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Catholic Candle note: The article below was written by a man who has always been Traditional Catholic and who has been continually fighting liberalism since before Vatican II.
For those who have acquaintances especially prone to compromises, consider copying and distributing this article to them.

There are many personal reasons for this that I have witnessed:
  1. Gradualism—accepting something evil through small steps: A major reason is they fail to realize and understand the danger of gradualism and small compromises. Almost anything will be accepted if promoted gradually.
  2. Gradualism—accepting small evils leads to accepting big evils: Yielding to a little compromise surely makes accepting a bigger compromise in the future far more likely.
  3. False safety in numbers: People say, “I’m not the only one who holds my position; most of my friends do. We can’t all be wrong. Besides, the group that doesn’t agree with our position is very small.
  4. They compromise the Faith for the sake of the Sacraments: They excuse themselves that their compromise position gives them the sacraments more often and this strengthens their faith. So, they compromise for the supposed goal of strengthening their faith! They assure themselves their faith would be weaker if they took a stronger stand requiring them to give up frequent Tridentine Masses and the Sacraments.
  5. Failure to see even “small” parts of our holy religion are important: These people fail to realize that Christ established a perfect religion whereby even slight alterations are sacrilegious and sinful.
  6. Practical changes make them ready for change in religion: Everyone accepts and expects ongoing changes in daily life. It’s how life is. They unconsciously equate the Catholic faith with everyday life, with these daily changes.
  7. They have dropped their guard about Vatican II: They believe the changes since Vatican II aren’t all bad. (Oh yes, they are!)
  8. They deceive themselves that they have won the battle and need no longer fight: They feel they have fought hard over the years to remain “traditional” and that they have already won the battle against liberalism. All they have to do now is continue what they have already done and they are safe. They don’t realize the devil changes his evil tactics to fit the situation; so, in truth, with over-confidence they are in real danger of losing their faith, as history shows. The devil will plant in their minds different false assurances that their faith is safe, so there is no need to stand up, join the Resistance, expose themselves to criticism, and fight for Christ the King.

  9. They want to believe charity and mercy are a substitute for fighting for the Faith: In the 1970s, after VC II, Rome weaned Catholics away from a religious lifestyle of prayer and sacrifice by substituting:

    10. Today, Pope Francis uses a similar tactic by stating, “Have mercy for others”; and “Never judge others.” You are more likely to accept the corrupt changes if you replace the Faith with believable and praiseworthy endeavors, like charity and mercy.
  10. They excuse themselves because of God’s mercy: Accepting compromise is one of the main reasons for loss of faith, with the incorrect belief that “God will understand” your reason for accepting that little compromise. But:
    11. God expects complete loyalty from His followers.
  11. Their Faith is not all-encompassing: In today’s pagan world, to survive you must make the traditional Catholic Faith your whole life. Short of that, your salvation is in real jeopardy. Temporal things matter but are not the most important. It’s time to wake up and adjust your priorities!
  12. They don’t fear to cause scandal: Another real consequence of accepting compromises is giving bad example. Doing so could mean “having a millstone around your neck,” as the punishment Our Lord referenced in regard to giving bad example.
    Here are Our Lord’s words in St. Matthew’s Gospel, ch. 18, vv. 6-7:
    But he that shall scandalize one of these little ones that believe in me, it were better for him that a millstone should be hanged about his neck, and that he should be drowned in the depth of the sea. Woe to the world because of scandals. For it must needs be that scandals come: but nevertheless woe to that man by whom the scandal cometh.
    Emphasis added.
  13. They simply want to be “comfortable” followers and not leaders: Another significant reason for the loss of faith is the erroneous belief that the Society founded by Archbishop Lefebvre (SSPX) would not mislead a person resulting in a loss of faith. Oh yes, it can! And does!. (Note: I am speaking of the new liberal SSPX which has been hijacked by Bishop Fellay and the leadership who promote liberalism and modernism.)
    This misplaced trust is a real problem for many and must be pointed out again and again. People believe in the new liberal SSPX (the N-SSPX) because they want to believe it. It relieves them of paying close attention to how the Society is changing and becoming more liberal. They believe what they want to believe.
  14. They want to be accepted by their peers: If they leave the N-SSPX, they fear the disapproval and pushback from those who remain in the Society. They don't want to deal with the hassle and loss of friends.
  15. Men are not leading their families: Husbands fail to accept the primary responsibility for the salvation of the family as God intended. Those men allow dysfunction and politically-correct feminism to permeate the family with the resulting loss of faith.

  16. They accept the vintage 1970s error: “you’re OK; I’m OK”: They accept the disastrous liberal dictate that you do not judge the actions of others, no matter what. Even Pope Francis states, “Who am I to judge?” regarding unnatural lifestyles.

    In reality, we must constantly judge good from bad in many areas of our lives in order to be successful, and prosperous, and save our souls. We all must judge things, good or bad, that go on around us every day for the family’s welfare: type of food for the family, expenses vs. income, family discipline, etc.

    Fail to use good judgment and your faith deteriorates and you are forced to live with your uninformed conscience, never realizing you are losing your faith. The liberal N-SSPX fails to correctly judge and point out Pope Francis’ errors to their followers. It merely states they are “concerned”—which means nothing.

    The pope makes heretical statements, and while the followers of the Society may recognize the heresy, they don’t see themselves in danger of “falling for” the pope’s errors. Thus, they salve their conscience by believing they won’t lose their faith because they’re “more Catholic than the pope”.

  17. Traditional Catholics do not want to feel alone: Another reason for traditionalists losing their faith is their misguided belief that they need to be in a “Catholic community,” even if a liberal one. That certainly is a misguided goal if by doing so you jeopardize your faith. At that point the decision doesn’t make sense.
The Catholic Church is now going through the Passion of Christ, and few want to be part of it. It’s too hard, and (they say) God doesn’t expect us to live like monks, right? Wrong. Those little compromises drive the nails further into Our Lord on the cross. God’s way is through sacrifice, and the devil’s way is to pamper and indulge yourself.
We were not created to be a success in temporal matters, but to be a success in saving our souls and to be happy with Our Lord in Heaven. That is only possible with the traditional Catholic Church.
Cherish the Faith; protect it; fight for it; and make it your whole life. When you do, a happy and successful eternity is assured.