Who Decides The Truth?
THE
FUNDAMENTAL BATTLE OF ALL TIMES is who
establishes the truth, God or the world, God or Satan, God or each
person? This battle will increase even more in the next few years
before the second coming or Jesus Christ. Lucifer said, I am God, I
decide the Truth, and Saint Michael the Archangel replied with his
name: “Who is like unto God?”
Original Sin was the same deception: “But the serpent said to the
woman, "You will not die. For God knows that when you eat of it
your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and
evil" (Gen 3:4-5)” Many modern philosophers led us into the
“COPERNICAN REVOLUTION” of not seeking anymore reality and the
truth outside of ourselves by way of our five senses but inside of
ourselves, as if each one of us “will be like God”. “Abandoning
the investigation of being, modern philosophical research has
concentrated instead upon human knowing. …” (No. 5; Encyclical
Letter: Fides et Ratio; John Paul II; 09-14-1998). In this fierce and
underhanded battle, it is very important to be “wise as
serpents” and not just “innocent as doves” (Mt 10:16)!
THE
WORDS “LOVE” AND “MERCY” ARE
USED BY THE CULTURE OF LIFE AS WELL AS THE CULTURE OF DEATH. “Satan
disguises himself as an angel of light” (2Cor 11:14). We
as Catholics are very fortunate to have the guidance of the One True
Church that Jesus Christ founded, the Catholic Church, with “the
means of sanctification” in the Sacraments and the
fullness of the Truth from Divine Revelation through the
guidance of the magisterium of the Church (VCII: LG 8) by which the
faithful may be configured to Christ.
THOMAS
AQUINAS TELLS US: “RARELY AFFIRM, SELDOM DENY, ALWAYS
DISTINGUISH.” Few Catholics today distinguish the difference
between changing Church discipline and changing Church doctrines
which come from God Who is the immutable and absolute Truth, and thus
can never be changed. And still more, a great number of so-called
Catholics today do not distinguish between deepening and expressing
better in human language the Absolute Truth which cannot changed,
with changing the Absolute Truth (Modernism, etc.)! The Church is
like the waiter but God is the Cook; the waiter must not change the
meal prepared by the divine Cook but must deliver the Truth, as God
has revealed it, to the clients, to the faithful.
WE
ARE LIVING IN ONE OF THE MOST CONFUSING TIMES IN THE HISTORY
OF THE WORLD AND OF THE CHURCH; this confusion has been well
orchestrated by the puppets of the father of lies (Jn 8:44)
especially in recent times, due to the great lack of prayer and
almost total disregard for sin. But notwithstanding this grave
danger, very few Catholics even have a copy of the Catechism of the
Catholic Church (CCC) for adults, in their homes, the great gift that
Pope John Paul II gave to us in 1992! And even worse is the fact that
a great number of catechists in the parishes do not have a copy of
this precious gift of our catechism first published in 1992. Do we
believe that God gave us the 10 Commandments and all of Divine
Revelation only to torture us or for our true good?!? Do we trust
ourselves or do we trust our Creator Who loves each of us
immensely?!? “Jesus, I trust in You!” –
Saint Faustina.
Archbishop
Fulton Sheen once said: “The truth is the truth even if no
one believes it; error is error even if everyone believes it.”
SOME
OF THE HOTTEST ISSUES BEING DISCUSSED
TODAY are about the sanctity of life as
well as the pastoral care for homosexuals and divorced and remarried
Catholics. Contrast the following quotes from Church documents with
the confusion being disseminated outside and inside the Catholic
Church today (read these documents in their entirety!):
“A
new cultural climate is developing and taking hold, which gives
crimes against life a new and-if possible-even more sinister
character, giving rise to further grave concern. … There is an even
more profound aspect which needs to be emphasized: FREEDOM
negates and destroys itself, and becomes a factor leading to the
destruction of others, when it no longer recognizes and respects its
ESSENTIAL LINK WITH THE TRUTH.
