Catholic Candle note: The article below refers to Rome’s betrayal of the Catholic Faith. However, a reader would be mistaken if he assumed that Pope Francis’ betrayal somehow means that he is not the pope.
Sedevacantism is wrong and is (material or formal) schism. Catholic Candle is not sedevacantist. On the contrary, we published a series of articles showing that sedevacantism is false (and also showing that former Pope Benedict is not still the pope).
We recommend a small book explaining the errors of sedevacantism. It is available:
➢ Here, for free: https://catholiccandle.neocities.org/faith/against-sedevacantism.html or
➢ Here, at cost ($4): https://www.amazon.com/Sedevacantism-Material-Quanta-Cura-Press/dp/B08FP5NQR6/ref=sr_1_1
Here is what St. Bernard of Clairvaux, Doctor of the Church, teaches concerning the need to recognize and respect the authority of a superior – such as the pope – even when he is bad:
Even should the life of any superior be so notoriously wicked as to admit of no excuse or dissimulation, nevertheless, for God’s sake, Who is the source of all power, we are bound to honor such a one, not on account of his personal merits, which are non-existent, but because of the divine ordination and the dignity of his office.[1]
However, even while recognizing the pope’s authority and our duty to obey him when we are able, we know we must resist the evil he says and does. Read more about this principle here: https://catholiccandle.neocities.org/faith/against-sedevacantism.html#section-7
Lastly, in the article below, the reference to becoming an “ordinary saint” is not a reference to becoming a saint through attending the evil novus ordo mass, a/k/a the “ordinary rite”. The new mass is inherently evil and a sacrilege. This evil rite does not give grace[2] or help us toward heaven.
Is Your Goal to Be an
Ordinary or Extraordinary Saint?
You will have to be one or the other to get to Heaven. Only saints get to
Heaven. Most people believe a lie of the devil, that “It’s too hard to be
a saint; I’m not even going to try.”
We must want to be saints! In order to do this, we must love God. Yet, to love God we must have knowledge of Him.
Okay, let’s list things to do to increase your understanding and knowledge of a loving God, Who makes it so easy to love Him:
❖ Understand what He has done and continues to do for you. Here are a few especially important blessings to remember:
➢ He created you specially;
➢ He suffered and died for you so you could be happy here on earth and forever happy with Him in Heaven. He would have done the same if you were the only person on earth; and
➢ He keeps you in existence with His knowledge of you.
❖ Make a real effort to return His love for you by your love for Him.
➢ Make many and frequent Spiritual Holy Communions; and
➢ Discuss with Him (like you would with your best friend) all aspects of your life and how you want to be a saint and be forever with Him in Heaven.
❖ To increase your love, make an effort to study His life on earth and the aspects of that life. You must have knowledge of the Person you love, as well as of the things you could study and even touch, if permitted, e.g., the Holy Cross He died on, the Crown of Thorns, etc.
At the top of the list is the Shroud, the “clean linen cloth” (as the Gospel calls it) in which Christ was laid when He was taken down from the Cross. Here is what the Catholic Encyclopedia says about the Shroud:
This relic, though damaged by a fire, bears the faint but distinct impress of a human form both back and front. The cloth is about 13 ½ feet long and 4 ½ feet wide. If the marks we perceive were caused by a human body, it is clear that the body (supine) was laid lengthwise along one half of the shroud while the other half was doubled over the head to cover the whole front of the body from the face to the feet. …
In 1898 when the shroud was solemnly exposed, permission was given to photograph it, and a sensation was caused by the discovery that the image upon the linen was apparently a negative – in other words, that the photographic negative taken from this offered a more recognizable picture of a human face than the cloth itself or any positive print. In the photographic negative the lights and shadows were natural; in the linen or the print they were inverted. Three years afterwards, Dr. Paul Vignon read a remarkable paper before the Academie des Sciences in which he maintained that the impression upon the shroud was a ‘vaporigraph’ caused by the ammoniacal emanations radiating from the surface of Christ’s body after so violent a death.[3]
Shown below is a picture I believe was providentially developed using the shroud as a model. It is a big help to greatly improve your Spiritual Communions, increase your love, help in discussions with Him, and better understand how it demonstrates His love for you.
Consider suffering and dying for Him (as He did for you) if it ever becomes necessary in the anti-God world we live in. It appears a possibility, just as in 16th century England, and in other periods of persecution throughout history.
Then, the persecutions sought to eliminate the Catholic religion; now it will be to eradicate completely all reference to, or thought about God, while promoting Mother Earth, the pagan Pachamama, etc. Don’t expect any help from Rome. Our leaders there have already betrayed the Catholic Faith.
Our Lord knows the extent of your love and your willingness to suffer and die for Him because He can read your heart. Oh, what a blessing!
Be sure to fulfill all the duties and requirements of your state of life, which includes unfailingly standing up for Christ.
If, by chance, you still consider it impossible to become a saint, then the devil is still trying hard to discourage you. Ask for God’s help and discuss it with Him. He knows how to solve your problem.
It’s possible to be an exceptional saint — like St. Thomas Aquinas, St. Francis, St. Paul, etc. – but that requires not only your special dedication but also God leading a person to that greater state. However, even so, the road to that exceptional sanctity passes through “ordinary sanctity” as a preparation for even higher things. So, keep it up! You don’t know what God has planned for you. Whatever God plans for you is not impossible; don’t listen to the devil. You must first pursue becoming an “ordinary saint”.
On this road to “ordinary sanctity”, God will direct you to what is best for you to reach your goal of Heaven in today’s world in which you live. It will be somewhat different than in the past. Most likely He does not plan for you to live as a hermit in the desert, or on a platform atop a pole like St. Simon Stylite. It could be He wants you to join an uncompromising monastery (when one becomes available); or He may ask you to start one, or to finance one.
His plan for you certainly won’t be impossible for you. No, He will give you all necessary help. So, it is up to you to use His help to succeed and to be happy with Him for all eternity.
It goes without saying that all of the above requires much prayer (i.e., conversations with God).