- Thus man who thinks he is far advanced in virtue looks with too much indifference on temptations
- He feels astonished at his fall, and finding himself deceived in his expectations, sinks into sorrow and despair.
Friday, July 26, 2013
Chapter Five - The Mistake of Considering Cowardice a Virtue
- Thus man who thinks he is far advanced in virtue looks with too much indifference on temptations
- He feels astonished at his fall, and finding himself deceived in his expectations, sinks into sorrow and despair.
Chapter Four - How to Discover Whether We Distrust Ourselves and Place Our Confidence in God
- The man who has a deep distrust of himself and places great confidence in God is not at all surprised if he commits a fault. He does not abandon himself to confused despair; he correctly attributes what has happened to his own weakness and lack of confidence in God.
- He detests beyond all things the sin into which he has fallen; he condemns the passion or criminal habit that occasioned his fall; he conceives a deep sorrow for his offense against God.
- I sincerely wish that what has been proposed here would be attentively considered by many who think they are very devout.
Chapter Three - Confidence in God
- To distrust of self, we must add confidence in God
FOUR STEPS
1.) To ask it with great humility.
2.) To contemplate with an ardent faith the immense power and infinite wisdom of the Supreme Being. All that he demands is that we turn to Him with complete confidence. When this devoted Shepherd sees His strayed sheep finally returning to Him with a sincere, though perhaps weak intention of obeying Him, He is greatly please to see him united again to the flock, and invites the Angels to rejoice with Him on the occasion.
3.) We must frequently recall what we are assured of in the Holy Scriptures, the witnesses of truth in a thousand different places, that no one who puts his trust in God will be defeated.
4.) Before attempting to perform any good action, or to encounter some failing, we should look at our own weakness on the one hand, and on the other hand contemplate the infinite power, wisdom and goodness of God.
Chapter Two - Concerning Distrust of Self
 |
| Mea Culpa, Mea Culpa, Mea Maxima Culpa |
- Without this virtue, we cannot expect to defeat our weakest passions
- We are too apt to overestimate our own abilities and to conclude falsely that we are of some importance
- This distrust of our own strength is a gift from Heaven, bestowed by God on those He loves.
- He expects that we will do everythng within our power to obtain it.
HOW TO OBTAIN DISTRUST OF SELF
1.) We must meditate upon our own weakness; we cannot, without Divine assistance, accomplish even the smallest good
2.) We must beg of God, with great humility and fervor. Then let us cast ourselves at the feet of Our Lord and earnestly beg Him to grant our request. We must do this with firm confidence that we will be heard if we patiently await the effect of our prayer.
3.) We must gradually accustom ourselves to distrust our own strength, to dread the illusions of our own mind, the strong tendency of our nature to sin, and the overwhelming number of enemies that surround us.
4.) As often as we commit a fault, we must examine ourselves in order to discover our vulnerable points. God permits us to fall only that we may gain a deeper insight into ourselves, that we may learn to despise ourselves as wretched creatures and to desire honestly to be disregarded by others.
- Whoever seeks to approach the eternal truth and fountain of all light must know himself thoroughly.
- Disgraceful and unforeseen debacles happen through God's permission that they may know their own weakness, and, by sad experience, learn not to rely on their own strength.
- He permits persons to sin more or less grievously in proportion to their pride.
- As often as you commit a fault, immediately strive to probe your inner consciousness; earnest beg our Lord to enlighten you, that you may see yourself as you are in His sight, and presume no more on your strength. Otherwise you will fall again into the same faults, or perhaps much greater ones to the eternal ruin of your soul.
Chapter One - Preliminary Words on Perfection
- CHRISTIAN SOUL! If you seek to reach the loftiest peak of perfection, and to unite yourself so intimately with God that you become one with spirit with Him, you must first know the true nature and perfection of spirituality.
- Some, who judge by appearances, make it consist in penances, in hair shirts, austerities of the flesh, vigils, fasting, and similar bodily mortifications.
- Others, especially women, fancy themselves extremely virtuous when they indulge in long periods of vocal prayers, hear several Masses, spend many hours in church.
