Interesting thought Matthew. Do we have any reason to believe, though, that the saved will be anything but a remnant of the Church? As we look at the size of the SSPX and size of the Conciliar Church, what does it matter what size they are? They are what they are and as times pass, creeping modernism makes the division between the two seem less obvious. The Conciliar Church is real big which only increases the degree of tragedy inside it.
The fact is, not only has the essence of the SSPX changed, the people have too. I am a relatively new Catholic, but even I can see the difference between the Traditional Catholic of 7-9 years ago and today. The Society and folks who warm its pews are lukewarm and have lost their spirit and it is a sad thing to see.
I am afraid I cannot give the Society their due. Whatever credit they have on their side was built by those who have either past on or still there, but have lost whatever fight was in them. My study of the interior politics within the Society is disheartening and I sometimes wonder if it is really worth trying to save, but that is not my call.
Ok, I'll clarify again -- *whenever* the SSPX lost its way, it was a tragedy. 2 years ago, 10 years ago, etc. The point is that the SSPX was/is huge, and when a body of Catholics that large loses its way, that's a red letter day.
We're all marching onward every day towards fulfilling God's will. Part of that onward march (to how things will be) might involve one or more reductions of the Church in size. Each reduction is a tragedy. Nevermind if it's God's will. It's still a bad thing, a loss, something to be mourned. That was the only point of my post.
Not everything God wills -- or permits -- is immediately sweet to us, or to the welfare of the world.
Some things are only "good" because of a greater good that's in the works. Bulldozing my house would be horrible -- but if it's followed by building a house twice as big in the same spot, then THAT part would be good. That greater good we can be joyful and hopeful about, and of course we should trust in God. He can write straight with crooked lines, but crooked lines are still a bad thing on our part, objectively speaking.
A person dying is also God's will. That doesn't mean we shouldn't admit it's a loss, and mourn it. Should we claim the person was trash and was a waste of air to begin with? Of course not. We should cry when a loved one dies, keeping all things in due proportion and perspective.
I also wasn't claiming that the SSPX will turn around. I personally think it's doomed, humanly speaking. There are too many priests -- young and old alike -- who are infatuated with a practical agreement and Roman approval.
It's a split that's there whether or not the Resistance lifts a finger.I agree -- more and more modern-day Trads (the majority of which are SSPX, and these are the ones I'm speaking about in this paragraph) have lost sight of what Tradition is about -- it's reason for being, justification, ideals, etc.
I got involved with the SSPX in 2000 after reading a bunch of the Abp Lefebvre books. I was inspired by the courage, wisdom, and especially prudence the Archbishop showed. I recognized that same spirit at the U.S. Seminary back then (which was headed by +W). There was a wonderful continuity and unity, and I was glad to be a part of such a blessed group.
But these days, I certainly see a change myself in the spirit coming out of the seminary, coming out of U.S. District Headquarters, and coming out of Menzingen.