John visits Wal-mart one dark Friday evening. Wal-mart only has 2 checkout lines open, even though there are 20 customers in line. John gets upset, and asks to speak with a manager.

The manager tells him there's nothing they can do; they have to cut costs wherever they can. John, far from satisfied, tells the manager,

"I won't waste my time in a store like this anymore. I'm going to shop at Kroger from now on!" and leaves in a huff.

Now, isn't this scenario played out again and again, especially in the United States, by Catholics leaving the SSPX (and perhaps other groups)?

It all comes down to these cardinal facts:

1. Americans have OPTIONS when it comes to practicing their Catholic Faith. Before, it was "Be Catholic, or fall away". Now, you can give up on the church you attend AND stay Catholic -- or at least convince yourself that you're still Catholic ("There aren't any good priests around, or I'd go to Mass!")

There are Indult parishes, the FSSP, SSPX, SSPV, CMRI, and independent chapels, not to mention other Rites such as Ukrainian, Byzantine, etc.

2. Americans are very personality-based, like women are supposed to be during normal times. Personality based is opposed to "principle-based" which is how men are supposed to operate. Women notice the "overall picture" or "impression" of a priest from noticing his bearing, how he smiles, his personality, the condition of his cassock. Men primarily notice the content of the sermons -- the doctrine.

3. There is a Crisis in the Church, so traditional Catholics are already well-disposed to the concept of "walking away when it gets bad". Nevermind the fact that there's a HUGE world of difference between the Novus Ordo with its faith-destroying tendencies, and a priest deciding that the Schola will only have men in it from now on, or a priest having too close of a friendship with a few long-standing parishioners, or a priest deciding to move the Mass time by 30 minutes, or a priest is habitually late, or a priest is too earthy, or a priest recommends TAN books from the pulpit -- you get the idea.

There are SO many trivial issues that one could "disagree with the priest" about, yet these issues would have no bearing on the Faith.

People get offended, or their pride gets ruffled, or their feelings get hurt, and they leave. None of those are good enough reasons to leave. The fact is, if you put yourself & your family in a worse position spiritually because of your "wounded feelings", you will have a lot to answer for at the Judgment.

We are supposed to be as wise (prudent) as serpents, and simple as doves. That means that we should look out for ourselves when it comes to the health of our soul. We should direct everything to that end. If we have to endure a bit of humiliation for our soul's benefit, then endure it! If we have to swallow our pride, or eat a mammoth serving of humble pie, then swallow/eat it!

Remember the story about the man that drowned on top of his roof during a flood: Three times, a boat came by and asked the man, "Do you need to be rescued?" and he replied, "No, God will save me!". Eventually the man drowned, and he asked God, "Why didn't you save me?" and God replied, "I sent a boat to rescue you three times!"

The analogy is pretty clear: Replace "rescue you" with "give you the Mass" and "boat" with "SSPX".

So when Raoul (and others like him) say "UGH! This crisis is TOO MUCH! How could God allow it to get this bad!" Perhaps it's not as bad as you think -- you might just be mistaken. You might just be making it harder than it is, because of your own decisions.


Matthew

Did you write this article?  I enjoyed it.  I've been thinking along the same lines lately.  I read about one SSPX parish where the people have begun to revolt because the new priest makes them stand at a point when they used to sit.  

I was surprised to see my name come up though because I think my reasons for leaving CMRI are quite good.  Scratch that -- I left due to their policy on the una cuм, and I've softened a bit there.  But my reasons for staying away are good!

I genuinely believe they are heretics, and in this case, St. Thomas, Athanasius, and many others would say the right thing to do is to leave.  It seems ridiculous to most because what I believe is their heresy is taught by practically ALL priests.  But that to me fits the abomination of desolation.

I have certainly not handled myself perfectly by any means, but I'll give myself some credit.  I loathe America with a loathing that is almost all-consuming ( I'm working on toning it down ), while CMRI is very Fox News, neo-con patriotic.  That crowd is not really my crowd, yet I didn't let that drive me away.  I told myself "These are your fellow Catholics, so what if they are deceived on a matter of politics.  That is unessential."  

I am still friendly with one guy who goes to CMRI who loves Glenn Beck.  Two years ago, I would have had nothing to do with such a person; I would have thought he was a philistine.  Today, I overlook it because this man loves God, from what I can tell.  I believe that overcoming these deep-seated prejudices shows that charity is working in my soul.

So I can't say that my reasons for not going to Mass there are frivolous.  I also resent the implication that I don't want to go to Mass.  I have heard that from St. Jude Thaddeus as well.  How can you suspect that of someone who came out of nowhere to the Catholic faith?  No one forced me to be Catholic to begin with; why would I not want to go to Mass?  On the contrary, it is nearly driving me crazy with fear to be staying away from Mass, but I feel I have to -- perhaps wrongly, I don't know.  But I simply cannot do otherwise at the moment, so pray for me that if I'm wrong, God will bring me down from my perhaps overdriven position.  Pray also that if there is any pride manipulating me, that I overcome it.

******

I did have dinner with a CMRI priest the other day, so I am still willing to listen.  But I must confess, it didn't go too well.  It ended with me refusing to shake his hand.  During this dinner, I learned that the Athanasian Creed is not dogma, but that NFP is...  That was about enough for me.  I'm sorry, but I can't just hack CMRI and their Pius XII/NFP/invincible-ignorance worship.  

They won't even listen to you when you question Pius XII, like it is some kind of taboo.  If you go on the CMRI website, they have a section devoted to "Saints and Great Catholics," and there is a grand total of one article there -- guess who it's about?  

This priest told me I was rejecting the teaching Church, apparently unaware that those in Vatican II would say the same about him.  The CMRI claim to have no authority, to not be able to bind anyone, yet if you don't go along with their interpretation of events, you're a "Protestant."  There is very little humility there, however they may come across.  They have a velvet glove on an iron fist.  People here at least will discuss NFP and some will concede that it's dubious, that it sounds like birth control.  But the CMRI?  Nope.  It's dogma, believe it or else.

And to not even be troubled by NFP, not even the slightest bit -- come on!  What other Pope taught that you can have sex with your wife while preventing birth for eugenic reasons?  Are they really telling me that I shouldn't even be concerned by this, that it's all in my imagination?  Then they can get lost, because they are not worthy of any trust.

The real question is, when was the Magisterium replaced with the dummy Magisterium?  And why does everyone assume that this began with Vatican II?

First, to answer your question, I did write that article.

Second, I should have emphasized more that it isn't just trivial issues that drive people from various chapels and groups -- it's NON-ESSENTIAL issues -- things that might be noticeable or noteworthy, but not worth leaving one's chapel over.

For example, a priest that is too earthy, or that doesn't believe that 9/11 was an inside job. I wouldn't consider these things "trivial", like the priest preferring Coke to Pepsi, or having a dirty cassock. But in the context of the Faith, they are trivial. A Fox-News-Brainwashed priest CAN help you get to heaven. He might not help you understand how the world works...
In short, even if one's priest isn't a saint -- YOU can still become a saint.

God doesn't owe each of us a holy priest. We are not necessarily worthy of that.

If you have a decent -- even holy -- priest, then THANK GOD! If not, then pray for him.

Unless the priest is heretical, or looks like he will cost you (and/or family members) your faith, then don't leave.

Matthew