Pray for the Pope

"Active Participation"
the Tool of the Modernist

There is a real need to understand and be able to explain what is traditional and what is modernist, and therefore what is good and what is bad. Yes, there is a good and a bad in this issue. One promotes the truths of the Faith, while the other tears down the Faith.

One needs to realize that God is not and cannot be a liar. There is but one true Faith. Let us not confuse the issue as if it were up to us what to believe. The Church is here, thanks be to God, to tell us what the truths of the Faith are, and it is our duty to find that teaching and follow it. There are many truths which the Church does not dogmatically teach. This is where tradition comes in. If something is taught or practiced for a long period of time, it is traditional and one can rely on it. If the Church did not rule against it, then it stands.

Saint Pope Pius X is well known for his opposition to Modernism, which he condemned. He said, “Modernists should be beaten with fists.” Understand that a Modernist is one who, in his purpose, is trying to do away with Tradition.

The main tool of a true Modernist has been, and still is, “active participation,” and they have practiced organizational subversion. That is, they have had organizational congresses to promote their ideals and to oppose tradition. They promote the idea that traditionalists have organized to exclude them. Actually, traditionalists are simply holding to the Faith — tradition. Through “active participation,” the congregation is taught that they and their participation are essential for the Mass to be complete. The traditionalist realizes that there is no need for a congregation in order to have a Mass said, and that a priest is to say Mass every day regardless of whether a congregation is present.

Persons coming from the Novus Ordo often love the traditional Mass because it is so beautiful, but they often do not keep coming because they cannot accept that they are to hear Mass and not be an important active part of it. Through teaching “active participation,” persons going to the Novus Ordo are taught that they are an important part of the service and that they are co-celebrants. Over time, the priest is being replaced by the congregation in the Novus Ordo. At this point in time, the priest is the one presiding at the Novus Ordo Mass. The Novus Ordo is a teacher of “active participation,” which is another reason one needs to avoid it.

Carol Byrne, MA, PhD, in her book Born of Revolution, documents this revolution against tradition starting with Fr. Beauduin in 1909 and explains how it took center stage for so many Catholics. Carol Byrne wrongly blames Pius XII for having brought it about while he was Pope. At the time, Pope Pius XII was very incapacitated and under the guidance of his doctor. For further understanding of this issue, go to PrayforthePope.net and read the article The Engine of Change , which discusses Pope Pius XII and how he was kept out of the loop.

Traditionally, the priest reads the Mass and the congregation hears the Mass. The rosary is generally led before Mass to help foster devotion using traditional prayers and wording in a devotional manner while not being distracting.