- Others, and this does not exclude some of the religious who have consecrated themselves to God, think that perfection consist in perfect attendance in choir, in observing silence and in a strict observance of their rule. Consequently, different people place perfection in different practices. It is certain that they all equally deceive themselves.
- Since exterior works are nothing more than dispositions for achieving true piety, or the effects of real piety, it cannot be said that Christian perfection and true piety consist in them. They are, without doubt, powerful means for becoming truly perfect and truly holy.
- When used with discretion they are of unique value in supporting our nature which is always indifferent to good and inclined to evil; in repelling the attacks and escaping the snares of our common enemy.
TRULY HOLY MEN
1.) Such men chastise their bodies for past offenses or for greater humiliation and subjection to their Creator
2.) They seek solitude and observe silence that, withdrawn from the world, they may perserve themselves free from the least stain of sin
3.) Their time is spent in works of piety and in the service of God
4.) They pray and meditate on the life and Passion of our Redeemer, not through curiosity, but from a desire of knowing better the grandeur of the Divine Goodness and the depth of their own ingratitude
5.) They increase their love of God and detestation of self, to follow their Lord in shouldering His Cross, and in renouncing their own will.
6.) They receive sacraments for no other reason than the honor of God, a closer union with Him and greater security from the power of the devil.
- Those who are ignorant place their devotional in external acts; they are so attached to these acts that they utterly neglect to watch the inner movements of their hearts
- They [become vulnerable to] tricks of the devil, who fills their imagination with empty ideas, making them believe that they already taste the joys of Paradise, the delights of Angels, that they see God face to face!
- In every circumstance they love to be shown preference to others. They know no guide but their own private judgment, no rule but their own will. They are blind in their own affairs, ferret-eyed in regard to those of the neighbors, always ready to find fault.
- If God Himself, in order to open their eyes and to show them the true path of perfection, should send them crosses, sickness, or severe persecutions, the surest trials of His servant's fidelity, which never happen unless by his plan and permission, then the degenerate condition of their hearts is laid bare through their own extravagant pride.
- They know nothing of a proper conformity to the Will of God.
- They do not know how to imitate Christ Crucified, as He humbled Himself before all men; nor do they know how to love their enemies as the instruments used by God's goodness to train them to self-denial and to help not only in their future salvation, but in greater sanctification of their daily life.
- They are in imminent danger of being lost with eyes blinded by self-love
- They conclude that they are far advanced towards God and they readily look down on their neighbor.
- Spiritual life consists in a true sense of our weakness and tendency to evil, in loving God and hating ourselves, in humbling ourselves not only before Him, but for His sake, before all men, in renouncing entirely our own will in order to follow His.
- This is why we must practice self-denial...This it is that renders His yoke so sweet.
- Since, therefore, you seek the highest degree of perfection, you must wage continual warfare against yourself and employ your entire strength in demolishing each vicious inclination, however trivial. Consequently, in preparing for the combat you must summon up all your resolution and courage.
- Every person, in his own particular sphere, should begin with what is immediately required of him (before focusing on helping others)
- What God expects of us, above all else, is a serious application to conquering our passions...in a perpetual war with yourself.
FOUR WEAPONS
1.) Distrust of one's self
2.) Confidence in God
3.) Proper use of the faculties of body and mind
4.) The duty of prayer
The Spiritual Combat by Dom Lorenzo Scupoli (TAN, 1945)
Therefore take unto you the armour of God, that you may be able to resist in the evil day, and to stand in all things perfect.
Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, and having on the breastplate of justice,
And your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace:
In all things taking the shield of faith, wherewith you may be able to extinguish all the fiery darts of the most wicked one.
And take unto you the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit (which is the word of God).
- Ephesians 6:13-17
As with other books, I will not type out the full text but rather highlight some key points in a hopefully coherent manner.
I will do something different than ever previous by posting the Table of Contents below, subsequently linking those chapter titles to each future separate post as I do them.
