Since we clearly are in the moment of apostasy, we can plainly see that lukewarm Catholics are the overwhelming majority of our faith. How did they get there? When did they get there? Where are they going? These are all valid questions that more than a few articles have been written. In the messages God Speaks Will You Listen http://www.scribd.com/doc/22505473/God-Speaks-Will-You-Listen our Lord made strong admonitions towards lukewarm Catholics and apostate Protestants. We all know of our Lords heart broken words in scripture "I wish you were either hot or cold, but because you are neither hot nor cold, but lukewarm, I will vomit you out of my mouth".
Lukewarm Catholicism: Scourge Upon the Church and Ruin of Souls by Fr. William Casey | May 26, 2015 All the evils of the world are due to lukewarm Catholics. — POPE ST PIUS V I know your works, I know that you are neither cold nor hot; I wish you were either cold or hot, but because you are lukewarm, neither hot nor cold, I will vomit you out of my mouth, for you say I am rich and affluent, and have no need of anything and yet you do not realize that you are wretched, pitiable, poor, blind and naked. I advise you to buy from me gold refined by fire so that you may be rich, white garments to put on so that your shameful nakedness may not be exposed and buy ointment to smear on your eyes so that you may see. Those whom I love, I reprove and chastise. Be earnest therefore and repent. — BOOK OF REVELATIONS CHAPTER 3:15-19 Before I begin, let me say this to you: Today, with the help of God’s Grace, I am going to try to speak with complete honesty. At times, I may be somewhat painfully and brutally frank. Some of you, may not like what I have to say. NO MATTER! Tough times demand tough talk and tough love. If I offend anyone, I apologize in advance, but there are certain things that I believe have got to be said, things that have for too long been left unsaid. At this point, I feel like we priests have nothing to lose. St. Paul wrote, “My brothers, have I become your enemy by telling you the truth?” I believe there is a sense of urgency that must prevail among men and women of faith if the church in this country is to continue in any kind of effective way. If we are going to turn this evil around, one thing is for sure, it is not going to be easy. Unless you have been living on another planet for the last year, you know that the Church in America has been most gravely wounded by scandal. Archbishop Fulton Sheen use to compare the Church to Noah’s Ark: It is carrying the remnant of the faithful to salvation through the storms of life and the flood tides of evil in the world. With all those animals within Noah’s Ark for all that time, you can bet there were times when the smell got pretty foul. So it is with the Church, things smell pretty bad right now with the kind of scandals that stink to high heaven. There is hardly any talk of evangelization because everyone is talking about scandal. These scandals of the most shocking and abominable kind are perpetrated by consecrated souls who incredibly carried them out with the full knowledge of Church authorities who simply chose to do nothing to stop them. May God have mercy on their souls! New evangelization is stopped dead in its tracks. It is stuck in the mire of corruption. We have instead of a new springtime in the Church, a cold winter of unbelief. St. Paul said, “Who is led into sin and I am not indignant?” Something must be done about it. I am appalled by it all, but I am not surprised or shocked by it. Anyone who knew anything about what has been going on in the church and the seminaries for the past 40 years could have seen this day coming long ago. It was entirely predictable and it was preventable! My patience is wearing thin with those who would minimize and trivialize the gravity, the enormity and the devastating effects of these scandals on the Church. Some respond in a non chalant way saying, “We will always have scandals; Oh well, don’t worry about it, things will work out. It will all blow over soon enough, God will work it out. No big deal, business as usual. The idea that there is nothing we need to do to correct this situation right now is abominable. Please don’t tell me that scandal, moral corruption, dissent and depravity have got to be business as usual in the Church, the NORM for us Catholics. If we are going to sit back and accept this, there is something wrong with us! Let me use this analogy. Suppose you are at home one day with your family and all of a sudden the children come running into the living room shouting to you that your house is on fire. What would you do? How would you react to that? Would you sit there calmly and