Posted on 07/14/2014 11:38:21 AM PDT by BlatherNaut
Fr. Dwight Longenecker, posting on his“Standing on my Head” blog (appropriately named given the frequency with which pontifications seem to flow so freely from his other end), recently suggested that traditionalists (aka Catholics) are “getting old.” Obviously, he’s never been to a “traditionalist” gathering to witness the overwhelming presence of young, often quite large, families.
“Not only are they dying out,” he wrote, “but their ideas are dying out.”
It isn’t immediately clear what “ideas” he has in mind, but presumably he is speaking of such notions as the Social Kingship of Christ as taught with such stunning clarity by Pope Pius XI in Quas Primas, the reality of Christian unity as taught by this same Roman Pontiff in Mortalium Animos, and last but not least, the Mass of all Ages, the devotees of which he has castigated as unstable for daring to drive considerable distances to assist at such a liturgy.
Fr. Longenecker went on to opine:
Fifty years after the revolution of the Second Vatican Council we are moving on from the tensions it created. Those tensions existed because Catholics kept comparing the pre-Vatican II church to the post-Vatican II church. The ones who did this most were the folks who went through the Vatican II revolution … Everything was viewed through that lens. Well, at least we agree on one thing; the Second Vatican Council was a revolution.
Where I and every other reasonably well-formed Catholic parts company with Fr. Longenecker is his preposterous assertion that those who cannot help but draw comparisons between Catholic life before Vatican II and the bitter realities of the present crisis are necessarily “the folks who went through the Vatican II revolution,” and they are the reason tensions exist over the Council.
Does Fr. Longenecker believe that to be Catholic, no matter one’s age or personal experience, is to view everything through the lens of all that preceded us?
Does he hold the firm conviction that ours is the Faith that comes to us from the Apostles; not just the faith of the most recent “pastoral exercise” or the currently reigning pope?
Does he fully embrace the reality that this faith is immutable; may never be believed to be different, and may never be understood in any other way?
Apparently not, which actually makes perfect sense if you stop to consider his background:
Brought up as an Evangelical. Dwight Longenecker graduated from fundamentalist Bob Jones University. While there he became an Anglican and after graduation went to Oxford to train as an Anglican priest. After serving for ten years as an Anglican priest he converted to the Catholic faith with his wife and family. Eventually he returned to the United States to be ordained as a Catholic priest under the special provision from Rome for married former Anglican clergy. (Amazon.com bio) Is it just me or does there seem to be something missing from this curriculum vitae; namely, any kind of training in Catholic theology and protestant deprogramming?
In any case, I suspect, and Fr. Longenecker himself may very well admit, there isn’t a snowball’s chance in Hell he would have swum the Tiber if awaiting him on the other shore was the “pre-Vatican II church” circa all the way back to 1958.
This raises yet another question: Did Fr. Longenecker convert to the Catholic faith whole and entire, or did he convert to some protestantized (read: distorted) conception of the same?
Clearly, it is the latter. Remember what he said:
Fifty years after the revolution of the Second Vatican Council we are moving on from the tensions it created. You see, only the protestant mind can conceive of a “revolution” in the Church in such terms; as if the revolution isn’t a problem in and of itself, but only the tensions created by the recalcitrant few who just can’t seem to let go.
Indeed, it may well be that the vast majority of converts over the last fifty years, priest or otherwise, more properly converted to a protestantized conception of “Church” and not necessarily to the Faith in its fullness.
It’s not necessarily their fault.
Think about it: One who embraces with gusto every word that has come forth from the mouths of the last five popes would have at least one foot in Protestantism. Obviously, Fr. Longenecker does, and this even as he stands on his head.
On core doctrine he is exactly like all Popes before him.
Liberals will soon realize this and jump on him like a bull dog on a porkchop.
It's not up to us to provision an answer to that, or even possible. The Holy Spirit will answer the question in due course.
My related comments from another thread (not erudite or intellectual, but sincerely felt):
It appears that either the Holy Spirit has suspended His guidance or the bishops refuse to listen (or maybe the Holy Spirit has suspended because He knows the bishops would not listen).In any event it does not mean the end of the Church or that the 'gates of hell' have prevailed against the Church. Just means that the End Times are here, and each of us as Catholics should stick to what we were taught in our youth, if we are over 60 or so. If under 60, seek out old teachings and liturgy.
The True Church will prevail in the end even if it is sustained by only a small number of faithful Catholic laity and and even fewer clergy.
"In 1960 it will become clearer"
I subscribe to Catholicism as it was at the time of my infant baptism. Will never waver from that. Did not sign my name or baby thumbprint to a contract that said I will follow rogue popes or councils.
Will do.
Personally, I find your input to these "robust" exchanges quite informative. :)
Agree. The Blessed Mother, in her appearances at La Salette, Fatima and Akita has provided insight to the times in which we are living.
Amen.
Besides, you have not answered the question of whether Francis professes the Catholic Faith. I think it's because there is much doubt as to whether he in fact professes the one true faith.:
Actually only those are to be included as members of the Church who have been baptized and profess the true faith...
- Pope Pius XII, Mystici Corporis Christi, 1943
"You are not to be looked upon as holding the true Catholic faith if you do not teach that the faith of Rome is to be held"
- Pope Leo XIII, Satis Cognitum, 1896
Does Francis teach that the faith of Rome is to be held?
St Athanasius
Well, you already know what I think. :) Doesn't change the fact that it's not my job to find him guilty of formal heresy and declare him invalid. If a pope falls into heresy he can't bind the faithful to false teaching. The Divine Law reigns supreme.
Here is an interesting talk by Fr. Hesse.
"Fr. Hesse on Popes Who Have Fallen into Error or Heresy"
I understand your POV of course. I do think there is a difference between formally declaring something and making a private judgment.
The other side of the same coin is not letting legitimate concerns about how your present the Faith lead to excessive worry or some sort of guilt trip. That's just running into the ditch on the opposite side of the road.
All you can do is all you can do. As long as you do all you can do you're making progress.
Then again, hey, what do I know?
Regards, God Bless, and I pray for all the folks on FR who I know are Catholic every day. I even manage to pray for those who I know aren't Catholic fairly regularly.
True words. We can't let our emotions dictate how we think and behave. We also can't think of ourselves as Vulcans or robots, without emotion. We have to take that delicate walk where we don't ignore our emotions but we out them in proper perspective.
Fr. Hesse reminds us that the Head of the Church is Jesus, not Peter.
The pope's position is analogous to the role of the XO of a ship, the hierarchy are the officers and the laity are the crew. When Jesus established His visible, hierarchical Church on earth, He didn't confer authority on the crew to toss the XO overboard or to abandon ship themselves. Such would be acts of mutiny against the Captain (Our Lord). Again, Pius IX: "This is the only ark of salvation". We have Our Lord's promise that "the gates of hell shall not prevail against it", so even if it came to pass that the man at the helm was a Captain Queeg type and the bridge was full of Judas types, they will never sink the ship.
St. Boniface: "The Church is like a great ship being pounded by the waves of life's different stresses. Our duty is not to abandon ship, but to keep her on her course."
So where does resistance fit into this analogy?
Resist the devil (from aboard the Ark) with the weapons of Prayer, Fasting, Sacrifice and Penance.
"But prove all things; hold fast that which is good." Traditional Catholicism is a proven good, the Faith of multitudes of Saints, so hold fast to it.
"But doing the truth in charity, we may in all things grow up in him who is the head, even Christ".
I guess it gets back to whether one believes that the current “Ark” is the True Ark.
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