Invincible ignorance neither saves nor condemns. So, what is it?

…a person who wants to go east, but, by an innocent mistake, gets on a train going west, will, as soon as he finds out his mistake, get off at the next station, and take a train that goes east.

In like manner, a person who walked on a road that he, in his inculpable ignorance, believed was the true road to Heaven, must leave that road, as soon as he finds out his mistake, and inquire for the true road to Heaven. God, in His infinite mercy, will not fail to make him find out, in due time, the true road to Heaven, if he corresponds to His grace.

Hence we asked the following question in our Familiar Explanation: 

“What are we to think of the salvation of those who are out of the pale of the Church without any fault of theirs, and who never had any opportunity to know better?”

To this question we give the following answer:

“Their inculpable (invincible) ignorance will not save them; but if they fear God and live up to their conscience, God, in His infinite mercy, will furnish them with the necessary means of salvation, even so as to send, if needed, an angel to instruct them in the Catholic Faith, rather than let them perish through inculpable ignorance.” (St. Thomas Aquinas)

A “blueprint” for the coming end of days, based on the prophesies of Catholic saints

Well, let me lay this out for you in very simple terms:  The good ol’ days ended a long time ago, long before any of us were born, and long before anyone alive today can remember.

Would it surprise you to learn that our time was prophesied centuries ago, with alarming accuracy?  Here, let me give you an example…

After the year 1900, toward the middle of the 20th century, the people of that time will become unrecognizable.

When the time for the Advent of the Antichrist approaches, peoples minds will grow cloudy from carnal passions, and dishonor and lawlessness will grow stronger.

Then, the world will become unrecognizable.

Peoples appearances will change, and it will be impossible to distinguish men from women due to there shamelessness in dress and style of hair.

These people will be cruel and will be like wild animals because of the temptations of the Antichrist.

There will be no respect for parents or elders. Love will disappear, and Christian pastors, bishops, and priests will become vain men, completely failing to distinguish the right hand way from the left.

At that time the morals and traditions of Christians and the Church will change.

People will abandon modesty, and dissipation will reign. Falsehood and greed will attain great proportions, and woe to those who pile up treasures.

Lust, adultery, homosexuality, secret deeds and murder will rule, in society.

— St. Nilus, 430 AD

A priest reaffirms his faith in the Catholic Church, in a strange kind of way.

Noah and family

The Catholic Church is like the Old Testament. There is Noah, lying drunk and naked. There’s Abraham disobeying God and taking his maid instead of his wife. There’s David ogling Bathsheba and plotting to kill her husband after he makes her pregnant. The same rich stink of sin wafts through the Catholic Church too, and that is what makes it seem real.

Read more

No serious baseball fan would ever question the value of Catholic relics.

by Doug Lawrence

Anyone who ever attended a major league baseball game would be loathed to throw back a foul ball … let alone a genuine souvenir bat, cap, or glove, especially one that that was actually used by their favorite ball player.

These things serve as lasting remembrances of extremely rare, real-life events that remain dear to the heart of many, many fans for a long, long time. They also inspire many a great story.

So it is with authentic Catholic relics … only more so … since such things serve to remind us of the true realities of our faith, the work of Jesus Christ, the apostles, martyrs and saints, and the love of God.

While the ranks of professional baseball players have always been quite small, and the length of their careers short … it remains quite possible, with the help of the church, for anyone to become a saint … and remain so eternally!

All the more reason authentic Catholic relics should inspire us to greatness, in Christ.

For those who are religiously opposed to such things, please take a look at the recent 9-11 remembrances, erected all around the country, which used many types of architectural details, flags, and other remnants from the twin towers, to effectively and permanently commemorate what happened there.

Idolatry? Heck no!

Souvenirs, memorials and relics serve to remind us of important truths and events, by bringing very real parts of the past, into the present day.

In that respect, the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass is without equal, since it is there that Jesus Christ becomes present on the altar for us, under the sacramental auspices of bread and wine, making present the one time, once for all, perfect and eternal sacrifice, who redeemed us from eternal slavery to Satan, sin, and death.

And while baseballs and home run kings constitute essential elements of America’s pastime, Jesus Christ is without a doubt, King of Kings, Lord of Lords, and mankind’s greatest hero of all time … with all of the saints faithfully “lined up” right behind him.

That’s what we Catholics remember at every Mass, and that’s what we Catholics remember when we venerate relics of the saints.

Now … Play Ball!

Saint Anthony – Finder of Lost Husbands?

The most humorous story I ever heard regarding Saint Anthony was told by my mother. She had an aunt who prayed to Saint Anthony for many years.

