Pope Francis: Guarantor of Orthodoxy?

At his weekly General Audience in St. Peter's Square today, Pope Francis, recalling the dramatic events of the 2014 Synod on the Family and apparently wishing to quell any doubts which might still be lingering in the minds of the gathered faithful, made the following statement:

Everything happened cum Petro et sub Petro, that is, in the presence of the Pope. That is a guarantee of freedom and trust for all, and a guarantee of orthodoxy.

After reading those words, I couldn't shake the feeling that I had seem them somewhere before. I recalled the Pope had used them, almost verbatim, in his opening remarks to the Synod Fathers, but that wasn't it. There was another time, unrelated to the Synod. But when? I browsed a few blogs, answered a few emails, and my mind began to wander. I looked up to the little wooden statue of Our Lady I keep next to my workspace, remembering how glorious the recent Feast of the Immaculate Conception had been. And then it hit me: the Franciscan Friars of the Immaculate (FFI).

It was back in June of this year, during a meeting of the FFI and Pope Francis in the chapel of the Domus Sanctae Marthae, that the Pope said:

The Church guarantees orthodoxy through the Pope.

This meeting was the first and, to my knowledge, only meeting between the Holy Father and the Friars since their order had been placed under Apostlic Visitation and, thus, under the complete control of Commissioner Fr. Fidenzio Volpi, whose mission, according to his own words, is "to demolish everything and rebuild." Pope Francis made the statement in the context of his providing the rationale behind closing down the theological institute of the FFI and requiring that all actual and future seminarians be educated in the pontifical theological faculties of Rome - the apparent implication being that the brothers need not be concerned for the doctrinal soundness of the education their seminarians would receive because, as he put it, "the Church guarantees orthodoxy through the Pope." 

It is worth noting that, since that meeting, several of the of the FFI religious houses have been closed, the regional superiors of the order have been deposed, the Friars themselves have been prohibited from publishing any articles or books for public consumption, and meetings of the lay movement have been banned in some places. Similar measures have been taken against the Franciscan Sisters, who were accused of becoming "radicalized" in their Catholicism - whatever that should mean.

Now, I'm certainly no expert on the doctrine of Papal Infallibility, so take everything I write here cum grano salis. But I do recall a specific clause included in the formulation of that dogma at the time of its promulgation:

For the Holy Spirit was promised to the Successors of Peter not so that they might, by His revelation, make known some new doctrine, but that, by his assistance, they might religiously guard and faithfully expound the revelation or deposit of faith transmitted by the Apostles. (Constitutio Dogmatica Prima de Ecclesia Christi (Pastor Aeternus), Cap. IV, Romani Pontificis Infallibili Magisterio, §6)

That is to say, the power of infallibility has not been granted by the Holy Spirit to the Pope so that he may declare a new and hitherto unknown doctrine, - even, nota bene, even if such a doctrine should appear to come at the express behest of the Holy Spirit Himself ("by His revelation")  - but only that he may, by the assistance of the Holy Spirit, more ably defend the Depositum Fidei as handed down by the Holy Apostles from the constant attacks of those who would corrupt and destroy it.

I am not suggesting that Pope Francis is ignorant of this all-important caveat. But this recognition, in turn, raises the question: What, exactly, does he mean? He's said it now on more than one occasion, so we can be fairly certain it's not a matter of poor translation.

Lest you get sidetracked, gentle reader, you would do well to ignore all the times you've heard that we must 'listen attentively to the promptings of the Holy Spirit,' that 'God of Surprises,' who wants so much to lead us to 'new' and 'unexpected' destinations beyond the 'confines of doctrinal clarity' - for recalling this will only make it seem as though Pope Francis is preparing to invoke infallibility in precisely those terms which are expressly forbidden by Pastor Aeternus. And this, we have been assured by numerous Vaticanists, is most emphatically not the case.

And, obviously, he does not mean that heterodoxy and heresy are magically transformed into orthodoxy the moment they are spoken in the presence of the Pope, as that would be patently absurd.

But what, then, does he mean?

Perhaps none of us will know until October 2015.

Prelate Profile: Archbishop Ludwig Schick

After a brief exchange with fellow Catholic blogger S. Armaticus regarding the state of the Church in Germany, I decided to conduct a short experiment: select a high-ranking, to me hitherto unknown German prelate, more or less at random, and profile him. The results are posted below for your consideration, followed by my own observations:

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Archbishop Ludwig Schick of Fulda, Germany

His Excellence Ludwig Archbishop Schick

Ludwig Schick was born on September 22, 1949 in Marburg, Germany. He studied theology and philosophy at the Fulda Facutly of Theology and the University of Würzburg, and received Holy Orders at Fulda Cathedral in 1975, where he was also incardinated. He pursued his doctorate at the Pontifical Gregorian University in Rome, which he completed in 1980 with a dissertation entitled The Three-Fold Office of Christ and the Church. Fr. Schick returned to Germany the following year, where he served as Professor of Canon Law at the University of Marburg.  In 1987, he was made Cathedral Canon of the Diocese of Fulda, and in 1995, he rose to the position of Vicar General. The following year, Pope John Paul II raised Fr. Schick to the episcopate, naming him Auxillary Bishop of Fulda. In 2002, he was made Archbishop of Bamberg, the position he still holds today. In 2007, Archbishop Schick was made a member of the Order of the Holy Sepulchre.