God Bless
PREFACE
The Spiritual Combat is known as one of the greatest classics in ascetic theology, along with The Imitation of Christ. In both cases the authors are shrouded in mystery. Several 17th century editions were published under the name of the Spanish Benedictine, John of Castanzia. Some writers of the Society of Jesus have ascribed the book to the Jesuit, Achilles Gagliardi, but most critics however consider Fr. Lawrence Scupoli as the author of this famous treatise. The first known edition was published in Venice in 1589 and contained but 24 chapters; later editions appeared with more chapters, so it is possible that the Theatines or another religious order may have been part of the composition. Whatever may be the solution of the problem of the author, doubt of the actual one or ones, can take nothing away from the value and efficacy of this "golden book" as St. Frances de Sales called it. It was "the favorite, the dear book" of this great master of the spiritual life who, for 18 years, carried in a pocket a copy which he had received from Fr. Scupoli in Padua himself. The Saint read some pages of it every day, entrusted to its supernatural and human wisdom, the guidance of his soul, and recommended it to all under his direction. The purpose of the work is to lead the soul to the summit of spiritual perfection, by means of a constant, courageous struggle against our evil nature, which tends to keep us away from that goal.
The author was a genius, the kind that can only be inspired by the grace of God and his book is a Catholic treasure and one of the greatest gifts God could have given any age, but most especially this benighted age which has lost its appreciation for the kind of simplicity necessary for sanctity.
Catholic Tradition is presenting here chapters in installments of several per month until completed, for a total of 66 chapters.
1. PRELIMINARY WORDS ON PERFECTION
2. CONCERNING DISTRUST OF SELF
3. CONFIDENCE IN GOD
4. HOW TO DISCOVER IF WE DISTRUST OURSELVES AND PLACE CONFIDENCE IN GOD
5. MISTAKE OF CONSIDERING COWARDICE A VIRTUE
6. FURTHER ADVICE TO ACQUIRE CONFIDENCE IN GOD
7. THE RIGHT USE OF OUR FACULTIES
8. AN OBSTACLE TO FORMING A CORRECT JUDGMENT
9. ANOTHER METHOD TO PREVENT DECEPTION OF THE UNDERSTANDING
10. EXERCISE OF THE WILL
11. SOME CONSIDERATIONS TO INLCINE THE WILL TO SEEK PLEASING GOD ONLY
12. THE OPPOSITION WITHIN MAN'S TWOFOLD NATURE
13. HOW WE ARE TO ENCOUNTER SENSUALITY
14. WHAT TO DO WHEN THE WILL IS APPARENTLY OVERPOWERED
15. FURTHER ADVICE ON HOW TO FIGHT SKILLFULLY
16. THE SOLDIER OF CHRIST MUST PREPARE EARLY FOR BATTLE
17. THE METHOD OF FIGHTING YOUR PASSIONS AND VICES
18. HOW TO CURB THE SUDDEN IMPULSES OF YOUR PASSIONS
19. HOW WE ARE TO FIGHT AGAINST IMPURITY
20. HOW TO COMBAT SLOTH
21. THE PROPER USE OF OUR SENSES TO CONTEMPLATE DIVINE THINGS
22. HOW SENSIBLE MAY AID US TO MEITATE ON THE PASSION OF CHRIST
23. OTHER DANGEROUS USES OF THE SENSES IN DIFFERENT SITUATIONS
24. HOW TO GOVERN ONE'S SPEECH
25. THE SOLDIER OF CHRIST MUST AVOID THAT WHICH INTRUDES UPON PEACE OF MIND
