheap and this ‘support’ against mass immigration will collapse. In the UK especially and in the rest of the world generation Z, tend to be more socially leftist than even millennials on certain issues. Just because the ‘leftists’ are now on full auto and some of generation Z are seeing through it or getting tired of certain parts of it, that does not mean that they are in line with ‘right-wing’ or Catholic/Christian views.  

In fact in the west’s generation Z is actually quite leftist, they are, Marxist.

Sometimes it is socialism or communism, or the current brand of identity leftism and others it is fascism and national socialism or a hybrid. But many are infected with Marxism, not to mention other sins. The ‘hope’ that generation Z will save the right is sadly a fantasy, nor will it save Catholicism. Generation Z are somehow an unlikely combination of being more realistic and yet more unrealistic in their viewpoints. They believe in grand sweeping changes but are unwilling to make the changes themselves often wanting governments, institutions or companies to do it for them. But then only to complain and punish those who try to bring around the change they asked for. Generation Z will follow anything that allows them to continue their lives uninterrupted, yes a few are more Catholic, Christian, ‘right-wing’ etc but many are truly only that because they are not where they want to be in life, we are the counterculture now as well. Many young men may drop religion if post-modernists were to tone down their attack on manhood and weaken the causes of modern hypergamy, then many may drift away. As would many women for the latter cause, not to mention the century plus long attack on women. Generation Z is mainly a fleeting group that are a product of what the older generation made them. One main reason that there is some hope for some of generation Z is the fact that their parents tend to spend a lot more time with them and thus are able to guide them through the ‘trenches’.

Generation Z are not an easy solution out of our current problems, we need to stop thinking of quick and fanciful ways out of our difficulties. The road ahead will be horrible, there will be suffering, loss, defeats and pain, nothing will change that, only slow, agonising, hard work will get us out of this terrible situation we have gotten ourselves into and of course faith.

RC

The church of England is still dead.

The church of England is still dead.

At the 2021 General Synod of the “Church” of England (organisation). New news that they wish to try to create 10,000 new communities in the next ten years. Sounds like big news, not really this is a dead “church” trying to pretend that it is still alive. The plan is for new communities, which will most likely be drawn from current members, mainly meeting at people’s houses or community centres. Probably being lead by laymen, so, not much difference there then. The lack of “priests” is a concern but so is the more major problem of a lack of members, the majority of the data shows “church” attendance fell by between 15 and 20 per cent from 2009 to 2019, and a median membership has an average weekly attendance of only 31, and one quarter of them, the number is a mere 11.

Many call this a dismantling of the parish “church” system, which has been ongoing for quite some time.

Quoting from the Telegraph newspaper.

“One rural parish volunteer, who did not want to be named, added: "There is some success in groovy, evangelical churches. But we don’t know if that will last, and you can't do it at the expense of traditional parishes if you don't want to lose the rural communities. This plan is basically condemning the parishes to die."

Many of these “new” and likely current communities will be merged into small clubs, it looks like this organisation will continue to become more and more of a charity/social club, with many government contracts propping it up, not to mention its old funds from “better times”.

So the organisation wants groups of about 20 plus people to do a weekly “book club/meditation session”, with a cause, like helping the homeless or fundraising. These many groups will fall under an existing parish in their local area, to be able to receive help, support and guidance. The remaining “churches” that are not sold off for money or rebuilt as flats for investment. Will also continue their trend of becoming discos and activity centres, with hopes to continue to build on their idea of "fresh expressions of church", this means “non-traditional church gatherings”, which in fact means not going to church but doing fun things.

The organisation does everything to try to fit into the modern world, with nothing off limits, but it still continues to shrink. I do feel sorry for what is left of its more religious minded members, but it now looks likely to become a quasi-private/state puppet, probably used to justify attacks on true followers of the Faith.

What can a Catholic do?

What can a Catholic do?

 

Many Catholics wish to do more for the Church, for our communities, either on a local or national level, and for our Faith in general. But how does one person make a difference in the church and in the world we live in. Some people are destined to do great things, others are simply naturally talented and it is easy to see who they are. Others are born into wealth or well-connected families or even communities that make the task of contributing easier or at least seem to be easier.

So what does the “normal” person do to help?

Initially they should try to learn about the faith, not just the practical ways of it, but the history and theology behind it. Grow your own virtues and learn to combat your sins.  

