Council of Trent Canon VII

Quote

CANON VII.--If any one saith, that the ceremonies, vestments, and outward signs, which the Catholic Church makes use of in the celebration of masses, are incentives to impiety, rather than offices of piety; let him be anathema.

This canon has, by some, been used as a basis to accuse traditional Catholics of error or in some cases heresy, due to their criticism and resistance to accepting the Novus Ordo Missae etc.

Quote

CHAPTER V.
On the solemn ceremonies of the Sacrifice of the Mass.
And whereas such is the nature of man, that, without external helps, he cannot easily be raised to the meditation of divine things; therefore has holy Mother Church instituted certain rites, to wit that certain things be pronounced in the mass in a low, and others in a louder, tone. She has likewise employed ceremonies, such as mystic benedictions, lights, incense, vestments, and many other things of this kind, derived from an apostolical discipline and tradition, whereby both the majesty of so great a sacrifice might be recommended, and the minds of the faithful be excited, by those visible signs of religion and piety, to the contemplation of those most sublime things which are hidden in this sacrifice. Source; Council of Trent - 22nd Session

I think, in the context of Traditionalism, we are rejecting the Novus Ordo primarily not because of what they have inserted, but what they (Bugnini et al) have removed from the Mass. Specifically, all of the items listed in the Chapter 5.

Notes:
1. I am speaking about the Novus Ordo as promulgated, not necessarily practiced throughout the world (read: abuses etc)
2. The Church is protected by indefectibility from promulgating a rite/discipline that is directly against the faith. Ambiguities abound but the Novus Ordo does not explicitly deny any dogma of the Faith.

Keeping in mind that the synod of bishops rejected the normative mass that was presented to them.

My conclusion is that:

1. Trads do not incur the censure since they are resisting that exclusion of the rites etc mentioned in Chapter 5.
2. The Church is protected from implementing a rite/discipline that is positively bad - meaning against the faith. Taking the cue from Cardinal Ottaviani when he wrote that the NOM removes barriers to heresy. This is not the same thing as being explicitly heretical.

P^3

Comments

Morning and Evening and other sundry Prayers

+ JMJ Along the theme of P^3 (Prayer, Penance, Patience), and for my own reference ... here is a collection of Morning and Evening prayers from the Ideal Daily Missal along with some additional prayers. In this crisis of the Church, I do not think it is possible to do too much prayer, penance and have patience. P^3

SSPX and the Resistance - A Comparison Of Ecclesiology

Shining the light of Church Teaching on the doctrinal positions of the SSPX and the Resistance. Principles are guides used to aid in decision making. It stands to reason that bad principles will lead to bad decisions. The recent interactions between Rome and the SSPX has challenged a number of closely held cultural assumptions of people in both sides of the disagreement. This has resulted in cultural skirmishes in both Rome and the SSPX. Since it is the smaller of the two, the skirmishes have been more evident within the SSPX. The cultural fault-line that Bishop Fellay crossed appears to be linked to two points of Catholic Doctrine: Ecclesiology and Obedience. The cultural difference of view points is strong enough that it has resulted in the expulsion of a number of members. It should also be noted that some other priests expelled since the beginning of the latest interactions (starting in 2000) held the same view points and have joined with the l...

A Look Back: A short history of the SSPX

+ JMJ I started a timeline a while back but never finished it. Fortunately, here's one that brings us up to 1994!!! P^3 http://archives.sspx.org/SSPX_FAQs/a_short_history_of_the_sspx-part-1.htm A short history of the SSPX A presentation given by Fr. Ramon Angles in Kansas City, MO, on the 25th Anniversary of the founding of the SSPX and reprinted from the January 1996 issue of The Angelus . Part 1 The history of the Society of St. Pius X begins, of course, in the mind of God. But do not believe that its temporal origin is to be found solely at the time of the post-conciliar crisis. The Society of St. Pius X was made possible ...

Regarding Post: Fr. Joseph Pfeiffer no longer ... now Bishop Joseph Pfeiffer (Can't see this being a problem...)

+ JMJ I've been watching the popularity of the post about Fr. Pfeiffer's attempted episcopal consecration and its continued top listing on the 'popular posts' list at the bottom of posts. After some thought, I decided that I don't want to be responsible for anyone joining Fr. Pfeiffer's 'group', however unlikely that would be at this time. So I have reverted the article to the draft state. If anyone wants it reinstated, I would ask that they comment on this post with a rationale for reinstatement. P^3

Opportunities Hide Inside Crises

+ JMJ A crisis (from the Greek κρίσις - krisis; [1] plural: "crises"; adjectival form : " critical ") is any event that is going (or is expected) to lead to an unstable and dangerous situation affecting an individual , group , community , or whole society . Crises are deemed to be negative changes in the security , economic , political , societal , or environmental affairs , especially when they occur abruptly, with little or no warning . More loosely, it is a term meaning "a testing time" or an " emergency event". ( Wikipedia ) While thousands will be sick and die, in the face of eternity we need to be more concerned about the crisis that darkens souls with sin. In other words, we need to fear more the one who can 'kill' the soul, than the body. We each have an obligation to work for the salvation of souls based on their relationship with us. The closer the relationship the stronger the obligation. Obviously, it starts with ou...

Tradicat

Search This Blog