thesmellypocket

RULE

 

Fraternitas Sacerdotalis Sancti Christophori et Thaddaei.

 

THE PRIESTLY FRATERNITY OF SAINTS KRISTOFF AND JUDE.

 

APPROVED BY THE HIGH PONTIFF, HIS HOLINESS JAMES II.

 

Orate pro nobis!

 

SECTION I. RANKS.

 

I.The fundamental rule of the Fraternity is Charity. Hence, the rank structure is kept simple and the authority of the Provost is not binding under sin. Rather, obedience to him is granted out of charity, and he is expected to govern with that same Godly and sober principle in mind. Fundamentally, the Fathers of the Fraternity enjoy an equality as brothers and family. 

 

II.Hence the Provost, the head of the Fraternity, governs the house. He is elected every five years by the Fathers. He is addressed simply as ‘Father’ and is expected to treat those under his care with the scrupulous tenderness as befitting a father. Since God is our Father and is called the Father of mercies, so must the Provost imitate the merciful governance of God. On the other hand, the Fathers and Novices are expected to obey him not out of a slavish observance of vows, but out of love, like a son obeying his father. 

 

III.The Fathers are the ordained members of the Fraternity. There is no Vow binding him to the Order, which he can leave at any time. Love is our only fetter.

 

IV.The Novices are men studying to become a Fraternity priest under the watchful eye of the Provost and Fathers. He is to be taught Holy Scripture, Flexio, the Humanities, and, most importantly, the true nature of the sacred priesthood, through example first and teaching second. 

 

SECTION II. OUR PURPOSE.

 

I.The fundamental principle of our Order is that the true purpose of the priest is twofold: to distribute the Sacraments, and to keep God’s word faithfully. Hence the priest can do no greater good than to hear a Confession, can do no more heroic act than to baptise the heathen, and nothing more beneficial than to join man and wife in holy matrimony. The humble parish priest is the floodgate of God’s mercy in the world, and hence man can seek for no position more exalted or worthwhile than this; all other considerations except these two are secondary considerations at best, and deadly distractions at worst.

 

II.Our order is dedicated, therefore, to the Sacraments and to the word of God. 

 

III.For this reason we shun rank and controversy. We do not aspire to any kind of rank or distinction other than that of priest, for this is the most glorious thing to which a man can aspire. Fraternity priests, therefore, are to accept no rank nor promotion unless on the continued insistence of their superior, and especially the Pontiff. (In which case, obedience to that superior waives this custom.)

 

IV.This also means that we practice obedience unto our local Bishop and unto the Pontiff, under that of God. 

 

V.In order to be truly dedicated to this weighty twofold task, the Fraternity requires a Vow of Celibacy from its members.

 

VI.The Fraternity are apolitical. Members agree not to vote nor run in elections, but can vote in grave circumstances when the Provost permits. 

 

VII.The Fraternity holds that to commit to this vision in a true-hearted way is impossible without prayer and reflection, and therefore insist on such in their members. (See Section IV.)

 

VIII.Whilst no Vow of Poverty is undertaken, all of the Fraternity are expected to live frugally. Accommodation will be no better than that of the average man, and no luxuries (that is, that is not either necessary for basic sustenance like food and firewood, or for study) are to be bought or taken without permission of the Provost, and he is expected only to grant them on special occasions. (For example, a feast day, or the tonsuring of a new member, or the ordination of one.)

 

SECTION III.THE STUDY OF SCRIPTURE.

 

 

I.The Fraternity rejects the erroneous notion that the Holy Scriptures should be subject solely to our private interpretation. Study of Scripture and of any theological principle should be rooted in the Doctors of the Church, the Holy Pontiffs and the Councils, and in particular the Angelic Doctor, Saint Jude.

 

II.The Fraternity lists these as Doctors: Saint Jude, Saint Daniel the Reader, Saint Sixtus IV, Blessed Jude I, Blessed Daniel VI, Blessed Everard IV, Venerable Humbert, O.S.J.; The Venerable Fabian. We do not intend this to be a comprehensive list, but recognise, along with Holy Church, that God endowed these men with certain gifts.

 

III.Scripture is better learnt by prayer than by study.

 

SECTION IV. OUR RULE OF PRAYER.

 

I.The Fraternity adopts the Little Office of Saint Jude, the Little Rosary, the St. Lucien Prayer and the Litanies of SS. Jude and Julia as her official prayer rule, to be prayed daily.

 

II.The Fraternity agree to pray in common regularly, recognising a proper family life among us to be impossible unless provided for by God’s grace, and the most efficacious means of gaining this for our Order is prayer.

 

III.In line with the principles of the Angelic Doctor, each and every Fraternity member from the Provost to the Novices will examine his conscience every night and seek to root out sinful habits and grow in virtue.

 

IV.Fraternity priests and novices will choose among their own ranks a Confessor, to whom they will betray all the details of their spiritual life, and agree to be bound and guided, though by Charity alone and not by sin, by him in all things. 

 

V.Fraternity priests will confess very frequently and go out, seeking and imploring men to seek Confession. 

 

VI.In the spiritual life, we regard the Theses of Saint Jude and the Maxims of Venerable Humbert as our chief guides. 

 

VII.The Fraternity affirm, as a matter of pious Faith, Saint Julia to be the special defender and patron of the Church against the Ibleeic errors of modern times.

 

SECTION V. TEN CHIEF MAXIMS.

 

I.The Fraternity priest must be kind to all, but severe to himself.

 

II.He must be prompt to obey, and slow to rebel.

 

III.He must, in speaking to others, be calm and cheerful in ordinary matters.

 

IV.He must have the salvation of souls through the Sacraments and Scrolls as his highest law and sole purpose.

 

V. He must only defend himself when the character of the priesthood or the Fraternity is in jeopardy, but be scrupulous in rebuking error and defending the Church.

