Monday, January 13, 2014

Did the Letter of the Holy Office 1949 make a mistake philosophically?

I was speaking today afternoon with Father Mauro Tranquillo the Italian theologian of the Society of St.Pius X. We spoke in English.

I realized during our conversation that we need to see the issue of the Letter of the Holy Office to the Archbishop of Boston and Vatican Council II philosophically.

For something to be an exception it needs to be different and it needs to exist.If it does not exist it cannot be an exception.

The baptism of desire does not exist in our reality in 2014.So it cannot be an exception to all needing the baptism of water for salvation; extra ecclesiam nulla salus.

I asked Fr.Mauro  if the Letter of the Holy Office 1949 supported Fr.Leonard Feeney.He did not think so.

So for him the baptism of desire is an exception.Since for him every one does not need the baptism of water for salvation.

It is also an exception  since it means these cases of the baptism of desire are visible and known to him in 2014.The deceased, are visible to Fr.Mauro ? They would have to be visible for them to be exceptions to all needing to convert in to the Catholic Church in 2014 for salvation.

If the Letter condemned Fr.Leonard Feeney then it means, philosophically, Pope Pius XII could see or know exceptions.They existed for him. He could see the dead!.

Similarly for Fr.Mauro  Tranquillo , Lumen Gentium 8, 'elements of sanctification and truth', in other religions would be an exception to the dogma on exclusive salvation.Since these cases  exist. De facto they are known. So they contradict extra ecclesiam nulla salus. Every one does not need to be a visible member of the Church; every one does not need the baptism of water for salvation.There are known exceptions in 2014 of people saved with 'elements of sanctification and truth', for the Italian priest.

Vatican Council II would contradict the dogma extra ecclesiam nulla salus. Since the Council for him is referring to definite, known cases and not to in principle, in theory,possibilities.

When the Society of St.Pius X refers to exceptions to the dogma they imply that they can philosophically and empirically, see the deceased  in Heaven ( saved in invincible ignorance etc) and also on earth.

This is absurd!

If there is an apple in a box of oranges the apple is an exception since it exists there .
In principle cases are not exceptions since in reality they do not exist. What is  accepted in our imagination is not an exception, since in reality it does not exist.An image of the apple in my mind is not a reality in the box.

The thought of the apple has not made the apple an exception.
We cannot physically, personally, while on the streets, see the dead saved in invincible ignorance, the baptism of desire, 'elements of sanctification and truth','imperfect communion with the Church' etc.

So there are, philosophically speaking, no exceptions to extra ecclesiam nulla salus  as Fr.Leonard Feeney understood it.

Vatican Council II (Ad Gentes 7) supports the rigorist interpretation' of the dogma, when it  affirms 'faith and baptism' being necessary for all.Members of Christian communities and churches do not have Catholic faith. Though they have baptism. So according to Vatican Council II (AG 7) they are oriented to Hell without Catholic Faith, which includes the Sacraments and the traditional faith and moral teachings.Without 'faith and baptism' the majority of people on earth are oriented to Hell.This is the teaching of Vatican Council II.

Vatican Council II has not mentioned any exception, unless philosophically, one considers in principle, hypothetical cases, which are not visible in our reality, as being visible and known. This would be shaking hands with ghosts and spirits.

Other religions are not paths to salvation since they have neither faith nor baptism among their members.

Those who are saved 'through Jesus and the Church' in other religions do not exist in our reality. They are unknown to us and known only to God.

Those who are saved since they did not know the Gospel 'through no fault of their own' and lived a good life, do not exist in our reality. They do not exist for us.They are in Heaven.

Those who are condemned since they 'knew that the Catholic Church was founded by God through Jesus Christ', do not exist in our reality for them to be exceptions.

Those who are saved through 'the good and holy things' in other religions  are known only to God. So they are probabilities but not exceptions. They are irrelevant for the dogma on exclusive salvation.What does not exist cannot be relevant.

So one can offer the Tridentine Latin Mass or the Novus Ordo Mass and Vatican Council II is compatible with the Syllabus of Errors and the dogma extra ecclesiam nulla salus.The liturgy does not create ecclesiology or theology. It is philosophically assuming there are known exceptions, the dead being visible to us on earth, which creates a non traditional ecclesiology and theology. It is the premise which creates the theology.

We can affirm a traditional Vatican Council along with a 'rigorist interpretation' of extra ecclesiam nulla salus, if there is no irrational interpretation. In the Letter of the Holy Office implicit desire is not an exception to 'the dogma', the 'infallible teaching'. If it is an exception it would be saying that Pope Pius XII could see the dead now in Heaven.
And if there are no known exceptions then Pope Pius XIII supported Fr.Leonard Feeney on doctrine when he referred to 'the dogma'. The text of the dogma does not mention  any exceptions.

