Re Fr. Stephen Somerville: a perspective.

At first blush, extreme traditionalists and extreme modernists might seem to have nothing in common other than their antagonism towards each other. In fact, however, they have three things in common. They are fervent, they are proud, and they are scandalized in the person of Jesus Christ, true God and true man.

With regard to this last point, extreme traditionalists are scandalized by the Incarnation, the immanence of the Divinity, and the love of God for frail human beings. They believe God was present in a unique and abiding manner in the Catholic Church during what seemed a more peaceful era, perhaps the 1950s, when they were children and the liturgy was a predictable comfort. They balk at the idea that God continues to be present in the Catholic Church in the same manner when their own sense of decorum has been jostled.

Extreme modernists, on the other hand, take scandal at the holiness of God, his transcendence, and his hatred of iniquity. They believe God was not fully present in the Catholic Church until they came along--just in the nick of time--to correct the errors of the past 2000 years. In their view, the martyrs of a former age were sadly mistaken in their conviction that the Catholic faith was worth dying for. Instead of having their heads cut off, they should have learned how to have fun and be relevant.

Toronto, ON