say, “Oh well, there have always been fires, don’t worry about it, somebody will put it out, eventually it will burn itself out.” Is that what you would say? How many of you would react that way if your home was on fire? Friends, the Church is our spiritual Home and our home is in danger! Yes, Christ promised that the gates of Hell would never prevail against his church but He did not promise it would survive here. Think of all the countries around the world, all those Nations that were once entirely Catholic and now, the True Faith is dead. Think of North Africa and all the places in Asia Minor where St. Paul preached; think of Scandinavia, think of England, Scotland, Holland, and Northern Germany: Don’t think it can’t happen here! I tell you it can! Scandal causes the loss of souls This is the worst thing that can happen in the order of creation! Nothing you can name in the order of God’s creation is worse that the loss of souls. The buildings may still be standing, the walls still may be erect, but there is a killer contamination inside. It is for this reason that the Saints and Doctors of the Church were in total agreement that scandal involving unchaste priests is the worst thing that can happen to the church. What would Christ do? The Gospel shows us that Our Lord took a very, very hard line against scandal. Some of His most severe words in the Gospel were directed to those who cause scandal. Christ took a hard line and we must also. “But he that shall scandalize one of these little ones that believe in Me, it were better for him that a millstone should be hanged about his neck, and that he should be drowned in the depth of the sea. Woe to the world because of scandals. For it must needs be that scandals come: but nevertheless woe to that man by whom the scandal cometh. And if thy hand or thy foot scandalizes thee, cut it off and cast it from thee. It is better for thee to go into life maimed or lame, that having two hands or two feet, to be cast into everlasting fire. And if thy eye scandalizes thee, pluck it out and cast it from thee. It is better for thee, having one eye to enter into life, than having two eyes to be cast into hell fire.” –MATTHEW 18:6-9 St. Thomas Aquinas taught that the lay faithful have the right, the absolute right to expect and demand not only sound doctrine but also good example on the part of the clergy and Church leaders. And, if they don’t get it, they also have the right to press for the reform and the removal of corrupt elements. If we don’t do this, we deserve what we get. God will punish both the men who do evil and the good that do nothing to stop the evil. The scandals, the corruption, the unrelenting media coverage and the Church’s public disgrace lead to a purification. It is a purifying fire that, God willing, will bring about good but it is much, much more than just purification. It is also a judgment. It is nothing less than the Hand of God upon the Church in this part of the world for forty years of infidelity, corruption, disobedience, dissent, affluence and, I might add, arrogance: Forty years of lukewarm Catholicism! We are going to have to be very careful, lest God vomit us out of His mouth. God willing, the damage done by the scandals will purify the clergy, the seminaries and the universities from a certain amount of corruption. The Protestant revolt and the Reformation had that type of effect. Historians are in total agreement that the primary cause of the Protestant schism was the corruption of the Catholic clergy. The Protestant movement ultimately forced the Catholic clergy to reform themselves, but still the damage was done. We live with the terrible effects of the Reformation every day of our lives. Back in the 16th century, St. Robert Bellarmine said, “The Protestant revolt is a punishment from God because of the sins of priests.” St. John Eudes, apostle of the Holy Eucharist, said, “The surest sign that God is thoroughly angry with His people, is when He allows them to fall into hands of a corrupt clergy.” My brothers and sisters in Christ, you must know that the priests who commit these abominations and do things that would make prostitutes blush, are men who had long ago rejected True Catholicism. Long ago, they bought into the mind-set of the sexual revolution. They failed to hold to the Church’s timeless teaching of the sanctity of marriage, human life and sexuality. With the rejection of the Sixth and Ninth Commandments, the rejection of chastity, comes the mentality that one can simply follow his own conscience. Animal activity is accepted as normal. The Church’s timeless teaching against abortion is thrown out. Self satisfaction takes precedence over God’s Law, over life itself.