Archbishop Schick describes himself as a member of the generation of '68 - a socio-politically momentous phase in the recent history of Europe - and a proud inheritor of Vatican II. He has been a member of the Commission for International Church Affairs since 1998, and its president since 2006. He is actively engaged in caritative programs, such as his charity "Bread for All People", which he founded in 2009 with a sum of €100,000. As part of this work, he travels frequently to many developing countries, such as Guatemala, Senegal and Zimbabwe. He recently directed a considerable portion of the charity's financial resources to provide aid to refugees of religious persecution in Syria and Iraq.

The Archbishop is also heavily involved in the ecumenical movement, and has been known to speak at key Protestant services, such as in 2006, when he spoke to Protestants gathered to celebrate the anniversary of Martin Luther's infamous nailing of his 95 Theses to the door of the Castle Church of Wittenberg. In a more recent (November 2014) homily, given at an ecumenical prayer service held in Bamberg Cathedral to commemorate the promulgation of Unitatis redintegratio, Archbishop Schick spoke of the "spiritual Fathers and Reformers of the Church," whereby he mentioned three men in the same breath: St. Benedict, St. Francis and Martin Luther.

Occasional signs of traditional Catholicism have been witnessed in the Archbishop. He supports state recognition of sacramental marriage under civil law (currently only civil unions are legally recognized), an increase in federal stipends for large families, and a more active engagement of faithful Catholics in the public sphere. In 2012, Archbishop Schick raised the ire of liberals when he strongly condemned all forms of blasphemy, saying:

One who injures the soul of the faithful with scorn and derision must be put in their place and, if need be, punished. [...] The Person of Jesus Christ, God the Father, Mary, the Saints, the Blessed Sacrament, sacred objects such as the chalice and the monstrance, as well as church buildings and processions must be protected by our nation.

Further, the Archbishop encouraged Catholics to make clear to the media and other public entities that they will not tolerate ridicule of their convictions and the undermining of their values. The statement, as to be expected, was quickly labelled a "fundamentalist rant" by the predominately liberal German media.

Archbishop Schick has also proven himself to be at least tolerant towards the traditional form of Holy Mass: there are currently five locations in the Archdiocese which have received his blessing to celebrate in the usus antiquior, using the 1962 Missale Romanum.

The Archbishop was not very outspoken in commenting upon the 2014 Synod. While he regretted that the issue of the reception of Holy Communion by "divorced and remarried" Catholics had become so politically charged, he himself takes a position even Cardinal Kasper has been reluctant to advance publicly: priests should be able to decide who should be allowed to Communion on a case-by-case basis at the parish level.

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Though perfectly unscientific, this little experiment nonetheless provides a modicum of insight into the life of what might well be considered the average German bishop's life. A child of the '68 moral revolution and reared on the fruits of Vatican II, the focus of his ministry is almost entirely upon issues pertaining to social justice. The slow but steady dissolution of the Catholic Church in favor of a "faith-community" loosely based upon the Gospel but not excluding syncretism with heretical and even foreign cults is seen as an inescapable eventuality. Given this situation, does it seem likely that one such as Archbishop Schick is going to provide anything resembling resistance to the advances of heteropraxy by fellow German Cardinals such as Kasper and Marx? Hardly. On the contrary, it seems that he is being counted upon as a future ardent supporter of the same.

An Interview with Bishop Schneider

His Excellence Athanasius Bishop Schneider

Q. Your Excellency, what is Your Excellency’s opinion about the Synod? What is its message to families?

A. During the Synod there had been moments of obvious manipulation on the part of some clerics who held key positions in the editorial and governing structure of the Synod. The interim report (Relatio post disceptationem) was clearly a prefabricated text with no reference to the actual statements of the Synod fathers. In the sections on homosexuality, sexuality and “divorced and remarried” with their admittance to the sacraments the text represents a radical neo-pagan ideology. 

This is the first time in Church history that such a heterodox text was actually published as a document of an official meeting of Catholic bishops under the guidance of a pope, even though the text only had a preliminary character. Thanks be to God and to the prayers of the faithful all over the world that a consistent number of Synod fathers resolutely rejected such an agenda; this agenda reflects the corrupt and pagan main stream morality of our time, which is being imposed globally by means of political pressure and through the almost all-powerful official mass media, which are loyal to the principles of the world gender ideology party. Such a synod document, even if only preliminary, is a real shame and an indication to the extent the spirit of the anti-Christian world has already penetrated such important levels of the life of the Church. This document will remain for the future generations and for the historians a black mark which has stained the honour of the Apostolic See.

