This gentleman in the video has only scratched the surface when offering his take on "ambiguities" in the Documents of Vatican II. In order to understand what the Holy Spirit accomplished working in and through the Second Vatican Council, now only beginning to be fully implemented, he would do well to read the work of a famous peritus in attendance. For the years 1965-1978, when the forces of neomodernism had infiltrated the Church, the best interpretation is that of Paul VI.   For one interested in the history of the Church since Vatican II, read The Smoke of Satan in the Temple of God.

In Smoke , I wrote of two modifications of "Catholic" in popular parlance these days: Lest we forget, there were indeed reform-minded Council Fathers who responded to Pope John’s vision of the Church growing in spiritual riches as a fruit of the Council under the guidance of the Holy Spirit in the hope that the faithful might through grace be aided in turning hearts  and minds  toward heavenly things.  Given what has been said thus far, it should not surprise the reader that many “liberal Catholics” view the pontificate of John Paul II as too “conservative,” and out of touch with the modern world, while the traditionalists view the writings and teachings of the Holy Father as modernist! Dr. Jeff Mirus of Catholic Culture   has rightly linked Pope Francis's view of Vatican II as  synonymous  with those of his predecessors, who were in attendance.

Elizabeth Scalia  has written of a recent much-publicized event: “…..That poor Miss Cyrus is suffering from a case of disorientation   is a guess I am hazarding after watching her performance, during which she demonstrated a case of diminished proprioception — an inability to perceive where she was, in space, which caused her to upend herself repeatedly, head-to-ground and bottom-to-sky — as well as an unfamiliarity with the proper placement of the tongue, which is within one’s mouth. Seriously, the so-called dancing may have been vulgar but the incessant appearance of Cyrus’ waggling blue tongue was what I found both fascinating and completely repellent. Within the boring,   Hunger-Gameseque   fiasco that showcased a pop-music scene melodically played-out and utterly exhausted with its BDSM images (even as it keeps flogging us with them) Cyrus’ tongue was the thing that creeped me out. Gene Simmons’ long and over-exposed licker unfurled itself with a sense o...

Monica Migliorino Miller is the Director of Citizens for a Pro-life Society and the associate professor of Sacred Theology at Madonna University. She is an established author , most recently having published Abandoned; The Untold Story of the Abortion Wars , which no less a personage than Dinesh D'Souza has written:   "Quite simply, this is the best book ever written on abortion. Beautifully written, this is about the consequences of Roe v. Wade, as seen through the eyes of one woman, who tells a clear and compelling story with passion but without fanaticism. On a subject that is often heavy and depressing, this is a hard-hitting yet compassionate and moving book. Honestly, I wouldn't have thought such a narrative could be done, only now it has been done."  I would like to make you aware of a National Day of Remembrance for aborted Children. Click here for more info.

As a Catholic educator I have observed over the years that, due to the ever-increasing secularization of American culture, many baptized Catholics appear not to live the life of discipleship, wherein it is not they who live, but Our Lord who lives in them. Why? As a result of sin, and its instigator, the devil. ( Catechism of the Catholic Church , Para.. 1237) If ever there was one who believed in the devil’s existence, it was Our Lord, who called him “the ruler of this world.” We must remember, however, that while the spirit of anti-Christ has been with us since the dawn of history, our enemy is no more than a rebel angel whom God permits to test us. The Father never wills evil, but He does permit Satan to tempt us, just as he allowed the passion of His Son, through which He showed that regardless of the demonic action, God always attempts to bring a larger good out of our enemy’s apparent conquests. The primary spiritual combat zone here is the human will; because God always ...