continued...... Watered Down Catholicism How long has it been since you heard a good sermon on sexual morality? Many bishops and priests no longer believe in sexual sin. People are sick and tired of lukewarm watered down Catholicism. They are sick of superficial, boring and non- committal Catholic preaching. They are sick of being fed false doctrine or no doctrine at all. They are sick of a lack of sound catechesis for our young people. They have had enough of the rotten sex education programs which do nothing but incite young people’s natural curiosity and tempt them to solve it by personal experience. They are sick of the lack of teaching about sin, virtue, and vice, the Commandments, Confession, family life and sanctity. They are tired of leaders who won’t make moral judgments publically and stand up and defend the Faith as they are obligated by Christ to do, and who seem to fear everyone’s judgment but God’s! Moral authority is like muscle tissue. Muscle tissue, if never used, will atrophy and die. This is our present condition. Our people are tired of shepherds who seem to protect the wolves rather than the sheep! They have had enough of the modernist mush! New Age nonsense has been shoved down their throats in place of the true Faith. People are fed up with the superficial spirituality of butterflies, banners and balloons. They have had enough liturgical abuses and irreverence at Holy Mass. The Council of Trent states, “Where there is irreverence, there will be corruption.” Scandal follows corruption, like night follows the day. There is not now nor has there ever been a New America Church. It is a sham and a lie. If we don’t put an end to it, God will, sooner or later, one way or another! Call it anything you like. It comes in many different forms, by many different names and in many different disguises: • Lukewarm Catholicism • Cafeteria Catholicism • Theological Modernism • Liberal American Catholicism • Rationalism or Relativism Whatever you choose to call it, it is a fatal disease. It is a killer! Ultimately, it leads to paralysis of faith and the ruin of souls. Lukewarm Catholicism, in all its various forms, can be rooted in many things: weak faith, loss of faith, moral laxity, habitual sin, lack of prayer, pride, material prosperity, spiritual sloth, sheer laziness, worldliness, whatever; but its mindset seems to have permeated everywhere and almost everything in Catholic life today, in one degree or another. It has crept into Catholic Schools, Bible Studies, RCIA programs, Religious Ed programs, Chancery offices and liturgical preaching. If you recognize the signs of Lukewarm Catholicism, if you see some of the symptoms in yourself or your home, in your family or in your parish, wherever you may see it, please, my brothers and sisters in Christ, the time has come to do something about it! Make changes in your life. Rebuild your interior castle with the seven habits of sanctity. Seven Daily Habits It is the work of a life-time and requires our determined effort and cooperation with God’s Sanctifying Grace through the Sacraments. If we are to have robust Spiritual health, we must develop these SEVEN DAILY HABITS. The Morning Offering, Spiritual Reading, the Rosary, Holy Communion, Mental Prayer, the Angelus and daily examination of Conscience. These seven habits must take priority in our lives for they are more important than meals, sleep, work or recreation. The Church is mortally wounded in this country. Friends, don’t put it off. Don’t count on others to do it for you. Our time may very well be short. Archbishop Sheen used to say that, before the hand of God comes down upon the world, it always comes down upon the Church. Surely, the hand of God is upon the church today. What’s going to happen to the world, God only knows. I fear that it will not be pretty. What is wrong with the Church? Let’s take a mirror and look into it. When you come right down to it, we are what is wrong with the Church. I am what is wrong with the Church. You are what is wrong with the Church. We failed to take seriously God’s call to holiness of life. And, now, all of us have got to light our candles and stop cursing the darkness, and try to turn this evil around. The situation is critical! Just look around you. Do you need more evidence or proof to convince you that God is, in reality, a low priority in the lives of people, in your own life and in your family? Is your daily life characterized by spiritual sloth, TV, iPAD, computer, addiction to technical gadgets, time wasted, and toleration of habitual sin? Is there a lack of devotion in your life, compromise with the world, and silence in the face of sin, error and evil? Is there lack of charity (LOVE), foul language and gossip in your home? Does your wardrobe reflect the standards of modesty given by the Church? Does the best of your time, talents and energy always seem to be expanded on the chase after more money, more material possessions, honors and recognition? “Sports” is one of the great idols of modern times. In the Old Testament, God punished the Israelites when they turned to Idols. They worshiped Baal. We don’t worship Baal any longer; now we worship the God of Ball: Baseball, Football, Basketball, etc! Rebuild the Church It is time to rebuild the Church. Let every man and woman who loves the Church do everything in his or her power to rekindle the fire of the Holy Spirit where it has been snuffed