When freedom, out of a desire to emancipate itself from all forms of
tradition and authority, shuts out even the most obvious evidence of
an objective and universal truth, which is the foundation of personal
and social life, then the person ends up by no longer taking as the
sole and indisputable point of reference for his own choices the
truth about good and evil, but only his subjective and changeable
opinion or, indeed, his selfish interest and whims.” (No. 19;
EVANGELIUM VITAE; To
the Bishops, Priests and Deacons, Men and Women religious, lay
Faithful, and all People of Good Will, on the Value and Inviolability
of Human Life;
http://www.vatican.va/holy_father/john_paul_ii/encyclicals/documents/hf_jp-ii_enc_25031995_evangelium-vitae_en.html).
POPE
JOHN PAUL II (AMONG MANY OTHER
OCCASIONS) SPOKE FIRMLY TO THE US BISHOPS AGAINST THIS "PICK
AND CHOOSE SMORGASBORD TYPE CATHOLICISM"
in LA in his September 1987 visit: "It is sometimes reported
that a large number of Catholics today do not adhere to the teaching
of the Church on a number of questions, notably sexual and conjugal
morality, divorce and remarriage. Some are reported as not accepting
the Church's clear position on abortion. It has also been noted that
there is a tendency on the part of some Catholics to be selective in
their adherence to the Church's moral teachings. It is sometimes
claimed that dissent from the Magisterium is totally compatible with
being a “good Catholic” and poses no obstacle to the reception of
the sacraments. THIS IS A GRAVE ERROR
that challenges the teaching office of the bishops of the United
States and elsewhere. I wish to encourage you in the love of Christ
to address this situation courageously in your pastoral ministry,
relying on the power of God's truth to attract assent and on the
grace of the Holy Spirit which is given both to those who proclaim
the message and to those to whom it is addressed."
“The
Church's teaching on marriage and on the complementarity of the sexes
reiterates a truth that is evident to right reason and recognized as
such by all the major cultures of the world. MARRIAGE
IS NOT JUST ANY RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN HUMAN BEINGS.
It was established by the Creator with its own nature, essential
properties and purpose. No ideology can erase from the human spirit
the certainty that marriage exists solely between a man and a woman,
who by mutual personal gift, proper and exclusive to themselves, tend
toward the communion of their persons. In this way, they mutually
perfect each other, in order to cooperate with God in the procreation
and upbringing of new human lives.” (No. 2; Congregation For The
Doctrine Of The Faith; Considerations
Regarding Proposals To Give Legal Recognition To UNIONS
BETWEEN HOMOSEXUAL PERSONS; June 3,
2003;
http://www.vatican.va/roman_curia/congregations/cfaith/documents/rc_con_cfaith_doc_20030731_homosexual-unions_en.html).
Chastity and homosexuality: CCC 2357-2359.
“We
would heartily encourage programmes where these dangers are avoided.
But we wish to make it clear that DEPARTURE FROM THE CHURCH'S
TEACHING, OR SILENCE ABOUT IT, in an effort to provide pastoral care
is neither caring nor pastoral. ONLY
WHAT IS TRUE CAN ULTIMATELY BE PASTORAL.
The neglect of the Church's position prevents homosexual men and
women from receiving the care they need and deserve.” (No. 15;
Congregation For The Doctrine Of The Faith; Letter
To the Bishops of the Catholic Church: On the Pastoral Care of
Homosexual Persons; 1 October 1986; Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger,
Prefect;
http://www.vatican.va/roman_curia/congregations/cfaith/documents/rc_con_cfaith_doc_19861001_homosexual-persons_en.html).
After
a leading German bishop questioned the Church’s teaching on DIVORCE
AND REMARRIAGE, the Vatican’s
newspaper today published AN ESSAY BY POPE BENEDICT XVI, then
Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, that called the teaching of the Church
compassionate and pastoral because it is true to the teaching of
Christ:
“Assuredly,
the word of truth can be painful and uncomfortable. But it is the way
to holiness, to peace, and to inner freedom,” said Pope Benedict in
1998. “A PASTORAL APPROACH WHICH TRULY WANTS TO HELP THE PEOPLE
CONCERNED MUST ALWAYS BE GROUNDED IN THE
TRUTH,” because “in the end, only
the truth can be pastoral,” he wrote, quoting the Gospel promise of
Christ that “you will know the truth, and the truth will set you
free.”
