Lack of Prudence of the Children of Light
Aug 7, 2019 10:05:04 GMT
Post by Admin on Aug 7, 2019 10:05:04 GMT
Lack of Prudence of the Children of Light
Adapted [and translated via Google Translate] from Non Possumus - wherein the admonitions of the Dominican, Fr. Albert Weiss in 1906 are applied to the present situation in the Church and the SSPX, taken from his book, Apology of Christianity.
Alberto María Weiss OP, wrote in 1906, his famous "Apology of Christianity" . In that work there is a chapter entitled: "Lack of Prudence of the Children of Light . " This text is published, in turn, in a work of the BAC well known by the Spanish-speaking traditionalist priests: "Verbum Vitae - The Word of Christ", by Mons. Ángel Herrera Oria (year 1955, t. VI, p. 647 -648).
Mons. Herrera says: "Weiss's great apology is what happens to all the masterpieces, which, although they refer to the problems of their time, have permanent approaches and solutions." Indeed, Fr. Weiss accurately points out the spiritual causes of the crisis that was approaching in the early twentieth century, which exploded in the fateful Second Vatican Council, and in whose thick darkness we are immersed to the present. As little is said about the causes of the spiritual nature that led us to this temporary defeat, we will give, in this sermon, some quotes from that text of Fr. Weiss (most of the times extracted and adapted). And when you hear them, do not think only of the crisis of the universal Church, but also think of the crisis that broke out in 2012 in the SSPX. The spiritual causes of both are, basically, the same.
The present situation is sad, and the future is bleak. Note that Fr. Weiss writes in 1906, in the reign of St. Pius X. The Father sees how liberalism extends throughout the world and also, despite the efforts of the anti-liberals led by the Holy Pope, within [the] Church. If Priests had been heard as Fr. Weiss, the liberals would never have been able to take over the Church.
As a consequence, a deep malaise has invaded everything. Only two kinds of people are free of it: the liberals and the unconscious who enjoy their comfort in peace. Outside of them, nobody has to say that the current state of things cannot be sustained. Some blame clergy and Christianity. Others make it fall on the enemies of faith and the Church. But what would help us improve the entire world if we always carry in ourselves the germs of new evils? Simple prudence demands that we direct all our efforts on this side. The righteous begin by accusing himself, says the Holy Spirit (Prov 18, 17). And in fact, in analogous circumstances, the righteous have acted like this when it became necessary to improve the situation: "How much you have done with us is just" (Dan 3:27).
As we see, Fr. Weiss does not focus on the enemies of the Church, but on the same men of the Church, explaining in what lies the imprudence of the good, of the Catholics, of the children of the light.
Mons. Herrera says: "Weiss's great apology is what happens to all the masterpieces, which, although they refer to the problems of their time, have permanent approaches and solutions." Indeed, Fr. Weiss accurately points out the spiritual causes of the crisis that was approaching in the early twentieth century, which exploded in the fateful Second Vatican Council, and in whose thick darkness we are immersed to the present. As little is said about the causes of the spiritual nature that led us to this temporary defeat, we will give, in this sermon, some quotes from that text of Fr. Weiss (most of the times extracted and adapted). And when you hear them, do not think only of the crisis of the universal Church, but also think of the crisis that broke out in 2012 in the SSPX. The spiritual causes of both are, basically, the same.
The present situation is sad, and the future is bleak. Note that Fr. Weiss writes in 1906, in the reign of St. Pius X. The Father sees how liberalism extends throughout the world and also, despite the efforts of the anti-liberals led by the Holy Pope, within [the] Church. If Priests had been heard as Fr. Weiss, the liberals would never have been able to take over the Church.
As a consequence, a deep malaise has invaded everything. Only two kinds of people are free of it: the liberals and the unconscious who enjoy their comfort in peace. Outside of them, nobody has to say that the current state of things cannot be sustained. Some blame clergy and Christianity. Others make it fall on the enemies of faith and the Church. But what would help us improve the entire world if we always carry in ourselves the germs of new evils? Simple prudence demands that we direct all our efforts on this side. The righteous begin by accusing himself, says the Holy Spirit (Prov 18, 17). And in fact, in analogous circumstances, the righteous have acted like this when it became necessary to improve the situation: "How much you have done with us is just" (Dan 3:27).
