14th Sunday after Pentecost - Last Sunday in August

This year the 14th Sunday after Pentecost coincides with the last Sunday in August. We have here the confluence of the Traditional with the March of Time.

Tradition assists us in keeping the march of time at bay. When we denigrate or completely jettison tradition, we allow the march of time to grind its merciless boots into our bodies and souls.

Of course, only good, even better holy, tradition serves this good and worthy purpose. And what more good and worthy tradition can there be than that which graced our Holy Catholic Church for centuries - until the Revolution of the Modernists (a/k/a Bolsheviks?) that ripped tradition from the heart of Holy Mother Church?

It's a rhetorical question, of course. Those us us who have either been raised with our venerable traditional liturgy and customs or those who have taken the trouble to familiarize themselves with these know the damage done has decimated the Church in too many ways to count in a mere post. Still, we can remind ourselves of this from time to time to sharpen our minds and hearts such that we do not sink under the weight of those who would pile innovation and even heresy upon us.

Why would they do such a thing? Only they can answer that question. And their answer will be directed to God some day. We should be grateful to be separate and apart from such as need to provide such answers.

So with our Sunday reminder, we thank God on this 14th Sunday after Pentecost. To follow our Sundays in the traditional manner as we do here, we keep this reminder constant. It bears repetition. Its repetition remains one of the weapons of our defense against the incursion of our enemies.

And make no mistake, those who have directed and still control to a great degree the Revolution can be characterized as enemy. We acknowledge, of course, that there surely must have been, and still are, many who sincerely believe the changes that followed Vatican II to be somehow beneficial, even a boon, to the religious practices of Catholics. Family, friends, and acquaintances fall into this category. We pray for them. As for those who knowingly turned their backs on Our Lord and His Holy Church in an attempt to set up some newfangled concoction of their making, we can, of course pray for them as well. But we must be wary of them, even defend ourselves from their continuing attacks.

While our Tradition's primary purpose is not to protect us from those grinding boots of time mentioned above, nevertheless it does serve such a purpose. For centuries it connected us directly to the thoughts, words and deeds of Our Lord Jesus Christ and those to Whom He gave the apostolic power to continue His teaching and provide the Sacramental Grace He dispenses through their ministry. While the Tradition slowly changed (with emphasis on SLOWLY) as wise and holy shepherds tended to the welfare of their sheep in the best ways they could as time marched on, there was not break of any significance from Our Lord and His Apostles. 

Was that true of the perpetration of the Novus Ordo Mass after Vatican II? (Nota bene: Vatican II did not call for such an innovation to our Holy Mass. It was instituted afterwards.) If the answer isn't evident on first blush, simply consider that this newfangled liturgy was not simply introduced as an alternative, but was explicitly mandated as a replacement of the venerable Mass of the Ages. And while subsequent investigation has shown that there never was any official banning of the Vetus Ordo, in practice that is indeed just what occurred.

Ever since, the March of Time has for so many gained the upper hand. It remains unfettered. Without any rock solid tradition (Rock of Ages?) it cannot be tempered. We are subject to its whims.

If not sure about this, simply consider the mushrooming of emotional issues that plague so many - with the commensurate manufacture of all sorts of prescription drugs to counter this plague.

Well, enough of this for our last Sunday in August. Time has had its way. The calendar remains an earthly road map we use to negotiate the twists and turns of our time in this Vale of Tears. But on this Sunday, we Catholics can settle for at least a few moments - or more - in the traditional practices of attendance at Holy Mass (old rite or new), some additional time spent with Our Lord in prayer, meditation, reading Scripture, good spiritual works and study of our Catholic Religion. 

Of course, it's better to do all these daily, at least for a half hour or hour or so, but if for some reason we've not yet developed this venerable habit, Sunday provides us with the respite from our daily routine to pursue these now.

Don't let Time be your master on this last Sunday of August. With the Arrival of September in only a few days, the phrase "Tempus fugit" should provide the wake-up call we need to strengthen our spiritual life.

Happy Sunday!