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Trad Film Response to Pope Francis, Traditionis Custodes

Happy Ascension Day!

When we look at our liturgical texts (from last Sunday to the Vigil to today), we see that this is the glorious ascending of His throne. This is the moment when the Father seats His Son, the Anointed King over souls and society, at His Right Hand in glory.

Thus it is a great day for the social Kingship of Christ. It is the moment when death, the power of Satan, is placed as a footstool for his feet (Ps. cix). St. Peter says that the Ascended Christ:

is on the right hand of God, swallowing down death that we might be made heirs of life everlasting: being gone into heaven, the angels and powers and virtues being made subject to him (I Pet. iii. 22).

Thus let us ascend with Him in mind, as the Collect says, to fight with confidence in His promise of the Holy Spirit to guide, protect and vindicate His Bride, the Mystical Body of Christ.

On this feast day His Divine Majesty is exalted and triumphant.

Therefore the ancient Roman Rite petitions in the Good Friday prayer that God might subject to the Church principalities and powers. The logic is obvious: if Christ our Head is ascended on high to His throne with all things subjected to Him, the Body of Christ also subordinates these evil powers.

This is why Acts (the epistle today) says that when His Divine Majesty ascended His throne he had only begun to do His work. Our Lord’s Body continues to fight the Devil on earth in the Church, as He identifies with His Church when He says to Saul: why do you persecute me? Thus because Christ has ascended and subjugated the evil forces, the Church goes to liberate the world from the the principalities and powers as an act of Christ’s social kingship.

Guess what the Novus Ordo censored from these same prayers? The phrase principalities and powers. Why did Bugnini think it would be a good idea that the Church no longer subjugate the evil principalities and powers? The evidence certainly suggests that the architect of the Novus Ordo was himself subjected to the evil principalities and powers (although this is by no means conclusive).

The reality of the texts and rubrics he produced is sufficient to prove the inadequacy of the Novus Ordo not only to fulfill the best hopes of Vatican II, but also – and more importantly – to preserve the authentic liturgical tradition of the ancient Roman Rite.

And all of this has now been documented on film.

Thus it is quite fitting that the producers of the Mass of the Ages trilogy chose this feast to release Episode II. Just as Christ subjected those principalities and powers in His Ascension, this film is set to put to silence any ignorant, irrational or uncharitable critics of the traditional movement by means of truth and charity – even those in the Vatican:

This film is a beautiful Trad response to Traditionis Custodes, which providentially coincided with the release of Episode I, buying the Trads free marketing (thank you Pope Francis!). In Episode II, many of the myths contained in TC and the Responsa ad Dubia are debunked, and the truth is laid bare for all Catholics to see (watch closely for the part where Cardinal Ratzinger directly contradicts the line of reasoning given by Pope Francis to justify suppressing the TLM in Traditionis Custodes).

The film is directed by my friend, Cameron O’Hearn, a pious Catholic and “GladTrad,” who has done a fantastic job creating a film that is truly a work of art. Against all the ugliness of our modern world, it is a work of beauty, and thus is worthy of representing and defending the ancient Roman Rite. O’Hearn’s piety is evident in the fact that the film is Christian not only in content but in tone: it makes its argument without anti-Christian rancour or bitterness, which would dishonour Him Whom the Latin Mass seeks to worship.

In Episode II, a number of OnePeterFive contributors and editors helped with this film. First, our writer Jacob Tate is the producer of the film, and we also have contributing editors Peter Kwasniewski, Joseph Shaw and Eric Sammons, besides another contributor, Mark Nowakowski, who composed the score for the film. It was written by Tate and O’Hearn, with contributions from Kwasniewski and Flanders.

The film also features respected liturgical scholar Alcuin Reid (stay tuned for more at OnePeterFive on his recent news), the new erudite contributor to New Liturgical MovementMatthew Hazel, as well as Taylor Marshall and various and well known bishops and priests.

This film is set to make a great and positive impact for the traditional movement. So please watch and share and donate to their marketing to help the cause. We hope to see you in the live chat today at 3pm EST!

T. S. Flanders
Editor
Ascension Day

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