Merry Christmas everyone!

Have you ever wondered if the major wars of the last few centuries were begun, at least in part, not because of the stated goals for which the people were fighting, but in order to destabilize the existing order and replace it… American Revolution, French Revolution, Civil War, WW1 and 2….??? It is something I am pondering…. no conclusions yet. But, tenets of the Masonic Order are to undermine the Catholic Church and all monarchies, in order to replace them. The Masons organized in the 1700s and within just a few generations there were two major revolutions in powerful monarchies. All but one (to my knowledge) of our Founding Fathers was a Mason, and that was my ancestor, Charles Carroll. The American Revolution began the decline of the British empire. The French Revolution overthrew a monarchy and a Catholic culture. America was very “mainline” Christian as a new nation until after the Civil War when traditional Christianity began to decline. Perhaps, it is just a matter of “not letting a crisis go to waste, but about 500,000 men died in that war and at least a two million came home severely injured, alcoholic or addicted to morphine. Suddenly, the mother became the one who ran the home as men were largely sidelined for a generation. The Suffragette movement and the Temperance movement began. Intended, or not, this was a serious blow to the “patriarchy” and women mostly took over Protestant denominations and ran the home - this was very different than in the Revolutionary generation and before. Then, WW1 disrupts the traditional order of religion and politics in Europe and kills a few hundred thousand more men. The Progressive movement begins, with leaders like Margerette Sanger building largely off of the Temperance movement, advocating the extermination of Catholics, Jews, etc and the old order. Communist Revolution in Russia. WW2, Fascism and Naziism take over traditionally Christian Countries that had recently been Catholic monarchies…. putting into practice the gas chambers and governmental structures advocated by American and British Progressives. Millions more slaughtered on all sides. Post WW2 most all of western Europe becomes secular democracies, opposed to Christian monarchies or even republics. Within approximately 200 years, the order that was before is destroyed. Then comes the League of Nations/UN to replace Christendom. Throw in a few economic depressions to further disrupt society, degrade the common working man and make people dependent on government… social justice/civil rights movements that never seem to solve anything but make enemies of race and gender… right around the time of the Vietnam War… It seems like maybe there has been, if not a hand guiding events, a powerful group of shadowy figures very ready to take advantage of such societal disruption. It may sound crazy, but then so did communists in the Pentagon aiding in the Communist Revolution in China, but that has been proven, the Venona papers and way too much of this COVID and transgender crap.

My question is simple - How do you use it? I have heard people say that having it in your house keeps demons away. How is that done? Can/should you eat it? What else do I need to know?

"A jack of all trades and a master of none, but often times better than a master of one."

Fr. Faber advised, “If every evening, before we retire, we would ask the Blessed Virgin Mary to offer to God the Precious Blood of her Divine Son Jesus for the intention that thereby one mortal sin which might be committed somewhere that night might be prevented, and if every morning this offering were renewed from day to day, we could prevent many mortal sins.”

I have to admit that this is a tough one for me. I grew up on a farm and in my parents grocery store that specialized in imported wine, cheese, etc. I've made much of my living cooking in commercial kitchens and catering. I've even written a cookbook.... to say that I am a foodie would be an understatement! But, Fr. Spirago in his classic book ont eh Catechism says that we should eat whatever is put before us, without complaint or even critique.... THAT is going to be a hard one for me! Good food is one of my few pleasures in life. I suppose there is a balance I must seek between appreciation for quality and skill and attachment to worldly things.

Ah the South… I awoke today to find a quart jar of peach brandy on my doorstep, a gift from a neighbor… and a note saying his tomatoes would be ripe soon and to come pick all I want. I’ll take him a wooden spoon I carved. Remember, "Love thy neighbor"!

