The US Presidential Election

Michael Voris has an interesting and straightforward analysis of the upcoming US elections.

Michael Voris. To view click here.

Msgr. Foy on restoring the Church in Canada

"It is the non-use of authority that is creating our problem" Cardinal Danielou

Following on the interview of arch-dissenter Gregory Baum by Salt and Light CEO, Fr. Thomas Rosica, I thought it appropriate to consider four key elements to re-establishing truth as suggested by Msgr. Vincent Foy. This is only fitting, given Msgr. Foy's critique of Baum, following a number of high profile appearances by Baum in various Catholic media. I personally believe that Fr. Rosica, for the good of the Church in Canada, and for the good of Salt and Light, should resign. The ambiguity, indeed bizarre interview given Baum demands resolution. Baum has caused - as Msgr. Foy has recently  documented - immeasurable harm to the Church in Canada; the Salt and Light interview not only passes over this in silence, but conveys the impression that Baum has something good to contribute to the Church; that he reflects the true spirit of the Second Vatican Council. This is unacceptable. This is nonsense, this is spiritual scandal, this is evil. 

In his booklet "From Humanae Vitae to Veritatis Spendor", Msgr. Foy suggest four key pillars that would give Catholics the key to holding to the truth against a "second magisterium" (c.f. Foy, p.19). 

1. Spiritual Means: truth, according to Foy will be re-discovered through the sacraments and prayer (especially Penance). 

2. Authority: the failure of authority (bishops) to act has led to the present crisis (c.f. Foy, p.20). Foy references Ratione Habita, 1967: "those who are rash or imprudent should be warned in all charity; those who are pertinacious should be removed from office". 

3. Education: here Foy recommends seminaries to ensure loyalty to the Church; universities and schools, likewise must ensure fidelity. 

4. Pastoral Care: Foy recommends that pastoral activity be in accord with truth. The pulpit plays a major role in conveying the truth. And one may add the "pulpit" of Catholic television. 

High Church Catholics?

A friend once tried to describe the Anglican Church to me... admittedly a daunting task at the best of times. He said the Anglican Church was a party church. By this he meant that it was an amalgam of widely diverse parties operating under a single umbrella. You hear terms like high church, low church, broad church, anglo-catholic, evangelical, liberal anglo-catholic and so on. I am not even going to pretend that I understand much of this.The reason I bring up this bit of ecclesiastical history is because it has a direct bearing on our current situation.

Since Vatican II the Catholic Church has broken out into a multitude of competing factions, parties and liturgical observances. Where once identifying as Catholic was enough to set you apart, today it is not enough. You must qualify the word Catholic with some kind of modifier to indicate which party you belong to. We have become fragmented and, what is worse, each party is absolutely convinced it is the real deal, the only one legitimately entitled to call itself Catholic. This unfortunate attitude has even led to schism.

We have even brought the tactics of party politics into our church. The truth has taken a back seat to the drive to win the hearts and minds of the faithful. In such a fight a catchy slogan or a well aimed slur takes the place of reasoned argument and civil discourse. Why argue when a good smear campaign is so much more effective? Perhaps characterizing this as party politics is being too generous. This behavior in probably more reminiscent of schoolyard or playground group dynamics with their competing cliques and bullying tactics.

So long as factional loyalty eclipses a Catholic identity, it is likely that conflict will degenerate to this sort of level. Having an identifiable enemy is a great boon to group cohesion and vitality. If the group in question is in a minority position relative to some larger group then it is to that group's advantage to see the larger group as the enemy thus consolidating its own position. 'You have heard how it was said, You will love your neighbor and hate your enemy. Indeed this is an ancient concept but Jesus goes on to say something that turns it on its head. 'But I say this to you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you so that you may be children of your Father in heaven... The old dynamic that worked so well in the schoolyard and in party politics is no longer valid.

The anger and bitterness with which these factional conflicts are carried out are a source of scandal to many, myself included. I am sure many of you know websites that you avoid simply because you do not wish to be exposed to the angry and bitter commentary. Everyone has an axe to grind and a computer full of boiler plate text with which to grind it. Catholics are called to do things a little differently. Let every man be quick to hear, slow to speak, slow to anger, for the anger of man does not work the righteousness of God.  James 1:19-20.

"You have heard that it was said to the men of old, 'You shall not kill, and whoever kills shall be liable to judgement.'  But I say to you that everyone who is angry with his brother shall be liable to judgement; whoever insults his brother shall be liable to the council, and whoever says, 'You fool!' shall be liable to the hell of fire."  Mat 5:21-22

Factional dissension is not a new thing in the church. St. Paul experienced many of these difficulties in his dealings with the Corinthians. Brothers, I urge you, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, not to have factions among yourselves but all to be in agreement in what you profess; so that you are prefectly united in your beliefs and judgements. 1Cor 1:10   

How then are we to deal with people with whom we disagree if our favorite tactics are no longer acceptable? That may be beyond the scope of this blog as it involves our spiritual life and a radical change in the way we do things. However, it may be useful to point to one concrete example.

Msgr. Foy on Gregory Baum

Let Paranoia Reign!

Behold, I send you out as sheep in the midst of wolves; so be wise as serpents and innocent as doves. Beware of men; for they will deliver you up to councils, and flog you in their synagogues, and you will be dragged before governors and kings for my sake, to bear testimony before them and the Gentiles. When they deliver you up, do not be anxious how you are to speak or what you are to say; for what you are to say will be given to you in that hour; for it is not you who speak, but the Spirit of your Father speaking through you.   Mat 10:16-20

What exactly do you do when you suspect someone is being false with you? What do you do when someone stoops to calling you names or slanders you? For that matter, what if you are being falsely accused of something? These are not theoretical considerations. I suspect there are any number of people for whom they are very real circumstances.

