A very common and understandable reaction to our project is to dismiss it as Quixotic and a waste of time and resources.  Believe me, this thought is always in my mind too.

Yes, we are only a handful of people.  And it’s just a book.  And there are only a few thousand of them.  How can that make a real difference?

Well, first of all, this is not just any book, this is God’s book, containing the Mass and some of the most beautiful things that have been written over the centuries about this Most Beautiful Thing This Side of Heaven.

So…I have perfect confidence that, even with only a handful of people, all things are possible with God.

Here’s why:

On this Our Lady’s birthday, let us with all our hearts lift up our Holy Father Pope Francis to her and ask her to take him into her special care.

I see many of you are turning to go at the very mention of the name Pope Francis.  Please stop a moment and hear me out…

Many of you have been wounded, frustrated, angered, scandalized and even driven to the depths of despair by this man who currently occupies the Seat of Peter.  (Peter himself was but a man, with weaknesses too…) I hear your murmuring, your deprecations, your bubbling and frothing anger.  I hear what you would say when I call him Holy Father and ask you to pray for him.

But now I ask you to stop a moment and reflect.  Is this Christlike?  On the night before He died, in that same supper room where He gave us the greatest of Sacraments, Christ commanded His disciples to love one another, saying, “By this shall all men know that you are my disciples, if you have love one for another.”  (Jn 13:35)

(Heh heh…and don’t forget, in the very next moment Christ predicts that Peter will deny him three times.  How great our Savior, who knows our very weakness!)

We are now undergoing that greatest of tests, the Passion of the Mystical Body, the Church.  As our Lord willingly submitted to His Passion, He loved and prayed for all those who played a part in His suffering and death, from his betrayer to those who nailed him to the cross, to the thieves who shared His fate.  And we must do the same.

And why especially today, of all days? 

On this blessed feast of Our Lady’s Nativity, what do all mothers want of their children?  That they should be obedient and patient, not unruly and contentious.  She who steadfastly remained at the foot of her Son’s cross is the one to whom we should most naturally turn as her Son’s Mystical Body undergoes once more this frightful Passion.  And in return for her aid, we must heed her voice.  “Do whatever He tells you,” she instructed the stewards at Cana.  So must we do.

And what does He tell us to do?

“But love ye your enemies: do good, and lend, hoping for nothing thereby: and your reward shall be great, and you shall be the sons of the Highest; for he is kind to the unthankful, and to the evil.” (Luke 6:35)

How can our Lord fail to hear and answer our prayers, if we–despite any natural disinclinations we might feel for any reasons, justified or not–spend all our efforts on this Birthday of Our Lady to offer her the beautiful gift of sacrificial love for the person of our Holy Father Pope Francis?

For even if this cup of suffering may not pass from our lips, how much better off shall we be in the eyes of Eternity, if with the help of God’s Grace, we have done our utmost to be humble and obedient in loving to the very end?  Is this not the path our Savior trod?

If you say, “I am too wounded, I cannot,” I say to you: “…not to resist evil: but if one strike thee on thy right cheek, turn to him also the other: And if a man will contend with thee in judgment, and take away thy coat, let go thy cloak also unto him.  And whosoever will force thee one mile, go with him other two.” (Mt 5: 39-41)

If you say, “I am too angry, I cannot,” I say to you: “…give place unto wrath, for it is written: Revenge is mine, I will repay, saith the Lord.  But if thy enemy be hungry, give him to eat; if he thirst, give him to drink.  For, doing this, thou shalt heap coals of fire upon his head.” (Rom 12:19-20)

If you say, “How can I love one who hates everything I believe in?” I say to you: “Blessed are ye when they shall revile you, and persecute you, and speak all that is evil against you, untruly, for my sake:  Be glad and rejoice, for your reward is very great in heaven…[therefore] let your light shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven.” (Mt 5: 11-12, 16)

If we would be perfect, as our Heavenly Father is perfect; if we would offer Our Lady a most perfect gift on this her Birthday; if we would have the peace in our hearts that comes from God alone, I beseech of all of you reading this now: please take a moment, right now, and pray the Litany of Loreto for our Holy Father Pope Francis, and especially today and throughout this week, turn your thoughts toward him with true Charity of heart for Christ’s sake, and see what a difference this can make.

