The Modernist Crisis

In the dialogue between the CDF and the SSPX it would seem that there is a long road ahead towards reconciliation.  It appears that the questions on the Vatican II teachings on Ecumenism and Religious Liberty seems to be the point of contention.  In my personal reflection I would say that the basic problem with the modern church today is the problem of continuity.  There are sectors in the church and they are influential which hold to the idea (directly or indirectly) that the church started at Vatican II and that whatever is of the past have been supplanted by Vatican II.  In other words they think that Vatican II is a super Dogma that overturn the others.  But this is the fallacious argument.  They failed to understand that Living Tradition means continuity.  This feeling was evident in the sermon of Bishop Fellay and I hope I got it right.

And practically, at many levels, we have to say no. Not because it does not please us, but because the Church has already spoken about that. Even many of these things it has condemned them. And so, in our discussions with Rome we were, so to say, stuck there. The key problem in our discussions with Rome was really the Magisterium, the teaching of the Church. Because they say, "we are the pope, we are the Holy See" – and we say, yes. And so they say, "we have the supreme power," and we say, yes. They say, "we are the last instance in teaching and we are necessary" – Rome is necessary for us to have the Faith, and we say, yes. And then they say, "then, obey." And we say, no. And so they say to us, you are protestant. You put your reason above the Magisterium of today. And we answer to them, you are Modernists. You pretend that the teaching of today can be different from the teaching of yesterday. We say, when we adhere to what the Church has taught yesterday, we, by necessity, adhere to the teaching of the Church today. Because the truth is not linked to time. The truth is above it. What has been said once is binding all times. These are the dogmas. God is like that; God is above time. And the Faith is adhering to the truth of God. It’s above time. That’s why the church of today is bound and has to be like (not only like) the Church of yesterday. And so when you see the present pope say that there must be continuity in the Church, we say, of course! That is what we have said at all times. When we talk about tradition, that’s precisely the meaning. They say, there must be Tradition, there must be continuity. So there is continuity. Vatican II has been made by the Church, the Church must be continuous, so Vatican II is Tradition. And we say, beg your pardon? 

For an excerpt of his sermon visit the website of  St. Thomas Aquinas Seminary 

Let us pray harder and let us stay on with the faith humbly following the Lord in this most difficult struggle and seek the guidance of the Virgin Mary.

The Modern Crisis of Faith and the New Evangelization

Our age is one of the most challenging for the Christian Era.  First because of the extreme polarity of how people from different continents view or accept Christianity.  While in Western Europe there was a decline in the practice of faith, there is a resurgence of this Catholic faith in the vast continent of Africa and in Oceania.  Secondly, the polarity of poverty and wealth among the north and the south points us to the reality of what our Lord has said that it is easier for the camel to pass through the needles eye than for a rich man to enter into heaven.  And lastly human theories and achievements have not assured the human family the peace that they have been looking for.  I would like to qoute Archbishop Fisichella as reported by zenit.org. 

"To understand the current state of this crisis we need to look back into the recent past, he said. The two World Wars, totalitarian regimes, Marxist ideology, and the desire for domination over others, demonstrate how "society, though advanced, does not succeed in finding ways of international coexistence that are able to respect the peculiarities of each one."

Then, the repeated failures of the United Nations demonstrate an inability to resolve problems both in the economic and political spheres. Combined with the predominance of an economic system that operates without ethical principles we have now arrived at a situation of generalized crisis, Archbishop Fisichella commented." To Read the Full Report at Zenit follow link. 

Indeed, the answer to peace is that peace can only be found in Jesus Christ.  Unless man recognize this truth all these theories and efforts will be considered futile.  Till that day when they say blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord will they realize that Christ is the peace of mankind.  Come Lord Jesus.  Maranatha.