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Beware the Divider, Already In Our Midst

Editor’s Note: This article was originally published on September 15, 2015. As internecine attacks and infighting seem to be on the rise among those who have attempted to hold the line against the Bergoglian “reforms”, we thought it would be worth re-posting. While some of the issues in play three years ago have advanced and new ones have been added, the enemy we face — Satan and all his minions, who sow discord in our ranks — remains the same, and the game plan hasn’t changed. It has merely escalated.



I appeal to you, brethren, to take note of those who create dissensions and difficulties, in opposition to the doctrine which you have been taught; avoid them. For such persons do not serve our Lord Christ, but their own appetites, and by fair and flattering words they deceive the hearts of the simple-minded.
– Romans 16:17-18; RSV

But avoid stupid controversies, genealogies, dissensions, and quarrels over the law, for they are unprofitable and futile. As for a man who is factious, after admonishing him once or twice, have nothing more to do with him, knowing that such a person is perverted and sinful; he is self-condemned. – Titus 3:9-11; RSV

 

Satan is hard at work within the Catholic Church. One could argue that it were always so, but there is something different about our times. As Cardinal Burke recently said, echoing the prophecy of Our Lady of Akita,

“If this [defense of Christ’s teaching on marriage]  means that cardinals will be opposed to cardinals, then we simply have to accept the fact that…that that’s the situation which we find ourselves.”

One of the most-repeated maxims of Catholic discourse is perhaps also the most obvious: the Devil always attacks the family. He has done so since the Garden of Eden. Though predictable, it stands to reason: the family is the fundamental building block of civilization, of nations, and most importantly, of the Church. Each marriage is, in its own small way, an image of the communion of persons that is present in the Most Blessed Trinity, a self-contained circle of unity and life-giving love. It is the place where souls are born into this world and, if the parents do their jobs, raised to know the truths and enter into the mysteries of the Catholic Faith, the only path to eternal salvation. To disrupt the family, to undermine the fundamental realities that underlie this most ancient of human institutions, is to tear apart the very fabric of creation and to pollute the economy of salvation.

On a larger and more mystical level, God’s Church is also a family, the Mystical Bride of Christ who is one flesh with her divine Bridegroom, their union giving birth to newly-cleansed souls, imbued with the indelible mark of the baptized and thus made for heaven. Together, the Mystical Bride and her Heavenly Beloved raise up the Children of Faith, forming them, teaching them, nurturing them, clothing them in graces and feeding them with the very Bread of Life, Christ’s Body and Blood.

It is therefore unsurprising that here, too, Satan focuses his vile attacks.

What is even now transpiring in the Church is nothing less than a Satanic victory. The enemy has plotted, waited, planned, and attacked, and God’s children are being scattered. St. Paul warned the bishops of Ephesus, “Take heed to yourselves, and to the whole flock, wherein the Holy Ghost hath placed you bishops, to rule the church of God, which he hath purchased with his own blood. I know that, after my departure, ravening wolves will enter in among you, not sparing the flock. And of your own selves shall arise men speaking perverse things, to draw away disciples after them.” (Acts 20:28-30; DR)

Franz von Stuck - Luzifer
Franz von Stuck – Luzifer

This attack is twofold: it is an attack from without, from the forces of hell, to undermine and corrupt the family of the Church, most particularly in her shepherds; it is an attack from within, using those whom Satan has corrupted — truly the ravening wolves who have entered in among the sheepfold — to attack the very teaching of Christ on human sexuality and marriage such that the flock will not be spared.

There are those within our Catholic family who have heeded the warning of St. Paul; they have heard also the exhortation of St. Peter, from which this journal derives its name and purpose: “Be sober and watch: because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, goeth about seeking whom he may devour. Whom resist ye, strong in faith…” (1 Peter 5:8-9) Those who have chosen to resist the attacks of the enemy, those who have chosen to stand firm on the ground that God’s teaching is inviolate and immutable, and no prelate or hierarch, no matter how high-ranking, can alter what is sacrosanct. As Bishop Athanasius Schneider said so pointedly last November:

In fact a Divine commandment, in our case the sixth commandment, the absolute indissolubility of the sacramental marriage, a Divinely established rule, means those in a state of grave sin cannot be admitted to Holy Communion. This is taught by Saint Paul in his letter inspired by the Holy Spirit in 1 Corinthians 11, 27-30, this cannot be put to the vote, just as the Divinity of Christ would never be put to a vote. A person who still has the indissoluble sacramental marriage bond and who in spite of this lives in a stable marital cohabitation with another person, by Divine law cannot be admitted to Holy Communion. To do so would be a public statement by the Church nefariously legitimizing a denial of the indissolubility of the Christian marriage and at the same time repealing the sixth commandment of God: “Thou shalt not commit adultery”. No human institution not even the Pope or an Ecumenical Council has the authority and the competency to invalidate even in the slightest or indirect manner one of the ten Divine commandments or the Divine words of Christ: “What therefore God has joined together, let man not separate (Math 19:6)”

