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Dear Fathers
It has been reported that not all members of your community are in full communion with Rome. This saddened me and I will be grateful if you will comment.
David O'Neill
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Dear David
All the members of our community are indeed in full communion with the Holy See and are subject to the Pontifical Commission Ecclesia Dei.
At the time of our reconciliation, 18 June 2008, and for some time afterwards, we lost several members who would not take the step of reconciliation with us, but these, our separated brethren, could not now be numbered amongst the members of this community of The Sons of the Most Holy Redeemer.
In this we are reminded of the words of Our Lord: Do not think that I came to send peace upon earth: I came not to send peace, but the sword. For I came to set a man at variance against his father etc. (Mt. 10:35)
It would be a great grace to have had the reconciliation of our entire community as it was at that time. That seldom happens.
Reconciliation is painful for those who make it and for those who, for whatever reason, will not make it.
In conclusion, if it were not for the obligation of being submitted to Peter, humanly speaking, nobody would make a reconciliation since the price is very, very high. But, by God's grace it has been made now; and by that reconciliation, the lines were clearly drawn; the sword of division cut in such a way that it left our community thoroughly united, one, submitted to Peter, in Full Communion with Rome and the Church.
By God's Grace and the Perseverance won for us by Our Lady, we peacefully maintain this inner and ecclesial unity.
The cost was high; the smarting is over with; we have been given new life by Our Lord and we rejoice in it. 'Behold how good and how pleasant where brethren dwell in unity' (Ps. 132).
Fr. Michael Mary
23 September, 2011
15 comments:
Beautifully said, Fr. Michael Mary. Thank you for this.
David
I agree with David. You explained that with patience and humilty. God Bless
Agreed; beautifully said Father Michael Mary!
... the sword of division cut in such a way that it left our community thoroughly united ...
Is this not the way
that Christ-love cuts
off the grasping hand,
scoops out the offending eye,
makes us lame to the
world and whole-
ly His.
To Andrew Blake: Thank you for pointing that out!
Father Michael Mary, I've refined my poem and dedicated it to you:
http://anointedruins.wordpress.com/2011/09/24/a-reconciliation/
David
Thank you Father Michael Mary. I needed your clarification as a rumour had begun regarding the status of your community. I shall ensure that all who ask are given your words.
AMDG
thank you Father for this great answer.
We look forward to our good SSPX brethren being regularised very soon, since many of us go to their Masses and confessions and it would be a salutory thing to have the fullness of graces from their sacraments.
Thank you Father for your charity and obedience to Truth!
@ Cruise the Groove
We look forward to our good SSPX brethren being regularised very soon, since many of us go to their Masses and confessions."
I wouldn't go to confession to them if I were you. Once you know that they don't have faculties (and you say yourself that they need to be regularised), your confession is invalid. Think about it. Is it worth gambling your eternal salvation on?
"I wouldn't go to confession to them if I were you. Once you know that they don't have faculties"
I do not go to confession to SSPX priests.
I should have been more clear with my post, I meant "many of us" as in many of us who repair to SSPX Masses as our only access to the TLM.
Us meaning my fellow Catholics.
And are we really 100% positive that the Society cannot validly absolve sins?
Even Fr Clement Mary of the New Zealand FSSR has told me that Ecclesia Supplet works for SSPX confessions.
And are we really 100% positive that the Society cannot validly absolve sins?
If we're not 100% positive that they CAN, then our fellow Catholics should stay away from FSSPX confessionals.
David
David,
We cannot be 100% sure that priests have the right Intention as they offer Mass.
We need to know for sure.
The Pontifical Commission Ecclesia Dei is quite sure that attendance at SSPX Masses is ok and that a modest donation to the collection is also ok. It also declares in favour of the validity of SSPX marriages. Since it approves these things while saying nothing contrary about SSPX confessions, then we must assume that the Church considers SSPX confessions to be valid. Otherwise there would be a great dereliction of duty on the part of the Holy See, for it is obvious that those who go to SSPX chapels for Mass are quite likely to go to SSPX priests for confession before Mass.
I am sure Fr. Michael Mary would agree with this conclusion since he and the priests of his community heard confessions in SSPX chapels for years. To state otherwise would be to admit to countless false absolutions and who knows how many resultant sacrilegious Communions.
I do wish lay people would refrain from making judgments on the validity or otherwise of the Sacraments when the Church herself has not declared in the matter.
I consider that there is a huge difference in the sspx situation after the Motu proprio of 7 July 2007.
The Holy Father said on 10 March 2009: In order to make this clear once again: until the doctrinal questions are clarified, the Society has no canonical status in the Church, and its ministers – even though they have been freed of the ecclesiastical penalty – do not legitimately exercise any ministry in the Church.
The Vatican Press Office Director, Fr. Federico Lombardi reaffirmed the March 2009 statement made by Pope Benedict XVI: "As long as the Society does not have a canonical status in the Church, its ministers do not exercise legitimate ministries in the Church...Until the doctrinal questions are clarified, the Society has no canonical status in the Church, and its ministers...do not legitimately exercise any ministry in the Church."
(7 May 2011 -SSPX Ordinations illegal)
I think that the word is out, from the Pope himself, that the SSPX ministry at this stage is illegitimate.
This understood, briefly put, nobody should go to the SSPX for Confession unless in danger of death. However, those who are ignorant of the Pope's judgment and believe that the SSPX priests had faculties would come under the supplied jurisdiction of the Church; but as soon as you are aware that they do not have a ministry in the Church how could you go to such a priest and expect that he can exercise a ministry of the Church for you? He can't.
This thread is far removed from the clarification I made for Mr. O'Neill. Let us rather forget the arguments, accept the word of the Pope and act on it and pray for the resolution of the SSPX doctrinal difficulties.
In haste
Fr. Michael Mary
@ Oliver
50 Deus in adjutorium's will be said for you.
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