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| St. Irenaeus: The Proof of Apostolic Preaching |
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Posted by: Stone - 09-14-2023, 08:47 AM - Forum: Fathers of the Church
- Replies (1)
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Irenaeus: The Proof of the Apostolic Preaching
Taken from here - slightly adapted]
![[Image: ?u=https%3A%2F%2Ftse4.mm.bing.net%2Fth%3...ipo=images]](https://external-content.duckduckgo.com/iu/?u=https%3A%2F%2Ftse4.mm.bing.net%2Fth%3Fid%3DOIP.1t6R5DyVFPrQb07IBKmI1AAAAA%26pid%3DApi&f=1&ipt=ec7547214a84813a2b977cca4a45c42cb4cb15b451efc3cb7d33c24461dac5e0&ipo=images)
Preface to the Online Edition
This important and interesting work was discovered only in 1904, in an Armenian translation, and the first English translation was published in London and New York in 1920. This is the translation that follows. The translator was J. Armitage Robinson. A modern translation, which is highly recommended, exists in the Ancient Christian Writers series. Robinson titled his version, "Demonstration of the Apostolic Preaching" but the ACW uses the title "Proof of the Apostolic Preaching", which has been adopted here.
The CCEL began to scan this volume a long time ago, but few seem to have been aware of it and progress has apparently stopped. Furthermore the format of the version that they are making breaks the text up into a multitude of pages, making it hard to read or reference. I have therefore scanned the text with abbreviated notes and placed it here, in order to promote interest in this little known work.*
I have omitted the long introductory essay by the translator on the doctrine of the Holy Spirit in Justin and Irenaeus. I have also omitted most of the footnotes. The majority of these indicate passages in the Adversus Haereses where Irenaeus quotes the same passage of scripture. The manuscript text was in Armenian. None of the footnotes include any of this -- no doubt SPCK's compositors wisely objected -- but Robinson compensates by quoting the AH in Latin, and at least one chunk of Greek on every page, usually from the Old Testament. All this I have omitted, leaving a series of dots where the Greek was. Finally I have moved the marginal scripture references into the footnotes, and omitted the indices. No doubt all these things will be present in the CCEL edition.
Roger PEARSE
20th September 2003
* Postscript, 4th October 2003. I've had a note from my friends at the CCEL to the effect that their version has been updated, and the table of contents can be accessed here. The main text, together with the latter part of the introduction, is here, and the myriad little pages seem to have gone. The new version appears to include all the material. Nevertheless, I think the format I have here will still be useful.
THE DEMONSTRATION OF THE APOSTOLIC PREACHING
1. Knowing, my beloved Marcianus, your desire to walk in godliness, which alone leads man to life eternal, I rejoice with you and make my prayer that you may preserve your faith entire and so be pleasing to God who made you. Would that it were possible for us to be always together, to help each other and to lighten the labour of our earthly life by continual discourse together on the things that profit.1 But, since at this present time we are parted from one another in the body, yet according to our power we will not fail to speak with you a little by writing, and to show forth in brief the preaching of the truth for the confirmation of your faith.2 We send you as it were a manual of essentials,3 that by little you may attain to much, learning in short space all the members of the body of the truth, and receiving in brief the demonstration of the things of God. So shall it be fruitful to your own salvation, and you shall put to shame all who inculcate falsehood, and bring with all confidence our sound and pure teaching to everyone who desires to understand it. For one is the way leading upwards for all who see, lightened with heavenly light: but many and dark and contrary are the ways of them that see not. This way leads to the kingdom of heaven, uniting man to God: but those ways bring down to death, separating man from God. Wherefore it is needful for you and for all who care for their own salvation to make your course unswerving, firm and sure by means of faith, that you falter not, nor be retarded and detained in material desires, nor turn aside and wander from the right.
2. Now, since man is a living being compounded of soul and flesh, he must needs exist by both of these: and, whereas from both of them offences come, purity of the flesh is the restraining abstinence from all shameful things and all unrighteous deeds, and purity of the soul is the keeping faith towards God entire, neither adding thereto nor diminishing therefrom. For godliness is obscured and dulled by the soiling and the staining of the flesh, and is broken and polluted and no more entire, if falsehood enter into the soul: but it will keep itself in its. beauty and its measure, when truth is constant in the soul4 and purity in the flesh. For what profit is it to know the truth in words, and to pollute the flesh and perform the works of evil? Or what profit can purity of the flesh bring, if truth be not in the soul? For these rejoice with one another, and are united and allied to bring man face to face with God. Wherefore the Holy Spirit says by David: Blessed is the man who hath not walked in the counsel of the ungodly:8 that is, the counsel of the nations which know not God: for those are ungodly who worship not the God that truly is. And therefore the Word says to Moses: I am He that is 9 but they that worship not the God that is, these are the ungodly. And hath not stood in the way of sinners: but sinners are those who have the knowledge of God and keep not His commandments; that is, disdainful scorners. And hath not sat in the seat of the pestilential:6 now the pestilential are those who by wicked and perverse doctrines corrupt not themselves only, but others also. For the seat is a symbol of teaching. Such then are all heretics: they sit in the seats of the pestilential, and those are corrupted who receive the venom of their doctrine.
3. Now, that we may not suffer ought of this kind, we must needs hold the rule of the faith without deviation,7 and do the commandments of God, believing in God and fearing Him as Lord and loving Him as Father. Now this doing is produced by faith: for Isaiah says: If ye believe not, neither shall ye understand.10 And faith is produced by the truth; for faith rests on things that truly are. For in things that are, as they are, we believe; and believing in things that are, as they ever are, we keep firm our confidence in them. Since then faith is the perpetuation of our salvation, we must needs bestow much pains on the maintenance thereof, in order that we may have a true comprehension of the things that are. Now faith occasions this for us; even as the Elders, the disciples of the Apostles, have handed down to us. First of all it bids us bear in mind that we have received baptism for the remission of sins, in the name of God the Father, and in the name of Jesus Christ, the Son of God, who was incarnate and died and rose again, and in the Holy Spirit of God. And that this baptism is the seal of eternal life, and is the new birth unto God, that we should no longer be the sons of mortal men, but of the eternal and perpetual God; and that what is everlasting and continuing is made God;11 and is over all things that are made, and all things are put under Him; |73 and all the things that are put under Him are made His own; for God is not ruler and Lord over the things of another, but over His own;12 and all things are God's; and therefore God is Almighty, and all things are of God.
4. For it is necessary that things that are made should have the beginning of their making from some great cause; and the beginning of all things is God. For He Himself was not made by any, and by Him all things were made. And therefore it is right first of all to believe that there is One God, the Father, who made and fashioned all things, and made what was not that it should be, and who, containing all things, alone is uncontained.13 Now among all things is this world of ours, and in the world is man: so then this world also was formed by God.
5. Thus then there is shown forth 14 One God, the Father, not made, invisible, creator of all things; above whom there is no other God, and after whom there is no other God.15 And, since God is rational, |74 therefore by (the) Word He created the things that were made;16 and God is Spirit, and by (the) Spirit He adorned all things: as also the prophet says: By the word of the Lord were the heavens established, and by his spirit all their power.17 Since then the Word establishes, that is to say, gives body 18 and grants the reality of being, and the Spirit gives order and form to the diversity of the powers; rightly and fittingly is the Word called the Son, and the Spirit the Wisdom of God. Well also does Paul His apostle say: One God, the Father, who is over all and through all and in us all.19 For over all is the Father; and through all is the Son, for through Him all things were made by the Father; and in us all is the Spirit, who cries Abba Father,20 and fashions man into the likeness of God.4 Now the Spirit shows forth the Word, and therefore the prophets announced the Son of God; and the Word utters the Spirit, and therefore is Himself the announcer of the prophets, and leads and draws man to the Father.
6. This then is the order of the rule of our faith, and the foundation of the building, and the stability of our conversation: God, the Father, not made, not material, invisible; one God, the creator of all things: this is the first point21 of our faith. The second point is: The Word of God, Son of God, Christ Jesus our Lord, who was manifested to the prophets according to the form of their prophesying and according to the method of the dispensation of the Father:22 through whom all things were made; who also at the end of the times, to complete and gather up23 all things, was made man among men, visible and tangible,24 in order to abolish death and show forth life and produce a community of union between God and man. And the third point is: The Holy Spirit, through whom the prophets prophesied, and the fathers learned the things of God, and the righteous were led forth into the way of righteousness; and who in the end of the times was poured out in a new way upon mankind in all the earth, renewing man unto God.
7. And for this reason the baptism of our regeneration proceeds through these three points: God the Father bestowing on us regeneration through His Son by the Holy Spirit. For as many as carry (in them) the Spirit of God are led to the Word, that is to the Son; and the Son brings them to the Father; and the Father causes them to possess incorruption. Without the Spirit it is not possible to behold the Word of God, nor without the Son can any draw near to the Father: for the knowledge of the Father is the Son, and the knowledge of the Son of God is through the Holy Spirit; and, according to the good pleasure of the Father, the Son ministers and dispenses the Spirit to whomsoever the Father wills and as He wills.
8. And by the Spirit the Father is called Most High and Almighty and Lord of hosts; that we may learn concerning God that He it is who is creator of heaven and earth and all the world, and maker of angels and men, and Lord of all, through whom all things exist and by whom all things are sustained; merciful, compassionate and very tender, good, just, the God of all, both of Jews and of Gentiles, and of them that believe. To them that believe He is as Father, for in the end of the times He opened up the covenant of adoption; but to the Jews as Lord and Lawgiver, for in the intermediate times, when man forgat God and departed and revolted from Him, He brought them into subjection by the Law, that they might learn that they had for Lord the maker and creator, who also gives the breath of life, and whom we ought to worship day and night: and to the Gentiles as maker and creator and almighty: and to all alike sustainer and nourisher and king and judge; for none shall escape and be delivered from His judgment, neither Jew nor Gentile, nor believer that has sinned, nor angel: but they who now reject His goodness shall know His power in judgment, according to that which the blessed apostle says: Not knowing that the goodness of God leadeth thee to repentance; but according to thy hardness and impenitent heart thou treasurest up for thyself wrath in the day of wrath and of the revelation of the righteous judgment of God, who shall render to every man according to his works.25 This is He who is called in the Law the God of Abraham and the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob, the God of the living; although the sublimity and greatness of this God is unspeakable.
9. Now this world is encompassed by seven heavens,26 in which dwell powers and angels and archangels, doing service to God, the Almighty and Maker of all things: not as though He was in need, but that they may not be idle and unprofitable and ineffectual.27 Wherefore also the Spirit of God is manifold in (His) indwelling,28 and in seven forms of service 29 is He reckoned by the prophet Isaiah, as resting on the Son of God, that is the Word, in His coming as man. The Spirit of God, he says, shall rest upon him, the Spirit of wisdom and of understanding, the Spirit of counsel and of might, (the Spirit of knowledge) and of godliness; the Spirit of the fear of God shall fill him.30 Now the heaven which is first from above,31 and encompasses the rest, is (that of) wisdom; and the |79 second from it, of understanding; and the third, of counsel; and the fourth, reckoned from above, (is that) of might; and the fifth, of knowledge; and the sixth, of godliness; and the seventh, this firmament of ours, is full of the fear of that Spirit which gives light to the heavens. For, as the pattern (of this), Moses received the seven-branched candlestick, that shined continually in the holy place; for as a pattern of the heavens he received this service, according to that which the Word spake unto him: Thou shalt make (it) according to all the pattern of the things which thou hast seen in the mount.32
10. Now this God is glorified by His Word who is His Son continually,33 and by the Holy Spirit who is the Wisdom of the Father of all: and the power(s) of these, (namely) of the Word and Wisdom, which are called Cherubim and Seraphim,34 with unceasing voices glorify God; and every created thing that is in the heavens offers glory to God the Father of all.35 He by His Word has created the whole world, and in the world are the angels; and to all the world He has given laws wherein each several thing should abide, and according to that which is determined by God should not pass their bounds, each fulfilling his appointed task.
