Post by Father Lawrence Smith on Aug 28, 2022 23:59:52 GMT -5
(I moved your post as it made no sense in the thread you posted it in, which was dealing with what Clotilde aptly coined as the "expanding authority position." - Pacelli)
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Rules of Thumb Regarding Liturgical Novelties
Ten hints to help the Catholic avoid having two handfuls of thumbs
Dear Father Smith,
Please answer these questions when you get the time and the chance. I read about this somewhere, and I am sure I will run across the issues again. I pray that through clearer thinking on these matters I will find peace in a Mass close to home.
1) If I go to Mass for the benefit of my soul, and to be in the Presence of the Blessed Sacrament, am I doing anything wrong?
2) If I go to a Mass celebrated by priests and attended by the lay faithful who desire to break with Rome, that is, to be in schism, but I have different intentions, and desire to be in communion with the Pope, do I commit a mortal sin?
3) Can I go just to pray even in a Novus Ordo church building, when no Mass is being celebrated?
Thank you very much for your help,
R.
Dear R. and the so many others wondering about such things:
1) I do not suggest others do that which I am unwilling to do myself. I will never celebrate the Novus Ordo again, I will never deny the Pope, nor will I associate with persons who reject the Church’s liturgical patrimony and/or the Church’s visible head. When I left the Novus Ordo I did not yet know how to celebrate the traditional Latin Rite. For four months, I had to satisfy myself with going to other priests’ traditional Masses. It was very rare that I was able to be at a daily Mass for a fair amount of that time. I did not succumb to the temptation to regress to the Novus Ordo or to lend even tacit support to the sedevacantists who deny the reigning Pope. So, I do not encourage you to assist at a Novus Ordo Mass or at the Mass of a priest who denies the post-conciliar popes.
2) No one is bound to attend the Novus Ordo Missae. We are, however, solemnly, officially, and perpetually guaranteed the celebration of the traditional Latin Rite by Pope St. Pius V in his bull Quo Primum. It seems to me to be a better expenditure of time arranging one’s life to be in proximity to the Mass of All Ages and the other traditional Sacraments, rather than trying to justify attendance at rites of dubious efficacy for salvation. Faithful Catholics of good will, but who are very confused these days, find themselves in the unpleasant position of trying to rationalize their participation at rituals lacking reverence and a connection with the Church’s patrimony. No such question or worry attaches to the traditional rites of the Church guaranteed by papal command and established by the divine will of Our Lord Jesus at the Last Supper and continued through the unfailing practice of the Church ever since.
3) The current Magisterium has not ruled on whether or not the sedevacantist position is in schism. That being the case, I can not declare the sedevacantists to be in schism. It is my opinion, merely my opinion, that eventually the Magisterium will rule that the sedevacantists are in schism. Thus, I think it highly imprudent to attach oneself to a sedevacantist priest for the Sacraments, and even more dangerous to seek his aid in terms of doctrinal guidance. At present, however, no one is forbidden by the Church to do so. Keep in mind, however, that the current Magisterium also declines to declare, as the Church always has, that protestants, the schismatic orthodox, Jews, Muslims, pagans, and atheists will go to hell unless they renounce their errors, profess the Catholic Faith, and obey the Pope. Sedevacantists profess the Faith in most instances (but not in all), yet they refuse to acknowledge the papal office in the person of its occupants since Vatican II. This seems to me to be a rather dubious way to demonstrate fidelity to our Mother the Church.
4) I am not the Magisterium. It is not my office to rule on the status of other Catholics. I have no jurisdiction over the local Bishop. I am not competent to judge the Pope. If others decide that they can excommunicate lay people, rule priests’ Sacraments invalid, and censure the Pope and the Bishops, that is not my affair. No one can force me to sit in judgement over those for whom I have no pastoral responsibility, for whom none has given me authority to command, and for whom my vocation and office as priest does not impose a moral obligation to offer formal and binding correction. So, if others wish to do those things, they do them without needing my permission. For those who reach the conclusion that I am incorrect on this matter, I merely say, “Please direct me to the competent and duly appointed prelate to whom I can appeal for correction and regularization of my status.” In other words, the sedevacantists have to come up with a Pope and local Bishops to govern the whole Church and convert the whole world to the Faith. Until they are willing and able to assert themselves in that direction, while at the same time demonstrating an unbroken link with the hierarchy of the Church since St. Peter, I will be unconvinced of their claims of legitimacy.
