because of the participatory way in which grace deifies the soul, the soul’s offering of praise and worship to God not only renders to Him His due honor, but also reflects back on the soul those divine perfections the soul itself will enjoy by way of participation

whether a pope invokes pagan deities in the Lateran palace and dies in the arms of a mistress (john xii) or whether a pope actively or passively aids and abets murderous enemies of the Church (the present pope), the fact remains they need our prayers and we can still save our own souls despite them

think I’m gonna suspend current YouTube projects to work on a video addressing Pope Francis and what I think is the best way of approaching this Pontificate without sacrificing your critical faculties like a lot of post-trads do, while also avoiding some traditionalist excesses

garrigou-lagrange on the absolute incomparability of the beatific vision of God

Pope Blessed Pius IX declaring the dogma of the Immaculate Conception ex cathedra, December 8 1854

also go to mass

the doctrine of the Trinity is in a uniquely befitting position to make sense of Creation insofar as the motive behind the free act of Creation (divine self-communication) is already accounted for within the inner Life of God Himself, ie the eternal generation of the Son, the Father’s own self-Image

noticing that most “tradcaths at it again” posts are actually in response to orthos posting about how adam and eve didn’t have sex organs or something

it’s simply not rational to believe that God would manifest Himself fully in concrete visible flesh and yet leave His mystical Body of the Church devoid of a visible presence and external, identifiable structure

the Protestant conception of the Church as merely reducible to the community of believers is a bit like conceiving of the human body as merely reducible to a collection of bodily organs, bones and skin

what’s missing here for the body is the soul, i.e that internal principle whereby bodily members are unified as one, irreducibly whole living body.

for the Church, what’s missing is the Holy Spirit, Who as Pius XII beautifully remarks is the soul of the Catholic Church, the mystical Body of Christ

Some Thoughts on Theodicy https://youtu.be/5QBkvE6l_kA

I don’t expect a conservative pope next conclave, but I do suspect a lot of otherwise moderate bishops/cardinals may seek out a candidate who will be far less petty and malicious towards us, if only to save them unwanted headaches over liturgical wars they didn’t ask for

corrupt popes preoccupied with politics are not new, but what is new is that to be liked by the current political order you must not be seen as threatening to their secular ideology, and you should be perceived as having the same enemies (religious extremists or “reactionaries”)

this to me partially explains the motive behind Traditionis Custodes and Francis’ current crusade against “restorationists”, as Francis isn’t so much theological actor but primarily a political one

it’s a tragic and dark reflection of this papacy, but it isn’t unintelligible

Merry Christmas everyone!

as the Son proceeds outward from the ineffable Godhead to meet the Cosmos in the form of a human nature, so the human nature of Christ proceeds outward from the blessed Virgin’s stainless womb to meet those He came to save in a stable

Godspeed, Nick!

2021 was the most difficult year of my life. I was completely censored, persecuted by the federal government, and betrayed by many of those closest to me. But thanks to God and my real friends, and to myself because I am an unstoppable force of will and a genius, I survived. And now that we have adapted to the situation, this year I am once again taking it to another level. 2022 is going to be our best year yet. Happy New Years!

Turns out my debate with Adam Green is postponed! Will keep you updated when a new date is confirmed.

clerical celibacy is one of the coolest things about the Roman rite and I will never feel the need to justify it to anyone

please pray for my father who’s currently undergoing surgery over a stomach aneurysm, there’s internal bleeding involved so it’s very serious