True Tradition vs. False Tradition

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When I first joined the Catholic Church, I heard a homily given by one of the more prominent priests in my Archdiocese which was probably fairly formative for me because it’s remained with me and, evidently still occurs to me today – in which he took the opportunity at one point to fire some shots at “Traditionalists”.

According to this priest, the older some belief or custom is, the more traditional it is. For him, the measure of your commitment to tradition was based on how remote your practices are from the contemporary age – how far back they go in time.

And since some practices were older than the Latin mass, it wasn't all that traditional and traditionalists should stop pretending to be something they are not.

[diegoforever]

“Tradition is not the worshipping of ashes, but the preservation of fire.” -Arthur Kwon Lee

[lonniestoute]

Let us never think the Catholic Church is a Democracy.

[soniamartin]

J.R.R. Tolkien, confronted by having the Mass of Ages banned overnight and replaced by the New Mass (that claimed a return to origins) wrote in a letter, 'I do not understand the mania that the early Church is superior to the Church today because I don't understand why a sapling is superior to the full-grown tree; and in any case, if the sapling is superior to the full-grown tree, you don't get back the purity of the sapling by cutting down the tree. You simply kill the tree.'  Any honest witness to the 'fruits' of the V2 Mass must acknowledge that it is, if not able to kill, wounds the 2000 year old holy and wise tree/Mystical Body of Christ. G.K. Chesterton wrote that, 'Tradition is the proxy of the dead and the enfranchisement of the unborn.' Through Holy Tradition the Holy Ghost saves each generation from being slaves of the zeitgeist that not only ignores but adopts the heretical and schismatic doctrines and practices that the 2000 year old tree has prudently and perfectly (the gates of hell shall not prevail) stood against. Kyrie eleison.

[JackIronwood]

I attended NO Mass twice...I saw how the Eucharist was handled, and it was completely alien to even my Lutheran Church upbringing. I attended TLM Mass at an SSPX Chapel, and was blown away by the beauty and reverence of the service.
To me, this isn't about who can out-Trad who - but about Liturgical correctness and proper reverence.

[andycopeland]

Tradition is not deference given to the very old; tradition is preference for the eternal.

[petergreen]

The Anglican liturgist, George Guiver, said WTTE, “Jesus said, ‘Do this in remembrance of me’ - but we also do it remembering those who have also remembered”. The Mass brings us into communion with the whole Church - past as well as present - the whole body of Christ.

[tonygibson]

People become 'traditionalists' when they see where the modern world is headed and know that it is in serious error. They understand that at some critical point in the past something happened that changed our society from what was once moral, truthful and faithful in keeping us in benevolent prosperity; and they therefore pine to go back to that earlier time and what preceded it to pick up on its mores & traditions, and to bring them to life again for the current generation and for those generations that follow.

[jgnogueira]

Brian I am from Brazil and I must say you are the only Catholic traditionalist from the Anglo sphere I still listen to, our brothers from the Anglo sphere have some great work but I fear there is a huge temptation of Americanizing the gospel, I am glad you are doing a fantastic job at recognizing the true teachings of the church without falling for some Neo paganism tricks.

[reinedire]

Claiming that others feel superior due to their attendance of a certain mass seems rather uncharitable and presumptuous on the part of that priest if you ask me. And I'm an n.o. attendee.

[lucidlocomotive]

This is so annoying! I hear this all the time. These people are confusing tradition with antiquity. Something being older does not make it more traditional. Tradition is what has been passed down the longest!

[antholianmartyr]

Tradition, from "tradere" - to transmit, to hand over, or to give for safekeeping

[penanceixx]

I learn so much from you! That Chesterson quote was amazing, especially in the context of Catholicism. Not all the dead are gone with the Communion of Saints, yet we disregard their voices. God bless you! ♥️🙏

[batboy]

Brian, you really nailed it. Tradition is what has "been handed down". Part of that is the oldest, but all legitimate understandings are actually Catholic.Augustine was as Catholic as Thomas Aquinas was and Augustine was also just as Catholic as Peter. We cannot consider ourselves Catholic unless we are as comfortable with Thomas Aquinas as we are with Peter.

[jonathanstensberg]

Tradition is to be catholic: neither the just newest nor just the oldest, but the whole.

[davidh]

Brian, your videos are some of the most thoughtful and insightful of the Catholic YouTube space. Thank you, and I will support your endeavors in any way I can. Every video you upload forces me to think deeply about an issue, and I appreciate the fact that you don't optimize your videos for "engagement" AKA "conflict porn".

[nicholassmith]

The vast majority of U.S. Catholics haven't been properly catechized for about 60 years. Be patient with people and meet them where they are with joy and kindness. I do think that a reverent NO or TLM in a gorgeous old ornate church should be the norm, but, most Catholics haven't even been exposed to that. Most of the people that want the clown show of the 80s and 90s are dead or dying. People that are about 35 - 75 have no idea, most of this age group think that Catholicism is just a denomination of Christianity. A little catechesis, patience, and conversation go a long way.

[Braingrandchild]

Mr Holdsworths children have a great teacher in him.

[ccl]

Excellent short discussion on Tradition. Yes, I remember the 3 legged stool of: Tradition, Scripture & Magisterium. It’s part of the traditional catechism…the never old Baltimore Catechism. I also appreciate your speaking of the passing of the faith through our fathers. Strong societies preserve what is good and learn from their bad; not by self-destruction and re-invention. There is “nothing new under the sun”. -Benedicamos Domino🙏😇

[amytheoptimist]

Hey Brian. Thanks for always posting consistently.

Is it okay to say I didn't understand much of what you said? It felt like a lot of big words strung together. My brain just isn't braining enough to get what you were talking about lol.

I appreciate the quality and content of your videos though. I can tell they are truly heartfelt expressions of your deep love for God and the Church.

If I struggled to understand what you said and you were speaking English, imagine people who have no clue what is happening in the Latin Mass.

I think the Catholic Church as a whole is traditional, as you have said.

The Latin Mass, Novus Ordo and any other form of Mass provided the Eucharist is present, is valid.

Every other debate is a matter of preference.

Either way, wanted to say thank you for being out here posting Catholic content. Your work is deeply appreciated and you are in our prayers.

[Deogratias]

I like how you put it, Holdsworth: The Nouvelle Theologie went back and admitted only what they wanted from Tradition at the table.