Do Not Believe Every Spirit But Test Against God's Word

The Vatican Radio station published the homily that the pope gave at his Mass yesterday.  The full text is here.  Remember - this is on the Vatican's website. You can't blame the "big bad media" for taking the pope's words out of context. He spoke about docility to Amoris Laetitia the Holy Spirit.  Well, we can glean just what he meant.  Here is a key line.

"Do not resist the Holy Spirit under the guise of loyalty to the law."

Now what is this law to which the Pope so disdainfully refers?  Let's be blunt; it's the Sacred Tradition of the Church found in her dogmas, Sacred Scripture, canon law, moral precepts, etc.  Now from where did these originate?  From God Himself and that would also include the Holy Spirit.  So in light of these facts, let's rephrase that line.

"Do not resist the Holy Spirit because of loyalty to the Holy Spirit."

True docility to the Holy Spirit is not this "will o' the wisp" lark that the pope seems to embrace.  Remember his "god of surprises" schtick?  Where in all of Scripture or Tradition does anyone find precedent for that phrase?  We don't.  Some time ago there was yap and yammer from the pope about "change".  Not possible.  The Sacred Deposit of Faith and Tradition will not change.  Why? Because God, the source of the Faith is Himself immutable.  So if "loyalty to the law" renders you resistant to the spirit, keep resisting for that "spirit" is not the Holy Spirit.  Sacred Scripture in fact tells us to "test the spirits" for there are many out there that are malevolent.  One key way of doing that is to measure these "spirits" against God's already-revealed Word.

Do we have here yet another attempt at grooming the Catholic populace for seismic changes in "pastoral practices" that will be tantamount to de facto changes in doctrine.  Note I said "de facto" and not "de jure".  The pope can never change solemn Church teaching per se; but he and others can do immense harm by instituting "pastoral practices" that have the same spiritual effect.

Please pray.  Please be aware.

I'll now put up a clip created by my blogging colleage at AKA Catholic.

Doctrine Is To Be Obeyed, Not Debated

In Mark 8, we read that Jesus elevated Peter to the role of His first vicar on earth.  However, we also read that after Jesus told them of His impending crucifixion. Peter objected.  Immediately Jesus rebuked him, saying "get behind me, Satan.  You do not have in mind the things of God, but the things of men".  Notice that Jesus did not "discuss" and "dialogue" with Peter.  He taught Peter the truth in no uncertain terms, and that truth simply was not a topic of legitimate debate.  Objective truth never is subject to debate for truth stands on its own merits, regardless of the opinions of mere humans.  That same principle holds for the truths that are solemnly declared by the Church for they are the very teachings of Jesus.

Sadly our current pontiff shows signs of falling into Peter's error.  We know that those Catholics who are validly married in the Church and then divorce and take up with other people are living in the sin of adultery.  They cannot be admitted to Holy Communion, lest they burden their souls with additional mortal sins of sacrilege.  These are immutable truths, not subject to debate.  Yet as we read the interim report of last month's extraordinary synod, we see that these topics were indeed debated by prelates who should know better than that.  Pay attention to paragraphs 47-48, and 50-52.  Those who wrote these paragraphs undoubtedly toy with the heinous notion that these truths, taught by Jesus Christ Himself through the Magisterium, are subject to debate and even doubt and disobedience.  Towards the end of the synod, these paragraphs were voted out of the report by the synod fathers.  Incredibly and yes, inexcusably, the Holy Father ordered that these paragraphs remain in the final report, thus opening the topics once again to debate at next year's ordinary synod.  We also note with dismay that the Holy Father has retained Archbishop Bruno Forte as special secretary of the synod.  It was he who wrote paragraphs 50-52.

Already one can see the scandal wrought by this de facto wavering on the truths that have always been taught by the Church.  Many good priests and religious are now finding themselves in constant "damage control" mode, trying to repair the damage done by signals from the synod that are conflicted at best.  Read this account by Father Jerry Pokorski in the Catholic Thing.

In a valiant effort to prevent much damage at next year's synod, Cardinal Burke is urging all the faithful to write to the Pope to ask him to remove these topics from the agenda for the next synod.  Here is contact information.