Every night she knelt before her statue of Saint Anthony and asked him to find her a husband. She prayed and prayed faithfully, but her prayers just weren’t being answered.

Finally one day, feeling discouraged and angry that Saint Anthony wasn’t answering her prayers, she took the statue and threw it out the window.

It flew out of her apartment window and bonked a pedestrian on the head.  The man saw which window the statue had come from, and returned it to her.

They married shortly after.

I’m sure the bump had healed by then.

Perfect for Lent! Free, Downloadable, Fully Illustrated, Catholic Faith Study: “Overcoming the World, the Flesh and the Devil, In and Through Our Lord, Jesus Christ.”

The True Story of Our Salvation In Jesus Christ
Perfect for Lent.
The “Hows” and “Whys” are explored and illuminated
according to the official rubrics of The Sacred Deposit of the Faith,
suitably enhanced by authentic, insightful excerpts
from the writings and reflections of some of the greatest
theologians, saints and scholars, of all time.

One Picture Is Worth A Thousand Words
The masterful expressions and subtle nuances
of the classic illustrations greatly enhance the overall experience.

PART ONE:
The primeval events
that resulted in the Fall of Man (PDF)

PART TWO:
The totally gratuitous
saving works of God (PDF)

PART THREE:
Why we venerate
the Blessed Virgin Mary (PDF)

*** EXCELLENT LENTEN STUDY ***

PART FOUR:
The mystery
of our redemption
revealed (PDF)

*** EXCELLENT LENTEN STUDY ***

PART FIVE:
The spiritually vital mission
of the Holy Church (PDF)

PART SIX:
Our personal identity
in Jesus Christ (PDF)

Download the latest Adobe PDF Reader Software for free

For detailed information on a wide range of Catholic topics
(available in both English and Spanish language formats)
visit Bob Stanley’s “The Catholic Treasure Chest”

The Tremendous Value of the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass

At the hour of death the Holy, Masses you have heard devoutly,
will be your greatest consolation. Every Mass will go with you
to Judgment and will plead for pardon for you.
By every Mass you can diminish the temporal punishment due to your sins,
more or less, according to your fervor.

By devoutly assisting at Holy Mass you render the greatest homage
possible to the Sacred Humanity of Our Lord. Through the Holy Sacrifice,
Our Lord Jesus Christ supplies for many of our negligences and omissions.

He forgives you all the venial sins which you are
determined to avoid. He forgives you all your unknown sins
which you never confessed.
The power of Satan over you is diminished.

By piously hearing Holy Mass you afford the souls in
purgatory the greatest possible relief; One Holy Mass heard during your life
will be of more benefit to you than many heard for you after your death.

Through the Holy Mass you are preserved from many dangers
and misfortunes which would otherwise have befallen you.
You shorten your purgatory by every Mass.

During the Holy Mass you kneel amid a multitude of holy
angels, who are present at the Adorable Sacrifice with reverential awe.
Through the Holy Mass you are blessed in your temporal goods and affairs.

When you hear Holy Mass devoutly offering it to Almighty God
in honor of a particular saint or an angel thanking God for the favors
bestowed; you afford that saint or that angel a new degree of honor,
joy and happiness, and draw his special love and protection upon yourself.

Every time you assist at the Holy Sacrifice of the
Mass, besides other intentions, you should offer it
in honor of the saint of the day.

When the Priest offers the Host
I place upon the paten my heart:
the hearts of all those near and dear to me,
especially the hearts of my relatives:
the hearts of all those for whom
I have promised to pray:
the hearts of all those who have injured me:
the hearts of all those whom I may have injured:
the hearts of all the agonizing.

O Lord Jesus Christ, when Thou changest the bread and wine
into Thy Precious Body and Blood, change our hearts
into hearts pleasing to Thee.

When the Priest offers the Chalice.
I place within the chalice the souls of all my relatives
for whom I should pray: the souls of those for whom
I may have forgotten to pray,
the souls most devout to the Sacred Heart and the Blessed Virgin Mary,
the souls of the most abandoned.

O Lord Jesus Christ, when Thou changest
the wine into Thy Precious Blood change these poor souls
from their place of suffering unto eternal happiness.

Eternal Rest grant unto them O Lord
and let the perpetual light shine upon them.

Prayer to the Blessed Virgin Mary
O most beautiful flower of Mount Carmel! Fruitful vine!
Splendor of Heaven! Blessed Mother of the Son of God!
Immaculate Virgin, assist me in this my necessity!
O Star of the Sea, help me, and show me herein thou art my Mother!
O Holy Mary Mother of God, Queen of Heaven and Earth,
I humbly beseech thee from the bottom of my heart,
to succor me in this necessity there are none
that can withstand thy power.