May God bless you.

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Litany of Loreto

Lord have mercy…Christ have mercy…Lord have mercy.

Christ hear us…Christ graciously hear us.

God, the Father of heaven,  have mercy on us.

God the Son, Redeemer of the world, …

God the Holy Spirit, …

Holy Trinity, one God, …

Holy Mary,  pray for us.

Holy Mother of God, …

Holy Virgin of virgins, …

Mother of Christ, …

Mother of the Church,

Mother of divine grace,

Mother most pure,

Mother most chaste,

Mother inviolate,

Mother undefiled,

Mother most amiable,

Mother admirable,

Mother of good counsel,

Mother of our Creator,

Mother of our Saviour,

Mother of mercy,

Virgin most prudent,

Virgin most venerable,

Virgin most renowned,

Virgin most powerful,

Virgin most merciful,

Virgin most faithful,

Mirror of justice,

Seat of wisdom,

Cause of our joy,

Spiritual vessel,

Vessel of honour,

Singular vessel of devotion,

Mystical rose,

Tower of David,

Tower if ivory,

House of gold,

Ark of the Covenant,

Gate of heaven,

Morning star,

Health of the sick,

Refuge of sinners,

Comfort of the afflicted,

Help of Christians,

Queen of Angels,

Queen of Patriarchs,

Queen of Prophets,

Queen of Apostles,

Queen of Martyrs,

Queen of Confessors,

Queen of Virgins,

Queen of all Saints,

Queen conceived without original sin,

Queen assumed into heaven,

Queen of the most holy Rosary,

Queen of families,

Queen of peace.

Lamb of God, who takest away the sins of the world, spare us, O Lord.

Lamb of God, who takest away the sins of the world, graciously hear us, O Lord.

Lamb of God, who takest away the sins of the world, have mercy on us.

Pray for us, O holy Mother of God…That we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ.

Let us pray:

Grant, we beseech thee, O Lord God, that we, your servants, may enjoy perpetual health of mind and body; and by the intercession of the Blessed Mary, ever Virgin, may be delivered from present sorrow, and obtain eternal joy.  Through Christ our Lord.  Amen.

Catholics were recently stunned by the news that a Pew Research Center study found that only 31% of self-described American Catholics actually believe what the Church teaches about Transubstantiation. This, despite 22% of the unbelievers admitting that they know what the Church says, but they don’t really believe it.

Heh…well, at least they’re being honest…

This phenomenon should hardly be surprising, however, when we hear what our Church leaders themselves are proposing to effect during the upcoming Pan-Amazon Synod. Only ignorance of what the Church truly teaches could make the proposals found in the working document seem like a good idea. At least three Cardinals and countless priests and lay theologians have pointed out that this document is heretical.

It is useless, while the house is burning, to argue over how the flames started. First we must take decisive action to put out the fire. And it is especially hard to persevere in so doing, when one sees that 2/3rds of the house is already engulfed.

But as Catholics and true Christians, we must never be discouraged by the odds against us. If we need encouragement, the stories of Our Lord’s Passion and the Lives of the Saints who followed in his footsteps will reassure us that when it comes to our Faith, it is most often when things look blackest, that God has a plan to turn things upside down.

This is why, despite the Quixotic nature of our project, I have full confidence that the Discover Your Roots project really will make a difference. Even if we were to only reach one person, it would be worth it. Firstly, because every soul was important enough to God that He was willing to sacrifice His Only Son. And secondly, because we can never know whether that one person we reach may turn out to be another John Henry Newman, bringing thousands upon thousands in his wake.

But I am also confident because I have heard all the stories about what the book Treasure and Tradition has been able to do: it really does change people’s hearts. It’s so easy to read, so attractive with all its beautiful illustrations, and yet, it teaches a love and a reverence for our Faith that is infectious.

