Hello Everyone,
Now begins part II, whereby after last evening's post here, I will give you my reasoning for why Pope Francis should NOT allow the SSPX into Holy Mother Church in their current state.
We Should Not Let Them In .... Without Diligent Re-Education and Monitoring ...
Fine, yes without them the Latin Mass may have faded from existence as they were the biggest publically known "presence" for the EF in the Church, and yes, they are at least on paper not being lie-berals and such, but the real problem is their disobedient and anti-Church of Post Vatican II stance (including the Holy Father, Francis I himself.)
If Francis does let them in unchecked, I can forsee much division and they will act contrary to the Pope's wishes of ecumenism and reconciliation, causing more division and the falling away of the devout, orthodox faithful. I mean such in the following ways (word of warning: drug abuse analogies to be used to illustrate the problem. No intentional offense to people valiantly fighting the addiction of drugs/alcohol):
1. Abuse of Mercy, the Parable of the Just Judge and the Lower Lord - Do you remember in Scripture when Christ is speaking about the merciful judge and the ungrateful slave? Here's a little refresher, from the NRSV Catholic translation used in Canada:
"The Parable of the Unforgiving Servant
23 “For this reason the kingdom of heaven may be compared to a king who wished to settle accounts with his slaves. 24 When he began the reckoning, one who owed him ten thousand talents[c] was brought to him; 25 and, as he could not pay, his lord ordered him to be sold, together with his wife and children and all his possessions, and payment to be made. 26 So the slave fell on his knees before him, saying, ‘Have patience with me, and I will pay you everything.’ 27 And out of pity for him, the lord of that slave released him and forgave him the debt. 28 But that same slave, as he went out, came upon one of his fellow slaves who owed him a hundred denarii;[d] and seizing him by the throat, he said, ‘Pay what you owe.’ 29 Then his fellow slave fell down and pleaded with him, ‘Have patience with me, and I will pay you.’ 30 But he refused; then he went and threw him into prison until he would pay the debt. 31 When his fellow slaves saw what had happened, they were greatly distressed, and they went and reported to their lord all that had taken place. 32 Then his lord summoned him and said to him, ‘You wicked slave! I forgave you all that debt because you pleaded with me. 33 Should you not have had mercy on your fellow slave, as I had mercy on you?’ 34 And in anger his lord handed him over to be tortured until he would pay his entire debt. 35 So my heavenly Father will also do to every one of you, if you do not forgive your brother or sister[e] from your heart.”
While the whole servants and kings thing isn't happening in a literal sense, this does relate to the SSPX. Allowing the SSPX, whose mentality has hardened into one of anti-Papacy, anti-Church, and even at times Protestant nature, is akin to treating a person for alcohol/drug abuse, and then letting them lose in society without serious outpatient monitoring and teaching them HOW to live post-treatment. How many times have we seen this happen with our modern celebrities (e.g. Lindsay Lohan) where they then just relapse into the same drug-addicted, partying lifestyle that put them in physical, emotional, and spiritual harm from before? As for those who do not partake in modern media/entertainment, when those people do come back and relapse, they lash out in their addicition-based rage against their family due to being drug addicted all those years, or still on the drugs.
Yes, giving the person mercy is good, but like the Samaritan woman, she was told to "sin no more." Unchecked, the SSPX would be given free reign to bash the Church and the Novus Ordo Mass, all the while offering sacraments only in the Extraordinary Form, and teaching things wrong or with a damaging spirit as they normally would. Like the drug addict without outpatient care, they would still, yet with licence, lash out at: the Pope, Novus Ordo Masses like the videos mentioned in Part I, Catholics who attend the Novus Ordo only, etc. while attesting the EF as the only form of salvation in the Latin Rite. They wouldn't be able to be contested because Pope Francis "approved" them back into canonization with the Church. Mind you they could always be re-suppressed, like the Jesuits, but in this modern technological age, they would elicit a firestorm of revenge, disobedience, and division in the Church and carry our a malicious campaign to tear Her apart after said re-suppression. They would take numerous souls with them in their campaign.
It would be best .... no ... there MUST be a strict restructuring process like the Franciscan Friars of the Immaculate. Here I applaud Pope Francis and those in charge of the restructuring, because without the swift correction of those malices brought about by the "EF only/SSPX "mindset" crowd in the community, they would have mentally and spiritually poisoned the novitiates, and these priests would carry out that poisonous mindset by infecting the laity who attend their Masses within their reach ... despite being canonically valid in the Church.
