Dear Readers,
I have read this many times over the years, and articles on this site show that Goffine, in his commentary on this great feast, was right on target. But when a friend forwarded it to me, I saw it through his eyes, and it contains some sobering truths for us today.
“Why did Christ say to His apostles: Go ye into the whole world and preach the gospel to all creatures?
“To show that no one is to assume the office of preaching, but must look for his mission from lawful pastors of the Church [my emphasis]. And when Christ sends His apostles into the whole world, to all nations without exception, He shows His willingness to save all men. If the designs of God are not fulfilled, the blame is not to be attributed to God, but to man, who either does not accept the doctrine of the gospel, or accepting, does not live in accordance with it, or else renders himself by his obduracy in vice, unworthy of the gospel.”
We have no preachers because we have not always lived our lives in accordance with the Gospel or accepted its doctrine. The entire world, save for a few has abandoned the truths of the Gospel. Should we then wonder why we no longer have priests and bishops to teach us and minister to us? Can we expect them when the world is so full of vice, so overwhelmingly evil and contemptuous of God and His rights? Traditionalists should be asking themselves why, if the men they address as father and your excellency are true and lawful pastors, the world remains so evil and there are so few true converts to the faith. If those they follow were truly sent, this would not be the case.
Pope Pius IX answered one enquirer, who asked him to reveal the secrets given to him by Melanie Calvat, the seeress of La Salette, with this quote from Holy Scripture: “If we do not do penance for our sins, we shall all perish.” That is what is left for us today. And until a sufficient number are performing such penances, there can be no expectation of the restoration of the Church. God’s designs have not been fulfilled on this earth in our times; in fact they have been absolutely frustrated and obstructed at every turn. God does not send us true pastors because so very few are willing to do what it takes to save their souls.
When we truly show Him that we are serious about making reparation for our sins and those of so many others, then He will show us His mercy. But unless and until those calling themselves Catholics today abandon all pretense of following “lawful” pastors, unless they separate from them and do penance for their sins, they can expect not mercy, but only judgment. And this is also true of those who stay at home, if in so doing, they forget the mission entrusted to them: to console Christ in the Passion of His Mystical Body.
T. Benns
