Where Did The Attack Go?

 

To My Readers: This week my guest poster, Dominic Caggeso, takes an incredible look at the papacy and what happened at Vatican II. Feel free to comment as usual. If you have a specific comment or question for me, I will respond as always, but it may take me a bit longer to do so this week. 

God bless you all, my dear readers---Introibo

Where Did The Attack Go?

by Dominic Caggeso

A skilled detective uses clues to unravel a mystery. Fingerprints, footprints, suspicious marks on the wall, and other subtle indications are meticulously examined by the investigator’s keen mind to reconstruct the sequence of events and reveal the criminal. Similarly, Traditional Catholics have spent decades piecing together an increasingly comprehensive body of evidence to explain the greatest crime of all time: the Second Vatican Council. Who were the perpetrators? What were their motives? How did they execute their plan? How much was premeditated?

 Over the years, determined and tireless Catholics have answered these and many other questions in great detail. The crime scene has been thoroughly investigated, the police report written and submitted, the court convened, and the verdict delivered: Guilty, guilty! Communists, Modernists, Freemasons, and other enemies of the Church have orchestrated a silent coup in the heart of Rome. The evidence is abundant, the motives publicly declared by the perpetrators, and more proof emerges daily with each new heresy or blasphemy from the apostate Vatican.

Having refined and polished the evidence of this monumental crime, some of us strive to repackage it in hopes of convincing those unfortunate victims still ensnared in the Novus Ordo. Just as an abused child may grow up to repeat his father’s crimes, those trapped in the Novus Ordo, victims of the Modernists’ lies and deceit, often become proponents of the same vile heresies. A clear and compelling case against Vatican II, supported by well researched and documented evidence, can sometimes effectively free the minds of those still caught in the web of deceit spun by the Vatican II sect. I know this from personal experience. 

When I became conflicted about the Novus Ordo, I sought answers. Prepackaged and well-formulated arguments, supported by evidence and logic, were a lifeline that helped me escape the Vatican II trap into which I was born. I am grateful to all the Traditional Catholic detectives who have tirelessly and meticulously pieced together the trail of clues, assembled theological arguments, and presented their findings in the public forum, where they could be discovered by Catholics like myself, searching for answers.

In my desire to contribute to this body of soul-saving work, I aim to present further evidence highlighting the nefarious nature of the Second Vatican Council and its aftermath. Rather than offering positive proof, such as the presence of condemned errors in the Council’s documents or the warnings about Modernism issued by Pope St. Pius X, I intend to present negative proof—something that should be present but is conspicuously absent. Following the Second Vatican Council, the external attacks on the Holy See suddenly ceased. These assaults on the papacy had been intensifying for centuries, reaching a fever pitch. By the late 1800s, they had escalated into a fierce political, military, and public relations war waged by the Church’s enemies. Then, in the mid-twentieth century, the attacks abruptly ended.

Initial Opposition

Throughout Church history, the papacy has rarely enjoyed a sustained period without facing opposition. During the Middle Ages, various kings and emperors, themselves Catholics, objected to the pope’s temporal power within their kingdoms. Armies marched across Christendom, and high-stakes political intrigues unfolded, all vying for more land and wealth in the great chessboard of medieval Christendom. However, these opponents of papal power were always Catholic. They did not oppose the papacy in principle but rather Its claims to certain temporal powers that extended into their realms.

In the latter Middle Ages, the Avignon Papacy and the subsequent Papal Schism caused significant scandal and confusion among Catholics throughout Christendom. The reputation of the papacy was tarnished, creating space in the public forum for open disagreement and criticism of this sublime office. During this time, the heresy of Conciliarism emerged, seeking to diminish the authority of the papacy by placing it on par with or subordinate to a council’s dictates. The attack on the core tenets of papal authority had begun!

The damage inflicted by the Avignon Papacy and the Papal Schism was further compounded during the Renaissance, which only served to diminish the papacy’s reputation and authority in the minds of Catholics, especially in Northern Christendom. The luxuries and extravagances of the Renaissance left a sour impression, later exploited by Martin Luther. Over centuries, attitudes towards the papacy gradually shifted, and princes and kings were now ready to follow Luther’s lead, openly defying and repudiating the papacy, the Church, and the Faith. From this point forward, enemies of the papacy and the Church could now be found within the confines of Christendom as opposed to existing in foreign lands or distant realms.

Within a century and a half, the Protestant Revolt morphed and diffused. In Protestant lands, heretics opposed each other as they sought new and creative ways to gain a following. This disintegration eroded basic and foundational principles such as authority and Truth, principles that had been taken for granted by Christendom during the Middle Ages. Meanwhile, in Catholic lands, the papacy and the Church maintained the hierarchy established by Christ, preserving the ancient system that had characterized the Catholic Church for centuries. The proximity of Protestant heretics to Catholic kingdoms, both contained within the boundaries of Europe, caused these two divergent paradigms to bristle and chafe. 

Thus, as the Protestant Revolt morphed into the misnamed “Age of Enlightenment,” the papacy and the Catholic Church’s ancient structure and authority became targets for criticism and philosophical and ideological deconstruction.

Increasing Opposition

The misnamed “Age of Enlightenment” was extremely dangerous. The Protestant Revolt had seduced Christians into believing they could discover and assert theological truths without reference to the Catholic Church. Building on this foundation, the “Age of Enlightenment” took the next logical step, seeking to discover and assert philosophical truths without relation to God. Human Reason was elevated to a god-like status as European minds sought to reconstruct an ideological framework and belief system upon which they could build a world without God, especially without the Catholic Church. 

For these “enlightened” yet misguided men, religion needed to be subjugated or left completely in the past. Protestantism was not a cohesive unit and thus not a true threat. However, the papacy and the Church, in their minds, were major obstacles to progress.

The “Age of Enlightenment” was the mother of the French Revolution. The mother’s advice and guidance were taken to heart by the child and turned into action. Physical measures were employed by the French Revolution to enforce the ideas of the “Age of Enlightenment.” Napoleon Bonaparte arose from the French Revolution, rolling through Western Europe with the Grand Army of the Republic, dethroning Catholicism wherever he could. Napoleon deposed the last reigning Holy Roman Emperor, Francis II, in 1806. More notably, he also kidnapped two popes who refused to submit to the little man from Corsica. His army charged into Rome and temporarily established the Roman Republic in the heart of the Church’s bosom, from the place of the papal throne. The attack on the papacy was escalating!

Determined Opposition

Napoleon ushered in a new age of republicanism across Europe. Catholic monarchs were weakened or abolished altogether. Throughout the Continent, the enemies of the Church had seized control of government, communications, finances, and military power. However, there still existed a kingdom on the Italian Peninsula that defied this new age of atheism, humanism, secularism, and modern error. The Papal States, a tract of land in central Italy, had been ruled by the papacy since the mid-eighth century and remained a sovereign Catholic kingdom. From here, the papacy continued to speak and act with autonomy, radiating its teachings to Catholics worldwide. This level of freedom was intolerable for the enemies of the Church. The next stage of assault on the papacy was about to begin.

In the late 1800s, Italian Freemasons launched the “Risorgimento,” an effort to unite all the disparate kingdoms and republics in Italy under one king. The Papal States stood directly in the way of their goals, and the authority of the papacy directly challenged and condemned the Freemasons. In 1870, Italian forces stormed into the Papal States and blasted through the Aurelian Walls in Rome, abruptly interrupting and ending the First Vatican Council. From this point onward, the popes refused to leave the Vatican in protest. 

The attack on the papacy had reached a fever pitch. There was little left to attack, as the papacy’s temporal power had been completely stripped away. The papacy’s ability to communicate with the outside world was greatly reduced. Additionally, the public relations apparatus of the pagan state had maligned and calumniated the office of the papacy, making it an object of ridicule.

Finally, in 1929, in the post-Napoleonic Age, when Europe was somewhat swinging back towards the political right, Mussolini signed the Lateran Treaty with the Church. The Holy See obtained modern-day Vatican City, which it would rule with sovereign authority. It had secured a tiny bubble of safety and refuge, but within, the final attack on the papacy and the Church was hiding, like sleeper cells behind enemy lines. In a short time, the Second Vatican Council would be called by the Modernists, and we all know the rest of the story.

Conclusion

After the Second Vatican Council, where did this centuries-old attack on the papacy go? The assault on the Church and the papacy had been growing in scale, malice, and determination since the sixteenth century. By the early twentieth century, the malevolent forces of evil had the papacy cornered. It was checkmate (from a human perspective).

As Sedevacantists, we have the answer to this question. The attack on the Church took on a new and much more sinister character. Instead of attacking from the outside, the enemies of the Church infiltrated. The reason why outward attacks on the papacy ceased in the mid-twentieth century is that the enemies had taken over the Vatican.

One can imagine, if we did still have a pope in Rome, how sophisticated and brutal the attack would be today, given the astonishing developments in technology and the horrific and malignant growth of immorality, vice and all manner of evil. Instead, we see an aligning of interests between the world and the Vatican. Thus, by negative proof, we can arrive at a conclusion that strongly points to sedevacantism. 

The Vatican II Sect And UFOs

 

There was a time, not very long ago, when talk of UFOs was something discussed by those considered kooks, and stories of such were featured on the front pages of supermarket tabloid rags, like the National Enquirer. When I became a Traditionalist over 40 years ago, no one discussed such things. They were seen as irrelevant to religion as "Bigfoot" and the so-called Loch Ness Monster. Interest in UFOs connected with Catholicism began in earnest during the 1990s as a result of articles and DVDs coming from those Feeneyite fiends of New York, Fred and Bobby Dimond. Most of what they publish, on and off the Internet, is so whacky and wrong, an intelligent person could easily dismiss their rantings. Religion and UFOs were only linked in UFO cults, such as Marshall Applewhite's Heaven's Gate cult, which resulted in a mass suicide during March 1997, when 39 people (including Applewhite) killed themselves. They believed that a UFO was behind the approaching comet Hale-Bopp and the vessel would take their spirits on board for a journey to another planet.