I invite all Catholics to take the oath and to promote it - imagine if all of our Priests, educators and faithful Catholics did! THE OATH AGAINST MODERNISM To be sworn to by all clergy, pastors, confessors, preachers, religious superiors, and professors in philosophical-theological seminaries. I . . . . firmly embrace and accept each and every definition that has been set forth and declared by the unerring teaching authority of the Church, especially those principal truths which are directly opposed to the errors of this day. And first of all, I profess that God, the origin and end of all things, can be known with certainty by the natural light of reason from the created world (see Rom. 1:19), that is, from the visible works of creation, as a cause from its effects, and that, therefore, his existence can also be demonstrated: Secondly, I accept and acknowledge the external proofs of revelation, that is, divine acts and especially miracles and prophecies as the surest signs of the divine origin of the Christian religion and I hold that these same proofs are well adapted to the understanding of all eras and all men, even of this time. Thirdly, I believe with equally firm faith that the Church, the guardian and teacher of the revealed word, was personally instituted by the real and historical Christ when he lived among us, and that the Church was built upon Peter, the prince of the apostolic hierarchy, and his successors for the duration of time. Fourthly, I sincerely hold that the doctrine of faith was handed down to us from the apostles through the orthodox Fathers in exactly the same meaning and always in the same purport. Therefore, I entirely reject the heretical’ misrepresentation that dogmas evolve and change from one meaning to another different from the one which the Church held previously. I also condemn every error according to which, in place of the divine deposit which has been given to the spouse of Christ to be carefully guarded by her, there is put a philosophical figment or product of a human conscience that has gradually been developed by human effort and will continue to develop indefinitely. Fifthly, I hold with certainty and sincerely confess that faith is not a blind sentiment of religion welling up from the depths of the subconscious under the impulse of the heart and the motion of a will trained to morality; but faith is a genuine assent of the intellect to truth received by hearing from an external source. By this assent, because of the authority of the supremely truthful God, we believe to be true that which has been revealed and attested to by a personal God, our creator and lord. Furthermore, with due reverence, I submit and adhere with my whole heart to the condemnations, declarations, and all the prescripts contained in the encyclical Pascendi and in the decree Lamentabili,especially those concerning what is known as the history of dogmas. I also reject the error of those who say that the faith held by the Church can contradict history, and that Catholic dogmas, in the sense in which they are now understood, are irreconcilable with a more realistic view of the origins of the Christian religion. I also condemn and reject the opinion of those who say that a well-educated Christian assumes a dual personality-that of a believer and at the same time of a historian, as if it were permissible for a historian to hold things that contradict the faith of the believer, or to establish premises which, provided there be no direct denial of dogmas, would lead to the conclusion that dogmas are either false or doubtful. Likewise, I reject that method of judging and interpreting Sacred Scripture which, departing from the tradition of the Church, the analogy of faith, and the norms of the Apostolic See, embraces the misrepresentations of the rationalists and with no prudence or restraint adopts textual criticism as the one and supreme norm. Furthermore, I reject the opinion of those who hold that a professor lecturing or writing on a historico-theological subject should first put aside any preconceived opinion about the supernatural origin of Catholic tradition or about the divine promise of help to preserve all revealed truth forever; and that they should then interpret the writings of each of the Fathers solely by scientific principles, excluding all sacred authority, and with the same liberty of judgment that is common in the investigation of all ordinary historical documents. Finally, I declare that I am completely opposed to the error of the modernists who hold that there is nothing divine in sacred tradition; or what is far worse, say that there is, but in a pantheistic sense, with the result that there would remain nothing but this plain simple fact-one to be put on a par with the ordinary facts of history-the fact, namely, that a group of men by their own labor, skill, and talent have continued through subsequent ages a school begun by Christ and his apostles. I firmly hold, then, and shall hold to my dying breath the belief of the Fathers in the charism of truth, which certainly is, was, and always will be in the succession of the episcopacy from the apostles. The purpose of this is, then, not that dogma may be tailored according to what seems better and more suited to the culture of each age; rather, that the absolute and immutable truth preached by the apostles from the beginning may never be believed to be different, may never be understood in any other way. I promise that I shall keep all these articles faithfully, entirely, and sincerely, and guard them inviolate, in no way deviating from them in teaching or in any way in word or in writing. Thus I promise, this I swear, so help me God. . . Want to be automatically notified of new documents?

Hello everyone. I am Judson Carroll, the new forum Moderator. Please contact me with any questions or concers at judson@CatholicismRocks.org. Thanks!