Ruminating and reflecting about life and society from the perspective of life in Oklahoma, a Christian, a Catholic, and a cultural Traditionalist
(Re-post)
1. A major spiritual relief--i.e. from the banality of the Novus Ordo rite atmosphere. Turning away from Modernism towards Catholic Tradition is like removing yourself from a room filled with noxious fumes clouding the mind, and stepping into fresh, clear air. Catholic Tradition clears and enlightens the mind and soul.
Fr Z yesterday wrote a very long post, what he described as a thought experiment, to resolve the “Two Popes” controversy, to at least put people’s mind at ease troubled by a Pope Emeritus Benedict still dressed in white living in the Vatican.
Came across this amusing headline.
Rainy Day Today:
My dad (RIP) was both a devout Catholic and an avid gardener. That hobby I always perceived was something devotional. Working the land helping to cultivate virtue and a deeper connection to the Creator.
This in today from the Vatican. Good times. Francis called out online Catholic “preachers” of the Gospel caught up in “certainties” from past “traditions” they adhere to. It was quite transparent who he was targeting.
Which is a greater opportunity, being able to get along with the Modernists who run St. Peter's Basilica, jumping through God knows what hoops to get their permission to say the TLM at a side altar in the basilica...or the opportunity to use the current suppression as a public witness to the superiority, truth, and doctrinal orthodoxy of the Traditional Catholic Mass?
I’ve rarely told this story because it was a challenging time and experience as a young man discerning my vocation. I was in my mid 20s, having withdrawn after first year medical school to discern the priesthood. I had been visiting a nearby seminary, and a monastery, off and on since during college, split between a medical profession and marriage, and a higher calling to the priesthood or religious life.
I’m not into Twitter, but a couple times I tried to engage Voris and Niles there. I did not disagree with them investigating the Society, or that their investigation did reveal sex abuse or even incidents of cover up.
Woo hoo! 40 clicks on this blog yesterday. Now I’m somebody. Of course some of those are probably Ad Bots from China. Or me clicking multiple times in a day on the site. But wow, I’m a famous Catholic blogger now. Despite--it would seem--being thrown back to the outer margins by a certain Catholic News conglomerate that made me famous years ago. No worries, I’ve now got my own online congregation already sitting at my feet. Give me a few more years, and I’ll be calling myself CEO and Editor, making six figures off of the Gospel. Yeah baby
So rumors are circulating, some of which are coming from the Vatican itself, that the Francis Regime is writing up restrictions on the use of the Traditional Latin Mass, amending Pope Benedict XVI's motu proprio Summorum Pontificum, and that these changes will start taking effect this summer and next fall. To me, these reports sound credible.
Predictions from these sources are that any diocesan priest will now be required to get permission from the Bishop to say the TLM as they once were required under the 1988 Ecclesia Dei indult of Pope John Paul II, and that Traditionalist Society's like the Fraternity of St. Peter (any Traditionalist Society, so that would extend to the SSPX) will have to start aligning themselves more clearly and publicly with the pastoral directives and orientation of Vatican II.
Traditionalists have rightly predicted that agenda for decades.
If this happens, I would think the SSPX will condemn this mutilation of the Motu Proprio of the previous Pope, something they helped achieve for the universal Church, in their negotiations with Rome under Pope Benedict. I expect they will back off even more from any potential "canonical reconciliation," but re-energize their fight against the Vatican II Crisis.
The situation across the board would worsen for everyone. But God will provide, as I reflected on in my last post.
Vatican II was a pastoral council, and, having read all 16 documents, the Council itself does not strictly, legally mandate priests or laity to support it and align with its pastoral orientation. To impose this is tyranny with no authority to do so, just as it is tyranny to impose on any lay Catholic, priest, or Traditionalist group a total acceptance of the Council/New Mass, without public objection to certain doctrinal errors.
