Sixth Sunday after Pentecost
“I have compassion upon
the multitudes” (Mk. 8:2).
I have been reflecting
upon the recent events surrounding the consecration of new bishops by the
Society of St. Pius X. It grieves me profoundly that they have chosen to take
this drastic step into schism. Our Lord's
compassion extends not only to those who hunger for bread, but also to those who
wander from the unity He established in His Church.
My love for the
traditional Roman liturgy is neither recent nor superficial. I understand its
beauty, its reverence, and the profound spiritual nourishment it has provided
countless faithful throughout the centuries. Yet love for the traditional
liturgy can never be separated from love for the Church that has faithfully
preserved and handed it down. The sacred liturgy belongs to the Church; it is
not the possession of any movement or society, however sincerely devoted they
may believe themselves to be.
One cannot preserve
Catholic Tradition by severing oneself from the principle of unity Christ
Himself established. The Barque of Peter has weathered storms far greater than
those of our own age, and while individual occupants may fail, the divine
constitution of the Church remains unchanged.
My own perspective is
perhaps somewhat different because I entered the Catholic Church at the age of
twenty, by the merciful grace of Almighty God, after seeking the truth. Shortly
thereafter, encouraged by my parish priest, I entered the minor seminary to
begin formation for the holy priesthood.
Coming into the Catholic
Church as I did from the Anglo-Catholic tradition, the ancient Roman rite spoke
deeply to my soul. Its solemnity, its unmistakable God-centeredness, and its
continuity with the centuries of Catholic worship captivated me immediately. My
appreciation for the traditional liturgy was born not from ideology or
reaction, but from genuine love for the treasures of the Church.
When Archbishop Marcel
Lefebvre illicitly consecrated four bishops in 1988, I was only two years away
from my ordination to the priesthood. The events of July 1, 2026, were an act
of profound, self-inflicted rupture. Rather than moving toward reconciliation,
the Society has placed itself—and those who follow them—into schism.
The beauty of the
ancient liturgy, precious though it is, must never become an occasion for
separation from the Church herself. Our Lord did not promise indefectibility to
a liturgical form, a particular movement, or even to individual bishops. He
promised it to His Church, built upon Peter and his successors.
Love for the Holy Father
must be accompanied by filial obedience. Such obedience is an act of faith in
Christ's own promise that the gates of hell shall not prevail against His
Church. Throughout history, saints have endured confusion, poor leadership,
persecution, and even scandal within the Church without abandoning communion
with Peter.
Pride is the great
deceiver. It disguises itself as zeal, courage, or even fidelity, while quietly
leading souls away from the humility that lies at the heart of authentic
holiness. In the end, obedience rooted in humility is a far safer guide than
conviction rooted in self-assurance.
May Our Lady, the August Queen of Heaven, preserve all of us from the subtle snares of pride, self-will, and spiritual blindness. And may she lead us ever more faithfully to her Divine Son, so that, persevering in the unity of His Holy Catholic Church, we may one day come to behold the Beatific Vision of God and rejoice with all the saints in His eternal kingdom.