As we see, Fr. Weiss does not focus on the enemies of the Church, but on the same men of the Church, explaining in what lies the imprudence of the good, of the Catholics, of the children of the light.
Two things we are forced to accept if we want to be
true disciples of the Savior, two things that were not saved either to
the Son of God: hatred and persecution. Only with this condition will we be sure of getting respect for the world and invincible inner energy . To summarize in a few words the cause of our weakness: our faith does not rest on strong convictions and our way of acting is not quite supernatural. Mediocrity, shyness, indecision , are currently greater than in the other crises that the Church went through .
Fear of contradiction and struggle, the judgments of the world, the force of the inclination to comfort. It is believed to be able to advance something by pleasant means, negotiations, withdrawals , being so that daily it is lost.
We want to ensure, at least personally, our own rest, our own honor, our own advantages, even when it is detrimental to the good cause.
There is an immense number of mediocre people. Everywhere the enemy scatters tares among the wheat. The way to defend the Church and the means used for it are frequently copied from those of the world.
Little is thought about personal self-denial and perfection. There is a lack of spirit of prayer, and priests are seen in worldly entertainment and entertainment. The excuse is to have access to those who do not attend the Church and give the world the opportunity to show that they are not as rude and obscure as they are ordinarily considered. Pure illusion
The contempt of the life of prayer and mortification and participation in the amusements and futilities of the world are characteristic notes of modern civilization.
[For the sake of brevity, only a few of the pictures posed on NP are included below.]
true disciples of the Savior, two things that were not saved either to
the Son of God: hatred and persecution. Only with this condition will we be sure of getting respect for the world and invincible inner energy . To summarize in a few words the cause of our weakness: our faith does not rest on strong convictions and our way of acting is not quite supernatural. Mediocrity, shyness, indecision , are currently greater than in the other crises that the Church went through .
Fear of contradiction and struggle, the judgments of the world, the force of the inclination to comfort. It is believed to be able to advance something by pleasant means, negotiations, withdrawals , being so that daily it is lost.
We want to ensure, at least personally, our own rest, our own honor, our own advantages, even when it is detrimental to the good cause.
There is an immense number of mediocre people. Everywhere the enemy scatters tares among the wheat. The way to defend the Church and the means used for it are frequently copied from those of the world.
Little is thought about personal self-denial and perfection. There is a lack of spirit of prayer, and priests are seen in worldly entertainment and entertainment. The excuse is to have access to those who do not attend the Church and give the world the opportunity to show that they are not as rude and obscure as they are ordinarily considered. Pure illusion
The contempt of the life of prayer and mortification and participation in the amusements and futilities of the world are characteristic notes of modern civilization.
[For the sake of brevity, only a few of the pictures posed on NP are included below.]
Our great misfortune comes from our lack, ignorance, deformation and denial of the supernatural. We should think and act in an entirely supernatural way , or, as the Scripture says, in the Spirit (Gal 5:16), in a heavenly way (Phil 3:20), divine (Col 1:10; 1 Thess 2:12). We should live in Jesus Christ (Rom 13:14), Jesus Christ should live in us (Gal 2, 20). The Savior himself taught us the way and the means to get there: deny himself, carry the cross, imitate Jesus Christ (Mt 16, 24; 10, 38).
A modern seer (AC Emmerich) says in a remarkable passage: “That church of the world is full of mud and darkness. That anti-church that doesn't have a single religious mystery. His dangerous side is his apparent innocence. Its adherents want and do everywhere the opposite of what God wants. Everyone agrees to do without Jesus Christ. Are we still wondering if we can go with them? Do not! Impossible.
Who does not understand that the pressing needs of the present and the future impose much higher demands on us than before, will be infallibly crushed by the wheel of time . Yes, times have changed: they have become of exceptional gravity. There is no longer room for mediocrity and comfort. He who does not want to perish on these difficult days should not act halfway.
