Skip to main content

How far does the Apple fall from the Tree? Fr. Pfeiffer as the Apple and Bishop Williamson as the Tree. - The Sequel

+
JMJ

Earlier I had commented on an article on the Four Marks that allegedly reflected Fr. Pfeiffer's thoughts and opinions on the Four Marks of the Church.

I had concluded that his opinions were inconsistent with the teachings of the Catholic Church.

A friend of mine has taken the time to review one of the source "youtube" videos upon which the Recusant article was based.   As background here's the Church Teaching on the Four Marks.

My friend's core observations were that:
  1. Father Pfeiffer fails to teach the true meaning of the Marks, and adds other elements giving the impression that they are truly parts of the Marks of the Church. 
  2. He briefly mentions, sotta voce, that Apostolicity includes the Church going back to the apostles,  then states that the other half is that "the Church want's to spread to the whole world." 

I've already noticed that 'resistors', such as Tony La Rosa (example) of the Toronto 'resistance', when faced with a doctrinal deviation (ie heresy) of the 'resistance' won't answer the challenge. The problem is that resistors appear to have given up rational thought in defense of their opinions (see cognitive dissonance and the End of the World Again).  As such when confronted with a real deviation of a serious matter, instead of answering the challenge directly - they ignore it and offer up some excuse (usually lame).

Here's some clear thinking: 
  • If Fr. Pfeiffer really said these things (thanks to YouTube we know he did), we can safely conclude that he believes them.
  • The beliefs contained in the words are objectively contrary to or obfuscate Church Teaching on the Four Marks.  Both of these are degrees of heresy
  • Conclusions:
    • Fr. Pfeiffer cannot be trusted as a guardian of the Catholic Faith as he is following Luther in re-imagining it to suit his own perception of reality.
    • By extension the 'resistance' associates (priests, bishops) adhere to an erroneous notion of the nature of the Church and Church Teaching.  This is supported by the writings of other 'resistance' leaders.
    • The 'resistance' is following its own path, not the one laid out by Archbishop Lefebvre
    • The 'resistance' is not working for the restoration of the Church, they are working for themselves. They have no obedience.
After that here's a thought for the resistance:
Matthew 7:5. Thou hypocrite, cast out first the beam out of thy own eye, and then shalt thou see to cast out the mote out of thy brother's eye.
What is the Beam in the eyes of the 'resistance'?

Simply this: The abandonment of Catholic Dogma, Doctrine and Principles.  They've abandoned them and are blinded without them. They have become what they abhor, Traditionalist Modernists.

Once they embrace all of Catholic Teaching, not just the bits they like, they will then realize that the 'resistance' is nothing more than sede-vacantists with a paper Pope.

Then they will face a harder decision, what to do next.

I pray they make the right decision.

P^3

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

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...

Comparison of the Tridentine, Cranmer and Novus Ordo Masses

+ JMJ I downloaded the comparison that was linked in the previous article on the mass (here) . ... a very good reference! P^3 From: Whispers of Restoration (available at this link) . CHARTING LITURGICAL CHANGE Comparing the 1962 Ordinary of the Roman Mass to changes made during the Anglican Schism; Compared in turn to changes adopted in the creation of Pope Paul VI’s Mass in 1969 The chart on the reverse is a concise comparison of certain ritual differences between three historical rites for the celebration of the Catholic Mass Vetus Ordo: “Old Order,” the Roman Rite of Mass as contained in the 1962 Missal, often referred to as the “Traditional Latin Mass.”The Ordinary of this Mass is that of Pope St. Pius V (1570) following the Council of Trent (1545-63), hence the occasional moniker “Tridentine Mass.” However, Trent only consolidated and codified the Roman Rite already in use at that time; its essential form dates to Pope St. Gregory the Great (+604), in whose time the R...

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

America Magazine: Why liturgy is not a space for self-expression

 + JMJ Introduction I subscribed to Jesuit Review America Magazine in order to improve my perspective on the crisis of the Church. At first, I found that I had a hard time reading through the articles that caught my attention.  Actually, at best, I didn't get further than a few sentences.  Mostly due to demands on what time I have left on this Good Earth. Then a title caught my eye in a latest article ... someone is saying that the Liturgy is not a space for self-expression.  Then there's the Performative Piety?  What does this mean? What is Performative Piety? I had a sense that "Performative Piety" is the practice of making external acts of piety to be seen by others and Matthew 6:1 (link) confirms this thought. Let's break down the Knox translation: Be sure you do not perform your acts of piety before men ,  for them to watch ;  if you do that,  you have no title to a reward from your Father who is in heaven. If you stopped after the first ph...

Magisterium and Levels of Assent

+ JMJ Understanding the levels of assent to be given to the teachings of the Church is a critical success factor in walking the knife's edge during this crisis of the Church.  The levels of assent are generally associated with the theological grades of certainty, which are not surprisingly mirrored by the censures for contravening the teachings of the various levels.