For example, going back to the Pew study regarding the Eucharist, there is this simple page in Treasure and Tradition that, in few words, very forcefully makes the point that Christ himself was willing to risk the loss of his disciples, rather than call them back and explain that He only meant what He said symbolically:

It would be worth doing this project even if we printed only this one page for distribution. But the beauty of this book is that there are so many other pages like this, which help to reinforce the same concept; beautifully, simply, and in a way that doesn’t scold, preach or divide.

If only every Catholic were exposed to a book like this during their school years! Or if every parish had copies available for perusal. The martyrs didn’t go to their deaths for Faith in a symbol. They joyfully accepted death, rather than lose what they loved more than life itself. And even in this digital age, we can spread that love through Truth and Beauty.

Help us spread this love with your prayers and support!

God bless you.

Can you join us for just one day, at the Canonization Mass October 13th? Let us know here!

Or can you contribute just the cost of one book to help us reach more Catholics? Check out our crowdfunding page here, or if you prefer, you can make a direct donation on our website here.

We hear slogans all the time.  “Coexist.”  “Be the Change.” “If you want Peace, work for Justice.” 

The interesting thing about slogans is that their catchiness is often based on how close a facsimile they sound to the Truth.  Their job is to frame the argument in a way that makes it nearly impossible to argue with.  I mean, who can argue that they don’t believe we should all coexist?  And yes, I do want to be the change.  And sure, both peace and justice are ideals we should all strive for.  But the slitheriness of these slogans is that they don’t really mean what they pretend to mean…and you know what I mean.

Of course, slogans are really just a form of advertising, and if you have The Truth, you shouldn’t really need advertising.  But we humans are so very susceptible to this form of persuasion, and no one knows this so well as the devil.

In my favorite book, The Soldier of Christ, Mother Mary Loyola talks about how the devil has had the opportunity to study human nature for millennia.  He knows our every weakness and how to exploit it.  It’s rather unfair, really, when you think about it: he’s got quite a leg up on us, considering that we only have one lifetime to figure out how to resist his time-tested tricks.

Christ himself dealt with these wily tricks throughout scripture.  “Who is my neighbor?”  “Is it lawful to pay taxes to Caesar?”  “Which is the greatest of the Commandments?”  But He who is the Word of God and Truth itself could not be trapped by words.

We have only to look around us for a few moments to see all the myriad ways in which we are steered around by slogans.  This is especially true in our culture, because if any group of people has perfected the use of sloganeering to control the way we think, it is the Cultural Marxists whose thought has now become pervasive in every level of our society.

If you’ve never heard of Cultural Marxism, don’t bother googling it; all you’ll find are articles which are the equivalent of saying “pay no attention to the man behind the curtain.”  Read the actual articles for its main proponents and you will get actual facts.  Look up Antonio Gramsci, Herbert Marcuse, Erich Fromm, Wilhelm Reich, Georg Lukacs.  While you’re at it, thank them for the hate-fest that is today’s racial and gender politics.  It was their idea to use these to “divide and conquer” Western Civilization.  It seems they’re doing a fabulous job.

Most importantly, I recommend that you read Bella Dodd’s explosive exposé of early American Communism, School of Darkness.  I have just finished this book and it was truly an eye-opener.  And it’s the conclusion to her book that prompted this post.

This quote, which comes toward the very end of the book, particularly struck me [emphasis mine]:

“I believe that the primary requisite for a sober appraisal of the present challenge of communism is to face it with a clear understanding of what it is. But it cannot be fought in a negative manner. Man must be willing to combat false doctrine with the Truth, and to organize active agency with active agency. Above all there must be a new birth of those moral values that for the past two thousand years have made our civilization a life-giving force.”

