On Wednesday I met up with several of my Facebook friends at St Magnus, and also (curiously I thought) one of the Followers of my blog, who didn't realise that I was me, and said later that I looked rather like a clergyman. Not quite sure what to make of that, but there we are. Later on we had a rather interesting discussion about obedience...now this is a very touchy matter, especially on this blog, but I had told my friend Ex Fide that my father had accused me of ''turning Protestant'', and had forbidden me from going to St Magnus (although not for Protestant reasons, but others). Naturally I rendered as much obeisance to this ruling as I do to the Pope in matters pertaining to good Liturgy...I simply ignored it, and went anyway. I think my week would have been considerably less memorable if I had just stayed home and gone to bed early. What do you think?
Obedience in all things except sin...or good taste?
Good taste does not get you into Heaven
ReplyDelete"I think there is nothing to do but pray, for the Church, the Vicar of Christ, and for ourselves; and meanwhile to exercise the virtue of loyalty, ***which indeed only becomes a virtue when one is under pressure to desert it.***"
ReplyDeleteJ.R.R. Tolkien
Consider gravely these words from the patron of your blog, Patricius.
Right well I need this after the day I've had - blogger can't perform even the simplest of tasks.
ReplyDeleteI'll try again.
Auricularis, neither does simply believing a set of doctrines get one into Heaven. I hardly think that belief in the invalidity of Anglican Orders is the great shibboleth. St Magnus at least looks and feels like a church, and has layers and history, and excellent Liturgy. This is more than can be said of 99% of Roman Catholic churches, where the likelihood is, if you were brave or stupid enough to attend Sunday Mass in one of them, you would leave halfway through in complete disgust - are these the marks of the ''true'' church? Methinks that God looks beyond the boundaries set by the Roman Church.
James Card, I was not unaware of the quote - indeed I am well acquainted with The Letters of J.R.R Tolkien (and indeed some unpublished material also - I was curious to read for the first time last year a letter Tolkien wrote to his son in 1956, in which he said: ''God won't be dictated to by high ecclesiastics whom He Himself has appointed''...1956, curious year to have said something like this). However I think there is a world of difference between good faith in the Roman Church (whilst, say, being personally scandalized by the personal lives of the Pope, one's local bishop or even parish priest) and being led astray by blind guides and whited sepulchres (as Our Lord saith of the Pharisees and Doctors of the Law). I'm afraid I have no faith left in the Roman Church in matters liturgical; I have thrown the towel in after a long-defeat - with my faith in the Roman Church battling against my own reason, my beliefs warring against my friends etc. I'm afraid the last 450 years of Popish monopoly over the Sacred Liturgy, and other innovations (masquerading as sound ''developments'' in externals) belie the Roman claims to be the ''True'' church. Tolkien could not come to this conclusion for very personal reasons, which I will not do him the dishonour of unravelling here.
Perhaps another Tolkien quote could sum up my feelings here:
''The West has failed. It is time for all to depart who would not be slaves.'' (The Lord of the Rings, Book V, Chapter VII).
Spoken by Denethor. I suggest you heed Gandalf's reply:
ReplyDelete"Such counsels will make the Enemy's victory certain indeed."
I shall ask Tolkien to intercede for you, that you may hold fast to the Church. As bad as it looks inside the Barque of Peter, consider that it may not be as hospitable outside as it appears.
God knows, Patricius, I agree with you on much of what you say. I am as pained as you are about the state of the Church. But you have to remember that all the troubles of the Church are not on your shoulders. They can and will be shouldered by Christ, who shall have the final victory that will surely follow the long defeat.
So relax and do your part by becoming a saint, inculcating the virtues and showing others what a Christ-filled Catholic can be. If you learn anything from Tolkien or the Lord of the Rings, it should be *despair not*.
Patricius,
ReplyDeleteI was wondering, what is so special about Saint Magnus Church to you?