5) God is offended by unlawful disobedience. The Novus Ordo Missae represents a profound rupture with the traditions of the Church. Many if not most of the elements of the new rites incorporate protestant principles explicitly and infallibly condemned at the Council of Trent. One would have a difficult time explaining how one can save one’s soul by participating in liturgical actions offensive to the Divine Majesty, even if one objects to the offending acts. Such an approach is not obedience, but moral cooperation in the offense. Where a wrong is being perpetrated, one does not seek obedience by becoming an accessory; one is morally bound to express true obedience to higher authority, and to exhibit a holy disobedience to those commanding the crime. The majority of Catholics are not in a position to command the Pope and the Bishops to cease and desist in the protestantized post-conciliar regime, but we can and ought to vote with our feet and maintain a very healthy distance from it.
6) Novus Ordo and Sedevacantist Sacraments are frequently valid. But this is a red herring. Protestants have in many instances valid Baptism, the schismatic orthodox have valid Holy Orders, and even satanic black masses make use of validly consecrated hosts. Catholics may never cooperate in protestant, schismatic, or demonic rituals. This is not to say that the Novus Ordo is demonic, but to clarify that mere validity is not sufficient reason to attend an act of worship. A baby born out of wedlock is a real baby and must not be aborted; he is nonetheless illegitimate. His bastardy does not eliminate his humanity; his true humanity does not remove his bastardy. The fact that a real baby can be conceived through acts of fornication is not an endorsement of violations of the Sixth and Ninth Commandments. A valid Novus Ordo Mass is not an expression of the rites judged pleasing to God by the Church through the ages of Faith, by the usage of the saints, and upheld in the Ecumenical Councils. A choice between participating in the sacrilege of invalid hosts received on the hand and the sacrilege of valid hosts being handled by Eucharistic Ministers is a false set of options. One would best respond to such an offer with an emphatic, “None of the above, please!”
7) When in doubt, don’t. One can not be sure that the Mass at a given Novus Ordo parish is valid. One can not be sure that the Mass at a given Novus Ordo parish is invalid. One does not know if the particles strewing the floor of a given Novus Ordo parish are bread crumbs or the Body-Blood-Soul-and-Divinity of Jesus. It is unlikely that angels would tread through a building where that kind of uncertainty reigns. It would be foolish to think we with our mortal eyes could discern between a white bread crumb and a Sacred Host.
8) When we cannot come to church, let us turn towards the Tabernacle and make a spiritual Communion. A wall cannot separate us from God. – The Cure of Ars. Park outside the Novus Ordo church Adoration Chapel. Acknowledge the Lord’s Presence as you walk by the Novus Ordo church building. Offer prayers of reparation for the Eucharistic sacrileges occurring around the world. Do not contribute to them by taking the chance of walking down an aisle where we know for a fact Our Lord has been carried by unconsecrated hands from the Sanctuary to the pews. We also know that the hands which have done so did not perform the rite of ablution after handling the Sacred Species. The Novus Ordo ritual does not require the priest, the Eucharistic Ministers, or the faithful to cleanse their hands after touching the Sacred Host. It is inconceivable that the average Novus Ordo parish does not have hundreds, if not thousands, of particles of the Blessed Sacrament languishing on the altar, brushed aside on hymnals, and crushed underfoot.
9) Narrow is the road that leads to salvation. These are most perilous times. The man of the Faith must, on the one hand, adhere fervently, tenaciously, and joyfully to the Cross of Christ as it has been taught in the immemorial doctrines of the Church conveyed through her Magisterium, tradition, and Holy Scripture. He must also, on the other hand, respectfully refrain from anything advanced even by the highest members of the clergy that would contradict those things offered for the assent of all the faithful in all places and at all times. This is not an easy path on which to tread.
10) Catholic dogma, practice, and worship embodying Catholic tradition are not and can not be forbidden. Novelties in liturgy, discipline, and teaching are dogmatically binding on no one. God can not deny or contradict Himself, nor does He deny or contradict the truths He has given us through His Church. What has been believed by all of the Church, in all places, and at all times continues to be true, valid, licit, and salvific. Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever; the teachings of the Church to which the faithful are called to give their permanent assent must be unchanging as Christ Himself, for He is the Way, the Truth, and the Life!