Recently, the Vatican II sect has begun an unusual fascination with UFOs. The term UFO, stands for "unidentified flying object," and has been replaced by UAP for "Unidentified Anomalous Phenomena." The term "UFO" was updated to “UAP” in an effort to adopt a more scientifically accurate and neutral term, detached from the cultural baggage and extraterrestrial connotations that have been associated with UFOs over the years. Although “UAP” is now the official term used by the US government, many still use the phrase “UFO” due to its historical familiarity.

This interest in UFOs began in 2014 with Bergoglio claiming he would "baptize aliens." (See independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/pope-francis-says-he-would-baptise-aliens-9360632.html). Now, there are "Catholic writers" participating at UFO conferences. Although the existence of alien life would not impact Catholicism if true, the new UFO craze is seeped in the occult. At a UFO conference last year, one of the "Catholic writers" who spoke was Diana Walsh Pasulka, a professor of religious studies at the University of North Carolina. The article states:

Her book American Cosmic is considered a groundbreaking work in the field. It looks at the UFO phenomenon from a religious studies perspective. Though she says her Catholic beliefs play no part in her research, Pasulka has discovered interesting parallels between alleged UFO encounters and reports of miracles throughout Catholic history. (See aleteia.org/2023/11/28/2-catholic-writers-participate-in-pioneering-ufo-conference). Another participant at this conference was a Vatican II sect "priest," "Fr." Mike Schmitz. 

Pasulka has published a follow-up book entitled Encounters: Experiences with Nonhuman Intelligences (2023). She gives much credit in the book to Dr. Jacques Fabrice Vallee, described as "an Internet pioneer, computer scientist, venture capitalist, author, astronomer, and ufologist (sic)." What Pasulka never reveals in the book (and it's hard for me to believe that a researcher could possibly not have known) is that Vallee has occult beliefs and connections to an unbelievable degree. 

Fred and Bobby Dimond have a book entitled UFOs: Demonic Activity and Elaborate Hoaxes Meant to Deceive Mankind. Like everything else, the Dimonds have it backwards; the UFOs are not demons sent to deceive, rather they are demonic manifestations of those already involved with them. In this post, I will expose the "Catholic UFO writers" and the very real problem the Vatican II sect is helping to usher into the world. (I wish to acknowledge the myriad sources I have consulted and used, both online and in print, for the compilation of this post. I have condensed all this information into what I hope proves to be a concise and informative post. I take credit only for the inferences I draw from said information---Introibo). 

Background

The term “UAP” dates back to the late 1960s, but it only started to widely replace “UFO” in 2020 after the Pentagon established its UAP Task Force. Initially meaning “Unidentified Aerial Phenomena,” UAP was officially redefined as “Unidentified Anomalous Phenomena” in 2022 to cover instances of unidentified craft maneuvering between air, space, and sea. The Department of Defense’s All-domain Anomaly Resolution Office (AARO) incorporated this broader language in July 2022, and by the year’s end, the term was signed into law through the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2023. The act requires all government agencies to incorporate the phrasing.

Terminology:

RUFOs (Residual UFOs): A term coined by various researchers for the small percentage of UFO sightings that remain unexplained after thorough investigation.

IFO (Identified Flying Object): A UFO sighting that has been explained as a natural or man-made object.

From 1947 to 1969, the U.S. Air Force investigated UFOs in a top secret operation known as Project Blue Book ("PBB"). PBB investigated 12,618 reported UFO sightings. Each sighting was placed in one of several categories; psychological meant the origin was the result of an hallucination by one or more persons not of sound mind; substance induced meant the person was under the influence of drugs and/or alcohol and hallucinated it; hoax meant the person lied, made up photos, etc.; scientifically explained meant the sighting had a rational explanation (e.g., the person(s) saw a weather balloon that flew off course, etc.); and unidentified meant they did not fall into any of the other categories, they were real, yet the scientists working for PBB could not explain what they were. Of those 12,618 investigations, 701 or approximately 5.5% were in the unidentified category. 

PBB ended with three conclusions: (a) UFOs are not a threat to national security, (b) there is no evidence that the unidentified category sightings are examples of superior technology, and (c) there is no evidence that the unidentified category sightings are extraterrestrial space vehicles. The finding were eventually challenged by Dr. J. Allen Hynek, PhD (d. 1986)--an astrophysicist who was a complete skeptic, believing UFOs to be either the result of natural phenomena, hoaxes, or hallucinations from unstable witnesses.  He was hired by the Air Force to debunk any/all case sightings. Hynek is quoted as saying UFOs were nonsense and "the whole subject seems utterly ridiculous." 

By the end of PBB, Hynek had changed his mind. The hardened skeptic and agnostic believed there was sufficient evidence that UFOs were extraterrestrial or extradimensional crafts. In 1977, Hynek explained why he changed his mind:

 Two things, really. One was the completely negative and unyielding attitude of the Air Force. They wouldn't give UFOs the chance of existing, even if they were flying up and down the street in broad daylight. Everything had to have an explanation. I began to resent that, even though I basically felt the same way, because I still thought they weren't going about it in the right way. You can't assume that everything is black no matter what. Secondly, the caliber of the witnesses began to trouble me. Quite a few instances were reported by military pilots, for example, and I knew them to be fairly well-trained, so this is when I first began to think that, well, maybe there was something to all this. (See Hynek, J. Allen, The Hynek UFO Report [1977], pg. 132). 

Hynek developed the famous "Close Encounters Scale" which he published in his 1972 book The UFO Experience: A Scientific Inquiry. The scale has "Close Encounters" of the First, Second, and Third Kind. A Close Encounter of the First Kind is alleged visual sightings of a UFO at a range of about 500 feet away. A Close Encounter of the Second Kind is a UFO event in which a physical effect is alleged, such as pets acting wildly and machines failing to function properly. A Close Encounter of the Third Kind is contact with UFO in which a non-human entity is present. There was a blockbuster 1977 movie entitled Close Encounters of the Third Kind based on Hynek's scale and in which Hynek himself is given a cameo appearance at the end of the film. 

Hypotheses on UFO Origins

Of the 5.5% true "unidentifieds"--what could they be? Aside from those who attribute all UFOs to natural phenomena or human activity, even when unexplainable, there are two primary theories regarding the origins of UFOs:

ETH (Extraterrestrial Hypothesis): The ETH proposes that UFOs are physical spacecraft piloted by technologically advanced extraterrestrial beings who have traveled to Earth to study humanity in preparation for future contact.

IDH (Interdimensional Hypothesis): The IDH suggests that while UFOs may leave physical effects, they originate from a realm beyond the known physical dimensions of space-time, appearing and disappearing at will.

The Church does not assume that just because something is unexplained, it must be of supernatural origin. There is, however, a strong link to the occult that would make the positing of demonic origin plausible. As of May 2019, the US Navy has drafted new guidelines for pilots and other military personnel to report encounters with “unidentified aerial phenomena,” formally called UFOs.

(See Bryan Bender, “U.S. Navy Drafting New Guidelines for Reporting UFOs,” Politico, April 23, 2019, politico.com/story/2019/04/23/us-navy-guidelines-reporting-ufos-1375290). 

The guidelines are designed to destigmatize self-reporting of such observations and allow for assessments of them. According to the reports, there has been an uptick since 2015 in the number and frequency of unknown but “highly advanced” aircraft encroaching on US Navy aircraft and strike groups and overflying governmental facilities. Descriptions of these aircraft vary. Sometimes they are described as flying “tic tacs” and sometimes as oblong spheres. Most importantly, however, these objects act in ways that defy the laws of physics. These "unidentifieds" that don't fall into the other categories (hoax, mental illness, etc.) are the RUFO described above. RUFO activity fails to conform to the laws of physics, just as these pilots have reported.

The Occult Connection

In 1977, Stanford astronomy professor Peter Sturrock reported results of a survey taken among members of the American Astronomical Society, the principal professional organization of astronomers. Of the 1,356 respondents (professional astronomers), 62 of them (5 percent) reported witnessing unidentifiable flying objects (RUFOs), and a couple of these respondents had seen more than one. However, there was no correlation with relative observing time on the part of these professional astronomers.

These RUFO witnesses were not astronomers with the greatest amount of observing time. In fact, the sample indicated a reverse correlation. Astronomers with only a few observation hours per year witnessed RUFOs, whereas astronomers logging more than a thousand hours per year saw nothing. The reverse correlation noted here demonstrates that something besides observing time determines who sees RUFOs and who does not. The most significant factor appears to be the activities that people pursue. Observations reveal that professional astronomers deeply involved in occult pursuits often see RUFOs, whereas professional astronomers who stay away from such pursuits never encounter RUFOs. (See Sturrock, “Report on a Survey: Part 1,” 1–45; Sturrock, “Report on a Survey: Part 3,” 309–46).

In her book Encounters, "Catholic writer" Pasulka lauds the work of Dr. Jacques Vallee. Born in 1939, the Frenchman is highly educated and successful. Pasulka points this out in the Introduction of the book. What she never mentions about this "ufologist" and his hypothesis she values, is his deep occult involvement.

Meet Dr. Jacques Vallee

Besides his notable accomplishments in a variety of fields, Dr. Vallee is also considered by many to be among the world’s leading investigators of UFO phenomena and is the author of fifteen books on the subject. In his third book, Passport to Magonia, he describes 923 UFO landings from 1868-1968. Again and again, you will discover references to a wide variety of occult phenomena while the demonic nature of UFOs is evident throughout. In Messengers of Deception he observes that an “impressive parallel [can]

be made between UFO occupants and the popular conception of demons,”(pg. 15; Emphasis mine) and that UFOs can “project images or fabricated scenes designed to change our belief systems.”(pg. 19; Emphasis mine). 

 In The Invisible College he argues that the source of power behind UFOs constitutes a powerful worldwide force that has been influential in shaping human beliefs throughout history:

 “human belief... is being controlled and conditioned,” “man’s concepts are being rearranged,” and we may be headed toward “a massive change of human attitudes toward paranormal abilities and extraterrestrial life.”(See pgs. 3, 201, 204; All emphasis mine).

