Anne Barnhardt loses the Plot

Catholic Tradition is NOT a Preferential Option

Recently, Barnhardt Podcast put out a new episode entitled “Substantial Air” which should be perhaps relabeled “Pure Air”, because that is what it devolves into. Now, sometimes this wolf in the past has just held his nose, as when the conversation ridicules the whole notion of a “flat earth” and betrays an indoctrination in modern cosmology. One does hesitate to join what Michael Matt aptly describes as the Traditional Catholic “circular firing squad” of criticism. But when one just up and leaves the reservation…

The question popped up, late in the podcast, from a listener: “If one cannot avail oneself of a Traditional Mass, should one attend a Novus Ordo?” Times were when just about every person who frequented an SSPX or one of many “Independent” chapels could instantly give the RIGHT ANSWER: “NO!” And the reason is simple. It derives from the 1st Commandment. Two corollaries are what St Paul wrote: “Bear not the burden with unbelievers” and what Our Lord Jesus Christ told the Woman at the Well in the Gospel of St John, towit, that God desires those who will worship in Spirit and in Truth. Therefore, back in the day most Traditional Catholics could elaborate and say that the Deposit of Faith requires that the good catholic have NOTHING whatsoever to do with the “Church of Vatican II”. NO MATTER HOW GOOD AND “REVERENT” THE CEREMONIES MIGHT APPEAR, they are an abomination because they are false worship, and hence not pleasing to Almighty God. From the very beginning, the New Mass was portrayed as a Happy Meal, and not a Representation of the Sacrifice of Calvary as per the solemn definitions of the Council of Trent.

But those were the good old days, back when Tradition was actively persecuted by the Church of Accommodation (and anyone with two function brain cells could see the glaring contradiction) and those adhered to Tradition were “excommunicated” and “not with the pope” and “schismatics”. The climax of the whole affair was in 1988 when Archbishop Marcel Lefebvre consecrated four bishops for the Society of St Pius X in open defiance of the Vatican and Pope John Paul II declared him excommunicated in virtue of canon law, which was the onset of the “Grand Silence” of the Novus Ordo Church concerning all matters of Tradition. And Pope John Paul II even did us a great favor by issuing the Moto Proprio Ecclesia Dei which ensured that all those Catholics who just wanted to feel like they had worshipped could attend the Traditional Rite and have all the bells and smells so long as they swore fealty to the Spirit of Vatican II and did not ask too many probing questions. This had the effect of keeping the lukewarm far from the halls of the true church because only those who really prayed and discerned came to the conclusion that the “Indult Masses” and the Fraternal Society of Saint Peter were polluted with the indifferentism of the modernists.

Then of course, came the “discussions” with the Vatican initiated by Bishop Fellay of the Society of St Pius X and the “Great Thaw” of the pontificate of Benedict XVI. And both sides assured the Traditional Faithful that Rome was seeking a reconciliation with Catholic Tradition because Pope Benedict “was wearing the fiddleback vestments”. As in all dialogues with the devil, which the Spiritual Exercises wisely enjoin us to avoid like the plague (real ones), nothing but confusion and doubt could inevitably ensue. And this was clearly on display in this unfortunate episode of Barnhardt.

Anne and her sidekick, Supernerd, launched into an inane discussion about whether a person should attend the Novus Ordo because he might be scandalized at the proceedings. Supernerd offered to the dialog that he had been told by a Fraternity of St Peter priest that he, personally, should not even attend a “reverent” Novus Ordo because he, having grown up in Tradition, would be scandalized, and this would be a proximate danger to his faith. Anne build upon that idea and opined that, if a person could find a reverent Novus Ordo where they would not be scandalized then maybe they should attend because, after all, she is confident that in the vast majority of Novus Ordo masses Our Lord Jesus Christ becomes truly present on the altar and we can avail ourselves of Holy Communion.

Now, at this point, even a Scholastic would blanche because this whole exchange is completely subjective if not based upon the overemphasis- unfortunately promoted by many very-well-meaning Traditional priests in the past- on fulfilling the Sunday Obligation of attending Mass under pain of mortal sin (A church law, by the way, not a Divine Law. Strictly speaking, the Commandment to keep the Sabbath Holy forbids servile work and commands prayer, but not specifically attendance at Holy Mass. This is not to trivialize the laws and precepts of Holy Mother Church, but it IS to emphasize that, obviously, Holy Mother Church would never positively command something objective displeasing to Almighty God, which the Novus Ordo is…) to the detriment of keeping the Catholic Faith in all purity and integrity.