[…]

That in the very bosom of the Church, there are people who undermine the teaching of Our Lord became an obvious fact and one for the whole world to see thanks to the internet and the work of some Catholic journalists who were not indifferent to what was happening to the Catholic faith which they consider to be the treasure of Christ. I was pleased to see that some Catholic journalists and internet bloggers behaved as good soldiers of Christ and drew attention to this clerical agenda of undermining the perennial teaching of Our Lord. Cardinals, bishops, priests, Catholic families, Catholic young people have to say to themselves: I refuse to conform to the neo-pagan spirit of this world, even when this spirit is spread by some bishops and cardinals; I will not accept their fallacious and perverse use of holy Divine mercy and of “new Pentecost”; I refuse to throw grains of incense before the statue of the idol of the gender ideology, before the idol of second marriages, of concubinage, even if my bishop would do so, I will not do so; with the grace of God I will choose to suffer rather than betray the whole truth of Christ on human sexuality and on marriage.

But even now, the forces which have aligned themselves against the surge of heresy now roaring up like a geyser from within the Church are themselves being manipulated. I have seen in recent weeks a growing spirit of division among those who should be united under Christ’s banner. Like tendrils of smoke, the enemy sows doubt and discord, delicately enough that we do not notice. We distract ourselves with arguments that do not pertain to the evil before us. We find that the faults of others with whom we are aligned have become sufficiently exaggerated that we are agitated. And some of our fellows, with whom we should be standing against the coming charge, have even turned and set upon the members of our ranks.

I have become convinced that these sorts of events, which I see growing in frequency, are in fact the fruit of a campaign of spiritual warfare — intentional distractions and provocations — designed to blunt our effectiveness, to dull our awareness, and to drain our energy. Beware the Divider, already in our midst, who seduces us into thinking that our cause is more just, our judgments more correct, our methods more praiseworthy. Look for the signs of this deception in your own life during these troubled times. Be on guard against the conflict and bitterness and gossip and futile arguments and judgments made on those who agree with you on the important things – judgments that they are not worthy enough, not Catholic enough, not committed enough to the cause. Root them out. Pray more. Plead with God for wisdom and guidance. Do not do work in the service of the cause without first making supplication that the Holy Spirit work through you, committing all things to Our Lord through prayer.

Already, we find ourselves in combat with principalities and powers, who are more fiercely intelligent and capable than we. They know how to deceive, how to provoke, how to manipulate according to the frailties of our humanity. Are we better, somehow, than those who have already fallen to the seductions of the enemy? Have we not all seen leaders in the fight whom we have respected and trusted be turned by the forces of darkness and thus lost from the battle? We will win not a single victory if God is not on our side. We must remember to always humble ourselves, asking only to be His instruments for His glory, not to use Him — and the work we believe we’re doing for Him — as a means to our own aggrandizement. It can happen to any of us. If the enemy has his way, it will happen to all of us.

Fight it as though your soul depends on it, for surely it does.

Only God can stem the tide of what is coming now. Only His hand can steer us toward victory. Still, we are not excused from duty. Humanly speaking, those of us who remain in this battle for the soul of the Church and the protection of the family are the last line of defense. Nobody is coming to our rescue. The few bishops who have spoken out are very likely the only ones who will. We cannot place our hopes in a deus ex machina solution. We are on the eve of a great schism, and if we do not hold fast, if we do not ensure that we are doing Christ’s will and not our own, we will fail.

Be on guard. Be in a state of grace. Be wary when you hear those first whispers of animosity stirring in your soul against those who are your allies and friends. The enemy surrounds us. They are more numerous than we. They are stronger than we. But remember Christ’s own battle cry: “With men this is impossible: but with God all things are possible.”

 

27 thoughts on “Beware the Divider, Already In Our Midst”

  1. It is as you say. Congratulations and prayerful good wishes to you and your wife on the recent birth of your daughter! God bless and protect you all and may you all persevere in the Faith.

    Reply
  2. I need to take issue with this post… No, no, just kidding. Excellent advice! As I read it, I was thinking of two particular organizations. Invective (like war) is often justified with “we need to defend ourselves.” The best response to that is “no, you don’t.”

    Reply
  3. Oddly, I’m having a hard time (“feeling divided”) thinking of something to say that’s not on some level divisive about some groups that are divisive. Pointing out divisiveness is almost an occasion for division at this point. And if you think I’m kidding, I’m not. Honestly, I find myself frozen, rosary in hand (metaphorically speaking), just about unable to respond to the news and the news about the news and certain news outlets leading up to these events we find ourselves on the eve of. It feels like the time for “warning” is over. The tide has withdrawn which points to a tsunami, right?

