Friday, September 09, 2005
MASS OF THE MOTHER
Take a look. It contains a lot of elements of the Tridentine combined with the vernacular of the Novus Ordo. The first verse of the hymn to the Holy Spirit is nearly identical to the Catholic hymn. The Gloria and the Kyrie are similar.
The service is used by The Gnostic Church of St. Mary Magdalene.
This is the church of the Gnostic gospels, the Nag Hammadi Library, the Holy Grail, of Mary Magdalene as the wife of Jesus, of the Tarot and the Black Madonnas, of the Hieros Gamos and the alchemical wedding, of the Kabbalah and the Melchizadek priesthood, of "Jewish Tantra taught by Jesus" or sacred sexuality, of the Cathars and the Albigensians, of the Kabbalah and the Merovingian Dynasty, and so much more. This is the church of spirit mediumship, the very thing forbidden by the First Commandment. This church looks to the Gnostic Gospels and to Ean Begg and Margaret Starbird for doctrine.
Their claim of apostolic succession includes Rene Valette and also James Wedgewood of the Liberal Catholic Church.
Perhaps the most riveting paragraph in the entire website can be found on "The Gnostic Tarot" webpage at the very end:
It is no wonder that some persons were attracted away from the fire-and-brimstone Roman church to the Gnostic church of love in the embrace of Nature. The patriarchal Church lost adherants over this schism in every generation, from the early centuries of Christianity through the flowering of the Cathar movement in southern France a thousand years later, and certainly the exodus has not ended yet. A philosophy devoted to Wisdom in her female form ("philo-sopher" means lover of Sophia!) would have appeal in any generation, which may help us to understand the popularity of Tarot from its first inception, despite vigorous Church disapproval.
This, in short, is the church of the other gospel, the one that relies on spirit contact and luv with not a hint of judgment. Are they the Desposyni written of by William H. Kennedy in his book LUCIFER'S LODGE: SATANIC RITUAL ABUSE IN THE CATHOLIC CHURCH?
As overtures are made to the Jewish community, and joint statements such as "Reflections on Covenant and Mission" are made available to the Catholic laity through the internet, someone in the Church is going to have to deal with this developing stream of alternative Catholicism--someone with authority. When MEDITATIONS ON THE TAROT gets the approval of a respected theologian who has the Pope's ear, enough doubt is seeded to undermine the faith.
The pressing question raised in Catholic minds by these followers of the luv gospel is whether the Church has hidden something from the laity? Dan Brown brought out this question with his storybook, and Catholic writers are answering it. Yet the official teaching Church has not taken up the challenge, but rather left it to members of the laity such as Welborn, Olsen, and Miesel to step into the breach. Does Rome know something we haven't been told? What, precisely, is fueling interreligious dialogue particularly with the Jews?
Some are saying that the Roman Catholic Church is facilitating the church of Antichrist. Regular readers here have seen the comments to that effect. When we reject that possibility, we are still left with ecumenical and interreligious dialogue that for all practical purposes violates what the Church taught up to Vatican II; and no reconciliation with previous teaching has been given. The new approaches to other religions are presented, and we must choose to either take them as presented or to dissent. The decision to accept these new approaches without that needed reconciliation is to in effect claim that our faith is founded on the rock of the Second Vatican Council, and not on the longstanding Tradition of the Roman Catholic Church.
Perhaps, though, it cannot be reconciled as dissenters claim. Perhaps a new religion was instituted in the early 60s. That would explain why Rome does not address these doctrinal questions. If no reconciliation is possible, its best to remain silent. John Paul II did not take up the challenge. Benedict, at the time of the conclave, was expected to, but has not yet done it. Perhaps it is premature to be expecting him to have done it so soon after his election. He was, however, chief guardian of the doctrine of the faith prior to his election. That would provide ample background to be able to take up this challenge, yet so far he remains silent.
Our Lady of Fatima, pray for us!