In his book Confrontations he points out:

The “medical examination” to which [UFO] abductees are said to be subjected, often accompanied by sadistic sexual manipulation, is reminiscent of the medieval tales of encounters with demons. It makes no sense in a sophisticated or technical or biological framework: any intelligent being equipped with the scientific marvels that UFOs possess would be in a position to achieve any of these alleged scientific objectives in a shorter time and with fewer risks. (pg. 13; Emphasis mine).

Citing the extensive research of Bertrand Meheust [Science-Fiction et Soucoupes Volantes

(Paris, 1978); Soucoupes Volantes et Folklore (Paris, 1985)], Vallee also reveals that “the symbolic display seen by the abductees is identical to the type of initiation ritual or astral voyage that is imbedded in the [occult] traditions of every culture.” (pg. 146). Thus, “The structure of abduction stories is identical to that of occult initiation rituals.” (pg. 159); and, “The UFO beings of today belong to the same class of manifestation as the [occult] entities that were described in centuries past….”(pgs. 160-161). He elsewhere observes that in terms of their profound effect on us, we are seemingly helpless to prevent it, so that in the end, “it doesn’t matter where they come from.” (See Messengers of Deception, pg. 222). 

Vallee states his interest in UFOs began in 1961, at the age of  22, when he claims to have witnessed the destruction of the tracking tapes of an unknown object orbiting the Earth while working on the staff of the French Space Committee. He then entered into correspondence with Aime Michel, an occultist who was one of the early UFO enthusiasts. Michel once called his obsession with UFOs "pathological." He was a friend with the next person who became involved with Vallee--Dr. Guerin. 

Dr. Pierre Guerin. Dr. Guerin is an eminent scientist associated with the French National Council for Scientific Research. After examining and discrediting all reasonable hope for the extraterrestrial hypothesis and rejecting as implausible the solely human (e.g., psychological) theories, he concludes that UFO “behavior is more akin to magic than to physics as we know it.” (See Pierre Guerin, “Thirty Years After Kenneth Arnold,” in Flying Saucer Review, Vol. 25, No. 1, p. 13).

 He then emphasizes that “the modern UFOnauts and the demons of past days are probably identical.” (Ibid, pg. 14). Although it is rare to find a scientist and UFO expert of Guerin’s stature who is willing to admit that the demonological connection does have relevance to UFO data, his materialistic bias emerges when he concludes that the supernatural manifestations of the UFOs are a consequence of their own “supertechnology.” (Ibid).  Nevertheless, even Guerin believes, “What is quite certain is that the phenomenon is active here on our planet, and active here as master.” (Ibid; Emphasis mine). Although not himself involved in the occult, he clearly sees something supernatural. 

Vallee's Occult Friends

Vallee is an apostate Catholic who became a Rosicrucian, member of a worldwide brotherhood claiming to possess esoteric wisdom handed down from ancient times, and is joined with Freemasonry. He has also studied the works of ancient "scientists," like Paracelsus, an occult alchemist who was also a Rosicrucian. In Vallee's 1965 book, Anatomy of a Phenomenon (and in other writings) he blasphemously called Our Lady of Lourdes, and Our Lady of Fatima to be the workings of intelligences from UFOs. He is adamant that UFOs are not extraterrestrials but "beings from another dimension."  Vallee's friends are a roll call list of occultists:

Uri Geller (b. 1946). A Jewish occultist who claims he was sent to Earth by extraterrestrials from a spaceship 53,000 light years away with telekinetic and other "supernatural powers." While many stage magicians claim him to be a fraud  ("bending spoons with his mind") and he merely is an illusionist magician, in 1973, the CIA tested his abilities and stated he proved his powers "in a convincing and unambiguous manner." (See https://web.archive.org/web/20170119221108/https://www.cia.gov/library/readingroom/docs/CIA-RDP96-00791R000100480003-3.pdf). 

Charles Arthur Muses (d. 2000). A mathematician who founded the Lion Path, a shamanistic movement. 

Jack Sarfatti (b. 1939). A theoretical physicist who was involved with occult Erhard Seminars Training or "EST."

Arthur Middleton Young (d. 1995). Helicopter pioneer who was deeply involved in astrology. 

Edgar Dean Mitchel (d. 2016). Astronaut (6th man on the moon) and Freemason who believed in aliens visiting Earth. Claimed (without proof) that he was once "cured from kidney cancer" by a "remote healer" (occult "energy manipulation" practice). 

Pasulka: Conjuring Up Evil

Does anyone think, even for a moment, that Pasulka was unaware of all this occult connection? Just as disturbing, she was a consultant to an outright occult movie The Conjuring (2013), which features the work of "Catholic" "lay exorcists," occultists Ed and Lorraine Warren. Pasulka had the following to say:

My experience working on the set was amazing.  The crew, including Director James Wan, was really pleased to have a person who was knowledgeable about the Exorcism Rite on the set. It was my first time on a movie set, and really, I had no idea who any of the stars were.  When I went home after my first day, I Googled everyone's names and about died,” Walsh-Pasulka said.

“I am proud to be a part of the whole thing. When I saw the movie at a pre-screening, I was utterly amazed that the whole crew got the theology right, throughout the whole film. They would definitely earn an A+ in my class. (See gtu.edu/news/conjuring-perfect-exorcism-alumna-student-advise-horror-flick). 

Got the theology right? They would get an A+? Let's take a closer look.

Who are Ed and Lorraine Warren?

 To keep it terse, they are frauds and occultists posing as "Catholics." Edward "Ed" Warren Miney was born September 7, 1926, and died at age 79 on August 23, 2006. He married Lorraine Rita Moran (b. 1927) in the True Church prior to Vatican II. Both were born in the True Faith, but neither really held it. From the time Ed was  5 to 12 years old, he lived in a Connecticut house in which he allegedly experienced supernatural events. "My father, who was a police officer at the time would often say, 'Ed, there's a logical reason for everything that happens in this house.' But he never came up with that logical reason," Ed said in an interview on the Warrens’ website. (See www.warrens.net)

The family heard pounding, rapping and footsteps, he said. "My family would all go to bed and just around 2 to 3 o'clock in the morning, many times I would hear the closet door beginning to open up. At first I'd look into that closet and see only shapeless darkness, then slowly I'd start to see a light beginning to form and it would morph into like a ball shape, sort of like a basketball and then I'd begin to see a face in that ball."  Ed said it was the face of an old woman. Ed Warren became a self-described "demonologist" as a result of his experience in the "haunted house" in which he grew up. He met Lorraine, soon to become his wife, and a self-described "medium/clairvoyant" through whom spirits are drawn "like a moth to a flame."

 In 1952, the couple started the New England Center for Psychic Research in Connecticut in 1952 with the goal of investigating hauntings. Around 1965, the Warrens went into a home where it was alleged that the spirit of a little girl named Cynthia who, speaking through a medium, said she was looking for her mother. The Warrens expanded the mission of their center to "help earth-bound spirits move on." According to the movie, and literature they published years prior to it, they were the "only laypeople authorized by the Vatican to perform exorcisms." How do laymen "perform exorcisms"? According to their website, "We work with any clergy that their religion teaches love of God and love of your fellow man. We are not stupid enough to think that because we are Catholics that we are the only religion saved—that's what the problem is with Ireland today—and a lot of other places. We work with all people of all faiths."

They operate an occult museum. According to their website, "See the Shadow doll that can come to you in your dreams, and stop your heart! See the Satanic Idol found in the deep woods of Connecticut, the Conjuring mirror used for summoning spirit, the Vampire’s coffin used by a modern day vampire, Bare witness to a Ragedy-Ann doll which is responsible for a death of a young man, and multiple attacks on those who once mockingly came in contact, See Masks used as a Topa for Diabolical projection,  Child Tomb stones that were used as Satanic Alters (sic), a Famous Organ that plays by itself. You will also see Psychic Photography, Pictures that would combust, and Crucifixes that were malevolently thrown from walls and desecrated, Egyptian, and African cursed items, Death curses, a Shrunken head,   Possessed toys and animals, Voodoo, Fertility and other Killer dolls!"

Some of the Famous "Hauntings" with which the Warrens are Associated

•  The Warrens are probably best known for their involvement in the 1976 "Amityville Horror" case in which Long Island, NY couple George and Kathy Lutz claimed that their house was haunted by a violent, demonic presence so intense that it eventually drove them out of their home. The story has been largely discredited. In 2012, son Christopher Lutz, admitted that almost all events were elaborate hoaxes to make money with book and movie deals. (The story did spawn many films and a novel). Christopher tried to make money on his version of the events, claiming his step-father brought evil into the home through occult practices. 

• In 1971, the Warrens claimed that the Harrisville, Rhode Island, home of the Perron family was haunted by a witch who lived there in the early 19th century. According to the Warrens, Bathsheba Sherman cursed the land so that whoever lived there somehow died. It was the basis of the Conjuring movie. 

• The Warren's investigated an alleged poltergeist in an Enfield, North London council house. The people included were Peggy Hodgson, her 13 year old daughter Margaret, her 11 year old daughter Janet, her 10 year old son Johnny, and her 9 year old son Billy. This was the basis for the second Conjuring movie in 2016.

• Jack and Janet Smurl reported their Pennsylvania home was disturbed by numerous supernatural phenomena, including sounds, smells and apparitions. The Warrens became involved and claimed that the Smurl home was occupied by three "minor spirits" and also a demon that allegedly "raped" Jack Smurl. 

• The Warrens claimed the help of Traditionalist Bishop Robert McKenna in some exorcisms.

The Serious Problems with it All

•  There is not one shred of evidence that the Vatican (pre or post Vatican II) ever gave the Warrens permission to do exorcisms. While the Modernist Vatican might do anything, they still show no evidence. As far as the True Church under Pope Pius XII, no such permission would ever be given. Under the 1917 Code of Canon Law, only "priests marked by piety, prudence, and integrity" may perform exorcisms (See Canon 1151; See also Canonists Abbo and Hannon, The Sacred Canons 2:143). It is a task for the ordained.