In addition, other young people who are more naieve or have started their journey of becoming Orthodox/Catholic Traditionalism and/or including the Latin Mass, may not have the ability to discern spiritually those in their company who are more rigid (and sinful) in their practice and thoughts of "Traditionalism." If the SSPX Latin Masses were "OK" now to attend, and have made the Latin Mass their preferred, if not sole form of attendance in the Latin Rite, these debilitating influences in that young man or woman's life, combined with attendance at the SSPX chapels, will cause the young soul to be completely lost to the anti-Church mindset disguised as Radical Traditionalism. They would likely NEVER enter through the doors of another regular parish again, with (possible) rare exceptions for family events, that is, if the SSPX priest of the chapel does not corrupt the individual by preaching/saying that any Novus Ordo Mass puts the soul in occasion of sin. Under the same corruption or in their "happy land," that person's friends (and family, if they follow their relative,) will only support them in the hardening of their hearts, encouraging them to reject anyone, clergy or laity, who are not of their ilk or are "heterodox/heretics" according to the Radical Traditionalist and their SSPX clergy.
In summary, using one of the similar or same arguments poised by the RMTs, this would be the similar with the SSPX, albeit with one major additional problem. Here, I bring into my essay the change to the footwashing rite within the Mass on Holy Thursday. When Pope Francis legalized the foot washing of men and women in the Novus Ordo for Holy Thursday, they decried this as the legalization of disobedience to the Church." However, that change to the rite was disciplinary and did not attack the sacramental validity of a rite and/or form of the Holy Mass, promulgated by a Pope, and also the magisteruim of the Church by employing Pharisaical twists on its teachings and crude, indirect and direct attacks on the mentioned parts of Holy Mother Church. Argue as you will (organic vs. disruptive,) this is entirely NOT the same as legitimizing the SSPX unchecked, who would cause dissent from within Holy Mother Church, with a valid and legal "licence" to do so, an unintended consequence of Pope Francis' mercy.
2. The Katholic Krazies Would Be in Paradise!
We already have it bad in the Traditional Catholic/Latin Mass scene worldwide. With lay organizations, bloggers, etc. it's clear that these (usually) Latin Mass loving extremists, already exhibit severe hatred for the Church they purport to "love" and "defend." With their calumny, slander, and detraction online and in person, they do not serve Christ and His Church, rather they serve some other master than Him. They make it bad enough for all of us who try to do it the "proper" way, in love with Mother Church, respecting her liturgical rites INCLUDING forms. These people/groups/websites give bishops and priests legitimate excuses to shy away from the Latin Mass, or prevent Ecclesia Dei requests from being fully granted (and I include in this "ghettoization" of the communities that DO get a request granted for a Latin Mass.)
Already, based on that presence, and how they assault and belittle the Holy Father, the Novus Ordo Mass and its attendees, and the Church herself (just check my archives for postings, like this one as a sample,) these false "heroes" or "leaders" (self-appointed of course with NO actual Church authority) would now have legitimate reason to harden their hearts and souls even more, and even become more extreme with the SSPX's legitimacy. They already express their views publicly, and share in their Church hate.
In fact when I presented commentary similar to this posting on the Southern Orders post of 27/4/2016, save a couple of them, multiple commentators came out with daggers of the Devil against me, or flat out defended the SSPX as if they were not guilty of anything, for violating their golden calf (which is the SSPX,) despite me saying this would be a major mistake of Pope Francis. If anything, it reveals that upholding the First Commandment and going against the SSPX, is a greater "sin" in the RMT's books than defending Pope Francis. The moderator, Fr. Allan McDonald, could have easily dismissed my comment as ``trolling`` according to his policy in the comments section of Blogger, but clearly has NOT replied directly to my comment in chastizement or deleted it, and has allowed what has transpired to remain. If anything, he has allowed the discussion and the stabbing to ensue, possibly to demonstrate their insanity and idolization of the SSPX.
