Wednesday, July 11, 2012
And So the Ordinariate Begins, in Iowa...
On Monday, I had a very long conversation with Fr. Chori Seraiah. He has asked me to start making contact with regard to the Ordinariate and the mission that he is starting.
He would like to get a sense of how many people would be interested in assisting at his Mass. He is not asking for a firm commitment, but rather something more exploratory.
Let's not forget that this is a completely new endeavor within the Church and it is something which is truly grass roots. I know of a couple of families who are already interested, but I would be remiss if I didn't approach the Traditional Catholics in Iowa group. There is something inherently Catholic about what the Ordinariate is doing and it starts with the faithful.
While it is a different look at being Catholic, it is Catholic and it is traditional. One of the big advantages to the Ordinariate is that it is insulated to a large degree from the Modernist tendencies of today's Novus Ordo liturgies. Also, the theological attitude is very traditional.
So, right now I'm trying to gauge interest. I know that there are a few who are interested, but Father would like to see who else might be. I can do my best to answer any questions which might arise, as I've already asked a lot to Father and he's answered them for me, but if there is something I can't answer, I'll certainly take it to him and get a response ASAP!
If there are questions, please put them into the combox and I will address them there. Thanks!!!
He would like to get a sense of how many people would be interested in assisting at his Mass. He is not asking for a firm commitment, but rather something more exploratory.
Let's not forget that this is a completely new endeavor within the Church and it is something which is truly grass roots. I know of a couple of families who are already interested, but I would be remiss if I didn't approach the Traditional Catholics in Iowa group. There is something inherently Catholic about what the Ordinariate is doing and it starts with the faithful.
While it is a different look at being Catholic, it is Catholic and it is traditional. One of the big advantages to the Ordinariate is that it is insulated to a large degree from the Modernist tendencies of today's Novus Ordo liturgies. Also, the theological attitude is very traditional.
So, right now I'm trying to gauge interest. I know that there are a few who are interested, but Father would like to see who else might be. I can do my best to answer any questions which might arise, as I've already asked a lot to Father and he's answered them for me, but if there is something I can't answer, I'll certainly take it to him and get a response ASAP!
If there are questions, please put them into the combox and I will address them there. Thanks!!!
Tuesday, July 10, 2012
The Speck or the Plank...??
Matthew 7:1-5:
Sometimes in life we must look not just at what Sacred Scripture says, but also why and how. When we feel slighted or hurt, this is often the passage from the Sermon on the Mount which is brought out. I know that my aunt was famous for this, as was my grandmother. What we must realize though, is that this passage works both ways. While we might feel slighted by another, we must be EXTREMELY careful not to confuse right action with righteous indignation. I know that I am guilty of that from time to time. I know that it can certainly be a dangerous trap to fall into, because I've fallen into and I've watched family and friends fall into the same trap.
Yes, there are things which offend the senses. Yes, there are actions which offend the person. We are fallen people and we do not have a monopoly on what is right and what is wrong. However, to bring forth Sacred Scripture and apply it where it is not necessarily applicable is not in anyone's best judgment. And what normally follows is an explosion of pride. Something along the lines of, "Well, I can't be wrong...so and so is wrong." "I was offended because of X."
When in all reality, if one does a TRUE examination of his own conscience, he will find that his actions leading up to the event are just as caustic and detrimental as any other. As time passes, we must realize that we are human. We must realize that we do make mistakes. We must realize that one of the greatest gifts that God gives is the ability to forgive. He forgives through Penance. We forgive through our own selfless action and attributes toward others.
Like I said, my grandmother was notorious for using this line when she felt slighted. But does she have the right, based upon the two-way nature of what Christ is saying to follow through on that. Or should she have trusted that it would be neither her or the person she felt slighted who would remove the splinter/plank, but rather that it would be God.
A little later on in Chapter 7, Christ says and St. Matthew follows;
On both sides of this coin we find that the only One who we should be attributing the words to as far as judgment is Christ. However, the forgiveness is to be given and freely accepted by all, who offer it and receive it. Please understand, we are not the purveyors of judgment and justice, Christ Jesus is. We are merely partakers. We don't judge. We don't presume to judge. We presume to do what is necessary to love, honor and respect our fellow man, REGARDLESS of our personal feelings of slightedness. If God forgives and gives absolution for the most serious and the most petty sin, then should we not do the same?
