The crisis in the Church is essentially a crisis of Faith, the novelties and reforms issued by the Second Vatican Council have weakened, and in many cases, even destroyed the Faith. Although it is primarily a crisis of Faith, there are also other effects...
Dear Friends and Benefactors,
On March 4, 1991, near the end of his life, Archbishop Lefebvre wrote:
The restorer of Christendom is the priest by the offering of the true sacrifice, by administering the Sacraments, by teaching the catechism, by vigilantly looking out for the salvation of souls. It is around these truly faithful priests that Christians must gather, and there organize the whole of Christian Life. Any spirit of distrust toward priests who deserve confidence weakens and destabilizes resistance against the destroyers of the Faith."
The crisis in the Church is essentially a crisis of Faith, the novelties and reforms issued by the Second Vatican Council have weakened, and in many cases, even destroyed the Faith. Although it is primarily a crisis of Faith, there are also other effects: one of them is a loss of confidence in the Church and in the clergy. This is a real danger, and Archbishop Marcel Lefebvre both experienced it and warned the faithful against it.
The virtue of hope supposes the Faith and is founded on faith. As any good catechism teaches, Faith alone will not save us without good works; we must also have hope and charity. Hope is the supernatural virtue by which we firmly trust that God will give us eternal life and all the means necessary to obtain it if we do what is required of us.
Indeed, the virtue of Hope includes trust in the means of salvation, and confidence in Our Lord Jesus Christ, the only Redeemer. It entails as well not only trust in the Catholic Church, which is the prolongation of Our Lord Jesus Christ, but also trust in the representatives of Our Lord, the bishops and the priests. They receive authority from Our Lord Jesus Christ; they offer the means of salvation, they are teachers of the Revelation in His Name, and are distributors of His grace through the Sacraments.
To deny the need of these means of sanctification would be equal to doubting God Himself and His Divine plan. That is why the loss of confidence in the clergy is a real danger. The crisis is at the origin of this distrust. “We have been betrayed by priests and bishops, so we have to watch.” This we hear sometimes as if it would be a duty to be watchful of everything, even with priests who deserve confidence, as the archbishop warns. Thanks be to God, most of the faithful who come to the Society of St. Pius X chapels trust its priests and superiors, but this danger does exist.
Once again, it is understandable as a consequence of the terrible crisis we are in. Nevertheless, it is an obstacle to personal sanctification and weakens one’s resistance against the enemies and destroyers of the true Faith.
Our goal, for both priests and faithful, is to restore everything in Christ. It is to rebuild around our priories and schools a Catholic spirit: where the Faith is protected and, by the teaching of the priests, radiates everywhere; where hope in God and in His Church is intensified by the example of conscientious priests; where charity towards God and neighbor is more and more put into practice.
During this month of June, which is consecrated to the Sacred Heart of Jesus, let us renew our steady intention to work for this restoration in our personal life, in our family life, in our parish life, and in the whole of society. May the new Rosary Crusade for the intentions of the consecration of Russia help us to be more generous in praying and offering sacrifices.
Be assured of my prayers and receive my blessing.
In the Immaculate Heart of Mary,
Fr. Arnaud Rostand