Fortunately the Message of the Synod Fathers is a real Catholic document which outlines the Divine truth on family without being silent about the deeper roots of the problems, i.e. about the reality of sin. It gives real courage and consolation to Catholic families. Some quotations:

We think of the burden imposed by life in the suffering that can arise with a child with special needs, with grave illness, in deterioration of old age, or in the death of a loved one. We admire the fidelity of so many families who endure these trials with courage, faith, and love. They see them not as a burden inflicted on them, but as something in which they themselves give, seeing the suffering Christ in the weakness of the flesh. [...[ Conjugal love, which is unique and indissoluble, endures despite many difficulties. It is one of the most beautiful of all miracles and the most common. This love spreads through fertility and generativity, which involves not only the procreation of children but also the gift of divine life in baptism, their catechesis, and their education. [...] The presence of the family of Jesus, Mary, and Joseph in their modest home hovers over you.

Q. Those groups of people who had been expecting a change in the Church's teaching with regard to the moral issues (e.g. allowing divorced and remarried people to receive Holy Communion or granting any form of approval for homosexual unions) were probably disappointed by the content of the final Relatio. Isn't there, however, a danger that questioning and discussing issues that are fundamental for the Church's teaching may itself open doors for serious abuses and for similar attempts to revise this teaching in the future?

A. In fact, a Divine commandment, in our case the sixth commandment, the absolute indissolubility of the sacramental marriage, a Divinely established rule, means those in a state of grave sin cannot be admitted to Holy Communion. This is taught by Saint Paul in his letter inspired by the Holy Spirit in 1 Corinthians 11, 27-30. This cannot be put to the vote, just as the Divinity of Christ would never be put to a vote.

A person who still has the indissoluble sacramental marriage bond and who, in spite of this, lives in a stable marital cohabitation with another person, by Divine law, cannot be admitted to Holy Communion. To do so would be a public statement by the Church nefariously legitimizing a denial of the indissolubility of the Christian marriage and at the same time repealing the sixth commandment of God: "Thou shalt not commit adultery." No human institution not even the Pope or an Ecumenical Council has the authority and the competency to invalidate even in the slightest or indirect manner one of the ten Divine commandments or the Divine words of Christ: "What therefore God has joined together, let man not separate" (Math 19:6).

Regardless of this lucid truth which was taught constantly and unchangingly - because unchangeable - through all the ages by the Magisterium of the Church up to our days - as, for instance, in Familiaris consortio of St. John Paul II, in the Catechism of the Catholic Church and by Pope Benedict XVI - the issue of the admissibility to Holy Communion of the so called "divorced and remarried" has been put to the vote in the Synod. This fact is in itself grievous and represents an attitude of clerical arrogance towards the Divine truth of the Word of God. The attempt to put the Divine truth and the Divine Word to a vote is unworthy of those who, as representatives of the Magisterium, have to hand over zealously as good and faithful rules (cf. Math 24, 45) the Divine deposit.

By admitting the "divorced and remarried" to Holy Communion, those bishops establish a new tradition on their own volition and transgressing thereby the commandment of God, as Christ once rebuked the Pharisees and Scribes (cf. Math 15:3). And what is still aggravating is the fact that such bishops try to legitimize their infidelity to Christ's word by means of arguments such as "pastoral need," "mercy," "openness to the Holy Spirit." Moreover, they have no fear and no scruples to pervert in a Gnostic manner the real meaning of these words, labeling at the same time those who oppose them and defend the immutable Divine commandment and the true non-human tradition as "rigid," "scrupulous" or "traditionalist." During the great Arian crisis in the IV century, the defenders of the Divinity of the Son of God were labeled "intransigent" and "traditionalist" as well. St. Athanasius was even excommunicated by Pope Liberius, and the Pope justified this with the argument that Athanasius was not in communion with the Oriental bishops who were mostly heretics or semi-heretics. St. Basil the Great stated in that situation the following:

Only one sin is nowadays severely punished: the attentive observance of the traditions of our Fathers. For that reason the good ones are thrown out of their places and brought to the desert. (Ep. 243)

In fact, the bishops who support Holy Communion for "divorced remarried" are the new Pharisees and Scribes because they neglect the commandment of God, contributing to the fact that out of the body and of the heart of the "divorced remarried" continue to "proceed adulteries" (Math 15:19), because they want an exteriorly "clean" solution and to appear "clean" as well in the eyes of those who have power (the social media, public opinion). However when they eventually appear at the tribunal of Christ, they will surely hear to their dismay these words of Christ:

Why are you declaring my statutes and taking my covenant in your mouth? Seeing you hate instruction, and cast my words behind you, [...] when you have been a partaker with adulterers” (Ps. 49:16-18).

The final Relatio of the Synod also unfortunately contains the paragraph with the vote on the issue of Holy Communion for "divorced remarried." Even though it has not achieved the required two third of the votes, there remains nevertheless the worrying and astonishing fact that the absolute majority of the present bishops voted in favor of Holy Communion for the "divorced and remarried," a sad reflection on the spiritual quality of the Catholic episcopacy in our days.