[1] Judge not, that you may not be judged, [2] For with what judgment you judge, you shall be judged: and with what measure you mete, it shall be measured to you again. [3] And why seest thou the mote that is in thy brother's eye; and seest not the beam that is in thy own eye? [4] Or how sayest thou to thy brother: Let me cast the mote out of thy eye; and behold a beam is in thy own eye? [5] Thou hypocrite, cast out first the beam in thy own eye, and then shalt thou see to cast out the mote out of thy brother's eye.
Sometimes in life we must look not just at what Sacred Scripture says, but also why and how. When we feel slighted or hurt, this is often the passage from the Sermon on the Mount which is brought out. I know that my aunt was famous for this, as was my grandmother. What we must realize though, is that this passage works both ways. While we might feel slighted by another, we must be EXTREMELY careful not to confuse right action with righteous indignation. I know that I am guilty of that from time to time. I know that it can certainly be a dangerous trap to fall into, because I've fallen into and I've watched family and friends fall into the same trap.
Yes, there are things which offend the senses. Yes, there are actions which offend the person. We are fallen people and we do not have a monopoly on what is right and what is wrong. However, to bring forth Sacred Scripture and apply it where it is not necessarily applicable is not in anyone's best judgment. And what normally follows is an explosion of pride. Something along the lines of, "Well, I can't be wrong...so and so is wrong." "I was offended because of X."
When in all reality, if one does a TRUE examination of his own conscience, he will find that his actions leading up to the event are just as caustic and detrimental as any other. As time passes, we must realize that we are human. We must realize that we do make mistakes. We must realize that one of the greatest gifts that God gives is the ability to forgive. He forgives through Penance. We forgive through our own selfless action and attributes toward others.
Like I said, my grandmother was notorious for using this line when she felt slighted. But does she have the right, based upon the two-way nature of what Christ is saying to follow through on that. Or should she have trusted that it would be neither her or the person she felt slighted who would remove the splinter/plank, but rather that it would be God.
A little later on in Chapter 7, Christ says and St. Matthew follows;
[26] And every one that heareth these my words, and doth them not, shall be like a foolish man that built his house upon the sand, [27] And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and they beat upon that house, and it fell, and great was the fall thereof. [28] And it came to pass when Jesus had fully ended these words, the people were in admiration at his doctrine. [29] For he was teaching them as one having power, and not as the scribes and Pharisees.
On both sides of this coin we find that the only One who we should be attributing the words to as far as judgment is Christ. However, the forgiveness is to be given and freely accepted by all, who offer it and receive it. Please understand, we are not the purveyors of judgment and justice, Christ Jesus is. We are merely partakers. We don't judge. We don't presume to judge. We presume to do what is necessary to love, honor and respect our fellow man, REGARDLESS of our personal feelings of slightedness. If God forgives and gives absolution for the most serious and the most petty sin, then should we not do the same?
Cardinal Burke Speaks!
That pretty much sums it all up, now doesn't it? Not too much to add. His Eminence nails it.
An Ordinariate First Mass, For One and For Many...
Yesterday, I had the distinct pleasure of assisting at the first Holy Mass of Fr. Chori Seraiah, of the Ordinariate of the Chair of St. Peter. I've had some time to reflect upon it and I have a few thoughts, which I would like to share.
First, I want to say that I think that Fr. Seraiah's celebration of the Mass is extremely reverent and extremely noble. There are few priests I know who are more attuned to what they do, as was Fr. Seraiah. That is a gift and I am very grateful that his attention to the celebration of Holy Mass is taken so very seriously.
Next, I would like to speak to the ceremony itself. It was a Said Mass (low Mass), with one server. As I was speaking with Fr. Seraiah last night, I became increasingly aware that the Mass he said was Catholic. It wasn't Latin Rite Catholic, it didn't have that feel to it, but it was Catholic. Much like how the Byzantine's are Catholic. It has it's own reality and it's own traditions attached to them, but as with many things which have come down through Holy Mother Church, when validity and licitness are applied to it, it takes on a Catholic quality.
It wasn't the easiest thing for me to wrap my head around, but once I started reflecting upon it, I thought of how the early Church adapted basilicas and pagan feasts and Jewish traditions into her bosom. This is yet another adaptation or better yet acceptance of that reality which has existed from all time. Will it take time to get used to? Of course, but looking at it through the lens of the Church from within, as opposed to seeing it from without, there is something Catholic about it. Of course, the liturgy that I witnessed yesterday has been celebrated, in a Catholic way for over 30 years, as part of the pastoral provision.
