Friday, July 12, 2013

Lessons for the Year of Faith: Vortex

Michael Voris has given us 15 minutes of sound teaching on Vatican II this week. Ah, if only every parish in the US would make a presentation like this just once during the Year of Faith!

This is the kind of teaching I was hoping for when the Year of Faith was announced, and the Holy Father encouraged all to review the Vatican II documents and the Catechism. Maybe your parish or diocese engaged in such an endeavor…I haven’t seen much of it in my neck of the woods.

A link for the script is presented below each Vortex episode. I’m giving you the highlights here.

In the July 10 Vortex, entitled “You Don’t Say”, MV reviews some of the  “misconceptions” that abound concerning what Vatican II said and didn’t say, especially about the Mass. He references Sacrosanctum Concilium, the document on the sacred liturgy.

Here’s MV’s list of things that were NEVER SAID by Vatican II:

Latin should be thrown out.

Vestments should be changed.

The altar should be turned around.

The priest should face the people.

Communion rails should be ripped out.

Statues and paintings of saints should be tossed out.

Gregorian chant should be dumped.

Holy Communion should be given in the hand.

So-called Eucharistic ministers should be the usual and common distributors of Holy Communion.

People should hold hands at the Our Father.

Kneelers should be discarded and people just remain standing.

Appropriate dress for Mass should be abandoned.

Guitars and drums should become primary instruments.

The musicians should be applauded for their service.

Altar girls should become a norm.

The sign of peace become an opportunity for socializing.

Preaching and homilies should rarely if ever mention traditional Catholic teaching.

Certainly, I thought some of those things when I first came into the Church. Then I read the documents…

MV explains:

What happened is that when the door was cracked for change – a type of change that could be fairly characterized as tinkering around the edges – many people got it in their minds that they could bring the wrecking ball and re-invent the Mass as though nothing had ever existed before 1965.

There are a hundred reasons for this and loads of people were involved with many different intentions, and all of that is worthy of much discussion; and we have those discussions here in the Vortex frequently.

But one thing is certain: the Mass has suffered greatly in the wake of Vatican II and the proponents of change. The door was opened for abuses and misunderstandings and an entirely new attitude that was different from that which went before.

And we are seeing the consequences of all that now. In many cases, the Mass has more the look and feel of a protestant service than the representation of the sacrifice of Calvary.

Many things have entered into the Mass that Vatican II NEVER legislated or even imagined. And likewise, many things have been removed from the Mass or have fallen by the wayside that again, Vatican II NEVER legislated or imagined.

MV suggests you read Sacrosanctum Conciliumyourself; and if’ you’ve read it before, why not review it? He quotes specifically paragraph 116: “The Church acknowledges Gregorian chant as specially suited to the Roman liturgy: therefore, other things being equal, it should be given pride of place in liturgical services”. Then he suggests we ask ourselves:

… is the situation in my parish every Sunday what was envisioned by the Second Vatican Council?

Does that square with what happens in your parish each Sunday? When is the last time you heard Gregorian Chant as a staple in your parish? Vatican II said it should have pride of place, so what happened?  

And that is just ONE topic. The question, “what happened?” can be asked A LOT.

If only, if only, if only our shepherds would address these questions! I wish I had seen a hundred notices online that a parish or diocese was holding a conference or a weekly “adult religious ed” meeting that addressed the implementation of the Vatican II documents!

Next: the July 11 Vortex addressed the question of whether Christians, Muslims, and Jews do in fact, worship the “same God”. MV answers the question in the context of remarks made recently by Cardinal Timothy Dolan in which he said that Muslims “worship the same God” as Christians, and that they should “hold on to their faith”.

Michael Voris answers the question this way:

First – when it comes to the question about worshiping the same God - there are two substantially different levels – because we as Catholics do adore God always as Trinity.

Adoring God as Trinity requires supernatural faith, says MV; to worship God as Creator only does not requires only natural faith, not the supernatural variety. He explains:

Every human person is able only by his reason, through NATURAL reason,   without the light of faith, to recognize the existence of one god as creator; and consequently to worship him according to his knowledge of natural reason.

This is the Muslims. They have no supernatural faith, and therefore they have no
supernatural act of worship. And even the Jews, who rejected Jesus as God as Trinity…have no faith. And therefore their worship also is natural, not supernatural.

… Jews and Muslims do NOT worship God the way God has commanded to be worshipped because they do not have supernatural faith; therefore their worship is not supernatural. The same applies to Hindus and every other religion.

