Fr. Campbell- The Integrity of Our Faith
A
wedding is usually a joyous occasion, unless the supply of wine fails.
Our Lord made the wedding feast at Cana a joyous occasion by changing
water into wine at His Mother’s request. Mothers sometimes ask great
things of their children. What does our Holy Mother ask of us?
From
the first moment of her conception Mary was preserved from Original
Sin, and already chosen to be the Mother of God’s Divine Son. She would
remain sinless for the rest of her life. She would conceive her Son
through the power of the Holy Ghost, and would bring Him forth while
remaining a Virgin before, during and after His Birth. Jesus would be
her only child. Such would be the constant teaching of Holy Scripture,
the Church Fathers, the Doctors of the Church, and the decrees and
encyclicals of the popes up until the death of Pope Pius XII.
Mary’s
spiritual and physical integrity, or virginity, in the minds of the
Church Fathers, and in the teaching of the Church since their time,
symbolize the Church herself, also called Virgin and Mother, as to the
integrity of her faith and teaching. It is our daily struggle to
preserve the virginal purity of the Church’s teaching by handing on the
faith of the Church unimpaired, and by defending it when it is attacked,
as we do today. St. Augustine says in a Christmas sermon:
“Today
the virgin birth is celebrated by the virgin Church. For to her it was
that the Apostle said: ‘I have espoused you to one husband, that I may
present you as a chaste virgin to Christ’ (2Cor.ll:2). Why a chaste
virgin unless because of her purity in faith, hope and charity? The
virginity, which Christ desires in the heart of the Church, he assured
first in the body of Mary. But the Church could be a virgin only if she
has a spouse, to whom she could give herself entire; and he is a
virgin’s son” (Sermon 178).
The
Church must have that virginal integrity. What we have received from
Jesus Christ, handed down to us through the Apostles, and preserved and
taught by the Church for two thousand years, must never be changed, and
not even popes or Church Councils can change it. The True Church does
not dialogue with the other religions. There is only one true religion
revealed to us by Jesus Christ. The Church has the responsibility of
teaching the nations, just as Our Lord commanded:
“Go
into the whole world and preach the gospel to every creature. He who
believes and is baptized shall be saved, but he who does not believe
shall be condemned” (Mk.16:16).
The
Holy Sacrifice of the Mass and the Sacraments cannot be changed in
their essentials. Minor changes have been made throughout the history of
the Church, but always under the strict guidance and watchful eye of
the Church. The Mass must maintain its original dignity and solemnity.
If
the Church should lose her virginal integrity she would become the
Scarlet Woman, the harlot spoken of in the Apocalypse of St. John. She
would abandon her Divine Spouse, Jesus Christ, and embrace the sinful
world. This is what has happened to the new Vatican II church, which
seeks to please the world. But the True Church lives on as the Bride of
Christ.
Many are troubled by these recent words from Francis Bergoglio:
“Most
of the planet’s inhabitants declare themselves believers. This should
lead to dialogue among religions. We should not stop praying for and
collaborating with those who think differently. Many think differently,
feel differently, seeking God or meeting God in different ways. In this
crowd, in this range of religions, there is only one certainty we have
for all – we are all children of God. I hope you will spread my prayer
request this month: That sincere dialogue among men and women of
different faiths may produce the fruits of peace and justice.”
The
Holy Catholic Religion, the only true religion, is thus lumped together
with the religions of this world, just one among the “range of
religions” of those who declare themselves “believers”. It would take a
book to address the minefield of heresies that fall from the mouth of
this papal pretender. The two propositions that follow (brought to my
attention by a correspondent) were condemned by the Syllabus of Errors of Pope Pius IX:
“Every
man is free to embrace and profess that religion which, guided by the
light of reason, he shall consider true.” (Proposition XV).
“Man
may, in the observance of any religion whatever, find the way of
eternal salvation and arrive at eternal salvation.” (Proposition XVI).
Is Francis even a Christian? St. Peter Canisius would say No:
“Who
is to be called a Christian? He who confesses the doctrine of Christ
and His Church. Hence, he who is truly a Christian thoroughly condemns
and detests, the Jewish, Mohammedan, and the heretical cults and sects.”
We
must point out that although we detest the false religions themselves,
we do not detest those who follow them, but we pray that they may
believe in Jesus Christ and be baptized. In the meantime, in these times we must all be concerned about our own salvation:
“Wherefore,
my beloved, obedient as you have always been… work out your salvation
in fear and trembling. For it is God who of his good pleasure works in
you both the will and the performance. Do all things without murmuring
and without questioning, so as to be blameless and guileless, children
of God without blemish in the midst of a depraved and perverse
generation” (Phil.2:12-15).
