Saturday, January 28, 2012

BETTER IS THE END OF A THING


The rising unto place is laborious, and by pains men come to greater pains; and it is sometimes base, and by indignities men come to dignities. The standing is slippery, and the regress is either downfall, or at least an eclipse. Bacon

In a desperate attempt to appear relevant, the rector has tried to piggy back on the recent Vatican II critiques of monsignors Gherardini and Ocáriz Braña; he has even promised a forthcoming commentary on the latter (see the Jan. 2012 MHT Newsletter). It takes no insight to discern an anguished cry in the dark from a pathetic outsider who became irrelevant years ago.

As Pistrina has written, the Novus Ordo is undergoing its own counter-revolution of sorts. Real intellectuals within the Vatican Establishment -- men with authentic academic credentials and the insight that comes from a careful formation -- are now mounting the definitive analysis of the Council's failure and its radical departure from tradition. Sadly, it seems that they, not the carping lumpen pretenders of the traditional movement, have the intellectual tools to consign the Council and its evils to the trash heap of history.

The rector -- whose weak and borrowed light, though many orders of magnitude brighter than the dwarf-stars of "One-Hand Dan" and The Blunderer, is infinitely less luminescent than the brilliant scholars he envies -- has been eclipsed. Like F. Murray Abraham's Salieri, he endeavors without result to attach himself to real genius in the tragicomical hope of being (mistakenly) associated with genuine talent. Hence the embarrassingly patent effort to reflect a few stray rays cast off by two radiantly gifted scholars.

If the rector and his overstuffed clown-car of ill-trained clergy merited compassion, we would pity them as they struggle futilely in the face of insuperable limitations to claim a place in the most important theological discussion of this new century. As the Reader has noted elsewhere, the Novus Ordo is producing from within the rigorous analysis that will eventually defeat the heterodoxy of Vatican II. The reed-thin, shrill screeching of the half-educated traddie clergy is soon to be drowned out by the clear, steady, articulate voice of the growing conservative resistance of the post-Conciliar Vatican Institution. When the Restoration comes, it is this remnant who will have been the chief instruments of its triumph, not the feeble likes of the Terrible Trio and their ilk.

We wish it had been otherwise. We wish the traditional resistance had not been high-jacked by careerist entrepreneurs and clerical adventurers more interested in themselves than in the weal of Christ's Church. However, we now see that such was not God's will. Yet we still harbor hope for the Restoration: for as the traditional movement disintegrates, rent by suicidal, internecine controversies started by ambitiously acquisitive and terminally short-sighted clergy, Providence steps in to raise a well-schooled generation of men to take the holy fight to the brazen portals and into the hushed corridors of St. Peter's itself.

It is clear that the rector and his entourage can leave no legacy. Now, they won't even be a footnote in the history of the Restoration. At best, they offered some frightened folks a rickety lean-to in the storm of heresy. Sad to say, the leaky shelter was no match for the weather. As this series of posts has shown, the rebuilding of the fabric of the Church will belong to others outside the narrow and infernal circle of traditional cults and their poseur masters.

8 comments:

  1. Well said, although far too many poor souls in Traddieland suffer from the delusion that their wanna-be saviors are good, or perhaps even great, men who will one day be canonized. However, as you correctly stated: these men will not even merit a footnote if/when the history of this sad era is written. Godspeed and a peaceful, profitable Sunday to all.

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  2. With your recent praise of the Novus Ordo, why don't you just start attending the Novus Ordo Missae and be done with it?

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  3. Please re-read the article. You will see that Pistrina did not praise the N.O. and that we consider the Vatican II establishment heretical. The Reader merely pointed out that the mental firepower to restore the Church regrettably lies with the men who belong to the N.O. and not with the ill-prepared self-promoters of the traditional movement. We don't like the fact, but we accept it. The rector, "One Hand," the Blunderer and all the rest of the big Traddie names are plainly not equipped to perform the scholarly and intellectual analysis that will upend Vatican II. No one should pretend otherwise.

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  4. Yeah Toth, and I guess you are "equipped to perform the scholarly and intellectual analysis hat will upend Vatican II," right?

    With all your talk about the non-legacy of SGG/MHT what have you done to promote the Restoration? If you are so smart in criticizing Cekada's book, why didn't you write a book yourself, since you are so much of a better Latinist and scholar?

    Attacking the clergy, and even stabbing Father Ramolla and the Seminarians in the back: is that all the "legacy" you, Gebel and Gaye have?

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  5. Bp. Dolan, Fr. Cekada, and Bp. Sanborn might not be great, nor will they necessarily be canonized, but these men tried to do something to reverse and/or maintain what is left. I suppose, to your minds, it is the greatest injustice that THEY have received Orders, and YOU have not.

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  6. The traddy movement is a joke. Anybody can go find a "Thuc bishop" and get ordained and consecrated, with no formal training I might add. They are no better than the Jim Jones cult in the late 70's. The only answer lies in the church whether you zealots like it or not. Trads have given up on Christ....

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  7. I really don't know why this blog exists besides to bitch and moan, but i read it anyways sometimes. Further, what I don't get today specifically, is why you think that these NO high clergyman have "authentic academic credentials." You know they are not authentic. Were they rigorously vetted? Perhaps, I don't know the histories of these various curricula, but vetted by whom and for what? As far as I am concerned, any degree received after '58 will never be called authentic by these lips or fingers. There was no missio canonica, and no legitimate deputation to any of the professors to teach, thus no supernatural guidance by the Holy Ghost. Is that some sort of immaterial spiritual fanciful rigor? I don't think so

    I recognize a vestige of goodness in their learning, perhaps, but, alas, all is awash without the Papacy. Without the guidance of infallibility, and that exacting power of obedience under an ever watchful eye, all is lost, and you end up with sites like this, layman, publishing, without permission, on, religious, matters. It is at least, not ideal. I think you would agree.

    There is a solution to this problem, and moaning rag bullshit on a blog is not it. I would like to hear some proposals Toth, on what to do in the situation the Church is in. Make some posts. I know you know a lot, I just don't want to hear any more of your moaning and whining. Do something constructive, please.

    Also, I want money.

    Bye.

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  8. And I am not be facetious either. I really want to hear your proposals. I think you could have a lot to offer people. What are the solutions? Please do share, or think about it and share. I, I think we, really want to know.

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