 

VI.He must regard the Church as his true and devoted Mother, if he is to have God as his Father.

 

VII.He must offer himself, all he is and all he has and all he does, frequently and with fervour to God.

 

VIII.He must resign himself to the care of God and trust in Him utterly.

 

IX.He must resolve that it is better to die horribly than to sin.

 

X.He must see the loving Hand of God in the souls of His brothers, and in each man a potential Saint.

 

SECTION VI. THE LITURGY.

 

I.The highest manifestation of the word of God in public life is the holy mass.

 

II.The Fraternity therefore call for a solemn liturgy befitting this august purpose.

 

III.For this reason, the Fraternity adopts the Judite Rite as its Liturgy for all ceremonies, however, seeing the excellent traditions of our Akritian members, permit also their Rites to be celebrated as frequently as it be willed by them within our Fraternity, provided the solemn Judite custom of the Asperges be kept.

 

IV.The Fraternity will assemble to offer mass in solemn form.

“Excellent work.” Says Pius of Sutica.

On 5/30/2020 at 9:53 PM, rukio said:

”I follow the Red Faith, take your outdated and liberal religion somewhere else dagger ear.” Ingrid retorts. 

“You do your religion no credit with your disgraceful behaviour. If your religion focuses on keeping up to ‘date’, then I have no interest in it. Also, do you mean that illogical faith that solves and is nothing?”

7 hours ago, JoanOfArc said:

Fr. Griffith of Gwynon offered a simple nod of his head to Fr. Seraphim and proclaimed, “Perhaps the Lord will let us be blessed with more confessions.”

“That is our task, reverend Fathers.” Says Pius of Sutica gravely.

21 hours ago, Bagley said:

”A most valid concern to raise. And certainly, one that lies in the issue of translation. In the Akritan dialect which is most common in Rhen, and from which most of the translation is derived, the word árrhen which is simply man. We can infer, via the context of the original texts, that this usage of man applies itself to the four brothers and all their descendants, not simply the descendants of Ex. Horen. Thus, it is safe to presume that all descendants are to inherit this gift – that of a guardian angel, so long as they are baptized in the sacraments of the Lord, and are virtuous and true that they do not scandalize their protector. That is to say that the vast majority of those who are outside of mankind, be it elves, dwarves or orcs, do not receive this guardian of the soul and virtue because they are outside the faith and have not been cleansed in the waters of Gamesh.” Seraphim penned in reply to Pius of Sutica, clarifying upon the wording.

"And yet the text saith that "each and every man" born receives this Guardian. How sayest thou, then, that only the baptised and not the pagans receive this Guardian?"

"So by Mankind, I assume you mean mankind alone, which I assume you got from the Flexio homo. Do you suppose, then, that the Prophet meant the other Descendants have not guardians?" Asks Pius of Sutica in a short letter to the author. "For it seems to be sad the Scripture says, God has given us each a treasure in our interior. And since that all the descendant races share in this interior life through the gift of the soul, surely God would guard the treasure within all of them with equal scrupulosity...?"

 

"Also Angel worshippers be mad, imagine actually learning Angel lore instead of becoming a religious fanatic."

 

FULL NAME: Brother Pius of Sutica. AKA Malgath.

AGE: 160.

RACE: High Elf.

RELIGION:  Canonism.

REGIMENT OF CHOICE: Army Chaplaincy.

((MC name)): TotusTuusEgoSum (my discord the same: #3901.) Your discord link has expired.

((Time zone)): GMT

Pius of Sutica writes: "An excellent work by the gifted Father.

 

I must add, that the Father is confirmed in his view by the Third Golden Bull of Dibley and all the teaching of the Doctors. When Saint Daniel the Reader licensed clegymen being involved in politics, he was living in the time of Andyrk Vydra, of Saint Emma and Venerable Olivier: the height of feudalism. Very different for a clergyman to have a seat on a feudal government and for him to be in a democratic election. Indeed, the bull itself states: "the lord's council" he shall serve on - not democratic elections!"

Tracts for the Times

Edited by Pius of Sutica.

Written by the Tractarian Movement.

 

TRACT I. “THE RELIGION OF THE DAY.”

 

”And their lies are lifted up in worship, for the servants of Iblees proclaim them to be Truth.”-Auspice 1:29.

 

”There can be no laxity in Faith for any reason.”-Spirit 2:13.

 

”But Julia was wise and recalled her husband’s warning. She revealed Iblees and the denier was cast out of the camp.”-Gospel 2:22-23.

 

Friends.

IN EVERY AGE of the true RELIGION, Iblees, our enemy, has erected something which so resembles the outward religion in its ceremonies, and clutches onto one part of its teaching agreeable to the age, so as to deceive the unwary and conformist. Never has this been more true than in our present time. Our Enemy is too clever to oppose religion as such. He knows that openly opposing man’s true moral good is a tactic which will all too easily stir the hearts of consciences of men who avow benevolence and civilisation as among their virtues, arousing them in response to yet greater feats and heights. Instead, he latches on to one or other characteristic of Religion and magnifies it, not in the manner of the Saints so as to especially embody or enkindle in others a specific virtue, but rather to the exclusion of the other elements, to the point where even that element which he grips with his slithery hands becomes distorted by the whims of men. This exclusive, counterfeit religion may be called the Religion of the Day.

 

In the past, being a darker and more superstitious age, the Enemy took all the fiercer elements of religion, Owyn’s admonishments, the purifying sword, the desolation of the Void, fear of Iblees and God’s awful Judgement Seat, and magnified them in this way, so that our Creed was presented to the world as one of brimstone and fire, as well it is, and we know it, but not brimstone and fire alone. Iblees made sure the world ignored that “Deus Caritas Est”, that if we merely tried to do His will He would reward us with eternal bliss (St. Jude, On Love), that He is perfect goodness and mercy, et cetera. Yes, God is an admonisher, but He is also Mercy and Love. The Religion of the Day was hence established. But since our Foe is infinitely weak compared to God, this plan failed before the Deceiver’s eyes. God sent merciful Saints like Jude and Catherine to draw people inward in themselves and make them more gentle in meekness, whilst en-kindling charity and brotherhood in others.