Next, I was taken aback by the profound respect that was given the Blessed Sacrament. While there are some peculiarities I don't personally care for, the manner of respect with which the Blessed Sacrament is expected to treated is astounding, especially in today's Church. One may receive in the hand, however, he does not self-communicate. He is not allowed to touch the host, but rather he must carry the host resting in his hand to his mouth and receive in that manner. While I personally don't receive Holy Communion in that manner, I can certainly see that this form of reception is far more acceptable than that which is practiced in 99% of churches today. Another area which I find to be interesting is that if one chooses to receive from the chalice, he does so in a passive way. There is nothing active in his reception of the Precious Blood. And those are but options. One may always receive the Sacred Host on his tongue and not receive the Precious Blood. But the constancy through that is that the Communicant receives kneeling. There is no standing.
Next, I can see where and how the Mass can be celebrated with all pomp and circumstance of a TLM Solemn Mass. It is not a stretch and it is not a far move. Clearly, the Mass, just like the Latin Rite Mass, is intended to be sung and it is intended to be High. Many will say, oh don't get hung up on the ceremony. That is something which will come. I say, no. Do get hung up on the ceremony. For it is the fullness of the ceremony which will draw people in. It may not be feasable in the first few months, but it should be done as soon as possible. Why? It is the ceremony which draws the senses of the faithful into the liturgical action of the celebrant. The most ceremony allows the senses to see, hear, touch, taste and smell. That is the draw to the liturgical action. That is what has been missing since Vatican Council II and the reforms after. That is what this liturgy can bring to physical, which has been missing.
Speaking theologically, I can see the use of the Roman Canon. I can see the absolute importance of the altar. I an see the importance of "bringing the Gospel" to the faithful. All of these things speak theologically to the Anglican Use. I will expound upon these elements in later posts, but I just wanted to take this time to give a very new view of a first Mass, not only for Fr. Seraiah, but also for the Des Moines area and for Holy Mother Church.
God is indeed, good.
First, I want to say that I think that Fr. Seraiah's celebration of the Mass is extremely reverent and extremely noble. There are few priests I know who are more attuned to what they do, as was Fr. Seraiah. That is a gift and I am very grateful that his attention to the celebration of Holy Mass is taken so very seriously.
Next, I would like to speak to the ceremony itself. It was a Said Mass (low Mass), with one server. As I was speaking with Fr. Seraiah last night, I became increasingly aware that the Mass he said was Catholic. It wasn't Latin Rite Catholic, it didn't have that feel to it, but it was Catholic. Much like how the Byzantine's are Catholic. It has it's own reality and it's own traditions attached to them, but as with many things which have come down through Holy Mother Church, when validity and licitness are applied to it, it takes on a Catholic quality.
It wasn't the easiest thing for me to wrap my head around, but once I started reflecting upon it, I thought of how the early Church adapted basilicas and pagan feasts and Jewish traditions into her bosom. This is yet another adaptation or better yet acceptance of that reality which has existed from all time. Will it take time to get used to? Of course, but looking at it through the lens of the Church from within, as opposed to seeing it from without, there is something Catholic about it. Of course, the liturgy that I witnessed yesterday has been celebrated, in a Catholic way for over 30 years, as part of the pastoral provision.
Next, I was taken aback by the profound respect that was given the Blessed Sacrament. While there are some peculiarities I don't personally care for, the manner of respect with which the Blessed Sacrament is expected to treated is astounding, especially in today's Church. One may receive in the hand, however, he does not self-communicate. He is not allowed to touch the host, but rather he must carry the host resting in his hand to his mouth and receive in that manner. While I personally don't receive Holy Communion in that manner, I can certainly see that this form of reception is far more acceptable than that which is practiced in 99% of churches today. Another area which I find to be interesting is that if one chooses to receive from the chalice, he does so in a passive way. There is nothing active in his reception of the Precious Blood. And those are but options. One may always receive the Sacred Host on his tongue and not receive the Precious Blood. But the constancy through that is that the Communicant receives kneeling. There is no standing.
Next, I can see where and how the Mass can be celebrated with all pomp and circumstance of a TLM Solemn Mass. It is not a stretch and it is not a far move. Clearly, the Mass, just like the Latin Rite Mass, is intended to be sung and it is intended to be High. Many will say, oh don't get hung up on the ceremony. That is something which will come. I say, no. Do get hung up on the ceremony. For it is the fullness of the ceremony which will draw people in. It may not be feasable in the first few months, but it should be done as soon as possible. Why? It is the ceremony which draws the senses of the faithful into the liturgical action of the celebrant. The most ceremony allows the senses to see, hear, touch, taste and smell. That is the draw to the liturgical action. That is what has been missing since Vatican Council II and the reforms after. That is what this liturgy can bring to physical, which has been missing.