As for Supernerd, his pastor apparently has more wisdom and discernment than the Holy Angels (see the parable of Our Lord Jesus Christ concerning the Wheat and the Tares) over souls because he can clearly see that Supernerd would be scandalized and lose the faith the moment he set foot in a Novus Ordo church and does not have neither the intelligence nor the virility to withstand the effeminate ceremonies that he might receive his Lord in Holy Communion. But obviously, somebody who has grown up with Clown Masses, guitars, and Liturgical Dance should by all means attend a “reverent” Novus Ordo. (This is also the advice of Michael Matt of the Remnant.) If one cannot see the absurdity here, that is because said person has lost the “sensus fidelium” that would instantly warn a pure and humble heart the minute he trespasses upon a Reformed Church of Vatican II that he entering a world of the profane, banal, and novel, and should flee as though he were leaving the environs of Sodom or Babylon itself.

Yes, there well may be “good” people in the Novus Ordo. By the same token, good Amish, Lutherans, Orthodox, and even Buddhists certainly exist. But that is not a criteria by which one judges the supernatural. Our Lord Jesus Christ did tell his disciples to learn from Him because He was meek and humble of heart, but that was only AFTER He had convinced them that He was the Messiah who fulfilled all the ancient prophecies and worked miracles and was of God His Father. But just because a church is full of good people does not mean that it has the substantial Truth of the Deposit of Faith. That must be discerned by the adherence of that church to that which was “once for all delivered to the saints”, as the colloquial expression goes.

In the past, Anne Barnhardt has admitted that she routinely goes to Novus Ordo churches where the Blessed Sacrament is exposed for adoration. Now, this is commendable insofar as one is seeking an environment conducive to prayer and contemplation. But this is not commendable because one cannot be morally certain Our Lord is indeed present, and this for a variety of reasons.

Earlier in the podcast, both Anne and Supernerd lampoon the “home alone” Catholics who have essentially given up hope of finding a church where the True Faith is taught and nurtured. Instead, they behold a whole spectrum of apostasy, from New Age ceremonies little differing from a circle of witches to very reverent Novus Ordos where the priest faces the altar and recites the liturgy in Latin to Traditional Masses where many women in the congregation are dressed immodestly week after week and some of the men have their ears pierced, and the priest remains silent. And for making the decision to stay home and worship Our Lord in Spirit and Truth, Anne is confident that they will devolve into vicious, despondent creatures full of hatred towards a world they view as totally hostile.

This wolf will confess that for essentially the last three years he has been a Home Alone Catholic. In all that time he has been to a Traditional Mass a scant twenty times, most of those on a First Saturday. That is because the closest venue he would even consider attending is thirty miles distant. Sure, a reverent Traditional Mass is half that distance, accessible by a long bicycle ride, but the priest there was ordained in the Reformed Rite of Paul VI, which is dubious. A Novus Ordo is just two miles distant, but that is categorically out of the question, because the Novus Ordo is false worship, plain and simple.

What the vast majority of Traditional Catholics cannot quite seem to wrap their heads around is the plain fact that Rome has become the Seat of the Antichrist, and we are in the midst of a Great Apostasy. Now, perhaps this is not THE Great Apostasy Saint Paul spoke about, but it sure walks, talks, and looks like it. And with each passing day, the jury is coming closer to a verdict of guilty.

But, meanwhile, we do have Our Lady of Fatima, someone toward which the Reformed Church of Vatican II behaves in much the same way NASA does when it comes to those who doubt men ever landed on the moon. We just never get a straight answer. Has the Collegial Consecration of Russia to the Immaculate Heart of Mary been done, or has it not? What exactly is the “Third Secret”?

At Fatima, Our Lady said that “God wishes to establish Devotion to My Immaculate Heart”. The response of Pope Benedict XV to Our Lady of Fatima was a stony silence that lasted years. The response of Pope Pius XI was a begrudging nod of approval after a silence of over a decade. The response of Pope Pius XII was a confusing: “We get many requests from ‘visionaries’”. The response from Pope John XXIII was to use anonymous sources to cast doubt upon the authenticity of the events and the veracity of the witnesses. That became the template for everything occurring since.

Of course, what is ignored is that at Fatima, we have the undeniable Miracle of the Sun. That because Our Lady said to the three little Children that in October she would work a miracle so that all might believe. In short, for our age, Our Lady of Fatima is NOT optional.

For over two hours, Anne and Supernerd babble on without mentioning Our Lady of Fatima once in any substantial context.

And perhaps that is the problem. Perhaps Anne might be better served praying the rosary home alone before an image of the Immaculate Heart, rather than adoring at a Reformed Parish. Just saying…

Our Lady of Fatima, pray for us. You are our only hope.