There are few who can solve it, and that is why there are also very few who understand these times and do what is necessary. Those who truly live the spirit of Christianity and think and feel with the Church, understand what the age demands. Too bad they are so few. But, the lower their number, the more vigorously they must work and raise their voice to cry out to anyone who wants to hear: what in the present hour imposes the total separation of the world, the joyful love of the cross, the sincere imitation of Jesus Christ, the efforts to reach perfection and even the highest holiness.
In conclusion, Fr. Weiss writes: Faced with this unfortunate situation, there is only one means of salvation: a formal and decisive break with the spirit of the world. The whole world is submerged in evil. There is no possible peace with him, unless he abandons the cause of God. If this was always true, it is doubly at present.
And because he did not break resolutely with the world, there was the most terrible crisis that the Church has ever gone through, that awful night that lasts until today. In that one does not break decisively with the spirit of the world is, according to Fr. Weiss, the determinant of the “imprudence of the children of the light.”
Not only men like Fr. Weiss warned us: how many times, in these 100 years, have seminarians and priests heard these words of the "Imitation of Christ" (in the SSPX and in other congregations a passage from Kempis is read every day in the refectory): Look that everything consists of the Cross, and everything is to die in it; and there is no other way for life and for true peace but that of the Holy Cross and continuing mortification. And yet, the imprudence of the children of light has made this great truth a thousand times heard be despised, silenced in practice, forgotten; and hence the temporary victory of the children of darkness that we witness.
The Virgin Mary!
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Summary in English:
We have heard these words of Our Lord Jesus Christ in today's Gospel: The children of this age are more prudent in their affairs than the children of light .
There is a famous book called "Apology for Christianity," written by Fr. Antonio María Weiss OP more than a century ago. What he says is totally relevant today. If such priests had been listened, the liberals would never had been able to take over the Church.
The present situation is sad, and bleak is the future, he says, because he sees how liberalism tends, at the beginning of the 20th century, to spread its poison in the whole world and in the Church also.
The Priest speaks of a recklessness of the good, the Catholics, the children of light: Two things we are forced to accept if we want to be true disciples of the Savior, two things that were not avoided to the Son of God: hatred and persecution. However, hatred and persecution are feared because our faith does not rest on solid convictions and our way of acting is not supernatural enough. Vatican II said: Enough of hatred and persecution in the world, enough of suffering and religious wars: embrace with love the enemies of God. The attempt of a traitor agreement between the Society of St. Pius X and apostate Rome is in the same spirit.
Quote: “Mediocrity, timidity, indecision, are now greater than in the other crises of the Church. The contradiction, the struggle, the judgments of the world are feared. It is believed that it is possible to advance by agreeable means, negotiations, withdrawals, with the result that there is a loss on a daily basis. ”
“Little thought is given to self-denial and perfection. Our great misfortune comes from our ignorance, deformation, denial and lack of the supernatural. We should live in Jesus Christ, Jesus Christ should live in us. ”
Are those impossible dreams, pious illusions of Fr. Weiss? No. “The very Savior , he says, taught us the way and the means to reach that point: the self-denial, to carry the cross, to imitate Jesus Christ.
As a conclusion, Fr. Weiss writes: “before this unfortunate situation, there is only one path of salvation: a resolute rupture with the spirit of the world . The entire world is immersed in evil. There is no possibility of peace, unless to abandon God's cause. There is no longer room for mediocrity. He, who does not want to perish in these difficult days, should not act half-heartedly. ”
Because there was no rupture with the world, but rather the opposite: building bridges between the Church and the world; the most terrible crisis in the history of humanity ensued, within whose depth darkness we are today.
“Few people - quote- understand what the epoch demands. Too bad they are so few. However, the less their number, the more vigorously they must act and raise their voice to cry out to anyone who wants to hear: What is needed in the present hour is the total separation of the world, the joyful love of the cross, the sincere imitation of Jesus Christ, the efforts to reach perfection and even the highest holiness. ”
What Father Weiss calls "imprudence of the children of light" is not to break resolutely with the spirit of the world. The lack of prudence of the children of the light caused that the great truth of the necessity of that breakup be despised, silenced and forgotten; and hence the advance of the children of darkness.
Dear faithful: May the Lord makes us truly wise the rest of our life. May He engrave with fire in our hearts and make alive in each one of us these words of Our Lord: “ If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me” .
[Emphasis - The Catacombs]