Father Lawrence C. Smith
30 January 2008
St. Martina, Virgin and Martyr
In Domo Patris Mea, Crivitz, Wisconsin
----------------------------
Rules of Thumb Regarding Liturgical Novelties
Ten hints to help the Catholic avoid having two handfuls of thumbs
Dear Father Smith,
Please answer these questions when you get the time and the chance. I read about this somewhere, and I am sure I will run across the issues again. I pray that through clearer thinking on these matters I will find peace in a Mass close to home.
1) If I go to Mass for the benefit of my soul, and to be in the Presence of the Blessed Sacrament, am I doing anything wrong?
2) If I go to a Mass celebrated by priests and attended by the lay faithful who desire to break with Rome, that is, to be in schism, but I have different intentions, and desire to be in communion with the Pope, do I commit a mortal sin?
3) Can I go just to pray even in a Novus Ordo church building, when no Mass is being celebrated?
Thank you very much for your help,
R.
Dear R. and the so many others wondering about such things:
1) I do not suggest others do that which I am unwilling to do myself. I will never celebrate the Novus Ordo again, I will never deny the Pope, nor will I associate with persons who reject the Church’s liturgical patrimony and/or the Church’s visible head. When I left the Novus Ordo I did not yet know how to celebrate the traditional Latin Rite. For four months, I had to satisfy myself with going to other priests’ traditional Masses. It was very rare that I was able to be at a daily Mass for a fair amount of that time. I did not succumb to the temptation to regress to the Novus Ordo or to lend even tacit support to the sedevacantists who deny the reigning Pope. So, I do not encourage you to assist at a Novus Ordo Mass or at the Mass of a priest who denies the post-conciliar popes.
2) No one is bound to attend the Novus Ordo Missae. We are, however, solemnly, officially, and perpetually guaranteed the celebration of the traditional Latin Rite by Pope St. Pius V in his bull Quo Primum. It seems to me to be a better expenditure of time arranging one’s life to be in proximity to the Mass of All Ages and the other traditional Sacraments, rather than trying to justify attendance at rites of dubious efficacy for salvation. Faithful Catholics of good will, but who are very confused these days, find themselves in the unpleasant position of trying to rationalize their participation at rituals lacking reverence and a connection with the Church’s patrimony. No such question or worry attaches to the traditional rites of the Church guaranteed by papal command and established by the divine will of Our Lord Jesus at the Last Supper and continued through the unfailing practice of the Church ever since.
3) The current Magisterium has not ruled on whether or not the sedevacantist position is in schism. That being the case, I can not declare the sedevacantists to be in schism. It is my opinion, merely my opinion, that eventually the Magisterium will rule that the sedevacantists are in schism. Thus, I think it highly imprudent to attach oneself to a sedevacantist priest for the Sacraments, and even more dangerous to seek his aid in terms of doctrinal guidance. At present, however, no one is forbidden by the Church to do so. Keep in mind, however, that the current Magisterium also declines to declare, as the Church always has, that protestants, the schismatic orthodox, Jews, Muslims, pagans, and atheists will go to hell unless they renounce their errors, profess the Catholic Faith, and obey the Pope. Sedevacantists profess the Faith in most instances (but not in all), yet they refuse to acknowledge the papal office in the person of its occupants since Vatican II. This seems to me to be a rather dubious way to demonstrate fidelity to our Mother the Church.
4) I am not the Magisterium. It is not my office to rule on the status of other Catholics. I have no jurisdiction over the local Bishop. I am not competent to judge the Pope. If others decide that they can excommunicate lay people, rule priests’ Sacraments invalid, and censure the Pope and the Bishops, that is not my affair. No one can force me to sit in judgement over those for whom I have no pastoral responsibility, for whom none has given me authority to command, and for whom my vocation and office as priest does not impose a moral obligation to offer formal and binding correction. So, if others wish to do those things, they do them without needing my permission. For those who reach the conclusion that I am incorrect on this matter, I merely say, “Please direct me to the competent and duly appointed prelate to whom I can appeal for correction and regularization of my status.” In other words, the sedevacantists have to come up with a Pope and local Bishops to govern the whole Church and convert the whole world to the Faith. Until they are willing and able to assert themselves in that direction, while at the same time demonstrating an unbroken link with the hierarchy of the Church since St. Peter, I will be unconvinced of their claims of legitimacy.
