J
JReducation
Guest
Q. Can a Catholic attend mass at an SSPX chapel and fulfill his Sunday obligation?
A. Yes.
Q. How so?
A. The SSPX priests are validly ordained Catholic priests who celebrate a valid Catholic liturgy.
Q. Why is it illicit?
A. The celebration of any sacrament, without the permission of either the bishop of the diocese or a male religious superior is prohibited by law. In this case, the absolution of sin in the confessional is invalid, since these priests do not have permission to celebrate the Sacrament of Reconciliation. However, the consecration of the Eucharist does not require permission for validity. It requires permission for liceity.
Q… So what happens if a Catholic attends such a mass.
A. First of all, you will not be struck down by lightning. However, you will be attending a mass that is being celebrated against the law of the Church. It’s like anything else in life. If you do not fulfill the legal requirements, then you have to deal with the aftermath. This is the case with the priests and bishops of the SSPX. They have to deal with the aftermath of their illegal activities.
Q. Are the priests of the SSPX schismatics?
A. There are many priests and non priests who are schismatics, but they don’t all belong to the SSPX. A schismatic is one who has apostolic succession, but has broken communion with Peter. The priests of the SSPX and the laity that supports them are objectively culpable of certain schismatic statements, ideas and actions. But it takes a lot more than that to make one a schismatic or to be in schism. Everyone dissents on something. The key is to stop, think and self-correct.
Q. If I go to an SSPX mass, do I have to go to a second mass in order to make sure that I covered my bases?
A. No. That’s like going to a dentist who has no license and you get a tooth pulled. Then you feel guilty so you go get another tooth pulled by a licensed dentist. What’s the logic?
Q. Why do the bishops and the Vatican Curia discourage people from attending mass at an SSPX chapel?
A. I’m neither a bishop nor a Curia official. If I were to guess, there are several dangers. The more one is exposed to dissenting views, the more comfortable one feels with them. There have been studies done about people held hostage. After an extended exposure to their kidnappers, they hostages begin to become sympathetic. We don’t want to be too sympathetic to people who call the pope a Modernist, who believe that those of us who are not with them are enemies of orthodoxy, who see conspiracies, who have been charged with being antisemitic. Having said that, there are many beautiful things that can be found in these traditionalists communities. For me, the most beautiful thing that I find is the deep desire to please God. I don’t have to agree with their rhetoric to see and recognize this intense love of God. The danger is that one would adopt their way of seeing the Church placing oneself in conflict with the Church. There is also the issue of reinforcement. If I’m doing something that 800,000 people applaud, I’m not going to be dissuaded to give it up too quickly. In the case of the SSPX there are several hundred thousand people who applaud their fidelity to traditional Catholic values, their love for the EF, and their love for the people of God. This does not mean that the same 800,000 people applaud their disobedience. But the disapproval of the disobedience gets drowned out by the applause.
Q. The diocese has an EF mass not too far from me, but it’s not the same as the SSPX chapel.
A. This may be due to many reasons, none of which have anything to do with the mass. The priests are different personalities. The congregation is made up of different personalities. The SSPX exists for the purpose of preserving these traditions. Fr. X in a diocesan parish did not join the diocese for this purpose. He celebrates the EF, because it nurtures him. He has no obligation to celebrate it, not matter how many lay people claim that it nurtures them. No one can force him to do so. Father X’s spirit in approaching the EF may be different from that of an SSPX priest.
Q. So, then it’s OK to pass up Father X’s mass and attend mass at an SSPX chapel?
A. The problem there would be one of fidelity. Father X is in full communion with his bishop, who also happens to be your bishop, if you live in the same diocese. That bishop is in full communion with the Holy Father, who happens to be your pope as well. So, you’re bypassing them to worship with those who have no communion with the local bishop. If they have no communion with the local bishop,they have a very unsatisfactory communion with you, because you are part of the local diocese. The question arises, how faithful am I to my diocese, my bishop and my pope. It’s very hard to claim faithfulness to Christ and walk around the Apostles. I guess it can be done. I wouldn’t do it. My conscience would accuse me of infidelity.
My bishop may be the best or the worse, but he’s my bishop. If there is a bishop, there is a local Church. I look to him with great love, not because we always agree, but because we both love the same Church of which he is the highest ranking local authority.
