Hazy View or Holy View? Newman Reminds

https://www.newmanreader.org/works/idea/article9.html

And here we see what is meant by the poet's maxim, "A little learning is a dangerous thing." Not that knowledge, little or much, if it be real knowledge, is dangerous; but that many a man considers a mere hazy view of many things to be real knowledge, whereas it does but mislead, just as a short-sighted man sees only so far as to be led by his uncertain sight over the precipice. | Saint John Henry Newman

There are Catholics who routinely push themselves into the political religious margins. That is, they identify as left or right, liberal or conservative. There are Catholic scholars who look down on their fellow Catholics who may not fit their "Trad" (right) mentality or their "Progressive" (left) mould.

One of the many beautiful aspects of being attached to an Ordinariate community is the ability to sit with Christ in the Sacred Liturgy and rest in Him in its beauty, whether attending a Said Mass or a Solemn (Sung) Mass. The preaching is consoling and challenging—truth and goodness delivered in appropriate measure for the salvation of souls. Faithfulness to the Gospel is lauded; compromise is rejected.

"many a man considers a mere hazy view of many things to be real knowledge"

"I am not a liberal." "I am not a trad." Why not just say, "I am a Catholic, a disciple of Jesus Christ who worships the Lord in the beauty of holiness"?

Depending on who is doing the labelling, traditionalists are rated top-tier and progressives are bottom of the barrel. Or, liberals are compassionate and trads are merciless. Playing "tiered Catholicism" is yet another fraudulent pastime we can do without. The only distinction needed (to protect the faithful) is that between truth and falsehood.

"a short-sighted man sees only so far as to be led by his uncertain sight over the precipice"

In every community, religious or secular, church hall or pub, human beings tend to thrive on passing along trivia. Some people may overcompensate to protect what they claim to have, confirming latent anger, perplexity, or doubt. Is the lens through which we view the world clear or mired with the grime of egoism and/or fear?

1 John 4:18 | There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear. For fear has to do with punishment, and he who fears is not perfected in love.

Saint Francis of Assisi is credited with establishing Saint Michael's Lent, emphasizing prayer, asceticism, and fraternity. Francis would fast, abstain, and engage in penances and mortifications to discipline himself, acquire the virtues, and honor God.

Perhaps in this Lent of Saint Michael, which began with the Assumption of Mary (August 15th) and concludes on the Feast of Saint Michael (September 29th), one might go deeper into the motivations that can trap one in a maze of useless speech that clouds identity and serves no healthy purpose, other than to trumpet one's imagined superiority. One must be confident in the Truth of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Even a brief daily examination of conscience can help trim the fat of pride from one's soul.

Sharing the Gospel ought to be as natural as breathing. We must embody and narrate the blessings and goodness of the Faith and leave behind the polarizing political trappings that unnecessarily obscure and complicate Catholic identity and the mission to save souls.

In Divine Worship, the form of the Mass celebrated in communities of the Anglicanorum Coetibus Personal Ordinariates, a rich banquet of wisdom is offered for those who allow themselves to be reached by the Word, Jesus Christ.

Jesus in the Mass feeds us in ways a blog post can barely hint at. In the Mass, we become prone to experience a profound relationship that transcends mere words, inviting us to delve deeper into the heart of reality.