From Sola Scriptura to Sola Missae Tradendae?

[Aurelio]

Hello!

It was in early May 2001 that yours truly and maybe 30 + other fellows got yanked out of our chairs at the first official day of a Society of Saint Pius X retreat.

For me it was my second one with the Society.

While I’d already known this particular priest for some time, I hadn’t known his varied expertise, which included warming up the crowd with that old timey all-male banana-peel humour, until all of a sudden, it was wham!

“If someone were to ask you what is the single most essential thing for your eternal salvation, how many of you would answer, Sanctifying Grace?”

A former hot-shot outboard motor mechanic, he had a warm, engaging California grin and a sort of laid-back attitude.

OK!

I’m sure we all knew we were making the biggest mistake of our lives, but as I recall each and everyone of us bravely rose to the challenge, raised our hands and declared one and all that Sanctifying Grace was the way to go.

“You’re all wrong!” He shouted and laughed at the same time. “And your answer tells me you are all guilty of being at least Semi-Pelagions!”

[Whoever those unlucky guys were! ]

He then went on to describe Actual Grace and its **absolutely essential role **in our salvation, etc., which most anyone reading this forum has long since learned, or have we?

Because, well, looking back all these years I’ve noticed a disturbing trend, one that continues today:

“We ARE the Remnant selected by Grace for the end of times,” or some such thing. Even well-meaning bloggers use it as a motto.

Thus: “It’s either MY Mass, or I go to NO Mass!”

And for many of us (including myself more than once, believe me!) the Catholic religion was – and for many I suspect still is – a question of:

“Well, I reckon if I drive 150 miles (or whatever) to a REAL Mass, maybe that’ s o.k. – and it’s still o.k. even if THAT priest is a no show three weeks in a row, etc – so as a result (since I don’t want to go to one of THOSE Masses) I go have breakfast at the nearest diner instead.”

Why?

“'Cause as a member of that stalwart Remant Selected by Grace” (or whatever) “great powers are automatically given to ME, like wow! --* I’m my very own pope*!”

“**I **get to decide how I’ll be saved!”

Tell you what, while that young Society of St. Pius X priest may not have intended his beginning ice breaker to eventually spin out the way it did, I just glad I was there and accepted the longterm challenge.

To finally act on it two years plus three weeks later…

See ya!

Aurelio:thumbsup:

 

[gorman64]

Could you speak in less cryptic language…I don’t have any idea what you are attempting to say here.

 

[Aurelio]

Hello, Gorman64!

In answer to your comment, you bet!

And here it is:

1. Some folks act like they sincerely believe that Salvation comes from Scripture ONLY (sola).
2. Some folks act like they sincerely believe that Salvation comes from attendance at the Tridentine Latin Mass (whenever available) ONLY (sola).

Conclusion: neither extreme is particularly healthy.

But!

Both extremes are sincere, no doubt about it…

Thanks,

Aurelio:thumbsup:

 

[dbacks5439]

So, do you think that sanctifying grace saves, or actual grace?

 

[Aurelio]

Yo, dbacks5439!

Both!

Of course!

But!

As this same St. Pius X Society priest warned: if we don’t feel like even getting up the morning, much less saying even a synopsis of our morning prayers, then what?

I realize a lot of good people will be shocked by the following, but as another Pius X Society priest put to me once upon a time in the confessional:

"Please remember. You can skip your daily prays so many times and maybe it’s not even so much as a venial sin., o.k.?

“However, if, for whatever reason, you give them up for the rest of your life, guess what? You’re going to hell for all eternity.”

So, which grace gives me that *poke in the back * sensation so many of us get when we even start to get lazy?

Thanks for the (name removed by moderator)ut!

Aurelio:thumbsup:

 

[Hesychios]

Hello everyone,
Are these people (SSPX types perhaps) tending toward Jansenism? I don’t believe in painting a whole class with a broad brush, but I am interested in the trends. I am just a curious outsider.

Michael

 

[Aurelio]

Howdy, Hesychios!

Sorry, buddy, that’s a topic that’s permanently off-limits to the Aurelios of this world.

I know from last year it is a guaranteed thread-killer.

In this country, The Society of St. Pius X has terrific clout, believe it or not.

Sorry

Aurelio:thumbsup:

 

[gorman64]

1. Some folks act like they sincerely believe that Salvation comes from Scripture ONLY (sola).

1. Some folks act like they sincerely believe that Salvation comes from attendance at the Tridentine Latin Mass (whenever available) ONLY (sola).

Conclusion: neither extreme is particularly healthy.

So SSPX mass attendees are just like protestants…that is what you are saying…but a NO “catholic” priest or layman who denies several dogmas of the Church is still Catholic…because he is still considered “obedient to the magisterium”.

Obedience is a moral virtue. Faith, Hope, and Charity are theological virtues and are of a higher valve. The moral virtues are subordinate to the theological virtues.

 

[Hesychios]

…

Howdy, Hesychios!

Sorry, buddy, that’s a topic that’s permanently off-limits to the Aurelios of this world.

Sorry

Aurelio:thumbsup:

 

[Aurelio]

Yo, Gorman64!

Touché, amigo Gorman64, touché!

You nailed 'ole Aurelio fair and square that go around.

Boy, howdy!

Aurelio:thumbsup: