Dangers of Latching onto Heroes instead of Principles

JMJ

Here's the pattern:

Knowledgeable person discovers Traditional Catholicism,
They say the 'right' things affirming Traditional Catholic beliefs,
Traditional Catholics latch onto this 'Traditional Catholic Personality',
'Traditional Catholic Personality' deviates in some way,
Traditional Catholics have a variety of responses to the 'deviation'.

Point 5 is where things get interesting in the 'variety' of responses. If the Traditional Catholics don't have a firm basis in their spiritual life and understanding of Catholic Principles - they will be lead by the nose wherever the personality goes.

Examples of this are legion in the history of Traditional Catholicism.

To name a couple we have:

Gerry Matatix,
Michael Voris.

Gerry Matatix made a rainbow transition from protestant to sedevacantist.

Michael Voris made a transition from fallen away Catholic to staunch protector of irrationality. Case in point is his policies to:

Not criticise the Pope under any circumstances (absurd with Pope Francis).
The SSPX must be in schism because PSJP2 said so (even though the 'schismatic act' was ficticious).

I understand that it is nice to have your point of view affirmed by someone outside the 'club'. Which is why Traditional Catholics will hang on every word uttered by 'conservative' (Read: Cardinal Burke) and 'Traditional' prelates (Read: Bishop Schneider).

But what if they make a misstep?

Are they worth following because of a sentimental attachment?

The answer is no. If a person deviates from Catholic Principles, the path they are following does not lead to God and Heaven, it leads to the Devil and Hell.

So what's the lesson?

Don't get attached to 'personalities', get attached to Catholic Principles and then follow them.

If some Catholic Personality, happens to acting along the same lines, then they're in good company.

P^3

Comments

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...

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

Church Militant TV and the SSPX - Again

+ JMJ The old narrative used to be that the SSPX was 'schismatic' and 'excommunicated'. Now the excommunication has been lifted for a number of years and the only ones who think it still has effect are the 'resistors'. That leaves the other opponents of the SSPX with the label 'schismatic'. Make it clear, the conservative Catholics have issues with the SSPX probably because they violate some of their assumptions about the Faith and this crisis of the Church. Church Militant TV is one of these the exists along the Catholic thought spectrum. They like the Traditional Mass but must ensure that they don't get tarred with the same 'schismatic' brush that the liberals use against the SSPX. So what do they do, they use the same brush against the SSPX. The funny thing is that even when the Church does speak, they don't want to listen and persist in calling the SSPX 'schismatic'. Here's a transcript of the latest s...

The Curious Case of Steve Skojec and the Dangers of Deep Diving into the Crisis Sub-Titled: The Failings of Others

+ JMJ It's been a while now since Steve Skojec sold 1P5 and abandoned the Catholic Faith. I've been a 'Trad' since 1982 and in those 40+ years I seen this death-spiral before with a similar end point. It seems that anyone who jumps into the fray unprepared for the enormous task of righting wrongs will, eventually, become discouraged by not the task but the people who surround them. I remember when Skojec complained of the treatment his family received from a traditional priest. This seems to have been the start of the end for him. So what can we learn from the likes of Steve Skojec, Michael Voris (maybe?), Louie Verrecchio, Gerry Matatix and other celebrity Catholics? Probably quite a lot about what not to do. First, don't burn out on the crisis? When you burn out, on work or anything else, little things assume a more greater importance than they are due. This is one of my 'canary in the coal mine' signals that I've been stretching myself too th...

The Position of the SSPX on Canonizations by the Saint Factory

+ JMJ I have sometimes been criticized for including 'St' as a title for Pope John Paul II et al. I've given my reasons here in a discussion with Alex Long. The question is one of prudence in discussions with ntCatholics and in some cases with tCatholics. In discussions with: ntCatholics, I will use the title in order to continue the discussion and help them arrive at a realistic understanding of the crisis of the Church. tCatholics, I will use the title in order to broaden their perspective on the doctrine of dogmatic facts. This broader perspective is, in my opinion, essential maintaining a realistic understanding of the crisis of the Church. So from a doctrinal position, I have written the article Dogmatic Fact of Fancy and includes a reference on canonizations. Now, I know the position of the SSPX is that the canonizations are doubtful (see references below) and I also know of at least one non-SSPX theologian who agrees with the level of doubt du...

Tradicat

Search This Blog