I hope this helps.
Fraternally,
Br. JR, FFV
A. Yes.
Q. How so?
A. The SSPX priests are validly ordained Catholic priests who celebrate a valid Catholic liturgy.
Q. Why is it illicit?
A. The celebration of any sacrament, without the permission of either the bishop of the diocese or a male religious superior is prohibited by law. In this case, the absolution of sin in the confessional is invalid, since these priests do not have permission to celebrate the Sacrament of Reconciliation. However, the consecration of the Eucharist does not require permission for validity. It requires permission for liceity.
Q… So what happens if a Catholic attends such a mass.
A. First of all, you will not be struck down by lightning. However, you will be attending a mass that is being celebrated against the law of the Church. It’s like anything else in life. If you do not fulfill the legal requirements, then you have to deal with the aftermath. This is the case with the priests and bishops of the SSPX. They have to deal with the aftermath of their illegal activities.
Q. Are the priests of the SSPX schismatics?
A. There are many priests and non priests who are schismatics, but they don’t all belong to the SSPX. A schismatic is one who has apostolic succession, but has broken communion with Peter. The priests of the SSPX and the laity that supports them are objectively culpable of certain schismatic statements, ideas and actions. But it takes a lot more than that to make one a schismatic or to be in schism. Everyone dissents on something. The key is to stop, think and self-correct.
Q. If I go to an SSPX mass, do I have to go to a second mass in order to make sure that I covered my bases?
A. No. That’s like going to a dentist who has no license and you get a tooth pulled. Then you feel guilty so you go get another tooth pulled by a licensed dentist. What’s the logic?
Q. Why do the bishops and the Vatican Curia discourage people from attending mass at an SSPX chapel?
A. I’m neither a bishop nor a Curia official. If I were to guess, there are several dangers. The more one is exposed to dissenting views, the more comfortable one feels with them. There have been studies done about people held hostage. After an extended exposure to their kidnappers, they hostages begin to become sympathetic. We don’t want to be too sympathetic to people who call the pope a Modernist, who believe that those of us who are not with them are enemies of orthodoxy, who see conspiracies, who have been charged with being antisemitic. Having said that, there are many beautiful things that can be found in these traditionalists communities. For me, the most beautiful thing that I find is the deep desire to please God. I don’t have to agree with their rhetoric to see and recognize this intense love of God. The danger is that one would adopt their way of seeing the Church placing oneself in conflict with the Church. There is also the issue of reinforcement. If I’m doing something that 800,000 people applaud, I’m not going to be dissuaded to give it up too quickly. In the case of the SSPX there are several hundred thousand people who applaud their fidelity to traditional Catholic values, their love for the EF, and their love for the people of God. This does not mean that the same 800,000 people applaud their disobedience. But the disapproval of the disobedience gets drowned out by the applause.
Q. The diocese has an EF mass not too far from me, but it’s not the same as the SSPX chapel.
A. This may be due to many reasons, none of which have anything to do with the mass. The priests are different personalities. The congregation is made up of different personalities. The SSPX exists for the purpose of preserving these traditions. Fr. X in a diocesan parish did not join the diocese for this purpose. He celebrates the EF, because it nurtures him. He has no obligation to celebrate it, not matter how many lay people claim that it nurtures them. No one can force him to do so. Father X’s spirit in approaching the EF may be different from that of an SSPX priest.
Q. So, then it’s OK to pass up Father X’s mass and attend mass at an SSPX chapel?
A. The problem there would be one of fidelity. Father X is in full communion with his bishop, who also happens to be your bishop, if you live in the same diocese. That bishop is in full communion with the Holy Father, who happens to be your pope as well. So, you’re bypassing them to worship with those who have no communion with the local bishop. If they have no communion with the local bishop,they have a very unsatisfactory communion with you, because you are part of the local diocese. The question arises, how faithful am I to my diocese, my bishop and my pope. It’s very hard to claim faithfulness to Christ and walk around the Apostles. I guess it can be done. I wouldn’t do it. My conscience would accuse me of infidelity.
My bishop may be the best or the worse, but he’s my bishop. If there is a bishop, there is a local Church. I look to him with great love, not because we always agree, but because we both love the same Church of which he is the highest ranking local authority.
I hope this helps.
Fraternally,
Br. JR, FFV