It is important to be able to see that the sloganeering in which we are drowning today, both in society and in our Church, is all part of a manufactured crisis, for crisis’ sake alone.  But this knowledge, and the anger and frustration it is bound to engender, is not enough, because wrath cannot fight evil, for as Christ himself said, “How can Satan cast out Satan?” (Mk 3:23)

We must carefully read the Beatitudes and note that if we would gain heaven—and show others the way there too—our justice must “abound more than that of the scribes and Pharisees.” (Mt 5:20)  Our way of taking arms against this menace must be by lifting the Cross and standing meekly at its foot.  “For when I am weak, then am I powerful.” (2 Cor 12:10)

Only through a vibrant rebirth of Christian virtue will we become impervious to the sloganeering and the evil that comes in its wake.  And that rebirth will not come through anger, blaming, accusing, and strife.  It will come when we start ignoring the slogans, and reading scripture instead.  It will come when we stop flaming each other in comboxes and start praying for one another instead.  And it will come when we stop blaming the problems of the Church on weak and silly men, and follow Christ’s most powerful exhortation:

“Love your enemies: do good to them that hate you: and pray for them that persecute and calumniate you: That you may be the children of your Father who is in heaven, who maketh his sun to rise upon the good, and bad, and raineth upon the just and the unjust.”

The next time you see or hear about some Church figure that really makes you mad, stop for a moment and remember what Christ told us about anger:

“But I say to you, that whosoever is angry with his brother, shall be in danger of the judgment. And whosoever shall say to his brother, Raca, shall be in danger of the council.  And whosoever shall say, Thou Fool, shall be in danger of hell fire.  If therefore thou offer thy gift at the altar, and there thou remember that thy brother hath any thing against thee; Leave there thy offering before the altar, and go first to be reconciled to thy brother: and then coming thou shalt offer thy gift.”

Stop and pray that God may give you the gift of true charity toward those who make you angry.  Yes, even those who really, really deserve it. Pray for them very earnestly, that God may give them the grace they need to follow him in Spirit and in Truth.

This doesn’t mean that we have to be starry-eyed idealists who think they can change Hitler into Tinkerbell by just praying really hard. If we offer our prayers in true charity, God will make use of them in the way He knows best. Prayers are never wasted.

If we stop letting Satan fool us into expending all our energies in useless, self-consuming anger and frustration, and instead find ways of turning this energy toward the task of rebuilding “…those moral values that for the past two thousand years have made our civilization a life-giving force,” then we will have done the most we can toward building the City of God here on earth.  And if we do our part, we can be assured that God will do His.

This is the reigning philosophy behind our project to bring the love of Tradition to those who are in Rome during the Synod.  Rather than focusing our anger and spite toward those who are seeking to irreparably change the Church, our focus will be threefold:

1. To spread knowledge and love for the beauty of our Faith and its traditions to those who would otherwise never have come into contact with this knowledge;
2. To offer our prayers and fasting in reparation for the harms being done to the Church; and
3. To give all of those who are supporting our “active agency” the comfort of knowing that through their prayers and assistance, we are working toward rebuilding our Faith one brick at a time.

If you have been nodding your head as you read this post, I would ask that you consider how best you might be a part of this “active agency.”  Is God calling you to come to Rome and take part in this effort?  That is too heavy a sacrifice for most…so could you make a donation to sponsor a stranger’s copy, knowing that through your contribution, someone in the world will receive this great gift of Faith?  And if you cannot do any of these, please join us in prayer during October, and look for small ways in your own life of letting the light of your Faith “shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven.” (Mt 5:16)

May God bless you.

(This post doesn’t pretend to know the answer, but only seeks to explore the question…)

“Going therefore, teach ye all nations; baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost.” (Matthew 28:19)

Jesus’ last command before he ascended into heaven was for his disciples to spread the faith to every corner of the globe.  Teach ye all nations.  And the Church has arisen on this sure foundation through the toils and sacrifices of Her saints, who sought to follow this command in every age, within the means available to each.

