BISHOP AQUINAS SPEAKS ABOUT THE CRISIS IN THE CHURCH AND ON THE CRISIS OF THE FSSPX

BISHOP AQUINAS SPEAKS ABOUT THE CRISIS IN THE CHURCH AND ON THE CRISIS OF THE FSSPX

Excerpts from the sermon delivered by Msgr. Tomás de Aquino OSB on 14-I-1 8 .  

The simplicity of the oral style was preserved, as far as possible.

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PAX

An event occurred in our parish will serve to deepen the knowledge in the contemplation of this mystery, if God makes us this great grace. Every crisis, every heresy, every error is an occasion, for the Holy Church, to deepen the dogma, deepening the dogma, deepening the knowledge and love of God, that is, deepening in faith and charity, thus as in the hope of the goods that God promised us.

 

But what was the event that occurred in our parish that leads us to talk about the Church? The fact was the masses that my nephew, Father Tarcisio, prayed in the San Miguel chapel [which is in the grounds of the monastery of Santa Cruz. N of NP] . These Masses were for me a reason for joy and sadness. Joy to see Tarcísio go up to the altar after a long preparation started, in part, here in our parish, here in our monastery. Pleased by Father Tarcisio, who deserved his ordination for the years of study carried out in the seminary of Our Lady Co-redemptrix, in La Reja, in Argentina, seminary of the Fraternity of St. Pius X.

And what is the sadness? It is to see the superiors of Fr. Tarcisio, that is, the superiors of the Fraternity of St. Pius X, take a different direction from that indicated by Msgr. Lefebvre in the battle of faith. As the accusation is serious, let us see, then, what was the direction given by Bishop Lefebvre and then compare this orientation with what the Fraternity does, dragging the new priests in this same new direction.

What did he say, and even wrote, Monsignor Lefebvre? "It is a strict duty for every priest who wants to remain a Catholic, to separate from this conciliar Church as long as she does not return to the Tradition of the Church and the Catholic faith." Someone may ask: "But what conciliar Church is that? There is only one Church, there are no two Churches!". That is where we begin our reflections.  

And who are the teachers that we will follow in these reflections? Mons. Lefebvre, Mons. Antonio de Castro Mayer, Fr. Calmel, Gustavo Corção and all the Tradition of the Church and his infallible Magisterium, and also, among the living, Mons. Williamson and Mons. Faure.

The current crisis forces to deepen the revealed truths, forces to deepen the very words by which the Holy Church expresses the revealed dogma. What we want is to know, love and defend this union between Jesus Christ and the Church, to discern where our duty is towards God, towards ourselves and for our neighbor. Two churches? In a certain sense, yes. Two Churches, and as St. Augustine said, two cities.

Two loves constituted two cities. The love of God led to contempt of himself constituted the city of God. And the love of oneself led to the contempt of God constituted the city of man.

That the conciliar Church is the religion of man carried to the contempt of God is evident. Everyone can see it.

Paul VI declared the sympathy of the Church (what Church?) For the religion of man who becomes God. This is in the closing speech of the Second Vatican Council. All those who wish can find it without difficulties. This unprecedented scandal was commented by Mons. Lefebvre and all the great authors of the Tradition.

But that is not all. Contempt for God is manifested first in the liturgy. Communion standing and in the hand. Suppression of innumerable genuflections. Disdain for the law of God and his commandments. It is not necessary to list what everyone is already tired of knowing. But what does this mean?

This means that we are facing another Church with its new liturgy, its new moral, its new Canon Law, its new spirituality.

Is this new Church completely different? In your orientation, yes. She is totally another. She is at the service of the city of the man who carries the false love of himself to the contempt of God.

But what about the Pope? Is he the Pope of what Church? He, strange as it is, is the Pope of the two Churches. He is Pope of the Catholic Church and he is the head of the conciliar Church. Then, are these two churches linked? For the spirit that animates them, no. For the effective occupation of the positions that belong to the Church, yes. They intermingle one in the other.

