Number CCLXXXVII (287)
    
12 January 2013

FIFTIESISM RETURNS

Burning question: how could the leaders of the Society of St Pius X, which was founded by Archbishop Lefebvre to resist the Newchurch, now be seeking its favours in order to rejoin it ? One answer is that they never fully understood the Archbishop. After the disaster of Vatican II in the 1960's, they saw in him the best continuation of the pre-disaster Church of the 1950's. In reality he was much more than that, but once he died, all they wanted was to go back to the cosy Catholicism of the 1950's. And they were not alone in preferring Christ without his Cross. It is a very popular formula.

For was not the Catholicism of the 1950's like a man standing on the edge of a tall and dangerous cliff ? On the one hand it was still standing at a great height, otherwise Vatican II would not have been such a fall. On the other hand it was dangerously close to the edge of the cliff, otherwise again it could not have fallen so precipitously in the 1960's. By no means everything was bad in the Church of the 1950's, but it was too close to disaster. Why ?

Because Catholics in general in the 1950's were outwardly maintaining the appearances of the true religion, but inwardly too many were flirting with the godless errors of the modern world: liberalism (what matters most in life is freedom), subjectivism (so man's mind and will are free of any objective truth or law), indifferentism (so it does not matter what religion a man has), and so on. So Catholics having the faith and not wanting to lose it, gradually adapted it to these errors. They would attend Mass on Sundays, they might still go to confession, but they would be feeding their minds on the vile media, and their hearts would be chafing at certain laws of the Church, on marriage for the laity, on celibacy for the clergy. So they might be keeping the faith, but they wanted less and less to swim against the powerful current of the glamorous and irreligious world all around them. They were getting closer and closer to the edge of the cliff.

Now the Archbishop had his failings, which one may think are reflected in the present difficulties of the Society. Let us not idolize him. Nevertheless he was in the 1950's a bishop who had both the appearances of Catholicism and, deep inside him, its substance, as proved by the rich fruits of his apostolic ministry in Africa. Thus when Vatican II succeeded in crippling or paralyzing nearly all of his fellow bishops, he managed to recreate, almost alone, a pre-Vatican II seminary and Congregation. The appearances of his Catholic oasis amidst the Conciliar desert dazzled many a good young man. Vocations were also attracted by the Archbishop's personal charisma. But from ten to 20 years after his death in 1991 the substance of his heritage came to seem heavier and heavier to push against the ever stronger current of the modern world.

So, disinclined to go on bearing the Cross of being scorned by the mainstream Church and the world, the SSPX leaders began to dream of being once more officially recognized. And the dream took hold, because after all dreams are so much nicer than reality. We must pray for these leaders of the SSPX. The 1950’s are gone, gone forever, and it is sheer dreaming to wish for their return.

Kyrie eleison.

That would refer to me because I lived in the 1950's. It was an
entirely different world than the world today.
At lease the majority of Catholics knew right from wrong.
It was easier to save your soul at that time than it is now.
Because evil in most part was restrained.
For example the so called gαy pride would be a one way
trip to a mental hospital.
Anyway, God Bless Bishop Williamson.

Life in the 1950's was literally standing on the cliff, as H.E. says here.

That would refer to me because I lived in the 1950's. It was an
entirely different world than the world today.
At lease the majority of Catholics knew right from wrong.
It was easier to save your soul at that time than it is now.
Because evil in most part was restrained.
For example the so called gαy pride would be a one way
trip to a mental hospital.
Anyway, God Bless Bishop Williamson.

The life of the 50's is gone forever, along with the 50's.  It's possible
that we may get something of it back, but too many people today
are engaging in a materialistic life that will never be forgotten, and
as such, will make a complete return to the life of the 50's impossible.


We hopefully soon will have the Collegial Consecration of Russia as
Our Lady promised, and the consequential conversion of Russia,
likewise, but it will be the Triumph of Mary indelibly scarred by the
memory of what happened AFTER the 50's.  

At least one would think so.................... (?)

Burning question: how could the leaders of the Society of St Pius X, which was founded by Archbishop Lefebvre to resist the Newchurch, now be seeking its favours in order to rejoin it ?  ...the SSPX leaders began to dream of being once more officially recognized.  And the dream took hold, because after all dreams are so much nicer than reality...

The author could have given us three clips instead of the whole EC,
but we would not have understood him as well...

Because Catholics in general in the 1950's were outwardly maintaining the appearances of the true religion, but inwardly too many were flirting with the godless errors of the modern world: liberalism (what matters most in life is freedom), subjectivism (so man's mind and will are free of any objective truth or law), indifferentism (so it does not matter what religion a man has), and so on. So Catholics having the faith and not wanting to lose it, gradually adapted it to these errors.

These are the framework upon which the rest is built.

The "Archbishop had his failings," but he more importantly held firmly within
him the "substance.. of Catholicism," which enabled him "to recreate,
almost alone, a pre-Vatican II seminary and Congregation," and "attracted"
many "vocations," and continues to do so even today.  But now, "the
substance of his heritage came to seem heavier and heavier to push
against the ever stronger current of the modern world."


Lesson:  it is precisely our "flirting with the godless errors of liberalism,
subjectivism and indifferentism" that causes us to find that "the substance
of his heritage came to seem heavier and heavier to push against the ever
stronger current of the modern world."


It is a war of substance.  The substance of the Faith vs. the substance of
the world, which is why in the Salve Regina, it is called "this valley of tears,"
or hac lacrimarum valle.

Pornography existed in 1902 and directly led to the martyrdom of Saint Maria Goretti.  Read her murderer's own words:

"I'm nearly 80 years old. I'm about to depart.
"Looking back at my past, I can see that in my early youth, I chose a bad path which led me to ruin myself.

"My behavior was influenced by print, mass-media and bad examples which are followed by the majority of young people without even thinking. And I did the same. I was not worried.

"There were a lot of generous and devoted people who surrounded me, but I paid no attention to them because a violent force blinded me and pushed me toward a wrong way of life.

"When I was 20 years-old, I committed a crime of passion. Now, that memory represents something horrible for me. Maria Goretti, now a Saint, was my good Angel, sent to me through Providence to guide and save me. I still have impressed upon my heart her words of rebuke and of pardon. She prayed for me, she interceded for her murderer. Thirty years of prison followed.

"If I had been of age, I would have spent all my life in prison. I accepted to be condemned because it was my own fault.

"Little Maria was really my light, my protectress; with her help, I behaved well during the 27 years of prison and tried to live honestly when I was again accepted among the members of society. The Brothers of St. Francis, Capuchins from Marche, welcomed me with angelic charity into their monastery as a brother, not as a servant. I've been living with their community for 24 years, and now I am serenely waiting to witness the vision of God, to hug my loved ones again, and to be next to my Guardian Angel and her dear mother, Assunta.

"I hope this letter that I wrote can teach others the happy lesson of avoiding evil and of always following the right path, like little children. I feel that religion with its precepts is not something we can live without, but rather it is the real comfort, the real strength in life and the only safe way in every circuмstance, even the most painful ones of life."

Signature, Alessandro Serenelli