26. WHAT WE ARE TO DO WHEN WOUNDED
27. THE METHODS USED BY THE DEVIL TO SEDUCE THOSE WHO DESIRE TO ACQUIRE VIRTUE
28. THE DEVIL'S CUNNING DEVICES
29. THE EFFORTS OF THE DEVIL TO PREVENT CONVERSION
30. CONCERNING THE DELUSIONS OF SOME WHO CONSIDER THEMSELVES BEING PERFECTED
31. CONCERNING THE ARTIFICES OF THE DEVIL TO MAKE US FORSAKE THE VIRTUOUS LIFE
32. THE LAST ARTIFICE OF THE DEVIL IN MAKING EVEN THE PRACTICE OF
VIRTUE AN OCCASION OF SIN
33. SOME IMPORTANT INSTRUCTIONS FOR THOSE WHO WISH TO MORTIFY THEMSELVES
34. VIRTUES ARE TO BE ACQUIRED ONE AT A TIME AND BY DEGREES
35. THE MOST PROFITABLE MEANS OF ACQUIRING VIRTUE, AND THE MANNER IN WHICH
WE APPLY OURSELVES TO A PARTICULAR VIRTUE FOR A TIME
36. THE PRACTICE OF VIRTUE REQUIRES CONSTANT APPLICATION
37. CONCERNING THE NECESSITY OF SEIZING EAGERLY ALL OPPORTUNITIES
OF PRACTICING VIRTUE
38. THE NECESSITY OF ESTEEMIMG ALL OPPORTUNITIES OF FIGHTING FOR THE ACQUISITION OF VIRTUE
39. THE MANNER IN WHICH WE MAY EXERCISE THE SAME VIRTUE ON DIFFERENT OCCASIONS
40. THE TIME TO BE EMPLOYED IN THE ACQUISTION OF EACH VIRTUE AND INDICATIONS OF PROGRESS
41. THE NEED OF MODERATION IN THE DESIRE TO BE FREED OF THOSE EVILS PATIENTLY BORNE,
AND THE MANNER IN WHICH OUR DESIRES ARE TO BE REGULATED
42. THE DEFENSE AGAINST THE ARTIFICES OF THE DEVIL WHEN HE SUGGESTS INDISCREET DEVOTIONS
43. THE TENDENCY OF OUR CORRUPT NATURES, PROMPTED BY THE DEVIL,
TO INDULGE IN RASH JUDGMENT, AND THE REMEDY FOR THIS EVIL
44. PRAYER
45. MENTAL PRAYER
46. MEDITATION
47. ANOTHER METHOD OF MEDITATION
48. PRAYER BASED ON THE INTERCESSION OF THE BLESSED VIRGIN
49. SOME CONSIDERATIONS TO INDUCE CONFIDENCE IN THE ASSISTANCE OF THE BLESSED VIRGIN
50. A METHOD OF MEDITATION AND PRAYER INVOLVING THE INTERCESSION OF
THESAINTS AND THE ANGELS
51. MEDITATION ON THE SUFFERINGS OF CHRIST
52. THE BENEFITS DERIVED FROM MEDITATIONS ON THE CROSS
AND THE IMITATION OF THE VIRTUE OF CHRIST CRUCIFIED
53.CONCERNING THE MOST HOLY SACRAMENT OF THE EUCHARIST
54. THE MANNER IN WHICH WE OUGHT TO RECEIVE HOLY COMMUNION
55. PREPARATION FOR HOLY COMMUNION, AND THE ROLE OF THE EUCHARIST
INEXCITING IN US A LOVE OF GOD
56. CONCERNING SPIRITUAL COMMUNION
57. CONCERNING THANKSGIVING
58. THE OFFERING OF SELF TO GOD
59. CONCERNING SENSIBLE DEVOTION AND DRYNESS
60. CONCERNING THE EXAMINATION OF CONSCIENCE
61. CONCERNING THE MANNER IN WHICH WE ARE TO PERSEVERE
IN THE SPIRITUAL COMBAT UNTIL DEATH
62. CONCERNING OUR PREPARATION AGAINST THE ENEMIES WHO ASSAIL US
AT THE HOUR OF DEATH
63. CONCERNING THE FOUR ASSAULTS OF THE ENEMY AT THE HOUR OF DEATH-----THE FIRST
ASSAULT AGAINST FAITH AND THE MANNER OF RESISTING IT
64. CONCERNING THE ASSAULT OF DESPAIR AND ITS REMEDY
65. CONCERNING TEMPTATION TO VAINGLORY
66. CONCERNING THE VARIOUS ILLUSIONS EMPLOYED BY THE DEVIL
AT THE HOUR OF OUR DEATH
Sunday, June 23, 2013
We Resist You to the Face - Part I
by Atila Sinke Guimarães, Michael J. Matt, John Vennari, Marian Therese Horvat, Ph.D
Chapter 1 - Status Quaestionis
- Since Vatican Council II, the Holy, Roman, Catholic and Apostolic Church has been passing through a radical change.