O show me herein thou art my Mother!
O Mary conceived without sin,
pray for us who have recourse to thee. (3 times)
Sweet Mother I place this cause in thy hands. (3 times)

Askmeaboutgod.org is the new “home” of The Catholic Treasure Chest website

I’ve lost touch with my old friend Bob Stanley,
of The Catholic Treasure Chest
and the original domain name is no longer available.

Bob’s site has been (for the last 20 years or so) one of the finest, most complete, truly Catholic websites on the planet.

According to the informal plan that Bob and I worked up together, many years ago: Should such an event occur, I was to restore the site from a comprehensive backup and get things up and running again, ASAP.

The Catholic Treasure Chest is once again, up and running
and may be accessed through available links
on this (www.AskMeAboutGod.org) site.

Click here to view

Update: Bob Stanley has passed away

Illustrated Catholic Study aims to present the immutable truths of the Christian faith, unencumbered by denominational concerns or political differences

PART ONE:
The primeval events
that resulted in the Fall of Man

PART TWO:
The totally gratuitous
saving works of God

PART THREE:
Why we venerate
the Blessed Virgin Mary

PART FOUR:
The mystery
of our redemption
revealed

PART FIVE:
The spiritually vital mission
of the Holy Church

PART SIX:
Our personal identity
in Jesus Christ

Download the latest Adobe PDF Reader Software for free

New, Free, Illustrated, Comprehensive Catholic Faith Study, Available Now: Overcoming the World, the Flesh and the Devil, In and Through Our Lord, Jesus Christ

Down-to-Earth Answers To Heavenly Questions
Key aspects of the Judeo-Christian Faith Tradition
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combining timeless, religious art with extensive citations
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of the original, authentic, universal Church,
as well as its’ primary rationale, practical application
and eternal benefits, in a profound, insightful
and (hopefully) most enjoyable way.

The True Story of Our Salvation In Jesus Christ
The “Hows” and “Whys” are explored and illuminated
according to the official rubrics of The Sacred Deposit of the Faith,
suitably enhanced by authentic, insightful excerpts
from the writings and reflections of some of the greatest
theologians, saints and scholars, of all time.

Extraordinarily Powerful, Yet Easy To Understand
“Overcoming” presents a litany of rational, logical
and deeply satisfying divine truths to the faithful,
while also serving as a “basic primer” on Christianity
for people of non-Christian faith traditions,
or people of no faith tradition, at all.

One Picture Is Worth A Thousand Words
The masterful expressions and subtle nuances
of the classic illustrations greatly enhance the overall experience.

Critical Insights Into the Purpose and Workings of the Holy Church
The complete, SIX PART PRESENTATION
is available to view online, at absolutely no cost,
in the popular, easy to use and easy to view,
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(Download the Free Windows/Mac/Android PDF Reader, below)

Study Virtually Any Time and Anywhere
No cost.
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PART ONE:
The primeval events
that resulted in the Fall of Man

PART TWO:
The totally gratuitous
saving works of God

PART THREE:
Why we venerate
the Blessed Virgin Mary

PART FOUR:
The mystery
of our redemption
revealed

PART FIVE:
The spiritually vital mission
of the Holy Church

PART SIX:
Our personal identity
in Jesus Christ

Download the latest Adobe PDF Reader Software for free

Overcoming the World, the Flesh and the Devil,
In and Through Our Lord Jesus Christ
is recommended for anyone who wants to learn more
about the essential tenets of Christianity,
as well as the unique, temporal and spiritual efficacies
of The Holy Catholic Church: the original,
authentic, universal Christian Church,
that was personally founded, authorized,
empowered and perpetually guaranteed
by Jesus Christ,
for the purpose of our salvation.

“Overcoming” aims to respectfully present
the immutable truths of the Christian faith
to “The People of God”
unencumbered by denominational concerns
or political differences,
according to the much brighter light
of our common, Christian heritage
and our grace empowered humanity
in Jesus Christ.

Supplemental use of the Holy Bible
and the Catechism of the Catholic Church
is highly recommended.

For detailed information on a wide range of Catholic topics
(available in both English and Spanish language formats)
visit The Catholic Treasure Chest

Recommended for Further Study:
CIS (Catholic Information Service) Free, Certificated
Online Catechetical Faith Formation Courses, Booklets and PDFs

To Tell You the Whole Truth About the Church and the Holy Bible:
Eighty pages of authentic Catholic Truths (Downloadable PDF File)

Saints with an asterisk

Fast-track beatifications where the will to beatify supersedes the worthiness of the proposed candidate is a dangerous and questionable development. This is what we see with the determined push to rapidly canonize John XXIII and John Paul II. Under the new system that eliminates the Devil’s Advocate, legitimate challenges to the sanctity, orthodoxy, and miraculous intervention of the candidate are left unaddressed. As Vatican postulator Msgr. Luigi Porsi warned, “There is no longer any room for an adversarial function.”

