15 January 2020

The Authentic Apostolic Patrimony. "Ego nenikeka ton kosmon".

January 15 is the (9th) anniversary of the Erection of our Ordinariate.

"Contemporary orthodox-minded Roman Catholics look with admiration at those Anglican divines who, in various historical periods, sought to restore the authentic portrait of the Church and the faith of the Church. One thinks, for example, of Thomas Ken and John Keble, as well as, closer to our own day, Gregory Dix and Eric Mascall. These are separated doctors in whom the Church of Rome can recognise the overwhelming preponderance of the apostolic patrimony she has received. Your task now is not only the negative one of defending their work but the positive one of completing it."
Father Aidan Nichols, O.P., 2002.

How do those immensely wise and characteristically generous words of a wise and generous man look to us now, in a pontificate so radically different from those joyful days when we were privileged to enter into Full Communion?

How do we now 'complete' our mission of bringing into Full Communion with the See of S Peter the authentic teaching of our orthodox Fathers, our 'separated Doctors'?

Are we being called to test and judge some of the propositions and ideologies which now emanate from the banks of the Tiber or of the Rhine, measuring them against truths rediscovered and taught in separation by Saint John Henry Newman and by Edward Bouverie Pusey? Perhaps we do have a God of Surprises!

Is this now the reason why Divine Providence, during those centuries of separation, taught us by the Holy Spirit, and led us into Catholic Truth through the Kens, Kebles, Dixes, Mascalls, so that we should be at hand, weak and tiny band that we are (I Corinthians 1: 17-29), in this current crisis, ready and willing to join with other witnesses to Catholic Truth whom God has raised up throughout the Church ... is raising up ... and will raise up?

We know that the Evil One strives with many temporary successes to bring Evil out of Good. But God is far more mighty to bring Good out of Evil.

Mary's Immaculate Heart will prevail.

"Be of good cheer: I have conquered the World".

Is this a kairos, a Divine Moment of choice and decision?

9 comments:

  1. My level of remaining Greek: shouldn't it be "enikeka"?

    Five seconds later : yes, of course, it is perfect, not aorist .... my bad ....

    To the credit of professor Blomqvist and to my memory, I did half and half recognise the very triumphalist quote before skimming the post ...

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  2. I was looking for another topic, elsewhere on the blog, it wasn't there, but it was as I read about Keble ... what do you think of Gavin Ashenden?

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  3. I join my prayer to yours that it may be so.

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  4. Yes Father, is does appear that the timing of your "tiny band" entry was quite propitious for us RC's. Imagine that! Almost as if it was intended that way.

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  5. I am hoping that the readings from Anglican Divines to be found in the Customary of Our Lady of Walsingham will be permitted in the Daily Office. I gather that so far CDWDS has not been welcoming.
    As to the currnt ructions, 'twas ever thus. Newman experienced equal rocking of the Barque of Peter, in the form of neo-ultra-montanism. Promoted in no small part by his own colleagues, Manning and Ward.

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  6. Hans: https://liturgicalnotes.blogspot.com/2019/12/graham-leonard-and-gavin-ashenden.html

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  7. Thank you, Fr. Yusuf!

    Will look up illico!

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  8. Dear Father. It is becoming increasingly difficult not to conclude that the Prelature is packed with miserable modernist misandrists rather than rational, responsible, pastors of souls.

    When do we ever read of those putative pastors of souls striving to restore Tradition that they and their predecessors jettisoned for some presumptively good reasons but the results of all of those changes have resulted in the millions and millions of lost male souls - men who never go to Mass or The Sacraments anymore because the Lil' Licit Liturgy and the "revised" Sacraments are so off-putting to real men.

    The concerns of the masculine prelature seems to be directed almost entirely towards themselves and their positions, their power and authority.

    These men will never chase ABS away but neither will they attract masculine souls who want nothing to do with these epicene ecclesiastics wasting all of our time kicking creative cans down the road.

    Go to Hell men... Yeah, the average Peter Pew Dweller knows what the real message of the Prelature is despite all of their jabbering about climate change, politics, peace, and unity.

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  9. Splendid quote from Fr. Aidan Nichols, O.P.! Is there bibliographic information on where it can be found?

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