Throughout
his 1998 work, Pope Benedict—who was Prefect of the Congregation
for the Doctrine of the Faith at the time—explained that the recent
documents of the Church on such matters “bring together the demands
of truth with those of love in a very balanced way.” So while at
times in the past “love shone forth too little in the explanation
of the truth,” so today, there is a great danger that “in the
name of love, truth is either to be silenced or compromised.”
(http://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/vatican-paper-refutes-critics-of-divorce-and-remarriage-teaching/).
This
essay by Pope Benedict XVI, then Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, can be
found in Italian at the Web Site of the Osservatore Romano
(http://www.osservatoreromano.va/it/news/la-pastorale-del-matrimonio-deve-fondarsi-sulla-ve#.UzU6atfqUxA),
but when one clicks on the English version at this site, one receives
the following message: Error 404 - Page not
found.
The
Letter of the Congregation for the
Doctrine of the Faith concerning the
reception of Holy Communion by the DIVORCED AND REMARRIED members of
the faithful, Sept. 14 1994, had a lively echo in various parts of
the Church. Along with many positive reactions there were heard also
not a few critical voices.
“Regarding
the wild proposals
of Cardinal Kasper made
before the last Consistory of Cardinals regarding legitimizing by way
of Eucharistic communion the "remarriage"
of divorced couples (we could call the Kasper
Doctrine of "mariages
sauvages"), Cardinal
Carlo Caffarra, Archbishop of Bologna,
had the firmest possible words
in an interview to Matteo Matzuzzi published this Saturday in Il
Foglio: …”
(http://rorate-caeli.blogspot.com/2014/03/cardinal-caffarra-firm-stance-on.html;
http://catholicism.org/cardinal-caffarra-gives-strong-warning-against-kaspers-rovings-on-divorcees-and-communion.html).
If
it is allowed to be able to change one doctrine of the Church, in
principle, the door is opened to change all the infallible doctrines
of the Church. BEHOLD THE DESTRUCTIVE
HIDDEN POISON IN THE NAME OF CHARITY (FALSE), misguided compassion!
Cardinal Walter Kasper is part of the “C8”, the Council of eight
wise cardinals (?!?) instituted by Pope Frances!
Jesus
told us: “What therefore God has joined together, let
not man put asunder” (Mt 19:6; 5:32)!
These words of Christ are thoroughly explained by the teachings of
the Church (CCC 2331-2336).
“I
DO NOT IDENTIFY WITH the expressionless faces of those who recite the
Rosary outside the clinics who practice interruption of pregnancy”
[“l’interruzione della gravidanza”] (an interview published by
“Quotidiano Nazionale”, May 12, 2014). IT
IS UNBELIEVABLE that these words were
pronounced by the new (12-30-2013) GENERAL SECRETARY OF THE ITALIAN
EPISCOPAL CONFERENCE, MONSIGNOR NUNZIO GALANTINO!
It
would be nice if the secretary of the CEI
might try to reflect on the words of Blessed Mother Teresa of
Calcutta: “I feel the greatest destroyer of peace today is
abortion, because it is a direct war, a direct killing - direct
murder by the mother herself. … Because if a mother can kill her
own child - what is left for me to kill you and you to kill me -
there is nothing between”.
But
Galantino did not limit himself to a critique of the pro-life
movement. Asked, “What is your wish
for the Italian Church,” GALANTINO RESPONDED, “That we can talk
without taboo about any subject, of married priests, of giving the
Eucharist to divorced persons, homosexuality, starting with the
Gospel and giving reasons for their positions.”
Our
Lady of Akita, Japan (1973): “The
work of the devil will infiltrate even the Church in such a way that
one will see CARDINALS OPPOSING
CARDINALS, bishops against other
bishops. The priests who venerate Me will be scorned and opposed by
their conferees… churches and altars sacked, the
Church will be full of those who accept compromise …”
(http://www.miraclerosarymission.org/akita.htm).