There is only ONE TRUE FAITH – one true religion and those others are not it – The Catholic Church is it – no others – however, well-intentioned and sincere they may be – they are sincerely wrong.

…The whole issue here is the salvation of souls, not sugar-coating that reality in nice socially acceptable, non-offensive terms so that we will be liked by the crowd. All things being equal – those who are not faithful Catholics have a more difficult endeavor getting to Heaven than those who ARE.

I highly recommend you watch the entire Vortex, or read the script. He makes very good points about this question and about why it was harmful for Cardinal Dolan to make the comments he did recently in which he said that Muslims “worship the same God” as Christians, and that they should “hold on to their faith”.


This is the kind of “meat” we need in this “Year of Faith”!



Click for the script.



Click for the script.

7 comments:

  1. Anothe EXCELLENT Vortex and yes I never knew have of this information ...
    I just went along , going along with it all and wondering why ?
    I suppose a lot ot people are in the same position ...until the LIGHT goes on ...and you begin to study and know your faith ..then and only then can we be at peace and be set free .

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  2. Simply brillant! Of course Vatican II never said any of that!

    If I may:

    "Latin should be thrown out"

    For what? Latin is the language of Holy Mother Church.

    "Vestments should be changed"

    No. Vestments should be beautiful. Like I said, God deserves the best.

    "The altar should be turned around"

    We all should be facing God. We and the Priest are not engaged in a conversation. Having the altar turned around makes it seem that way.

    "Communion rails should be ripped out"

    As if there is something wrong with kneeling before God? Outrageous! Altar rails should be returned to every parish in the world and we should be kneeling before our God. After all, we do believe that Host is Him. Right?

    "Statues and paintings of saints should be tossed out"

    Why? So we can't tell if we're entering a Catholic Church? Having beauty raises our minds to Heaven.

    "Holy Communion should be given in the hand"

    Absolutely not! We should receive Christ on the tongue. Enough of treating Him casually. I've never received in the hand and never will. I couldn't even imagine doing that.

    "So-called Eucharistic ministers should be the usual and common distributors of Holy Communion"

    Absolutely not! The Priest's hands are consecrated. Only the ordained should touch the Holy of Holies. How dare we even want to? Oh, but of course it's all about active participation!

    "People should hold hands at the Our Father"

    We are Catholics. Not Protestants.

    "Appropriate dress for Mass should be abandoned"

    Must we really dress like we're going to a bar? It's that bad. At least it is where I am. Why do we need to meet Jesus Christ, the Son of God, dressed provocatively?

    "The musicians should be applauded for their service"

    It's not about them. Their shouldn't be applause in the Sacred Liturgy, as Benedict as said. We're not at a concert.

    "Altar girls should become a norm"

    They can't be Priests. If boys serve they may aspire for the Priesthood. Girls can't do that, therefore they don't belong up there.

    "Preaching and homilies should rarely if ever mention traditional Catholic teaching"

    This is starting to change with the young priests. Where I am they preach the whole truth and nothing but it. There is hope in my generation! Thank God for the young, traditional Priests!

    Reflect on these:

    Cardinal Ottaviani: "Recent reforms have amply demonstrated that fresh changes in the liturgy could lead to nothing but complete bewilderment on the part of the faithful who are already showing signs of restiveness and of an indubitable lessening of faith...errors against the Faith are not so much insinuated but rather an inevitable consequence of liturgical abuses and aberrations which have been given equal recognition. To abandon a liturgical tradition which for four centuries was both a sign and pledge of unity of worship is, we feel in conscience bound to proclaim, an incalculable error."

    Pope Pius XII: "I hear all around me innovators who want to dismantle the Holy Chapel, destroy the universal flame of the Church, throw away her ornaments, give her a remorse of her historical past. Well my dear friend, I have the conviction that the Church of Peter must assume her past or she will dig her own grave."

    Anyway, just some of my thoughts..

    God bless!

    ~Hannah

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  3. Trust me (said the spider to the fly) - no one cares. I remember so well our two liturgical committee meetings at our former parish. We were going through the GIRM page by page. I was bored to death because I practically had the GIRM memorized.

    So we get to the part that says chant has "pride of place." The priest, as well as the 10:30 Mass band director (a homosexual living with his "boyfriend" who is also part of the band), just ignored it. When hubby and I brought their attention to it (nicely) they both sort of piled on and told us how it "just wouldn't work" and the myriad of other reasons for not doing chant.

