Evidently the bishop here took away the indult Mass, and several of the people who attended it have appeared at my chapel. My question is : If the SSPX was taboo to them before because it was not in full communion with Rome, why do they suddenly feel its okay for them to attend? I don't get it. I don't mind their attending, and I am sure they will start wearing skirts and veils after a while, but I don't understand their way of thinking.
I guess the bottom line is inspiration from the Holy Ghost. Conversion is a process. It took me quite awhile to de-novus ordo. God bless them for their persistence in seeking the holy of tradition vs the banal of n.o.
PED --- I really appreciate your wisdom here.
Fr. Fredrick Schell (trained as a Jesuit but voluntarily removed the "SJ" from his name years later) used to tell his congregation from the pulpit that we ought to be friendly, hospitable, and gracious to every newcomer. When trads see a new face in the crowd, they're virtually accustomed to ignore them or to think the worst of them, especially when they're not wearing clothing that is deemed 'acceptable' by the chapel standards.
When someone new comes to Mass, and you're sitting in the same spot you sit in week after week, month after month, year after year, you have an inclination to see something about this new person as an affront to your comfort zone, but you ought to recognize this as a temptation of the devil, and not of God.
Take the extra moment to extend a Texas handshake and a Texas smile (Fr. Schell was a Texan, through and through, and while I've never been to Texas, because of him, Texas has come to me!), to make them feel like they're welcome, and not like they're a fish out of water or whatever. Maybe it's a Texas turtle out of a Texas lake?
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