The date: September 21 2014


Little Gregory strides briskly along the sidewalk on his way to the local pub that is usually frequented by Novus Ordo Knights of the Muller Table. There is a reason why Little Gregory is urgently wanting to wet his lips with his favorite beer in this pub. It's not that he is thirsty, no,it's not that. It has to do with belonging,  fulfillment of being recognized for who you are, he couldn't really explain to himself why, it was almost like someone kept telling him that was most important in life "Little Gregory you need to be recognized as Little Gregory,  you must above all else preserve your little identity".....no wait, maybe it was preserve...ugh....gee whiz what exactly was it we were suppose to recognize or preserve? He almost broke the grin as he stepped into the pub trying to remember what was pounded into his head the past year, but as soon as he shut the pub door behind himself he remembered why he came there. It was beer, not just to have a beer, but to have a beer with his new friends, or at least that's how he pictured it.
      It was this amazing new feeling of belonging to what now seemed normal, it was exhilarating. For the longest time,years and years, Gregory knew the truth and recognized that the SSPX was hanging on to it until the authority in Rome would propagate it once more. Enduring criticism from family and friends for having this old fashioned belief. Now today, a day people thought would never come, announced from the pulpit, the SSPX is now recognized by the Catholic Church! He remembers some sort of mention of being tolerated, he pushes that aside and regrasps the reality of being recognized by the official church. After being instructed to stay off the internet and to not listen to people who constantly quote Archbishop Lefebvre, he was thankful to not be distracted with talk and tiny insignificant details that throw his spirituality in a frenzy.
     Little Gregory took a deep breath through his overstretched smile like it had this new invigorating fragrance. Looking at the table with three men talking and drinking he recognizes two of them as old aquaintances of local Novus Ordo parish where he used to go before going to the SSPX. Softening his smile he walks over to them.
"Bill, John long time no see how have you been?" says Gregory just ready to burst inside to tell them we're brothers in the church again.
Bill gives a pleasant smile "Not bad Gregory not bad, and you?"
John throws in quickly "Good good, wow it's been awhile"
Gregory "I'm doing good, doing good mind if I join you?"
"Sure!"
Little Gregory is ready to burst at the seams with this new found glory.
John "This here is Ray he's with the Knights of the Muller Table, Ray this is Gregory, Gregory used to go to Saint Paul's awhile ago."
Ray shakes Gregory's hand "Nice to meet you, so what parish do you go to now?"
"Saint Sylvester's." Gregory tells Ray, smile getting bigger.
"Isn't that the group with the excommunicated bishops"
"It's the SSPX, the excommunications were declared lifted in 2009, BenedictXVI finally realized what we knew since 88 that Archbishop Lefebvre was right in what he did by consecrating the four Bishops, and today they just announced that Rome has canonically recognized the SSPX. "
Ray slightly squinted his eyes in a curious look and said " Where does Rome say that Archbishop Lefebvre was right, if you don't mind me asking"
Gregory was delighted in his curiosity, even Bill and John had an inquiring look on their faces.
"Well if you read the declaration on the remittance of the excommunication it says it there."
"Ummm, well I read that docuмent and the letter of Benedict XVI to the Bishops and I don't recall any of that." Ray, Bill and John looked at Little Gregory.
Little Gregory was taken aback by this "Uh, are you sure it's not in there."
"Where did you read it says that? " asked Ray.
"Well I didn't read them." replied Gregory.
"Where did you get that?" ssked Ray.
"Bishop Fellay the superior general had said clearly in 2009 "Thanks to this gesture, Catholics attached to Tradition throughout the world will no longer be unjustly stigmatized and condemned for having kept the Faith of their fathers." said Gregory.
"That's interesting, I never read anywhere on the Vatican website where Benedict XVI declared the act not guilty, in fact he mentioned in the letter to the Bishops that act was deserving of excommunication and he only lifted the excommunication of the 4 Bishops." said Ray.
"What?" said Gregory.
Gregory's head started to spin.
"Isn't the Archbishop Lefebvre the cornerstone of the SSPX?" asked Ray.
"He is" answered Gregory "in fact his whole life was a preparation for battling against modernism after Vatican 2."
Ray looked at Gregory and paused for a second, Bill and John turned from Gregory and looked at Ray, they knew nothing about this, they were a bit curious about what was being said.
Finally Ray spoke "Gregory you mentioned earlier that the SSPX was now canonically recognized by the Church."
Gregory nodded.
Ray continued "I hate to say this but do you realize that your Archbishop died excommunicated, his writings cannot be taught in your Church, writings from an excommunicate have to be examined by the Church to be free from error. They will be banned until then."
The logic hit Gregory like a brick wall, he excused himself politely and left, the three men were courteous with goodbyes, Ray started explaining to Bill and John what he knew about the SSPX. Gregory arrived at home and hid his confusion from his wife and kids. He went online on the Vatican website and looked at the Motu Proprio Summotum Pontificuм, the declaration of remittance of excommunications, and the Letter of Benedict XVI to the Bishops of the World. Gregory was shocked, the first line of the first article of the Summorum Pontificuм summed up the intent of the whole docuмent, the pope had officially raised the novus ordo mass above the Tridentine mass as the Ordinary prayer of the Roman rite. He also saw the reason for the lifting of the excommunications in the letter to the Bishops of the world, it was worded as clear as the blue sky, it was for the acceptance of Vatican 2.
Now Gregory knelt down for family Rosary and offered a private intention. "Dear God please grant my wife the light to see this.......help us....Archbishop Lefebvre has just been murdered!"

I heard it before, please tell me how the lifting of the excommunications (Archbishop Lefebvre is not listed with the four) helps when Benedict XVI said the action was deserving of excommunication in the first place.