Elevated Noise Floor

In Radio Frequency (RF) terms, the noise floor has been significantly elevated since the election of Pope Francis.

The effect of this increase in the noise floor is that it obscures the real signal, making it hard (in the case of communications) to understand the message.

In short, the continual din from the various media (Internet etc), I have found disorienting. There are so many groups claiming Pope Francis as their own, so much noise, that forming a correct understanding of Pope Francis' nascent Pontificate is difficult.

From my perspective, as a Traditional Catholic, it is very much as if I am in the midst of a storm.

In reflecting on the past 30 years, there is very little evidence that the storm ever abated completely. Perhaps the Pontificate of Pope Benedict was merely (at best) a slight lull in the storm.

The storm imagery reminded me of the following event in the Bible:

So they let the multitude go, and took him with them, just as he was, on the boat; there were other boats too with him. And a great storm of wind arose, and drove the waves into the boat, so that the boat could hold no more. Meanwhile, he was in the stern, asleep on the pillow there; and they roused him, crying, Master, art thou unconcerned? We are sinking. So he rose up, and checked the wind, and said to the sea, Peace, be still. And the wind dropped, and there was deep calm. Then he said to them, Why are you faint-hearted? Have you still no faith? And they were overcome with awe; Why, who is this, they said to one another, who is obeyed even by the winds and the sea?

Mark 4:36-40

This puts things in perspective.

Thinking about the Stockdale Paradox, as a Catholic, I believe in the Indefectibility of the Church. In addition, the Church cannot bind us to believe something that is against the Faith as this would violate the Infallibility of the Church. So, I have Faith that the Church will survive this crisis and emerge victorious.

The flip side of the Stockdale Paradox is to "confront the most brutal facts of your current reality, whatever they might be".

So what are the brutal facts of the Church's current reality?

The Church is in midst of a major crisis.
The Crisis has a number of causes, not the least of which is a leadership crisis that runs from the local parish to the halls of the Vatican.
Without a resolution to the leadership crisis, there will be no resolution to the systemic state of crisis within the Roman Catholic Church.

What is a Catholic Layman or Laywoman to do in such a situation?

Pray and do penance for the Pope, Bishops, Priests of the Roman Catholic Church.
Study the Faith in order to understand the Church's doctrines/dogmas as the Church understands them, not as you would have them understood.
Strengthen your spiritual life by prayer, spiritual reading, meditation, contemplation, and above all things regular reception of the Sacraments.
Practice the Virtues, and Corporal as well as Spiritual works of mercy.
Above all be patient.

Now this is not the end. It is not even the beginning of the end. But it is, perhaps, the end of the beginning.

Sir Winston Church, 1942

Comments

The myth of the Hermeneutic of Continuity - Rorate Caeli

+ JMJ Interestingly the complete acceptance of the Second Vatican Council (without reservations) is required of the SSPX. Just when people are starting to wonder how it came to this! Courtesy of Rorate Caeli P^3

A Look Back: Archbishop Lefebvre’s Prophetic Address to The Remnant, 1976

+ JMJ Looking back is important to understand why we are where we are in this crisis. Courtesy of RemnantNewsPaper P^3 FOR THE FIRST TIME ONLINE: Archbishop Lefebvre’s Prophetic Address to The Remnant, 1976 Written by Archbishop Marcel Lefebvre Introduction by Michael J. Matt More than forty years ago—during the disastrous reign of Pope Paul VI, the latest candidate for a Vatican-issued Halo Award, by the way—my father, Walter L. Matt, organized the first large scale public reception in the U.S. for the late Archbishop Marcel Lefebvre. It was held at the Radisson South Hotel, Minneapolis, on Tuesday, May 12, 1976, and its stated purpose was to assist the Archbishop in gaining a stronger foothold for the Society of St. Pius X in the States during the unprecedented crisis Blessed Pope Paul had helped unleash on the Church. On that occasion Archbishop Lefebvre delivered ...

Of the Church and the Pope - Fr. Calmel O.P.

+ JMJ Once again, looking back to see if the 'Traditional Catholics' in the early days of this crisis of the Church had a sufficient view to realize the roots of the crisis. The root: The Pope Hence when the Pope is 'righted' the Church will be 'righted'. P^3 Courtesy of SSPXasia Fr. Roger Calmel, O.P. This essay by Fr. Roger Calmel, O.P. (1914-75) helps us in these difficult times to preserve our love of the Church. More than 30 years after its first publication, this article retains all its relevance, so much so that it even seems to have been written for our time, in which the crisis in the Church deepens at an unprecedented pace. This essay will help the reader to think clearly, keep the Faith, and maintain serenity in the troubled times we are navigating. “My country has hurt m e,”wrote a young poet in 1944 during the purge 1 when the head of state [Charles De Gaulle] implacably pursued the sinister job that had been in the wo...

Canonical Mission and State of Emergency - A Response to Mr. John Salza - Part B

+ JMJ I was trying to think of a way to map out the time course I discussed in Part A of this article. Early this morning it came to me that this is more about obedience and duty than canon law. As is my wont, I mapped out my thoughts (see image) to draw linkages between the core concepts. My conclusion is that, at least subjectively, Archbishop Lefebvre had sufficient information to make good decisions concerning whether or not he was obliged to obey. I know that the Jesuits, some Sedevacantists and the priests that left over the years will not agree with my thoughts. So be it. The core pieces of information include: Attacks against the SSPX were launched because they kept the Tridentine Mass and the pre-conciliar understanding of the Truths of the Faith. The authorities in the Church were willing to go against the laws of the Church. The same authorities encouraged the various dangers to the Faith embedded in popular interpretations of ambiguo...

Validity of new rite of episcopal consecrations - Courtesy of SSPX.org

+ JMJ In the blogosphere there are number of responses to this crisis in the Catholic Church that lead to conclusions that run counter to Catholic Doctrine and Dogmas - if taken to their logical conclusion. The validity of the New Rite of Episcopal consecrations is one such hotspot within more extreme sections of the 'traditionalist' culture. Validity of new rite of episcopal consecrations Courtesy of SSPX.org Why the new rite of episcopal consecration is valid Introduction This comprehensive study was compiled to settle a debate that has been circulating in traditional Catholic circles. Some writers have examined the new rite of episcopal consecration and concluded that it must be invalid. Since this would cause manifest problems if it were true and due to the heightened awareness of such a theory, we present a study of this question concluding that it is valid. Following the Council, in 1968 a new rite for the ordination of bishops was promulg...

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