    Reply
  4. SOONER

    OR

    LATER

    You can run
    on

    For a long
    time

    Run on for a

    Long time

    Run on for a
    long time

    Sooner or
    later

    God’ll cut

    ‘em down

    Sooner or
    later

    God’ll cut

    ‘em down

    These rotten
    wicked

    Heinous men

    Found foul
    and guilty

    Again and
    again

    All are
    depraved

    Like nuns on
    the bus

    Approve
    their boils

    Then suck
    their pus

    Sent a
    Prelate

    Dressed in
    white

    To warn that
    the dark

    Will be
    brought to the light

    His
    cassocked clergy

    Teaching
    Faith truthfully

    But scourged
    like the

    Man from
    Galilee

    Defilement
    diseased

    Septicity

    Carbuncled-consented

    Catholicity

    The man in
    the dome

    Dialogues to
    delay

    Optimistic
    his fruits of decay

    We’ll obey

    You can run
    on

    For a long
    time

    Run on for a

    Long time

    Run on for a
    long time

    Sooner or
    later

    God’ll cut

    You down

    Sooner or
    later

    God’ll cut

    You down

    Reply
  5. Thank you for your post. My only advice is the advice Mother Teresa gave to us: “Each one of us is a co-worker of Christ — we must labour hard to carry Him to the hearts where He has not yet been known and loved. But, unless we have Jesus, we cannot give Him; that is why we need the Eucharist. Spend as much time as possible in front of the Blessed Sacrament and He will fill you with His strength and His power. Tell Him, ‘Come to our hearts Lord and stay with us.’ Then you will become the instruments of His love, peace and joy. God bless you.” -Mother Teresa in a letter to St. Alexander Parish, dated 7-15-96. http://adorationrocks.com

    Reply
  6. “We are on the eve of a great schism…”

    I have questions regarding the constant reference to an alleged upcoming schism that I have been reading about for quite awhile now.

    How exactly is it believed that this schism is going to pan out?

    What side of this coming schism is the pope going to be on?

    How is it possible for a Catholic to go into schism from the pope and remain Catholic?

    Does anyone, for a split second, think that men like Cardinals Marx and Kasper are going to break communion with this pope, who appears to agree with them? Why would they do that?

    If they don’t break communion, they won’t be in schism. And surely no one believes that this pope is going to start handing out excommunications to men like Cardinal Kasper.

    So, who does that leave to go into schism?

    Reply
      • But doesn’t the word “schism” necessarily involve the See of Rome? Those in schism are not in union with the pope. Those in union with the pope are not in schism.

        So, is it the pope that’s going into schism? How can that be, and from whom is he going to separate? From himself?

        What happens to the group that is on the other side?
        I can’t foresee a “schism” under this pontificate. What I can foresee is great confusion, disagreement, fighting, and open rebellion against the Faith (going on as I type this), with the pope apparently fomenting a lot of it.
        But since he appears to be on “the other side,” I don’t see how “their side” will go into schism.
        And true Catholics will not go into schism for any reason, even over a bad pope.
        Maybe I’m incorrect, but I just don’t see who the “schismatics” are going to be under this pontificate.

        Reply
        • Should the Pope opt for innovation in undermining the doctrine of marriage, etc, those who openly oppose this will potentially be regarded as schismatic (albeit unjustly) and conversely, should the Pope not give leeway to the +Kasper proposal, the German bishops have already declared that they are not subject to Rome. That would be schism.

          So whoppers are coming down the pike, DJR. Duck, cover, speak when needs must, stay in a state of grace, and keep the Faith.

          Reply
        • It’s not hard. If the pope breaks from tradition and a critical mass of the faithful don’t, he will say that they have broken from him and the faith. They will say that they have stuck with the faith but broken with him, making a choice that the faithful should never have to make, but they had to make it.

          Reply
        • To be in schism is to separate oneself from the true See of Peter, not from an apparent pope insofar as he does evil, by opposing the Deposit of Faith and Natural Moral Law. We are long past the point that bishops ought to have warned him, and declared on his heresy.

          Reply
        • No, that is fact – after fact – after fact. He is attacking the Faith continually in many different ways. It is shocking that there are still people that refuse to see reality.

          Reply
          • I too have searched my soul…Am I wrong about him? His outreach to Islam is my biggest problem with him as I have studied Islam, read the Quran and many books (over 30) on Islam and I have come to the conclusion that it is Satan inspired…I can elaborate why. The gay outreach is also disconcerting. I have no problem with a person staying single if not attracted to the opposite sex, but society wants us to legalize sinful behavior. On atheists going to Heaven, why would an atheist want to go someplace he/she doesn’t believe exists? The other major issue I have with this Pope is that he criticized Benedict for Benedict’s Regensberg speech where Benedict quoted a 12th (?) century Byzantine Emperor who stated that Muhammad brought nothing new, only things cruel and inhuman. Bergoglio (Pope Francis), then Bishop of Buenos Aires (?), said that Benedict in 20 seconds had wiped out 20 years outreach to Islam. I do not want my Pope reaching out to Satan’s religion. Reaching out to Muslims with the TRUTH of the Gospels, YES, but give NO credence to Islam.

