National Catholic Register portal reports on an article by Joseph Pronechen (April 19, 2026) that presents “spiritual warfare” through the lens of military analogies drawn from two former U.S. military personnel and a conciliar “priest.” The piece reduces the supernatural combat for souls to a set of tactical procedures, self-help strategies, and psychological resilience techniques, all while remaining silent on the true state of the Church, the crisis of faith, and the only sure means of grace found in the true Church Militant. The article is a symptom of the post-conciliar Church’s reduction of the faith to naturalistic humanism, where “spiritual warfare” becomes a self-improvement program rather than a supernatural battle for eternal salvation under the banner of Christ the King.
The Military Analogy: Reduction of the Supernatural to the Natural
The article opens with the obligatory citation of Ephesians 6:13, but immediately reduces St. Paul’s teaching on the “whole armor of God” to a military analogy drawn from two former U.S. military men — Dan Schneider, described as an “adjunct theology professor at Franciscan University of Steubenville,” and Jason “Hendo” Henderson, a “retired U.S. Navy Seal Master Chief.” The entire framework is built on the premise that spiritual combat can be understood through the lens of military tactics, techniques, and procedures.
This is not merely an analogy; it is a reduction. The article states: “Both men draw on the military approach with good reason.” But what is that reason? The reason is that the post-conciliar Church has lost the supernatural sense of the faith and must therefore borrow the language of secular warfare to make spiritual realities comprehensible to a generation raised on action movies and video games. The true “military approach” of the Church is found in the liturgy, the sacraments, and the teaching of the Fathers — not in the war stories of Gulf War veterans.
St. Paul’s teaching on spiritual armor is not a metaphor drawn from Roman military practice; it is a supernatural reality. The “breastplate of righteousness” is not a Kevlar vest; it is the virtue of justice infused by God’s grace. The “shield of faith” is not a ballistic shield; it is the theological virtue of faith, which is a supernatural gift from God. The “sword of the Spirit” is not a combat knife; it is the Word of God, which operates with divine efficacy. To reduce these realities to military analogies is to naturalize the supernatural, which is precisely the error of Modernism condemned by St. Pius X in Pascendi Dominici gregis (1907): “The sacraments merely serve to remind man of the presence of the ever-benevolent Creator” (Proposition 41, condemned).
The Enemy Within: Silence on Modernism and the Conciliar Apostasy
The article quotes Father Chris Alar: “The best thing that we can do is know our enemy, how he acts and what he does.” Yet the article itself — and the “experts” it cites — completely fails to identify the true enemy. The enemy is not merely “powers and principalities” in the abstract; the enemy is Modernism, which St. Pius X called the “synthesis of all heresies” (Pascendi, 1907). The enemy is the conciliar sect that has occupied the Vatican since 1958, which has emptied the churches, destroyed the liturgy, and led countless souls to perdition through false doctrine and sacrilegious “sacraments.”
The article states: “Spiritual warfare is of great interest right now. People are recognizing that there’s been an increase of unexplainable evil in the world.” But this “unexplainable evil” is not unexplainable at all. It is the direct fruit of the conciliar revolution. When the Church’s teaching on faith and morals is undermined, when the Most Holy Sacrifice is replaced by a “table of assembly,” when the sacraments are administered by apostate “clergy” with doubtful validity, and when the faithful are taught that all religions are paths to salvation — then of course evil increases. This is not a mystery; it is cause and effect.
Pius XI warned in Quas primas (1925): “When God and Jesus Christ — as we lamented — were removed from laws and states and when authority was derived not from God but from men, the foundations of that authority were destroyed.” The article’s silence on this point is not accidental; it is complicity. By failing to identify the true enemy — the conciliar apostasy — the article effectively serves as a distraction, directing the faithful’s attention to vague “spiritual warfare” while the real battle — the defense of the true faith against the neo-church — is ignored.
The Sacraments: Reduced to Self-Help Tools
The article does mention the sacraments, but only in a reduced, functionalist manner. Father Alar states: “The first thing we have to do is be in a state of grace. That is No. 1.” He adds: “This is why we need confession as we start to progress through those spiritual attacks.” Confession is described as “more powerful than an exorcism because confession is a sacrament.”
But the article fails to address the elephant in the room: Are the “sacraments” of the conciliar sect valid? This is the question that the article — and the entire post-conciliar establishment — refuses to ask. The new rite of ordination introduced in 1968 is doubtful at best, and many theologians have argued that it is null and void (see the analysis of the Ottaviani Intervention and the subsequent studies by Fr. Anthony Cekada and others). If the “priests” of the conciliar sect are not validly ordained, then their “confessions” are worthless, their “Masses” are empty rituals, and their “sacraments” confer no grace.
The article also fails to mention that the true sacraments — those administered by validly ordained priests in communion with the true Church — are the only sure means of grace. The article’s silence on this point is not merely an omission; it is a dangerous deception, leading the faithful to place their trust in invalid or doubtful “sacraments” that cannot save their souls.
Marian Devotion: Weaponized Against the Truth
The article places great emphasis on Marian devotion, quoting Father Alar: “Mary and Divine Mercy are the spiritual weapons of our time.” It cites St. Louis de Montfort’s True Devotion to Mary and claims that “Satan fears Mary more than God.”