11. But man He formed with His own hands,36 taking from the earth that which was purest and finest, and mingling in measure His own power with the earth. For He traced His own form on the formation,37 that that which should 'be seen should be of divine form: for (as) the image of God was man formed and set on the earth. And that he might become living, He breathed on his face the breath of life; that both for the breath and for the formation man should be like unto God. Moreover he was free and self-controlled, being made by God for this end, that he might rule all those things that were upon the earth. And this great created world, prepared by God before the formation of man, was given to man as his place, containing all things within itself.38 And there were in this place also with (their) tasks the |81 servants of that God who formed all things; and the steward, who was set over all his fellow-servants received this place. Now the servants were angels, and the steward was the archangel.39
12. Now, having made man lord of the earth and all things in it, He secretly appointed him lord also of those who were servants in it. They however were in their perfection; but the lord, that is, man, was (but) small; for he was a child; and it was necessary that he should grow, and so come to (his) perfection. And, that he might have his nourishment and growth with festive and dainty meats, He prepared him a place better than this world,40 excelling in air, beauty, light, food, plants, |82 fruit, water, and all other necessaries of life: and its name is Paradise. And so fair and good was this Paradise, that the Word of God continually resorted thither, and walked and talked with the man, figuring beforehand the things that should be in the future, (namely) that He should dwell with him and talk with him, and should be with men, teaching them righteousness. But man was a child, not yet having his understanding perfected; wherefore also he was easily led astray by the deceiver.
13. And, whilst man dwelt in Paradise, God brought before him all living things and commanded him to give names to them all; and whatsoever Adam called a living soul, that was its name.41 And He determined also to make a helper for the man: for thus God said, It is not good for the man to be alone: let us make for him a helper meet for him.42 For among all the other living things there was not found a helper equal and comparable and like to Adam. But God Himself cast a trance upon Adam and made him sleep;43 and, that work might be accomplished from work, since there was no sleep in Paradise, this was brought upon Adam by the will of God; and God took one of Adam's ribs and filled up the flesh in its place, and the rib which He took He builded into a woman; 44 and so He brought her to Adam; and he seeing (her) said: This is now bone of my bone, flesh of my flesh: she shall be called woman, because she was taken from her husband.
14. And Adam and Eve----for that is the name of the woman----were naked, and were not ashamed;45 for there was in them an innocent and childlike mind, and it was not possible for them to conceive and understand anything of that which by wickedness through lusts and shameful desires is born in the soul. For they were at that time entire, preserving their own nature; since they had the breath of life which was breathed on their creation: and, while this breath remains in its place and power, it has no comprehension and understanding of things that are base. And therefore they were not ashamed, kissing and embracing each other in purity after the manner of children.
15. But, lest man should conceive thoughts too high, and be exalted and uplifted, as though he had no lord, because of the authority and freedom granted to him, and so should transgress against his maker God, overpassing his measure, and entertain selfish imaginings of pride in opposition to God; a law was given to him by God, in order that he might perceive that he had as lord the Lord of all. And He set him certain limitations, so that, if he should keep the commandment of God, he should ever remain such as he was, that is to say, immortal; but, if he should not keep it, he should become mortal and be dissolved to earth from whence his formation had been taken. Now the commandment was this: Of every tree that is in the Paradise thou shalt freely eat; but of that tree alone from which is the knowledge of good and evil, of it thou shalt not eat; for in the day thou eatest, thou shalt surely die.46
16. This commandment the man kept not, but was disobedient to God, being led astray by the angel who, for the great gifts of God which He had given to man, was envious and jealous of him,47 and both brought himself to nought and made man sinful, persuading him to disobey the commandment of God. So the angel, becoming by his falsehood the author and originator of sin, himself was struck down, having offended against God, and man he caused to be cast out from Paradise. And, because through the guidance of his disposition he apostatized and departed from God, he was called Satan, according to the Hebrew word; that is, Apostate: 48 but he is also called Slanderer. Now God cursed the serpent which carried and conveyed the Slanderer; and this malediction came on the beast himself and on the angel hidden and concealed in him, even on Satan; and man He put away from His presence, removing him and making him to dwell on the way to Paradise 49 at that time; because Paradise receiveth not the sinful.
17. And when they were put out of Paradise, Adam and his wife Eve fell into many troubles of anxious grief, going about with sorrow and toil and lamentation in this world. For under the beams of this sun man tilled the earth, and it put forth thorns and thistles, the punishment of sin. Then was fulfilled that which was written: Adam knew his wife, and she conceived and bare Cain;50 and after him she bare Abel, Now the apostate angel, who led man into disobedience and made him sinful and caused his expulsion from Paradise, not content with the first evil, wrought a second on the brothers; for filling Cain with his spirit he made him a fratricide. And so Abel died, slain by his brother; signifying thenceforth that certain should be persecuted and oppressed and slain, the unrighteous slaying and persecuting the righteous. And upon this God was angered yet more, and cursed Cain; and it came to pass that everyone of that race in successive generations was made like to the begetter. And God raised up another son to Adam, instead of Abel who was slain.51
18. And for a very long while wickedness extended and spread, and reached and laid hold upon the whole race of mankind, until a very small seed of righteousness remained among them: and illicit unions took place upon the earth, since angels were united with the daughters of the race of mankind; and they bore to them sons who for their exceeding greatness were called giants. And the angels brought as presents to their wives teachings of wickedness,52 in that they brought |86 them the virtues of roots and herbs, dyeing in colours and cosmetics, the discovery of rare substances, love-potions, aversions, amours, concupiscence, constraints of love, spells of bewitchment, and all sorcery and idolatry hateful to God; by the entry of which things into the world evil extended and spread, while righteousness was diminished and enfeebled.
19. Until judgment came upon the world from God by means of a flood, in the tenth generation from the first-formed (man); Noah alone being found righteous. And he for his righteousness was himself delivered, and his wife and his three sons, and the three wives of his sons, being shut up in the ark. And when destruction came upon all, both man and also animals, that were upon the earth, that which was preserved in the ark escaped. Now the three sons of Noah were Shem, Ham and Japheth, from whom again the race was multiplied: for these were the beginning of mankind after the flood.
20. Now of these one fell under a curse, and the two (others) inherited a blessing by reason of their works. For the younger of them,53 who was called Ham, having mocked his father, and having been condemned of the sin of impiety because of his outrage and unrighteousness against his father, received a curse; and all the posterity that came of him he involved in the curse; whence it came about that his whole race after him were accursed, and in sins they increased and multiplied. But Shem and Japheth, his brothers, because of their piety towards their father obtained a blessing. Now the curse of Ham, wherewith his father Noah cursed him, is this: Cursed be Ham the child; 54 a servant shall he be unto his brethren.55 This having come upon his race, he begat many descendants upon the earth, (even) for fourteen generations, growing up in a wild condition; and then his race was cut off by God, being delivered up to judgment. For the Canaanites and Hittites and Peresites and Hivites and Amorites and Jebusites and Gergasites and Sodomites, the Arabians also and the dwellers in Phoenicia, all the Egyptians and the Libyans,56 are of the posterity of Ham, who have fallen under the curse; for the curse is of long duration over the ungodly.
[To be continued]
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| G20 Announces Plan To Impose Digital Currencies And IDs Worldwide |
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Posted by: Stone - 09-14-2023, 06:59 AM - Forum: Socialism & Communism
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G20 Announces Plan To Impose Digital Currencies And IDs Worldwide
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Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi welcomes leaders during opening session of the G20 Leaders' Summit in New Delhi, on Sept. 9, 2023. (Dan Kitwood/Getty Images)
ZH | SEP 14, 2023
Authored by Bryan Jung via The Epoch Times (emphasis ours),
The Group of 20 leaders have agreed to a plan to eventually impose digital currencies and digital IDs on their respective populations, despite fears that governments will use them to monitor their peoples' spending and crush dissent.
The G20, which is currently under India’s presidency, adopted a final declaration on the subject over the weekend in New Delhi.
The meeting, which included the world’s leading economies, announced last week that they had agreed to build the necessary infrastructure to implement digital currencies and IDs.
The group said that discussions were already underway to create international regulations for cryptocurrencies, but claimed that there was “no talk of banning cryptocurrency” at the summit.
Many critics are concerned that governments and central banks will eventually regulate cryptocurrencies and then immediately replace them with central bank digital currencies (CBDCs), which lack similar privacy and security.
Indian Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman said that discussions were underway to build a global framework to regulate crypto assets since they believe cryptocurrencies can not be regulated efficiently without total international cooperation.
“India’s [G20] presidency has put on the table key issues related to regulating or understanding that there should be a framework for handling issues related to crypto assets,” Ms. Sitharaman said before the G20 gathering.
The top items discussed at the New Delhi summit included “building Digital Public Infrastructure, Digital Economy, Cryptoassets, [Central Bank Digital Currencies].”
Gita Gopinath, the International Monetary Fund's first deputy managing director, said in a video posted on X that the G20 "helped shape a global perspective on how policymakers should deal with crypto assets."
She also assured Business Today that there was "no talk of banning cryptocurrencies, indicating a global consensus against such measures" in the discussions.
However, some of the suggestions call for additional policing of cryptocurrencies, which are decentralized and do not operate under central banks' control.
Critics say that these proposals could allow government authorities to impose a social credit score system and decide how their citizens can spend their money.
European Commission Chief Reemphasizes Need for Digital IDs
At the summit, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen called for an international regulatory body for artificial intelligence (AI), digital ID systems similar to coronavirus vaccine passports and advocated for global cooperation to address the challenges presented by AI.
She called for the United Nations to have a role in AI regulation and called the European Union's COVID-19 digital certificate a perfect model for digital public infrastructures (DPI), which would include digital IDs.
“Many of you are familiar with the COVID-19 digital certificate. The EU developed it for itself. The model was so functional and so trusted that 51 countries on four continents adopted it for free,” said President von der Leyen.
“Today, the WHO uses it as a global standard to facilitate mobility in times of health threats. I want to thank Dr. Tedros again for the excellent cooperation," she said, referring to WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
The European Union is currently trying to introduce a bloc-wide “digital identity” app that would consolidate various personal information, including passports, driver’s licenses, and medical history.
"The future is digital. I passed two messages to the G20. We should establish a framework for safe, responsible AI, with a similar body as the IPCC for climate. Digital public infrastructures are an accelerator of growth. They must be trusted, interoperable & open to all," said President von der Leyen in a post on social media. The IPCC is the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change.
Public Support Lacking
The Cato Institute 2023 CBDC National Survey from May found that only 16 percent of Americans support the adoption of a CBDC. At least 68 percent of respondents said they would oppose CBDCs if the government started to monitor their purchases.
Most Democrats and Republicans reported concern that the government could control what people spend their money on and potentially turn off access to their bank accounts.
Governments Prepare Way for CBDCs
IMF Managing Director Kristalina Georgieva praised her Indian counterparts via X (formerly Twitter) for leading the way in "setting up a road map for crypto regulations."