 

But what is the religion of the world today? A far more pernicious one. It has taken the brighter side of the Gospel: its tidings of comfort; its precepts of love, all darker and deeper views of man’s nature being forgotten. This is quite natural to a civilised age. Men daily grow more refined and comfortable, and so the worst crime is to give offence. Benevolence is the only virtue; giving offence the only offence in itself. The images of wrath and admonishment and the maxim that “there cannot be any laxity in Faith” are brushed aside. Religion is pleasant and easy-going, austerity is an absurdity, zeal is distasteful, and even firmness is looked upon with a suspicious eye. It includes no deep hatred of sin, no zeal for truth, no admonishment of heretics, no contempt for blasphemies, and no loyalty to the ancient teachers of the Church of whom St. Jude sits at the fore. Indeed, the very words heretic and anathema become a foreign tongue to us, regarded as a relic of an inferior age, instead of the Holy Weapons by which Holy Mother Church wields the Sword of Owyn.

 

This is a construct of the Day far more dangerous than the over-gloomy nature of centuries past, for as Cardinal Coppinger said: “I will not shrink from uttering my firm conviction that it would be a profit to this country were she not vastly more superstitious, more bigoted, more gloomy, more fierce in her religion, than at present she shows herself to be!” Not that we should suppose this things to be anything other they are, which are the opposite tricks conformable to a more bigoted age, but that this would at least be preferable to the inane self-wise tranquillity of modern times. Bigotry at least proceeds from an excess of zeal. The Religion of Today proceeds instead from a self-wise indifference.

 

What are we to make of this see-sawing? It is this: we cannot, for a moment, look to ourselves. The moment we congratulate ourselves for any virtue, and take away from God that praise which is His only, what good we have falls into excess. Be our mind that of the holiest of Angels, yet if we look away from Him for so much as a glance, our excellent tempers fall into some excess or vice. Charity becomes our present over-ease, holiness is tainted by spiritual pride, zeal degenerates into fierceness, diligence distracts us from reflection, and hope in God’s mercy heightens into a daemonic presumption. We cannot, then, guide ourselves. The teaching of our Holy Mother is our sole rule of conduct. We must constantly lean on God, and submit to those ancient teachers crowned by the Church with the heavenly crowns of canonisation, beatification and veneration. God has shone His countenance on their writings. It is to them alone, and not to our own understanding, that we resign our understanding of the Scriptures. If even Horen sinned (Spirit 1:8), Saint Humbert and his companions fell into disgraceful views on prayer, and Exalted Godfrey accounted himself a sinner (Proverbs 1:3-4), how much must we lean on Him whose “eternity is the only eternity?” (Virtue 7:9)

 

As the Prophet tells us: “The fear of God of the Lord is beginning of Wisdom” (Proverbs 1:2.) Until we see God as the Admonisher, this age of ours will not see Him as Mercy. Till you approach God with a godly fear, as being sinners, you are not even at the beginning of the spiritual life. Fear and love must go together, ever fear, and ever love, till your dying day. Be watchful, and lean on God with all your hearts, for your Foe prowls about the earth like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour. Seek friends not in worldly pleasures, but in the Communion of Saints, but particularly Saints Kristoff and Julia. Let us not forget that Jude’s mentor was an awesome Bishop who was prepared to anathematise a certain Iconoclast. And Julia’s weariness should well be ours. May we, trusting in their intercession, have new Kristoffs and Julias among us flourishing in all directions, just as God sent St. Jude to correct the Religion of the Day before, may He do so now with a fresh harvest of loving and fearful souls. 

 

God love you,

 

Pius of Sutica. 

PREFACE.

 

Friends,

 

Divers Fathers and Doctors have written scores and reams of pages about the importance of prayer and reflection, but chief and most exalted among them is our Glorious Patriarch, Saint Jude. In his memory, under the watchful eye of Blessed Daniel the Sixth, Ven. Humbert, the reformer of that Order, laboured to create a universal prayer rule for the whole Church. But, seeing that this rule or Breviary is too burdensome for most ordinary people and even some priests and religious to pray, and, seeing a need for daily spiritual reading and prayer in the lives of the people, I have, by the help of God, created a “Little Office” for the use of all. There are three hours of prayer: Morning Prayer or Lauds, prayed upon waking, Evensong or Evening/Night Prayer, and the Office of Readings, which can be prayed at any time. I submit this prayer rule to the lawful judgement of my Holy Mother, the Church.

 

Your Humble Servant,

 

Pius of Sutica. 

 

THE LITTLE OFFICE OF ST. JUDE.

“Deo gratias, what a treasure for the Church!”

“Cringe,” says Pius, hearing of the missive.

Venerable Humbert looks down from the loftiness of that mountain, to the lowliness of this valley; from that habour of quietness and tranquillity, to this calamitous sea, and now that the darkness of this world hinders no more those benignant eyes of his from looking clearly into all things, he blesses and prays for the Acolyte and asks the Creator if he can be his intercessor.

FLOODGATE OF MERCY:

AN EPISTLE ON THE SACRED PRIESTHOOD

To the Most Holy Bishops and Priests Set to Convene in Council.

Also to Acolytes and Prospective Priests.

 

PREFACE.

 

TO the High Pontiff, James.