Speaking theologically, I can see the use of the Roman Canon. I can see the absolute importance of the altar. I an see the importance of "bringing the Gospel" to the faithful. All of these things speak theologically to the Anglican Use. I will expound upon these elements in later posts, but I just wanted to take this time to give a very new view of a first Mass, not only for Fr. Seraiah, but also for the Des Moines area and for Holy Mother Church.
God is indeed, good.
Friday, July 6, 2012
Ordinariate News.
This weekend, Deacon Chori Seraiah will be ordained to the priesthood. I've been mentioning this for the last few months. This is a great happening in the Church today and something that is very rare indeed. It isn't often that we get to assist at an ordination of a married man who was a clergyman in an ecclesial communion not in union with Rome.
I was reading recently several homilies of recent ordinands within the Ordinariate. I would like to share this homily with you, so you can reflect prior to Deacon Seraiah's ordination. I will be posting that homily as soon as I get it.
There is something to be gained from this. Please take the time to reflect upon it. I think that as Deacon Seraiah embarks upon his vocation, he will be well served by knowing that he is on a journey, but this is just the first step. This is when his soul is marked. But Deacon Seraiah shouldn't just rest once his ordination is complete, he needs to keep going.
I was reading recently several homilies of recent ordinands within the Ordinariate. I would like to share this homily with you, so you can reflect prior to Deacon Seraiah's ordination. I will be posting that homily as soon as I get it.
Ordination Homily...Source
for Fathers Charles Hough III, Charles Hough IV,
Christopher Stainbrook, Joshua Whitfield, Mark Cannaday,
and Timothy Perkins
St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Church
Keller, Texas
June 30, 2012
Dear Charles, Charles, Christopher, Mark, Joshua, and Timothy,
We gather today from near and far to celebrate your ordination as Roman Catholic Priests, and we all do this with great joy from wherever we have come. As the Jewish people, when they would approach the sacred space of Jerusalem and the Temple would joyfully pray the “Psalms of Ascent”, we also joyfully join our voices in a grand chorus of praise to God “Praising God to the Holiest in the Heights” as we approach this sacred space and sacred time. And, as you will shortly say “I do...I do...and I do, with the help of God” there is a chorus of voices that surround you this day that have led you here. They are: The Word of God that you have chosen for this day - this Feast day [The First Martyrs of the Church of Rome], the voices of your Anglo-Catholic formation, family and friends who have helped you to hear this call, and I might add, from the “Communion of Saints,” the voices of those from the past but still from Eternity, sing to us this great day! And St. Augustine would say “Let us now sing, but keep going!”
Let us turn first to the Book of Lamentations, the first reading for this day. At first glance one may wonder why this would be used on a day of priestly ordination, given its history and origin, dating from the destruction of the Temple and Jerusalem. Yet, it is the reading for the Mass of the day, and you have chosen it. It also echoes, it seems, a pilgrimage of Faith that each of you all made, from times of an uncertain destination (the “where, when, and how” of it all) to a destination and journey far beyond in which all at once the light of God illuminated the path and opened the door; the light of Christ which St. Paul speaks about in the second reading for this day!
Toward the end of the Book of Lamentations for today, we find the words “pour out your heart like water in the presence of the Lord; Lift up your hands to Him.” As we all lift up our hands to the Lord this day, in thanksgiving and praise, let us imagine this praise being joined by two voices from Eternity, from the Communion of the Saints, in a manner of the antiphonal chanting of the Psalms with one voice answering the other: St. Elizabeth Ann Seton and Blessed John Henry Newman! These witnesses of the Faith share the Anglo-Catholic heritage which your Ordination as priests, along with your communities, bring now into much sharper focus for the whole Body of Christ! This will be clearly evident in a few minutes when we pray the prayer of Basil Cardinal Hume, in gratitude for your history and formation as Anglo-Catholics!
