Even with the best intentions, you can’t dip your toe in the liberal cesspool. They’ll just use you to attack your compatriots in the battle for everything that’s true and good. Fr. Dwight Longenecker’s unearthed an old article by Steve Skojec lamenting traditionalist ‘joylessness.’
An article by Steve Skojec has surfaced on social media in which he argues that traditionalist Catholics need to be happy, joyful folks so that everyone realizes what a great treasure they have in the Tridentine Mass.
He criticizes traditionalist Catholics of an extreme sort, explaining what it was like when he started to attend the Latin Mass
Did Skojec imagine he’d become a vehicle someday to blast conservative Catholics and the people at The Remnant when he wrote this piece almost six years ago? Who could have predicted FrancisChurch? Still, there’s no point in making Fr. Longenecker pleasantly surprised, even if it’s via the hands some mole who’s dug up ancient dirt.
I was surprised to read Steve’s article since whenever I had come across his writings I thought he was firmly among “the angry traddies” and his writings seemed to typify the dour and judgmental atmosphere he was criticizing in his article.
Then I checked the post and realized the article was written over five years ago. Maybe Steve’s attitude went South after Pope Francis’ election…
To be honest I haven’t read enough of Steve’s stuff to know if my impression of him being an “angry traddy” is fair. So I’ll give him the benefit of the doubt and hope that he’s the happy traddy that he hopes traditionalists will be.
“Happy traddy?” Is that a goal or something? Is this a daycare center?
It just gets uglier from there.
So why does there still have to be the sour, negativity, suspicion and persecution complex among some who call themselves traditionalist? Furthermore, why do some go on to pick up not just traditionalist Catholic worship, but also get infected with all that scary right wing, racist, conspiracy theory anti-Semitic stuff? The more radical ones play the victim saying they are a persecuted minority, but they sure don’t mind loading their weapons and taking pot shots at everyone with whom they disagree.
In my opinion it doesn’t have anything to do with liturgy or even with the Catholic faith. I think it just comes down to personality types. Some people tend to see their world and themselves in a certain way. The world is going to hell in a hand basket and we few, we faithful few will be “the Remnant” who survive the coming conflict and rise above it. In the meantime, everyone else out there are the enemy and they’re out to get us.
I’m exaggerating to make my point, but if my hunch is right, then that sort of person is likely to be drawn to a conservative form of religion, and if they’re Catholic it will be traditionalism. If I’m right, then they are unlikely to be the happiest of people to deal with. They’re likely to be a little bit suspicious of others and tend toward argumentation and anger.
Not like Fr. Longenecker. There’s no anger in that guy! It’s all sweetness and light I’m sure, brother in Christ.
Gee, these faithful conservative Catholics are a bunch of miserable jerks! Hey, can you find an agency to help resettle some more Muslim ‘refugees’ in my neighborhood? I’m having a New Year’s party and I’m feeling the FrancisEffect!
Did you know Patheos has a voodoo channel?