But if that is the case, why not assume that reality and coexist with this difficulty? Because it is not convenient to be under the authority of those who do not profess the integrity of the Catholic faith. It is not the inferiors that make superiors, but the opposite. It is the superiors who influence the inferiors.

If Pope Francis, if Benedict XVI, if Cardinal Burke, or any other member of the Conciliar Church came here to preach, this would be a disaster.

Even if the faithful already impregnated with modernism came to our masses in a multitude, this would not be good. Little by little the liberalism of these progressives would be communicated to our faithful.

But is not this a sect spirit?

No, this is the spirit of separation.

The Catholic is a man separated from the world. He is in the world, but he is not of the world. Now, if we can be with anyone on the bus, in the market, at the dentist, we can not be with anyone when it comes to offering God the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass.

In the early Church, the catechumens had to leave the church before the offertory, before the canon, before the sacrifice. Those who received the minor order of goalkeeper were to prevent the entrance of the unworthy to the church.

There is, then, a spirit of separation from the world. Progressivism, modernism is open to the world, to the devil and to the flesh. Tradition is closed to the world, to the devil, to the flesh and to modernism. Is that a sect spirit? No, this is a Catholic spirit. Who does not understand is maybe because he started not to be Catholic.

"But refusing to be united to the Pope, are you not rejecting the channel through which all the graces that come from Our Lord pass?" Refusing to be united with the Council Fathers, we are not rejecting union with the hierarchy that Our Lord instituted. We are only saying: Anathema be whoever teaches another Gospel, as St. Paul taught us.

"But then you do not want and do not seek a normalization of the situation with respect to Rome?" Who is in an abnormal situation is not us, but modernist Rome.

When Rome returns to the Tradition of the Magisterium of the Church and of the Catholic faith, it will be they who will come to us and not us who will go to them.

"Is not that pride?" No, that's the truth.

"But can not the canonical question be resolved?" When Rome returns to the Tradition of the Magisterium of the Church and of the Catholic faith, there will be no canonical question. We will put our episcopate in the hands of the Holy Father, as Monsignor Lefebvre taught us.

"But do you wait with your arms crossed for the end of the crisis?" Unlike. The Resistance prays, studies, preaches, baptizes, confirms, confesses, administers Extreme Unction, performs marriages and ordains priests and offers the Holy Sacrifice of the altar and gives Holy Communion. Here is the Church. Church persecuted by the modernists who excommunicated Bishop Lefebvre and canonized John Paul II.

"But the Fraternity, deep down, thinks as you do", perhaps some will say. God willing, but I fear that this is a sweet illusion.

All the events that have taken place since the 90s up to today indicate that there are two currents in the Tradition: the current of those who want a diplomatic approach with Rome and the current of those who do not want to approach Rome, unless Rome returns to the Tradition of the Magisterium Church and the Catholic faith.

The diplomatic current, which we can call liberal, is a current that minimizes the current crisis. Who asked Corção if he expected to see the end of the crisis, he answered: "No. I have no more hope to see the Church Triumphant." [Or Church of Heaven. N of NP] Corção was then a pessimist? No. Corção was a realist. Bishop Lefebvre also did not expect a quick change. He said: 'Prepare for a long-term combat'. But then, will this crisis last for how long? Only God knows how long this crisis will last. We have not been given the future and that should not worry us. Our duty is to act correctly and leave the rest in the hands of God.

I believe that we act correctly with Father Tarcisio. I believe that we are acting correctly exposing the reasons for our vivid apprehensions. The rest is in the hands of God. If someone is disturbed with the idea that we are not Catholics or that our position is schismatic, I would say: where is Our Lord and Our Lady, there is the Church. Where is Pascendi and Syllabus there is the Church. Where is the desire to submit to Rome when it returns to the Tradition of the Magisterium and the Catholic faith, there is the Church. Where the love of God is to the contempt of self, there is the city of God.

In spite of our unworthiness, we hope to obtain the grace of living there and dying there. So be it.

Dom Tomás de Aquino OSB