This is why the Society justifiably operates currently under supplied jurisdiction, because it cannot in good conscience go this far, and remain silent. The impasse being created by the Vatican Conciliarists themselves who demand we all eventually accept Catholic Modernism.
I'll put it another way. The Faithful are approaching the Society for the Mass and the Faith. The Society in turn wants to serve their needs, and the Church. Yet, the Vatican is saying they must accept those heretical teachings in Vatican II (religious liberty, ecumenism, collegiality, etc), and the moral goodness of the New Mass, in order for their ministry to be canonically approved. Yet, the Society in good conscience cannot do this; nor can any Catholic do this who understands the traditional doctrine being contradicted. By definition then, supplied jurisdiction is provided in an emergency situation. This is a common sense conclusion based on the facts.
IF history repeats itself, the FSSP, Institute, and other similar groups would unfortunately acquiesce and start making major changes to their pastoral work to please the Conciliarists in the name of obedience and maintaining the Bishop's support for their apostolate. This would only scandalize many Traditionalists, some making the extra effort to go to the SSPX.
Many Motu Proprio communities would likely come to an end, if these draconian changes soon go down. Tradition becoming quarantined, except by a few Dioceses where the Bishop is friendly to Tradition. Most Bishops are still suppressing the Traditional Mass in spite of the Motu Proprio.
And, IF history repeats itself, Bishop Konderla, not that long ago consecrated Bishop and appointed to the Diocese of Tulsa, will do what the Presbyteral Council wants. That is IF history repeats itself.
And if History teaches us anything, it teaches us that History itself repeats itself.
And from everything I have been told by both official and lay sources over the years, the Tulsa Presbyteral Council is no friend to the restoration of Catholic Tradition (as attempted for many years by Bishop Slattery) which is a shameful scandal to the Faithful.
For a conservative-leaning diocese, I blame our Protestant culture here in Oklahoma on this modernist orientation, many of the priests here coming from that background. Protestantism as a rule does not like things like Church Tradition, Latin, or Gregorian chant.
It has to be asked out of concern, would the one Motu Proprio Latin Mass at St. Peter and Paul parish, in north Tulsa be shut down, by the Bishop and Pastor there? Will their contributions to the collection basket prevent that from happening, or will the Baby Boomer Modernists give them the boot-- i.e. those who in their past actions demonstrate clearly antipathy toward the Traditional Mass, and faithful attached to it.
In literally just a few months after becoming a Bishop, Bishop Konderla shut down two traditional communities of priests and sisters, attached to the Latin Mass, with little or no public explanation. I was one of the bloggers talking about that here, simply discussing the already public story, and questioning the motive. Both groups had labored for 5 years, with Bishop Slattery, to be established here. They created local apostolates that helped many people, buying land and buildings, planting their roots in the local spiritual family that is the Catholic Church of the Tulsa Diocese, where I was raised Catholic and where I've practiced the Catholic Faith all my life.
Their summary dismissal from our local Church, through the Powers-that-Be, is not something we should forget for years to come.
I pray history does not repeat itself this summer. I would not be surprised to find out it does, and if it does, I will comment on it here. If it is likely to happen, following Fr. Z's recent recommendations, we have to write the Bishop to plead the case.
And the case is not about preserving a particular emotional attachment to Latin or Gregorian chant, or a particular priest, parish, or group, but about preserving the Catholic Faith here and everywhere. And always.
If you are reading this dear Bishop Konderla, my Bishop, sincerely, for the love of God and all that is good and holy, in preserving the sacred offering of the Catholic Mass in this local Church and everywhere in the universal Church, for future generations, that is IF the Vatican soon undoes Pope Benedict's work of liturgical restoration, as predicted, please do not follow the designs of the Modernists. The TLM and TLM communities are greatly helping to preserve the life of the Church and the Liturgy. You have the grace of Holy Orders and of the Office of Bishop to decide--freely on your own ---the good of the local Church, and to do your sacred duty which is to transmit Sacred Tradition to your flock. Praise be to Christ the King.