*Everything in the Catholic Faith conforms to reason. It seems unreasonable, then, to assume that a drastic loosening in the procedure for canonization would yield the same secure results as the “thorough and scrupulous” method that had been in place for centuries.

Read more

March 25 is Abortionist Repentance Day (and the great feast of the Annunciation)

Download the PDF form for free

Submitted by Frank V.

Produced by Church Militant TV – http://www.churchmilitant.tv/

Invincible ignorance neither saves nor condemns. So, what is it?

…a person who wants to go east, but, by an innocent mistake, gets on a train going west, will, as soon as he finds out his mistake, get off at the next station, and take a train that goes east. In like manner, a person who walked on a road that he, in his inculpable ignorance, believed was the true road to Heaven, must leave that road, as soon as he finds out his mistake, and inquire for the true road to Heaven. God, in His infinite mercy, will not fail to make him find out, in due time, the true road to Heaven, if he corresponds to His grace. Hence we asked the following question in our Familiar Explanation: 

“What are we to think of the salvation of those who are out of the pale of the Church without any fault of theirs, and who never had any opportunity to know better?”

To this question we give the following answer:

“Their inculpable (invincible) ignorance will not save them; but if they fear God and live up to their conscience, God, in His infinite mercy, will furnish them with the necessary means of salvation, even so as to send, if needed, an angel to instruct them in the Catholic Faith, rather than let them perish through inculpable ignorance.” (St. Thomas Aquinas)

More

A “blueprint” for the coming end of days, based on the prophesies of Catholic saints

Well, let me lay this out for you in very simple terms.  The good ol’ days ended a long time ago, long before any of us were born, and long before anyone alive today can remember.  Would it surprise you to learn that our time was prophesied centuries ago with alarming accuracy?  Here, let me give you an example…

After the year 1900, toward the middle of the 20th century, the people of that time will become unrecognisable. When the time for the Advent of the Antichrist approaches, peoples minds will grow cloudy from carnal passions, and dishonour and lawlessness will grow stronger. Then the world will become unrecognisable. Peoples appearances will change, and it will be impossible to distinguish men from women due to there shamelessness in dress and style of hair. These people will be cruel and will be like wild animals because of the temptations of the Antichrist. There will be no respect for parents or elders, love will disappear, and Christian pastors, bishops, and priests will become vain men, completely failing to distinguish the right hand way from the left. At that time the morals and traditions of Christians and the Church will change. People will abandon modesty, and dissipation will reign. Falsehood and greed will attain great proportions, and woe to those who pile up treasures. Lust, adultery, homosexuality, secret deeds and murder will rule in society.

— St. Nilus, 430 AD

Read more

The Tremendous Value of the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass

At the hour of death the Holy, Masses you have heard devoutly,
will be your greatest consolation. Every Mass will go with you
to Judgment and will plead for pardon for you.
By every Mass you can diminish the temporal punishment due to your sins,
more or less, according to your fervor.

By devoutly assisting at Holy Mass you render the greatest homage
possible to the Sacred Humanity of Our Lord. Through the Holy Sacrifice,
Our Lord Jesus Christ supplies for many of our negligences and omissions.

He forgives you all the venial sins which you are
determined to avoid. He forgives you all your unknown sins
which you never confessed.
The power of Satan over you is diminished.

By piously hearing Holy Mass you afford the souls in
purgatory the greatest possible relief; One Holy Mass heard during your life
will be of more benefit to you than many heard for you after your death.

Through the Holy Mass you are preserved from many dangers
and misfortunes which would otherwise have befallen you.
You shorten your purgatory by every Mass.

During the Holy Mass you kneel amid a multitude of holy
angels, who are present at the Adorable Sacrifice with reverential awe.
Through the Holy Mass you are blessed in your temporal goods and affairs.

When you hear Holy Mass devoutly offering it to Almighty God
in honor of a particular saint or an angel thanking God for the favors
bestowed; you afford that saint or that angel a new degree of honor,
joy and happiness, and draw his special love and protection upon yourself.

Every time you assist at the Holy Sacrifice of the
Mass, besides other intentions, you should offer it
in honor of the saint of the day.