The question is an all encompassing one. How are we to conduct ourselves in the world? Should we adopt the mores and standards of the society around us or are we expected to do something different... to be something different. To what extent should we rely on the courts, tribunals and legislatures of this world for truth and justice? Much of this is beyond the scope of this simple blog so let us keep to one simple question. What do you do if you catch someone in a lie?

In the excerpt from Matthew, Jesus is telling his disciples to be both wise and innocent. Other translations use the words cunning and harmless or simple. The contrast between the two is particularly telling. A snake is quite cunning in perceiving and avoiding danger but it can be quite dangerous itself. If you step on a snake you may be bitten. A dove is another story. Anyone who has observed flocks of pigeons knows that they are harmless but they can be incredibly dumb. In combining these two images, Jesus is telling his disciples that he wants them to be wise in the ways of the world and aware of the evil around them. However he does not want his disciples to return evil in kind. Indeed, he counsels them to offer no resistance to the wicked. This is far more than is usually imagined for in order to turn the other cheek you must at least stand your ground.

What do you do if someone lies to you in order to get something? The answer is simple... give it to him if it does no harm... and then point out that the lie was not necessary. In doing so you may gain a brother.

No, "if your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him drink, for by so doing you will heap burning coals upon his head." Rom 12:20

Curial Cardinal to celebrate Traditional Latin Mass in St. Peter's Basilica

From Vatican Insider: 

“I gladly accepted to celebrate next Saturday’s mass for pilgrims who came to thank the Pope for the gift of the motu proprio Summorum Pontificumbecause it is a way to make others understand that it is normal to use the extraordinary form of the Roman Rite…” This was the answer Cardinal Antonio Cañizares Llovera, Prefect of the Congregation for Divine Worship, gave to Vatican Insider when asked about the meaning of next Saturday’s (3 November) mass which will be celebrated at 15:00 in St. Peter’s Basilica. This morning, the spokesman for the “Una cum Papa nostro” pilgrimage announced that Archbishop Augustine Di Noia, Vice President of Pontifical Commission Ecclesia Dei will be present at the mass.

The full article may be read here.

All Souls Day Mass

A Solemn High Mass will be celebrated on All Souls Day, Fri. Nov. 2, 7:30pm at St. Lawrence the Martyr Church, 2210 Lawrence Ave. E. This mass is being sponsored by the St. Patrick's Gregorian Choir. For more information call 416-731- 4485.

Lifted verbatim from my parish bulletin...
A brief phone call confirmed that it is in fact a Solemn High Mass in the Extraordinary Form.

Una Voce Toronto: Upcoming Events

This coming Thursday, November 1st, 2012, Una Voce Toronto will be sponsoring a Solemn High Mass in the Extraordinary Form. Mass will be held at the lovely Loretto Abbey, in north Central Toronto. On Friday, November 2nd, Una Voce Toronto will sponsor a Solemn Requiem Mass at St. Issac Jogues, in Pickering. 

Only these past few days have the Synod Fathers spoken of the need to have holy, reverential liturgies. We should take their recommendations to heart and strive to attend this blessed event. Attending Mass and praying for our dearly departed is a most pious act. 

For further information please see the following links: 

Toronto Traditional Mass Society

  Solemn Requiem Mass -Una Voce Toronto

SSPX: Bishop Williamson's October 19th Open Letter to Bishop Fellay

Former SSPX Bishop, Richard Williamson has published an open letter to Bishop Fellay. In the letter, Williamson rejects his exclusion from the SSPX, laying open his criticisms of Fellay's leadership, ending with a suggestion that the latter himself resign. Below are a few highlights:

In other words, the leader of the Society founded in 1970 to resist the novelties of the Council, was proposing to reconcile it with the Council. Today the Society is conciliatory. Tomorrow it is to be fully Conciliar!... 

It is difficult to believe that Archbishop Lefebvre's foundation can have been led to bracket out the principles on which it was founded, but such is the seductive power of the fantasies of our godless world, modernist and liberal...

...The Society's Superior General, General Council and General Chapter may keep Archbishop Lefebvre on hand as a mascot, but that will not help if they all share in a new way of thinking that by-passes the crucial reasons for which he founded the Society. Therefore however good their intentions, they are leading the Society to its ruin by a betrayal parallel in all respects to that of Vatican II. But let us be just, let us not exaggerate. Since the beginning of this slow collapse of the Society, there have always been priests and laity who saw clear and did their best to resist....

...For indeed history repeats itself, and the Devil keeps coming back. Just as yesterday Vatican II wished to reconcile the Catholic Church with the modern world, so today one could say that Benedict XVI and the Society's Superior General both wish to reconcile Catholic Tradition and the Council; so again tomorrow, unless God intervenes between now and then, the leaders of the Catholic Resistance will be trying to reconcile it with Tradition henceforth Conciliar.

In brief, your Excellency ...had you remained faithful to the Archbishop's heritage, and had I myself been notably unfaithful, gladly I would recognize your right to exclude me. But things being as they are, I hope I shall not be lacking in the respect due to your office if I suggest that for the glory of God, for the salvation of souls, for the internal peace of the Society and for your own eternal salvation, you would do better yourself to resign as Superior General than to exclude myself.

The full letter may be read here. 

UPDATE: READ WILLIAMSON'S LATEST BLOG COMMENTARY.