More
and more there is a great rebellion against the Absolute Truth Who is
Jesus Christ (Jn 14:6)! The Truth (big
“T”) here on earth, in this “dour
combat” (CCC 409) is always accompanied by the cross of Christ in
the present moment, but leads to true joy, peace and freedom. The
truth (small “t”) of relativism, rejects suffering in the present
moment, but leads to sorrow, unrest and slavery. “We do not
need a Church that is moved by the world, but a Church that moves the
world” – G.K. Chesterton. I do not think it was by chance that
when Pope John Paul II was asked toward the end of his life to offer
one verse from the entire Bible for the people of God, he responded
without hesitation: “THE TRUTH SHALL SET YOU FREE” (Jn
8:32; Jer 6:16)!
Father,
“Sanctify them in the truth” (Jn 17:17)! The Truth, tied to the
cross of Jesus here on earth, is uncomfortable!
“THE
DREAM OF ST. JOHN BOSCO” of the two pillars indicates to us the
great importance of staying very close to Jesus in the Eucharist
(while it is still possible) with our Rosary in hand, especially
today.
SIN
HAS ATTACKED THE “HIERARCHY OF
VALUES”. Man wants to be God.
Man’s body revolts against his soul, and the soul capitulates and
rejects the primacy of the spirit. Thus bodily feelings dominate the
mind, and both dominate the spirit. Morality become topsy-turvy,
confused and relativistic. The natural law of God is rejected.
Unnatural relationships become fashionable and claim the same rights
as natural relationships. Divine revelation and law are rejected; our
civilization declines and falls.
RELATIVISM,
according to Pope Benedict XVI, is "the most profound difficulty
of our time."
(http://popebenedictxviblog.blogspot.it/2005_05_01_archive.html).
In his homily at the Mass preceding the conclave
that quickly elected him Pope Benedict XVI, then Cardinal Ratzinger
said: “Today, having a clear faith based on the Creed of the Church
is often labeled as fundamentalism. Whereas relativism, that is,
letting oneself be "tossed here and there, carried about by
every wind of doctrine", seems the only attitude that can cope
with modern times. WE ARE BUILDING A
DICTATORSHIP OF RELATIVISM that does
not recognize anything as definitive and whose ultimate goal consists
solely of one's own ego and desires.”
(http://www.vatican.va/gpII/documents/homily-pro-eligendo-pontifice_20050418_en.html;
http://www.ignatiusinsight.com/features2005/colson_relativism_may05.asp).
Today
a great number of Catholics want, with the blessing (at least
tacitly) of the priests and bishops, A
CHRISTIANITY WITHOUT THE CROSS AND
WITHOUT THESE “GUILT COMPLEXES” THAT WERE CALLED SIN. And thus
very few Catholics today go to confession and many go to the
psychiatrists which costs much more than to confess ones sins to a
priest, who often, unfortunately, is not found in the confessional in
the churches.
But
many who still go to confession , do not understand anymore what is a
sin according to the CCC, because very few priests today take the
risk of their primary job to help the souls identify and cure the
mortal sicknesses of the soul, mortal
sins! The secretary of the
Congregation for Clergy, Archbishop Mauro Piacenza, has lamented that
many faithful no longer confess their sins. Archbishop Piacenza told
Vatican Radio (June 5, 2009) the sacrament of penance has been
experiencing a "deep crisis" for decades. Piacenza, an
official for the Vatican office on clergy, says FEWER PEOPLE
DISTINGUISH BETWEEN GOOD AND EVIL, and as a result do not go to
confession. The archbishop said in an interview that if faithful do
not have a sense of sin, they might "CONFUSE" CONFESSION
WITH "THE COUCH OF A PSYCHOLOGIST OR A PSYCHIATRIST"! He
says the Vatican plans to publish this year (2009) a “vademecum for
confessors and spiritual directors”.
Dear
brothers and sisters, “THE TRUTH (of God!) SHALL
SET YOU FREE”!
Father Joseph Dwight
- - -
To
read a few extra details, visit the recent
“Spiritual Food”:
“The faith is to know the truth and to adhere to
it (cf. 1Tim 2:4);
charity is “to walk” in the truth” (Benedict
XVI).