• Ed Warren had no theological or other qualifications to be a "demonologist" (whatever that means). He simply gave himself a title. 

• Lorraine Warren claims to be a "trance medium." Such is condemned by both the Bible and Church teaching. "Let no one be found among you who sacrifices their son or daughter in the fire, who practices divination or sorcery, interprets omens, engages in witchcraft,or casts spells, or who is a medium or spiritist or who consults the dead. Anyone who does these things is detestable to the LORD; because of these same detestable practices the LORD your God will drive out those nations before you." (See Deuteronomy 18:10-12; Emphasis mine.) According to theologian Jone, "Spiritism claims to be able to communicate with the spirit world and endeavors to establish such commerce with it. Although spiritism is for the most part fraud, still the intention alone to enter into communication with spirits is gravely sinful. Therefore, it is mortally sinful to conduct a spiritistic seance or to act as a medium." (See Moral Theology, pg. 100; Emphasis mine). 

• They openly deny that the Catholic Church is the One True Church outside of which there is no salvation, and work with any "clergy" that teach "love of God...and your fellow man." People who believe in the dogma Extra Ecclesiam Nulla Salus are derided as "stupid."

• There are no "spirits" needing "help to move on." Angels are in Heaven, demons are in Hell, and the souls of the deceased are in Heaven, Hell or Purgatory, not walking around houses making things go "bump in the night." True, demons can do harm on Earth, but they are not in need of any "help" to "move on."

• Who in their right mind would keep an "occult museum"?   It can be construed as a shrine to evil. Who would want to look at such wicked things (even if they are a hoax)? Can you imagine the Apostles taking one of the demon-possessed pigs which jumped off a cliff and putting it on display? (See St. Mark 5:2-13) This is just a sick and malevolent way to get attention and make money. (The Warrens "passed the torch" to their son-in-law, Tony Spera). 

• Ed Warren claims that pets have immortal souls, contrary to Church teaching.

• The so-called "Smurl Haunting" involves a man being "raped" by a demon, and the presence of "minor spirits" (whatever that means). How can a demon (a spiritual entity) "rape" a physical body? Some may quote Genesis 6:2-4, "The sons of God seeing the daughters of men, that they were fair, took to themselves wives of all which they chose. And God said: My spirit shall not remain in man for ever, because he is flesh, and his days shall be a hundred and twenty years. Now giants were upon the earth in those days. For after the sons of God went in to the daughters of men, and they brought forth children, these are the mighty men of old, men of renown." Some claim the "sons of God" were fallen angels producing giants with human females, sometimes called by Protestants as "Nephilim." God did not create angels with the ability to procreate with each other or with humans. God, Who knew from the beginning that He would be betrayed, established the creation of the angels in Heaven, and they would neither marry nor be given in marriage (see St. Mark 12:25).  He created them without this capability so that even when the fallen angels rebelled, nothing they could do would ever change this fact.  This is why demons can only go so far as to possess people.  If the demons could procreate, they would not waste their time possessing people, since procreation would be a more direct route of affecting and infecting humanity for their evil purposes. 

• Bishop McKenna never affiliated himself with the Warrens. The good and holy Bishop tried to help those who may be affected by demonic forces. The Warrens were sometimes there, but it is a lie to say he was affiliated with them in any way. In an interview with Michael W. Cuneo, author of American Exorcism, then Father (later Bp.) McKenna said that the Warren's "… books are sensationalized, and you just can’t take it literally. I don’t like to be publicly associated with them." Indeed, he did not want to be associated with such evil people; he was trying to help others. 

Strange Events Surrounding the Film

 The Conjuring (2013):

• When the movie was shown in the Philippines, some cinemas had to hire Vatican II "priests" to bless the viewers before showing it. This is due to some viewers having reported a "Negative Presence" after watching the film. The "priests" also provided spiritual and psychological help to the viewers.

• Andrea Perron wrote a three-part book based on her experiences in the house titled 'House of Darkness, House of Light.' Experiences written about in her book also appear in the film. Perron cites the film as a "work of art" and not a work of fiction.

• James Wan, the director, was working on the script one late night. He had just adopted a new puppy, who started staring at a supposedly empty side of the room and began to growl aggressively. Wan stated that his dog's head then followed something all across the room, but he didn't see anything.

• Vera Farmiga, the actress who plays Lorraine Warren, opened her computer one day to keep reading the script. She noticed five claw marks scratched straight across her screen.

• When the directors and Lorraine Warren  would chat on the phone about the script, they kept getting cut off by weird sounds and a lot of static. Then, out of nowhere, the line would suddenly go dead.

• The mother of the Perron family claimed to have felt the same strange dark presence, similar to when she first experienced the occurrences depicted in the film. She later tripped and suffered some wounds, which put her in the hospital.

So What's Going on with the New UFO Craze and the Vatican II Sect?

I'll leave it up to each of my readers to decide what all this means. You now have the information to draw your own conclusion. 

1. There is increasing V2 sect fascination with UFOs.
2. The biggest advocates of UFOs are deeply involved with the occult; some pretending to be "Catholic" while involved in the occult. 
3. Members of the Vatican II sect who are involved with UFOs usually hold un-Catholic and anti-Catholic beliefs.
4. Many of the people now pushing UFOs at conferences and the like tell us that they are "beings that will change humanity's beliefs"
5. The thought of aliens or "otherworldly intelligences" take people's minds off the things of God, and some hope they will bring "paradise on Earth."
6. The people who get involved with unidentified flying objects, even as a passing interest, usually wind up with involvement in other topics (like Darwinian evolution) which does nothing to help the soul. It is often a doorway to occult practices and heresy.
7.  Bergoglio has spoken of "baptizing aliens."

Conclusion

What will happen to people (especially children) who are exposed to occult ideas and influences through interest in UFOs? In the words of that character from the pagan/occult movie franchise Star Wars, Han Solo, "I have a bad feeling about this."

The Communion Of Saints And Obedience

 

This week my guest poster, Mr. John Gregory, gives us much food for thought concerning the Communion of Saints and the duty of obedience. I'm sure you will get much out of it, as I did! Please feel free to comment as usual. If you have a specific comment or query for me, I will answer as I always do, but it will take me a bit longer to reply this week.

God bless you all, my dear readers---Introibo

The Communion Of Saints And Obedience

By John Gregory

For as in one body we have many members, but all the members have not the same office; so we being many, are one body in Christ and everyone members of another (Romans 12: 4 & 5)

As it is with any corporate body, so it is with the Mystical Body of Christ, which is the Roman Catholic Church, that the Church Militant works best when the leaders are not corrupt and are faithfully submitted to.  We are all part of one body.  Has anyone encountered a bully that takes your arm and hits you in the face with your hand and says, “why are you hitting yourself”?  When Catholics have strifes and contentions, hatred and ill will, calumny and detraction among us we must ask ourselves, “why are we hitting ourself?” This recalls to mind a debate I was having with a ““bible” “Christian”” on meriting.  I told him we can make up for what is lacking in the sufferings of Christ.  He freaked out, saying nothing lacks in the sufferings of Christ, which is true, but this bible Christian must have missed in the bible (which he claims to be the sole rule of authority for Christians), “Who now rejoice in my sufferings for you, and fill up those things that are wanting of the sufferings of Christ, in my flesh, for his body, which is the church”.  Colossians 1: 24.  The commentary is as follows, "Wanting:" There is no want in the sufferings of Christ in himself as head: but many sufferings are still wanting, or are still to come, in his body the church, and his members the faithful.

The one true faith is so beautiful as we have advocates not only on earth who can pray for us but also in heaven and very likely purgatory, certainly when they reach heaven, but the common teaching is that despite not being able to pray for themselves in purgatory, they can pray for us.  The protestants, at best can run the race on one leg, while we use the whole body in the most effective and efficient ways.  They ask not the intercession of the Queen Mother of the King of Kings, along with the prayers of all just men in Heaven.  The prayers they avail themselves from earthly dwellers is only for temporal prosperity as they are “already saved”.  The “Savior” of the bible Christians is a personal Lord and Savior, but our fellowship is with the Church Militant, Suffering and Triumphant as Saint John alludes below in our trusty Catechism of Trent (CoT):  

“The Communion of Saints”

The Evangelist Saint John, writing to the faithful on the divine mysteries, explains as follows why he undertook to instruct them in these truths: That you may have fellowship with us, and our fellowship may be with the Father, and with his son Jesus Christ. (1 John 1: 3) This fellowship consists in the Communion of Saints, the subject of the present Article.

IMPORTANCE OF THIS TRUTH

Would that in its exposition pastors imitated the zeal of Paul and of the other Apostles.  For not only is it a development of the preceding Article and a doctrine productive of abundant fruit; it also teaches the use to be made of the mysteries contained in the Creed, because the great end to which we should direct all our study and knowledge of them is that we may be admitted into this most august and blessed society of the Saints, and may steadily persevere therein, giving thanks with joy to God the Father, who hath made us worthy to be partakers of the lot of the saints in light. (Colossians 1: 12)

Unlike false Christians, Catholics have not a perceived unity with Christ, as well as whoever happens to agree with us.  He is not merely my personal Lord and Savior, he is our Redeemer, we, who form the Mystical Body of Christ with a unity of Faith, Sacraments and disciplines.  We are in this together as it were.  God has worked it out that, generally speaking, we cannot do it alone, we need the help of others.  From the moment of conception until the day we die we are either dependent on others or cannot accomplish our goals without the help of others.  Parents, priests, friends and neighbors.  What would a restaurant be like if no one kept it clean, or washed the dishes or served the food?  Picture a football team missing a quarterback or offensive lineman.  We are put in this world, in part, to help one another, to make things easier for one another, to encourage one another.  Yet what happens?  We needlessly make things more difficult for one another with needless bureaucracy, shoddy customer service and exorbitant pricing.   

