Thursday, June 08, 2006
WHERE ARE YOU GOING, BENEDICT ?
"No more perfect venue could be laid out to welcome the Son of Perdition."
That is the closing sentence of James Larson's March 2006 article in "Christian Order".
The article discusses von Balthasar's theology, exploring "a very small book by Hans Urs von Balthasar entitled Razing the Bastions (English edition: Communio Books, Ignatius Press, 1992)" which was first published in 1952, and which Balthasar called a "programmatic little book."
As background the article presents the "circle of influence" in 1972 that established the magazine "Communio", with Karol Wojtyla in charge of the Polish edition. Contributors of articles include Balthasar (61), David Schindler (Academic Dean of the John Paul II Institute for Studies on Marriage and the Family and chief editor of Communio (42), Cardinal Josef Ratzinger (35) Cardinal Quellet (14), Cardinal Walter Kasper (13), Cardinal Angelo Scola (13), Fr. Jacques Servais (currently head of Casa Balthasar in Rome) (10).
The founding of Casa Balthar was also assisted by Cardinal Schonborn and Fr. Joseph Fessio, with Cardinal Ratzinger as its Cardinal Protector.
Some circle of friends! Both Fr. Fessio and the president of Ave Maria College, Nicholas Healy, wrote their doctoral dissertations on von Balthasar. Henri de Lubac and Hans Urs von Balthasar were considered the greatest spiritual writers in this movement. Larson says that the book Razing the Bastions was not only the personal philosophy of von B., "but also [the] 'program' which was largely adopted by Vatican Council II."
These men, then, were the constructors of our present turmoil. The article sets out some of the "aberrant theories" contained in the little book, including material derived from Adrienne von Speyer, and labels it "Modernism," opposing it to the works of 19th and 20th century popes.
These men have written a chaos scenerio. The fuzzy ephemeral theology that leaves you scratching your head and asking "What did he say?" when you are through with it is demonstrated by brief quoted passages in the article. The use of language to morph doctrine, labeling novelties cleverly so as to cloak them in a costume of tradition, is explained. The occultists could hardly have constructed better chaos magick.
What will be left of the Church when these men are finished with Her?
Our Lady of Fatima, pray for us!
