I have one question for all the members on CathInfo.
When it comes to the Crisis in the SSPX, what are we after? What do we truly seek?
(No need to answer publicly. I want you to ask yourself this, keeping in mind that you should be honest with yourself!)
A) The greater glory of God, the salvation of the greatest number of souls, full freedom for Catholic Tradition, a renaissance of the Catholic Faith, the vanquishing of liberal and judaizing tendencies from the SSPX, etc.
In short, the triumph of the Truth and God's cause.
B) An indulgence of selfish desires, including pride, showing off our wit, catharsis/satisfaction for the frustration we've experienced via attacking those who have attacked us, etc.
In short, a human venting of our anger and frustration against those who have wronged us.
Personally, I'm all about A) and am completely willing to toss B) in the rubbish bin where it belongs.
So each post we make on CathInfo should be judged by the above standards: Does it further Goal A or Goal B? If you claim that your primary intention is Goal A, but all your posts tend to serve Goal B, isn't that a problem?
A few examples:
A photoshop "meme" image of Fr. Rostand or Bishop Fellay with a witty rebuke emblazoned on it. Does this REALLY help the true Resistance to the encroachment of Liberalism into the SSPX? Or does it give Fr. Rostand an excuse -- or even a legitimate reason -- to complain that CathInfo is a den of evil?
I'm not against using graphics altogether, but they are subject to the same criteria (i.e., do they further Goal A or Goal B?)
Sharing experiences, reports from your chapel, etc.? I'd say this furthers Goal A.
Look at Bishop Williamson's example. Even when it is patently obvious who he is referring to, he choses to remove all names because A) everyone knows who he is talking about, B) he wants to emphasize that it isn't a personal issue or dispute, but rather a question of principles and doctrine.
Now most of us are probably pursuing both goals, to a greater or lesser extent. Hopefully we are 95% or higher motivated towards Goal A, but I'm sure most of us throw a bone to Goal B from time to time. Motives, for human beings, are usually mixed as well as mysterious.
It's not about submitting to scare tactics, compromising, ceding ground, or shutting up. It's about remembering that we are Catholic and that we shouldn't BECOME OUR ENEMY which is classic, recurring human behavior. If you are being persecuted, take care that you don't fall into the trap of becoming as bad as -- or worse than -- your persecutor.
The saints spoke plainly and clearly against error. They didn't allow themselves to fall into the prideful trap of creating witty tracts against their adversaries. They attacked their opponents' errors with dignity, decorum, and within the bounds of Catholic morality. They didn't mince words, but there was a certain line they didn't cross. We should do the same.
I am going to start being more proactive about pointing this out in the future. When I see posts that seem to belong more on Traditio or Mr. Hugh Dolan's website (which I do not promote or approve), I will add a comment to the thread, and/or PM the author.
Hopefully we can all handle this, especially considering the shock of the current situation should have worn off by now.