Portsmouth Roman Catholic

I have been writing blogs for a long time.   I once had a blog called Catholic Rights where I challenged the Modernists of the time to not just contradict the Church but offer proof that what they were saying was correct.    I did this because it was my only way of getting an audience since the 'Spirit of Vatican II' told others "Do not listen to him" and I had sympathy for that was after all their only answer.   I listened to the £2million pound a year bureaucracy of the time misleading people on what Vatican II said about Ecumenism, and the favourite theme  "The Catholic Church shares the truth with all the other Churches, we do not have a monopoly.   Another time I was told about how Catholics were forbidden to read the bible which on my challenging moved to Pius XII allowing it after the war, and what year did they say, well one bright young man shouted out 1948, and there was a hum of agreement.   In fact the only Time Pius XII spoke on scripture ...

In the early Church there were many letters written which are not contained in what were call the Bible.   A scholar called Eusebius, who lived in the 5th century, commented on the many letters of the Early Church.    One prolific writer was Ignatius of Antioch who was a contemporary of the Apostles.   Eusebius was a great admirer of Ignatius and listed his many work   "Ignatius" he said "was still a famed name after Peter to succeed to the bishopric of Antioch"   He was taken from Asia under Roman guard to eventually be thrown to the lions in Rome, a death that Ignatius looked forward to with almost relish.    Ignatius on his way he strengthened the Christians in the places he past through with his preaching on holding fast to the Apostolic Tradition against the heresies spring up.   He wrote letters to the Church in Ephesus when he was in Smyrnia.  He also wrote a letter to Rome.  Later on his journey he wrote from Troas to the Ch...

I have now presented blogs on the Mass and the Real Presence.  I will now be looking at Authority in the Early Church.   By this time I will have been described by many as 'Triumphalist', living in the past, or just plain stupid.   In their destruction of the teaching of the Church by the Reformers of the 60's and 70's they made good use of the secular approach.   To win a point it was not necessary to prove someone wrong but just to ensure that you let them know that you are 'adult', 'more mature', and 'have moved on from childish things'.   This was accepted to such a degree in our English Church that had Jesus himself appeared and orally contradicted the reformers even He  would have been attacked.   So let me begin my blog on the Authority of the Church given to her by Jesus Christ Himself. One thing that the Church had was an appeal to Apostolic Tradition. It was clear that any teaching could be challenged and scripture could be attacked ...

If indeed the children of today and the children of the Early Church shared the same belief in the Body of Christ then what would be the experience of adults if they returned to the Early Church?   From the writing of the Fathers and the Early Church we can conclude that such Catholics would be very much at home since although the trimmings may be different the priest would offer the Bread and Wine as the priest does today, but perhaps with a great more reverence than today.   Jesus had asked them to 'do this in memory of me' at the Last Supper but again there must have been much debate over the question why and how they should conduct it.   They found the answer in the Prophet Malachi. St Justin Martyr   Hence God speaks by the mouth of Malachi, one of the twelve prophetess I said before, about the Sacrifices being offered by you at that time  "I have no pleasure in you and I will not accept your sacrifices at your hands, for from the rising of the ...

Come May and June the Catholic parishes in England and Wales will bring forward children of a certain age and allow them to have their First Holy Communion.  It is a most remarkable thing that these children in thank God the majority of parishes now, will receive Jesus with the same belief in the Real Presence as children did at the time of the Apostles.   And the wonderful thing is that it is a belief and trust in the word of Jesus that has survived despite the attempts of the enemy to destroy this article of Faith.   From the start there  were those who wanted the word of Christ to be reasonable and understandable and in full accordance with human reason. They constantly disparaged things they could not understand.   It all had to make sense. If we turn to John 6 we can read the account of how Jesus challenged people to eat his flesh and drink his blood.  They did no understand a word of what he said and 'followed Him no more'.   Then Jesus turned...

On Confirmation St Hippolytus of Rome in in book Apostolic Tradition wrote the following.  ":The bishop will then lay his hand upon them, invoking 'Lord God, you who have made these worthy of the removal of sins by the bath of regeneration, make them worthy to be filled with your Holy Spirit, grant to them your grace, that they might serve you according to your will, for to you is the glory Father, Son, and Holy Spirit in the Holy Church now and throughout the ages of ages, Amen"    After this he  pours the oil into his hand and then laying his hand on each of their heads, says  "I anoint you with oil in God the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit"   Then after sealing each of the on their forehead, "he shall give them the kiss of peace and say "The Lord be with you", and the one who has been baptised shall say "And with your spirit"  So shall he do to each one.   Apostolic Tradition This is the form of Confirmation even to this day...