Manifest pride, raising its ugly head to keep one another down.  We ruin someone’s birthday because he gave us a strange look twelve years ago.  Jump in front of a man with our full cart of groceries when he has only one item to be checked out.  Give a cold shoulder to someone because of the latest gossip we heard about him.  We live our lives based upon perception rather than reality.  That is, we do what we do based upon what others think rather than on what God knows.  We seek the approval of man rather than God and make our lives and eternity miserable in the process.  Let us fast from pride which makes us believe we need to get back at others who have offended our magnificent personage and feast on the main entre of humility which turns the other cheek and prays for those who persecute them.  Exit pride that thinks we know it all and enter humility which seeks to learn from others such as the splendid (CoT) relates below:

Meaning of “The Communion of Saints”

The faithful, therefore, in the first place are to be informed that this part of the Article, is, as it were, a sort of explanation of the preceding part which regards the unity, sanctity and catholicity of the Church.  For the unity of the Spirit, by which she is governed, brings it about that whatsoever has been given to the Church is held as a common possession by all her members.

COMMUNION OF SACRAMENTS

The fruit of all the Sacraments is common to all the faithful and these Sacraments, particularly Baptism, the door, as it were, by which we are admitted into the Church, are so many sacred bonds which bind and unite them to Christ.  That this communion of Saints implies a communion of Sacraments, the Fathers declare in these words of the Creed: I confess one Baptism.  After Baptism, the Eucharist holds the first place in reference to this communion, and after that the other Sacraments; for although this name (communion) is applicable to all the Sacraments, inasmuch as they unite us to God, and render us partakers of Him whose grace we receive, yet it belongs in a peculiar manner to the Eucharist which actually produces this communion.

COMMUNION OF GOOD WORKS

But there is also another communion in the Church which demands attention.  Every pious and holy action done by one belongs to and becomes profitable to all through charity, which seeketh not her own. (1 Corinthians 13: 5) This is proved by the testimony of Saint Ambrose, who, explaining these words of the Psalmist, I am a partaker with all them that fear thee, (Psalm 118) observes: As we say that a limb is partaker of the entire body, so are we partakers with all that fear God.  Therefore has Christ taught us that form of prayer in which we say our, not my bread; and the other Petitions are equally general, not confined to ourselves alone, but directed also to the common interest and the salvation of all.

The same may be observed in the Church.  She is composed of various members; that is, of different nations, of Jews, Gentiles, freemen and slaves, of rich and poor; when they have been baptized, they constitute one body with Christ, of which He is the Head.  To each member of the Church is also assigned his own peculiar office.  As some are appointed apostles, some teachers, but all for the common good; so to some it belongs to govern and teach, to others to be subject and obey.

THOSE WHO SHARE IN THIS COMMUNION

The advantages of so many and such exalted blessings bestowed by Almighty God are enjoyed by those who lead a Christian life in charity, and are just and beloved of God.  As to the dead members; that is, those who are bound in the thralldom of sin and estranged from the grace of God, they are not so deprived of these advantages as to cease to be members of this body; but since they are dead members, they do not share in the spiritual fruit which is communicated to the just and pious.  However, as they are in the Church, they are assisted in recovering lost grace and life by those who live by the Spirit; and they also enjoy those benefits which are without doubt denied to those who are entirely cut off from the Church.

COMMUNION IN OTHER BLESSINGS

Not only the gifts which justify and endear us to God are common.  Graces gratuitously granted, such as knowledge, prophecy, the gifts of tongues and of miracles, and others of the same sort, are common also, and are granted even to the wicked, not, however, for their own but for the general good, for the edification of the Church.  Thus, the gift of healing is given not for the sake of him who heals, but for the sake of him who is healed.

In fine, every true Christian possesses nothing which he should not consider common to all others with himself, and should therefore be prepared promptly to relieve an indigent fellow-creature.  For he that is blessed with worldly goods, and sees his brother in want, and will not assist him, is plainly convicted of not having the love of God within him. (1 John 3: 17)

Those, therefore, who belong to this holy communion, it is manifest, do now enjoy a certain degree of happiness and can truly say: How lovely are thy tabernacles, O Lord of hosts! My soul longeth and fainteth for the courts of the Lord. . . . Blessed are they who dwell in thy house, O Lord. (Psalm 83: 2, 3, 5) [CoT]

As mentioned earlier, the Church Militant works best when the leaders are not corrupt and are faithfully summitted to.  This starts in the family.  Like a body, the family is composed of the head (dad), the heart (mom), and the members (children).  If the head says, “don’t walk off the cliff” and the members disobey, we have issues.  This is true in parishes as well.  If the priest is weak and allows lay people to run his church problems arise.  The big donor who remakes the Church into the image and likeness of herself which the priest fears to contradict for fear of losing support.  One bad apple can ruin the whole basket as a drop of poison ruins the whole leaven.  One disobedient soul who refuses to wear tie and jacket to Sunday Mass week after week (this should be done for daily Mass as well unless undue inconvenience would be caused such as not having time to change into work cloths after Mass), after hearing a sermon on how we should dress for Mass.  Any number of ways that women do the same.  Pope Pius XII and Saint Paul put it very well.  “Let Us remind all that they must generously and faithfully obey their holy pastors who possess the right and duty of regulating the whole life, especially the spiritual life, of the Church. ‘Obey your prelates and be subject to them. For they watch as having to render an account of your souls; that they may do this with joy and not with grief.’"  (Mediator Dei; Hebrews 13: 17)

Children, in addition to obeying their parents when under their domain, must honor them throughout their lives.  Primarily this should be concern for their salvation.  We live in terrible times.  In my experience it seems many old people, at least those who are semi well to do, do everything in their power to put off even thinking of death.  My parents themselves admitted that it is common among the Irish to not buy their plots for fear that the result would be that they would die soon after.  

Like the rest of the world, they have everything exactly backwards. The most important part of our existence is where we spend our eternity, ultimately it is the only thing that matters.  Yet, people go out of their way to not even think about it, even in their extreme old age.  People pushing ninety or older who were raised Catholic and still claim to be, convince themselves that Jesus dying for our sins means they do not have to worry about going to Hell.  I encountered such a gentleman, and it threw me for a loop.  Was this the same intelligent man I talked to years before who made a very valid point that even if Catholic teaching on Hell is only possibly right wouldn’t you want to err on the safe side?  Is this the same person who agreed “in theory” that contraception is a grave evil?  A grave evil but if we believe in Jesus, we do not have to worry about going to Hell over it?  People will convince themselves of anything, no matter how brutally fanciful, that contradicts stubborn facts they prefer not to accept.  

Generous “Catholic” souls who care for their parents' physical well-being in their old age prefer not to concern themselves with getting them a certainly valid priest in grave illness, even if their parents expressed a certain openness to receiving Last Rites from a valid priest. Please don’t fall into the trap of reassuring your parents that death is certainly not imminent in their serious illness and act as if their salvation is in the bag when they have been members of the nordite anti-Christ church since its inception.  Do all you can to get a valid priest to them in their grave illness.  If your parents are squeamish about it let the priest know ahead of time that they may be resistant.  If they insist that they do not want a traditional priest, talk to a good priest about the situation and follow his advice.  But for the love of God and your parents' souls do not act like a grave illness is nothing to worry about nor pretend they have it made in shade when it comes to their salvation.  

He went down with them, and came to Nazareth; and was subject to them (St. Luke 2: 51)

MANNER OF HONORING PARENTS

The honor which children are commanded to pay to their parents should be the spontaneous offering of sincere and dutiful love.  This is nothing more than their due, since for love of us, they shrink from no labor, no exertion, no danger.  Their highest pleasure is to feel that they are loved by their children, the dearest objects of their affection.  Joseph, when he enjoyed in Egypt the highest station and the most ample power after the king himself, received with honor his father, who had come into Egypt. (Genesis 46: 29) Solomon rose to meet his mother as she approached; and having paid her respect, placed her on a royal throne on his right hand. (3 Kings 2: 19)

We also owe to our parents other duties of respect, such as to supplicate God in their behalf, that they may lead prosperous and happy lives, beloved and esteemed by all who know them, and most pleasing in the sight of God and of the Saints in heaven.

We also honor them by submission to their wishes and inclinations.  My son, says Solomon, hear the instruction of thy father and forsake not the law of thy mother; that grace may be added to thy head, and a chain of gold to thy neck. (Proverbs 1: 8, 9) Of the same kind are the exhortations of Saint Paul.  Children, he says, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is just; (Ephesians 6: 1) and also, children, obey your parents in all things, for this is well-pleasing to the Lord. (Colossians 3: 20) (This doctrine) is confirmed by the example of the holiest men.  Isaac, when bound for sacrifice by his father, meekly and uncomplainingly obeyed; (Genesis 22: 9) and the Rechabites, not to depart from the counsel of their father, always abstained from wine. (Jeremias 35: 6)

We also honor our parents by the imitation of their good example; for, to seek to resemble closely anyone is the highest mark of esteem towards him.  We also honor them when we not only ask, but follow their advice.

Again, we honor our parents when we relieve their necessities, supplying them with necessary food and clothing according to these words of Christ, who, when reproving the impiety of the Pharisees, said: Why do you also transgress the commandments of God because of your traditions?  For God said: “Honour thy father and thy mother,” and “He that shall curse father or mother let him die the death.”  But you say: “Whosoever shall say to his father or mother.   The gift whatsoever proceedeth from me, shall profit thee.”  And he shall not honour his father or his mother; and you have made void the commandment of God for your tradition. (St. Matthew 15: 3 – 6)

But if at all times it is our duty to honor our parents, this duty becomes still more imperative when they are visited by severe illness.  We should then see to it that they do not neglect confession and the other Sacraments which every Christian should receive at the approach of death.  We should also see that pious and religious persons visit them frequently to strengthen their weakness, assist them by their counsel, and animate them to the hope of immortality, that having risen above the concerns of this world, they may fix their thoughts entirely on God.  Thus blessed with the sublime virtues of faith, hope and charity, and fortified by the helps of religion, they will not only look at death without fear, since it is necessary, but will even welcome it, as it hastens their entrance into eternity.