She said the IMF was also "contributing to proposals for a comprehensive policy framework."
In a separate press statement, Ms. Georgieva said, "more work lies ahead, including in the realm of digital money and crypto assets."
"To this end, the G20 has tasked relevant institutions to improve regulation and supervision of crypto asset—the IMF is contributing to proposals for a comprehensive policy framework—and advance the debate on how central bank digital currencies could impact the global economy and financial system," she added.
The IMF chief suggested that rather than recognize cryptocurrency assets as legal tender, governments should instead create licensing and registration processes for crypto asset issuers and focus on treating their activities similarly.
Several major economies, including Japan and Russia, will roll out their pilot CBDCs this year.
Nigeria launched eNaira, the world's first issued CBDC, but it has proved unpopular.
Less than 0.5 percent of citizens have said they had used the digital currency, and government efforts to encourage its use have failed.
'The India Stack'
Meanwhile, the World Bank also praised India’s use of digital public infrastructure to “enhance financial inclusion” and delivery of public goods and services in a report written for the G20 summit.
The nation's India Stack DPI system, which comprises the Aadhaar digital ID and the interoperable UPI digital payments platform, has been cited as an example in the report.
The G20 believes that DPIs can serve people not just in the financial sector, but also in the domains of health, education, and social welfare.
“The India Stack exemplifies this approach, combining digital ID, interoperable payments, a digital credentials ledger, and account aggregation. In just six years, it has achieved a remarkable 80 percent financial inclusion rate-a feat that would have taken nearly five decades without a DPI approach,” said Queen Maxima of the Netherlands, who wrote the foreword to the report.
The queen is the United Nations Secretary-General’s Special Advocate for Inclusive Finance for Development (UNSGSA) and was one of the speakers at the IMF's World Bank annual meeting in Washington last year.
“If designed properly, CBDCs could hold great promise to support a digital financial system that works for everyone. But that is an important ‘if,’” Queen Maxima said, adding, “If designed and implemented with inclusion in mind, CBDCs could offer many options to expand access to the unbanked and to serve the vulnerable and the poor."
However, her statements in support of the plan have come under criticism by some in the debate over digitalization in the Netherlands for violating the norm regarding the role of the Dutch monarchy in politics.
“Maxima openly advocates for programmable money; power in central banks, without parliamentary accountability,” said Dutch financial journalist Arno Wellens via X, calling the queen “an unelected official who is outside politics under [Dutch] constitutional law,” and said her statements were "a serious attack on democracy."
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| Cardinal Müller: "False prophets claim they will turn the Church into an Aid Organizatio |
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Posted by: Stone - 09-14-2023, 05:38 AM - Forum: Vatican II and the Fruits of Modernism
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NB: Cardinal Müller is a 'conservative' Novus Ordo cardinal. He still believes and promotes Vatican II. And because he isn't a 'progressive' Novus Ordo cardinal, he often garners approval amongst traditional groups. But his words must be approached with caution. He says things pleasing to both traditionalists and pleasing to Conciliarists (as he does below, both warning against the Synod AND advocating reading and studying Vatican II texts for guidance). - The Catacombs
Cardinal Müller Interviewed: "False prophets claim they will turn the Church into an Aid Organization for the 2030 Agenda."
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By: Cardinal Gerhard Müller and InfoVaticana
The final phase of the Synod of Synodality is approaching and will begin this October. Among the 400 participants (cardinals, bishops, lay people and religious) will be the former prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, Cardinal Gerhard Müller.
Since the Vatican has announced that journalists will only have access to the information that they themselves provide, we wanted to talk to the German cardinal about this upcoming ecclesial event that has a large part of the Church on tenterhooks.
As you will see throughout the interview (done in writing as the Cardinal is in Poland this week), Müller tackles the questions raised without shying away from them and gets to the heart of the matter.
Interview with Cardinal Müller
Q-This coming October, the final phase of the Synod on Synodality will begin. How are you approaching it?
Cardinal Müller: I pray that all this will be a blessing and not a harm to the Church. I am also committed to theological clarity so that a Clairch gathered around Christ doesn't become a political dance around the golden calf of the agnostic spirit of the age.
Q- Pope Francis included you in the list of participants who will have a say in the Synod. How did you receive the news?
A-I want to do the best I can for the good of the Church, for which I have dedicated all my life, thought and work until now.
Q-Have you thought about the message you are going to deliver during the Assembly?
A- Above all I would like to say, in view of the many disappointments of the young people of Lisbon: a Church that does not believe in Jesus Christ, the Son of the living God, is no longer the Church of Jesus Christ. Each participant should first study the first chapter of Lumen Gentium, which deals with the mystery of the Church in the Triune God's plan of salvation. The Church is not the playground of the ideologues of "godless humanism", nor of strategists of the blocked party.
God's universal will to save, which we encounter in Christ, the only Mediator between God and man, and which is realized historically and eschatologically, is the future program of His Church and not the Great Reset of the atheist-globalist "elite" of billionaire bankers who hide their ruthless personal enrichment behind the mask of philanthropy.
Q-What do you think of the move to make it unacceptable for journalists to follow what is happening [in the Synod] live?
A-I don't know the intention behind this measure, but 450 participants will certainly not keep things under wraps. Many will exploit journalists for their own benefit or vice versa. This is the great hour of manipulation, of propaganda of an agenda that does more harm than good to the Church.
Q-There are some voices that have criticized the presence of the laity in this synodal Assembly.
A-The bishops participate in their office by exercising collegial responsibility for the whole Church together with the Pope. If the laity participate in it with the right to vote, then it is no longer a synod of bishops or an ecclesiastical conference and does not have the apostolic teaching authority of the episcopal college. To speak of a Third Vatican Council can only occur to an ignorant person, because from the outset a Roman Synod of Bishops is not an ecumenical council — which the Pope could not subsequently declare without ignoring the divine right of the bishops to a Vatican Council III, that could found a new Church surpassing or completing the one supposedly stagnated at Vatican Council II.
Whenever populist effects tip the balance towards such spontaneous decisions, the sacramental nature of the Church and its mission is obscured, even if subsequent attempts are made to justify it through the common priesthood of all believers, and to eliminate the substantial difference between it and the priesthood of sacramental ordination (Lumen Gentium 10).
Q-Are there more and more bishops and faithful expressing concern about what might happen during this Synod?
A-Yes, the false prophets (nebulous ideologues) who present themselves as progressives have announced that they will turn the Catholic Church into an aid organization for the 2030 Agenda. In their opinion, only a Church without Christ fits into a world without God. Many young people returned from Lisbon disappointed that the focus was no longer on salvation in Christ, but on a worldly doctrine of salvation. Apparently, there are even bishops who no longer believe in God as the origin and end of man and the Savior of the world, but who, in a pan naturalistic or pantheistic way, consider the so-called Mother Earth as the beginning of existence, and climate neutrality as the goal of planet earth.
Q-Do you think that changes in matters of faith and doctrine can be approved, as some groups and movements within the Church claim?
A-No one on earth can change, add to, or take away from the Word of God. As successors of the apostles, the Pope and the bishops must teach the people what the earthly and Risen Christ, the only Teacher, has commanded them to do. And it is only in this sense that the promise that the heavenly host and the Head of His body always remain with his disciples (Mt 28:19). People confuse — not surprisingly, given the lack of basic theological education even among bishops — the content of faith and its unsurpassable fullness in Christ, with the progressive theological reflection and growth of the Church's understanding of faith throughout the ecclesiastical tradition (Dei Verbum 8-10). The infallibility of the Magisterium extends only to the preservation and faithful interpretation of the mystery of faith entrusted once and for all to the Church (depositum fidei [deposit of faith] or sound doctrine, the teaching of the Apostles). The Pope and the bishops do not receive a new revelation (Lumen Gentium 25, Dei Verbum 10.)
To bless the immoral behavior of persons of the same or opposite sex is a direct contradiction of God's Word and will; it is a gravely sinful blasphemy.
Q-What would happen if, for example, the Synodal Assembly approved the blessing of homosexual couples, a change in sexual morality, the elimination of the obligatory nature of priestly celibacy or allowing the female diaconate?
Would you accept it?
A- Priestly celibacy must be removed from this list, since the connection of the sacrament of Holy Orders with the charism of voluntary renunciation of marriage is not dogmatically necessary, although this ancient tradition of the Latin Church cannot be arbitrarily abolished with the stroke of a pen, as the Council Fathers expressly underlined at the Vatican Council (Presbyterorum Ordines, 16). And the noisy agitators are rarely concerned with priestless communities being saved, but rather with attacking this evangelical advice, which they consider anachronistic or even inhumane in a sexually enlightened age. To bless the immoral behavior of persons of the same or opposite sex is a direct contradiction of God's Word and will; it is a gravely sinful blasphemy. The sacrament of Holy Orders at the levels of episcopate, presbyterate and diaconate can provide divine power.
Only a baptized man whose vocation has been verified by the Church as to its authenticity can receive the right. Such demands that receive a majority vote would be obsolete a priori. Nor could they be implemented in canon law by the whole college of bishops with the Pope or by the Pope alone because they contradict [divine] Revelation and the clear confession of the Church.
The formal authority of the Pope cannot be separated from the substantive connection with Holy Scripture, Apostolic Tradition and the dogmatic decisions of the Magisterium that preceded him. Otherwise, as Luther misunderstood the papacy, he would put himself in the place of God, who is the sole author of His revealed truth, instead of simply witnessing faithfully, in the authority of Christ, to the revealed faith in an unabridged and unadulterated manner and presenting it authentically to the Church.
In such an extreme situation, from which God can save us, every ecclesiastical official would lose his authority and no Catholic would be obliged any longer to religiously obey a heretical or schismatic bishop (Lumen Gentium 25; cf. the bishops' reply to Bismarck's misinterpretation of Vatican I, 1875).
Q-Do you think that enough is being done in the Church clearly to defend the truths that are under discussion today?
A- Unfortunately not. One's sacred task is to proclaim the truth of the Gospel boldly inside and outside the Church. Even Paul once openly opposed Peter's ambiguous behavior (Gal 2), without, of course, questioning his Christ-established primacy.
We must not allow ourselves to be intimidated within the Church or seduced by the prospect of a race for good behavior desired from above. Bishops and priests are appointed directly by Christ, which the respective superiors in the hierarchy must consider. However, they are in community with each other, which includes religious obedience in matters of faith and canonical obedience in the governance of the Church. But this does not exempt anyone from his conscientious responsibility directly to Christ, the Shepherd and Teacher, whose authority sanctifies, teaches, and guides believers.
A strict distinction must also be made between the Pope's relationship with his nuncios and Vatican employees and the Pope's collegial relationship with the bishops, who are not his subordinates but his brothers in the same apostolic office.
Q-What role should the Pope play at this time?
A-Throughout the Church's history, whenever popes have felt or behaved like politicians, things have gone wrong. In politics it is about the power of the people over the people, in the Church of Christ it is about serving the eternal salvation of men, to which the Lord has called men to be his apostles. The Pope is seated on the Chair of Peter. And the way Simon Peter is presented in the New Testament, with all his ups and downs, should be a strengthening and a warning to every Pope. In the Upper Room, before his Passion, Jesus says to Peter: When you are converted, strengthen your brethren (Lk 22:32), that is, in the faith of Christ, the Son of the living God (Mt 16.16). Only in this way is he the rock on which Jesus builds his Church, over which the gates of hell will not prevail.
