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#1

General News and Discussion / Re: Russia Invades Ukraine

Last post by Michael Wilson - Today at 10:40:11 AM

Why Russia was always going to win and why you can't sanction a country with a current account surplus:

When you stop to think about it we're talking about a country, Russia, that in 2023 exported more wheat than the 3rd largest producer (the US) harvested — approx. 60 million tonnes exported (RUS) vs. 47 million tonnes produced (US).

What a contrast between that and Communist Russia where there was a constant shortfall of harvests and shortages. A lot of it probably sold through the black market.

#2

General Catholic Discussion / Re: Former SSPX US District Su...

Last post by Michael Wilson - Today at 10:37:46 AM

Yes, If I confess that I have stolen something, the priest can withhold absolution until I return it (if I still have it). If I confess that I have sinned against the 6th commandment, and he asks me if it is with someone I am living with; he has to demand that I separate from that person before he gives  me absolution.
I can't think of another. There are sins that are "reserved" for the bishop or even the Pope, that the priest has to obtain faculties before he can give absolution.

#3

Ask a Traditionalist / Re: Engaging with the Eastern ...

Last post by Michael Wilson - Today at 10:27:11 AM

LTC

Rosary is a personal devotion which some Easterns practice but many do not.

Stations of the Cross sure, but what you're not getting is that these practices are alien to Easterns and while they would readily admit there's nothing wrong with them it's not for them.

No argument here; therefore their suppression makes no sense; it doesn't affect the Byzantine rites. If you want to argue that they should be suppressed because they are not in accord with Byzantine spirituality"; I would disagree, I've read an account of  the History of Christian i.e. Catholic spirituality by Fr. Pierre Pourrat, and there is really no difference between Eastern and Western spirituality; they both come from one original source and the imitation of the Life of Our Lord through the meditation of His life, Passion and death, is a fundamental practice of all true spirituality. The Rosary and stations are an aid for us to do this. Also, the stations were practiced in Jerusalem by pilgrims coming from all over the world, from the earliest days of Christianity; they were latter indulgenced, and Catholics who wanted to gain the indulgences attached to these were enabled to do so wherever they were canonically erected without having to travel to the Holy Land, especially when such travel was largely impossible.

Almost all liturgies outside the West said by Easterns are Old Slavonic.

Great.

You can't impose on Easterns, that's not how they work (here I'm talking in particular about Russians)...if the Church realized this in the early 20th century, and listened to Bl. Leonid and Ven. Sheptysky, we might even have had some sort of Union by now.

I agree. There will be a union with the Consecration of Russia to the Immaculate Heart of Mary.

Until those filthy Polish Jesuits got their greasy Polish Jesuit fingers over everything.

This is just you venting your anger.

This isn't trying to evangelize a culture that is foreign to Christianity, you're talking about a Church with venerable traditions, some of which are older than ours. You can't impose.

Not really, the Russian Church is of relatively recent origin as compared to that of Rome which was founded by the Apostles Sts. Peter and Paul.

Luckily the Church is a lot more nuanced than manual thumping Latin laymen.

Wait till I get a hold of that #@%^% guy! I will give him a piece of my mind and a good thrashing!

The West trying to impose it's way on Russia is precisely why there's a war going on. It's no different in the liturgical realm.

True for the first; not institutionally true for the second; if there has been impositions, its unfortunate.

You can't impose Western praxis on them. It won't work and will drive them away. And if it drives them away, we should bear some responsibility for that.

I agree. It is counter productive.

#4

Ask a Traditionalist / Re: Engaging with the Eastern ...

Last post by Michael Wilson - Today at 10:04:02 AM

Aing:

1.Christ founded a Church, only one.
2.The Church must be visible and apparent.
3. Composed of a body of faithful, under one government; teaching authority; agreeing and confessing one and the same doctrine.
4. Not a heterogeneous collection of individuals professing different doctrines; under different leaders.

How does this apply to the Church today? If you believe that Christ is truly God and therefore He cannot lie or be mistaken, then we have to believe that when He stated that He would be with His Church until the end of times; and that He would send the Holy Ghost to the Apostles to teach them all truth; and that He gave to Peter the care over His whole flock; that this would always be true, that somehow even in the midst of the greatest crisis of the Church, that Our Lord was with His Church, such as the Arian crisis; the Western Schism; the Protestant revolution; and even today in the middle of an almost complete apostasy in both the laity and hierarchy, that the Church still exists, that it will emerge triumphant over its adversaries, and will once more shine forth in luster with its four marks of unity, holiness, catholicity and apostolicity; even if for a time these may seem to have been greatly reduced or almost completely obliterated.
James posted this article on another thread about the resurgence of Catholic traditionalist in the Church:
https://apnews.com/article/catholic-church-shift-orthodoxy-tradition-7638fa2013a593f8cb07483ffc8ed487
This is like the flowering of a desert after a rainstorm; in another article that I have not been able to locate yet, Cardinal Burke stated that the efforts to suppress the TLM have backfired and that it is flourishing now more than ever.