out by lukewarm Catholicism. Christ said, “I came to cast a fire upon the earth, and long to see that flame enkindled.” Are you going to light that fire? Begin by making Christ once again King of your home. Then, start by restoring reverence in our churches. It can be done! Don’t say that there is nothing that you can do. You can still pray! If the priests will not listen to you, pray, pray and pray more that God will change their hearts or remove them! IT WORKS! If we don’t believe in the Real Presence of Christ in the Eucharist, we might as well close down our churches and rent out the space. Much of the liturgical experiment has failed. We are not holier and not more Christ-Centered; in fact, we are facing a generation of young people who have largely lost their faith because we have not given them the precious gift that is at the heart of Catholicism; the Real Presence of God in the Most Blessed Sacrament. Holy Mass has simply become a drama, a vehicle for whatever agenda is currently popular. The church building is no longer a place of encounter with God but a social center, not a place of prayer, rather a place of chatter. We have lost the sense of the sacred which has always been the hallmark of Catholic worship. The behavior of many in Church is outrageous. When Mass is over, it is impossible to spend time in prayer. The noise level reaches a pitch that one would expect at a sports event. Christ is forgotten on the Altar, indeed, if He still resides there. We are teaching our children by what we do and the way we are behaving, that there is nothing special about the Sacred Host. The dethronement of the Blessed Sacrament has resulted in the enthronement of the clergy. The Mass has become priest centered and people centered. I have lived with lukewarm Catholicism all my life. When I was growing up, I can’t remember ever hearing anything at Mass, or anything from the pulpit to get me fired up about my Catholic Faith. There was nothing to make me want to love more, know more and pray more. I seemed to me dead, yet it was so rich, incredibly sublime and beautiful. Many of us never knew that. I feel like we were cheated of the beauty, the majesty, the eternal truth of our Faith and the glory of our Sacred Worship. We must not repeat the mistakes of the past. Now is the time to get it right. God said to the prophet Jeremiah, “Cursed are those who do the work of the Lord halfheartedly.” If you say you love the Church and you can’t get fired up now, you never will. There is something wrong. I want to ask all of you to do everything in your power to defend Her: Stand up! Speak up! Rise up to put an end to lukewarm Catholicism!
Stand up! Speak up! Rise up to put an end to lukewarm Catholicism![/quote] Though I agree with what you have written above, these lines of yours are by far the most important: ["Begin by making Christ once again King of your home. ....You can still pray! If the priests will not listen to you, pray, pray and pray more that God will change their hearts or remove them! IT WORKS!"] The number one thing to do is pray, fast, do penance, and sacrifice. These are what are by far most lacking in the Church. When we do these things in abundance, then we are better able to discern what actions we are to personally take. So often we let our frustration and anger turn into self righteousness and we lose discernment. The last thing we want to do is separate ourselves from the wisdom of the Holy Spirit who best knows what course of action we should take for the greater good of the Church. I can't emphasize this enough. I know this from personal experience - only when my prayer life includes, fasting, penance, and sacrifice, am I able to truly hear the whispers of the Holy Spirit and discern the proper course of action. It does not mean that we should sit by and do nothing. I am not saying this! Rather we need to make sure that we discern properly what God wants of us in a particular situation. We "grief" the Holy Spirit when we do things in His name that are actually just our own false interpretation of what we think God wants us to do. Remember that Peter was reprimanded by Jesus for picking up the sword and cutting off the ear of the High Priest's servant. Peter "thought" he was doing the right thing, and we all know that because of his blindness that just a few hours later he literally denied Jesus. WE ARE NO DIFFERENT THAN PETER and this is hard for us to understand and admit. Discernment is very difficult because we are all are sinners and often blind ourselves from seeing what God wants from us. Because of sin, so many of our brothers and sisters are in darkness and they will not respond to force on our part. We need to "soften them up" with our prayers/fasting/penance/sacrifices in order that the Holy Spirit can open their minds and hearts to see the truth in light of the folly of their errors. This is very painful to our hearts just as it was for Jesus (to see so many not respond to his love and his truth). Yes, we must speak the truth for the "Truth will set you free" as Jesus said, but we must do this out of love and desire for the salvation of each one of these souls in error. I just watched the movie Unbroken and one of the things I thought the Holy Spirit wanted me to get from the movie is that we need to persevere through what is coming even when we can't do anything to change it from happening. The only thing we will be able