- Cardinal Leo Jòzef Suenens described it as the French Revolution in the Church; Cardinal Yves Congar compared it to the Communist Revolution of 1917; Fr Hans Küng affirmed that with the Council, by means of "a revolution within the order," the Church had "changed her course in an extraordinary way."
(citations available from the book)
A few notes on these men who helped shape the Council:
- Cardinal Suenens: Proponent of the so-called 'Charismatic Renewal,' opponent of Humanae Vitae (and believer that conjugal love takes precedence over procreation), at the forefront of ecumenism, proponent of collegiality, religious liberty, increased role of the laity, and relaxation of religious life rules. If there was ever a singular "poster boy" for the post-conciliar changes, it is Cardinal Suenens. He controversially wrote that the God known historically to the Catholic faith should die. (Here) He also published the following: "The Second Vatican Council marked the end of an epoch, or even several epochs, depending on one's historical perspective. It brought to a close the Constantinian era, the era of "Christendom" and the era of the "Counter-Reformation" and the era of Vatican I. In reference to that past, it marks a turning point in the history of the Church." (Co-Responsability: Dominating Idea of the Council and its Pastoral Consequences," in Theology of Renewal, Montreal: Palm Publishers, 1968, vol. II, p. 7)
- Yves Congar: Active in the ecumenical movement, Congar was once removed from teaching or publishing for a time by the Holy See, during the pontificate of Pope Pius XII. At least one of his books was placed on the Index of Banned Books by the Vatican. However, his reputation was rehabilitated, as he was made a cardinal, in 1994, by Pope John Paul II. Congar encouraged openness to ideas stemming from Protestant Christianity and has been described as the single most formative influence on Vatican II. He rejected the idea of the monarchical structure of the Church under the sovereign rule of the papacy and the notion of the "Vicar of Christ" advocating instead for collegiality and a democratic Church (Here in the book "Jean Puyo Interviews Fr. Congar"). He was one of the leading influences in the post-conciliar "humanocentric" (man focused) theology instead of theocentric (God focused); the abused terminology "human dignity" could have potentially stemmed from his ideas about turning all of the focus onto humanism versus love of neighbor for love of God.
- Hans Küng: In the late 1960s, he became the first major Roman Catholic theologian since the late 19th century Old Catholic Church schism to publicly reject the doctrine of papal infallibility. Consequently, on December 18, 1979, he was stripped of his missio canonica, his licence to teach as a Roman Catholic theologian, but carried on teaching as a tenured professor of ecumenical theology at the University of Tübingen until his retirement (Emeritierung) in 1996. To this day he remains a persistent critic of papal infallibility, which he claims is man-made (and thus reversible) rather than instituted by God. He was not excommunicated...and is considered "a Catholic priest in good standing." He appeared on the Phil Donahue Show. In October 1986, he participated in the Third Buddhist-Christian Theological Encounter held at Purdue University, West Lafayette, Indiana. In the early 1990s, Küng initiated a project called Weltethos (Global Ethic), which is an attempt at describing what the world's religions have in common (rather than what separates them) and at drawing up a minimal code of rules of behaviour everyone can accept. He visited the nearby Beth El synagogue and spoke there on modern German-Jewish relations. In 1998, he published Dying with Dignity, co-written with Walter Jens, in which he affirms acceptance of euthanasia from a Christian viewpoint. On September 26, 2005, he had a friendly discussion about Catholic theology over dinner with Pope Benedict XVI, surprising some observers. In a 2009 interview with Le Monde, Küng deeply criticised the lifting of the excommunications on the bishops of the Society of Saint Pius X. His latest publication, Der Anfang aller Dinge (The beginning of all things), discusses the relationship between science and religion. In an analysis spanning from quantum physics to neuroscience, he comments on the current debate about evolution in the United States, dismissing those opposed to the teaching of evolution as "naive [and] un-enlightened."
- [Questions began to surface about the "purpose of the Catholic Church."] From this perspective the omnifarious glorification of God per omnia saecula saeculorum [forever and ever], we understand the salvific mission of the Catholic Church. The Glory of God and the exaltation of Holy Mother Church are her principal ends, along with the distribution of grace for the salvation of the elect.