I have had the chance over the years to visit St. Peter’s Church on Barclay Street in New York, where St. Elizabeth Ann Seton was received into the Church. One day, upon approaching St. Peter’s, she said: “A day of days for me, Amabilia. I have been—where? To the Church of St. Peter with the cross on the top instead of a weather-cock (that is mischievous)—but I mean I have been to what is called here among so many churches the Catholic Church. When I turned to the corner of the street it is in, ‘Here, my God, I go,’ said I ‘my heart all to you.’ Entering it, how the heart died away, as it were, in silence before the little tabernacle and the great Crucifixion over it. ‘Ah, my God, let me rest,’ said I—and down the head on the bosom and the knees on the bench.” [From Mrs. Seton, by Fr. Joseph I Dirvin, CM, Farrar, Straus and Giroux, Inc. 1975]
From this personal experience, a personal echo of Lamentations, another voice now answers in return from eternity, that of Blessed John Henry Newman. His own experience of Lamentations, when he was still at St. Mary’s in Oxford in May of 1843 speaks to us: “At present I fear, as far as I can analyze my own convictions, I consider the Roman Catholic Communion to be the Church of the Apostles, and that what grace is among us (which, through God’s mercy, is not little) is extraordinary, and from the overflowing of His dispensation…My office or charge at St. Mary’s is not a mere state, but a continual energy. People assume and assert certain things of me in consequence. With what sort of sincerity can I obey the Bishop? How am I to act in the frequent cases, in which one way or another the Church of Rome comes into consideration?” AND FINALLY, “By retaining St. Mary’s, I am an offense and a stumbling block.”
Dear brothers, your lives, your prayer, and your discernment over these past years, not only find a resonance in the sacred history in the Book of Lamentations, but also in the words and lives of these two great figures enrolled among the Saints and Blesseds, whose history reflects in many ways your own. You, like they, having “Poured out your heart like water in the presence of the Lord,” and have been led by the providential care of the Lord to this great day of rejoicing!
There is also, however, turning to the Gospel for this day, another echo for your lives. Like the centurion, who asked for his daughter to be healed, you will hear the Lord’s words not only for the centurion, but for yourselves, now and into your future ministry: “It shall be done to you because you have trusted.” And because you have trusted, the next words you speak will be your “I DOs” to the Lord in your Ordination as Roman Catholic Priests.
You are being called to priestly ministry in the Catholic Church in which your role as a witness is very much needed. The first Martyrs of the Church of Rome, whose feast day we celebrate today, stand with you to call you forward in this mission: a task of being a credible witness to the essential nature of ecclesial communion in Christ, and a witness to the words of the same Christ who says in another place “You shall know the Truth and the Truth shall set you free.” Indeed, you are being called to the priesthood in an era in which the freedom to proclaim and live the truth is being threatened. Your voices and ministry are essential to the freedom of the Church in the proclamation of this mission.
There is one more voice, one more place that sings to us this day: Canterbury! St. Anselm of Canterbury (1033-1109) said “That I may seek you desiring you, that I may desire you seeking you, that I may find you loving you, and that loving you I may find you again (cf. Proslogion, 1).”
That would be another voice, then, that joins our chorus of praise today for you and for the whole Church, who together with the great St. Augustine says one more time “Sing then, but keep going.”
AMEN.
There is something to be gained from this. Please take the time to reflect upon it. I think that as Deacon Seraiah embarks upon his vocation, he will be well served by knowing that he is on a journey, but this is just the first step. This is when his soul is marked. But Deacon Seraiah shouldn't just rest once his ordination is complete, he needs to keep going.
Thursday, July 5, 2012
Breathe...We All Need to Breathe....
Over the last week or so, we've all been subject to a bevy of emotions. We've had highs, thinking that the HHS Mandate was going to be overturned. We've had lows, when we realized that Roberts apparently didn't vote the way we wanted him to vote. We've had ups, with the apparent reconciliation with the SSPX, we've had downs, with the leaks that the SSPX are not going to accept.
I was listening to the radio on my drive home from Des Moines last night. As I was listening, I was listening to this commentator go on and on about how bad the state of things are right now. Something washed over me and that the conservative pundits are buying into the hype. I wonder what would happen if they just didn't. I wonder what would happen if the conservative pundits didn't yell that the sky is falling every time the liberals did something? I know that it would make for boring radio, but seriously, I think that we as a society would be in a better place.
Oh, they will tell you that they are "reporting" things as they see it, but in actuality, they are just as reactionary as the most liberal think tank.
What if rather than finding fault with all that Romney does, they extolled him for the good that he does? What if rather than finding fault with all that Palin does, they extolled her for the good that she has done? What if rather than finding fault with George W. Bush, they extolled him for the good that he did? I wonder how the liberals would react to that? I don't think that they would react very well, but I do think that the conservatives would be in a better place.
