What does it mean to go "code white"?  To go code white is to enter a situation that one has not anticipated, is unprepared for, and then the stunned person freezes into inactivity or flees.  When a situation calls for a heroic response in a high intensity moment, the last thing one wants to do is to go code white.

While many Traditionalists anticipated aspects of the new Motu Proprio, many were shocked by how extensive it is and even more are struggling as to how to respond.   Now that I have had a week to take it all in and observe, I would like to make a couple of critiques and then propose a response that Traditionalists ought to collectively adopt.  I hope it offends few and challenges many.  Let’s find out…

For the purpose of this thesis, I believe it unnecessary to break down the point by point decrees of this document.  There have already been plenty of great articles and podcasts that have accomplished this.  I would rather like to begin by offering a general assessment of its effects as well as its plausible intention.  

Proximately speaking, this Motu Proprio is meant to stifle the growth of the Traditional Latin Mass community world-wide.  In places with supportive bishops, the Traditional Latin Mass community will not be negatively effected.  Not now at least.  In fact, if these communities are smart in how they presently act, this is an opportunity to grow their communities even larger (more on that later).  In areas with anti-TLM bishops, communities are currently scrambling at best, canceled at worst.  

Remotely speaking, one can guess as to what the endgame is in mind for the current pontiff and his advisors, but speculation of a wish to ultimately eliminate the Traditional Latin mass is not unreasonable.  

I believe that I have seen several men effectively go “code white” over this new Motu Proprio.  How?   By getting distracted from doing real things to fight back (more on that later too!).  So what "code white" activities are people engaging in?  Much of the usual:

1. Endless discussion.  We all do this at times.  So many of us spend amazing time and effort developing our interior lives by diligently practicing traditional devotions everyday.  Even if we have gone the distance and eliminated Netflix binging from our leisure time habits, many of us know how captivating and addicting comment sections can be.  After all, who doesn't want to talk to other trads? We need validation and a feeling of togetherness during a time like this, come on!  But do we need to engage in it for hours?  Do we need to see every podcast that breaks down every angle of this?  At what point is it just entertainment or social media engagement dopamine hit chasing (ewww).  No wonder we often feel like there is no time left for active apostolate work.  Interior life, trad media, Compline, early bed time, repeat.  There, I said it.  Fight me with your fists if you are offended.  It is how the guys prior to 1962 handled things after all.

2. Questioning Francis as pope.  I don’t desire to say much on this because I am not offering an argument either way.  Nor do I wish to mess with that can of worms.  And that is my point; I don’t know how this discussion advances my spiritual life or strengthens my resolve in working my apostolates.  Is there a right answer and a wrong answer to this discussion?  Absolutely there is, the law of non-contradiction dictates such.  But at the end of the day, my focus needs to be on fulfilling my current vocation.  As a father, I’m working to eliminate vices, foster virtue, and get my family to heaven through the sacramental life and works of charity.  After that, my time must be devoted to witnessing the Gospel within my own circle of influence and then working my way out to the rest of the world.  I think that’s literally what Christ told us to do when he said “Go, therefore, and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to follow all that I commanded you” (Mt. 28:19-20).

3. Putting up the siege walls.  Now is not the time to cast everyone out other than your closest TLM community friends and stand together in isolation with shields down/spears out and call it good.  If tightening the fortress is your only means of engagement, then you are not engaging at all.  Besides, you aren’t even being sieged.  Those who are attacking the Latin mass are in the Church and already have control.  One of the last things we want to do right now is give allies the impression that their aid is unwanted.  Do not use the present critical time  to loudly curse the Novus Ordo in front of its attendees.  Do not isolate.  Do not be prideful or rash.

Now is actually the time to strengthen alliances with conservative, pious, and TLM sympathetic Novus Ordo goers.  Form alliances with such people and show them how to build not siege walls, but walls of circumvallation!  Don’t let the modernists take these potential allies (or potential future TLM attendees) and backdoor you with them as you take the offense.  Instead, build up an army ready to siege the modernists as they continue to age and crack.  The boomer clergy will not live forever.  Use the help of today’s increasingly traditional liturgy hungry Novus Ordo goers to help cut off the aid such clergy will someday sorely need.  Be wise and fight like a man, with prowess and intelligence.

So here’s my challenge: we all know the stereotypes that get tacked on the TLM crowd. “Rigid”.  “Fusty”. “LARPERs”. “Inaccessible”.  “Arrogant”.  I’m tired of those misnomers.  Forget crying and looking for the closest conservative state with a TLM sympathetic bishop that still has a chunk of years left before retirement.  This Motu Proprio has inspired me to intensify my purpose of evangelization to my Novus Ordo attending friends, to aid in building up a bigger army and doing my part in preparing now for better days ahead.  Time for offense.

Pope Francis challenged us in his Motu Proprio, men.  His grounds for a change centered around an apparent “division” between communities within the larger Church.  And for that we are punished.  Well to that, I say, “hold my beer”.  Let us not hunker down in isolation and anger against everyone outside of the TLM community, but let us instead take the traditional teachings we have, the reverence, the piety, the big family spirit, all of it and spread it to all men.  In such a next level Jujutsu move, let’s strike back and bless many good Catholics in the process who don’t know what their missing.  Challenge accepted.

I would like to close with a true story that I think sums up what I’m talking about.  A great friend of mine recently shared some spiritual witness to a group of Novus Ordo attending guys.  They recently asked for help developing a church security team from a TLM parishioner who has taken developing church security for Catholic churches as his personal apostolate.  This buddy of mine, who handles the spiritual side of things for said apostolate, gave a talk to these men where he witnessed to the fruits he has experienced as someone who was finally catechized on the great traditions of the Church over the last several years.  This night he spoke to them on the power of confession: on grace, hell, God's justice, and on the forgiveness available in the sacrament.

A week later, one of the men from that group approached my friend and said “I want to thank you for your talk last week.  Because of it, I went to confession for the first time in ten years”.  

As Ruse would say, there are low hanging halos all over the place in times like these.  Grab one, find a shoulder to stand next to, and let’s march on.  

God bless,

Gadfly