It’s easy to drive a few miles down to your local Novus Ordo Rite “Mass.” To get in your Sunday Mass and check that off your list. But it’s hard to make the trek sometimes hours away to the true Mass, even if it’s just for the true Mass and teachings. Being Catholic isn’t supposed to be easy. Christ didn’t set it up that way.
It’s easy to get comfortable with pastor Padre Bob because he’s nice in confession and makes me laugh from the pulpit, as long as nothing is too heretical. But it’s hard to find truly orthodox priests formed in and dedicated to Catholic Tradition, who will give a proper sermon. One that preserves you in the Faith and gives you concrete direction how to live the Faith. And I don’t mean how to recycle or have more pleasant social interactions. Being Catholic isn’t supposed to be easy. Christ didn’t set it up that way.
It’s easy for a pope and bishop to play environmentalist community builder, happy clappy unifier, while occasionally mentioning the rosary. Or dogma. Modernism being easy because it satisfies effeminacy, which is the tendency to want the easy route of the pleasurable world. Truly Catholic popes and bishops systematically oppose modernism and liberalism in every diocese and parish they govern, upholding explicitly eccclesiastical Tradition in every single respect, not giving the occasional fake nod to Tradition as if it is a pretty museum piece. Being a Catholic pastor isn’t supposed to be easy. Christ didn’t set it up that way.
It’s easy to just watch EWTN once in a while, or listen to the groovy Catholic radio hour, and order what look like edifying books from Ignatian Press. But it’s hard to first study the de-evolution of theology and religious writing beginning in the 1940’s with the “Novel Theology” movement (Catholic modernism), and learn about the alternative traditionalist movement of theological writing since the Council. To get maturely grounded in true traditional Catholic books written squarely within the framework of Tradition, vs modernism, to discern a proper reading list from publications like the Angelus Press or TAN books. Learning true adult catechism in the Faith, contrary to the novelties of this time, isn’t easy. It takes time and effort, and the humility of learning from others, especially traditional priests. This is because being a Catholic isn’t supposed to be easy. Christ didn’t set it up that way.
Orthodox Catholics need to stop taking the path of least resistance and wake up. Search out a good Latin Mass, study the Tradition, the theology, liturgy, liturgical customs, all the lower level doctrines forgotten if not denied by the Novus Ordo, learn what is the conciliar system of novelty and reject it once and for all.
The true Church is NOT the “conciliar church” that is that organized system of novelty inside the Church structure, that has taken over nearly all of it (observing that fact not being excessive negativism as some would suggest), that presents the Faith and practice of the Faith within a modernist praxis, vs. that liturgical, prayer, and theological praxis preserved, organically developed, and faithfully transmitted for 2000 years.
Btw Bergoglio and his minions regard this kind of talk as grounds for suppressing the TLM. They will be punished severely by God for that scapegoating, and their own independent mission to eradicate Tradition. I say that soberly without emotion. It’s a spiritual observation and factual. The Bible condemns those who call good evil and evil good, and blame the innocent. It also condemns false pastors a x prophets who try and lead the sheep astray.
It’s not easy to follow the true Church, but it is necessary and full of grace and truth. And worth it, for individuals and families willing to stop taking the easy route and follow the “narrow path.” Wide is the way to hell. Narrow is the way to heaven. Choose the better course. So that not only you, but your descendants (children, grandchildren, etc) may live.