- Innumerable times Catholics who have expressed the voice of the two-thousand-year-old tradition of the Church have directed themselves to the Chair of Peter...humbly they have begged Pope John Paul II and Paul VI to clarify the confusion that those reforms have caused and to show them how these conciliar reforms could harmonize with Catholic doctrine. However, their pleas have not been heard by the Pope or other representatives of the Church. Pope John Paul II has listened to and honored persons from the most varied of backgrounds, has been open to some of the most audacious initiatives, and has nourished certain dreams of the vanguard of progressivism. At the same time, he seems to regard with suspicion and turn his back on those who represent the Catholic tradition.
For example, while apologizing to the world for the "sins" of Catholics throughout history, he seems to have forgotten about an apology to the concerned faithful of the Church who have experienced unprecedented confusion and discouragement as a result of the Conciliar Revolution.
Unfortunately, it is not only silence that greets the voice of traditionalists. There is also a process of trying to extinguish their voice.
- Some laymen who remain faithful to the perennial teaching of the Catholic Church see themselves forced, as a question of conscience, to take a stand.
Chapter II - The Principal Initiatives That Advance the Conciliar Revolution: Secularization and Ecumenism
- Two great initiatives: secularization (ad intra), or the adaption of the Church to the modern world; and ecumenism (ad extra), or the adaptation of the Church to false religions.
1. The Revolution ad intra, or SECULARIZATION
- With his aggiornamento, John XXIII initiated the work of the adaptation of the Church to the modern world...The alleged pretext was to "bring Christ to the world," but instead what took place was the opposite: the world entered inside the Church.
- In Gaudium et Spes, we can note the euphoria and enthusiasm about the Church's union with the world that prevailed at that time.
- The modern world is the fruit of three revolutions that have aimed to destroy Christendom: The Protestant Revolution, the French Revolution, and the Communist Revolution.
- Almost everything in the modern world is different from the society inspired by the principles of the Gospel. Thus, by adapting to the modern world, the conciliar Church in truth adapted herself to the Revolution. It is not surprising that this decision has inagurated, as Paul VI termed it, the process of the autodemolition of the Church.
A. Desacralization
- Liturgical reforms have brought about the following:
1. The destruction of the altars versus Deum (turned toward God)
2. The abolition of the communion rail and discontinuing the separation etween the presbytery and the nave of the faithful
3. Doing away with the Latin and replacing it with the vernacular
4. The introduction of "dialogue" between the celebratn and the faithful which disturbs recollection, prayer, and the act of adoration
5. The continuous impoverishment of liturgical vestments, altar cloths, and linens
6. The gradual abandonment of sacred chant and music and the introduction of popular music
- In addition, Churches themselves have been despoiled:
1. The end of side altars
2. The elimination of pulpits
3. The removal of the confessionals and statues
4. The selling of the rich objects
5. The silencing of church bells and hand bells (note, he means the bells rung during the Consecration, not choir hand bells like during Novus Ordo Christmas mass)
6. The adoption of the modern architecture in the building of new edifices.
[Further damage to the ecclesial hierarchy is as follows:]
1. The bishops rejected their position as the Princes of the Church, symbolized by the abandonment of their episcopal palaces, mantles, and amethyst rings
2. Many priests put aside their cassocks, discontinued praying the Breviary, and generally mitigated the life of piety. Their promises of obedience and chastity were strongly relativized.
3. In the seminaries, the serious study of History of the Church was replaced by social studies and keeping up with teh secular daily news
4. The study of Morals was substituted in part with sex education
5. reading from the lives of the Saints was left aside to watch the latest films and television programs
6. Religious formation ceded way to a political formation
7. Spiritual direction was supplanted by psychiatric orientation
8. Recollection and asceticism were abolished
9. The study of Latin was abandoned altogether in most seminaries
10. Religious rules were either relaxed or set aside
11. Centuries-old Catholic spirituality saw itself replaced with Buddhist asceticism and the practice of yoga
*An important consequence (aka [rotten] fruit) of this desacralization has been the crisis of vocations.
B. Egalitarianism
Chapter 1 - Status Quaestionis
- Since Vatican Council II, the Holy, Roman, Catholic and Apostolic Church has been passing through a radical change.
