Maeve, ask yourself this one simple question. If you were Satan, which of the Christian Churches you wish to see destroyed, offers the most resistance? Et, voila! You have the answer to your question. The other christian churches caved easily, victims of the seeds sown on dry soil ...... as (then Cardinal) Ratzinger reminded us in his PRO ELIGENDO ROMANO PONTIFICE Homily:
"How many winds of doctrine have we known in recent decades, how many ideological currents, how many ways of thinking. The small boat of the thought of many Christians has often been tossed about by these waves - flung from one extreme to another: from Marxism to liberalism, even to libertinism; from collectivism to radical individualism; from atheism to a vague religious mysticism; from agnosticism to syncretism and so forth. Every day new sects spring up, and what St Paul says about human deception and the trickery that strives to entice people into error (cf. Eph 4: 14) comes true.
Today, having a clear faith based on the Creed of the Church is often labeled as fundamentalism. Whereas relativism, that is, letting oneself be "tossed here and there, carried about by every wind of doctrine", seems the only attitude that can cope with modern times. We are building a dictatorship of relativism that does not recognize anything as definitive and whose ultimate goal consists solely of one's own ego and desires.
We, however, have a different goal: the Son of God, the true man. He is the measure of true humanism. An "adult" faith is not a faith that follows the trends of fashion and the latest novelty; a mature adult faith is deeply rooted in friendship with Christ. It is this friendship that opens us up to all that is good and gives us a criterion by which to distinguish the true from the false, and deceipt from truth.
We must develop this adult faith; we must guide the flock of Christ to this faith. And it is this faith - only faith - that creates unity and is fulfilled in love."
Dissenters, dear friend, are driven not by what they know in their souls but what they hear in their heads. The Evil One lies in wait of those who seek 'fame' or 'recognition' and swoops in for the kill.
Place your trust in the Holy Spirit (as I know you do) and have NO fear. He guides this Church through the descendants of St. Peter. Who better than Pope Benedict XVI to stand at the helm at this moment in time!
May our Lord bless and richly reward you and your entire family for your faith!
Thank you for that encouragement. Truly, thank you.
NYer: Just in case, no one else had said so lately, is it OK for me to thank you for all of the tremendous volume of work that you put in here on this subject and so many others? God bless you and yours.