SSPX, Voris, and sensus Catholicus

SSPX priests_retreat_phoenix_az_20121000aAs I am certain most everyone here already knows, Michael Voris (STB, no less) has graced the worldwide web with yet another rant concerning the Society of St. Pius X; in this case, as it relates to their stark warnings about the dangers of the Novus Ordo.

I’ve lost track of the number of messages and emails I’ve received from people, priests included, suggesting that they’re looking forward to my response to this latest Boretex.

Why me?

Yea, I get it, I suppose… Voris and I did that program on the SSPX back in 2012; before he was motivated to treat them as if they are the greatest threat facing the Church in our day. Maybe that lends some intrigue, but that was a long time ago.

I’d rather think that people are interested in how I’ll respond because I’m unbiased.

For one, I have no affiliation with the Society. I don’t frequent their chapels; I don’t routinely receive the sacraments from their priests, nor do I receive their spiritual direction, etc.

Furthermore, the content posted on this blog isn’t shaded by a need to placate any behind the scenes figures; i.e., no one bought a building for me; much less did anyone buy me for a building.

The approach taken to very serious matters concerning the Catholic faith here – not just by me, but by our commenters as well – is driven by just one thing; the desire to discover the truth.

Sure, we make room for levity here and there, and sometimes things get a bit heated and we veer a little off course, but finding the truth is the priority.

I’d also like to think that people visit this space because once that truth is discovered, I’ll do my best to deliver and defend it in the face of all attacks, including those that come from the very top; even if doing so comes at considerable cost (and I can assure you, it has).

On a closely related note, I think readers realize that none of us are complacent when it comes to such things; i.e., by necessity, we’ll roll up our sleeves and dig for the truth, knowing that it might not be what we presently believe or even what the men who have the duty of speaking in the name of the Church are telling us.

For me personally, I know that I don’t always get things right, but I’m not going to be whisked away by the undertow of someone else’s opinion when it comes to important Catholic matters; accepting their word as true simply because they wear a collar, or put a few letters after their name, or otherwise present themselves as some sort of authority figure.

I spent way too many years being misled by such persons, including popes, to go down that road ever again. (It’s that old adage at play, “Fool me once…”)

I tell you these things because herein lies the key to attaining authentic sensus Catholicus, and specifically, in the present case, this also happens to be the only way to get one’s hands around the Society’s view of the Novus Ordo, the same that Special Prosecutor Voris entered into evidence as the quintessential smoking gun in his case against them.

In short, it’s pretty simple folks:

Those who are too damned lazy to explore things for themselves; or who allow themselves to be driven more by emotion than by intellect; or happen to be too weak to believe their “lyin’ eyes” when their opinions are clearly challenged by reality; or have an inclination toward engaging in cult-like hero worship of mere men who enjoy the public spotlight… such persons will always find the truth elusive.

To grasp the matter under discussion here, it’s necessary to consider primary sources, like the original, unedited General Instruction for the Roman Missal of 1969 for the Novus Ordo Missae, wherein the authors of that infelicitous rite plainly expressed the purposes for which it is crafted as it is; further explaining what the new rite intends to communicate, and just as importantly, what it does not intend to convey, etc.

It’s also going to be necessary to avail oneself of the insights of impeccably honorable men like Cardinals Ottaviani and Bacci, Michael Davies, and certainly not least among them, Archbishop Marcel Lefebvre.

These men were considered giants in the Catholic Church by clergy and laity alike (including popes) for very good reason, both before and after the Council, and their treatments of the new Mass are dismissed out of hand only by fools, some willing, others perhaps not so much.

Look, my opinion of the new Mass doesn’t really matter very much; neither does Michael Voris’ or the Society’s for that matter. What matters in all things is the truth, and that’s another reason why people visit this space.

Neither I, nor any other lay “traditionalist” (aka Catholic) worth a wooden nickel wants anyone to simply take their word for anything pertaining the Faith; rather, we desire nothing more than for the truth to be known and embraced for its own sake.

That’s the Catholic way, and yet, one cannot but recognize that when it comes to all things SSPX, it’s not the way Michael Voris operates.

Why do I say that?

It’s obvious given the fact that the man steadfastly refuses to allow a priest-representative of the SSPX to come on air to be challenged directly, so that he might speak for the Society firsthand; explaining their positions fully in their own words.

Rather, Voris clearly wants his viewers to form an opinion of the SSPX based simply on what he and selected others have to say about them (even going so far as to twist their words when his opinion is challenged).

He’s shown no interest whatsoever in assisting his viewers in forming an opinion based upon the unadulterated truth; who the SSPX truly is and what they have to say for themselves, and even more importantly, the contribution they have to make in defense of the faith during what all concerned recognize as a terrible crisis.

And please, don’t be so naive as to believe that lifting selected quotes from a 5 minute video is enough to explain what the Society is all about; it’s not, especially when it comes to a topic as complex and unprecedented as the issues surrounding the new Mass.

In any case, those of you who are regular CMTV viewers and/or subscribers, tell me:

How interested would you be in watching Michael Voris interview a priest of the SSPX, live on air, for an hour or more?

I’m not talking about a cat fight here, but rather a straight forward, no holds barred, yet charitable, face to face conversation ordered toward discovering the truth and defending the faith.

I can’t speak for the Society, but knowing some of their priests as I do, I would venture to say that the only thing that they would ask in return is for a real opportunity to speak.

Does that sound like a program you’d like to watch?

If so, let Michael Voris know just how interested you are in that program. He may not accede to your wishes, but at the very least you’ll learn a thing or two about his make-up and his motives.

Remember who we’re talking about here:

This is the same Michael Voris who boldly challenged Cardinal Dolan face to face, without any fear that putting His Buffoonery on camera to answer for his behavior in his own words, in spite of his considerable charisma and stage presence, would somehow endanger the souls of impressionable viewers.

So don’t let him make that lame excuse for not challenging the SSPX face to face as, clearly, that dog won’t hunt.

At this, I ask your forgiveness… This rather general reaction to Voris’ latest anti-Society rant has gone a bit longer than expected, so much so that I will save more specific commentary relative to the points and counterpoints raised by both the Society and by Voris as it concerns the Novus Ordo for another post.

In the meantime, if you haven’t already seen this, please, do yourself a favor and watch John Vennari’s outstanding video below. It’s loaded with very important references that shed bright Catholic light on the situation:

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