F YOU WERE ARRESTED by the police and charged with being a Christian, would there be enough evidence to convict you? In the 1990s, a Catholic priest once asked that question during his homily. Thirty years later, however, the possibility of Christianity being outlawed by our government seems more plausible. HARRISON BUTKER (a three-time Super Bowl champion who plays for the Kansas City Chiefs) recently gave a commencement address at Benedictine College in Atchison. There’s no need for me to quote from it because his words have received international attention. One of his paragraphs begins: “The road ahead is bright.” Throughout that paragraph, Mr. Butker praises the Church’s traditional liturgy—as well as other traditions discarded wrongfully, which ought to be restored. Because of this, look what people on (trashy) daytime television said about those who embrace Catholic traditions:
Basic Reality • The lady who made those comments is someone named Sarah Haines. I know nothing about her, but she comes across as a dunce who doesn’t realize the MISSALE VETUSTUM has been offered by Catholic priests for hundreds of years. On the other hand, she’s correct (inadvertently) that Christianity is extreme. Our Redeemer did say (Matthew 10:37):
“He that loveth father or mother more than Me, is not worthy of Me; and he that loveth son or daughter more than Me, is not worthy of Me.”
Sole Expression? • But didn’t a recent Vatican document say the Ordinary Form is the “sole expression” of the Roman Rite? It’s true that a document issued by Pope Francis made that claim. The extent to which Pope Francis was aware of that particular sentence is, of course, another matter. Indeed, it isn’t known whether our pope is aware of the flagrant liturgical abuses found in too many localities. Consider this recent example:
Here’s the direct URL link.
Truth Of The Matter • Someone might legitimately ask: Is it really true that the Ordinary Form is the “sole expression” of the Roman Rite? The answer is: “No.” It’s an embarrassing statement, and I don’t know of any serious theologian or liturgist willing to defend it. [If readers are aware of such a person, please notify me.] And this need not bother us. This need not cause us to become agitated. Popes throughout history have been guilty of egregious mistakes, errors, and misstatements. If you doubt this, Google: “Cadaver Synod.” Indeed, Saint Peter himself denied Christ three times.
An Obvious Example • Many Catholics wish Pope Francis never claimed the Ordinary Form is the “sole expression” of the Roman Rite. Nor is that the only incorrect statement made by Pope Francis. For example, in 2021 Pope Francis said that having non-vernacular readings at Mass “would be like laughing at the Word of God.” All of us have misspoken at one time or another, and I suspect Pope Francis wishes he could take that one back. For one thing, 99% of the great Catholic saints proclaimed the readings in a lingua sacra—i.e. a non-vernacular language. Those words by Pope Francis condemn (!) Saint John Vianney, Saint John Bosco, Saint Ignatius of Loyola, Pope Saint John Paul II, Saint Isaac Jogues, Saint Jean de Brébeuf, Saint Francis of Assisi, etc. Indeed, our Lord Himself proclaimed the Scriptures in a non-vernacular language in the synagogue. As Monsignor Schmitt wrote in 1977 (quoting Father Louis Bouyer):
“Our Lord worshiped in a language at least as dead then as Latin is now.”
Not Up To Us • I suspect everyone reading this blog already knows that popes throughout history have made erroneous statements. Some wish this weren’t the case, but it’s not up to us! Our Lord gave us the Church He wanted to. It would be gravely sinful to pretend that we know better than JESUS CHRIST.
Peculiar Irony • What’s strange is that the very people who hate Pope Francis the most spend the most time obsessing over his every deed. The very people who claim Pope Francis has no authority over them blog and tweet about him constantly, sometimes more than forty times per day! I glanced at the Facebook page of a particular man who believes Pope Francis is an anti-pope, and what do you suppose I found there? More than 85% of this man’s feed contained commentary about Pope Francis! What’s really reprehensible is that many “professional Catholics” make their living by means of something know as “scandal porn.” That is to say, they deny Pope Francis has any authority over them—yet they make their living talking about him on YouTube!
Holier Than Thou • The devil knows that somebody obsessed with the sins of others will never have time or energy to do anything positive for the Church. Such a person will never go out and instruct an orphan in the Faith. Such a person will never bring food to a handicapped person. Such a person will never invest hours in training a choir for Mass. Such a person will never visit a prison. Such people are far too busy posting on Facebook about the sins of others! As one of my professors used to say: “Let the dead bury their dead.”