Translation by Diane Montagna
Original Spanish version HERE
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| St. Gregory Thaumaturgus: Homily concerning the Holy Mother of God |
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Posted by: Stone - 09-13-2023, 10:02 AM - Forum: Our Lady
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Gregory Thaumaturgus: Homily concerning the Holy Mother of God
Taken from here [adapted].
![[Image: ?u=https%3A%2F%2F1.bp.blogspot.com%2F-Z5...ipo=images]](https://external-content.duckduckgo.com/iu/?u=https%3A%2F%2F1.bp.blogspot.com%2F-Z5pM1MO1Tw4%2FYZUBySy8MeI%2FAAAAAAAAR_U%2F9T4cer0FsMk1KduFL2lI7pP_YQy4svQ3ACLcBGAsYHQ%2Fs2048%2FSt.%252BGregory%252BThaumaturgus%252B%2525282%252529.jpg&f=1&nofb=1&ipt=7c5a77727a6aa6c760789727e648cf45bb160b63f853231996a0636134b406ba&ipo=images)
1. When I remember the disobedience of Eve, I weep. But when I view the fruit of Mary, I am again renewed. Deathless by descent, invisible through beauty, before the ages light of light; of God the Father wast Thou begotten; being Word and Son of God, Thou didst take on flesh from Mary Virgin, in order that Thou mightest renew afresh Adam fashioned by Thy holy hand.
2. Holy, deathless, eternal, inaccessible, without change, without turn, True Son of God art Thou before the ages; yet wast pleased to be conceived and formed in the womb of the Holy Virgin, in order that Thou mightest make alive once more man first fashioned by Thy holy hand, but dead through sin.
3. By the good pleasure Thou didst issue forth, by the good pleasure and will of the invisible Father. Wherefore we all invoke Thee, calling Thee King. Be Thou our succour; Thou that wast born of the Virgin and wrapt in swaddling clothes and laid in the manger, and wast suckled by Mary; to the end that Thou mightest make alive once more the first-created Adam that was dead through sin.
4. Feasted with knowledge from the Divine knowledge, let us emit like a fountain the sweetly sounding hymns of praise; let us glorify the sweet powers of the Divine Word. With sweetly sounding doctrine let us send forth praise worthy of the Divine grace; forasmuch as earth, and sea, and all created things, visible and invisible, bless and |163 glorify God's love for man; for that His majesty was among [us]. For being God He appeared in the flesh, and taking on Himself extreme humility, was born of the Holy Virgin, to the end that He might renew afresh him that was dead through disobedience.
5. Turn ye, O congregations, and come. Let us all praise Him that is born of the Virgin. For that being the glory and image before the ages of the Godhead, He yet became a fellow-sufferer with us of poverty. Being the exceeding magnifical power [and] image of God, He took on the form of a slave. He that putteth on the light as a garment, consorted with men as one that is vile. He that is hymned by cherubim and by myriad angels, as a citizen on earth doth He live.2 He that being before (all) maketh all creation alive, was born of the Holy Virgin, in order that He might make alive once more the first created.
6. Christ our God took on [Himself] to begin life as man (lit. the beginning of humanity), being yet a sharer of the [life] without beginning of God the Father; in order to lift up unto the beginningless beginning of the Godhead man that was fallen.
7. And He took the form of a slave from the Holy Virgin, in order to call us up to the glorified dominical image. He put on the outward shape made of clay, that He might make [us] sharers of the heavenly form. He sat in the lap of the Holy Virgin, that He might place us on the right hand in the intimacy of His Father. In a vile body was He; and by means of the same He was laid in a tomb, that He might manifest us heirs of eternal life. In the womb of the Holy Virgin was He, the incomprehensible (or inaccessible) one, confined; in order that He might renew the Adam destroyed through sin.
8. Power of the Father and living font, Christ our God, [He] is the life-fraught mystery, in whom even through |164 [His] living voice we believed; life without end He freely bestows on those who hope in Him, and with the Spirit of grace He illumines the races of men. From this fountain, living and ever-flowing and of sweet taste, whosoever in faith are athirst are filled and sated.
9. Wherefore even with one voice [let us sing the praises] of God the Word, that according to the worthiness of each is cause and promoter of salvation, unto young men and old, and unto children and women. For from Mary, the divine fountain of the ineffable Godhead, gushes forth grace and free gift of the Holy Spirit. From a single Holy Virgin the Pearl of much price proceeded, in order to make alive once more the first-created man that was dead through sin.
10. He is the Sun of Righteousness, dawning upon earth; and in the fashion of a man He deigned to come unto our race. Having hidden in the coarse matter of humanity the effulgent splendour of His Godhead, and having filled [us] with the Divine Spirit, He hath also made us worthy to sing unto Him the angelic hymn of praise.
11. Let us twine, as with a wreath, the souls (or selves) [of them that love the festival and love to hearken] 3 with golden blossoms, fain to be crowned with wreaths from the unfading gardens; and offering in our hands the fair-fruited flowers of Christ, let us gather [them]. For the God-like temple of the Holy Virgin is meet to be glorified with such a crown; because the illumining Pearl cometh forth, to the end that it may raise up again into the ever-streaming light them that were gone down into darkness and the shadow of death.
12. Regaled with the medicine (lit. poison) of the Divine words of Christ unto the grace of the same, let us send up unto Him some worthy hymn. Let us hasten to gather up |165 the fruits of the mystery of immortality. Let us hasten to inhale the perfume of the God-clad symmetry (or harmony). In [our] language let us luxuriate in the Divine grace, and let us hasten to drive away from us the foul odour of sin. Let us rather clothe us in the sweet savour of the works of righteousness. Having put on ourselves the breastplate of faith, and the garb of a virtuous life, and the holy and spotless raiment of purity, let us fast (or? keep guard). For He is excellence, and hath His dwelling with peace, and is yoke-fellow of love and consorteth [therewith]; a blossom smelling of hope. And the lambs which in faith browse upon this shoot forth the light-like rod of the Trinity. But we, O my friends, resorting to the garden of the Saviour, let us praise the Holy Virgin; saying along with the angels in the language of Divine grace, "Rejoice thou and be glad." For from her first shone forth the eternally radiant light, that lighteth us with its goodness.
13. The Holy Virgin is herself both an honourable temple of God and a shrine made pure, and a golden altar of whole burnt offerings. By reason of her surpassing purity [she is] the Divine incense of oblation ( = προθέσεως), and oil of the holy grace, and a precious vase bearing in itself the true nard; [yea and] the priestly diadem revealing the good pleasure of God, whom she alone approacheth holy in body and soul. [She is] the door which looks eastward, and by the comings in and goings forth the whole earth is illuminated. The fertile olive from which the Holy Spirit took the fleshly slip (or twig) of the Lord, and saved the suffering race of men. She is the boast of virgins, and the joy of mothers; the declaration of archangels, even as it was spoken: "Be thou glad and rejoice, the Lord with thee"; and again, "from thee"; in order that He may make new once more the dead through sin. |166
14. Thou didst allow her to remain a virgin, and wast pleased, O Lord, to lie in the Virgin's womb, sending in advance the archangel to announce it [to her]. But he from above, from the ineffable hosts, came unto Mary, and first heralded to her the tidings: "Be thou glad and rejoice." And he also added, "The Lord with thee. Blessed art thou among women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb." But she was in tumult, and pondered in her mind what sort of tidings was this. But then in seemly fashion, I ween, the grace chose out the Holy Virgin; for she was wise in all ways, nor was there her like among women of all nations.
15. Not as the first virgin did she, being alone in the garden, with loose and effeminate thought accept the advice of the serpent and destroy the thought of her heart; through whom came all the toil and sorrow of the saint. But such was the Holy Virgin that by her the former's transgressions also were rectified. Nor, like Sarah, when she had good tidings that she would bear a son, did she rashly laugh; nor like Rebekah, who, with the temper of a deserter, accepted the ornaments, and willingly gave water to drink unto the camels of her betrothed. And unlike all other women, she did not accept the grace of greeting indiscreetly (or without testing it), but only through thought bright and clear (or through glittering thought).
16. Whence then dost thou bring with thee to us such a blessing? and [out] of what treasure-houses has been sent to us the Pearl of the Word? I would fain know what is the gift, and who is bearer of the Word, or indeed who is the sender thereof. From heaven thou earnest, the form of man thou displayest, and dost radiate forth a blaze (or torch) of light.
17. These things in herself the Holy Virgin asked in doubt. But the angel with such words as these solved her |167 doubts: "The Holy Spirit shall come unto thee, and the power of the Most High shall overshadow thee. Wherefore thou shalt conceive and shalt bear a Son, and shalt call His name Jesus, unto the end that He save the race of men from the death of sin."
18. The Virgin spake in turn unto the angel: My mind swims in thy words as in a sea. How shall this be unto me? for I desire not to know an earthly man, because I have devoted myself to the heavenly Bridegroom. I desire to remain a virgin. I wish not to betray the honour of my virginity.
19. Again in such words as these the angel confirmed the holy Virgin: Fear not, Mary. For 'tis not to frighten thee I came, but to dispel all thought of fear. Fear not, Mary; for thou hast found grace at God's hands. Scan not too narrowly the grace, since it deigns not to give way to the laws of nature. The Holy Spirit shall come unto thee; wherefore that which is born of thee is holy and Son of God, sharer of the form and sharer of the substance, and sharer of the eternity of the Father; in whom the Father, having acquired all manifestations, hath the adumbration (? of Himself) face to face,4 and by means of the light the glory gleameth forth.
20. Great is the mystery. Thou hast learned, O Mary, that which till now was hidden from angels. Thou hast known that which deaf prophets and patriarchs heard not; and thou hast heard that which the choirs of the God-clad were not ever held worthy to hear. David and Isaiah, and all the prophets foretold in their preaching about the Lord's becoming man. But do thou alone, O Holy Virgin, receive the mystery unknown by them, and learn and be not perplexed as to how this shall be unto thee. For He that fashioned man out of virgin soil, the Selfsame shall even now do as. He will for the salvation of His creature. |168
21. New radiance now of eternal light gleams forth for us in the inspired fitness (or harmony) of these words. Now is it meet and fitting for me to wonder after the manner of the Holy Virgin, to whom in seemly wise before all things the angel gave salutation thus: "Be thou glad and rejoice"; because with her are quickened and live, all the treasures of grace. Among all nations she alone was both virgin and mother and without knowledge of man, holy in body and soul. Among all nations she alone was made worthy to bring forth God; alone she carried in her Him 5 who carries along all by His word.
22. And not only is it meet to marvel at the beauty of the Holy Mother of God, but also at the excellence of her spirit. Wherefore were addressed to her the words: "The Lord with thee"; and again also, "The Lord from thee." As if this: " He will save him that is in His image as being pitiful." As purse of the Divine mystery the Holy Virgin made herself ready, in which the Pearl of Life was enveloped in flesh and sealed; and she also became the receptacle of supramundane and Divine salvation.
23. Therefore let us also come, O my friends, and discharge our debt according to our ability; and following the voice of the archangel, let us cry aloud: "Be thou glad and rejoice; the Lord with thee." Nor any heavenly bridegroom He, but the very Lord Himself, the Father of purity and the guardian of virginity, and the Lord of holiness, the creator of inviolability, and the giver of freedom, overseer of salvation, and ordainer of true wisdom and bestower thereof----the Lord Himself with thee; for as much as even in thee the Divine grace reposed [and] upon thee, in order to make alive the race of men like a compassionate Lord.