Why is it that we must spell gloom and doom? Why is it that we should fear for our very lives and buy into the hype that "the sky is falling?" What if we simply didn't buy into it? What if we looked at the Roberts issue as one where he exposed Obama as a liar and a cheat. What if we looked at Roberts not as a new champion of the liberal left, but as an exposer of the liberal left's idiotic positions? What if we didn't look at the SSPX through the lens of the media which leaks private documents, which invariably are incomplete, but rather waited for Fellay to actually say something?
We live in a time of sensationalism, why? Because we have too many access points to too many things. What we don't have is patience. We don't look at the big picture. Our response to the HHS Mandate should be to call and write our Congressmen and Senators and let them know that this is unacceptable. If we want a change in the executive branch, vote in someone new. And we should not look at the Supreme Courts as legislators of law, but rather judging on whether something is viable as a law.
The more and more I research the ruling Roberts made, the more and more I think that he may be the fox in the hen house. I am really starting to believe that he has ruined Obama's chances to be re-elected. The more and more I think about the SSPX issue, the more and more I think that reconciliation will happen. Look at what the SSPX has fostered: A complete reversal of the attitude toward the TLM. A growing understanding that Vatican Council II was not a "super-Council" filled with "super-dogma." There are a number of other areas which they have affected too....
Bottom line, conservatives need to stop being Chicken Little. We need to stand up, take a positive look at where we are and realize that we can win. If Romney is elected President, we will most likely pull the Senate our way. If the Holy Father REALLY wants the SSPX reconciled, it won't matter if Weakland is the Prefect of the CDF, it will happen.
Stop being reactionary...every election since Reagan has been the most important election since Abraham Lincoln. And that is just reactionary. Plain and simple.
I was listening to the radio on my drive home from Des Moines last night. As I was listening, I was listening to this commentator go on and on about how bad the state of things are right now. Something washed over me and that the conservative pundits are buying into the hype. I wonder what would happen if they just didn't. I wonder what would happen if the conservative pundits didn't yell that the sky is falling every time the liberals did something? I know that it would make for boring radio, but seriously, I think that we as a society would be in a better place.
Oh, they will tell you that they are "reporting" things as they see it, but in actuality, they are just as reactionary as the most liberal think tank.
What if rather than finding fault with all that Romney does, they extolled him for the good that he does? What if rather than finding fault with all that Palin does, they extolled her for the good that she has done? What if rather than finding fault with George W. Bush, they extolled him for the good that he did? I wonder how the liberals would react to that? I don't think that they would react very well, but I do think that the conservatives would be in a better place.
Why is it that we must spell gloom and doom? Why is it that we should fear for our very lives and buy into the hype that "the sky is falling?" What if we simply didn't buy into it? What if we looked at the Roberts issue as one where he exposed Obama as a liar and a cheat. What if we looked at Roberts not as a new champion of the liberal left, but as an exposer of the liberal left's idiotic positions? What if we didn't look at the SSPX through the lens of the media which leaks private documents, which invariably are incomplete, but rather waited for Fellay to actually say something?
We live in a time of sensationalism, why? Because we have too many access points to too many things. What we don't have is patience. We don't look at the big picture. Our response to the HHS Mandate should be to call and write our Congressmen and Senators and let them know that this is unacceptable. If we want a change in the executive branch, vote in someone new. And we should not look at the Supreme Courts as legislators of law, but rather judging on whether something is viable as a law.
The more and more I research the ruling Roberts made, the more and more I think that he may be the fox in the hen house. I am really starting to believe that he has ruined Obama's chances to be re-elected. The more and more I think about the SSPX issue, the more and more I think that reconciliation will happen. Look at what the SSPX has fostered: A complete reversal of the attitude toward the TLM. A growing understanding that Vatican Council II was not a "super-Council" filled with "super-dogma." There are a number of other areas which they have affected too....
Bottom line, conservatives need to stop being Chicken Little. We need to stand up, take a positive look at where we are and realize that we can win. If Romney is elected President, we will most likely pull the Senate our way. If the Holy Father REALLY wants the SSPX reconciled, it won't matter if Weakland is the Prefect of the CDF, it will happen.
Stop being reactionary...every election since Reagan has been the most important election since Abraham Lincoln. And that is just reactionary. Plain and simple.
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