I understand what you mean by “Traditional”…but I am beginning to feel that that word “Traditional”… connotates a radical “type” of Catholic…and even though its not true…we simply can’t afford “branding” our Catholicism any longer…beyond our own internally recognized official definitions… “Rites” (Latin, Eastern, EF, OF. etc.)…and “Dogma/Doctrine” (Magisterial/orthodox)…within the Church. The “traditionalist” label is now a “pigeon-hole” characterization of a good, faithful and obedient Catholics"… who simply follow the Church’s teaching and guidance on Liturgical worship…and Magisterial teachings/Dogma/Doctrines but in our secular world/relativistic culture…with real anti-Catholic organizations/ideologue agenda folks…the “traditionalist” label is being used as a “divide and conquer” tactic…its the same grand strategy that President Obama (George Soros,
Move-On.Org, Progressive Media etc.) used to “divide and conquer” the Catholic vote in both elections.
As I look at this Magazine’s home page and mission statement, objectives and reasons that they started the magazine…the word “Traditional” is not found…instead they use “ancient Latin Liturgy” (even that is not accurate…the 1962 Latin Mass…now known as Extraordinary Form…is not ancient…even Council of Trent…Tridentine Liturgy is not ancient)…for sure a noble and noteworthy cause.
It is the mission of Laudamus Te to bear witness to the sublime beauty of the ancient Latin liturgy, to foster renewed devotion to its merits, and to aid the faithful in entering more deeply into its sacramental mysteries.
Since the sacred liturgy is at the center of Catholic life, it seems fitting to have a devotional magazine focused on deepening our mystical participation in this sacramental experience. Laudamus Te follows the liturgical seasons of the 1962 calendar, providing daily Mass readings for the Extraordinary Form of the Roman Catholic Mass as well as explanatory essays, commentaries by various saints and the Church Fathers, and devotional writings by priests, religious, and laity. Our aim is to draw Catholics into a better understanding of the Mass as a whole and to bring about fruitful meditation and deeper devotion, as well as to educate and inform those who are new to the Extraordinary Form.
Back to my broader point…on the word “Traditionalist”…Just look at how
Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC) uses that word…to link “hate” with the word “Catholic”.
“Radical
traditionalist” Catholics, who may make up the largest single group of serious anti-Semites in America, subscribe to an ideology that is rejected by the Vatican and some 70 million mainstream American Catholics. Many of their leaders have been condemned and even excommunicated by the official church.
splcenter.org/get-informed/intelligence-files/ideology/radical-traditional-catholicism#.UY5kP7W9G_m
They also…list all kinds of “
Active Radical Traditional Catholicism Groups” hate groups…
splcenter.org/get-informed/intelligence-files/ideology/radical-traditional-catholicism/active_hate_groups
Sure…its a “radical” type…but there is that word “traditionalist”…totally different types of “Catholics”…but all being inadvertently lumped together by those who see it is to their advantage to try to cripple the Church’s effective voice in the Public Square. The Homo-sexual Marriage issue is another place it is being used…good Catholics who support Homo-sexual Marriage/Civil Unions…vs… Homophobic/Traditionalist Catholics who are “hate” Gays…
See what I am getting at?..just thinking out loud…not nit-picking…just concerned about us as Catholics using that word…becoming like the “conservative vs liberal” Catholic tags we use (me too)…which serves those who want to see divisions…divisiveness among Catholics…especially Catholics who are in the Church and practice their faith but don’t accept all that the Church teaches on some very major and definitive dogmas/doctrines.
We already have enough “labels”…for those who hate the Church’s teachings on “hot-button” issues.
Please forgive my ramblings and expansion of your topic.
Pax Christi