to do is participate in the Sacraments - especially the Eucharist (for as long as they are available to us) and pray (in particular the Rosary and Divine Mercy) while the madness of this world increases and it will appear that all is over and there seems to be no hope. "If I can take it I can make it" was the thing that kept him going (and if you read the book or watch the movie he went through an incredible amount of suffering). We must persevere in the near future in what will seem like a hopeless situation. We, the faithful Church members, are now in the Agony in the Garden with Jesus (and I don't just mean this metaphorically) where we need to say to the Father with Jesus: "Father, if you are willing, take this cup from me; yet not my will, but yours be done." Luke 22:42. This means we are to allow ourselves to experience what Jesus was experiencing. This is only possible when we allow his heart to take over the beating of our hearts and allow his love to strengthen us ("my Yoke is easy my burden light" Mathew 11:30). Jesus was in so much grief over the sins of the world and in particular the rejection of his love, that it was overbearing (to the point of sweating blood). The sadness, fear, anxiety, frustration, anger, etc. we are feeling as we see the evil around us and even in the Church, Jesus experienced all of it and what was his answer - to suffer and die on the cross out of love for us (while we were still sinners and were the ones nailing him to that cross with our sins), which the world thought was his defeat, but in reality it was that very sacrifice that saved us. Are we not to follow him on this same path (he certainly has said as much in several places in Scripture)? By far this was Jesus' way of responding to evil. We should spend much time now meditating on the suffering of Jesus in the Agony in the Garden, as it is here that we will best gain the proper discernment and avoid responding like Peter did by pulling out the sword when this is not what Jesus wanted from him. Discernment is very difficult because, unfortunately, we often let our sinful blindness keep us from seeing the path God has laid out for us and accepting this path in Faith (even we who are very prayerful Catholics). Let us ask the intercession of Saint Peter to help us better discern what God is asking of each one of us!
From GSWYL messages : 8/15/07 Because many of my shepherds are lukewarm and neither hot or cold, I will begin to vomit thee out of my mouth. Because thou sayest I am rich and made wealthy and have need of nothing: and knowest not that thou art wretched and miserable and poor and blind and naked. Apocalypse 3:16,17. Many of my priests have succumbed to the dragon of Apocalypse 12:4 and have fallen from my grace. My son the persecution of my faithful Catholics will come from: the followers of the man of sin, lukewarm Catholics, and apostate protestants. For I am the same yesterday, today, and forever. Hebrews 13:8. When an antipope sits in the chair of St. Peter, lukewarm Catholics will follow his false teachings. Those of my faithful Catholics will be persecuted by those who follow this antipope. Those protestants who are deceived by Satan into believing my Catholic Church is the antichrist, will also persecute my faithful Catholics, with the rise of this antipope. The hordes of hell will try and crush my church. Only those who are living in the humility of my divine will with my divine life in their souls, will survive the persecution and deception to come. But, woe to those who persecute my church. For you are truly persecuting me. God will not be mocked. For our God is a consuming fire. Hebrews 12:29. Then you will truly understand the warnings given by my Blessed Mother Mary at Fatima, Akita, and through the many messengers in your age. 10-05-07 A.M. After the warning, by accepting the mark of the beast, you will be condemned to hell because you have rejected my mercy in its fullest expression. My son, I give you a private prophecy. Share it at my leading. The antichrist is rising to power as I speak to you. He is hidden until revealed according to my Father’s will. Many natural disasters have and will continue to occur. Then you will experience the warning. After the warning, rejecting my mercy will cause you to take the mark of the beast. You will then experience the abomination of desolation and a fierce persecution of my faithful Catholics by: lukewarm Catholics, Protestants who are apostate, and the followers of the antichrist. After my two witnesses battle the forces of Satan, you will see my two witnesses killed and taken up into heaven. Woe to those who are alive during those days. Without my mercy, no flesh would survive. My Father’s wrath will be unleashed on the ungodly and sinner. I will then, with the brightness of my coming, cast the antichrist and his followers into hell forever. As a result, the world will experience 3days of darkness and my creation purified of evil. 10/10/07 P.M To my lukewarm Catholics I to say to you: Repent today or you will face the justice of God. Return to sanctifying grace and confess your sins and spiritual pride. To the protestant denominations: Stop believing the lies of Satan and accept my complete truth. You will not survive the days coming to mankind with only partial truth. You need sanctifying grace and the whole truth to survive the times of the antichrist. Return to my Holy Catholic Church. Stop persecuting my faithful pope and priests. Let go of your pride and be truly humble in my sight. 10/17/07 My people, Satan is going to persecute my church, since he has been cast out of my church. He is going to use lukewarm Catholics, apostate Protestants, and the antichrist to persecute my faithful Catholics. My people the time is shorter than you realize. My church is being purified. I am giving you this warning to prepare those who have ears to hear. Apocalypse 12:12 states: Therefore, rejoice, O heavens, and you that dwell therein. Woe to the earth and to the sea, because the devil is come down unto you, having great wrath, knowing that he hath but a short time. Satan knows his time is limited. My holy word clearly states to you that the reign of Satan through the antichrist will last 3 ½ years. I warn you my people, prepare your soul today for persecution. If you do not trust in the Lord completely, you will not survive the days to come. My people, the antichrist is being allowed by my Father as a chastisement to mankind for rejecting my Father’s mercy through his son, for rejecting my Blessed Mother’s messages, and for rejecting my Father as Creator and Lord of all creation. 11/06/07 My son, who are the souls who will take this mark? They are lukewarm Catholics, apostate Protestants, and the followers of the antichrist. I will now explain this further for you. My words clearly states those who take the mark of the beast will be tormented forever with fire and brimstone. This means it is a final act of rebellion against my mercy. What would cause a person to rebel against my mercy with the knowledge of eternal damnation upon receiving the mark? It will be a rejection of my mercy through my warning. The warning shall take place before the mark of the beast is forced on mankind. Otherwise many innocent souls would take this mark not understanding what it truly means. The mark of the beast is more than a computer chip. It is the turning completely of your will to Satan and your sinful desires. A physical mark is an outward manifestation of an inward rebellion against God. Just as baptism, is an outward sign of an inward cleansing of original sin from a soul. To repeat, the spiritual mark will be manifested by a physical sign. This physical sign on your being will be required for survival in this world. Those who reject the spiritual mark will reject the physical mark and will be persecuted by the following groups. Lukewarm Catholics will reject my divine life received at baptism and commit the sin of blaspheming my body, blood, soul, and divinity. Hence lukewarm Catholics will persecute my faithful Catholics. After the warning, there will only be one church. All Protestant denominations will have no reason to exist. For all Protestants will see the truth in my Catholic Church. Those Protestants who in their pride reject my truth, will become apostate and persecute my true Catholics. Many Protestants will enter my church because of the warning. The ungodly will persecute my faithful remnant because the ungodly rejected my mercy. A fierce persecution will rage like a fire in certain parts of your world. Europe, North America, and Latin America will persecute my faithful severely.
God Speaks Will You Listen http://www.scribd.com/doc/22505473/God-Speaks-Will-You-Listen is from our MOG forum friend Verne Dagenias and a few messages from his good friend Cletus who has since passed away. One of the most interesting/inspiring books I have ever read (several times). He used to live in Minnesota and now lives in Arizona.
The vast majority of Catholics are uncatechized now. The pull of the immoral world is so strong. And strong moral voices to sound the alarm have been few and those that have done so have been set aside, demoted, and exiled in these past few years. Few want to hear their voice that bothers a conscience. Many are just ignorant because the Truths of the faith have not been taught. We hear of 'luv'. So it is called 'luv' when sodomites want to be a protected class and no one will care for their souls enough to tell them the truth. Sin remains sin. It is not love to not speak the truth with charity. God knows the hearts and knows who is truly ignorant but we have a natural law in our hearts that convicts us of sin and the guilt cannot be assuaged even by 'laws'. It is not difficult to live without God. Even Catholics are not baptizing their children or marrying in the Church, etc. Lightening does not strike. One of our priests just recently told us that we must always 'blend in' and never stand out. Saints stood out and were persecuted because they did. Father said to not burden ourselves but just love Jesus and each other. Is that really the way to heaven? Can I say I love Jesus and 'others' but live in fornication too? What does it mean to love God? Well, Our Lord told us that if we love Him we must keep His Commandments: when was the last time you heard that?
You are so right. It is not only that they do not know their faith, they could care less about faith or morals. The great apostasy, which we are in now, was the last link to bring about the end times and it has arrived. The tribulation is in motion and to gain full speed within a few months now. What will the clueless do then? Will Facebook, Tweeting, texting, taking selfies or playing their electronic games provide any comfort when the storm hits home? What will the lukewarm do?
