Francis, The Grinch Who Stole the TLM...

But the Whos lacked meekness and rebelled and remained obstinate in their resistance.

Seriously, the Pope stole nothing and he's not the Grinch and Trads are not Who-villagers.  Their reaction to Responsa ad dubia of the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments on some provisions of the Apostolic Letter in the form of "Motu Proprio" Traditionis Custodes of the Supreme Pontiff Francis, 18.12.2021 definitely is not like the citizens of Whoville.  They act as if the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass, the Eucharist has been taken from them - which is completely untrue.  After all, the Ordinary Form is the Mass, the Real Presence of Jesus Christ remains in the Eucharist reserved in tabernacles throughout the world, the sacraments of the Novus Ordo are indeed valid and remain "an outward sign instituted by Christ to give grace"  - and they are efficacious.

The reactions have been mindboggling and far more baffling than anything Pope Francis has decreed.  I'll make this short and simply share some commentary I posted yesterday on FB and in emails.

In response to The Crisis article: The Spiritual Abuse Continues.

Talk about a Woke Catholicism, using the 'spiritual abuse - abusive father' trope is wearing thin. I disagree with this article. The author is wrong. 

 

The Holy Father does not hate the TLM or Latin, much less any Roman Catholic. That is a childish thing to say. Every pope since Paul VI has been intent upon implementing Vatican II and renewing the liturgical rites. It’s absurd to look upon the pope as an abusive father, or a tyrant making war? How far off have people been led astray? How is it so many have been deceived to believe such nonsense? Even if these new regulations are difficult for some, they must be perceived in charity and meekness and understood as discipline – not punishment or revenge – for the good of the Church. It's a discipline from the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments. Discipline - not abuse. 

 

I urge people to pray and read. Read the documents from Vatican II. Read the words of the Popes. Especially read St. Paul VI on the new Missal. Read Scripture. Perhaps keep in mind the following exhortation of St. Paul to the Hebrews. 

"In your struggle against sin you have not yet resisted to the point of shedding blood. You have also forgotten the exhortation addressed to you as sons: “My son, do not disdain the discipline of the Lord or lose heart when reproved by him; for whom the Lord loves, he disciplines; he scourges every son he acknowledges.” Endure your trials as “discipline”; God treats you as sons. For what “son” is there whom his father does not discipline? If you are without discipline, in which all have shared, you are not sons but bastards." - - Hebrews 12

 I posted some reactions by Traditionalists, which I find scandalous and genuinely spiritually abusive.*

"Our opinion: in the midst of the gigantic crisis afflicting the Church in the West, including the crisis of attendance following the pandemic, that this violence is the priority of the Vatican is very revealing. It is revealing of the false mercy of this Evil Shepherd elected by irresponsible Cardinals in 2013. It is revealing of the spirit of spite that reigns in this totalitarian pontificate. It is revealing of the disgusting presence of Satan in the middle of the Church. 

 

Benedict XVI had brought liturgical peace to the Church. An end to the liturgical wars. The current pope has chosen to reignite them. There is no logical reason for that. Just an underlying desire for division and violence. 

 

Despite it all, this shall pass. This grotesque spectacle of a pontificate will come to an end. The Traditional Rite has not seen its last chapter, certainly not under this charade of a ruler, a caricature of a comical Latin American caudillo! No, no, if Paul VI in all his power and the great power of the Council in the 1970s was not able to crush us, this clique of geriatric marauders will certainly not succeed. Just hang on. Time is on our side." - New Catholic at Rorate 

 

Others appear to be equally upset. In fact, Fr. Z thinks the whole thing is a lie - imagine that. The Holy See lying to the faithful... how did he come to this? Publicly calling the Congregation for Divine Worship and Discipline of the Sacraments liars, deceiving the faithful. Imagine a priest in good standing doing such a thing.

"I must say that, reading through the questions, I have a very hard time believing that these are actual questions that came from outside the Congregation, unless they were collaborations, like that risible exchange between the Prefect and the Archbishop of Westminster. I strongly suspect that the “dubia” were concocted inside the Congregation. I also do not believe for a nanosecond that the “survey” sent to bishops came back with even a sliver of evidence that something had gone awry with Summoum Pontificum. In essence, I suspect that we are being lied to. They are simply imposing their will." - Fr. Z "I’m dubious about the dubia."

* I have found trads to be genuinely spiritually abusive.  A friend commented that he does not know of any Catholic who is fed spiritually by the Extraordinary Form who hates the Ordinary Form.  While others insist Trads are welcoming and not at all abusive towards ordinary Catholics.  Spiritual abuse happens when someone uses spiritual or religious beliefs to exploit, hurt, scare or control you. Discipline is not abuse.

My experience of Trads.

I know many EF adherents who hate the OF. Some are priests who celebrate the EF. The others are former co-workers at a Catholic Religious Goods company and those I knew who shopped there, who also attended another parish I belonged to. They actually said things like, “It’s probably a mortal sin to attend the NO once having found the EF/TLM.” “The NO isn’t even Catholic, it’s another religion.” In fact Steve Skojec just Tweeted that a few days ago. Others claim “The EF is holier.” “You can’t be sure the NO is valid.” “The sacraments of the old rite are valid – but there are questions regarding the NO sacraments - even some NO ordinations may not be valid because they use the new ritual.” “Holy Water blessed in the new ritual is not efficacious.” The famed exorcist Gabriele Amorth and others claimed the new ritual is not as powerful as the old. Then of course the old saying, "The devil hates Latin" repeated to convince people everything needs to be done using Latin - even the Rosary.  (Although at every approved apparition of the Mother of God, she used the vernacular.) There are many examples of this online and off over the years.  Some religious have founded monastic communities based upon the Tridentine rite in rejection of the NO.  I know because I know a few of them and have witnessed their retreat from the 'Post Vatican II' Church.  This mindset has infiltrated contemplative monasteries of nuns, as well.

The rejection of the NO is directly linked to the rejection of the Council, and it leads to rejection of Papal/Magisterial authority and threatens the unity of the Church, which is in virtual schism at the moment because the propagandists have rejected Peter – like it or not, Pope Francis. 

It’s a sign of the times.  People do their own research and come to their personal conclusions.  For instance, Trump was chosen by God to restore Christianity.  That COVID is not serious, vaccines are immoral and dangerous and evil, that a Great Reset is underway, that Francis is an anti-pope and that for over 40 years God has been offended by a bad Mass and Council, and so on.  Today many reject the canonization process and determination of sainthood, many question sacramental/liturgical validity, they claim the Mass has been taken away and that Rome is intent upon destroying contemplative monastic life.  At the same time they accuse the Pope of approving gay marriage and homosexual acts – neither is true BTW.  He’s decidedly pro-life and anti-abortion, on record numerous times calling it murder, but his enemies claim he’s lying.  So many people are deceived and misled, but they think they know more and are wiser and that the enemy is in the Church.  

The enemy is in the Church alright – and it’s not the Pope.  One particular enemy writes letters to the American church filled with conspiracy theories and spiritual abuse against the Pope.