Today's Sanhedrin is busy discussing who should give a speech while the Titanic sinks. The remnant are busy boarding the boats.
“This Church constituted and organized in the world as a society, subsists in the Catholic Church, which is governed by the successor of Peter and by the bishops in communion with him, although many elements of sanctification and of truth are found outside of its visible structure. These elements, as gifts belonging to the Church of Christ, are forces impelling toward catholic unity.” (Lumen Gentium 8)
“Subsists” is not “is”
Sometimes one can be right but miss the point entirely. Sadducees and Pharisees differed on the resurrection. Only one could be right. The Pharisees were answering the wrong question right. The right question was: “Who is Jesus?” Peter, the eternal slow learner, answered that question right: “You are the Christ, the Son of the Living God!” In that particular instant, on the opposite shore of the lake, Peter was “in the moment” listening to the voice of God. The sound of God’s voice was unveiled for Peter because he was simple enough to be listening attentively.
I don’t know if you noticed but I’ve been raising a similar point in the last two posts. The Pharisees and Sadducees differed on the matter of the resurrection. We know now the Pharisees were right. I think Traditional Catholics are right about the Tridentine Mass in the same manner. The Novus Ordo side has been fishing in the wrong lake just like the Sadducees were in the first century. Back then both of them missed the Messiah.
The story repeats again. Both sides should be working extra hard to unite according to the truth of Christ (Oriental Orthodox and Protestants should be doing the same.) Christ is once again one inch away from their noses while they honestly discuss matters not relevant to their own salvation.
The first time it was a matter of space, Christ was nearby but they did not see Him. In this our age He is close in time. But they seem oblivious to the parousia (Gr: “presence”).
In the first century only the Church saw Christ and the same happens today. In the same manner that the Church of the first century “subsisted” within the remains of the Mosaic religious system ... this true Church of today “subsists” inside the worldwide Christian structures at large, mainly the Roman Catholic Church but not necessarily all of it. “Subsists” is not the same as “is”.
The Church is now separated from Christ’s presence by the short time left to His manifestation. See, on Mount Tabor, Peter wanted to make tents for Christ, Moses, and Elijah. He wanted to fence some space for Christ to remain among them. He erred in that the vision of the Transfiguration was manifesting in time and space. Showing the eternal nature of Christ, the Law, and Prophecy (Moses and Elijah)
Today we must not make the same mistake. We should not try to “immanentize the eschaton!” Do not dream any utopian state of the Church Militant: not “Ecclesia reformata et semper reformanda” neither the Church that refers always to a state calcified in a particular age of time like the first century or a specific moment like the day of the first Pentecost. The Church is a living organism, the Mystical Body and has its own internal logic placed there by Christ who created her. Trying to make the Church grow in some different manner is a deadly error akin to the sin of Uzzah.
In my poor and limited opinion, I think we should turn our attention and discern the times and nearness of Christ’s manifestation. The Holy Scriptures abound in advice about the end times. The general apostasy is mentioned and also the subsisting pusillus grex the small remnant. Christ left us the Mass, that is a symbol and reality of His Presence among us. In Emmaus, Christ blesses the bread and disappears. Only at that moment (temporal concept not spatial!) the disciples discern His identity. Such discernment is controlled by Him (veiling or unveiling) so I dare say that Christ’s provision of such discernment —now that we are approaching the “other shore” of the sea of history— is still controlled by Him! The pusillus grex will know, things will be unveiled in a very obvious manner. We only have to be very careful not to be distracted by a wrong perception of reality (Pharisee v. Sadducee, etc.)
Even if we are in the right concerning the Holy Mass we may end up missing Him. We must be alert and discerning, begging for Him to unveil the next move, open to what He has to say. Be like St Peter: his only talent was to wait for and listen to the voice of God.