The Church has been brought low recently by the behavior and the blindness of many of its representatives here on earth.  But while Christ had no kind words for the Pharisees, he did not command his disciples to argue with them, or to rescue the ancient faith from their hypocritical grasp.  Rather, he called them to bring the Fullness of Truth to those who were willing to listen. 

If we take this example, then in our times, those who are faithful are called to greater Apostleship; we are called to love God enough to sacrifice our own comfort for His sake.  It is not necessary to “Occupy the Vatican” (quod Deus avertat…); we must follow the example of the Saints, like St. Francis, St. Patrick, St. Augustine, St. Paul.  With the help of the Holy Spirit, we must fill the minds and hearts of God’s people with His words, His beauty, His love.  He will solve the Big Stuff in His own way, in His own time.

Apostleship is difficult by definition, and it is made more difficult by our culture’s love affair with comfort.  And Christ does not offer his followers comfort:

“Behold I send you as sheep in the midst of wolves. Be ye therefore wise as serpents and simple as doves. …take no thought how or what to speak: for it shall be given you in that hour what to speak.  For it is not you that speak, but the Spirit of your Father that speaketh in you.” (Matthew 11: 16, 19-20)

Really, this is no way to start a successful business venture.

We are meant to be helpless, so that God’s glory may shine through us.  That’s not to say that God does not choose men of great talent, like Saul (Paul) or Augustine, who were both very learned and erudite men.  But they both had the wrong idea until He knocked the right one into them.  That is hard to do, so instead He very frequently chooses the weak to confound the strong (probably because they know better than to argue with Him.) All we need to do is to cooperate with Grace, take the first step, and He does the rest.  What is there to fear but…(heh heh)…everything!

I have already admitted in previous posts that the Discover Your Roots project was born out of pure exuberance, with little to back it up.  I can’t pretend that the idea is anything but Quixotic.  But these are not imaginary battles we are fighting; souls depend on this.  And if God wants to save souls (hint: He does…) then He will make use even of Quixotic schemes, so long as we put every part of those schemes in His hands and seek to follow His Holy Spirit in the achievement of the final goal.

So…what is the primary virtue necessary, then, in an Apostle?  We may think that it is having a way with words, being able to easily sway people…but many who are working for the other side have this talent in spades.  What they don’t have is humility.

Think of many of the greatest prophets and apostles.  Most of Christ’s hand-picked apostles were simple fishermen.  “You duped me, O Lord, and I allowed myself to be duped,” cried Jeremiah.  Augustine’s confessions are one continuous “mea culpa.”  Moses protested:  “I beseech thee, Lord, I am not eloquent.”  St. Patrick may have seemed proud when he lit the Paschal fire on the hill of Slane, but he knew to place himself wholly in God’s hands as he traveled from thence to Tara, chanting the prayer that has become known as his Breastplate.  “For I am the least of the apostles, who am not worthy to be called an apostle,” says Paul in his First Letter to the Corinthians.

Well, I don’t know if it helps, but for starters, I know I’m not in their league.  The only thing I have in common with them is the knowledge that if God is going to use me, He is going to have to do most of the heavy lifting.  But to make sure I don’t get in His way, it is clear that I need to be fasting and praying to keep myself in check.  What prayers are best? Well, the core of my prayer life lies in the traditional offices of Prime and Compline…these have served me well in aligning my heart and mind, with the heart and mind of the Church.  And naturally there is Our Lady’s Rosary.

But I consider that I am heading into territory that is being fiercely contended for by the Evil One, and it will be best to travel incognito there, as St. Patrick did in the guise of deer.  So I have added St. Patrick’s Breastplate as a daily oration, and will be doing so for the duration of the project in Rome. Likewise, I am putting myself entirely in the hands of glorious St. Joseph, who safely guided the Blessed Mother and the Holy Child into Egypt and back.

With the addition of daily Mass to begin the day, and a Holy Hour sometime around Midday while we are in Rome, we hope to focus all our efforts around this sure foundation of prayer.

What does modern apostleship look like?  Lord, please guide me in that way.

I invite comments and suggestions from you, dear reader. God bless you.