They should explore and meet the community locally, national and international and learn from them. Learn from the priests, nuns and other members of the Faith itself. Try to build a foundation of support and guidance. 

Then support the members of the faith that you feel support the faith itself. Financial support is very important, also try to spread your money around, if one individual or group are already well backed try funding someone that is not. Money is a very important tool in this world and supporting the Faith in such an aggressive environment can be costly. However supporting in other ways is also very important, volunteering is critically important, sharing your skills or just time for free is an amazing contribution. But start small and do not over commit, offering a bit of help then delivering more, is a positive. Also leaving positive comments, visiting or checking in often and sharing content is also very helpful, for example, a gentle suggestion, to an angry commenter that does not like Catholics or something we believe in and pointing them to another resource to help them understand is a helpful act for all involved. Sharing content of any kind is so incredibly important, it will help grow it and help spread the Faith. 

Leading by example, though this is not easy, it does ‘fly the flag’, saying grace publicly and stating that you are a Catholic and standing up for your faith is important. This does not mean public self-flagellation and shouting out the stances of the church (online or in real life), which in many countries will get you fired and or even arrested. Even though everything we believe in supports and spreads tolerance, charity and love, the modern world can be a strange and dark place. What I mean is, state your point, logically, calmly and lovingly, do not deny Christ or his church, simply know your audience. Is starting an argument with someone worth it, even if that is not your intention. Will it push people towards the faith or help them understand it better or will they just ignore you and ruin your life and push maybe yourself or others away from it. Having knowledge, experience, education, guidance, confidence will help in these matters.

All these things that I have mentioned are not easy to do, they take time, even just learning or remembering to pray daily, read a few pages a day and say grace before meals can sometimes seem hard. We all forget, and we all can get distracted, either by the important things in life or the more mundane things, what matters is that you try, try to do better than yesterday.

Being helpful or doing good is not always glamorous, nor does it always get appreciated, but it is right and just. It can make you into a more virtuous person and it will make the world a little better.         

 

 

RC 

The Myth of Hitler's Pope: How Pope Pius XII Rescued Jews from the Nazis book review.

The Myth of Hitler's Pope: How Pope Pius XII Rescued Jews from the Nazis book review.

The Myth of Hitlers Pope was written by Rabbi David G. Dalin, the hardcover was published in 2005 with 209 pages and currently costs around £25. The digital version was released in 2012 with 209 pages, and currently costs around £16.50. The audio book version was released in 2014 and is around five and a half hours long, it is priced around £16.50. The audio book is narrated by Michael Floyd, the title of the audiobook is a little different, The Myth of Hitler's Pope: Pope Pius XII and His Secret War against Nazi Germany Audiobook – Unabridged.

The book and audiobook were and still are well received. The book is considered to be a stellar example of a superbly researched book.

This book is absolutely fantastic. Truly well researched and sourced, its evidence is rock solid. It is a fantastically well written book with huge amounts of evidence and information in it.

It absolutely crushes the false and misleading allegations against Pope Pius XII.

It details the long history of the defence of the Jewish peoples by the Catholic Church. It then talks about the previous Pope’s fight against the Nazis and how a young Pius XII fought against the Nazis and then how during his reign he truly became a hero of the Jews and an enemy of the National Socialism (Nazis).

It destroys all false smears against the Pope and judges him fairly and honestly, it truly is a great book, and a must read for all.

The Feast of Corpus Christi

The Feast of Corpus Christi, sometimes known as, the Solemnity of the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ. It celebrates the Real Presence of the Body and Blood, Soul and Divinity of Jesus Christ in the Eucharist.

The universal celebration of the feast of Corpus Christi was proposed by Saint Thomas Aquinas, to create a feast focused on the Holy Eucharist, showing the love, happiness and power of the Eucharist being the Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity of Jesus Christ, to Pope Urban IV in 1264.

Saint Juliana of Liège, was dedicated to Eucharistic worship and caring of the poor, she had a vision of Christ in which she was instructed to plead for the institution of the feast of Corpus Christi and so began to plea for such a feast to be made. Robert de Thorete, Bishop of Liège, ordered in 1246 a celebration of Corpus Christi to be held in the diocese each year thereafter on the Thursday after Trinity Sunday, the first such celebration occurred at St Martin's Church (Liège) the same year.

Corpus Christi is a moveable feast, celebrated on the Thursday after Trinity Sunday or, in countries where it is not a holy day of obligation, on the following Sunday.