When I was in Ireland recently I had a very interesting discussion with a priest. As usual, the subject of the Traditional Mass vs. the Novus Ordo came up. Being a staunch supporter and attendee of the Tridentine Rite (and besides having just met this priest and being a guest at his residence) I kept my mouth shut and listened, but although I did not speak I did think a great deal, and here is some of what I thought. I will give a summary of the things that were said and a few of my thoughts in reply.
It must be noted that this is not an Irish priest I was speaking to. I doubt that many of the priests here, having been beaten down by Maynooth Seminary, would harbour any absolute opinions, even if they were erroneous ones.
I will leave remarks on the Pope out of this post.
First of all, it was said by this priest that the Church was in an apparent age of decline, and that this decline, when over, brings the Church back even stronger than ever; that since the Church has survived this long it will survive infinitely. This is the only view I could see any sense in.
Second of all, the argument put forth was that the Church absolutely MUST change with the times; that it must update and that tradition must be abolished as the world has changed and the Church must accommodate that change with change within itself.
Thirdly, that Confession is not an opportunity to ask God's forgiveness, but a chance to be grateful for His abounding mercy; that penance is unnecessary as God has already determined our place in Heaven or Hell, and that we cannot change that.
Fourthly, that the “felix culpa” of Adam that brought us the Incarnation was not really a happy fault, as we are all made in the image and likeness of God and what more do we need than to look at one another; also that it is not necessary to go to church to pray to God as we can see Him in everyone and in ourselves.
I will respond to the first and second together as they are related. One must wonder, what has kept the Church surviving for so many years? That I can tell you in one word; tradition. And it is precisely because tradition is being abolished in this world and this papacy that the Church is struggling. So we can see that the argument against tradition makes absolutely no sense and yet it is the biggest argument undermining the Church today. Also, tradition is important. Why else would it have lasted for so long?
In response to the third point, I honestly think it is dangerous not to view Confession as a chance to apologise for our sins. Yes, God's mercy and grace are infinite and we can always depend on them being there for us, but humility is also important. We have fallen natures and it is nothing short of hubris to disregard penance and call it unnecessary. Humility is something that Jesus Himself always showed to us, and what better person to emulate than the Son of God? As to the belief that we can do nothing about our place in Heaven or Hell, this hints strongly at predestination, a distinctly Protestant notion, and eliminates the need for good works. After all, if we cannot change whether we go to Heaven or Hell there is no need to care about what we do.
To the fourth point, the sin of Adam is indeed a happy one. Now I am not saying that it is good to sin. I am saying rather that the outcome of this sin is happy because it brought Christ, the Son of God, to dwell with us in a human state. To say that this is unnecessary is as good as refusing the gift of the Incarnation, which is literally the greatest gift mankind has ever been given. To wave this away and instead insist that we need only look for God in ourselves is a gross kind of self sufficiency.
I make no pretense at being omniscient or anything like that, but I have enough common sense and knowledge of my faith to know when certain opinions are getting out of hand. That is all.
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