24. Not any more doth Adam fear the crafty serpent; |169 because our Lord is come and hath dispersed the host of the enemy. Not any more doth the race of men fear the craftiness and mad deceit of the serpent, because the Lord hath bruised the head of the dragon in the water of baptism. Not any more do I fear to hear the words: Dust thou wast, and unto dust shalt thou be turned. For the Lord in baptism hath washed away the stain of sin. Not any more do I weep, nor ever lament, nor ever reckon it again to wretchedness, when the thorns wound me. For our Lord hath plucked out by the roots the sins which are our thorns,6 and hath crowned His head withal. Loosed is the first curse in which He said: Thorns and thistles shall earth bring forth to thee, for the thorn is plucked out by the roots, and the thistle withered up; and from the Holy Virgin hath shot up the tree of life and grace. No more doth Eva fear the reproach of the pangs of childbirth; for by the Holy Virgin her transgressions are blotted out and effaced; forasmuch as in her was God born, to the end that He might make alive him whom He made in His image.
25. A bulwark of imperishable life hath the Holy Virgin become unto us, and a fountain of light to those who have faith in Christ; a sunrise of the reasonable light 7 is she found to be. Be thou glad and rejoice. The Lord with thee and from thee, who in His Godhead and His manhood is perfect, in whom dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead: "Be glad and rejoice, the Lord with thee and from thee" ----with His handmaid the Lord of glory; with her that is unspotted, He that halloweth all; with the beautiful, He who is wonderful in beauty above all the sons of men, to the end that He may make alive him whom He made in His image.
26. In the Divine words of the Teacher we believe and |170 rejoice; for with roses and lilies and fragrant wreaths Christ, our imperishable Spring, hath come unto us, and hath filled the fair garden of the churches, even the seed-plots of our hearts, from the paradise of God. So then with holy heart let us draw nigh, and find the golden faith gleaming wide and the fruits of immortality smelling sweet therein. For in the desert of Mary the fair-fruited tree hath shot up, that like one holy and pitiful, He may make alive His creature.
27. Holy and wise in all things was the all-blessed Virgin; in all ways peerless among all nations, and unrivalled among women. Not as the first virgin Eva, who being alone in the garden, was in her weak mind led astray by the serpent; and so took his advice and brought death into the world; and because of that hath been all the suffering of saints. But in her alone, in this Holy Virgin Mary, the Stem of Life hath shot up for us. For she alone was spotless in soul and body.
28. With intrepid mind she spake to the angel: Whence is this salutation, and how shall this be unto me? Dost thou desire to learn how the exceeding magnifical power becomes a fellow-sufferer with us of our poverty? How He that hath power over the hosts assumes the image of our baseness; and how He who is God before the ages is about to become a child and be made flesh, He that putteth on light as a garment and giveth life unto His creature. Grant me, said the Holy Virgin, to learn such an impenetrable mystery, and I become the vessel that receives the Divine mystery (or thought), being overshadowed by the Holy Spirit, and [I am] to receive the truth of His flesh in my flesh, unto the building by Wisdom of her abode.
29. The Word becometh flesh and dwelleth in us, that is, in the same flesh, which it took from us; and by the spirit of its native self (or soul) it spiritualises [itself]. And the unchangeable God accepts the form of a slave, to the end |171 that He be regarded by the faithful as man; but that He may be manifested as God to the unfaithful, in order to renew the first-created.
30. The element of flesh doth the Son of God take from the Holy Virgin, for before the ages He is God. He hath deigned to be born, and to be called Son of man, and to become visible, He the invisible; and for our sake to be poor, who is all riches; and to suffer as man, He the impassible and deathless. For with (or in) the flesh in truth He was united, but He was not changed in spirit. In a mortal body the Invisible One was enveloped, that He might make it also deathless, making it sharer of His deathlessness through His Godhead; to the end that He might renew him that was fashioned by His holy hands.
31. Glory and light are come into the world, Christ our God. He glorifies and illumines with His ever-streaming light, to whom the voice of the unseen Father bore witness: "Yonder is My Son and Word, who is before the ages."
32. But Mary was fortified by the word of the angel; but pondered in herself the birth of the Lord, confronted with the disparity of human thought. Now she lifted herself up to the lofty plane of the Divine, now again her mind was occupied with the lowliness of humanity. And thus as in the scale of reflection she balances the one and the other; even in that moment she becometh truly worthy of the design (or mind, or? entrance) of God. For she (or He) that preserved the treasure of her virginity pure and untarnished, she (or He) also made the boundaries of her heart inviolate. And the creature is saved which He made in His image.
33. Christ, Son of God, who was born of the Holy Virgin Mary, hath come as grace into the world; because by means of grace He hath made us alive, He that fashioned all things. Now that Christ is born into the world, doth all creation dance. He giveth in exchange His temptation, |172 the coin of long-suffering, that He may claim (for us) the mansions of the kingdom. The Holy Virgin was filled with joy because He took from her His flesh, to the end that He might raise again him that was fallen under sin.
34. Evil thoughts are turned from us, when we sing psalms to Thee, O heavenly and holy Father; beholding the great light which Thou hast given to us, Jesus Christ, who was born of the Holy Virgin and wrought by means of His Godhead wonders; but for our sake accepted sufferings by means of His flesh. We then 8 also still being in the flesh will hasten in body and soul to make the Deity propitious to us with angelic hymns, touching with our hands in figurative wise the divine [element] of the dogma (?), and will sow in our minds (or in our mysteries) the truth of faith. For the mystery (or thought) is inaccessible, invisible, unchangeable, not to be circumscribed, worshipped in its fulness and marvelled at in [our] mind. For even the Holy Virgin herself had marvelled at the manner of the mystery (or thought). How could the splendour of light become the offspring of a woman? She embraced in herself the treasure of life, and pondered in her mind the salutation of the archangel; until in the completion (of time) she bore the fruit of salvation, that it might save (or make alive) man.
35. Therefore, O ye fair-fruited and comely branches of Christ's teaching, ye shall in this place bring to us the |173 fruits of blessing (= εὐλογίας). Here, where is all purity and fragrance, let us offer to God with holy conscience the incense of prayer. Here, where virginity and temperance dance together, bearing for fruit the life-giving cluster of grapes. Here, where they . . . unto us the . . . of victorious power and the treasure of love.9 Here, where the mystery of the Holy Trinity was revealed by the archangel to the Holy Virgin according to the gospel: "The Holy Spirit shall come upon thee and the power of the most High shall overshadow thee. For Holy is that which is born of thee, Son of God." To whom be glory and honour for ever and ever.
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| Eusebius of Caesarea: The History of the Martyrs in Palestine |
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Posted by: Stone - 09-13-2023, 09:30 AM - Forum: Church Doctrine & Teaching
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HISTORY OF THE MARTYRS IN PALESTINE
BY
EUSEBIUS, BISHOP OF CAESAREA, DISCOVERED IN A VERY ANTIENT SYRIAC MANUSCRIPT.
Taken from here.
EDITED AND TRANSLATED INTO ENGLISH BY WILLIAM CURETON, D.D., (1861)
MEMBER OF THE IMPERIAL INSTITUTE OF FRANCE.
THIS ACCOUNT OF MARTYRS FOR THE TRUTH OF THE HOLY ELIGION OF OUR LORD JESUS CHRIST IS
Dedicated to the Memory
OF FRANCIS EGERTON EARL OF ELLESMERE
PREFACE.
THE manuscript from which this work of Eusebius has been at length recovered, after the lapse of several centuries, is that wonderful volume of the Nitrian Collection 1 now in the British Museum, whose most curious and remarkable history I have already made known in the Preface to my edition of the Festal Letters of St. Athanasius.2 It is not necessary, therefore, for me in this place to give any further account of it than to state that it was transcribed fourteen hundred and fifty years ago,--as early as the year of our Lord four hundred and eleven.
The several works contained in it are now all printed, and thereby rescued from the chance of being lost for all future time. The first--a Syriac translation of the Recognitions of St. Clement, which I once intended to publish, and had transcribed the greater part of it for that purpose--has been edited by Dr. P. de Lagarde, 3 to whom I |ii gave my copy. The transcript was completed by him, and compared with another manuscript of the same work, and afterward printed with that great care and accuracy which gives so much value to all the Syriac texts which he has edited. The second treatise in this manuscript is the book of Titus, Bishop of Bostra, or Bozra, in Arabia, against the Manicheans. We are also indebted for the publication of this important work to Dr. de Lagarde.4 The third is the book of Eusebius on the Theophania, or Divine Manifestation of our Lord. The text of this was edited by the late Dr. Lee,5 who also published an English translation of it,6 with valuable notes and a preliminary dissertation. The last is this history of the Martyrs of Palestine, also written by the same Author.
In the eighth book of the Ecclesiastical History, upon the occasion of his giving a short account of certain Bishops and others, who sealed their testimony for their faith with their blood, Eusebius stated his intention of writing, in a distinct treatise, a narrative of the confession |iii of those Martyrs with whom he had himself been acquainted. 7 Up to the time of the discovery of this Syriac copy, no such work was known to exist in a separate form, either in Latin or Greek. There is indeed a brief history of those contemporaries of Eusebius who suffered in the persecution of the Christians in Palestine, found in several antient Greek manuscripts, inserted as a part of it, and combined with the Ecclesiastical History : but it does not occupy the same place in all the copies of that work. In one it is placed after the middle of the thirteenth chapter of the eighth book;8 in two9 at the end of the tenth book; and in several,10 at the end of the eighth; while from two |iv others,11 as well as from the Latin version made by Ruffinus, it is omitted altogether. There is no distinct title prefixed to it in any copy but one, the Codex Castellani,12 where it bears the inscription:--Eusebiou suggramma peri twn kat' auton marturhsantwn en twi oktaetei Dioklhtianou kai efexhV Galeriou tou Maximinou diwgmou; but two copies, the Mazarine and Medicean, have at the end--Eusebiou tou Pamfilou peri twn en Palaistinhi marturhsantwn teloV.13
That this was the history of the martyrs who were known to Eusebius which he had promised, has never been doubted by any one; while, on the other hand, almost every one who has undertaken to write on the subject has judged it to be but an abridgment of the original work which formerly existed in a more extended form.14 The |v antient Latin copy of the Acts of Procopius,15 the Acts of Pamphilus and his companions, as exhibited by Simeon Metaphrastes,16 in much fuller detail than they are now found in the Greek text of Eusebius, and the additional facts respecting other martyrs who suffered in Palestine, supplied by the Greek Menaea and Menologia, were adduced as evidence of the existence at one time of a more copious work, and as a proof that the narrative inserted in the Ecclesiastical History was only an abridgment.
