But that does not disturb us, we quietly go on in our own way among the rest, whose ideas are certainly not ours; for we look at the bright side of things, and only speak what is good, although that is sometimes very difficult to find where none exists. Except ourselves and the rooster, there is not one in the yard who can be called talented or polite. It cannot even be said of the ducks, and we warn you, little bird, not to trust that one yonder, with the short tail feathers in her tail, for she is cunning; that curiously marked one, with the crooked stripes on her wings, is a mischief-maker, and never lets anyone have the last word, though she is always in the wrong. That fat duck yonder speaks evil of everyone, and that is against our principles. If we have nothing good to tell, we close our beaks. The Portuguese is the only one who has had any education, and with whom we can associate, but she is passionate, and talks too much about “Portugal.”
- Hans Christian Andersen: The Portuguese Duck (aka. In the Duck Yard)
Foreword
On Sunday, August 18, 2024, I preached about Traditional Catholics and controversies. Usually my website gets little traffic. If my blogpost gets over 100 views, that is already a lot. It is only when I write about something controversial, when the number of clicks go through the roof. That happened when I wrote about the Thesis of Bishop Guérard des Lauriers, about conditional baptisms, and last month about Archbishop Carlo Maria Viganò.
Since it has not been my policy to engage in public arguments and fights about controversial issues, I thought this was a good occasion to explain why I think public fighting about issues like the Thesis is harmful. What follows is the text of my sermon with some additions.
Unavoidable Controversies
During the public life of Our Lord, He warned that His words were to cause strife, dissensions, and controversies. Many of His own disciples, who heard His teaching, said: “This is strange talk, who can be expected to listen to it?” (John 6:61, the Knox translation) Even after Our Lord’s Ascension, when the Apostles took over His teaching office, and Peter became the first Pope, dissensions and controversies would rise.
One Trad controversy is the una cum Mass. By that we mean a Mass where the priest, in the Canon, proclaims to offer this Mass “together with” the servant of God the Pope. Father Cekada has written about this in detail in his article The Grain of Incense (PDF). If you are a Sedevacantist, that is a Catholic who believes there is no Pope now, you cannot attend a Mass where the priest mentions the name of a heretic in the Canon. These include the Masses of the Society of Saint Pius X. You can’t attend their Masses or send your children to their schools. In the Mass the priest turns to the people and says: “Pray brethren, that my sacrifice and yours may be acceptable to God the Father Almighty.”
Therefore, if you attend an una cum Mass, you put yourself in the company of heretics. You also proclaim to be in communion with the ecumenical, one-world, woke-church of Francis. Americans have an expression, that you must put your money where your mouth is. You also must put your actions where your faith is. If you think heresy is bad, you cannot pray together with the Church of heretics. You have to show by your actions and not just by your words that you believe in something, otherwise you really believe in nothing.
Avoidable Controversies
If you are a Traditional Catholic, it is not possible to stay completely away from controversies – at least not without compromising your faith. But we should seek to avoid useless controversies and arguments, especially those waged publicly on the Internet.
There are many things of which Traditional Catholics, who are Sedevacantists, disagree about. Some of these concern serious and important matters, such as the Holy Week reforms of Pius XII, or the Thesis of Cassiciacum. The danger is, that when a diversity of positions arises on any subject, heated arguments also easily arise. These arguments then quickly develop into fighting and name-calling. Angry words are exchanged, fraternal charity is wounded, and, frequently the disputants depart offended.
It is true that today many faithful Catholics are confused about many things. This is because we haven’t had a Pope for decades now, and because of the chaos what the so-called Second Vatican Council caused. Unfortunately, as one theologian wrote in the late 60s, ever since Paul VI “took off his tiara at the Council, a vast number of people seem to believe that it descended upon their own heads.” When controversies arise, remember: everyone has a right to his positions as long as they are not against faith and morals. But no one has a right to force his personal beliefs down another’s throat. Disputes and arguments are always filled with dangers to fraternal charity. Saint Augustine, in his rule, forbids them by these strong words:
As for disputes, either avoid them altogether or bring them to an end as soon as possible, lest anger grow into hatred and make of a mote a beam, and cause the soul to be guilty of murder.
This is the reason why arguing about controversial matters is to be avoided: it is a serious danger to the soul. If you get involved in a physical fight, you put yourself in the danger of wounding yours or your opponent’s body. And by involving in disputes and arguments you put yourself in danger of wounding either your own or your opponent’s soul.
Outbursts of Anger
Father Peter Wynhoven (1884-1944), who was a priest in New Orleans, and the editor-in-chief of the Archdiocese bulletin The Catholic Action of the South, began his treatise about arguments: “The best way to win an argument is not to argue at all.” His point was that no one, generally speaking, becomes convinced as the result of an argument. Therefore no one really wins it. He who has the best verbal skills, becomes proud and self-satisfied. The loser, on the other hand, becomes uneasy, but also unconvinced. Feelings are wounded on both sides, and sometimes grudge, or even hatred results between the contending parties. To shout down your opponent may give you a feeling of self-satisfaction, but such tactics convince no one.