Finally, we honor our parents, even after their death, by attending their funerals, procuring for them suitable obsequies and burial, having due suffrages and anniversary Masses offered for them, and faithfully executing their last wills. (CoT)

I mentioned earlier concern for Vatican II sect parents of Catholic children when it comes to assisting them to make a good end and asked a sage for advice and the following was the response.

My advice to you, my dear friends, is a few suggestions.  They are all important and Jesus and Mary would like it best.  First, pray the rosary every day for these poor people.  Recommend them every day to Mary.  If possible, say the whole Rosary every day (15 decades).  She will be pleased with your supplications and will answer your prayers for sure (even if they go to other people).  Remember to say it devoutly and with attention.  

Second, recommend them to the Sacred Heart of Jesus and to the Immaculate Heart of Mary.  Not just the Heart of Mary, but the Rosary, and the Heart of Jesus are hopes of mankind.  Immerse these souls in these two Sacred Hearts, and I assure you all, Jesus and Mary will do everything to save them.  Mary will intercede for them to her Son.  Which she will do when you pray the Rosary as well.  Jesus, of course, will hear her and deliver His graces through her hands to distribute to these poor sinners.  Pray, pray, pray, and never cease to pray.  The Hearts of Jesus and Mary are attentive to the force of your supplications.  

Third, offer all the holy Masses you attend, and Holy Communions you receive, as well as all true Masses being offered throughout the world, for these souls.  The Mass is the most perfect prayer for souls when you recommend them in the consecration, when Christ comes down from Heaven to earth to offer Himself as the Eternal High-Priest for the salvation of souls.  Every time one person receives Holy Communion worthily, something good happens to everyone on earth and Purgatory.  

Last, but not least, God relishes sacrifices offered for poor sinners.  Offer every day of your lives for them, as well as your sleep, the food you eat, the water you drink, your joys, your sorrows, your sufferings, and even your heartbeats.  Make these sacrifices as an act of both supplication and reparation to God for sinners.  God will help you save your soul as well as those of others.  I recommend and even beg you all to make this last recommendation in the most perfect way you can do.  Make the consecration to Jesus through the hands of Mary, as recommended by Saint Louis Marie de Monfort.  There are books on this that explain this consecration, how to do it.  I cannot explain now how this consecration helps to save souls but read about it and I assure you, you will understand what this means.  

It will save many souls through the hands of Mary, most holy.  I suggest you all follow every one of these suggestions which are not really hard for those who love God and want to do His will.  Ask the Holy Ghost for assistance.  If you but do all these things you will save your soul as well as the souls of many, many others.  Take care not to sin yourself, these things will not be profitable to you or others if you too become a castaway.  Purify your soul and sin not.  I assure you; God will do the rest through Mary’s hands.  If those you are trying to save lose their souls because they do not accept God’s numerous graces, you are not to blame because you did all you could do to save them.  God will bestow His graces to other souls who are more ready to accept them, thus you will gain more merits for yourself.  (From my daughter)

For reinforcement might we take a glance at Moral and Pastoral Theology, by theologian Davis, first published in 1935?

Duties of Children

Children are bound to love, reverence and obey their parents: to love them, because of the natural union between parent and child, and by reason of the benefits received; to reverence them, because of a parent’s dignity and authority, the dignity of co-operation in creation, the authority in the natural unit of society, which is the family; to obey them, because the parent has a right and duty to educate the child, physically, morally, religiously and intellectually.

Love and reverence are absolute and perpetual obligations; obedience is conditional and temporary whilst the child has need of a parent, but both Civil and Ecclesiastical law may and do determine the duration of the state of tutelage, and therefore the obligation of submission and obedience, beyond the strict requirements of Natural law.

Each of these duties of love, reverence and obedience, has its own specific object, and can be specifically violated, and obviously the two former are more obligatory in the case of parents than of strangers.  The sins of children against parents are, therefore, in the nature of things, and because rational nature so dictates, more serious than would be their sins against others.

The love which children owe must be that of benevolence and beneficence, that is, interior love externally exhibited by relieving parents’ needs, evincing external signs of love, guarding parents from evil, corporal and spiritual.  Children seriously sin against this precept by hating their parents, wishing them serious evil, showing serious signs of great hatred, treating them heartlessly, speaking to them as to enemies, not helping them, when possible, in grave necessity of soul or body, inciting them to great anger and sadness, seriously neglecting to visit them in sickness.

Reverence, both interior and exterior, is due to parents: “Cursed is he that honoureth not his father and mother” (Deuteronomy 27: 16).  Children sin grievously against this precept of reverence by striking parents unjustly, raising the hand to strike them, heaping reproaches undeservedly on them, uttering unjust and serious threats, despising or disregarding them in their poverty, cursing them, seriously ridiculing them, refusing to show customary signs of respect to their great and reasonable sorrow. [cf. Exod. 21, 15 : 21, 17 ; Prov 30, 17.  It is held to be not sinful, though revolting to noble natures, if a child who has achieved high position in the State disregards parents in a humble condition of life, provided, of course, the latter are not in need of help.]

Children are bound to obey their parents in their lawful commands so long as they live under the parental authority.  When emancipated, they still owe them love and reverence but not obedience.  They are emancipated when they have completed the twenty-first year of age—though still living under the parental roof—or when they marry, or enter the religious life.  [In English law a child is emancipated when twenty-one years of age.  In American law, emancipation may take place before that age by agreement in writing or by parol.  Judicial emancipation may be got in some of the States of the Union before the age of twenty-one.  In many States, females attain majority at eighteen years of age : cf. Slater (ed. 1909), I, p. 272.] They sin grievously by disobedience in a grave matter that falls within the scope of parental authority, and if such matter is seriously forbidden by parents.  As a fact, young children do not usually offend grievously in disobeying, on account of their levity and inadvertence, and for want of seriousness on the part of parents.

Children who have come to the use of reason are entitled to embrace the True Faith if they do not belong to it. Parents have no power to forbid this, neither can they oblige their children to adopt a particular state of life in the world, but the parents’ legal consent is sometimes necessary, and their canonical consent is necessary, probably up to the emancipation of the child (c. 89).  Parents may not force their children to marry, nor to enter the religious state, nor deter them from the latter (cc. 971, 1087, 2352). 

Although, after choosing a fixed state of life, children are emancipated, yet on account of parents’ grave need they may be obliged to defer, for a time, their choice, if they cannot otherwise help their parents.  Thus, though a minor may legally enlist without his parents’ consent, he may be obliged to remain in civil life for a time.

In regard to marriage, minors should ordinarily have the approval of their parents, both for entering on marriage and for their choice of partner, but on the other hand, parents should not be selfish in putting unreasonable obstacles in the way of their children’s marriage.  By so doing, they forfeit love and respect, since they do not allow the freedom which they enjoyed themselves.  In any case, the approval of parents is not necessary to the valid marriage of their children (c. 1034), though, from the motive of love, children may sometimes be obliged to accede to a parent’s wish.  According to the Marriage Act (an. 1823), the consent of certain persons—including guardians in default of parents—is necessary for the marriage of minors, though absence of consent does not render the marriage void.  But if such marriage of a minor is procured, without the necessary consent, by the false oath or declaration of one of the parties, the Attorney or Solicitor General may sue for a forfeiture of any interest in property accruing to such party by reason of the marriage.  Children are bound by Natural law to support parents who cannot support themselves; there is also the legal obligation to provide necessary maintenance.

Conclusion

A key to maintaining an existence that is pleasing to God is prudence.  The prudence to know when to speak and when to be silent.  When to encourage and when to correct.  This especially when it comes to honoring your father and your mother in the best way possible by doing all in your power (at least all that can be reasonably expected from you by God) to make sure your parents die a happy death.  As the sage (my daughter Anastasia, aged 14 at the time of the writing) above mentioned, we must pray for them, prudence would certainly dictate that prayer is more effective than trying to win an argument with them.  The key to their salvation, and ours, can be our perseverance in prayer.  Not giving up.  “Doing violence to God”, pounding on His door at midnight and not taking “no” for an answer.  

What is interesting to consider is the big picture throughout your life.  If you look at all your interactions with those God puts on your path as a potential for facilitating a happy final end for all, you will build your relationships upon truth, honesty and integrity.  You will be known as an honest and reliable person, and your admonishments will be taken more seriously as a result.  If your goal is to help your parents save their souls, you will not let trifling quibbles get in the way.  Their souls are more important than how you are perceived.  A prayer is far more beneficial than a petty grudge.  Winning souls are far more important than winning arguments.  It is indeed quite true that we must live holy lives ourselves if we want to help others save their souls.  

Contending For The Faith---Part 30

 

In St. Jude 1:3, we read, "Dearly beloved, taking all care to write unto you concerning your common salvation, I was under a necessity to write unto you: to beseech you to contend earnestly for the faith once delivered to the saints." [Emphasis mine]. Contending For The Faith is a series of posts dedicated to apologetics (i.e.,  the intellectual defense of the truth of the Traditional Catholic Faith) to be published the first Monday of each month.  This is the next installment.

Sadly, in this time of Great Apostasy, the faith is under attack like never before, and many Traditionalists don't know their faith well enough to defend it. Remember the words of our first pope, "But in your hearts revere Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect..." (1Peter 3:16). There are five (5) categories of attacks that will be dealt with in these posts. Attacks against:

• The existence and attributes of God
• The truth of the One True Church established by Christ for the salvation of all 
• The truth of a particular dogma or doctrine of the Church
• The truth of Catholic moral teaching
• The truth of the sedevacantist position as the only Catholic solution to what has happened since Vatican II 

In addition, controversial topics touching on the Faith will sometimes be featured, so that the problem and possible solutions may be better understood. If anyone had suggestions for topics that would fall into any of these categories, you may post them in the comments. I cannot guarantee a post on each one, but each will be carefully considered.