The correctness of this critical induction has been completely established by the discovery of this copy of the work of Eusebius of Caesarea on the Martyrs of Palestine, in the vernacular language of the country where the events took place, and actually transcribed within about seventy years after the death of the author.17
S. E. Assemani goes so far as to express his conviction that this history of the sufferings of the martyrs in Palestine was originally composed in Syriac, a language with which Eusebius, Bishop of Caesarea, was necessarily well acquainted, |vi as being the vernacular speech of his own country and diocese.18 It is not at all improbable that Eusebius might made have use of the Syriac for ordinary purposes, or, indeed, as a safer deposit for any memoranda which he might wish to commit to writing than the Greek, during the time that the persecution continued. Could this inference of S. E. Assemani be established, it would give still additional interest and value to the work which I now publish. I must, however, own that I cannot admit the supposition that this work was originally written in the Syriac language. Indeed, it seems to me to be sufficiently disproved by the fact, that the Syriac copy of such of the Acts of Martyrs in Palestine as have been published by S. E. Assemani, while it agrees completely in substance with this, is evidently a translation by another hand; and that the variation and errors which occur in some of the proper names are of such a kind as could only have arisen from confounding two similar Greek letters of the writing at that period;19 and further, there are some obscure passages in this Syriac, which obviously seem to be the result of a translator not fully apprehending the meaning of the Greek passage before him.20
How long the entire Greek text of the original work continued to be read, we have now no means of learning with any degree of certainty. It must have been in existence in the time of Simeon Metaphrastes, in the tenth century, for he has supplied many facts20 from it |vii which the abridged form of the Greek does not contain, and has also given entire the long passage relating to Pamphilus and his companions.21 Neither can there be any doubt of its having been in use at the period when the Greek Menaea and Menologia were compiled.22 The fact that many of the circumstances and events which it described had been inserted in the abovementioned books, and that an abridgment, which, I cannot doubt, was made by Eusebius himself, had also been incorporated into the Ecclesiastical. History, seems to have led to the discontinuance of the transcription of the larger work, and to have been mainly the cause of its being no longer found in the Greek in a separate form. The preservation of this work in its complete state up to the present time, in the Syriac, is chiefly due to the circumstance of its having been transported, at a very early period, to the Syrian Monastery in the solitude of the Nitrian Desert, where the dryness of the climate kept the vellum from decay, and the idleness and ignorance of the monks saved the volume from being worn out and destroyed by frequent use.
Independently of the great interest of the subject of which it treats, this work of Eusebius has especial claims to consideration, on the ground of the author having been himself an eyewitness of most of the events which he |viii describes. There are some, indeed, at which he could not have have been present; for instance, the Confession of Romanus, who suffered at Antioch on the same day as Alphaeus and Zacchaeus did at Caesarea, where he was then residing. He has, given a narrative of the sufferings of Romanus, in his history of the Martyrs of Palestine, because he was a native of Palestine, and had also been a deacon and exorcist in one of the villages of Caesarea; and Eusebius was anxious to claim for his own country and diocese the honour of this man's confession. This may perhaps be the reason why there are found two distinct accounts of the Acts of Romanus in Syriac, as well as in Greek and Latin.
It is not my intention to enter into any discussion respecting the time of the composition of this treatise, or that of the great Church History by Eusebius: nor will I consider at any length the question of the abridgment of the account of the Martyrs of Palestine inserted in most of the copies of the Ecclesiastical History, or that of the different recensions of this latter work by the author himself. 23 These are certainly very interesting subjects of literary and historical inquiry; and doubtless this book will supply the critic with new data, to enable him to elucidate and determine them in a more complete and satisfactory manner than it has been hitherto possible for any one to do. These matters I would rather leave to other scholars. All now have the same materials as I have, and some may be possessed of other greater facilities and appliances, as well as better capacities for the task. I |ix believe it to be my duty to employ my own time and exertions in another way.
I will therefore content myself with briefly observing that this work of Eusebius on the Martyrs of Palestine bears evidently upon it the stamp of being a record of facts which were noted down at the time as they severally occurred, and were afterwards revised and arranged in due order at a subsequent period, when some events, which, in the earlier years of the Persecution, the author thought it probable might happen, had actually taken place; and when other occurrences of earlier date were no longer so fresh and vivid in the minds of men as they had been when all were still living who had witnessed them.
I would observe, also, that it seems to be evident that this work, in which Eusebius recounts the martyrdom of Pamphilus and his companions, was composed before he wrote the fuller history of that noble Martyr, to which he refers in the Abridgment; for no reference whatever is made to the existence of any such history in this original and more copious narrative of the Martyrs of Palestine. It must, therefore, have been composed before he wrote the Ecclesiastical History, in which he several times adverts to the life of Pamphilus as having been already completed.
The first edition of the Ecclesiastical History does not appear to have contained the history of the Martyrs of Palestine. This seems to be the copy used by Ruffinus, who neither gives any such history, nor has the passage in the thirteenth chapter of the eighth book which refers to it.
Indeed, it is evident from his own words that the abridgment must have been made by Eusebius himself.24 When, |x therefore, he condensed the narrative for the purpose of incorporating it into the subsequent editions of the Ecclesiastical History, he also took that opportunity of supplying several facts which, either from considerations of prudence, or from not having had knowledge of them at the time when the work was originally composed, he had previously omitted; and also ventured to speak more plainly of persons, because the altered condition of circumstances after the accession of Constantine enabled him to do this without any apprehension of danger. This, I think, will be obvious to those who will be at the pains to compare the general narrative of the events as they are recorded year by year, with the notes which I have added, even without having recourse to fuller and more minute researches.
The translation I have endeavoured to make as faithful as I could without following the Syriac idiom so closely as to render the English obscure. There are a very few passages in which I cannot feel quite sure that I have obtained the precise meaning of the Syriac; but the obscurity of these passages is certainly due to the Translator, who does not seem to have fully understood the Greek text which he had before him. My English translation of the long account of Pamphilus and his companions was printed before I read either the Greek text printed by Papebrochius, or the Latin translation made by Lipomannus from the same Greek, as it was preserved by Simeon Metaphrastes. The comparison of all of these together will be a good means of testing both the integrity of the transmission of the original Greek to the present day, and the fidelity of the Syriac translation.
In the notes, my chief object has been to collect such observations as may tend especially to throw light upon |xi the time of the composition of this work and of the Ecclesiastical History by Eusebius, and serve to elucidate the text; but in order to keep them from extending to too great a length, I have omitted all those matters which it appeared to me an ordinarily well-informed scholar might be presumed to be acquainted with.
[[Footnotes given numbers and moved to end]]
1. (a) British Museum, Additional MS. No. 12,150.
2. (b) P. xv. The Festal Letters of Athanasius, discovered in an antient Syriac version. 8vo. London, 1848.
3. © Clementis Romani Recognitiones Syriace. Paulus Antonius de Lagarde edidit. 8vo, Lipsise, 1861.
4. (a) Titi Bostreni contra Manchaeos libri quatuor Syriace. Paulus Antonius de Lagarde edidit. 8vo. Berolini, 1859.
5. (b) Eusebius, Bishop of Caesarea, on the Theophania, or Divine Manifestation of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. A Syriac Version, edited from an ancient Manuscript recently discovered. By Samuel Lee, D.D. 8vo. London, 1842.
6. © Eusebius, Bishop of Caesarea, on the Theophania, or Divine Manifestation of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. Translated into English with Notes, from an ancient Syriac Version of the Greek Original now lost. To which is prefixed a Vindication of the Orthodoxy and Prophetical Views of that distinguished writer By Samuel Lee, D.D. 8vo. Cambridge, 1843.
7. (a) OiV ge mhn autoV paregenomen, toutouV kai toiV meq hmaV gnwrimouV di eteraV poihsomai grafhV. "Moreover, there were many other eminent martyrs who have an honourable mention among the Churches, which are in those places and countries. But our design is not to commit to writing the conflicts of all those who suffered for the worship of God over the whole world, nor yet to give an accurate relation of every accident that befel them; but this rather belongs to those who, with their own eyes, beheld what was done. Moreover, those ourselves were present at, we will commit to the knowledge of posterity in another work." See Ecc. Hist., B. viii. ch. 13, Eng. Trans. p. 148.
8. (b) Codex olim Regiae Societatis, nunc vero Musei Britannici. This is G. of Dr. Burton's edition : Oxford, 1838. See the same, pp. 572 and 591.
9. © Duo Codices Florentini Bibliothecae Mediceo-Laurentianae. Plut. lxx. n. 7 et 20. I. and K. of Burton. See Ibid. p. 591.
10. (d) 1. Codex Regius Bibliothecae Parisiensis n. 1436; 2. Codex Mediceus, ibid. n. 1434; 3. Codex Mazarinasus, ibid. n. 1430; 4. Codex Fuketianus, ibid. n. 1435; 5. Codex Savilianus, in Bibliotheca Bodleiana, n. 2278; being A. B. C. D. and F. respectively of Burton. Ibid.
11. (d) Codex Bibliothecae Regiae Parisiensis n. 1431, and Codex Venetus n. 838; being E. and H. of Burton. Ibid.
12. (a) See N. of Burton. Ibid.
13. (b) See Valesius, note (a), p. 154, Eng. Trans.
14. © See Valesius and Ruinart, cited in the notes to this, pp. 50, 51, 55, 59, 60, 64, 69, 84. Also S. E. Assemani remarks :-- "Graecam S. Procopii, Martyrum Palaestinorum in Diocletiani persecutione antesignani, historiam, quae in laudato de martyribus Palaestinae libro habetur; ab alia fusiori, atque explicatiori fuisse contractam atque truncatam, certum et exploratum est, nam quae ad patriam atque institum pertinent omittere nunquam consuevit Eusebius."--Acta SS. Mart.
"Horum sanctorum martyrum historiam concisam pariter jejunamque exhibet nobis Graecus Eusebii Caesariensis textus in libro de martyribus Palaestinae; eandemque prorsus fortunam experta est, quam prior Procopii, ex latiori scilicet narratione in brevem summam. Atque priorem illam Latina, quae superfuit, versio supplerit, haec autem suppleri aliter non potuissent, nisi, favente Deo, Chaldaicus Codex noster e tenebris Aegypti vindicatus emersisset in lucem."-- Ibid. p. 173.
Baillet:--" Eusébe de Cesarée avait recueilli à part les Martyrs de Palestine: et quoique les Actes qu'il en avoit ramassez avec beaucoup de soin et de travail ne paroissent plus, il nous en reste un bon abbregé dans le livre qui se trouve joint à son histoire genérale de l'Eglise.'' See Les Vies des Saints, vol. i. p. 55.
15. (a) See these printed p. 50 below and Valesius' note thereon.
16. (b) The Latin, by Surius, of this, will be found in the Notes, at p. 69.
17. © Eusebius died A.D. 339 or 340 (Fabricius, Bibliotheca Graec. lib. v. c. 4. p. 31), and this copy was transcribed A.D. 411.
18. (a) See Note, p. 51, below.
19. (b) See Notes, pp. 57, 60 below.
20. © See p. 66, below.
21. (a) A Latin version of this, as it is found in Simeon Metaphrastes, translated by Lipomannus, I have printed in the Notes, p. 69, below, for the sake of comparison with this text. It also still exists in Greek, and was first published by D. Papebrochius from a Medicean MS. in the Acta Sanctorum, June, vol. i. p. 64; and afterwards reprinted by J. Alb. Fabricius in S. Hippoliti Opera, 2 vols, fol. Hamb. 1716--19, vol. ii. p. 217.
22. (b) See notes pp. 53, 56, 59, 60, 64, 68.
23. (a) See Heinichen, Notitia Codicum, Editionum et Translationum Historiae Ecclesiasticae Eusebianae, § vi.
24. (a) See Note below, p. 79.
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| Pope Francis reportedly set to ask Bishop Strickland to resign |
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Posted by: Stone - 09-12-2023, 06:02 AM - Forum: Vatican II and the Fruits of Modernism
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Pope Francis reportedly set to ask Bishop Strickland to resign
Bishop Strickland has been widely praised by faithful Catholics for his promotion of traditional Catholic teaching.