Baptism into the Church of adults converting from Judaism and Paganism was normal in the Early Church.   As Jesus said in Matthew 28 "All authority is given to me in Heaven and on earth go therefore and preach the Gospel to all nations, baptising them in the name of the Father, the Son, and Holy Spirit, TEACHING THEM TO OBSERVE ALL I HAVE COMMANDED YOU, and I an with you always, even to the consummation of the world"  When we are baptised therefore we do so accepting ALL THE TEACHINGS OF JESUS CHRIST, Who had authority from His Father in Heaven to give his teachings to the Church he founded which had his authority.   This Authority was to be with His Church 'even to the end of the world'.   And those baptised were expected to recognise that Authority by observing all that Jesus had commanded.   At no time did Jesus say that his teachings such as those on adultery or divorce were to be re-interpreted or updated at a later time when people were 'better educated, n...

 Clem. 44:1 And our Apostles knew through our Lord Jesus Christ that there would be strife over the name of the bishop's office. 1 Clem. 44:2 For this cause therefore, having received complete foreknowledge, they appointed the aforesaid persons, and afterwards they provided a continuance, that if these should fall asleep, other approved men should succeed to their ministration. Those therefore who were appointed by them, or afterward by other men of repute with the consent of the whole Church, and have ministered unblamably to the flock of Christ in lowliness of mind, peacefully and with all modesty, and for long time have borne a good report with all these men we consider to be unjustly thrust out from their ministration. 1 Clem. 44:3 For it will be no light sin for us, if we thrust out those who have offered the gifts of the bishop's office unblamably and holily. 1 Clem. 44:4 Blessed are those presbyters who have gone before, seeing that their departure was fruitful an...

One of the sad things about the Church in England is its scant regard of what is true and what is false.      It now has some kind of philosophy that we can all have our different opinions and beliefs but somehow we can all somehow be truly Christian by respecting the opinion of others as long as we are good, charitable, and in 'communion'.   This proved a disaster when it was first introduced for it led to a persecution of those who wanted to follow the Truth, they could certainly not hold on to the Catholic Faith. Recently I have been going through a book by Jimmy Akin  called 'The Fathers Know Best".   He explores the writings of the early Church and very early Church and  we are led with the awesome thought that the early Church corresponded very well not with the Protestant position but the Catholic one of today.   Early writers and contemporaries of the Apostles such as Ignatius of Antioch talk about Infant Baptism and speak out against an...

There is criticism of Pope Frances because of a sermon he gave at Christmas.   He was talking about Joseph and Mary and remarked that they both had to strive to be saints since in life nobody was born one.    He was attacked as not understanding the Immaculate Conception which according to his critics meant that Mary was born a saint.   The Pope was pointing out that we too must strive to be saints just as they did. But what of the Immaculate Conception question.    Yes Mary was born free from original sin and her soul was full of grace so she could overcome temptation much easier than other mortals but she was not free from temptation and like Eve who was also born immaculate she still COULD have sinned.   But as Jesus said to the crowd when the woman praised his mother for bearing him "No, blessed are those who hear the word of God and keep it" as Mary did.   She too in her way worked out her own salvation for she was not destined by God for a...

Not so long ago there was a very serious attempt to change the fundamental nature of the Catholic Church in this Diocese.   There was a failure to pass on the Faith to the young people and the result was that there were few young men offering themselves to the priesthood.   Some saw the relationship between the two and prayed for vocations but others saw it as an opportunity.    Many parishes began to introduce 'Eucharistic Services' led by a layperson and as a result of this a Pastoral Plan emerged.   A 'vision' was presented of a new and exciting Church in he hands of the laity, and the chosen laity were already running most of the parishes.   We would have pastoral areas, a cluster of five or six parishes which would have to be run, because of our declining vocations, by only two priests.   Now just imagine how many Masses would disappear even on a Sunday, and a parish would certainly not  have Masses on every day of the week.    Then...