Number CDVIII (408)
 
May 9, 2015

“Found Wanting”


Resistants, God seeks those who seek his will.
Seeking our Fifties’ comfort must fare ill.

Catholics striving today to keep the Faith do not have an easy task. Here is the description by an observer of the present state of the Society of St Pius X in the USA as he sees it, both positive and negative. Let us take the negative first, not in order to spite the Society, but in order to take the measure of the problem. As the American patriot, Patrick Henry, said in 1775: “For my part, whatever anguish of spirit it may cost, I am willing to hear the whole truth, to know the worst, and to provide for it.”

“Up till now the Society priests in the USA have not reacted to the Modernist infiltration of their Society. Most bend over backwards to justify every word and act of their Superior General. How they can justify the compromise in doctrine is a mystery to me. One of them says that just talking with Bishop Fellay will clarify everything. The handful of US seminarians that I have met with are being malformed, lost in justifying everything, even the ‘good’ found in Vatican II. Blind obedience is the drum they march to. Conspiracy theories are taboo in the seminary, so that as future priests they will be easy prey for the enemy. There was no reaction to the visit there of Novus Ordo Bishop Schneider, or to the ‘Argentinian assimilation.’ The ‘Resistance’ to Bishop Fellay’s modernism is absolutely not discussed, being dismissed as another revolt, like that of the ‘Nine’ priests in 1983.

“Yet SSPX Priors indiscriminately permit attendance at Masses of St Peter’s Fraternity, and they define Modernism as a ‘dust pile’ to be swept to one side. A newly ordained priest was sent to attend the installation of a local Novus Ordo bishop. Overall there is no fight against the errors of Vatican II, nor against the errors of the Society’s own Doctrinal Declaration of 2012. Worst of all is the doctrinal slide that has taken place within the Society since 2012, yet still SSPX priests are saying that they will take no action until they see something concrete.”

Such blindness can only be a punishment from God. What is he punishing? In the 1950’s Catholics seeking too much their own worldly comfort were punished by the Council of the 1960’s. To a faithful remnant God granted Archbishop Lefebvre, the true shepherd of the 1970’s and 1980’s.

Surely God was entitled in return to expect that these remnant Catholics would understand the problem, and flee the false solution of the 1950’s. But no. Since the late 1990’s the SSPX leaders and then priests and layfolk have been slowly but surely going back to “Fiftiesism,” or to the “Sunday Catholicism” of the 1950’s, which is a poor return on the multiple graces granted by him to the Society. It would seem that God has had enough. So he has, for instance, allowed a diocese in Argentina to set the example of granting official Church approval to the Society, dismissed by Society HQ as a “merely administrative measure,” but paving the way for a Roman or diocese-by-diocese complete Church approval which everybody would pretend not to notice, but which almost everybody would rejoice in. These Romans are masters!

However, Almighty God is still raising a Resistant remnant out of the Traditional remnant. The observer quoted above concluded: “I think that when the chips all fall, there will be a handful of Nicodemuses and Josephs of Arimathea from among the Society priests and Brothers, and hopefully Sisters. The “Resistant” faithful throughout North America are steady, with occasional newcomers, mostly from the Novus Ordo, or from nothing.” The same steadiness was evident in many Catholics’ reactions to the consecration of Bishop Faure. Here is a future for souls. But let us make no mistake this time round: Almighty God wants no more Sunday Catholics. He wants potential martyrs.

Kyrie eleison.
 
 

But let us make no mistake this time round: Almighty God wants no more Sunday Catholics. He wants potential martyrs.

Martyrs for what? Is there an explicit cause this time round or are we just gritting our teeth for an operation survival "emergency" that never ends? Genuine emergency calls forth a boost of energy and vigilance but these qualities begin to diminish if the emergency state continues indefinitely. To maintain battle readiness for the long haul, the crusader must be girded with the confidence he is marching toward a defined objective.

Crusaders of Urban II reconquered the Holy Land and Spanish crusaders took back their peninsula. For such noble and well defined causes as these, Catholics will gladly sacrifice their lives and even endure martyrdom.

What does our leadership now seek to accomplish--the reconquest of Rome or just to hold on longer? Militancy is the antidote for "Fiftiesism," but that requires a military-style objective.

Yes, well H.E. shed some of his blood allegorically when he nixed the deal cooked up between Fellay and Benedict. His weekly posts are often useful but this week's invocation of heroic language in the absence of future plans for corresponding action comes across as empty bravado. If there are indeed plans afoot for more heroic action, I will gladly eat my words.

Let's not be so unthankful, Columba.  You could have waited a full 2 months after the episcopal consecration to criticize the bishop for his "inaction"? 2 months, less than two months ago! " the absence of future plans for corresponding action"...ungrateful!

I am grateful for the consecration and have never been a proponent of the "he is doing nothing" refrain. Instead, I address another topic, namely H.E.'s exhortation of a readiness for martyrdom. This is serious language.

Is H.E. genuinely planning some kind of crusade that could result in martyrdom or is he merely using the weighted term as a rhetorical contrast to "Fiftiesism?" If there is no planned campaign on the horizon, then H.E.'s choice of language is overwrought.

Remaining in endless holding maneuvers while the revolution unfolds without opposition will cause Catholics to loose heart. Churches are destroyed, schools are paganized, and historic Christendom is overrun by Mohammedans and savages. Having the means to fight back but lacking the will results in dereliction of duty and the hardening of hearts. God's Catholic Church is the sole possessor of the means to fight back. If the rank and file become ensnared by thorns, responsibility simply moves to the shoulders of the remnant and the Church remains stronger that the Gates of Hell. Failing to use such strength in times of need is unconscionable.