It is, moreover, sad that this paragraph - which hasn't got the required approval of the qualitative majority - remains nevertheless in the final text of the Relatio and will be sent to all dioceses for further discussion. It will surely only increase the doctrinal confusion among the priests and the faithful, being in the air, that Divine commandments and Divine words of Christ and those of the Apostle Paul are put at the disposal of human decision making groups. One Cardinal who openly and strongly supported the issue of Holy Communion for "divorced and remarried," and even the shameful statements on homosexual "couples" in the preliminary Relatio, was dissatisfied with the final Relatio, and declared impudently: "The glass is half-full," and analogously he said that one has to work that next year at the Synod it will be full. We must believe firmly that God will dissipate the plans of dishonesty, infidelity and betrayal. Christ holds infallibly the rudder of the boat of His Church in the midst of such a big storm. We believe and trust in the very ruler of the Church, in Our Lord Jesus Christ, who is the Truth.

Q. We are currently experiencing a culmination of aggression against the family. This aggression is accompanied by a tremendous confusion in the area of science about human and human identity. Unfortunately, there are certain members of Church hierarchy who, while discussing these matters, express opinions that contradict the teaching of Our Lord. How should we talk with those people who become victims of this confusion in order to strengthen their faith and to help them towards salvation?

A. In this extraordinarily difficult time, Christ is purifying our Catholic faith so that, through this trial, the Church will shine brighter and be really light and salt for the insipid neo-pagan world thanks to the fidelity and the pure and simple faith firstly of the faithful, of the little ones in the Church, of the ecclesia docta (the learning church), which in our days will strengthen the ecclesia docens (the teaching Church, i.e. the Magisterium), in a similar way as it was in the great crisis of the faith in the 4th century, as Blessed John Henry Cardinal Newman stated:

This is a very remarkable fact: but there is a moral in it. Perhaps it was permitted in order to impress upon the Church - at that very time passing out of her state of persecution - the great evangelical lesson that not the wise and powerful, but the obscure, the unlearned, and the weak constitute her real strength. It was mainly by the faithful people that Paganism was overthrown; it was by the faithful people, under the lead of Athanasius and the Egyptian bishops, and in some places supported by their Bishops or priests, that the worst of heresies was withstood and stamped out of the sacred territory. [...] In that time of immense confusion, the divine dogma of our Lord's divinity was proclaimed, enforced, maintained, and (humanly speaking) preserved, far more by the ecclesia docta than by the ecclesia docens; that the body of the Episcopate was unfaithful to its commission, while the body of the laity was faithful to its baptism; that at one time the pope, at other times a patriarchal, metropolitan, or other great see, at other times general councils, said what they should not have said, or did what obscured and compromised revealed truth; while, on the other hand, it was the Christian people, who, under Providence, were the ecclesiastical strength of Athanasius, Hilary, Eusebius of Vercellae, and other great solitary confessors, who would have failed without them. (Arians of the Fourth Century, pp. 446, 466)

We have to encourage ordinary Catholics to be faithful to the Catechism they have learned, to be faithful to the clear words of Christ in the Gospel, to be faithful to the faith their fathers and forefathers handed over to them. We have to organize circles of studies and conferences about the perennial teaching of the Church on the issue of marriage and chastity, inviting especially young people and married couples. We have to show the very beauty of a life in chastity, the very beauty of the Christian marriage and family, the great value of the Cross and of the sacrifice in our lives. We have to present ever more the examples of the Saints and of exemplary persons who demonstrated that, in spite of the fact that they suffered the same temptations of the flesh, the same hostility and derision of the pagan world, they nevertheless, with the grace of Christ, led a happy life in chastity, in a Christian marriage and in family. The faith - the pure and integral Catholic and Apostolic faith - will overcome the world (cf. 1 John 5: 4).

We have to found and promote youth groups of pure hearts, family groups, groups of Catholic spouses, who will be committed to the fidelity of their marriage vows. We have to organize groups which will help morally and materially broken families, single mothers, groups who will assist with prayer and with good counsel separated couples, groups and persons who will help "divorced and remarried" people to start a process of serious conversion, i.e. recognizing with humility their sinful situation and abandoning with the grace of God the sins which violate the commandment of God and the sanctity of the sacrament of marriage. We have to create groups who will carefully help persons with homosexual tendencies to enter the path of Christian conversion, the happy and beautiful path of a chaste life and to offer them eventually in a discrete manner a psychological cure. We have to show and preach to our contemporaries in the neo-pagan world the liberating Good News of the teaching of Christ: that the commandment of God, and even the sixth commandment is wise, is beauty:

The law of the Lord is perfect, converting the soul: the testimony of the Lord is sure, making wise the simple. The statutes of the Lord are right, rejoicing the heart: the commandment of the Lord is pure, enlightening the eyes. (Ps 18:7-8)

Q. During the Synod, Archbishop Gądecki from Poznań and some other distinguished prelates were publicly expressing their disagreement with the fact that the results of the discussions departed from the perennial teaching of the Church. Is there a hope that, amid this confusion, there will be an awakening of members of the clergy and those faithful who were so far unaware of the fact that, in the very Church’s bosom, there are people who undermine the teaching of Our Lord?

