Return to The Reign of Mary No. 121
The Reign of Mary
No. 121: Letter from the Editor
September 8, 2005
Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary
Dear Readers,
Praised be Jesus and Mary!
Once again, I ask your indulgence for the lateness of this issue. The summer could scarcely have been busier for me, it seems. Hopefully, we’ll get caught up soon with our normal schedule of 4 issues per year.
Our last issue had commentary on the death of John Paul II, and on the election of Benedict XVI. False hopes were raised, alas, with his election, that maybe a turn-around was about to happen. On the contrary, nothing has changed. The false ecumenism, the Modernism, the invalid and sacrilegious liturgies all continue without missing a beat. Please take note in this issue of the three feature articles dealing with Benedict XVI and the well-founded view of sedevacantism. Although the second two articles are somewhat dated, they are relevant nonetheless. One explains that a long-term interregnum is not inconsistent with the divinely-established constitution of the Church, and the other demonstrates that we must reject the ill-advised and uncanonical attempts to fill the Chair of Peter (these have been going on for some twenty years now, and do nothing but bring disrepute to traditional Catholics). Believe me, these two articles are worth reading and re-reading. Many thanks to John Lane of Perth, Australia, for authorizing the use of these articles from the website he manages: www.sedevacantist.org. Incidentally, this website has excellent in-depth theological resources on sedevacantism; likewise does www.traditionalmass.org.
Most of you couldn´t help but notice the recent attack on sedevacantism launched by Christopher Ferrara, an associate of Fr. Nicholas Gruner and a primary defender of him as well. Sad to say, Mr. Ferrara has found it important not only to resist the man he calls Pope (an utterly un-Catholic concept, by the way), but to also resist what he calls “The Sedevacantist Enterprise.” Take heart, my fellow sedevacantists, because an outstanding refutation has already been written by Fr. Anthony Cekada, and is available at the website mentioned above (www.traditional-mass.org). Mr. Ferrara’s main argument seems to be that it is impossible for the Chair of Peter to be vacant for some 40 years or more, but Fr. Cekada demonstrates most convincingly the opposite: that it is truly impossible for the Chief Teacher and Ruler of the Catholic Church, who is protected by the charism of infallibility, to be a manifest heretic or to lead the Church astray by heresy. You will enjoy, I am sure, Fr. Cekada’s treatment of the matter.
I must stress that CMRI does not demand that all adopt the “sede” view as a dogmatic truth. There has been no canonical decree issued, i.e. a binding, juridically-valid declaration that the Chair of Peter is vacant. We can and do demand nevertheless in our pastoral ministrations that people adhere to the traditional Catholic Faith and that they stop going to the New Mass and any other of the Vatican II liturgies.
We insist, on the other hand, that sedevacantism be recognized as a legitimate and serious opinion, one that is most solidly grounded on ecclesiastical history, doctrine, and practice. Indeed, this position we have always held, and will continue to do so. May God grant us, if it be His Will, a Vicar of Christ on earth to again rule and guide us.
In our July meeting in Omaha, the CMRI priests once again discussed the controversy that had arisen, even in traditional Catholic circles, regarding the death of Terry Schiavo. We again concluded that she was deprived of ordinary means of sustaining life; the feeding tube to her stomach was neither an expensive nor painful way for her to get nourishment. Moreover, she was not dying from other diseases, nor was she brain-dead. She was mentally incapacitated, yes, but not comatose. At the very least, she should have been accorded the respect and care that mentally-retarded people receive.
Be careful when you are making out a living will! Make sure that it doesn´t have language in it that would allow you to be deprived of food and water just because you are “incapacitated.” I recommend showing your pastor whatever papers your attorney may have drawn up for a living will, just to make sure it is properly worded.
News of the incredible devastation in New Orleans, Louisiana, has reached the ears of all. Never in our country´s history has an entire city of this magnitude been forced to completely evacuate, because of the damage caused by a hurricane. The same question arises that was asked when the tsunami hit Southeast Asia last December: Why did God allow this massive destruction to happen?
First of all, God wrote the laws of nature when He created this world, and unless He suspends them by a miracle, they will function. Hence, it is a calculated risk to live in hurricane-prone areas. Secondly, it could have been allowed as punishment for sin. After all, God is all-just, and He doesn´t reserve His justice to the next life only: He can dispense it even in this world, just as He continually dispenses His mercy to us in this life. Thirdly, God allows evil, whether physical or moral (i.e. sin), so that He may bring a greater good out of it. Much as we lament the tragedy that befell our fellow Americans, we trust that in the greater scheme which God alone knows, it was meant to be. Let us pour forth our prayers and offers of support to those affected by the hurricane.
I look forward to seeing you at the annual Fatima Conference in October. A blessed feast of Mary’s Nativity to you!
In Jesus and Mary,
Fr. Casimir M. Puskorius, CMRI (Email)