True Immortality

No one likes to think about death. Especially one's own. Yet death stares us in the face everyday. We hear of people dying in the news, and in our neighborhoods. It hits home especially hard when someone you love passes. Among the hardest for me were my parents, my best friend from high school, a gentleman who was like family to me, and Fr. DePauw. It's at those times we need our Faith most of all.

The fear of death is natural. Despite the fact that life is overall more suffering than happiness, we want to live as long, and as well, as possible. The great poet, and Catholic priest, Fr. Gerard Manly Hopkins' (1844-1889) most famous poem, Spring and Fall to a Young Child, speaks to this fact. 

Margaret, are you grieving

Over Goldengrove unleaving?

Leaves, like the things of man, you

With your fresh thoughts care for, can you?

Ah! as the heart grows older

It will come to such sights colder

By and by, nor spare a sigh

Though worlds of wanwood leafmeal lie;

And yet you will weep and know why.

Now no matter, child, the name:

Sorrow’s springs are the same.

Nor mouth had, no nor mind, expressed

What heart heard of, ghost guessed:

It is the blight man was born for,

It is Margaret you mourn for.

The young girl in the poem, Margaret, is sad about the trees dying in the fall. However, we are told that what she's really sad about is the fact that she (in the spring of life) realizes the she will also reach her autumn and die. She has become self-aware of her own mortality for the first time. In 1973, cultural anthropologist Ernest Becker (1924–1974) published his seminal and Pulitzer Prize–winning book The Denial of Death. He advanced the idea that death anxiety comes naturally to all people because they find the thought of death and dying unacceptable. That is why, he argued, everything everyone does – the goals we set, our passions and hobbies, and the activities we engage in – is, in essence, a coping strategy, and that these are things we focus on so we that need not worry about our eventual death.

Becker’s work gave rise to “terror management theory" (TMT), which posits that humans must constantly deal with an internal conflict: the basic desire to live against the certainty of death. TMT emphasizes individuals’ self-consciousness and their drive to achieve personal goals, motivated by the awareness of mortality. For Traditionalists, that is a good thing.  Ecclesiasticus 7:40 tells us: "In all thy works remember thy last end, and thou shalt never sin." 

For those who don't have the Faith, death is not only inescapable, but the greatest of all evils--so much so, life isn't worth it. German atheist philosopher Arthur Schopenhauer, is claimed to have remarked, "The greatest of all possible worlds is to have never been conceived." (I have never seen a citation to the source for that quote). To him it is better not to exist at all than to exist and then cease to exist (that's what he believed, even if the quote is not his). 

Having the firm Faith in the resurrection and the ability to live with God forever in Heaven, is the only thing that makes death and suffering worth it. The quest for immortality is so well ingrained that many people seek "immortality" in other ways; each of which is futile and accomplishes nothing. Surprisingly, many Traditionalists also fall for this trap, instead of focusing on living a good life, to die a good death, and avoid the "second death" of unending torment in Hell. 

This post will explore some of the most popular ways to be "immortal," and why it fails. Some of the popular "immortality slogans" (as I call them) that even some Traditionalists fall for will be exposed. Thus equipped, you will be prepared to answer those who want to live forever (literally or symbolically) without the One True Faith. 

Living Healthy Until Death Becomes Obsolete?

Bulletproof Coffee founder and "biohacker" advocate, David Asprey (b. 1973), claims to have spent $1 million on a quest to live to 180. To accomplish this, he has bone marrow extracted from his hips and then has the stem cells filtered out and injected into every joint in his body, his spinal cord, and his cerebral fluid. He intends to do this twice a year. He also “takes 100 supplements a day, religiously follows a low-carb, high fat diet, bathes in infrared light, chills in a cryotherapy chamber, and relaxes in a hyperbaric oxygen chamber.” (See “Asprey’s Quest for 180,” The Week, February 15, 2019, pg. 10). 

The fear of death motivates people to exercise and eat certain ways. To take reasonable good care of our health is necessary under the Fifth Commandment. We should all strive to exercise and eat right. However, taking it to extremes like Asprey, is not only fanatical, but false. People place so much hope in diet and exercise to stave off death that when someone is stricken with a serious disease, we often see Traditionalists and non-Traditionalists alike start blaming the sickness on some unhealthy or unwise habit of the sufferer. People do this because they desperately want to believe that if they live rightly, then tragedy won’t strike them. When someone dies, people often ask, "How old was he?" If it's 90 or above, the sigh of relief comes, if not, "What did he die from?" If it was a disease, then he must have done something wrong, like smoke, drink, etc. Many don't want to accept that death can come for anyone no matter how healthy he/she may be.

Theologian Jone reminds us of the duty which the Fifth Commandment imposes upon us: "Since death can result from the neglect of adequate care of one's health, the preservation of life and health is also a duty." (See Moral Theology, [1961], pg. 133). We can (and should) try to live as long and healthy as possible. This includes a good diet, exercise, getting regular medical check-ups, don't smoke, don't drink to excess, etc. I do all that. However, there are those that think that if we can just live long enough, medical science will cure all our ailments and we need only worry about dying in an accident.

Didn't people in the Bible live hundreds of years? Why can't we? Methuselah was a person mentioned in the Old Testament who lived to be 969 years old. (See Genesis 5:27). We also find that Adam lived to be 930 years old and Seth was 912 years old when he died. The shift is due to changes in cell activity. 

Our cells can only replicate a limited number of times. For the somatic cells that make up our organs, the telomere region of the chromosomes is incompletely replicated during cell division. Eventually, the chromosomes become so short that important genes fail to get replicated leading to the inability to replace damaged cells, resulting in organ shut-down and death. There is an enzyme, telomerase, which adds nucleotide base pairs to the ends of DNA to counteract the shortening process. There is one huge drawback: If cancer should occur, the tumors would grow unchecked and virtually unstoppable no matter what kind of cancer. Too much telomerase activity will bring about an early death from cancers and tumors; too little results in earlier death from organ failure. (See, e.g., E. Blackburn, "Telomere States and Cell Fates," Nature 408 [November 2, 2000]: 53-56). We are limited in our current world to a maximum life span of about 125 at the very best. This is shown accurate by Jeanne Calment (1875-1997), who is the oldest person whose age has been independently verified, dying at the age of 122 years and 164 days.

What if science eliminates cancer? Harvard demographer Nathan Keyfitz (1913–2010) calculated in 1977 (and still holds true today) that if researchers cured all forms of cancer, people would live only a measly 2.265 years longer before they died of something else. (See Nathan Keyfitz, “What Difference Would It Make If Cancer Were Eradicated? An Examination of the Taeuber Paradox,” Demography 14, no. 4 (November 1977): 417). 

Besides the myriad (and contradictory) fad diets, exercise regimens and the like, there are strange things people will do in the hope of "living long enough." One recent development is parabiosis, where the blood of 16 to 25 year olds is transfused into older people. Regarding this "treatment" molecular biologist Michael Conboy at the University of California, Berkeley, said, "It just reeks of snake oil." (See https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/young-blood-transfusions-are-on-the-menu-at-society-gala/). Nevertheless, if there's even a one in a million chance of living an extra year or two, people will try it, no matter how risky or how crazy it might be.

The odds of the medical establishment beating cancer (and every other disease) are slim to none. COVID-19 sent the world into a tailspin and it's not even that severe of a virus. It does nothing to help the cause of so-called "health and fitness gurus," claiming they have the answers to living extremely long lives, when you see that their own lives were not long for many of them. Here's just a partial list:

• Lucille Roberts, female health club empire-owner and fitness fanatic; died in 2003 at age 59 from cancer

• Euell Gibbons, nutrition book author and natural foods advocate; died in 1975 at age 64 from an aneurysm

• Jim Fixx, long-distance runner/advocate of running for health and long life; died in 1984 at age 52 from a heart attack after running

• Nathan Pritikin, author and founder of the low cholesterol Pritikan diet committed suicide by slashing his wrists in the hospital at age 69 in 1984. He was dying from leukemia.

• Robert E. Kowalski, author of many nutrition books, including The NEW 8-Week Cholesterol Cure which spent 115 weeks on the New York Times Bestseller List, died at age 65 in 2007 from a pulmonary embolism 

Healthy living is a must, but it will not make you immortal or even 180. 

The False Hope of Transhumanism

There is a movement known as "transhumanism." Proponents believe that it is possible not merely to replace organs with better mechanical organs and parts (for those of us whose memories go back to the 1970s, think of the TV show The Six Million Dollar Man--now 41.7 million when adjusted for inflation--who had bionic parts). They actually think it is possible to "upload your mind" into another body, a machine, or even a computer program. Those who advocate for transhumanism are atheists by necessity because they assume that the mind and the brain are identical; you are your brain. They are materialists who deny the existence of the soul which works through the brain but is a separate substance that survives physical death. 

Ian Pearson, head of a futurology unit said:

If you draw the timelines, realistically by 2050 we would expect to be able to download your mind into a machine, so when you die it's not a major career problem,' Pearson told The Observer. 'If you're rich enough then by 2050 it's feasible. If you're poor you'll probably have to wait until 2075 or 2080 when it's routine. We are very serious about it. That's how fast this technology is moving: 45 years is a h*** of a long time in IT.

(See https://www.theguardian.com/science/2005/may/22/theobserver.technology;Emphasis and censoring of word mine). 

In this way you could live for centuries in a robotic body, or ostensibly forever in a computer program that never ends. There are several insurmountable problems with this idea.

1. Science can't explain consciousness. How is it that matter can be aware of itself? On the atheistic/materialistic worldview, people are simply atoms and molecules no different from anything else. How does evolution produce self-awareness? This question has no answer from materialists, anymore than they can explain how the first living cells appeared from non-living matter. Even atheist philosopher of mind, Dr. David Chalmers admits, "It is true that we have no idea how a non-biological system, such as a silicon computer system, could be conscious. But the fact is that we also have no idea how a biological system, such as a neural system, could be conscious. The gap is just as wide in both cases." (See Chalmers, in Science Fiction and Philosophy from Time Travel to Superintelligence, [2016])

2. A Computerized You wouldn't be You. Suppose you had an identical twin with identical molecules. Also suppose that you had identical experiences. Your twin would be "qualitatively identical" to you, but not "numerically identical." If you get killed, you die and the twin that survives is not "you." Likewise, if your twin dies, you continue to live, and do not cease to be you. Simply by duplicating your neurons and transferring them to a machine, does not magically make it "you." Consciousness only makes sense if God and souls exist, which is a defeater for "uploading minds."