 

Holy Father, Holy Mother Church, and all that dwell within her tender bosom, you have asked me to write in advice to the Ecumenical Council that is due, God willing, to convene soon, in defence of the teachings and doctrines of our beloved Mother, on the most controversial matters. I do here present this humble and petition and advice, and hope also that any Acolytes will find it useful. However, as the Prophet said, “I pass on what hath been given me” (Proverbs 1:2), I would entreat all men and women to turn to those ancient Doctors and Teachers whereof I draw this teaching. There you will all find in its fullness. Therefore, with all diligence, study the mighty workings of Saint Jude, of Pope Saint Daniel, of Pope Saints Jude, Sixtus IV, and Daniel VI  and John of Blessed memory. These merely I summarise. I remain evermore your humble servant,

 

Pius.

 

 

CONTENTS.

 

I)That the Primary Duties of the Priest are Twofold: Sacraments and Scrolls.

II)The Four Schools of Clerical Thought and Their Mutual Importance.

III)That the Schools Are Not Mutually Exclusive, and That, Therefore, the Priest Should Attempt to Master all of Them, or at least Appreciate Them.

IV)Saint Jude: Example of Priests.

V)Against Secular Liberalism.

VI)Conclusion and Proposed Canons.

 

I.That the Primary Duties of the Priest are Twofold.

 

 

Dear Priest,

 

If only you realised that you are the very gate of Mercy!

 

When you baptise, you the very role of God’s chief minister, Tesion. “Behold, thou are cleansed, and thou art numbered among the servants of God!” (Gospel 2:36.) 

 

When you hear a Confession, a very soul sits at your feet. And you have the power to cleanse this soul by mere Fiat. 

 

And when a couple ask you to officiate their wedding, you can reign down God’s blessing upon it – or not. “The priest...must ensure the man and woman are in a state of grace as to graciously prepare them for Holy Matrimony.” (Bl. Jude I, Sacerdotti in Nosta Ecclesiae.) And heaven help you if you fail in this awesome responsibility! 

 

O, Priestly soul! If only you realised that you are the very floodgate of the waters of Gamesh. These waters that cleanse sin and stain in an instant, these waters that put us in the league of the holiest of Angels, yes, these same waters that make Saints out of ordinary men and women. They are yours to pour out in all their marvellous abundance. No one else’s. Yours. And yours alone. What an unfathomable duty and privilege; how crushing a weight! O, Priest. Look no further. Seek no rank, no status, no wealth: nothing. You already have the highest privilege that even the Saints accounted themselves unworthy of. As Ven. Humbert said: “The Emperor has the power to raise armies: the priest has the power to forgive sins. Which, I pray thee, is greater?” (Maxims, 4.24.)

 

And more than this. God, through Exalted Owyn, has called you, yes, you personally, through ordination, to yet another task taking an Horenian level of courage and kindness. “He entrusted unto them the word of God...and charged them to instruct their brethren in the path of  holiness.” (Gospel 3:4.) The very fruit of the tree of Virtue itself, in your hands to dispense. I mean to say, the Scrolls or word of God.

 

You must guard, then, against the spirit of worldliness that would turn you into a mere politician or a treacherous usurer. You are called to be an extraordinary man. Nothing less than supernatural virtue is acceptable. If you are in this boat for any other reason than the two things I have just listed, you need to rethink your priorities. God did not ordain you, primarily, to be a politician, a merchant, or an academic, but a priest.

 

Now to Acolytes I give this word of consolation. I have shrunk from ordination myself, for I fear in myself, and ask how I could ever possibly be worthy of so venerable a duty? But mark ye this: no man can be truly worthy. We must account ourselves to be worms and unprofitable servants in His sight, for all things are unclean in His fearsome Sight (cf. Gospel 1:46), and if we sincerely strive for virtue, God will arm us with the necessary supernatural graces to transform ourselves into a Kristoff or a Jude.

 

But back to my priest, O priestly soul – mark ye this. You will not live forever. It is with good reason that this same Humbert said “The Void is paved with the skulls of priests.” (Maxims, 5.2) When you die and come become that terrible judgement Seat, the spirits of the souls damned by your inaction will cry out for your eternal death. One perhaps will be an Emperor. He will say: “You never once rebuked me for my evils to advance your career!” Another will be a Lord Chancellor. “He was so keen to discuss politics with me, he never once reminded me to go to Confession!” But O, these voices will pale in comparison to the lonely and confused sheep, the poor souls committed to your care. “O, thief of souls!” They cry. “What is Love? What is Virtue? What is Truth? We starved and you never fed us, you left us orphans!”

 

And when God is about to cast you down, you may excuse yourself “But I needed to take care of these taxes!” 

 

And God will say:

 

”I ordained you to be a saver of souls, not a counter of coins.”

 

And God help you if you forget this warning, O priest. 

 

Saint Kristoff hears the Confession of Pope Saint Daniel I.

 

 

II.The Four Schools of Clerical Thought.

 

 

This is not to say you cannot become involved in politics, or become a scholar, or have money. In fact, these things were explicitly endorsed by High Pontiff Saint Daniel the Reader in his landmark work on the Four Schools of Clerical Thought. However, you must not lose sight of your two primary purposes. And any excessive dabbling in these affairs can lead to vice. Learning can become intellectual pride, militancy can become wrath and supporting war crimes in the supposed name of God, familiarity can mean a neglect of the spiritual life and a permissiveness that leads to effeminacy;  Suffice to say, if you spend more time counting coins than hearing Confessions or preaching, then you must re-examine yourself. I will here summarise the Four Schools as outlined by the Saintly Pontiff in his Third Golden Bull of Dibley. All priests can roughly, but not perfectly, be put into four schools:

 

I)The Sibylists are priests that emphasise knowledge and scholarship. They are described by the Saint as a “bookish” lot, interested in philosophy and often, and this is an important point for today, serving on their Lord’s council. Sibylists often advise their liege in matters religious and scholarly, and make sure there is nothing done contrary to the Moral Law. Saint Daniel considered himself in this category.