A. It is certainly an honor for Polish Catholicism that the President of the Catholic episcopate, His Excellency Archbishop Gądecki, defended with clarity and courage the truth of Christ about marriage and human sexuality, thus revealing himself to be a true spiritual son of St. John Paul II. Cardinal George Pell characterized the liberal sexual agenda and the alleged merciful and pastoral support of Holy Communion for the "divorced and remarried" during the Synod very aptly, saying that this is only the tip of the iceberg and a kind of a Trojan horse in the Church.

That, in the very bosom of the Church, there are people who undermine the teaching of Our Lord became an obvious fact and one for the whole world to see thanks to the internet and the work of some Catholic journalists who were not indifferent to what was happening to the Catholic faith which they consider to be the treasure of Christ. I was pleased to see that some Catholic journalists and internet bloggers behaved as good soldiers of Christ and drew attention to this clerical agenda of undermining the perennial teaching of Our Lord. Cardinals, bishops, priests, Catholic families, Catholic young people have to say to themselves: I refuse to conform to the neo-pagan spirit of this world, even when this spirit is spread by some bishops and cardinals; I will not accept their fallacious and perverse use of holy Divine mercy and of "new Pentecost;" I refuse to throw grains of incense before the statue of the idol of the gender ideology, before the idol of second marriages, of concubinage, even if my bishop would do so, I will not do so; with the grace of God I will choose to suffer rather than betray the whole truth of Christ on human sexuality and on marriage.

The witnesses will convince the world, not the teachers, said Blessed Paul VI in Evangelii nuntiandi. The Church and the world do urgently need intrepid and candid witnesses of the whole truth of the commandment and of the will of God, of the whole truth of Christ’s words on marriage. Modern clerical Pharisees and Scribes, those bishops and cardinals who throw grains of incense to the neo-pagan idols of gender ideology and concubinage, will not convince anyone either to believe in Christ or to be ready to offer their lives for Christ. Indeed, veritas Domini manet in aeternum (Ps 116: the truth of the Lord remains forever) and "Christ is the same yesterday, today and forever" (Hebr 13: 8) and "the truth will set you free" (John 8: 32). This last phrase was one of the favorite biblical phrases of St. John Paul II, the pope of the family.  We can add: the revealed and unchangeably transmitted Divine truth about human sexuality and marriage will bring true freedom to the souls inside and outside the Church. In midst of the crisis of the Church and the bad moral and doctrinal example of some bishops of his time, St. Augustine comforted the simple faithful with these words:

Whatsoever we bishops may be, you are safe, who have God for your Father and His Church for your mother. (Contra litteras Petiliani III, 9, 10).

(Original: Polonia Christiania)

Austrian Bishop Joins Kasper & Co.

His Excellence Manfred Bishop Scheuer

You may recall the name of Bishop Manfred Scheuer from a story that broke earlier this summer. He's the bishop who authorized the suspension of Fr. Thomas Ladner as catechist for the apparently insufferable crime of teaching his students on the last things, including judgment, heaven, hell and purgatory - subject matter explicitly rejected by the Diocese of Innsbruck as being "outmoded" and "antediluvian."

It made no difference that the teachings were received with great interest and enthusiasm by the students, that it helped to strengthen the faith of the entire parish, and that they all rushed to defend their beloved pastor from this bizarre judgment.

Many of the parishioners naively assumed there had been some failure in communication; that perhaps the diocese thought Fr. Ladner was teaching error. Upon clarification, however, it was made obvious that it was precisely because he was teaching the orthodox Catholic faith that he was no longer wanted as a catechist in the diocese.

If that action left any trace of doubt regarding the heterodoxy of Bishop Scheuer in the minds of readers, full confirmation of the same is now available. In an interview with Austrian ORF yesterday, the bishop announced that he holds the same position on the reception of Holy Communion by the divorced and remarried as that of the German Cardinals Kasper and Marx.

Given the theological views of Cardinal Kapser, as well as the ecclesiological views of Cardinal Marx, is anyone surprised to find a man who takes an equally heterodox position on things eschatological agree with them in their machinations to override magisterial teaching with pastoral graduality?

On Abuses and Reforms in the Church

First in a Series on the Protestant Reformation

by

Fr. Charles Coppens, S.J.

If the Church is a Divine institution, as all Catholics maintain, how can there by any abuses within it? Does not the existence of sins in a Church prove to evidence that it is not of God? Of course the sins are not of God; they come from man's free will. For there are two principles working in the Church: the Divine, the Holy Ghost, who works in it to sanctify man, to raise him heavenward; and the human element, which ought to co-operate with the Divine, but often fails to do so. The Holy Spirit works to produce that holiness which has been a conspicuous mark of the true Church in every age; but human infirmity, in every age as well, fosters those shortcoming, those sins, abuses, scandals which Christ predicted when He said:

It must needs be that scandal come; but nevertheless woe to that man by whom the scandal cometh. - Matt. 18:7

The evident consequence is that, all through the history of the Church, there have been and there will be to the end scandals and abuses. The history of the Church is the history of the struggle, with its successes and its failures, between the Divine Spirit and the frail, carnal, yet free spirit of man, who is impeded at every step from yielding to the better influence by the direct enemies of God, the allied powers of the world, the Devil, and the flesh.

