Posted on 07/25/2002 5:31:43 AM PDT by Notwithstanding
A number of disturbing reports are heard lately that some of the Holy Father's former friends are in danger of collapsing in the storms; collapsing into the chaos of selective obedience, into the dangers of private judgment's non sequiturs. Michael Rose is trucking with pope-bashers and marketing his books through them, Robert Sungenis is rashly attacking the Pope on Assisi, Patrick Madrid is selling his books at a notorious pope-trashing website and giving "exclusive" excerpts to that site which also peddles the works of the worst schismatics who publicly call for an official "suspension of obedience" to the "Popes of Vatican II," and who gleefully and absurdly predict that JPII will be deposed for heresies. A group called "Roman Catholic Faithful" is openly publishing the works of these men too. Gerry Matatics, of course, has long shown aggressive solidarity with all these.
At first one hopes there is a misunderstanding. Maybe it's just the fact that a certain small percentage of converts or reverts will inevitably go off the rails for a time; maybe they have not fully overcome their fundamentalist spirit and suspicions toward "Rome," or their instinctive splitting into "remnants," and their personalistic "evangelism" wherein if they feel they are "called" to go on the circuit preaching tour, then they infer they must be "sent" by God, though this is contrary to all Catholic teaching, obedience and humility.
Maybe, though---which God forbid---it is a less innocent motive: simply the desire for money. What many, if not most, of these have in common is something to sell. Books, tapes, magazines, whatever...And maybe they haven't considered how immoral it is from a Catholic point of view to put marketing and personal security above the Truth. Michael Davies has long allowed the most virulent Pope-attackers to publish and sell his books and has led the way in all this. Cottage industries need "markets". Ask Fr. Gruner.
Better to sell no books, or just one book, with the Pope, than a million apart from him. Better to have Our Lord's warning about millstones around ones neck and judgment than to scandalize Christ's innocent ones by leading them into wolves dens to sell ones books or magazines.
Whatever the case, some of these cannot easily plead ignorance, even if others are merely confused. Most know what is what where websites and infamous Integrists are concerned. The goal of the older, more cynical Integrists has long been to pretend that conservatives and integrists are doing the same thing, which is absurd.
It only takes a little poison...
Whatever the case, it appears that some are showing signs of whithering on the Vine. They seem to be moving from complete loyalty to the Holy Father and the teaching Church to a place of shadows where fidelity mixes with persecution.
Invariably, when one points this out and shouts a warning, the more experienced and cynical in the ways of schism and anti-papal doctrinal collapse encourage their neophytes to respond with absurd charges of ultramontanism or to cynically shout down, ad hominem, the ones who try to warn them, as if no dogmatic certainties were at stake: "Who made YOU the measure of the Catholic Faith! Canon law allows criticism!"
Yes, but not this kind of criticism which moves qualitatively from inner personal concern or "dissent" to outright public attack, which even has the temerity to charge the Popes with heresies or rupture with Tradition which is the second prong of revelation itself.
The Holy Father and living magisterium, the teaching Church, is the measure of the Faith, not Catholic persons or groups.
We are living in sad times. When, earlier, I saw my old friends moving toward the cliffs of schism, well beyond constructive criticism, when they refused to hear the warnings, I knew it was time to bail. One's soul was at stake. I saw the logical trajectory of private judgment toward which Integrist presuppositions were leading .
The Holy Father is being persecuted from all sides today in something like apocalyptic storms. And now, some of his former friends are showing signs of deserting that cross and blaming him for the consequences of not heeding his own teachings-----and they do not see how ironic and absurd and tragic that is.
Real traditionalists---such as we are proud to be--- have their wheels on the dogmatic rails. Ask any Neo-modernist and he'll tell you where TCR is on the theological spectrum and they will not hesitate to say we are traditionalists, but with our wheels on the tracks, with Peter, who, together with his bishops, alone has the right to mediate, interpret, and develop Catholic Tradition.
Sometimes a warning must be sounded.
Pax tecum.
I, too, am grateful for the presence of the many fine, knowledgable Catholics on this forum. I have learned so much from all of you.
It wasn't long ago that I was afraid that many of our finest were leaving Freerepublic because of many threads being consigned to the "Religious Ghetto". I thought Brian was gone. I was happy to learn that he is still here.
It used to be that all we had to deal with was the catholic bashers and bigots who appeared on every catholic thread to disrupt. I was shocked to learn that many catholics (including your own dear Da) were on the receiving end of hateful, threatening emails. The bashers, those who don't understand or hate the faith, are one thing...but this recent phenomena of catholics tearing each other apart on the forum is much more discouraging IMO.
I thank God for all of you.
May He give us strength to work for reconciliation, unity, and peace. May he keep us faithful to the teachings of the Church as we seek to follow the way of the Gospel. May we walk in the footsteps of Jesus as his beloved sons and daughters. With the help of Mary, our Mother, may His Church be the sign and sacrament of salvation for all people.
but can an ordination be valid if the person ordained has no faith?Aquinas indicates a lack of reason does not invalidate an ordination. Similarly both the sinful man and the wicked man validly receive orders, though it can be sinful for them to do so. I don’t find anything directly by him on lack of faith, but this seems to be pretty much the same thing as the discussion on the wicked man, so I image that the faithless man would receive unworthily, though validly.
I’m not sure what you mean, that it is not always the case that the words of Consecration are the form, or that the words are always properly said."Valid form is very brief, it is simply the words of Consecration,..."BTW, that is what I thought too. It is evidently not always the case.
I have seen the words mangled invalidating the Consecration more often than I have seen invalid matter used, but it is still pretty rare in those Masses I have been too. I walk out when it happens.
patent +AMDG
Ok. I guess canon law is worthless. Thanks for that valuable feedback.It is not that canon law is worthless, it is that it cannot trump the Pope. Similarly, we the people always have the right to revoke the Constitution.
Dominus Vobiscum
patent +AMDG
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