![[Image: joseph_strickland_covid-810x500.jpg]](https://www.lifesitenews.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/joseph_strickland_covid-810x500.jpg)
Bp. Joseph Strickland of Tyler, Texas.
St. Philip Institute / YouTube
Sep 11, 2023
VATICAN CITY (LifeSiteNews [slightly adapted - not all hyperlinks included]) — Pope Francis met with Vatican officials over the weekend to discuss asking Bishop Joseph Strickland of Tyler, Texas, to resign, according to a report on Monday by The Pillar.
Pope Francis met on Saturday with Archbishop Robert Prevost, O.S.A., the head of the Vatican’s Dicastery for Bishops, and Archbishop Christophe Pierre, apostolic nuncio to the United States.
The Pillar reported that several sources close to the dicastery told the website ahead of the meeting that the two prelates, both of whom Pope Francis named cardinals in July, would present the pope with the results of a recent apostolic visitation of the Diocese of Tyler in addition to “public actions” of Bishop Strickland following the visitation.
Pope Francis is expected to ask for Bishop Strickland’s resignation, according to one senior official close to the Dicastery for Bishops.
“The situation of Bishop Strickland is the agenda,” the official told The Pillar, “and the expectation is that the Holy Father will be requesting his resignation — that will certainly be the recommendation put to him.”
“The official predicted that the pope was unlikely to decide to depose Strickland as bishop of his diocese, a canonically rare act, but told The Pillar that Pope Francis would be advised to encourage the bishop to resign,” the outlet reported.
“The consensus in the dicastery is that he will be asked to consider resigning,” the official said. “That has been the substance of discussion among the members.”
“Depending on how the bishop responds, the strength of that encouragement could be increased,” the official added.
The Pillar previously reported that sources familiar with Bishop Strickland’s visitation said that diocesan officials and clergy interviewed as part of the investigation were asked about him potentially resigning and possible successors.
Prevost is one of three American prelates who are members of the Dicastery for Bishops, along with Cardinal Blase Cupich of Chicago and Cardinal Joseph Tobin of Newark, both notorious liberals.
The potential move by Francis comes against one of the most forthright and vocal bishops in the United States, who has drawn considerable support both from within and without his diocese for his promotion of traditional Catholic teaching.
Strickland and his diocese have been the subject of much scrutiny among the Catholic media ever since it was revealed that he was subject to an apostolic visitation in June 2023. His visitation was conducted by two retired bishops: Bishop Dennis Sullivan of Camden, New Jersey, and former Bishop Gerald Kicanas of Tucson, Arizona.
READ: Who is this bishop investigating Bishop Strickland on behalf of Pope Francis?
Kicanas was widely noted by Catholics concerned about the visitation due to his troublesome record on abortion and homosexuality. He defended Catholic Relief Services’s funding of pro-abortion groups in 2012 and, among other things, was endorsed by a homosexual group in the likelihood of his becoming president of the U.S. bishops’ conference, as LifeSite’s John-Henry Westen has reported.
No public announcement regarding the outcome of Strickland’s visitation had been issued to the public prior to The Pillar’s report.
Last year, Pope Francis removed Bishop Daniel Fernández Torres, another outspoken advocate of Catholic teaching, from the Diocese of Arecibo, Puerto Rico, without explanation, reportedly due to his support for conscience objections to COVID jab mandates.
The pope, however, has not disciplined numerous bishops who have publicly contradicted Catholic doctrine on homosexual activity, gender, same-sex “blessings,” the ordination of women, and the reception of the Eucharist.
In March, Pope Francis appointed Cardinal Jean-Claude Hollerich, S.J., of Luxembourg a member of the Council of Cardinals after Hollerich said that he believes Church teaching on sodomy is “false.” Francis has also named Hollerich the relator general of his Synod on Synodality.
More recently, the pope appointed Argentine Cardinal-designate Victor Manuel Fernández the prefect of the Dicastery (formerly Congregation) for the Doctrine of the Faith, despite Fernández’ heterodoxy on various subjects.
READ: Pope Francis picks notorious pro-LGBT clerics to participate in October Synod on Synodality
Speaking on a July episode of The Bishop Strickland Hour, Strickland compared his apostolic visitation with “being called to the principal’s office.” But he suggested that it is a result of his vocal witness to Catholic doctrine:
Quote:No, it’s not something that I would volunteer for, to go through an apostolic visitation. Because it kind of puts a shadow over the diocese, [and] a lot of people are convinced that there’s something really wrong. But I think that I went through this because I’ve been bold enough and love the Lord enough and His Church to simply keep preaching the truth.
Bishop Strickland, 64, is well known among LifeSite readers for his unequivocal defense of Catholic teaching, teaching that is often cast in confusion by papal statements or messages.
Strickland’s more public positions on moral and doctrinal issues include urging Francis to deny Holy Communion to former U.S. Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi over her support of legal abortion, accusing the pope of a “program of undermining the Deposit of Faith,” and condemning the prominent pro-LGBT “blasphemy” of Fr. James Martin, S.J.
He has also been notably forthright on moral controversies in U.S. politics and culture, including the Biden administration’s spying on Catholics and public displays by self-described “Satanic” groups. This summer, he spoke at a protest against the Los Angeles Dodgers’ hosting an anti-Catholic drag queen troupe called the “Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence,” who style themselves as grotesque nuns.
But the apostolic visitation is believed to have been particularly prompted by a May 13 X/Twitter post in which he explicitly stated: “I reject his [Pope Francis’] program of undermining the Deposit of Faith.”
Strickland’s statement came about due to doubling down on his prior rejection of a view held by Catholic podcaster Patrick Coffin – namely that Pope Francis is not the real pope. The bishop wrote:
Quote:Please allow me to clarify regarding, ‘Patrick Coffin has challenged the authenticity of the Pope Francis.’ If this is accurate I disagree, I believe Pope Francis is the Pope but it is time for me to say that I reject his program of undermining the Deposit of Faith. Follow Jesus.
Strickland’s original message had been to support the Magis Center, which had issued a public statement distancing itself from Coffin due to his views regarding the vacancy of the papal throne.
Father Robert Spitzer, S.J., president of the Center, had given an interview with Coffin before learning of Coffin’s position. Spitzer subsequently withdrew his connection from Coffin publicly. Bishop Strickland supported this action, saying that “I join Fr Spitzer and fully endorse his stance regarding any statements from Patrick Coffin regarding Pope Francis.”
READ: Bishop Strickland: Catholics are not ‘schismatic’ for rejecting changes that contradict Church teaching
Shortly after, the Tyler-based prelate then issued a message warning about “conflicting voices” and urging instead that Catholics “always turn to Jesus.”
While speaking on his eponymous show in July, Strickland declared himself undeterred by any attempts to censor his proclamation of the truths of the Catholic faith, saying it is a “joy” to continue to “share the Good News of Jesus Christ.”
“I know they won’t stop you and they won’t stop me. And we do it with love, and charity and clarity, and with humility, always ready to be corrected. But when we’re speaking of the truth of Jesus Christ, there is no correction. The world can try and shout us down, but it won’t work.”
This story is developing….
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| St. Alphonsus Liguori: Daily Meditations for Fifteenth Week after Pentecost |
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Posted by: Stone - 09-10-2023, 05:24 AM - Forum: Pentecost
- Replies (6)
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Oh, would to God that men kept Death always before their eyes! If they did they certainly would not lead such sinful lives. Poor sinners! They put away the thought of Death whenever it presents itself, and think only of living for pleasure and amusement, as if they were never to die. But one day the end will come for all.
I.
During their lives the constant thought of the Saints was to please God and sanctify themselves. Hence when death approaches, they go with confidence to meet it, for death will deliver them from the miseries and dangers of the present life, and unite them perfectly with God. But the man who has thought only of his pleasures and his own ease, and has neglected to recommend himself to God, or to reflect on the account which he must one day render, cannot meet death with confidence. Poor sinners! They banish the thought of death whenever it presents itself to them, and think only of living for pleasure and amusement, as if they never were to die. But for each of them the end must one day come. The end is come; the end is come (Ezech. vii. 2). And when this end comes every one must gather the fruit he has sown during his life. For what things a man shall sow, those also shall he reap (Gal. vi. 8). If he has sown deeds of holiness, he shall receive rewards of eternal life; but if he has sown evil deeds he shall reap chastisements and eternal death.
The scenes of his past life are the first things that will rush on the mind of the dying man, when the news of death is announced to him. He will then see things in a light far different from that in which he viewed them during life. The acts of revenge which appeared to him lawful, the scandals he thought so little of, speaking obscenely, injuring the character of his neighbour, the pleasures which were regarded as innocent, the acts of injustice he held to be allowable -- all these things will then appear what they really were -- grievous sins and offences against God, each of which merited hell. Alas! Those blind sinners who voluntarily blind themselves during life by shutting their eyes to the light shall, at death, involuntarily see all the evil they have done. Then shall the eyes of the blind be opened (Is. xxxv. 5).
II.
By the light of the candle which lights him to death the wicked shall see and shall be angry (Ps.cxi. 10).
He shall see all the irregularities of his past life -- his frequent abuse of the Sacraments; Confessions made without sorrow or purpose of amendment; contracts entered into and completed with an uneasy conscience; injury done to the property and reputation of others; immodest jests, rancours, and vindictive thoughts.
He shall then see the bad example he gave to the young who feared God, and whom he treated with contempt and turned into derision by calling them pious hypocrites and other reproachful names.
He shall see so many lights and calls received from God, so many admonitions of confessors, and so many resolutions and promises made but afterwards neglected.
He shall see particularly the bad maxims by which he regulated his conduct during life. "It is necessary to seek the esteem of the world, and to preserve one's honour." But is it necessary for a man to preserve his honour by trampling on the honour due to God? "We must have our amusements as often as we can." As if he could indulge in amusements that insult God! "Of what use to the world is a man who has no money?" "If we do not make money we cannot appear among our equals." Such are the maxims of the worldling during life; but at death he will change his language. He will then see the truth of that maxim of Christ: What doth it profit a man, if he gain the whole world and suffer the loss of his own soul? (Matt. xvi. 26). Unhappy me, the worldling will exclaim on the bed of death, I have had so much time to settle my conscience, and behold I am now at the point of death, and I find my soul burdened with many sins! How little it would have cost me to have broken off such a friendship; to have gone to Confession every week; to have avoided certain occasions of sin! Ah! very little, but even should it have cost me a great deal of pain and labour, I should have submitted to every inconvenience in order to save my soul. Salvation is of greater importance to me than the dominion of the entire world. But, alas! the sentiments of negligent Christians at death are as fruitless as the sorrows of the damned, who mourn in hell over their sins as the cause of their perdition, but mourn in vain.
At death they will derive no consolation from their past amusements or pomps, from their exalted dignities, or from the humiliation of their rivals. On the contrary these things, like so many swords, shall pierce their hearts. Evil shall catch the unjust man unto destruction (Ps. cxxxix. 12). At present the lovers of the world seek after banquets, dances, gambling, and scenes of laughter and joy; but, at death this laughter and joy, as St. James says, shall be turned into mourning and affliction. Let your laughter be turned into mourning, and your joy into sorrow (James iv. 9). Of this we see frequent examples. A young man who entertains his companions by sallies of wit, and by immodest jests, is seized with a severe illness. His friends come to see him, and find him overwhelmed with grief and melancholy. He indulges no more in jests, or laughter, or conversation. If he speaks at all, his words are words of terror or despair. His friends ask why he speaks so despondently -- why he is so melancholy. Have courage, they say, your illness is not dangerous. They endeavour to inspire hope and cheerfulness, but he is silent. And how can he be cheerful when he feels his conscience is burdened with so many sins, and sees he must soon appear before Jesus Christ to give an account of his entire life, and that he has much reason to fear he shall receive the sentence of eternal death? He will then say: O fool that I have been! Oh, that I had loved God! Had I loved Him, I should not now find myself in these straits, in this anguish! Oh, that I had time to settle the troubles of my conscience!