The existence, therefore, of abuses within the Church is no objection against its Divine character. Foreseeing the false reasoning that would arise in this matter, Christ warned us against it by giving us the parable of the cockle sowed among the wheat, which the servant of the husbandman were instructed to let grow until the harvest, and of the net cast into the sea, gathering good and bad fishes; so the angels shall separate the wicked from among the just at the end of the world. Both parables teach us that there shall be good and evil men within the Church till the last judgment. The scandals and abuses thus predicted began in the very times of the Apostles, and they were of the most shocking kind. See how St. Paul had to rebuke the Corinthians for the conduct of some of them at the reception of Holy Communion: "And one indeed is hungry," he says, "and others are drunk." And again: "It is absolutely heard that there is fornication among you, and such fornication as the like is not among the heathens, that one should have his father's wife." And yet that was the Church of Christ in its primitive state of fervor.

It has been the same in every generation since. The abuses and scandals have at times been in high places. True, of the 260 Popes that have successively governed the Church, 79 are canonized Saints, because of their heroic virtue; of the remainder, the vast majority have been men of uncommon excellence in mental and moral qualities; but some few have been a disgrace to their exalted station. Cardinal Gibbons, in The Faith of Our Fathers, says: "We have forty-three virtuous to one bad Pope, while there was a Judas Iscariot among the twelve Apostles." But in the eyes of aliens to the Church, one unworthy Pontiff attracts more attention than fifty worthy occupants of the papal throne.

Scandals in the lower orders of the faithful are, of course, far more numerous, and we need not fear to assert that there never was a generation since the time of Christ when His Church had not to deplore, and strive to check and reform, abuses of some kind or other within the family of her own children. Her dogmatic teaching and the standard of morality she upholds are always above reproach; for they are the direct work of the Divine element within her, the Spirit of Truth that abides with her forever. But the lives of many of her own fold, shepherds who are hirelings and sheep who stray from the flock, are a constant cause of anxiety to her, a copious source of scandal to the world. Meanwhile, the same Divine Spirit who sanctifies those docile to the invitations of grace is ever and anon raising up in the midst of them zealous reformers inspired by inward light and guided by the proper authority to remove the abuses resulting from human frailty and human passion. Such was the humble St. Francis of Assisi, who rose a living protest against the worldliness of his age; such was St. Catherine of Sienna, whom the Lord made His instrument to bring back the Popes from Avignon to Rome; such was the gentle St. Theresa, who restored the Carmelite religious to their pristine spirit of heroic austerity of life; such was St. Ignatius, who, by his Spiritual Exercises, converted and sanctified himself and his companions, and then, with them and by them, reformed many thousands of others among the clergy and the laity. There is not an age in Church history in which remarkable reformations did not purify the morals of many Christians.

In our own day, we are witnessing a succession of reforms wrought by our venerated Supreme Pontiff, Pius X. It is only three years since he was raised, much against his will, to his sublime dignity, and already he has introduced a number of important reforms, some regarding his own surroundings and officials in the Roman congregation, others concerning the bishops and pastors throughout Italy, others affecting the teaching of catechism, the study of Holy Scripture in seminaries, the regulation of Church music throughout the Catholic world, the frequent reception of Holy Communion, etc. At time, the evils calling for reformation in the Church were so grievous and inveterate that there appeared to be no human hope of success. Take for an example the 13th century of our era. Various temporal princes had managed to control the appointment of bishops and abbots in their respective domains, filling many important sees with their relatives or favorites, and even sometimes selling the sacred offices by simoniacal bargains. Some of the Popes even had been raised to their high office by the influence of the German emperors.

Whence was the reformation of such abuses to come? Too many of the bishops and princes favored the scandals, and the Church appeared powerless to remove them. The Spirit of God raised up a savior, as He had done in the Old Law in the persons of Gideon, Jephte, Samson, etc. On this occasion, the chosen instrument of Providence was Hildebrand, a son of an artisan; through heroic courage, he undid the spell that seemed to hold the sacred ministers. He induced the Pope to decree that the college of Cardinals should thenceforth elect the Supreme Pontiffs.

Himself having been elevated to the chair of Peter under the name of Gregory VII, he boldly abolished the evil practice of "investitures," as it was called, by which the several princes presumed to invest the new bishops with the ring and crosier, the emblems of their holy office. They claimed the right to select those persons whom they were to invest. The Emperor Henry IV was especially insistent on the exercise of this prerogative. Gregory VII, trusting in God's help against all opposition of earthly power, condemned the abuse, and pronounced a severe censure against any prince who should continue its practice. The Emperor assembled the bishops subject to him, deposed Gregory and put up an anti-Pope in his stead. But the worthy Pontiff proclaimed that Henry, by thus attacking the Church, had violated his coronation oath, and had thus forfeited the imperial crown; and he consequently declared all the German people released from their allegiance to the tyrant. Henry was forced to submit to the just sentence, and went a suppliant to Canossa, where Gregory was then staying. There he submitted to do penance for his offence before obtaining his pardon. The scandalous abuse of the investitures was thus abolished. But Gregory VII had to pay dearly for his holy victory; for he was subsequently driven from Rome by the same tyrant, and he died in exile. Besides, courtly historians, to please worldly potentates, covered his name with obloquy. He was represented as an unworthy Pope, until his honor was vindicated by the Protestant historian Voigt. Similar vindications have been written and accepted as the verdict of history, of Pope Innocent III, by Ranke and others, of Leo X, by Roscoe, etc., the power of truth triumphing over the prejudices of non-Catholic, but sincere students.

