Of His Holiness; On Tract VI

[Iudaes 1087]

Spoiler

Sorry for the real lateness on this one @thesmellypocket. AP classes are not fun.

 

OF THE HIGH PONTIFF
EVERARDUS SEXTUS

 

WRITTEN ON HIS BEHALF BY FR. ERNST,
IN RESPONSE TO THE PROVOST’S TRACT VI.

Salutations, Beloved Brothers.
 

Certainly has the matter of tradition been a central tenet of the Church and Her mission since those days of yore when Her first shepherds, the Saints Evaristus and Clement, were ordained by Exalted Owyn, for it was the Scrolls, the absolute Truth of God, which were the basis of their duty, “He entrusted to them the Word of GOD, which were the Virtue and the Spirit, and charged them to instruct their brethren in the path of holiness.” (Gospel 5:4). Too have, over these many centuries since Her inception, many traditions inspired by the interpretations of God’s Will been adopted and respected. It is His Word and those dogmas and doctrines derived from said Scripture which make up the spirit of the Mother Church, and such is a spirit that must be preserved, a fact believed wholly by His Holiness and his Curia. It is for this reason that I firstly wish to begin with thanks to you, good Provost, and to all those who have expressed concern post-publishing of the High Pontiff’s most recent Bull. Clearly, it is you faithful who care solely for the health of the Church, of which is paramount in a world where She is so vital to the mission which He hath ordained. Yet, in saying that, I do pray that with clarification, these concerns become nothing but concerns and not a stance challenging the infallible will of His Holiness, of which the fathers of the Tractarian movement, such as Saint Pius of Sutica, recognized.

 

With that said, I shall address your work as decisively and clearly as possible, beginning with your interpretation of the latest Bull. As you did in Tract VI, I shall too quote Section VIII:

 

“We call on all faithful Canonists to answer God’s call, for we are all called to service by the Lord of Lords, the King of Kings. Those who are skilled in fighting may serve God by joining the Supreme Order of the Exalted Owyn, and using their skills to protect Our clergy and Our flock. Those with a gift for speaking and interpreting may join to become a monk or a priest, to shepherd parts of God’s flock. Women too have a calling, either to serve as a deacon and aid priests with services or even perform them when no priest is available, or as a nun to provide charity and compassion to those who have none. All who wish to accept this higher calling are urged to speak to their local clergyman. Let all things be done for the greater glory of God."

 

As you stated, the word “services” in section eight does indeed refer to both mass and the sacraments, but not in any priestly manner. I shall begin with mass, of which you correctly clarify later on; mass and such methods of teaching similar in nature are not strictly of the Priesthood but have been, throughout history, carried out by those not ordained, such as Venerable Julia of Haense (an example you graciously provided), Acolytes, and even His Imperial Majesty, Philip II. It is indeed associated heavily with the ordained and therefore, of course, the sermons and theses of a Priest are preferable. Of course, a mass may become sacramental if celebrating certain sacraments is required to perform it, as in the example of the Judite Rite.

 

I will first reassure your penitent that His Holiness does not believe that a layman may celebrate a sacrament. The closest he may come (and then only when the need is perilous) is to perform an ablution in extremis, which is no more than a ceremony marking the penitent’s solemn desire for the sacrament, and a petition to God that He may grant His Grace in an extraordinary way. This is a provision you mention throughout your Tract. I will quote the Codex of Canon Law:

 

“§4. The validity of an ablution in extremis is never assumed, though it is desired. If a penitent has received ablution in extremis, they are obliged to seek out a cleric and receive a sacramentally valid baptism as soon as possible.”

 

Citing your Tract, good Provost, “Thus, the layman who 'administers' the Sacraments, does not do it as such, but acts as a marker of the desire of the person to receive them which cannot be realized, and this desire gives the graces of the Sacrament without itself being the Sacrament.” Verily, this is true, for it is God who works through all things. While certainly it is the Priests of the Church who are the sufficient means in which God absolves and blesses and teaches, it is in the absence of sufficient means where the power of God is truly demonstrated. Unlike even some of the most skilled of artisans, it is the Lord who can take such an insufficient tool as a man, or a woman, unordained, and still enact His Will. As the Codex states, it is ablution, humbly petitioned through these insufficient means, which can indeed be valid, but should be affirmed by more sufficient means when they are made available to the penitent. This right is provided to each layman and therefore extended to deaconesses as well.

 

It is this right purely too. Can deaconesses act as celebrants in the Sacrament of Matrimony? They cannot. Is a deaconess able to consecrate water? No, she is not. Can a deaconess consecrate a Church? She cannot (though, I cannot even do that). It is ablution in extremis which is the right of the deaconess, nothing more, and His Holiness extends his apologies for any lack of clarity on the matter. Simply put, in an age where our growth has slowed, the Church needs “all hands on deck” so to speak, and in his capacity as Pontiff, His Holiness has welcomed women into the fold in a non-sacramental manner, which, as I said prior, is not a breach of traditional thought but instead a use of law which was codified by St. James II and voted upon by the Church entire. 

 

Finally, you, good Provost, address concerns of schism, and here, I do agree with you. You say firmly to your flock, “schism should be as far from our minds as iblees, for iblees is the author of schism,” and in this, I echo you. Any Canonist who strays towards schism over such a matter as deaconesses is admonished to rely more closely upon the pastoral authority of the Church before making his judgements. Petition the Chair of St. Daniel as the good Provost does now; inquire and do not betray, for certainly schism would threaten all the good that the Church has done and will do, for the sake of combatting something which, I cannot stress enough, is not a contravention and does indeed, as per Canon Law, adhere to the traditional values of the Church, those which safeguard the sacramental, but permit the reform of matters of doctrine alike to the deaconess. 

 

With that said, His Holiness once more thanks you, Provost, for having authored this Tract which is, in it’s expression of concern for the sake of the Church, an insight into the worries and questions of the lay faithful. It has given the High Pontiff the chance to clarify and for that, he expresses his utmost gratitude. His Holiness prays that with the newfound clarity given to this matter, we may move forward with these reforms with our traditions most certainly intact and our unity strengthened, the Church bolstered by the deacons and deaconesses who have been encouraged to join Her. May God watch over His Church and may He bestow unto you all the blessings you deserve. Peace be upon you.

 

Forever a Brother Among Brothers,

Fr. Ernst

 

Edited October 21, 2021 by GoldWolf

[thesmellypocket 1839]

Fr. Petros receives the reply with the joy of vindication - not of his own, but of the doctrinal unity of the Church. He had for the last few years suffered a silent martyrdom, criticised by his closest friends in the years between Tract VI and the reply for his silent patience, and being forced to withdraw from most of public life till the controversy be finished. And although he had always remained truly faithful, nagging doubts beset him with terrible anxieties. At last, a tremendous peace of soul floated upon him.

 

"In pace, in Idipsum, dormiam et requiescam: quoniam Tu, Domine, singulariter in spe, constituisti me."