Above: Cardinal Sarah at Princeton’s Aquinas Institute. Photo by Allison Girone.
That there might be no schism in the body; but the members might be mutually careful one for another. And if one member suffer any thing, all the members suffer with it; or if one member glory, all the members rejoice with it (I Cor. xii. 25-26).
This passage has been on my mind since the excommunications came down on the Feast of the Visitation in which the SSPX clerics (and all clerics celebrating the ancient Roman Rite), in honour of St. John who lept for joy at the voice of Mary, begged God for “an increase of peace.”
My first reaction to the excommunications was profound sorrow. I was silenced by sorrow. I couldn’t speak. When I did speak, I said, “Now that Rome has spoken, it would seem irreverent for the lay faithful to immediately launch into more debate.” Instead, I waited for bishops to speak, to whom it is given to have competence and authority to discuss this clerical question of the SSPX. I waited until Tuesday, July 7, but did not hear any bishops say anything.
I then went on a work retreat in which I unplugged from virtual reality entirely (read: almost all screens) and attempted with hope in God’s help, to plug into real reality – that is, God’s good green earth illuminated by His good light (natural and supernatural) without the use of screens (as much as possible).
Doing a retreat like this gave me a bit of spiritual peace and helped me settle my sorrow in the depth of His Sacred Heart, knowing that He carries this cross. And as every day went on since the Visitation, I have come back to that verse about schism and charity from the Blessed Apostle. If one member suffer any thing, all the members suffer with it. If we assume for a moment that the SSPX is guilty of every crime and every accusation (and I do believe they are not innocent), we should nevertheless be filled with a great sorrow from the depths of the Sacred Heart. For if one little one suffers in any way, even for its own sins, the Heart of Jesus Christ suffers with it, seeking to lift this soul to the embrace of His Sacred Heart.
I have heard that there are people who are happy about the excommunications. Some perhaps on the SSPX side are joyfully “adhereing to Eternal Rome” against “Modernist Rome.” Some perhaps on the side of “Living Rome” are joyfully celebrating that “those schismatics” are now “out.”
I try to avoid the Devil’s Playground (Twitter), so I don’t know much about those comments. But if anyone is triumphing about them, it would seem to me we are not acting like Christians. The excommunications are nobody’s triumph. Before we assign blame (let God see and judge), we must first recognize that this division among brethren harms the common good of the Church, and hurts the witness of the Church to the world, and harms individual families on both sides of the debate.
Since I went on retreat, there have been clerical actions and interventions both by the SSPX clerics as well as other prominent prelates. We will discuss these, God willing, in due course.
But first I want to emphasise what my spiritual director told me about the SSPX situation. He said “this is just a temporary set back” and looked at the whole thing with the eyes of faith, believing that God will bring greater good out of this.
Today is the great Feast of Our Lady of Mt. Carmel. As OnePeterFive readers are no doubt painfully aware, it was on this feast day that the decree Traditionis Custodes came down, five years ago today. This decree was no doubt a factor in what has happened with the SSPX as well.
But as I said earlier this year, the Latin Mass is not the “one thing necessary.” There is a tradition that is more important even than the Latin Mass, and that is the mystical prayer tradition, that the Carmelites – more than any other group in the Tradition – have explicated, taught, and explained and passed down. Every saint has trod the path of the nine levels of prayer, but only the Carmelites have explained that whole path in a manner that guides souls on this narrow way, step by step. This is why I sit at the feet of the Avila Institute and strive with my brothers and sisters at Apostoli Viae to persevere in mental prayer.
The mystical prayer tradition is the heart and soul of Fatima.
This is why, it seems to me, Sr. Lucia fought for years to become a Carmelite (not that every other order does not have access to this prayer tradition, but it is not an accident that she sought this order). The mystical prayer tradition is nothing less than the action of divine grace in the soul which opens the heart to the Sacramental Grace of His Eucharistic Heart.
This union of hearts – your heart and His Eucharistic Heart – is the one thing necessary. Our Lady said “if men do not repent, a worse war will come.”
I dare say that we have not repented since the Angel of Fatima taught us to make Eucharistic reparation in 1916. So we have received our just reward.
The errors of Russia have spread.
That’s the heart of the matter. The Liturgical Problem is Much Deeper than the Novus Ordo. And if we focus on the “one thing necessary,” God will guide us into all truth, so that we can properly address these liturgical controversies with a generous heart filled with the fruits of the Holy Spirit: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control, modesty, chastity, continency.
Our Lady of Mt. Carmel, pray for us.
Theotokos of Fatima, Softener of Evil Hearts, pray for us.
T. S. Flanders
Editor
Our Lady of Mt. Carmel