Since Fr.Mauro Tranquilo says there are exceptions he is implying that he can see the dead. This is irrational.We can have either a rational or irrational interpretation of the Council and the Letter of the Holy Office. He, like the rest of the SSPX, has chosen the irrational one.
So the fault is not with Vatican Council II or the Letter of the Holy Office.The issue is can one see ghosts ?!
-Lionel Andrades 

Prayer books in Italian are without any meditation on Hell

In the books on prayer in Italian which are used here none of them have  a meditation on Hell based on the Spiritual Exercises of St.Ignatius of Loyola.They only mention the four last things death, Judgement, Hell and Heaven.
HELL IS FULL
 
Hell is full for St.Ignatius.Unlike today's Jesuits Spiritual Directors, St.Ignatius of Loyola believed that most people are going to Hell.So the Trinity sent the Second Person to save all of us .For him Hell exists over a very large area and so there is space for millions of more people.
 I was able to do the meditations on Hell, aside from my other prayers, in a silent atmosphere .For over a year or more I had done this meditation , off and on and on  busy days.The Spiritual Exercises are a treasure. I'm grateful to a good Sister who handed me a little book of the Exercises in Italian. It has remained in my coat pocket for may be a year or more This was another grace.I am always wearing that coat which has a a large Miraculous Medal, pinned on the coat label.
The meditation on Hell is useful for perspective since the spirit of the world can infect us easily and gradually lead us into mortal sin. St. Ignatius teaches one to use all the senses in this meditation. He keeps this exercise simple. Feel the heat of the flames. See the persons in the flames. Hear their screams and blasphemies. Smell the sulphur and the putrid flesh.Feel the bad consciences  and despair.
In a related section he says in Hell there are people who did not believe in the Second Coming of Christ. There are also those people in Hell who believed in Jesus but did not live the Commandments.He observes that in Hell there are people who believed in God!
St.Ignatius of Loyola believed in the dogma which indicates most people are oriented to Hell since they are not visible members of the Catholic Church.Many Catholics think this is no more the teaching of the Church. Yet this is the message of Vatican Council II (Ad Gentes 7) It says Jesus reaffirmed the necessity of 'faith and baptism' for salvation.Most of the people on earth do not have 'faith and baptism' at the time of death. The Catechism of the Catholic Church repeats the same message under the title Outside the Church no Salvation(846). So to reject these teachings would be hersey a mortal sin. Mortal sin according to St.Ignatius of Loyola.This teaching is related to the Nicene Creed in which we pray 'I believe in one baptism for the forgiveness of sin'.Dissent her is a mortal sin and puts one on the way to Hell without the Sacrament of Reconciliation.Jesus saves from Hell through the Sacraments of the Church,
Jesus mentions Hell many times in the New Testament.Descriptions of Hell in the Bible are similar to the meditations in the Spiritual Exercises of St.Ignatius of Loyola.It is also similar  to the First Secret of Our Lady in the apparitions at Fatima.
-Lionel Andrades
 
 



 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

FIFTH EXERCISE

IT IS A MEDITATION ON HELL
It contains in it, after the Preparatory Prayer and two Preludes, five Points and one Colloquy: Prayer. Let the Preparatory Prayer be the usual one. First Prelude. The first Prelude is the composition, which is here to see with the sight of the imagination the length, breadth and depth of Hell. Second Prelude. The second, to ask for what I want: it will be here to ask for interior sense of the pain which the damned suffer, in order that, if, through my faults, I should forget the love of the Eternal Lord, at least the fear of the pains may help me not to come into sin. First Point. The first Point will be to see with the sight of the imagination the great fires, and the souls as in bodies of fire. Second Point. The second, to hear with the ears wailings, howlings, cries, blasphemies against Christ our Lord and against all His Saints. Third Point. The third, to smell with the smell smoke, sulphur, dregs and putrid things. Fourth Point. The fourth, to taste with the taste bitter things, like tears, sadness and the worm of conscience. Fifth Point. The fifth, to touch with the touch; that is to say, how the fires touch and burn the souls. Colloquy. Making a Colloquy to Christ our Lord, I will bring to memory the souls that are in Hell, some because they did not believe the Coming, others because, believing, they did not act according to His Commandments; making three divisions: First, Second, and Third Divisions. The first, before the Coming; the second, during His life; the third, after His life in this world; and with this I will give Him thanks that He has not let me fall into any of these divisions, ending my life. Likewise, I will consider how up to now He has always had so great pity and mercy on me. I will end with an OUR FATHER. Note. The first Exercise will be made at midnight; the second immediately on rising in the morning; the third, before or after Mass; in any case, before dinner; the fourth at the hour of Vespers; the fifth, an hour before supper. This arrangement of hours, more or less, I always mean in all the four Weeks, according as his age, disposition and physical condition help the person who is exercising himself to make five Exercises or fewer.
 http://www.sacred-texts.com/chr/seil/seil15.htm