 

II)The Flamens are the more militant clergymen. They often serve as military chaplains and in military Orders, such as the historic Order of Saint Amyas. I would here give a note of caution that a priest should not become a trumputer of war, but a minister of peace primarily, and should only promote war in the narrow circumstances where it can be justified. See Bl. Pontiff John the Martyr’s PACEM IN TERRIS, and St. Sixtus IV’s Unitatem in Nostri Mundi. Many other Pontiffs have cautioned against excessive aggression and war-likeness.  

 

III)The Epulonists or Celebrants are more populist. Often preaching among the people and trying to implement social reforms to improve the condition of the people. Again, there is the possibility for political involvement here to push for a more moral society.

 

IV)Finally, the Augurs. These are mystics and ascetics. Saint Jude summarises the Augurist teaching in his excellent Thesis On Reflection: “I do reflection of my day every night to try to pinpoint where I am able to better myself to grow closer to my Creator not only for my own sake, but for the sake of those around me. I now conclude this thesis with one request. Look inward at yourself sometime today and think upon your life and things that you might be able to cast aside such as greed, lust, jealousy, or any other sin in that case. Try to work upon eradicating these from yourself and work towards living the way the Creator wants us to.”

 

These schools, it is implied, are all a boon unto the Church. Therefore, priests should not resent one another over which of these general paths one chooses to take. Yet, O priest, in them, never lose focus of those two goals for which you were ordained. If you involve yourselves in politics, do it to reform morals and for the spreading of the word of God. You must make sure that you are in politics to serve the Church, and not in the Church to advance politics. Now, to give an example, Saint Jude was listed by Daniel as a Sibylist. His friend and mentor, Saint Kristoff, has left behind only a few hymns and nothing more in writing. He was an holy warrior in his youth and a beloved preacher, and therefore probably can be numbered as a Celebrant. Yet despite these different schools, were they at one another’s throats? Did Kristoff demand Jude to put aside his quill? Or did Jude demand Kristoff submit to the monastic life? Friends, no. They were the closest of friends and allies, and form two models of the priesthood that shine out for you today. I tell you, priest, if you could be half the priest that these two men were, God will reward you in heaven.

 

Saint Jude. ((Pls ignore the fact it clearly says Benedict...))

 

 

III.A Priest Should Strive to Perfect Himself in All Areas.

 

 

Nor are these schools mutually exclusive. If you, as a priest, do not study the Scrolls or the writings of the Saints, you must be more of a Sybil. If you lack the courage of a martyr, you must be more of a Flamen. If you have pride and disdain the common man as below you, you must be more of a Celebrant. And if you have no kind of interior reflection or prayer life, I’m wondering why you even got ordained in the first place, especially when God Himself tells us that the Wealth of Virtue, the True Wealth, God Himself, is to be discovered in your own interior: “For I have placed in your heart a wealth of Virtue.” (Virtue 1:7.)

 

The perfect priest masters all of these schools, then. Notice how, Jude was listed by Daniel as a Sybil, and yet I quoted him in support of the Augurs. He also was involved in the Schism War, and was a popular man. He therefore perfected himself in every area. Imitate him. Study. Pray for the grace of courage and fervour. Love and serve the common man. Examine yourself daily and nightly. 

 

Blessed Jude I, before he became Pontiff, in Prayer. 

 

IV.Examples of Holy Priests.

 

 

EXAMPLE: I have already mentioned how St. Jude can be seen as an example of priesthood. In his final thesis, On Death, he summarises his ministry: “I remember I counselled many and even spoke to Lorina Carrion upon her devotion to the faith, in which I urged her to take up the life of a nun. I heard the confessions of a king, dined with kings and nobles, lived through the time of schism, journeyed to Asterwald and other cities many a time to hear confessions and preach to those who listened, suffered beatings in my own Abbey weekly due to my devotion to the faith, those who did not like my writings spat on me in the streets, but looking back upon all I have done, I begin to feel confident in how I lived my life. Only publishing 15 of my 34 theses, living in poverty, forgiving sins, converting heathens and heretics, all of this made me into the man I am today. Writing this at the age of 84 years of age, a man slowly dying should leave his mark on the world not in a negative way but a positive one and be content on the way in which he lived his life.  I will end my writings with the way I began them, alleluia,  with a thesis, alleluia.” (The Alleluia is not part of the original work, but was added by Ven. Humbert in his ceremony for tonsuring Judite novices.)

 

In this wonderful and moving testimony, we see the fruits of that interior reflection Jude wrote about and preached. Armed with the venerable lance of prayer, no challenge was insurmountable. In the Legenda Sanctorum of Bl. Daniel VI, we read that he even managed to convert dozens of Uruks to the true Faith. He was clearly possessed of a supernatural charity that enabled him to love those that beat and abused him, and made his line of penitents extensive, from princes to paupers. His charity failed no one, and excluded no one, even those that abused him. And now we read of an happy death, of a man entirely at peace with himself, a man whose death was a blissful floating upward to the abode of the Saints. Therefore, interior reflection is an essential part of your duty. You must pray for supernatural courage, for supernatural charity and for supernatural virtue if you want to achieve and do supernatural things. Pray fervently to be armed with a virtue that is super-human, and God will not disappoint you. You will not convert any man’s life or religion, if you yourself stand in need of an interior conversion. 
 

In all of this, you must remember humility. Any thing you achieve or any gift you receive, you must attribute to the goodness and Providence of God. Ven. Humbert, seeing criminals on the scaffold, used to say: “Well, my friends, there but for the grace of God goes Father Humbert!” This will help you to remain pure and a true servant of the people. Fr. Humbert died a blissful death in servitude to others. He spent his final days in tears of joy, travelling the realm and declaring to random strangers that he loved them, washing their feet, and converting sinners to God through Confession. Pray our lives might be like his final days.