#5

Ask a Traditionalist / Re: Engaging with the Eastern ...

Last post by Michael Wilson - Today at 09:47:37 AM

Aing:
On the First Council of Constantinople declaring that the Holy Ghost proceeded from the Father:
The Creed was countering the Macedonian or Pneumatomachian heresy, that denied that the Holy Ghost was true God:
https://www.gotquestions.org/Pneumatomachian-Macedonianism.html

According to the Pneumatomachians (Macedonians), the Holy Spirit was a created entity, subject to the Father and Son, in something of a servant role. This error was addressed and soundly refuted at the Council of Constantinople in AD 381. As a reaction against the growing heresy of Macedonianism, church leaders at this council voted to expand the Nicene Creed to more accurately defend the Holy Spirit as fully God and worthy of worship. With that addition, the creed now reads, "And we believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord and Giver of Life, who proceedeth from the Father, who with the Father and the Son together is worshiped and glorified, who spoke by the prophets." The Council of Constantinople sought to make it clear that the Holy Spirit is consubstantial (homoousious) with the Father and the Son.

[In order to clarify where Augustine stands in regard to Greek Orthodoxy, my thesis in this paper is that he has been a "saint" of the Church and has never been erased from the list of saints]

#6

Ask a Traditionalist / Re: Engaging with the Eastern ...

Last post by Michael Wilson - Today at 09:37:50 AM

Can you provide a reference for this? I heard that at least some Orthodox Christians do not consider Augustine of Hippo to be a Saint? And according to the First Council of Constantinople in 381 AD, I read that the Creed adopted there did not contain the filioque, but contains the phrase: "And we believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, and Giver of Life, Who proceeds from the Father, Who with the Father and the Son together is worshipped and glorified, Who spoke by the Prophets;..."

Aing,
If you mean do I have 'any evidence of St. Augustine being considered a saint by the Orthodox?" This is from the website of the "Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America"
https://www.goarch.org/-/saint-augustine-greek-orthodox-tradition

In order to clarify where Augustine stands in regard to Greek Orthodoxy, my thesis in this paper is that he has been a "saint" of the Church and has never been erased from the list of saints. It is true that some of his teachings were highly criticized and branded as heretical, but this occurred after his death. The most important doctrinal controversy surrounding his name is the filioque. Other doctrines that were unacceptable to the Church are his view of original sin, the doctrine of grace, and predestination. My intention in this paper is to present the Orthodox writings, both ancient and modern, on the person and theology of Augustine.

If you mean where does St. Augustine teach that the Holy Ghost proceeds from both the Father and the Son?"
Here is a site on youtube where dwong in refuting an Orthodox apologist, gives several quotes from the works of St. Augustine on this double procession:

#7

General Catholic Discussion / Re: Russell Brand is getting B...

Last post by josh987654321 - Today at 08:48:15 AM

And you can also get a different deck and pretend to be a 15th century Venetian patrician.

Who's fooling who then? We know they're dangerous, so we should just stay right away from such things IMO. Why pretend to be a 15th century Venetian patrician into weirdo and very questionable stuff anyway?

Similar thing happens with stuff like 'palm reading' which is very questionable and often presented as harmless fun... but it's divination very much open to demonic oppression IMO. 

God Bless

#8

Ask a Traditionalist / Re: Engaging with the Eastern ...

Last post by LausTibiChriste - Today at 06:46:22 AM

Yes, LTC; I understand that the rosary is not liturgical. And as I've tried to explain to my Orthodox friends (and even a few Catholics who attend a Byzantine parish), said Latinizations are hundreds of years old (eg., in Slovakia, and Ukraine, some of course, brought to America over a hundred years ago).

So, from a pastoral perspective, it's unwise in my opinion for a newly ordained priest to go into his first parish and immediately start ripping the Stations off the walls, etc).

I agree completely. Prudence should guide our actions at all times, especially when implementing changes.

I have noticed a contrast between Easterns in the Old World vs. New - maybe you haven't, but I am heavily influenced by the Russian Rite and except with perhaps the Melkites, they are the most "Orthodox" in my experience. From what I've seen, the Easterns in the New World (and parts of Western EU) are far more ready to accept Latinizations.

My Ruthenian parish back in Europe isn't very Western from what I've seen...I see chotkis not Rosaries, and the only reason they have the stations of the cross is because it's an old Baroque Jesuit church lol.

#9

The Coffee Pot / Re: interesting purchase you m...

Last post by Bernadette - Today at 06:04:45 AM

Gingher dressmaker's shears. My 50-year-old ones from my Grandma's sewing kit are hopelessly dull and it would cost more than a new pair to have them sharpened. I've only heard good things about Gingher, and they were on sale AND had a coupon, so I thought I'd give them a try.

#10

Ask a Traditionalist / Re: Engaging with the Eastern ...

Last post by EastWest7 - Today at 05:46:29 AM

If Salvation is coming from the East then maybe we adopt their ways.

Trads who think the conversion of Russia means that they're going to adopt the TLM are in for a big surprise

Indeed.