    • I believe if the Synod on the Family does anything which goes directly against the teachings of Jesus Christ, it will come to the time when certain leaders within the Church will have to confront the Pope specifically, and not only in general terms. This would be unfortunate, but we have to put Jesus Christ first, even when it comes to the Pope if he does not defend the teachings of Jesus Christ. Even St. Athanasius was excommunicated in the past by the Pope, and we see who became a Saint.

      Reply
  7. Steve you are so correct in what you describe which is nothing less than the fire of Satan
    in the Church. Let us all pray for discernment to be able to know the sheep from the wolves and let us pray for Pope Francis and all the clergy.

    Reply
    • Amen Michael! They desperately need our prayers. Pray for the ‘confusion’ that Our Lady spoke about to end! Satan wants to divide us, and set us up against each other. Pray for unity in Christ, and pray for the Holy Spirit to set our discourse on the straight path. The mind is the battlefield.

      Reply
  8. Here are some good words to ponder.

    Saint Basil (c.330-379), monk and Bishop of Caesarea in Cappadocia, Doctor of
    the Church

    Longer monastic Rules, prologue

    “God call us unwearyingly to conversion”

    How long are we going to put off obeying Christ, who calls us into his
    heavenly Kingdom? Aren’t we going to purify ourselves? Won’t we resolve to
    forsake our customary way of life to follow the Gospel radically?… We claim
    to want the Kingdom of God yet without bothering to concern ourselves with the
    means of obtaining it.

    What is more, in the conceitedness of our souls, without taking the
    least trouble to obey the Lord’s commandments, we think ourselves worthy to
    receive the same reward as those who have resisted sin to the death! But how
    could anyone sit and sleep at home at the time of sowing and then gather in
    sheaves by the armful at harvest? Who has ever brought in the grapes without
    having planted and tended the vine? Fruit is for those who have toiled;
    rewards and crowns for those who have conquered. Has anyone ever crowned an
    athlete who did not even strip to fight his opponent? And yet, not only must
    we win but we must also “fight according to the rules”, as the apostle
    Paul says, that is to say according to the commandments we have been given…

    God is good; but he is also just…: “The Lord loves justice and
    right” (Ps 32,5); that is why “Of kindness and judgement I will sing”
    (Ps 100,1)… See how wisely the Lord exercises kindness. He is not gracious
    without consideration, nor does he judge without mercy, for “Gracious is the
    Lord and just” (Ps 115,5). So don’t underestimate God: his love for men
    should not become a pretext for negligence on our part.

    Reply
  9. The 1917 Catholic Encyclopedia, in the entry, Pope, describes the duties of the Pope:

    He is the principle of unity, of stability, of increase. He is the principle of unity, since what is not joined to the that foundation is not part of the Church; of stability, since it is the firmness of this foundation in the virtue of which the Church remains unshaken by the storms which buffet her; of increase since, if she grows, it is because new stones are laid on this foundation.

    Come on, who does Our Pope and Our Cross think he is kidding with his positions, prose, and praxis, virtually all of which is contrary not only to that described by the Encyclopedia but is opposed to the entirety of Tradition and especially opposed to the specific teaching in Familiaris Consortio (no communion to adulterers) by Pope Saint John Paul II, and which teaching elegantly reiterated the multi-millennial discipline directly, intricately, and inseparably entwined in Bible, Church, and Tradition.

    In Vatican 1 it is infallibly taught that Jesus exercises His judgment in the judgments of the Popes but look at the chaos and confusion that is befalling us now that Our Pope and Our Cross will not exercise his judgment vis a vis the infallible and perennial dogmatic definitions of His Church; and make no mistake about it; this is Jesus’ One Holy Roman Catholic and Apostolic Church it is not the Church of Franciscus.

    Pope Paul VI described as “auto destruction,” the nitwittery heterodoxy, schisms, heresies, and general lunacy trailing in the wake of Vatican Two and Our Pope and Our Cross is intensifying and increasing all of those malign realities and still invisibilum within the Hierarchy is that Prelate whose puissant possession of Tradition is such that it could be applied as a force against our Inertia Into Indifferentism.

    Lord have Mercy

    Reply
  10. Thank you Steve. A very sane, timely reminder to us all. I don’t think many of us can honestly look at ourselves without wincing after reading this.

    Reply

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