Loftus: involuntary untruths or wilful lies?

What are we to make of this statement from the latest column (19 June 2015) by Mgr Basil Loftus in The Catholic Times?

The very words of the sacrament of baptism have changed - in the early Church baptism was not with a Trinitarian formula, but "In the name of Jesus".

It is scarcely conceivable that Loftus could be ignorant of the final two verses of the Gospel of Matthew (28:19-20)

19 Going therefore, teach ye all nations; baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost.
20 Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and behold I am with you all days, even to the consummation of the world.

If he knows it, however, his statement would appear to be a barefaced lie.

Loftus never says anything for which he could not offer some defence, however specious. In this case it is the fact that the phrase 'baptised in the name of Jesus' appears several times in Acts, eg 2:38.

But such a defence would carry no real weight. It makes no sense to say that Acts represents the practice of 'the early Church' whereas Matthew does not.

1. There is no scholarly consensus that Luke/ Acts is earlier than Matthew; quite the reverse.

2. The term 'early Church' covers the first centuries, when Matthew would in any case have been known. Matthew was also known in the 'primitive Church', which refers to the very earliest period and which Loftus may have in mind, even if it had been a bit later than Luke / Acts. The very existence of Matthew rules out the claim that the Trinitarian formula not not used at that time.

3. The apparent conflict between Matthew and Luke is easily understood on the supposition, agreed by a wide range of scholars, that 'baptism in the name of Jesus' does not exclude the use of the Trinitarian formula, but merely distinguishes Chrisitian baptism from the 'Baptism of John' (John the Baptist), which is explicitly contrasted with it in Acts 19:1-5.

As usual, Loftus would have something to say if accused of bad faith. But what he would have to say, as I have reconstructed it for him, is itself subject to accusations of bad faith. He knows perfectly well that the Church has never accepted the idea that baptism without the Trinitarian formula would be valid, and has a perfectly reasonable way of understanding the Acts references to 'baptism in the name of Jesus' in accord with this. To take up the contrary view is to take up heresy.

Loftus is deliberately leading his readers up the garden path on this subject, without addressing the real teaching of the Church or the arguments for that teaching. This is dishonest, and worse than dishonest. It is a sin against Faith, if conscious. And humanly speaking, how could it not be conscious?

This is one sentence in this column. I could have written as much or more about each of about a dozen other sentences, in which he most notably denies 1 Cor 11:29, and (more or less) calls it a human obstacle placed on Christ's mercy. But we've heard this one before, and life is short.

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First High Mass of Fr Ian Verrier FSSP in Spanish Place, Sat 20th June

A High Mass of Requiem in St James'

From the FSSP.

Saturday 20 June, 11:00AM: First Solemn High Mass in England of newly ordained Fr Ian Verrier, FSSP at St James Church, Spanish Place, 22 George Street, London W1U 3QY. 

Byrd's Mass for Four Voices
With Clergy from the FSSP

Born in Birmingham in 1982, Fr Verrier grew up as an Anglican and read Music at Manchester University. After his conversion, he taught Music in a boarding school and entered our American seminary in 2008. Please come and give thanks to God for yet a new priest, who will begin his ministry in Reading this summer.

Refreshments and First Blessings in church basement after Mass. 
Plenary indulgence granted to those attending the Mass. All welcome. 

Read interview of then-Seminarian Verrier here: http://thepathlesstaken7.blogspot.co.uk/2012/01/i-fell-in-love-with-latin-mass.html by Mary O'Regan.
Info: www.facebook.com/fssp.england

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Congratulations Sir James MacMillan!

Knighted in the Queen's Birthday Honours, Sir James MacMillan is a Patron of the Latin Mass Society.

Our heartfelt congratulations for this much-deserved honour. He was made a CBE in 2004.

Sir James is a composer of international reputation, and his passion for Catholic sacred music is reflected in his tireless work in his own parish in Glasgow. He is an inspiration for all Catholic musicians.

This photograph shows him speaking to a meeting of the Gregorian Chant Network, an umbrella group for chant choirs sponsored by the Latin Mass Society.

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Anthea Craigmyle Open Studio, 19-21 June

My annual plug for my mother's informal exhibition over the weekend on the Chiswick Mall. If you are passing, there are several artists down there who show (and sell) their work in their own homes. It's a lovely place to stroll along the river and see some contemporary artists at work. There's usually someone selling icecream.

See Anthea Craigmyle's website here.

Tobit and the fish.

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LMS Day of Recollection at St Edmund's College, Ware, Sat 18th July

To be held in Pugin's beautiful chapel in St Edmund's College, Ware, Hertfordshire, the day starts at 11.00am with a talk by Rev. Dr M.P.F. Cullinan. Solemn High Mass (Votive of Our Lady) will be celebrated at 12 noon and the Day concludes with Solemn Vespers and Benediction at 3.30pm.

The Day of Recollection is open to members and non-members. To book your place, please see details on our website.

Click for a map of the venue.




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Worries about Robert Spencer on Islam

The celebrant blesses the deacon in preparation for the latter's proclamation of the Gospel

I've been reading some of the Catholic, Robert Spencer's books on Islam: The Complete Infidel's Guide to the Koran, The Truth About Muhammed, Inside Islam: A Guide for Catholics. (There are lots more.) The books are very informative, and Spencer has put himself on the line to say what is true, as he sees it, about a subject more afflicted by ferociously enforced taboos than any other. The back of one them informs us that he 'lives in a secure, undisclosed location'. But this post is about reservations I have about his approach.

One thing which should alert us to the problems I am going to discuss is Spencer's involvement, as co-founder of the organising group, the American Freedom Defence Initiative, with the Mohammed cartoon event in Texas at which two Muslims got themselves killed. The event, which offered a prize to the best cartoon of Mohammed and displayed the entries, had a predictable result: a murderous protest by a couple of local Muslims. Since the event was well guarded, it was the Muslims who ended up in the morgue; one of the security detail was also injured. This doesn't reflect well on Islam, but I fail to see the moral justification for making this kind of deliberate provocation. The glorification of free speech, and the carelessness about human life, are both very disturbing.

Part-time job available at the Latin Mass Society

St Joseph in his workshop with Jesus and Mary.

We are advertising for a part-time administrative assistant. Essentially it is about data-entry and secretarial tasks, and supervision of volunteers. It is potentially very flexible as to when the hours are worked and could suit all sorts of people.

Here's the blurb, from the website.

We are looking to appoint a part-time Office Assistant. Based in our central London office in Holborn, the successful candidate will be responsible for the administrative work of the LMS.