But the article fails to mention that the authentic Marian devotion of the pre-conciliar Church has been systematically undermined by the conciliar sect. The “Marian devotion” promoted by the neo-church is often a naturalistic, sentimental devotion that bears little resemblance to the robust, theological devotion of the Fathers and Doctors of the Church. The article also fails to mention that the “apparitions” of Fatima — which are central to the post-conciliar Marian narrative — are suspicious at best and may be a Masonic operation against the Church (see the analysis in the file “False Fatima Apparitions”).
The article’s promotion of “Divine Mercy” devotion is equally problematic. The “Divine Mercy” devotion as promoted by the conciliar sect is based on the writings of St. Faustyna Kowalska, which were condemned by the Holy Office in 1959 and placed on the Index of Forbidden Books. The diary was likely written or heavily edited by Fr. Sopoćko, who was associated with the Charismatic movement and had connections to Freemasonry. The “Divine Mercy” devotion as promoted today is a Modernist distortion of authentic Catholic devotion to the Mercy of God.
The Rosary: A “Machine Gun” in the Service of the Neo-Church
The article quotes Schneider: “Every Catholic should be praying at least one Rosary a day.” Father Alar adds: “Every time you pray, ‘Hail Mary,’ it’s like shooting a bullet into the devil. Then that makes the Rosary a machine gun.”
This militaristic language is not only trivializing; it is blasphemous. The Rosary is not a “machine gun”; it is a meditation on the mysteries of the life of Christ, guided by the intercession of His Blessed Mother. To reduce it to a weapon of spiritual warfare is to miss its entire purpose. The Rosary is meant to lead the soul to contemplation of divine truths, not to “shoot bullets” at the devil.
Moreover, the article fails to mention that the authentic Rosary — the Rosary as prayed by the saints for centuries — has been altered by the conciliar sect. The addition of the “Luminous Mysteries” by John Paul II (an apostate and heretic) was a Modernist innovation that changed the structure and theology of the Rosary. The article’s promotion of the Rosary without mentioning this innovation is a deception, leading the faithful to pray a modified Rosary that reflects the theology of the neo-church rather than the immutable Tradition of the true Church.
The Saints: Invoked in Service of the Conciliar Narrative
The article invokes several saints and blessed figures, including Padre Pio and St. Louis de Montfort. But the article fails to mention that Padre Pio is a figure of suspicion. His “stigmata” and “miracles” have never been subjected to rigorous scrutiny by the true Church, and his promotion by the conciliar sect is part of a broader strategy to legitimize the neo-church through the cult of “miraculous” figures. The article also fails to mention that St. Louis de Montfort’s True Devotion has been distorted by the conciliar sect to promote a naturalistic, sentimental Marian devotion that bears little resemblance to the original.
The article also promotes the “Consecration to St. Joseph” by “Marian Father Donald Calloway.” But the article fails to mention that Calloway is a member of the Marianist congregation, which has been deeply infiltrated by Modernism and the Charismatic movement. The “Consecration to St. Joseph” as promoted by Calloway is a Modernist devotion that reflects the theology of the neo-church rather than the immutable Tradition of the true Church.
The Absence of the True Church: The Gravest Omission
The most glaring omission in the article is the complete absence of any reference to the true Church. The article speaks of “the Church” as if the conciliar sect occupying the Vatican is the Church. But the true Church — the Church founded by Christ, governed by the Roman Pontiff, and guided by the Holy Ghost — cannot err in faith and morals. The conciliar sect, which has promulgated heresies, destroyed the liturgy, and led countless souls to perdition, is not the Church. It is the abomination of desolation foretold by Our Lord (Matthew 24:15).
The article’s silence on this point is not merely an omission; it is a betrayal. By failing to warn the faithful that the conciliar sect is not the Church, the article effectively leads them into spiritual ruin. The “spiritual warfare” described in the article is not a battle against the devil; it is a battle for the soul of the Church, and the article has chosen the wrong side.
Conclusion: A Manual for Spiritual Suicide
The article by Joseph Pronechen, as reported by the National Catholic Register, is a manual for spiritual suicide. It reduces the supernatural combat for souls to a set of military analogies, self-help strategies, and psychological resilience techniques. It promotes “sacraments” that may be invalid, “devotions” that are Modernist distortions, and “saints” that are figures of suspicion. It remains silent on the true enemy — the conciliar apostasy — and leads the faithful to place their trust in a neo-church that is not the Church of Christ.
The true “spiritual warfare” is not fought with military tactics or self-help strategies. It is fought with the sacraments of the true Church, the Most Holy Sacrifice of the Mass, the Rosary as prayed by the saints, and the unchanging teaching of the Magisterium. It is fought under the banner of Christ the King, who reigns over all nations and all peoples, and who will ultimately triumph over all His enemies.
As Pius XI taught in Quas primas: “His reign, namely, extends not only to Catholic nations or to those who, by receiving baptism according to law, belong to the Church, even though their erroneous opinions have led them astray or discord has separated them from love, but His reign encompasses also all non-Christians, so that most truly the entire human race is subject to the authority of Jesus Christ.” The article’s failure to proclaim this truth is its gravest error — and its most damning indictment.
Source:
How to Win the Battles in Spiritual Warfare (ncregister.com)
Date: 19.04.2026