By FR. KEVIN M. CUSICK
If you want to see how rich and varied is the human family, spend some time in Rome on a bustling Wednesday morning when the Pope, if he is in town, holds the weekly general audience. The Udienza Generale is the opportunity for anyone from anywhere, and everywhere, to see the Pope while visiting the Eternal City.
Rich and poor, high and low, all nationalities and many different religions stream from all over the city to crowd into St. Peter’s Square (which is in reality circular) to catch a glimpse, no matter how brief, of the widely acknowledged leader of world Christianity.
Those with faith, and without, seek to touch the supernatural on Earth by crowding themselves into those thronging the esplanade below Michelangelo’s dome, rising high above the 2,000-year-old tomb of a simple fisherman from Galilee.
Christ plucked the first Pope from obscurity among his brothers to be the one who strengthens all the rest. He does the same today through Francis and all his Successors in a living and tangible sign for all of mankind.
God became man and walked and taught among us. But His work was not meant to end with His death and Resurrection. Thus He founded His Church. Through the man who continues Peter’s ministry today, the world encounters a sign from God who “desires that all men be saved and come to the knowledge of the Truth” which is Jesus Christ. A living sign for a living God.
Yes, the Pope is the Bishop of Rome and the Successor of Peter, and thus a sign and source of unity for the universal flock of Christ. But the mystery of the Church is always bigger than any of us can imagine. Many souls, unknown to others, die in the state of grace every day because of the Church through which all graces come.
Many practice the faith. It is edifying to see the variety of those who wake early and struggle through the annoyance of crowds, heat, and other penances, to catch a glimpse of Peter’s Successor in Rome. Some clutch their breviaries or rosaries, a sign of the Church at prayer. Among the many ways to pray we include the most ancient as well as the modern forms of Vatican II.
The Traditional Mass movement is growing. Once you go trad you never go back. And it is bringing new life to my, and to other, parishes. There is, however, a dark side.
Maureen Mullarkey in The Federalist reacted to Auguste Meyrat in the same publication reacting to a somewhat alarmist homily by Fr. Chad Ripperger. And they’re all supporting the Traditional Mass, or so they say. “Love one another” is the best way to attract others to Christ, whether He is found in the old Mass or the new.
Traditional and other Catholics all suffer from the same problem: concupiscence, in the Catholic theological meaning. They all face the same challenges to faith and all struggle to remain in the state of grace. Very few reach the greatest heights of sanctity in this life.
I write this week from Rome where our group of pilgrims has returned from visiting various shrines and saints: Francis and Clare, Rita, Clare of the Cross, Philomena, St. Pio. They suffered greatly in order to grow in holiness.
Padre Pio’s life is an especially compelling example of the price of conformity to Christ, called by the Father as He was to suffer the ignominious death on the cross. Pio suffered the stigmata for 50 years, after a brief earlier period when it disappeared shortly after appearing.
Padre Pio suffered more spiritually than physically, though in a way more dramatic than to that which the vast majority of mankind is called, and thus his insights into bearing that suffering are compelling in their power to help each of us. He did not become puffed up because of the gift of the stigmata. No, he bore the shame of being thought a fraud and an imposter, for a time forbidden to celebrate Mass publicly or to hear Confessions. The Lord did not shield him from buffets and spitting any more than He fled them Himself.
The power of sanctity in Christ attracts others because of its undeniable oneness with Christ. Padre Pio knew the spirituality of the Traditional Mass which he offered daily. The frequent Confessions, the humble kindness, the warm humanity and the friendliness of Catholics who frequent the Traditional Mass attract a wide variety of souls just as he did.
In our parish the very humble and simple attend together with those more socially acclimated or educated.
Fr. Ripperger has a laundry list of complaints made against traditional Catholics, that is, those who regularly attend the Mass as offered before the changes after 1962.
He says they can be elitist and Gnostic. But they are in fact among the kindest, most humble and generous people I know. Especially with those who may be intimidated by or unfamiliar with the antique rite.
Fr. Ripperger also claims that traditional Catholics are too sheltered. If current social trends are teaching us anything, it should be that our children should be sheltered from the filth that passes for fads and socialization today. Traditional families are more likely to home school. Because their children are socialized in a realistic manner, not artificially corralled with a group the same age for many hours each day, they are in fact better adjusted and do quite well when they move on to college or other pursuits.
Auguste Meyrat says traditional Catholics “need to get better at loving their neighbors.” One cannot give what one does not have. One thing traditional Catholics get right is that they know they must get their own house in order before instructing or helping others. Just as on a plane, when in the safety briefing passengers are instructed to put on their own gas mask in case of emergency before assisting their child, so too in life and faith. The best way of loving others begins with loving oneself enough to grow strong in faith and Christian witness.
Meyrat thinks traditional Catholics need to get out more. Most traditional parents don’t have socialization problems: Their growing families are little monasteries with plenty of socialization to spare among siblings, the best gift a parent can give to a child.
Pope Francis reminds us that attraction is the best evangelization. Traditional families are doing this very well. Many are drawn to their example and friendship and enjoy spending time with them both at Mass and, in the case of my own parish, an extended lunch at the hall afterward every Sunday.
Fellowship, or friendship, is found where we make ourselves available to others in an unhurried way. Sunday is the appropriate day for this kind of slowing down to be with others. Traditional Catholics will grow their apostolates as they dedicate themselves to offering such an opportunity that Christ Himself taught by His own example.
Thank you for reading and praised be Jesus Christ, now and forever.
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