An unkind word or a criticizing remark can have terrible results. Especially when you contend with controversial issues in social media, it is easy for you to forget, that there is a real person of body and soul on the other side of the screen. If the person to whom you address your harsh words is of a shy or timid nature, he may not rise to his own defense; but he will be hurt very deeply, and when alone he may cry his heart out. On the other hand, if your adversary is a tough character whose motto of life is “Don’t tread on me,” he will respond in the same way.
In an outburst of anger, a person says words that he can never recall. It is like dashing a mirror to the ground and breaking it into a thousand pieces. The pieces can be put together, but the mirror will never be as it formerly was. In a same way friendships can be broken by rash words; and even after the reconciliation, persons who have grievously offended each other will probably never return to their former cordiality.
Mildness Instead of Anger
What to do, then, when you see controversies arise? Good news is that even though you don’t have power to stop them, you do have the power not to be involved in them. When Benjamin Franklin designed the first official coin of the United States, called the Fugio cent, he put there this inscription, “Mind your business.” That is a very good advice. If you are in doubt, whether you should speak or stay quiet, the better option is almost always to stay quiet. It is very rare that you’ll get into big trouble by remaining quiet, but you can cause for yourself and others much unnecessary anxiety if you don’t learn to control your tongue, or your keyboard. If some issue is not a big deal, do not make it a big deal, but mind your business.
If you, after careful consideration, do think that you should speak your mind, defend your position once, and then let the matter rest. Do not get involved in fights and arguments. If you do wish to convince another of the rightness of your views, follow the example of Saint Thomas Aquinas. His positions and teachings did not immediately gain the respect they would later on. Many matters of theology and philosophy he wrote about were fiercely debated and opposed in the 1200s. But Saint Thomas always refused to be involved in arguments. He simply stated his positions in his writings, proving his point from Scripture, Fathers, and reason, and left the matters rest there. And his mildness and charity calmed down his opponents. They were then able to see the merits of his points. In this way logic and reasoning, instead of emotions, were used to determine the correctness of the teachings of Saint Thomas.
What Humility Means
Next month we priests and seminarians of St. Gertrude the Great start our seminary semester. Our seminary is dedicated to St. Charles Borromeo. This great Italian archbishop of Milan had in his episcopal coat of arms only one word: humilitas – humility. It is from Christ from Whom we learn how to be humble. He says: “Take My yoke upon yourselves, and learn from Me; I am gentle and humble of heart; and you shall find rest for your souls.” (Matt. 11:29) We Traditional Catholics sometimes like to present ourselves as modern martyrs. We like to quote the words of Christ from the Sermon on the Mount: “Blessed are you, when men revile you, and persecute you, and speak all manner of evil against you falsely, because of Me.” (Matt. 5:11) But the mere fact that you are opposed, is not a proof of the truthfulness of your position. The Communists in Soviet Union imprisoned and murdered many Catholic Bishops, priests, and laymen. But they also rounded up and killed many schismatics, Muslims, and Jews. Just because you are persecuted is not a mark that you are a follower of Christ. And if someone speaks evil about you, and you say nothing, that is not in itself a mark that you are humble of heart. After all, even a criminal has the sense to shut his mouth when he is accused in trial.
The true mark of humility is that you bear no anger, hatred, or grudge against the person who has offended you. We who pride, that we are persecuted, we seem to forget, that some verses after those words of Christ in the Sermon on the Mount, He says: “Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, pray for those who persecute and insult you. If you love those who love you, what title have you to a reward? Will not the publicans do as much? If you greet none but your brethren, what are you doing more than others? Will not the very heathen do as much? But you are to be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect.” (Matt. 5:44-48) And as Saint James writes: “A man who is not betrayed into faults of the tongue must be a man perfect at every point.” (James 3:2)
How to Keep Peace
Christ’s rule to love our enemies and opponents is hard. It is probably the hardest of all the commandments Our Lord has left us. This is because it involves destroying something which is our most treasured possession, namely our self-love. Nevertheless, it must be done. You will recall the parable of the unforgiving servant. The good king forgave this servant the debt of ten thousand talents. But then the king learned that the forgiven servant had choked another servant for the little sum of a hundred pieces of silver. The king grew very angry, and said: “Thou wicked servant, I remitted all that debt of thine at thy entreaty. Was it not thy duty to have mercy on thy fellow servant, as I had mercy on thee?” Then the king delivered the wicked servant to the torturers until he paid all the debt. And Our Lord concluded: “It is thus that my heavenly Father will deal with you, if brother does not forgive brother with all his heart.” (Matt. 18:23-35)
For the peace of your own soul, and that of your neighbor, pledge to stay away from arguing about controversies. If you wish to win an argument, follow Father Wynhoven’s advice: Do not argue at all. If there is a real need to defend your position, do it once, clearly, shortly, and charitably, and then leave the matter to rest. And if you are offended, you can’t bear any grudge against the person who offended you. No matter how exemplary we may be in the external observance of the commandments, and no matter how zealous we are in keeping the Catholic faith, we are only sham martyrs if we remain hard and unforgiving toward anyone. Saint Paul, who was no stranger to controversies, wrote: “Do not repay injury with injury; study your behaviour in the world’s sight as well as in God’s. Keep peace with all men, where it is possible, for your part. Do not avenge yourselves, beloved; allow retribution to run its course. Do not be disarmed by malice; disarm malice with kindness.” (Romans 12:17-21)
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