John Gehring in the Post editorializes:   Something unexpected and extraordinary is happening in the Catholic Church. Pope Francis is rescuing the faith from those who hunker down in gilded cathedrals and wield doctrine like a sword. The edifice of fortress Catholicism – in which progressive Catholics, gay Catholics, Catholic women and others who love the church but often feel marginalized by the hierarchy – is starting to crumble. I, as one endlessly pointing out the fruitlessness of using adjectives to describe Catholics , could not resist the following, penned by Pat Archibold of the NCR (NOT Reporter!!) Proof of Liberalism in the Pope: "It is true that the Muslim world is not totally mistaken when it reproaches the West of Christian tradition of moral decadence and the manipulation of human life." "It is deplorable that homosexual persons have been and are the object of violent malice in speech or in action. Such treatment deserves condemnation from ...

Katrina Fernandez has an insightful observation on the papal style of Pope Francis vs. his predecessor as depicted in the social media: See… the ravings of someone spiritually starving. All this focus on eschewing expensive finery for the sake of the poor. The poor. You know what, as a member of the poor, I can earnestly say that financially poverty is less detrimental than spiritual poverty. Financial poverty won’t kill me like spiritual poverty will. And to be perfectly honest, I find it all rather condescending. Poor people being offended by beautiful chalices and awe inspiring church architecture. Pfffft. The Constitution on the Sacred Liturgy teaches that “the Liturgy is the summit toward which the activity of the Church is directed; it is also the font from which all her power flows,”   and necessary for catechizing the faithful that Christ Jesus may fully work in them in transforming them. If this is so, and it is, then Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger got it right wh...

In The Smoke of Satan I offered the following viewpoint: "The schema of “liberal” (progressive, left) vs. conservative (traditional, right) which followed upon the close of Vatican II is wholly inadequate for explaining the present-day crisis of faith within the Church of Jesus Christ, though it is most unfortunate that usage of these terms persist among many Catholics and in the media today".   That many Catholics today persist in evaluating the Vicar of Christ on earth in human-concocted political, philosophical, ideological terms is demonstrated by many of the articles in the dissenting publication, the   National Catholic Reporter . Of late John Allen of the National Catholic Reporter has written:   …. Francis seems to be re positioning the church in the political center, after a fairly lengthy period in which many observers perceived it to be drifting to the right. Veteran Italian journalist Sandro Magister recently observed, "It c...

In 1972 Pope Paul VI stated of the Devil: .... He is the malign, clever seducer who knows how to make his way into us through the senses, the imagination and the libido .... I am fond of citing contemporary examples of how the Holy Spirit Guided Paul VI in his many true predictions concerning the reality of spiritual war in contemporary society: From the First Things Blog : Few of us can imagine or understand the depravity of Ariel Castro ’s heart. Castro is the Cleveland man who recently was arrested for kidnapping, raping, and imprisoning three women for over a decade. He impregnated the women he held captive and beat one of them until she miscarried. Ariel Castro is obviously sick, obviously broken, obviously e nslaved by the forces of chaos and evil in a way that few of us have ever witnessed. Ariel Castro belongs in prison. Last week, he was sentenced to serve more than one thousand years. But despite the depths of his depravity, when Castro stood shackle...

In my third Chapter I wrote, concerning  Paul VI’s encyclical  Humanae Vitae: Pope Paul VI wrote of four evils that would result from a disobedience to Church teaching set down in his encyclical: That widespread contraceptive practice would lead to “conjugal infidelity and the general lowering of morality.” Men… would “lose respect” for women and no longer care for their physical and psychological enjoyment. The contraceptive mentality would “place a dangerous weapon…in the hands of those public authorities who take no heed of moral exigencies.” Contraception would lead humans into thinking they have unrestricted authority over their bodies. It is easy to show from the historical record that the Holy Spirit had guided the heart and mind of Paul VI to see clearly the consequences of the intrinsic evil of contraception. Jesus, “the Way, the Truth, and the Life,” teaches that the truth sets us free. Pope Paul VI was the Lord’s herald ...

I have written a book about Paul I's vision that the Devil is a reality that should be taken more seriously by the Church today. In this video, following yesterday's celebration of St Ignatius, let us reflect on the Holy Father Pope Francis' mission as Vicar of Christ which supports completely what I have written of Paul VI's "Smoke of Satan" homily!