- Cardinal Leo Jòzef Suenens described it as the French Revolution in the Church; Cardinal Yves Congar compared it to the Communist Revolution of 1917; Fr Hans Küng affirmed that with the Council, by means of "a revolution within the order," the Church had "changed her course in an extraordinary way."
(citations available from the book)
A few notes on these men who helped shape the Council:
- Cardinal Suenens: Proponent of the so-called 'Charismatic Renewal,' opponent of Humanae Vitae (and believer that conjugal love takes precedence over procreation), at the forefront of ecumenism, proponent of collegiality, religious liberty, increased role of the laity, and relaxation of religious life rules. If there was ever a singular "poster boy" for the post-conciliar changes, it is Cardinal Suenens. He controversially wrote that the God known historically to the Catholic faith should die. (Here) He also published the following: "The Second Vatican Council marked the end of an epoch, or even several epochs, depending on one's historical perspective. It brought to a close the Constantinian era, the era of "Christendom" and the era of the "Counter-Reformation" and the era of Vatican I. In reference to that past, it marks a turning point in the history of the Church." (Co-Responsability: Dominating Idea of the Council and its Pastoral Consequences," in Theology of Renewal, Montreal: Palm Publishers, 1968, vol. II, p. 7)
- Yves Congar: Active in the ecumenical movement, Congar was once removed from teaching or publishing for a time by the Holy See, during the pontificate of Pope Pius XII. At least one of his books was placed on the Index of Banned Books by the Vatican. However, his reputation was rehabilitated, as he was made a cardinal, in 1994, by Pope John Paul II. Congar encouraged openness to ideas stemming from Protestant Christianity and has been described as the single most formative influence on Vatican II. He rejected the idea of the monarchical structure of the Church under the sovereign rule of the papacy and the notion of the "Vicar of Christ" advocating instead for collegiality and a democratic Church (Here in the book "Jean Puyo Interviews Fr. Congar"). He was one of the leading influences in the post-conciliar "humanocentric" (man focused) theology instead of theocentric (God focused); the abused terminology "human dignity" could have potentially stemmed from his ideas about turning all of the focus onto humanism versus love of neighbor for love of God.
- Hans Küng: In the late 1960s, he became the first major Roman Catholic theologian since the late 19th century Old Catholic Church schism to publicly reject the doctrine of papal infallibility. Consequently, on December 18, 1979, he was stripped of his missio canonica, his licence to teach as a Roman Catholic theologian, but carried on teaching as a tenured professor of ecumenical theology at the University of Tübingen until his retirement (Emeritierung) in 1996. To this day he remains a persistent critic of papal infallibility, which he claims is man-made (and thus reversible) rather than instituted by God. He was not excommunicated...and is considered "a Catholic priest in good standing." He appeared on the Phil Donahue Show. In October 1986, he participated in the Third Buddhist-Christian Theological Encounter held at Purdue University, West Lafayette, Indiana. In the early 1990s, Küng initiated a project called Weltethos (Global Ethic), which is an attempt at describing what the world's religions have in common (rather than what separates them) and at drawing up a minimal code of rules of behaviour everyone can accept. He visited the nearby Beth El synagogue and spoke there on modern German-Jewish relations. In 1998, he published Dying with Dignity, co-written with Walter Jens, in which he affirms acceptance of euthanasia from a Christian viewpoint. On September 26, 2005, he had a friendly discussion about Catholic theology over dinner with Pope Benedict XVI, surprising some observers. In a 2009 interview with Le Monde, Küng deeply criticised the lifting of the excommunications on the bishops of the Society of Saint Pius X. His latest publication, Der Anfang aller Dinge (The beginning of all things), discusses the relationship between science and religion. In an analysis spanning from quantum physics to neuroscience, he comments on the current debate about evolution in the United States, dismissing those opposed to the teaching of evolution as "naive [and] un-enlightened."
- [Questions began to surface about the "purpose of the Catholic Church."] From this perspective the omnifarious glorification of God per omnia saecula saeculorum [forever and ever], we understand the salvific mission of the Catholic Church. The Glory of God and the exaltation of Holy Mother Church are her principal ends, along with the distribution of grace for the salvation of the elect.
