Besides Baptism and Marriage, there are no sacraments available to faithful and informed Catholics (at least in most places in the world) because there are so few uncompromising priests.  When a Catholic first encounters this situation, he fears that salvation is almost impossible.  But in reality, he receives many additional graces because he accepts no compromises to the Faith, and he is standing up for Christ the King.

The devil knows this and he will mount a strong attack, using his greatest efforts.  Satan has more time to deal with faithful and informed Catholics because he has already won over most followers of the conciliar church.  But, by using the extra help that faithful and informed Catholics can receive, the devil is vanquished.

Faithful and informed Catholics are more conscientious and understand the true Traditional Catholic Faith much better.  In the present Great Apostasy, they start to understand how even each venial sin drives a nail into Our Lord’s Hands and Feet.

In the catacombs, faithful and informed Catholics start to realize that even the smallest sin is a real problem for salvation, so they “mind their Ps and Qs” even in the most trivial matters.  This imitates St. Francis of Assisi who, as legend says, would go out of his way not to accidentally step on the smallest bug (representing the fact that we should fight even the smallest faults).  

As The Imitation of Christ teaches:

When a man reaches a point where he seeks no solace from any creature, then he begins to relish God perfectly.^[1]

Faithful and informed Catholics have much to do to get their minds and consciences informed.  Through such efforts, they can have moments of contemplation in which they would rather die than commit a venial sin.  

They really appreciate the Faith much more and do not take it for granted.  I’m just amazed at all the help and grace one will receive in the catacombs with an informed conscience and a great love for Christ.  Such a Catholic is vigilant to avoid committing even the smallest sins.  This is hard to believe, but true.

Uncompromising Catholics don’t have pangs of conscience because they do not take “soft” positions on faith and morals.  They live a happy and holy life.  But of course, they always try to increase in their love for Christ, strive for humility, and make efforts to expand and enrich their prayer life.  They especially make an effort to avoid distractions while praying.  They recite many Spiritual Communions during the day, which is the strong point in their prayer life.  Of course, it goes without saying that they are lovingly fulfilling all obligations of their state in life.

In the 1950s, before the “catacombs” of the current Great Apostasy, the availability of Saturday afternoon confession was always in the back of many Catholics’ minds when tempted to sin.  They might easily salve their consciences that they will soon be back in the state of grace and God will “understand”.  WRONG!  God will not “understand”!  

Certainly, a great, additional help to avoid this lukewarm attitude is the weekly Devotion to Our Mother of Perpetual Help.  This beautiful devotion was all but eliminated as the result of Vatican II and its conciliar church.  I kept a pre-Vatican II prayer card from the old days (which included the whole 15-minute’s worth of prayers).  I don’t know where else these prayers are available today.  But if you email a request to Catholic Candle, we will send it to you.  As Our Lord teaches: “ask and you shall receive”.

---