5) God is offended by unlawful disobedience. The Novus Ordo Missae represents a profound rupture with the traditions of the Church. Many if not most of the elements of the new rites incorporate protestant principles explicitly and infallibly condemned at the Council of Trent. One would have a difficult time explaining how one can save one’s soul by participating in liturgical actions offensive to the Divine Majesty, even if one objects to the offending acts. Such an approach is not obedience, but moral cooperation in the offense. Where a wrong is being perpetrated, one does not seek obedience by becoming an accessory; one is morally bound to express true obedience to higher authority, and to exhibit a holy disobedience to those commanding the crime. The majority of Catholics are not in a position to command the Pope and the Bishops to cease and desist in the protestantized post-conciliar regime, but we can and ought to vote with our feet and maintain a very healthy distance from it.
6) Novus Ordo and Sedevacantist Sacraments are frequently valid. But this is a red herring. Protestants have in many instances valid Baptism, the schismatic orthodox have valid Holy Orders, and even satanic black masses make use of validly consecrated hosts. Catholics may never cooperate in protestant, schismatic, or demonic rituals. This is not to say that the Novus Ordo is demonic, but to clarify that mere validity is not sufficient reason to attend an act of worship. A baby born out of wedlock is a real baby and must not be aborted; he is nonetheless illegitimate. His bastardy does not eliminate his humanity; his true humanity does not remove his bastardy. The fact that a real baby can be conceived through acts of fornication is not an endorsement of violations of the Sixth and Ninth Commandments. A valid Novus Ordo Mass is not an expression of the rites judged pleasing to God by the Church through the ages of Faith, by the usage of the saints, and upheld in the Ecumenical Councils. A choice between participating in the sacrilege of invalid hosts received on the hand and the sacrilege of valid hosts being handled by Eucharistic Ministers is a false set of options. One would best respond to such an offer with an emphatic, “None of the above, please!”
7) When in doubt, don’t. One can not be sure that the Mass at a given Novus Ordo parish is valid. One can not be sure that the Mass at a given Novus Ordo parish is invalid. One does not know if the particles strewing the floor of a given Novus Ordo parish are bread crumbs or the Body-Blood-Soul-and-Divinity of Jesus. It is unlikely that angels would tread through a building where that kind of uncertainty reigns. It would be foolish to think we with our mortal eyes could discern between a white bread crumb and a Sacred Host.
8) When we cannot come to church, let us turn towards the Tabernacle and make a spiritual Communion. A wall cannot separate us from God. – The Cure of Ars. Park outside the Novus Ordo church Adoration Chapel. Acknowledge the Lord’s Presence as you walk by the Novus Ordo church building. Offer prayers of reparation for the Eucharistic sacrileges occurring around the world. Do not contribute to them by taking the chance of walking down an aisle where we know for a fact Our Lord has been carried by unconsecrated hands from the Sanctuary to the pews. We also know that the hands which have done so did not perform the rite of ablution after handling the Sacred Species. The Novus Ordo ritual does not require the priest, the Eucharistic Ministers, or the faithful to cleanse their hands after touching the Sacred Host. It is inconceivable that the average Novus Ordo parish does not have hundreds, if not thousands, of particles of the Blessed Sacrament languishing on the altar, brushed aside on hymnals, and crushed underfoot.
9) Narrow is the road that leads to salvation. These are most perilous times. The man of the Faith must, on the one hand, adhere fervently, tenaciously, and joyfully to the Cross of Christ as it has been taught in the immemorial doctrines of the Church conveyed through her Magisterium, tradition, and Holy Scripture. He must also, on the other hand, respectfully refrain from anything advanced even by the highest members of the clergy that would contradict those things offered for the assent of all the faithful in all places and at all times. This is not an easy path on which to tread.
10) Catholic dogma, practice, and worship embodying Catholic tradition are not and can not be forbidden. Novelties in liturgy, discipline, and teaching are dogmatically binding on no one. God can not deny or contradict Himself, nor does He deny or contradict the truths He has given us through His Church. What has been believed by all of the Church, in all places, and at all times continues to be true, valid, licit, and salvific. Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever; the teachings of the Church to which the faithful are called to give their permanent assent must be unchanging as Christ Himself, for He is the Way, the Truth, and the Life!
Father Lawrence C. Smith
30 January 2008
St. Martina, Virgin and Martyr
In Domo Patris Mea, Crivitz, Wisconsin