 

Saints.

 

V.Against Secular Liberalism.

 

There seems to be a current today that rejects Church involvement in Orenian politics. I will spare but a few words on this trend. As I have already implicitly demonstrated, the idea that churchmen should not involve themselves at all in Councils, etc. is wrong, for indeed, the Angelic Reader not only permits it, but encourages it in some cases. Of course, it is absurd to say Church and state should remain separate in an Empire founded by Prophets, whose present iteration is partly due to the efforts of Pontiffs, not least Daniel VI.

 

Since the domain of the Church concerns Faith and Morals, and since politics has a moral element, the Church, in her wisdom, must have a voice in politics. Truth is not determined by a majority vote. Truth draws strength from itself (Or Himself, I might say, since perfect Truth is God) and not the number of votes in its favour. The Church’s mission is not political in nature primarily, but can and must have a political element where necessary. However, this political element must be subservient to the Moral Law and the needs of Holy Church; Holy Church must not instead become the servant of politics, but the Bride of Truth. The Bride of God. However, I may treat of this modern error another time. Here I speak to my fellow priest, so more is not necessary.

 

His Holiness, the High Pontiff.

 

VI.Conclusion.

 

Priestly soul, remember the weight and burden of your duty. Remember that you are the floodgate of Divine Mercy. Remember that you must die at last and give an account of your life to the Truth Himself. No excuse and no lie will sit with him. Should you fail in so venerable and august a duty, you will find yourself in much harsher judgement than those who did not receive the mark of ordination because of this unfathomable power of yours. 

 

Pray and reflect often. Pray without ceasing. Read the works of the Holy Pontiffs and Doctors and study Scripture prayerfully. Love and serve all, poor and rich alike. Account yourself an unprofitable servant and go to Confession often. Zealously denounce heresy and moral evil, and seek to improve and reform the morals and lives of those around you. Perfect yourself in all things and virtues. Do all these things, but do them in and with your two primary duties in mind: The Scrolls and the Sacraments. Make these the bread and butter of your ministry, and the very work and purpose of your life, and God will receive you with all the loving mercy of a Father. He will say to you: “O come, My son. You have shown My Mercy to others. Now I will show it you.” 

 

I remain evermore your humble servant,

 

Pius.

 

[!]The font of the letter changes, showing a clear and deliberate change in theme and purpose. 

 

To the Ecumenical Council, I do humbly present, on the request of His Holiness, the following Canons.

 

i)If any man saith that the Church should have no involvement in political affairs and that it is wrong and immoral for her or her ministers to do so, let him be ANATHEMA as an heretic.

ii)If any man denieth that the primary duties of the priest lie in preaching and propagation of Holy Scripture and the Sacraments, let him be ANATHEMA as an heretic.

iii)If any man should have the temerity to say that an interior prayer and reflective life is not an essential quality of a priest, or a candidate thereof, let him be ANATHEMA. 

iv)If any man should be so bold as to reject any of the Four Clerical Schools as inherently wrong or an invalid way of living out the priesthood, let him be ANATHEMA.

 

FURTHER READING:

 

ON THE CLERICAL SCHOOLS: High Pontiff Saint Daniel the Reader.The Third Golden Bull of Dibley.

 

ON THE DUTIES OF A PRIEST: High Pontiff Blessed Jude I. Sacerdotti in Nostra Ecclesiae. 

High Pontiff Blessed Daniel VI. The Catechism of the Canonist Church.

Attributed Exalted Godfrey, The Proverbs of Exalted Godfrey. Trans. Ven. Humbert, O.S.J.

Reverend-Doctor Ludolfus. Confession and False Teachers. 

 

 

ON EXAMPLES OF HOLY PRIESTS: Saint Jude. On Death. 

Blessed High Pontiff Daniel VI. Legenda Sanctorum.

Ven. Humbert, O.S.J. The Litany of Saint Kristoff. 

Ibid, The Confessions of Father Humbert. See also The Life of Father Humbert by Cardinal Coppinger.

 

ON THE IMPORTANCE OF AN INTERIOR LIFE: Saint Jude. On Reflection. For a Commentary on this Thesis, see Ven. Humbert’s Introduction to Saint Jude: His Virtues. 

Ibid. On Prayer.

Cardinal Coppinger. A Vindication of the Prayerful Life.

Ibid. The Maxims of Father Humbert. 

Acolyte Seraphim. The Lukewarm Man. See also The Temptation of the Sinful Heart and The Spirit of Today. 

 

P.S. 

 

Another evidence for the primacy of the Sacraments is the Angelic Reader’s Second Golden Bull of Dibley. In it, he appoints Ven. Olivier de Savoie as Defensor Fidei. Now, notice here that chief among the privileges of such a position is that the Defensor gets the Pontiff for his Confessor. This clearly shows Confession was chief in Daniel’s mind and he regarded it as a central duty, even in his high position where he would have to inevitably deal with politics, etc.

((Phenomenal work. If this isn't pinned it should be. 

Pius of Sutica considers imposing the word "Filioque" on this thesis.

On 5/29/2020 at 3:14 AM, rukio said:

Ingrid Mournstone, last Valkyrie of Norland and Champion of Renatus would spit in disdain. ”**** Oren, snakes weaseled their way into leadership after they lost the Siege of Helena. No wonder the city is full of depraved degenerates. You did nothing worth remembering, except be cut down by your betters. There is a reason you’re the ‘Holy’ Orenian Empire and Renatus was the Empire of Man.” 

"Foolish woman. I have no stake in this temporal conflict as an High Elf and a religious, but have respect for the Holy souls of the dead. You would do better if you prayed for them instead of stoking up this bitterness. Brave men died on both sides." Says Pius of Sutica.

"Remarkable," says Pius. "Most remarkable." ((Fantastic post 

"He seems like a nice chap." Comments Pius of Sutica.