The only thing keeping them from being full radicals in liturgy, aside from their false "faith" is the fact that frequent attendance at SSPX chapels constitutes a possible (and likely self-schismatic) break from Holy Mother Church, the more you attend:
" PCED: "Catholics who frequent the chapels of the Society of St. Pius X do not incur any sin or canonical delict by doing so. However, we further refer you to what we have already stated in #4 above ...." "".... While it is true that participation in the Mass at chapels of the Society of St. Pius X does not of itself constitute "formal adherence to the schism" (cf. Ecclesia Dei 5, c), such adherence can come about over a period of time as one slowly imbibes a schismatic mentality which separates itself from the teaching of the Supreme Pontiff and the entire Catholic Church ...." (Published, PCED private correspondence with layman, and journalist, Brian Mershon for www.renewamerica.com)
If the SSPX were granted canonical validity, making their Masses licit AND VALID, using another drug/alcohol addiction analogy, this would be like giving a (non-medical) marijuana addict crack cocaine! The once user of gateway drugs would likely, (with great probability,) become so addicted and change into an extreme drug abuser! Sadly, based on what was unleashed against me in the post above, and some bloggers' sympathies out there in their incessant postings about the SSPX, the obvious interpretation is they want the perfect excuse to "jump over" and the SSPX is perceived as the "only hope" is saving the Catholic Church, especially liturgically in the Latin Mass.
Whether their reasons are wholly for the liturgy of the Latin Mass, or the whole extremist environment, or just to spite the institutional Church (read, parish pastors, institutions, individual priests, bishops, etc.,) they would get exactly what they want .... which would be catastrophic for their already damaged souls. At the very least, being in valid and licit Latin Masses approved by Holy Mother Church, keeps them in unison with Her, with a chance of salvation and Her mercy. While approving the SSPX outright might restore full abilities and sacramental privilege to the priests who hold those Masses, the environment and the untreated minds and hearts of the SSPX clergy, would make the heart of those mentioned, damaged souls, truly absent to those blessings within the EF Mass.
It would be akin to a beautiful pearl being held in a misshapen ugly clay jar, absent of all light inside. Because the of the ugliness of the clay jar surrounding the pearl, no one would come near the jar and dip their hand into the darkness to get the pearl, and it would lay there forever, forgotten, and never obtained. The blessings and graces possible in the EF Mass, would be that pearl, and the deadly sins of Pride, Anger, Envy, etc. with many additional sins, would be that darkness. The SSPX Masses, despite the Mass itself NEVER being a source of evil in itself, but because of the anti-Church and anti-Pope environment and erroneous teachings from the SSPX priests that would channel all that, would be the ugly misshapen clay jar.
Conclusion
In summary, it is already bad that these RMTs embarass Traditional Catholics or Latin Mass attendees, by associating with licit and valid liturgical environments, groups, or parishes, spewing their hatred of the "N.O Church." Giving the SSPX full approval without harsh disciplinary measures or a thorough clean up like the Franciscan Friars of the Immaculate, would be giving those radicals what they truly desire in their hearts: A "Church approved" excuse to hate Her and abuse her from within her own house.
Analogy: If you knew your own son or daughter was extremely, verbally and/or physically violent, like the drug abuser mentioned above, and you knew your life was in danger by letting that person in, would you allow that threat to your life in your house? You would not. You would get that person committed to a psychiatric ward or drug rehab facility if possible, to treat them. In the worst case scenario, you would call the police, even if it meant a standoff with a possibility of firearm discharge and the death of your own son/daughter.
This instance, is one occasion, where I pray and hope the Holy Father, does NOT act without consideration, or ``off the cuff`` as it were, to extend his hand fully and give them his version of mercy that he is doing in this current Papacy. If he TRULY wants to be merciful to the souls of both the clergy and attached laity of the SSPX, as well as the current flock still in "good standing" in the Church (at least on paper,) Francis will not reconcile the SSPX, instead of giving them carte-blanche freedom to pilfer and plunder souls from WITHIN Holy Mother Church.
Giving the SSPX the freedom and the personal prelature without HARSH discipline and reorganization, will spell doom for many a good soul wanting more Traditional Catholicism, and a perfect excuse for those ``corrupted`` souls to make themselves further fit for Hell as desired .... it will be the kind of disguised ``Traditionalism,`` which is truly extremism, and neo-Jansenism, leading souls off the narrow path to salvation on the right side of the road instead of the left.
END
Due to the nature of this post, judging by the reaction I received here, in prudence comments will be closed for this posting.
Pax Tibi Christi, Julian Barkin.