Was the counterrevolution already launched? If so, I have not heard. Until that happens, don't be surprised if the hearts of the remnant grow colder year by year. Issue the challenge and watch those currently discouraged and ensnared wake up to take hold the cross. Deus vult!

You misunderstand.

Columba, you are clearly speaking the language of counter revolution, the words which can lead to the reclaimation of Christendom. But words are only the foreshadowing of the actions of the flesh.
It is uncertain, and perhaps unlikely, that the will to act is present todays clerical leaders or the faithful.

Columba,

Quote

Remaining in endless holding maneuvers while the revolution unfolds without opposition will cause Catholics to loose heart. Churches are destroyed, schools are paganized, and historic Christendom is overrun by Mohammedans and savages. Having the means to fight back but lacking the will results in dereliction of duty and the hardening of hearts. God's Catholic Church is the sole possessor of the means to fight back. If the rank and file become ensnared by thorns, responsibility simply moves to the shoulders of the remnant and the Church remains stronger that the Gates of Hell. Failing to use such strength in times of need is unconscionable.

The bolded quote is precisely what has been happening for the last fifty years.

Yes, over the last fifty years some Catholics have taken steps to individually preserve themselves as and their immediate families but we have done little to resist the accelerating destruction of the civilization built and defended by our Catholic ancestors. We were immobilized by fear, division, and perhaps by a suicidal half-belief in the enemy propaganda that our civilization was evil and therefore has no right to continue and that we too would be evil if we expended effort to defend it. We were told and we half-believed that our ancestors were evil for doing the things they thought necessary for defending our civilization during there time. We half-believe it would be more noble to allow our historic communities to be extinguished than to repeat those drastic measures taken by our ancestors to ensure that civilization would continue up to our time.

We have been fooled into uncharitably cursing our ancestors for the sacrifices they made on our behalf. Our descendents, if we have any, may justifiably curse us for opposite reasons.

As objective damning evidence against our traitorous generation continues to pile up, discomfort will drive greater numbers of us to take solace in the liberal lie that we have done right and our ancestors who bequeathed us civilization did wrong. Those who fully accept the lie will loose their faith. Those who half-believe may retain enough faith to save themselves, but will be of little use defending the Church. Those who fully reject the lie will constitute the core remnant. That remnant, no matter how diminished in numbers, will always retain the potential strength to defeat the gates of hell.

We take this on faith, but look again at the situation solely with the eyes of cold human reason. One might think that as Catholics grew weaker their enemies would grow correspondingly stronger but that has not happened. Right-wing Catholics have learned to fear the US government system but look at what a helpless giant it has become. It is helpless to control its borders, govern its cities, and manage its foreign occupations. Catholics have lost much power since 1960 but so has the US and other world governments. Anyway, governments are too diffuse to be considered enemies because they contain many within who are sympathetic or potentially sympathetic to our cause of defending Catholic-founded civilization, especially within law enforcement and the military. Jєωs, freemasons, and liberal protestants are atomized like the rest of society. Barbarian and savage hordes are wholly dependent upon fragile alliance with the atomized liberals. A small group of disciplined fighters could accomplish much in the chaotic battlefield our world has become.

So it can be seen by the eyes of both faith and of cold reason that, even though the world suffers, our strategic situation is not that bad. In some sense, the-worse-it-gets-the-better-it-gets because traditional Catholicism is the singular medicine capable of curing the patient. The only thing preventing Catholic restoration is our own lack of faith and suicidal half-belief that our civilization deserves to die or at least does not deserve to be defended by the methods of our Catholic ancestors.

In my opinion, it would seem that the message of Fatima has, been fforgotten. We must persevere in our Catholic faith because in the end, Marys Immaculate Heart will triumph, and that is what God wants. Our Church will be restored in Gods time. Let us not grow tired nor weary, but remain true to our faith, keep our prayers for ALL priests and bishops, and yes even the Pope. All things happen for a reason.

Wholeheartedly agree we must not grow weary, remain true to the faith, and pray for all the hierarchy and that Mary's Immaculate Heart will triumph in the end. Not sure what you mean about forgetting the message of Fatima.

If Fatima is interpreted as a release from duties to which Catholics were previously bound, that verges upon error. Legitimate apparitions never undermine or modify previously established Catholic principle. Fatima is a confirmation that traditional Catholic militancy is still relevant and needed more than ever in this modern age. The Great Commission remains fully in effect.

Another point --

In the United States, and even "worldwide" to a lesser extent, the Resistance has been dominated by one priest, who I won't name.

This priest is zealous, fervent and active, but lacks DISCRETION. Discretion is knowing when to be silent, knowing when to pull back, knowing "when to hold 'em and when to fold 'em", and knowing when to keep your cards close to your chest. Discretion requires mortification, especially of one's emotions. It requires patience. It requires prudence. It also requires humility.

Addiction to excitement almost PRECLUDES THE POSSIBILITY of patience. But this priest is also addicted to "excitement" -- in fact, he thrives on it. He operates best in a stressful, new, exciting environment.

I know how he feels, as I'm not that different myself. If I had been ordained a priest in the SSPX, I might have done the same things he did in 2012!

But without DISCRETION, one will never amount to anything, and his enemies certainly know this.

HONESTY is not telling a lie.
DISCRETION is not talking about one's intimate life with fellow customers in the checkout line.

It's not "dishonest" or "secretive" to withhold information about your intimate life from strangers who have no right (or reason) to know this information.

Did the priests during the Catholic Persecution in England post information about their planned Masses on a blog? Was everything advertised on parchment posters for all to read? I doubt it. It was all word-of-mouth and need-to-know. There is no reason for an underground priest to advertise his every action to stay "honest and above-board". They were prudent and discreet.