    Well, okay then!

    Sigh

    By the next meeting (hubby and I never, ever understood the reason for having a liturgical committee anyways) no one showed up except us and and the priest.

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  4. Yeah, I know you're right, Adrienne. But we can't go down without a fight! I think many "cradle Catholics" were slowly but surely beaten into submission after Vatican II. And I can understand how it happened. I've only been a Catholic for 10 years, and have been beaten up pretty badly!

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  5. Well Hannah, once so much wisdom you share with us.
    I know for myself many people in the pews do not know the TRUTH they just go along , they think it is normal.
    I know I thought it was all normal because the Church said it so.
    But I was wrong , you see for many years I thought the Latin Mass was forbidden and gone ...because the Church had let in the fresh air of the Holy Spirit and these "changes" were for the good of the Body of Christ ,boy was I wrong.
    You see most people do not know the TRUTH or they pick and choose what they want to believe and or obey ...I was right there at one time.
    But by God's mercy and grace , I searched out the TRUTH , began to study the TRUTH and read all I could read on Vatican II and the changes and the message of Our Lady of Fatima and so much more .
    Do you think the average Catholic reads the documents and encylicals of the Holy Catholic Church . No they do not ....
    I am just stating facts not judging anyone hear...because like I said I was right there myslef, so I know full well of the deception and lies of the enemy !
    God will purify HIS CHURCH ...and in His timing and in His way !
    The church is going to get very small ...only a Remnant will be left....again study the messages of Our Lady of Fatima , Our Lady of Aikta and Our Lady of LaSalette ...which out all approved by the Holy Catholic Church .
    Stand firm you who have been called ...we are Soliders of Christ and let us always be ready to do battle for Holy Mother Church..the TRUR CHURCH and the ONLY CHURCH instituted by Jesus Christ outside of which there is no salvation!
    To God be the Glory!
    Jeanne

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  6. Thanks, Jeanne. I only want to share the truth.

    I'm glad you mentioned the purification. I study the messages and prophecies from Our Lady. Approved ones, that is.

    The world and the Church will be purified.

    In the meantime, we have to wait and fight the fight. It's all we can do.

    God bless!

    ~Hannah

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  7. George Orwell describes how to manipulate a population by cutting people off from family, tradition, history, customs, and its culture.
    After the Church did create this break, the result is a new generation that knows nothing about what existed before the 60s.

    This is why people get indignant about, don't understand, don't get Michael Voris. The context is so huge, and his message is a mere sound-bite. If naysayers would read and study Church documents and recent history, they'd change their attitude and listen.

    Those that don't 'get' what changed* in the Church can never know what's missing. If our visible beautiful Church seems counterfeit and Protestant, who is there to challenge it?

    Our Lady of Good Success [approved by every bishop since the 1600s, Quito, Ecuador] predicted the crisis in the Church beginning in the mid-20th century. Her predictions have been accurate and true so far. She even said that it will be difficult to get baptized! How is that? Today we believe any baptism is good as long as form and matter are followed. Nobody remembers that the third ingredient must be to 'intend what the Church intends'. In the past every convert was conditionally baptized by a priest, no matter where they came from. [My dad, a baptized Congregationalist was conditionally baptized! I mean that's the way it was done! When I tell people this, they don't believe me.] So now, not only are Church members ignorant of what the Faith really consists, they may not even have the graced insight of the baptized or the grace of the Sacraments that they think they are receiving! In RCIA 2 years ago, when I furtively asked that my candidate be conditionally baptized, the very good and very sweet priest said that 're-baptising' is a sin. This young conscientious, orthodox, believing, hard-working priest had no understanding of conditional baptism and how the Church always did it 'just in case' the original baptizer didn't intend as the Church intends.

    Truly, we need the help of Mary Immaculate and a miraculous restoration. The visible Church is way too gone. St Athanasius was the last believing bishop in his time - we could be there again.

    * in the Mass; the Calendar; the Office and practices of religious orders; the blessings and sacraments in the book of Rituals [that's exorcism, ordination, baptism, blessings of homes, medals, palms, candles, and all the other blessings that used to be long and specific, prayers by a priest for the dying, etc!!!]; Liturgical music; the pious customs of sodalities, novenas, indulgenced prayers; spiritual direction; formation in seminaries; on and on -- The extent of the changes are staggering and not easily understood by those who never experienced the old practices.

    ~Tina in Ashburn

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