When the Priest offers the Host
I place upon the paten my heart:
the hearts of all those near and dear to me,
especially the hearts of my relatives:
the hearts of all those for whom
I have promised to pray:
the hearts of all those who have injured me:
the hearts of all those whom I may have injured:
the hearts of all the agonizing.

O Lord Jesus Christ, when Thou changest the bread and wine
into Thy Precious Body and Blood, change our hearts
into hearts pleasing to Thee.

When the Priest offers the Chalice.
I place within the chalice the souls of all my relatives
for whom I should pray: the souls of those for whom
I may have forgotten to pray,
the souls most devout to the Sacred Heart and the Blessed Virgin Mary,
the souls of the most abandoned.

O Lord Jesus Christ, when Thou changest
the wine into Thy Precious Blood change these poor souls
from their place of suffering unto eternal happiness.

Eternal Rest grant unto them O Lord
and let the perpetual light shine upon them.

Prayer to the Blessed Virgin Mary
O most beautiful flower of Mount Carmel! Fruitful vine!
Splendor of Heaven! Blessed Mother of the Son of God!
Immaculate Virgin, assist me in this my necessity!
O Star of the Sea, help me, and show me herein thou art my Mother!
O Holy Mary Mother of God, Queen of Heaven and Earth,
I humbly beseech thee from the bottom of my heart,
to succor me in this necessity there are none
that can withstand thy power.

O show me herein thou art my Mother!
O Mary conceived without sin,
pray for us who have recourse to thee. (3 times)
Sweet Mother I place this cause in thy hands. (3 times)

Link (PDF)

What you lose when you pass up Holy Communion

Don’t forget to pray for the holy souls in Purgatory

Visit the site

This light-hearted but informative video explains the connection between Halloween and All Saints Day, plus much, much more.

Watch the video

Pope Benedict canonizes 7 saints, including 2 Americans

VATICAN CITY — Pope Benedict XVI added seven more saints onto the roster of Catholic role models on Sunday, saying their example would strengthen the church as it tries to rekindle the faith in places where it’s lagging. Two of them were Americans: Kateri Tekakwitha, the first Native American saint from the U.S. and Mother Marianne Cope, a 19th century Franciscan nun who cared for leprosy patients in Hawaii.

More…

The efficacious virtue of divine light and grace remains our only true hope for salvation.

by Doug Lawrence

The only church that was ever personally founded by Jesus Christ is the one, holy, apostolic and universal church … known today as Catholic.

The ordinary means of personal salvation in Jesus Christ is through baptism … which is “the door” by which someone typically enters … along with a lifetime of subsequent, faithful participation in all of the work, worship, sacraments and devotions of the Catholic Church.

Outside the Catholic Church there is no salvation. But God is sovereign, merciful, and all powerful … and he can save whomsoever he wishes … for any reason or for none … even in direct exception to the rules of the church, which are necessarily subject to the will of God, in all things.

Yet, anyone God chooses to save is saved only by the effective application of the grace that Jesus obtained for all, on the cross at Calvary.

The Catholic Church itself has canonized only a few thousand saints. Hence, the church claims no direct knowledge of the salvation … or damnation … of the great majority of souls.

In spite of all this, some Catholics maintain
that we can be absolutely confident of the salvation
of other apparently “good” people,
who through no fault of their own,
never became members of the Catholic Church.
Yet we know not of a single one, for certain!

Jesus remains the Blessed Hope of our salvation. Until the moment Jesus, the just judge  personally invites into heaven (or banishes us to hell) the best we can do is depend upon his saving grace, so that we might one day, like Saint Paul, be able to truthfully exclaim:

For I am now ready to be offered, and the time of my departure is at hand. I have fought a good fight, I have finished [my] course, I have kept the faith: Henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, shall give me at that day: and not to me only, but unto all them also that love his appearing. (2 Timothy 4:1-8)

St. Paul turned out to be correct, and the Church subsequently confirmed as much, by officially declaring him a saint. Yet we have absolutely no specific knowledge of anyone outside the church ever being admitted to heaven.

But what about St. Daniel the Prophet, St. John the Baptist, St. Dismas – the “good” thief, and the many prophets and patriarchs of old? It remains a complicated subject!

Read Lionel Andrades latest column on this matter.

A priest reaffirms his faith in the Catholic Church, in a strange kind of way.

The Catholic Church is like the Old Testament. There is Noah, lying drunk and naked. There’s Abraham disobeying God and taking his maid instead of his wife. There’s David ogling Bathsheba and plotting to kill her husband after he makes her pregnant. The same rich stink of sin wafts through the Catholic Church too, and that is what makes it seem real.

Read more