3. Science can't even duplicate a roundworm's neurons. McGill University neuro-scientist Michael Hendricks writes in MIT Technology Review:

I study a small roundworm, Caenorhabditis elegans, which is by far the best-described animal in all of biology. We know all of its genes and all of its cells (a little over 1,000). We know the identity and complete synaptic connectivity of its 302 neurons, and we have known it for 30 years. If we could "upload" or roughly simulate any brain, it should be that of C. elegans. Yet even with the full connectome in hand, a static model of this network of connections lacks most of the information necessary to simulate the mind of the worm. In short, brain activity cannot be inferred from synaptic neuroanatomy. 
(See https://www.technologyreview.com/2015/09/15/109906/the-false-science-of-cryonics/)

Hence, transhumanism cannot work because:

• science bases the concept of mind on the atheistic/metaphysical assumption that matter is all that exists

• science has no idea how consciousness works

• a mechanical "you" isn't really you at all

• science cannot even replicate the brain function of a simple worm

Cold Comfort

Baseball great Ted Williams (1918-2002) is cryonically frozen with his head and body in two different tanks of liquid nitrogen. Liquid nitrogen is very cold, -320 degrees F (-196 degrees C). Absolute zero, the temperature at which molecules cease moving is -459.67 degrees F (-273.15 C). His body and head are kept at Alcor Cryonics labs. According to their website:

Cryonics is an experimental procedure that preserves a human being using the best available technology for the purpose of saving his/her life. We believe medical technology will advance further in coming decades than it has in the past several centuries, enabling it to heal damage at the cellular and molecular levels and to restore full physical and mental health. (See https://alcor.org; Emphasis mine).

Immediately after death, the person's body will be frozen in liquid nitrogen to prevent decay. When medical science cures what killed him, he will allegedly be defrosted and "revived."  Once more, problems that cannot be overcome arise:

1. Cryonics is based on the materialistic worldview. When the soul leaves the body, it cannot be "revived"--only resurrected by the power of God. 

2. Subjects must be frozen almost immediately. Alcor admits on its own website (cited above) that a person should "preferably" be frozen within 15 minutes after death, because longer wait time will make it more difficult to "restore" the person. Unless you die at Alcor, good luck getting frozen in 15 minutes or less.

3. Will anyone want to defrost the person? If, ad arguendo, science was able to cure most diseases, there would be a great surge in the world's population. Those who approve of cryonics are the same people who see humanity as a "plague" on "Mother Earth." Even Bergoglio exalts environmentalism and hardly ever mentions abortion. Who needs another rich person, revived, and wasting natural resources?

4. Freezer burn. According to Dr. Mehmet Toner, cryo-biologist at Massachusetts General Hospital, "You can only slowly freeze and slowly warm large things. Ice is going to form inevitably during warming. The chances that you will bring a frozen head back is the same as when you go home tonight, open the freezer, get the ground beef out, and make a cow out of it." (See https://www.glitch.news/2017-01-27-the-arizona-desert-holds-145-frozen-humans-waiting-to-be-resurrected.html).  Not even a worm has been successfully frozen and restored to life. 

Cryonics is another failed "immortality project" that cannot deliver what it promises. 

What About Symbolic Immortality?

Atheist Michael Shermer writes:

Although immortality has not yet been vouchsafed to us in this universe, we live on nonetheless through our genes and our families, our loves and our friends, our work and our engagement with others, our participation in politics, the economy, society, and culture, and our contributions—however modest—to making the world a little bit better today than it was yesterday. Protopian progress is real and meaningful, and we can all make a mark, however small. (See Michael Shermer, Heavens on Earth: The Scientific Search for the Afterlife, Immortality, and Utopia, [2018], pgs. 243–44). 

We can achieve "immortality" symbolically by the deeds we do here on Earth and those who remember us. Having children is often cited for this purpose. Humanist Lawrence Rifkin gives it a scientific spin in Scientific American: “So is making babies—and having genes survive through the generations—the meaning of life? The answer is yes—from an evolutionary gene’s eye view.” 

(See blogs.scientificamerican.com/guest-blog/is-the-meaning-of-your-life-to-make-babies)

The true purpose of procreation and educating children is to populate the Church and Heaven. Yet, single people or childless couples (through no fault of theirs) will often be told, "You have no one to carry on your legacy." 

Sorry to burst their bubble, but if Christianity is not true, then there will ultimately be no legacy for anyone. In 100 trillion years, the heat death of the universe will take place. Entropy wins. There will be no life anywhere, and no life ever again. To "make a difference" means that the end of the state of affairs is changed because of what you did. However, if there will be the heat death of the universe regardless of what you do, you didn't make a difference. The end result is the same. Whatever DNA you passed on is gone forever. There ultimately is no legacy. 

The False Slogans of Secular Salvation

Although most people know about the "live healthy and live forever" falsehood (and some may be taken in by the idea without realizing it), the majority of Christians will not consider transhumanism or cryonics. Some believers may fall for the false concept of symbolic immortality. However, it has been my experience that many believers get taken in by one of the three slogans discussed herein. These slogans are capable of a Christian interpretation, but they can distract you into implicitly believing in a false immortality. All too often, these slogans are little more than a distraction to make us think we have plenty of time before we think of death and get our lives in order (or keep our lives in order in order by remembering our last end and true purpose). 

Atheist philosopher Bertrand Russell thought this wise: “If you have wide and keen interests and activities in which you can still be effective, you will have no reason to think about the merely statistical fact of the number of years you have already lived, still less of the probable brevity of your future.” (See Bertrand Russell, Portraits of Memory: And Other Essays,  [1951], pg. 51). Thus people busy themselves with careers, children, chores, and a host of other things to keep thoughts about their deaths at bay.

1.  "Bucket Lists" and "You Only Live Once"

Bucket lists (things you want to do before you "kick the bucket"--i.e., die) are a big distraction from what's really important; they allow someone to keep busy—to live it up until the end. Once you’ve checked something off, you can move immediately to the next accomplishment. Thus can someone busy themselves with planning their next trip to Paris or Machu Picchu, skydiving, running a marathon, climbing a mountain, starting a business, seeing the northern lights, or playing a new instrument. Often, if someone goes to a unique place on vacation, I'll hear someone say, "I'm going to put that on my Bucket List!" Unfortunately, I've never heard someone say that in regard to the things of God. Going on a pilgrimage, attending Mass more often, going on a retreat and other laudatory works, never seem to make it onto the "Bucket List." 

Similarly, when people are buying something expensive or engaging in something adventurous or even dangerous, they’ll often say “You only live once,” which is now popularized as YOLO. When I hear that, I think, “Yeah, but we can live forever.” What have you done for God, or for others out of the love of God? Our one life determines our final destiny. 

2. "Work Hard and Be Successful"

While definitely true, there is a tendency to idolize becoming a workaholic. Although many people rightly recognize workaholism as a bad thing, it’s for the most part socially acceptable. Thus when a person is being interviewed for a job and they inevitably ask what the job applicant considers to be his biggest weakness, the joke answer is, “Well, people say I’m a workaholic, but I don’t think that’s so bad.” By working hard you can make a difference in the world. However, workaholics are famous for ignoring their families, and  the things of God. Although work is very important (all of us need to pay the bills, after all), many people ignore other truly important (and more important) things.

3. "Work to Live, Don't Live to Work"

On the opposite end of the spectrum, there are those who want to work as little as possible and enjoy amusements in various forms. It’s no accident that successful entertainers—singers, actors, athletes—receive some of the highest salaries in the world. Consider that many professional athletes, who were passed through college because of sports, make way more than a neurosurgeon. They help with what the world need most—to escape thoughts of death. Now, I’m not opposed to watching some television, movies, and sporting contests or engaging in social media, computer games, and so on, but how easy is it for people to waste their lives on it? The Neilson Corporation reports that on average, people spent about 10 hours and 24 minutes interacting with media each day (e.g., radio, television, and/or social media). If that seems high, it’s because “about 81 percent across all age groups use a digital device while watching TV.” (See usatoday.com/story/money/media/2018/12/12/cutting-cord-2018-tv-dominates-but-younger-users-connect-via-web/2276207002; and that was six years ago--probably more wasted time now).

Bottom line: We must put Christ and His Church first. Only one thing in life matters: Gaining Heaven. Nothing else matters. A great man I respect very much said to me, "Blessed is the man who dies with unfulfilled dreams." Perplexed, I asked him what he meant. He replied, "Always do everything with the desire and dream of obtaining your salvation and that of others. Since you can never do it enough, your dreams will never be fulfilled, but if you die like that, you lived the best possible life for God and will reach Heaven." What a glorious life and death.

Conclusion

"In all thy works remember thy last end, and thou shalt never sin." (Ecclesiasticus 7:40). Think often of the Four Last Things: Death, Judgement, Heaven, Hell. How sad for the godless atheists and misguided believers to seek "immortality" by methods that are doomed to failure. Super-healthy living, transhumanism, cryonics, doing deeds to be remembered by, and having children will not make you live forever--literally or even symbolically. I don't know how I'll face my death when that time comes. I hope to be brave as one can be and in the state of grace, which is why I pray for the great grace of Final Perseverance every day. 

None of us will overcome the fear of death, or respond to it correctly, without the One True Faith. Instead of denying death, or trying not to think about it, the real solution to minimize the fear of death is to face the reality of it while striving to achieve true immortality in Heaven through Our Lord Jesus Christ and His Church. Living and dying as a True Catholic is the only way to a happy immortality when this Earthly life is over.