 

Pius of Sutica says the above. 

On 5/25/2020 at 6:03 PM, EgirlSilky said:

“Why does our own clergymen serving God care about politics? Politics and Faith are two different subjects, I frown in this moment as now as it seems like the clergymen only care about politics!” Lady Sabrina Halcourt said while sipping her morning tea, the young woman having a sorrow expression. 

"Politics and faith are two different subjects? I hope you realise you live in an Empire founded by Prophets," says an High Elf.

17 minutes ago, Boniface said:

“Naturally of course, I accept your apology. I had begun writing this thesis after your public letter and I am glad we can agree that obedience to GOD supercedes obedience to a Pontiff. I begun writing this thesis shortly before I traveled to Fort Buck in the northern territories, sadly I was very busy as the frontlines recieved numerous attacks by scyfling pagans and I did not have the time to complete it as I was acting as a medic and offering prayers and last rites to those on deaths door. I will pen a reply to your private letter privately in the coming days however I am most confused for I do not consider this thesis a polemic writing that I was ordered to stop. It is a thesis, do I require consent for every thesis I now publish? Why is it acceptable for you to write a thesis on the topic of obedience but not I, surely it is a matter worth a theological discussion. After all, aren’t theses essentially ones interpretation or opinion of something in the scrolls?” replied Boniface.

“I considered it a polemical writing for your accusation that I was attacking your piety, motives and morals, which was not my intention (And I maintain is quite a polemical reading of anything I have written addressing you), and in addition, the fact that you thought to give a public reply to what I thought was a private letter (deciding to write a public reply to my letter instead of writing it privately) reinforced this impression, which, as it turns out, was a false one.

 

I think it was a fair conclusion from my position to conclude that you replying to a private letter of mine publicly, and making this accusation against me whilst the letter itself was not in the public view, was a polemical writing. 

 

I would add that you also referred to my letter as “recent” and my Open Letter is four years old; my private letter is not yet one. This is another reason I assumed it to be a polemical response to my private Letter.

 

I am not aware of the exact nature of your order from the High Pontiff to be honest, and it was also my concern that your letter to the Auditor crossed this line, which you may take or leave, accept or reject: God is your judge in that, not I.”

1 minute ago, Boniface said:

“I worded it wrong, it was in response to the public letter you wrote to me not the private. I’ve yet to pen a response to that.” said Boniface.

“My apologies, I hope you will forgive me in this matter. I would not have made the contents of my letter public, unless I were convinced you had responded to it. I thought you were replying to my private letter because you said that the obedience to God supersedes the obedience to the Pontiff; which is a point I grant in my Open Letter anyway. I fear that this letter has already reached the printers, and will be impossible to de-circulate now. I hope you can see that this was a genuine mistake, for which I again apologise,” replies Pius.

2 minutes ago, VIROS said:

James II, shortly after reviewing Friar Boniface’s most recent work, receives a copy of Pius’. He reviews the priest’s response and speaks again to his nephew “Once again, Pius of Sutica impresses us. He writes with more elegance and specificity than we could hope to achieve in so short a time.” 

“As much as I am gratified by Your Holiness’ kindness toward me in praising my efforts (So short a time – I am the wrong side of 150 by human standards!), I have erred in this matter, and hope Fr. Boniface will accept my apology.”

 

EXALTED OWYN, PRAY FOR US, NOW AND AT THE HOUR OF OUR DEATH.

 

((I am aware this letter has errors, but decided to keep them to reflect the haste with which it is printed: there the ink, etc. must be smudged, or there may be a genuine error from the irp writer in hasty spelling.

APOLOGIA PRO EPISTULA SUA.

OR: A DEFENCE OF ONE’S OWN LETTER.

 

I.The Original Letter; False Claims.

 

[!]The letter appears rather hastily printed.

 

FRIENDS,

 

I am puzzled by the thesis that was given me in response to a letter I wrote to Father Boniface. He has cleared acted outside the bonds of charity and civility in this matter. For I wrote him a private letter, and he has written a public response, I appealed to his sense of charity but he appealed to his audience’s sense of polemics; I asked for a concrete answer and he has given me, to use an informal term “shilly-shelly.” This is not the behaviour of a priest, but a polemicist, and, since he has made a private matter public (disobeying a licit and explicit order of the High Pontiff in the process and virtually bordering on Schism), I do not violate his honour when I publish the original letter below. Make what you will of it; I will defend it because it was written in a spirit of charity, and he has not really addressed what I said, but side-stepped it. He did not even so much as acknowledge it with a short return letter, to the point where I speculated whether it had reached him at all, but rushed to the printing press without so much as a whisper.

 

The original letter: 
 

“Holy, Esteemed, and Reverend Father.

 

What is Charity? I believe it is to be found in the will, not in feelings. For if our love for any man should last only as long as we have warm feelings for him, it was not him that we loved, but our feelings.  Besides this, we cannot always control our feelings, and often they are wrong about the true nature of a man. No, plainly that is not true love. Instead, to truly love a man is to will the best for him, and even to carry it out ahead of thy own immediate good. 

 

I perceive that, in the last open letter which thou didst write to his Eminence the Auditor, thou wast acting under this kind of charity. I mean to say that thou hast a good conscience, and are conscious of appearing before that Judge Who will say to Thee: “Thou art a priest. I gave thee ordination, and yet thou suffered thy sheep to starve.” That is, to remain silent and not to speak would be a betrayal of the truth, and thou art scrupulous of offending God by remaining silent and ceasing thy polemical writings.  Thou imagine that it is some sort of noble sacrifice, between being defrocked and speaking, when in fact it is a moral choice, between sinning and not sinning: to disobey is to sin, to obey is, in fact, to keep a clean conscience. 