Whatever reform comes from the Spirit of God, as in the case of Gregory VII, is orderly, moderate and conformable to justice. But what arises from the human spirit is apt to be excessive, lawless, ready to use evil means for the attainment of desirable ends. Such has been the conduct, at various times, of self-appointed reformers within the Church, but who did not use as much prudence as the delicate task they willingly assumed required for its successful execution. Thus, the eloquent Friar Savanarola aroused violent opposition against the scandals caused by Pope Alexander VI, perhaps the most unworthy of all Roman Pontiffs. But his zeal was not moderate, his measures were not such as the God of wisdom could approve; and yet the Psalmist has warned all generations that "unless the Lord build the house, they lobor in vain that build it." (Ps. 126) We are next to treat of other self-appointed reformers who were far more to blame than the well-meaning but rash and violent Savanarola.

In Conceptione Immaculata Beatae Mariae Virginis

The Immaculate Conception
Peter Paul Rubens (1577-1640)

Deus, qui per Immaculatam Virginis conceptionem dignum Filio tuo habitaculum praeparasti: quaesumus; ut qui ex morte eiusdem Filii tui praevisa, eam ab omni labe praeservasti, nos quoque mundos eius intercessione ad te pervenire concedas.

O God, by the Immaculate Conception of the Virgin, Thou prepared a worthy habitation for Thy Son; we beseech Thee, that, as by the foreseen death of Thy same Son Thou preserved her from all stain of sin, so Thou would grant us also, through her intercession, to come to Thee with pure hearts.

Second Sunday in Advent

by

Fr. Leonard Goffine

On this day the Church not only makes mention in the office of the priest, but also in the Mass, of the two different Advents of Christ, that by His first gracious advent may be gladdened, and by His last terrible coming at the day of judgment we may be impressed with salutary fear. With this intention she cries out at the Introit:

People of Sion, behold the Lord shall come to save the nations; and the Lord shall make the glory of his voice to be heard in the joy of your heart (Is. 30:30). Give ear, O thou that rulest Israel: thou that leadest Joseph like a sheep (Ps. 79).

Prayer of the Church

Stir up our hearts, O Lord, to prepare the ways of Thine only-begotten Son: that through His advent we may be worthy to serve Thee with purified minds; who livest and reignest with God the Father, in union with the Holy Ghost, God for ever and ever. Amen.

Epistle (Rom. 15:4‑13).

Brethren, what things soever were written, were written for our learning, that through patience and the comfort of the scriptures, we might have hope. Now the God of patience and of comfort grant you to be of one mind one towards another, according to Jesus Christ: that with one mind, and with one mouth, you may glorify God and the Father of Our Lord Jesus Christ. Wherefore receive one another, as Christ also hath received you unto the honor of God. For I say that Christ Jesus was minister of the circumcision for the truth of God, to confirm the promises made unto the fathers. But that the Gentiles are to glorify God for His mercy, as it is written: Therefore will I confess to Thee, O Lord, among the Gentiles, and will sing to Thy name. And again he saith: Rejoice, ye Gentiles, with His people. And again: Praise the Lord, all ye Gentiles, and magnify Him, all ye people. And again, Isaias saith: There shall be a root of Jesse, and He that shall rise up to rule the Gentiles, in Him the Gentiles shall hope. Now the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that you may abound in hope, and in the power of the Holy Ghost.

Q. What does St. Paul teach in this epistle?

A. The Jews and Gentiles who had been converted to the Christian faith were disputing among themselves at Rome, in regard to abstinence and the use of certain kinds of food, reproaching each other severely; the Jews boasted that the Savior, according to promise, was born of their nation, thus claiming Him from the Gentiles, who, in their turn, reproached the Jews for their ingratitude in having crucified Him. To restore harmony St. Paul shows that each had reason, the Jews and Gentiles alike, to praise God, to whose grace and goodness they owed all; that each had in Him a Redeemer in whom they could hope for salvation; and he warns them not to deprive themselves of that hope by contentions. By these words the Apostle also teaches that we too, have great reason to praise God, and to thank Him for calling us, whose forefathers were heathens, to the Christian faith, and to guard against losing our salvation by pride, envy, impurity, etc.

