Perspectives of a Wanderer

While reading a well-known Catholic Forum, I came across the following thread (original post included):

Why is the Church heading back to the Dark Ages?

It seems lately;i.e.( Latin Mass) the Church is moving backwards. We are in the 21st century! Why go back to a language people don’t understand. This is how to lose more and more Catholics.

It seems the OP is under the impression that the Latin Mass (also know as the Extra Ordinary Form of the Mass or the Tridentine Mass), of which I regularly attend, is going backwards.  I do not believe it is the case.  In fact, I believe it is just the opposite.

This has gotten me to thinking, should we revive some of the old disciplines (No matter what some say, Dogma and Doctrines need not go back since the did not change after Vatican II) that were in place before Vatican II.   Things have become too lax and the penalties do not fit the offenses when it comes to dissent and scandals.  The Notre Dame scandal, so called “Catholic” politicians, and liturgical abuses in the Ordinary Form of the Mass (also known as the New Mass) are three prime examples of what I am talking about.

Lets take a look at all three starting with the last one since it involves the OP’s post.  For me, going back to the Old Mass is not going back.  I hear complaints even from the ones who do not like the Old Mass that they do not like the “liberties” taken by both the Priests and the Laity.  For me, that is the reason I chose my current parish (Assumption Grotto).  The New Mass is celebrated with many disciplines of the Old Mass (ad Orientum using the High Altar, Chant, Latin, and receiving on the tongue while kneeling at the Altar Rail with no EMHC’s).  For me, this was refreshing since it practically eliminates the abuses that we have seen.  As for the Extraordinary Form, it took awhile to get use to it, but now I prefer it to the Ordinary Form.  In fact, I would like to see the Ordinary Form changed to become more like the Extra Ordinary Form and become a third type Extra Ordinary Form along with the High and Low Mass.

Now, for the first two since they are practically interchangeable since dissent and scandal go hand in hand.  We need to get these dissenters under control and I do not believe the current system is capable of doing so.   Now, what I am going to suggest is really going to ruffle some feathers, but I think it is the only way for the Church to reassert control.

BRING BACK THE INQUISITION!!!

Yes, I said it.  We need to set up a formal and visible body to bring those to would go against the Church to justice quickly and I believe that an Inquisition type system would accomplish this.    If this is going “Old School” back to the “Dark Ages”, so be it.  Something must be done.  However, even this will be ineffective if the threat and the severity of the sanction are not increased.  In many cases, I believe that excommunication would be and should be a proper sanction to hand out for some of the dissent and scandals plaguing the Church (especially when it come to the support of abortion by “Catholic” politicians, doctors, nurses, lawyers…).

There are other things I would like to see brought back like some of the old devotions, but that is for another post.  We first need to get things under control before more is done.

Going back to the Dark Ages?

OH Yeah!  Lets do it.

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