 

However, the point which I have been trying to make, in that same charity (willing the good and harmony of our Holy Mother, the Church), is that whilst thou mayst believe that not to speak violates the rule of Charity, in fact, it is a violation thereof, for indeed, it is to disobey a legitimate order of the High Pontiff. And that the High Pontiff has the jurisdiction to tell thee to cease writing is indeed true, and until you can prove it is an illegitimate order, it is assumed legitimate, for his power ultimately derives from God. 

 

Now the Church’s true Defender is God, Charity Himself. And we are merely His instruments. Since the authority of the Pontiff comes from God, to disobey the Pontiff is a grave sin. The ends never justify the means, and this sort of attitude is itself a worldly one. Aye, I am afeared that thou are falling into that same wordiliness which thou art wont to expunge, namely, that thou failest to recognise that the Church is in God’s hand – not mine or thine. God never commands us to sin, but to not sin. If good comes of sin, it is because God is merciful, not because the sin was justifiable. 

 

For indeed, thou, I imagine, dost think: “Aye, but I must speak, even to disobey, to avert where the Church mayst go.” But simply put thy trust in God, for if we do not sin, He will do the defending for us. The Church is the Bride of God, our Holy Mother. Dost thou not believe that to sin is a great evil? Dost thou not believe that this be a sin? Dost thou not believe that God is in control of everything, numbering even the hairs on our bodies? Then why persist in this course of action? Why attempt to justify thyself? Why not submit in this matter, and trust that the Good shall win? My friend, thou wouldst do a greater work if thou didst pray for the Pontiff, then to disobey him. The Good does not win through sin, but through itself. (or Himself, I might say, for God is the very form of Good.)

 

God has set the Pontiff in his position, and thou needs must obey him, if wouldst thou obey Him. To do otherwise speaks of a wont of trust in God. I shall continually pray for him and for thee. Please do the same for me. Pray for me, a sinner in need of His grace. I would entreat thee to read again my two Epistles of late regarding obedience and trusting in God. Please meditate on the holy obedience of the Prophets and Saints.

 

From thy ardent admirer, 

 

Pius of Sutica. ”

 

II.A Response to the Thesis. Point-by-Point.

 

I.Now, firstly, the Father says that I questioned his character, “my motives, my morals, and my piety.” As you can see, this is wrong. I do not wish to be uncharitable, so I think he must have misread my letter. For I categorically said that I perceived him to be acting out of charity and with a “good conscience”, but that he was mistaken. I did not say ill-motived, immoral or impious, but just that: wrong. I expected him to hear me out not as a polemicist seeking to slander his opponent, but as a fellow truth-seeker and man concerned for Holy Mother Church. 

 

Lest there be any doubt, I hereby profess ex animo, and with an absolute internal assent and consent, that I love Fr. Boniface, and desire his good, and that it is his actions I question, not his morals. I love the man, but I hate sin; I do nnot know if you sin, since you believe your disobedience to be licit. Now you will be formally told in this letter that, until you can prove otherwise, it is not. And therefore, any further disobedience of this order will be sinful.

 

II.Secondly, he says that the highest obedience is to God and that we should obey God before any earthly authority, and he will, if he bothered to read my Open Letter to Confused Canonists, find that, in this, I totally agree. However, he has failed to demonstrate that the High Pontiff’s order to cease polemical writings is in any way immoral or contradicts his obedience to God. I repeat: he has not done so, and until he does, he is illicitly disobeying the Pontiff. We should obey our superiors in all of those matters which do not explicitly contradict Faith or Morals. Has he demonstrated that to not write polemically does so? He has not. I ask again: demonstrate where it says in the Scrolls or the theses of St. Jude, or any other doctors of the Church, that it is against Faith and Morals for a Pontiff to order one of his subjects to cease public writings on polemical matters. The burden of proof lies with him in this matter. 

 

III.”And they are interpreted by the reader.” What! Your subjective and vague appraisal is unsatisfactory, sir.  You must demonstrate on objective grounds that it goes against any of the moral laws set by God, either in the Scrolls, or through Holy Church. Until you have, you have no ground to stand on. Demonstrate, I say again, where, tell me where, the High Pontiff’s order to cease polemical writings contradicts Faith and morals. Are you now a moral relativist? I trust he is not, friends, and I hope he is not. 

 

IV.“The Scriptures are very clear on this topic.” Are they? ”Thou shalt write polemically in times of crisis at all times, even if your lawful superior should give you an order to the reverse.”-The Scroll of Boniface? Or is it perhaps the Thesis of Saint Jude? No, nothing like this, just quotations of the Scriptures without any explanation as to how the High Pontiff’s command fits attacks these commands. Tell me what commandment, tell me what moral, tell me what Scripture his order violated, and I shall, I hereby profess, bend to your will in this matter.  The Scriptures, sir, do not bow to your feelings, but the commandments of God are Fidelity, justified in themselves. Did Owyn’s subjects start writing polemical tracts after he had sinned, and would they have done so even if he had ordered them to cease? That is for you to prove.

 

III.Conclusion.

 

I realise that the second part of this letter was truly just repeating the same thing, but allow me to conclude with this message to Fr. Boniface: until you can prove that an order from the High Pontiff actually contradicts obedience to God rather than just say “because I said so”, you are bound, UNDER PAIN OF SIN, to obey it. Forgive me, friends, for this rather hastily written letter. Truly I want to put this matter behind me and focus on expounding the Scriptures and finishing my Apology for the Faith. I urge him again to consider my Open Letter and my Second Epistle, and truly consider them for what they actually say. 

 

I remain, as ever, your most humble servant.

 

And may the blessing of Almighty God, and all the prayers of the Saints, rain down upon you, and remain with you, forever and ever.

 

God love you.

"Saint Edmund, pray for us," says Pius. ((Shouldn't it be Evocatus, Evocati plural?

 

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Evocatus