Q. Why should we read the Scriptures?

A. That we may know what we are to believe, and do in order to be saved, as all Scripture inspired by God is profitable to teach, to reprove, to correct, to instruct in justice (11 Tim. 3:16); that we may learn from what Christ has done for us, and the saints for Christ, to be patient in our sufferings, and to be consoled and encouraged by their example. To derive this benefit from the Scriptures, the Catholic must read them by the light of that Spirit through whose assistance they came into existence, who lives and remains for ever with the Church: that is, the light of the Holy Ghost must be sought, that their meaning may be read according to the sense of the Church and not be explained according to the reader's judgment. For he who reads the holy Scriptures by the light of his own private judgment, must, as experience shows, of necessity diverge from the right path, become entangled in manifold doubts, and at last, lose the faith entirely. For this reason the Catholic Church has very properly limited the reading of the Bible, not as has been falsely asserted, unconditionally forbidden it, but she allows the reading of those editions only, which are accompanied by notes and explanations that the unity of faith may not be disturbed, and that among Catholics there may not be the terrible bewilderment of the human intellect which has taken place among the different heretical sects who have even declared murder, bigamy and impurity to be permissible on the authority of the Bible. We are to consider also, that Christ never commanded the Bible to be written or read, and that not the readers but the hearers and the followers of the word of God by which is meant those who hear the word of God in sermons, and keep it, will be saved!

Q. Why is God called a God of patience, of consolation, and of hope?

A. He is called a God of patience because He awaits our repentance; of consolation, because He gives us grace to be patient in crosses and afflictions, and so consoles us inwardly, that we become not faint‑hearted; of hope, because He gives us the virtue of hope, and because He desires to be Himself the reward we are to expect after this life.

Aspiration

O God of patience, of consolation and of hope, fill Our hearts with peace and joy, and grant that we may become perfect in all good, and by faith, hope and charity, attain the promised salvation.

Gospel  (Mt. 11:2‑10)

At that time, when John had heard in prison the works of Christ, sending two of his disciples, he said to Him: Art Thou He that art to come, or do we look for another? And Jesus making answer, said to them: Go and relate to John what you have heard and seen. The blind see, the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead rise again, the poor have the Gospel preached to them: and blessed is he that shall not be scandalized in Me. And when they went their way, Jesus began to say to the multitudes concerning John, What went you out into the desert to see? A reed shaken with the wind? But what went you out to see? A man clothed in soft garments? Behold, they that are clothed in soft garments are in the houses of kings. But what went you out to see? A prophet? Yea I tell you, and more than a prophet. For this is he of whom it is written, Behold, I send my Angel before thy face, who shall prepare thy way before thee.

Q. Why was St. John in prison?

A. He was in prison, and lost his life, because he had rebuked king Herod for his adulterous marriage with his brother's wife (Mt. 14:310). Truth, as the proverb says, is certainly a very beautiful mother, but she usually bears a very ugly daughter: hatred. St. John experienced that speaking the truth very often arouses hatred and enmity against the speaker. Let us learn from him to speak the truth always, when duty requires it, even if it brings upon us the greatest misfortunes, for, if with St. John we patiently bear persecution, with St. John we shall become martyrs for truth.

Q. Why did St. John send his disciples to Christ?

A. That they should learn from Christ, who had become illustrious by His teachings and miracles, that He was really the promised Messiah, the Savior of the world, whom they should follow.

Q. Why did Christ say to the disciples of St. John: "Go and say to John, the blind see, the lame walk," etc.?

A. That they should, by His miracles, judge Him to be the Messiah because the prophets had predicted that He would work such miracles (Isai. 35:5‑6). "Christ," says St. Cyril, "proved that He was the Messiah by the grandeur as well as by the number of His miracles."

Q. Why does Christ add: "And blessed is he who shall not be scandalized in Me"?

A. Christ used these words in reference to those who would be scandalized by His poverty, humility and ignominious death on the cross, and who for these reasons would doubt and despise Him, and cast Him away; though "man," as St. Gregory says, "owes all the more love to the Lord, his God, the more humiliations He has borne for him."

Q. What was our Lord's object in the questions He asked concerning St. John?

A. His object was to remove from St. John all suspicion of failing in faith in Him; and to praise the perseverance with which, although imprisoned and threatened with death, he continued to fill his office of preacher, thus constituting him an example to all preachers, confessors and superiors, that they may never be deterred by human respect, or fear of man, or other temporal considerations, from courageously fulfilling their duties. Our Lord commended also rigorous penance, exhibited by St. John's coarse garments and simple food, that we may learn, from his example, penance and mortification.

Q. Why does Christ say that St. John was "more than a prophet"?

A. Because St. John was foretold by the prophet Malachias as was no other prophet; because of all the prophets he was the only one who with his own eyes saw Christ and could point Him out, and was the one to baptize Him: and because like an angel, a messenger of God, he announced the coming of the Savior, and prepared the way for the Lord.

Q. How did St. John prepare the way for the Savior?

A. By his sermons on penance, and by his own penitential life He endeavored to move the hearts of the Jews, that by amending their lives, they might prepare to receive the grace of the Messiah, for God will not come with His grace into our hearts if we do not prepare His way by true repentance.

Aspiration

O Lord Jesus, by the praise Thou didst accord to Thy forerunner St. John, for his firmness and austerities, inflame our hearts with love to imitate his steadfastness and penance, that we may never do anything to please man which may be displeasing to Thee; grant us also Thy grace that we too, like St. John, may have those who are confided to our care, instructed in the Christian doctrine.