- Innumerable times Catholics who have expressed the voice of the two-thousand-year-old tradition of the Church have directed themselves to the Chair of Peter...humbly they have begged Pope John Paul II and Paul VI to clarify the confusion that those reforms have caused and to show them how these conciliar reforms could harmonize with Catholic doctrine. However, their pleas have not been heard by the Pope or other representatives of the Church. Pope John Paul II has listened to and honored persons from the most varied of backgrounds, has been open to some of the most audacious initiatives, and has nourished certain dreams of the vanguard of progressivism. At the same time, he seems to regard with suspicion and turn his back on those who represent the Catholic tradition.
For example, while apologizing to the world for the "sins" of Catholics throughout history, he seems to have forgotten about an apology to the concerned faithful of the Church who have experienced unprecedented confusion and discouragement as a result of the Conciliar Revolution.
Unfortunately, it is not only silence that greets the voice of traditionalists. There is also a process of trying to extinguish their voice.
- Some laymen who remain faithful to the perennial teaching of the Catholic Church see themselves forced, as a question of conscience, to take a stand.
Chapter II - The Principal Initiatives That Advance the Conciliar Revolution: Secularization and Ecumenism
- Two great initiatives: secularization (ad intra), or the adaption of the Church to the modern world; and ecumenism (ad extra), or the adaptation of the Church to false religions.
1. The Revolution ad intra, or SECULARIZATION
- With his aggiornamento, John XXIII initiated the work of the adaptation of the Church to the modern world...The alleged pretext was to "bring Christ to the world," but instead what took place was the opposite: the world entered inside the Church.
- In Gaudium et Spes, we can note the euphoria and enthusiasm about the Church's union with the world that prevailed at that time.
- The modern world is the fruit of three revolutions that have aimed to destroy Christendom: The Protestant Revolution, the French Revolution, and the Communist Revolution.
- Almost everything in the modern world is different from the society inspired by the principles of the Gospel. Thus, by adapting to the modern world, the conciliar Church in truth adapted herself to the Revolution. It is not surprising that this decision has inagurated, as Paul VI termed it, the process of the autodemolition of the Church.
A. Desacralization
- Liturgical reforms have brought about the following:
1. The destruction of the altars versus Deum (turned toward God)
2. The abolition of the communion rail and discontinuing the separation etween the presbytery and the nave of the faithful
3. Doing away with the Latin and replacing it with the vernacular
4. The introduction of "dialogue" between the celebratn and the faithful which disturbs recollection, prayer, and the act of adoration
5. The continuous impoverishment of liturgical vestments, altar cloths, and linens
6. The gradual abandonment of sacred chant and music and the introduction of popular music
- In addition, Churches themselves have been despoiled:
1. The end of side altars
2. The elimination of pulpits
3. The removal of the confessionals and statues
4. The selling of the rich objects
5. The silencing of church bells and hand bells (note, he means the bells rung during the Consecration, not choir hand bells like during Novus Ordo Christmas mass)
6. The adoption of the modern architecture in the building of new edifices.
[Further damage to the ecclesial hierarchy is as follows:]
1. The bishops rejected their position as the Princes of the Church, symbolized by the abandonment of their episcopal palaces, mantles, and amethyst rings
2. Many priests put aside their cassocks, discontinued praying the Breviary, and generally mitigated the life of piety. Their promises of obedience and chastity were strongly relativized.
3. In the seminaries, the serious study of History of the Church was replaced by social studies and keeping up with teh secular daily news
4. The study of Morals was substituted in part with sex education
5. reading from the lives of the Saints was left aside to watch the latest films and television programs
6. Religious formation ceded way to a political formation
7. Spiritual direction was supplanted by psychiatric orientation
8. Recollection and asceticism were abolished
9. The study of Latin was abandoned altogether in most seminaries
10. Religious rules were either relaxed or set aside
11. Centuries-old Catholic spirituality saw itself replaced with Buddhist asceticism and the practice of yoga
*An important consequence (aka [rotten] fruit) of this desacralization has been the crisis of vocations.
B. Egalitarianism
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