Monday, August 19, 2013

If not Radtrad, then what are we?

I'm finding a bit of writers block with my column on the sacraments at Catholic Lane.  I've covered the first three sacraments in a way that I feel is interesting and something you normally don't see.  Now that I'm reaching the remaining four (Eucharist, Matrimony, Holy Orders and the Anointing of the Sick), I find that I have a lot to say, but none of it very interesting.  What I would contribute is something you've all heard a thousand times before.  More importantly, those voices would do a far better job telling that story.  So (at least for now) I'm putting that column on the back burner.  (After 19 columns in 9 months on the topic, I think I've earned that breather!)

So if I'm not going to cover the sacraments, what am I going to cover?  The previous two columns on traditionalism have been very well received, especially when you consider that Catholic Lane's audience is not a hotbed of traditionalism.  Sensing an opportunity, I'm going to continue with that line of thought.  Be sure to tune in and watch it blow up in my face!

In doing so, I'm hoping to build on what has been done lately calling for "radtrad" to be retired.  I want to show the aspirations of traditionalists are really not that radical and that we have a lot to offer today's Church.  Men like Catholic Answers Patrick Coffin deny that there can be an authentic worldview that can call itself "traditionalist" in the Catholic Church.  I intend to prove him and those like him wrong.

Here's the question:  what as a traditionalist do you find important?  To those who aren't traditionalists, what do you like about the movement?  What do you want to hear more of?  Or is this just a waste of time?  Feel free to reach out to me and share your thoughts.  As for now, here are a few things I will be pushing:

1.)  The Traditionalist movement can be seen as a work of the Spirit in reminding Catholics of the wisdom of the first two chapters of the book of Ecclesiastes.

2.)  The Traditionalist movement can help  modern Catholicism (especially in the West) rediscover the importance of the Incarnation, and properly ordering the temporal towards the eternal.

3.)  The Traditionalist movement today is ironically a populist movement within the Church.

4.)  The Traditionalist movement properly strikes a balance with discpline, realizing the freedom structure provides from the tyranny of our own mediocrity, while not descending into legalism.

5.)  Traditionalists can help the Church avoid the tyranny of the moment when it comes to understanding the Gospel.  We take the long view on things, and there's something to be said for it.

6.)  The "brick by brick" approach seen in many traditionalist chapels is a breath of fresh air from a status quo of mediocrity and waiting on everyone else to do something.

If anyone else has any other ideas, I'd be interested in hearing them.

1 comment:

  1. A good rule of thumb: if you are fighting writers block and its not (i) a paper you are required to turn in for a grade or (ii) a project with a due date imposed by someone else, let it rest and move onto something else. Let the outline of the project marinate in your subconscious while you do other projects and at some point, you will receive a spark of inspiration and know where to go on the matters currently being set aside.

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