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February 2002
Dear Faithful,
As we begin
the Lenten season let me quote from an encyclical letter of
Pope Benedict XIV dated May 30, 1741 to the bishops of the
Catholic world, expressing his heartfelt grief at seeing the
great relaxation of the Lenten discipline in his day. "The
observance of Lent is the very badge of the Christian warfare.
By it we prove ourselves not to the enemies of the cross of
Christ. By it we avert the scourges of divine justice. By
it we gain strength against the princes of darkness, for it
shields us with heavenly help. Should mankind grow remiss
in their observance of Lent, it would be a detriment to God's
glory, a disgrace to the Catholic religion, and a danger to
Christian souls. Neither can it be doubted that such negligence
would become the source of misery to the world, of public
calamity, and of private woe."
And Dom Guéranger
adds in his Liturgical Year: “And must there not result
from this ever-growing spirit of immortification, a general
effeminacy of character, which will lead, at last, to frightful
social disorders. The sad predictions of Pope Benedict XIV
are but too truly verified. Those nations, among whose people
the spirit and practice of penance are extinct, are heaping
against themselves the wrath of God, and provoking His justice
to destroy them by one or other of these scourges—civil discord,
or conquest… The word of God is unmistakable: unless we do
penance, we shall perish. But if our ease-loving and sensual
generation were to return, like the Ninivites, to the long
neglected way of penance and expiation, who knows but that
the arm of God, which already raised to strike us, may give
us blessing and not chastisement?”
Lent is above all a time of conversion
therefore a time of penance. You cannot have one without the
other. Conversion consists in the return of the soul to God
and three good works which produce it: prayer, fasting and
alms deeds. Penance consists in contrition of soul and mortification
of the body. The soul has sinned and the body cooperated
in the sin. Therefore both must expiate the offences. The
soul does it by a “spiritual fast” which consists in renouncing
sin and its occasions as well as the vanities of the world,
the body by physical fasting. But we learn in the gospel
of the Friday after Ash Wednesday that fasting from food is
not pleasing to almighty God without this spiritual fast.
As a matter of fact the aim of physical fasting is to help
with the turning away from sin. This is what is called conversion
and it is the essential element of Lent: to arrive at Easter
Sunday morning transformed, more Christ-like. It is not just
en exercise in losing weight!
During Lent our main effort should
de directed toward fleeing from sin and its occasions, correcting
our bad habits and the acquiring of the virtues proper to
out state. So our penance should first be directed to this
end. Never mind your TV, the Internet, movies (which you
should not attend anyway), newspapers etc., make efforts to
be more patient, forgiving, obedient, honest. Also more time
should be given to prayer: assistance at daily Mass when possible,
more fidelity to the daily Rosary, the daily Stations of the
Cross, meditation, a retreat. A good confession should be
prepared, even a general confession especially if one was
never made. Add daily spiritual reading, daily examination
of conscience and now your getting somewhere!
Having said this, it would be
delusion on our part to attempt or pretend a conversion without
mortification of the body. Bodily mortification is a sign
and a proof of our repentance, it is the sign we mean what
we say in our prayers. Too easily we forget our past sins,
our weaknesses, and our debt to Divine Justice. We think that
all we need do is go to confession and all is well. This is
why the Church reminds us that God “by fasting of the body
dost curb our vices, elevate our minds and bestow virtue and
reward.” [1] “Be not without fear about sins forgiven”
[2] for as Dom Guéranger says: “Our confidence
of our having been forgiven should be in proportion to the
change or conversion of our heart; the greater our present
detestation of our past sins and the more earnest our desire
to do penance for them for the rest of our lives, the better
founded is our confidence that they have been pardoned.”
[3] Fasting and abstinence from meat are very
much in the spirit of the Church. In any case do some serious
penance. Remember that if we do not do it now we will have
to do it later in purgatory. God know we need it, penance
has to be made for all the scandals especially Assisi, New
Masses and all irreverences towards the Blessed Sacrament,
the profanation of Sundays, bad confessions, abortions, contraception,
not to mention our own sins.
Alms deeds include all the works
of mercy toward our neighbour: alms to the poor, visit of
the sick and elderly. When done for God and not merely as
an act of human kindness, is raised to the level of an act
of religion, an act of love of God himself who’s divine justice
is appeased. “Water quencheth a flaming fire, and alms
resisteth sins”
[4] “Prayer is good with fasting and alms,
more than to lay up treasures of gold: for alms delivereth
from death, and the same is that which purgest away sins and
maketh to find mercy and life everlasting.” [5] Be generous.
A few word about Campos. No
doubt you have heard by now that the priests of Campos, Bishop
de Castro Mayer’s former diocese have “returned” to Rome.
I will not repeat all that has been written about it. Please
read Bishop Williamson’s last letter. What is difficult to
understand is why they did it. They have gained nothing,
received absolutely no liturgical or disciplinary guarantee
from Rome whatever. They have completely and unconditionally
surrendered. Here is what is in store for them and what Rome
is planning for us. It comes from Father George Cottier,
none other than the theologian of the Papal Household, so
he must know what is going on. Here is what he said in an
interview to Zenit the Vatican’s Internet news site, on January 20, 2002 and it is very interesting.
“John Paul II's decision to
allow a formerly schismatic fraternity to celebrate Mass according
to the St. Pius V rite should not be seen as a setback for
Vatican Council II… Following Lefebvre's schism, permission
was granted to St. Peter's Fraternity to maintain this tradition
alive...
“There is much more behind Lefebvre's
schism: There is the rejection of the Council, of ecumenism,
of the principle of religious freedom --a global rejection
of which the liturgy was only the flag…
“Since the rupture [in 1988] until today,
other followers of his have already returned to full communion
with the Catholic Church. However, the principal condition
has always been the full recognition of the authority of Vatican
Council II. And this is what the principal group, the one
of Ecône, has never accepted up until now.
“Many Lefebvrists maintain that
"our" Paul VI Mass is not valid
[6] . At least now this group will not be able
to think such a thing. Little by little we must expect other
steps: for example, that they also participate in concelebrations
in the reformed rite. However, we must not be in a hurry.
What is important is that in their hearts there no longer
be rejection. Communion found again in the Church has an internal
dynamism of its own that will mature. And Fr Cottier
concludes that with last Friday's action, the implementation
of the Council certainly has taken a step forward.
If some of you still wonder why the SSPX has not made
an agreement with Rome wonder no more. The Romans have
not changed, they know what they want and they are not deviating
one iota. They cannot be trusted. It is very clear: they
want us to accept Vatican II, the New Mass, ecumenism, the
principle of religious freedom. This is what it takes to return
to “full communion” with them.
Oh yes as it was pointed out
to me, when he was “reconciled” Mgr Rangel was named titular
bishop of Zarna, which is the ancient Carthage. We all know
what the Romans did to Carthage… they completely destroyed
it.
Have a fruitful and profitable
Lent. As usual the monthly Mass for all our friends and benefactors
is on the last Sunday of the month.
With my blessing,
Father Jean Violette
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