Spiritual Reading
THE MISERY OF RELAPSING INTO SIN
Let us tremble at the thought of relapsing into sin, and let us take care not to avail ourselves of the mercy of God to continue to offend Him. "He," says St. Augustine, "Who has promised pardon to those who repent, has promised repentance to no one." God has indeed promised pardon to all who repent of their sins, but He has not promised to any one the grace to repent of the faults he has committed. Sorrow for sin is a pure gift of God; if He withholds it, how will you repent? And without repentance, how can you obtain pardon? Ah! the Lord will not allow Himself to be mocked. Be not deceived, says St. Paul, God is not mocked (Gal. vi. 7). St. Isidore tells us that the man who repeats the sin which he before detested is not a penitent, but a scoffer of God's majesty. And Tertullian teaches that where there is no amendment repentance is not sincere.
Repent, therefore, said Saint Peter, in a discourse to the Jews, and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out (Acts. iii. 19). Many repent, but are not converted. They feel a certain sorrow for the irregularities of their lives, but do not sincerely return to God. They go to Confession, strike their breast, and promise to amend; but they do not make a firm resolution to change their lives. They who resolve firmly on a change of life, persevere, or at least preserve themselves for a considerable time in the grace of God. But they who relapse into sin soon after Confession show, indeed, that they repent but that they are not converted; and such persons shall in the end die an unhappy death. "Oftentimes," says St. Gregory, "that happens to the wicked in their compunction, which happens to the just in their temptations to sin." As the just have frequent temptations to sin, but yield not to them, because their will abhors sin, so sinners feel certain impulses to virtue; but these are not sufficient to produce a true conversion. The Wise Man tells us that mercy shall be shown to him who confesses his sins and abandons them, but he does not say mercy is for those who merely confess them. He that shall confess (his sins) and forsake them, shall obtain mercy (Prov. xxviii. 13). He, then, who does not give up, but returns to sin after Confession, shall not obtain mercy from God, but shall die a victim of Divine justice. He may expect to die the death of a certain young man, who, as is related in the history of England, was in the habit of relapsing into sins against purity. He always fell back into the same sins after Confession. At the hour of death he confessed his sins, and died in a manner which gave reason to hope for his salvation. But, while a holy priest was celebrating or preparing to celebrate Mass for his departed soul, the miserable young man appeared to him and said that he was damned. He added that, at the point of death, being tempted to indulge a bad thought, he felt himself, as it were, forced to consent, and, as he was accustomed to do, he yielded to the temptation, and thus was lost.
Is there, then, no means of salvation for relapsing sinners? I do not say this; but I adopt the maxim of physicians: "In malignant diseases powerful remedies are necessary." To return to the way of salvation, the relapsing sinner must do great violence to himself. The kingdom of heaven suffereth violence, and the violent bear it away (Matt. xi. 12). In the beginning of a new life the relapsing sinner must do violence to himself in order to root out the bad habits he has contracted, and to acquire habits of virtue; for when he has acquired habits of virtue, the observance of the Divine commands will become easy and even sweet. The Lord once said to St. Bridget, that, for those who bear with fortitude the first punctures of the thorns which they experience in the attacks of the senses, in, avoiding occasions of sin, and in withdrawing from dangerous conversations, these thorns are by degrees changed into roses.
But to use the necessary violence, and to lead a life of regularity, you must adopt the proper means; otherwise you will do nothing. These are the means:
1. After rising in the morning you must make acts of thanksgiving, of the love of God, and an offering of the actions of the day. You must also renew your resolution never to offend God, and beg of Jesus Christ and His holy Mother to preserve you from sin during the day. Afterwards make your Meditation and hear Mass.
2. During the day make a Spiritual Reading and a Visit to the Most Holy Sacrament.
3. In the evening say the Rosary and make an examination of conscience.
4. Receive Holy Communion at least once a week, or more frequently if your directors advise you. Be careful to choose a Confessor to whom you will regularly go to Confession.
5. It is also very useful to make a Spiritual Retreat every year in some Religious house.
6. Honour the Mother of God every day by some particular devotion, and by fasting every Saturday.
She is the Mother of perseverance, and promises to obtain it for all who serve her. They that work by me shall not sin (Ecclus. xxiv. 30). Above all, it is necessary to ask of God every morning the gift of perseverance, and to beg of the Blessed Virgin to obtain it for you, and particularly in the time of temptation, by invoking the Names of Jesus and Mary as long as the temptation lasts. Happy the man who will continue to act in this manner, and shall be found so doing when Jesus Christ shall come to judge him. Blessed is that servant, whom, when his lord shall come, he shall find so doing (Matt. xxiv. 46).
Evening Meditation
CONSIDERATIONS ON THE PASSION OF JESUS CHRIST
I.
Jesus Christ, then, died for each one of us, in order that each one of us might live only to his Redeemer, Who died for love of us. Christ died for all, that they also who live may not now live to themselves, but unto him who died for them and rose again (2 Cor. v. 15). He that lives for himself directs all his desires, fears, and pains, and places all his happiness in himself. But he that lives to Jesus Christ places all his desires in loving and pleasing Jesus Christ; all his joys in gratifying Him; all his fears lest he should displease Him. He is only afflicted when he sees Jesus despised, and he rejoices only in seeing Him loved by others. This it is to live to Jesus Christ, and this He justly claims from us all. To win this from us He has offered all the pains He suffered for love of us.
Does He ask too much in this? No, says St. Gregory, He cannot ask too much when He has given such tokens of His love that He seems to have become a fool for our sake. Without reserve He has given Himself wholly for us; He has, therefore, a right to require that we should give ourselves wholly to Him, and fix all our love upon Him; and if we take from Him any portion of it, by loving anything either apart from Him or not for His sake, He has reason to complain of us; for then we do not love Him as we should.
II.
If we love not Jesus Christ, we must love creatures. And, in comparison with Jesus Christ, what are creatures but worms of the earth, dust, smoke, and vanity? To St. Clement, Pope, was offered a heap of silver, gold, and gems, if he would renounce Jesus Christ; the Saint, however, gave only a sigh, and then exclaimed: "O my Jesus, Thou infinite Good! How dost Thou endure to be esteemed by men as less than the rubbish of this earth?" "No," says St. Bernard, "it was not rashness which made the Martyrs encounter hot irons, nails, and the most cruel deaths; it was love for Jesus Christ, when they saw Him dead upon the Cross." Behold the example of St. Mark and St. Marcellian who, when they were fastened with nails through their hands and feet, and were rebuked by the tyrants as fools for suffering so cruel a torment rather than renounce Jesus Christ, replied that they had never known greater delights than they then experienced when transfixed with these nails. And all Saints, in order to give pleasure to Jesus Christ Who was thus tormented and despised for our sake, gladly embrace poverty, persecutions, contempt, infirmities, pains and death. Souls betrothed to Jesus Christ upon the Cross know nothing more glorious to them than to bear the signs of the Crucified, which are His sufferings.
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| Now That Francis Has Created Congar’s “Different Church,” Can We Stop Calling it Catholic? |
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Posted by: Stone - 09-09-2023, 06:57 AM - Forum: Vatican II and the Fruits of Modernism
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NB: Archbishop Lefebvre has called the Conciliar Church a schismatic Church since the 1970's, this is not a new understanding of what is happening. It is only in light of the extreme applications of Vatican II under Pope Francis that this schism is more apparent!
Just a few examples of Archbishop Lefebvre making it clear that the Conciliar Church is schismatic: - "This Council represents, in our view and in the view of the Roman authorities, a new Church which they call the Conciliar Church." (Le Figaro, August 4, 1976)
- "It is not we who are in schism but the Conciliar Church." (Homily preached at Lille, August 29, 1976)
- “What could be clearer? We must henceforth obey and be faithful to the Conciliar Church, no longer to the Catholic Church. Right there is our whole problem: we are suspended a divinis by the Conciliar Church, the Conciliar Church, to which we have no wish to belong! That Conciliar Church is a schismatic church because it breaks with the Catholic Church that has always been. It has its new dogmas, its new priesthood, its new institutions, its new worship… The Church that affirms such errors is at once schismatic and heretical. This Conciliar Church is, therefore, not Catholic. To whatever extent Pope, Bishops, priests, or the faithful adhere to this new church, they separate themselves from the Catholic Church.” (Archbishop Lefebvre, Reflections on his suspension a divinis, July 29, 1976)
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Now That Francis Has Created Congar’s “Different Church,” Can We Stop Calling it Catholic?
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Robert Morrison | Remnant Columnist | September 4, 2023
“Like the child who takes a perverse pleasure in destroying, it seems that Congar had no greater joy in life than that of witnessing the dilapidation of the treasure of the Church and the destruction of the unity of the Mystical Body of Christ.” (Fr. Dominique Bourmaud, One Hundred Years of Modernism)
When Francis reconvenes the Synod on Synodality in Rome on October 4, 2023, the world will see how much progress he has made in completing the plans for “a different church” he announced almost two years ago:
Quote:“Dear brothers and sisters, may this Synod be a true season of the Spirit! For we need the Spirit, the ever new breath of God, who sets us free from every form of self-absorption, revives what is moribund, loosens shackles and spreads joy. The Holy Spirit guides us where God wants us to be, not to where our own ideas and personal tastes would lead us. Father Congar, of blessed memory, once said: ‘There is no need to create another Church, but to create a different Church’ (True and False Reform in the Church). That is the challenge. For a ‘different Church,’ a Church open to the newness that God wants to suggest, let us with greater fervour and frequency invoke the Holy Spirit and humbly listen to him, journeying together as he, the source of communion and mission, desires: with docility and courage.” (Francis, October 9, 2021, Address to Open the Synod)
Many faithful Catholics have managed to ignore the Synod on Synodality thus far, but those who now want a primer on the Synod need look no further than these words from Francis about Congar’s inspiration. Fr. Matthias Gaudron’s description of Yves Congar in his The Catechism of the Crisis in the Church provides enough detail on the man to alert us to the likelihood of wickedness involved with any project following his lead:
Quote:“Subject to strict surveillance after 1947 (he would later say: ‘From the beginning of 1947 until the end of 1956, I experienced nothing but an uninterrupted series of denunciations, warnings, restrictive or discriminatory measures, and mistrustful interventions’), he cleaved to the same ideas (in his intimate diary, he relates that twice while at Rome he went to urinate against the door of the Holy Office as a sign of revolt!). Nevertheless, Yves Congar was summoned as an expert to Vatican II by John XXIII and greatly influenced the Council. John Paul II named him cardinal in October 1994.” (p. 36)
As filthy as it was for Congar (“of blessed memory”) to urinate on the door of the Holy Office, he actually treated the Catholic Faith with even less respect, which is why he had been “subject to strict surveillance” by the Church during the pontificate of Pius XII. Here, for instance, is how he praised one of the Church’s greatest enemies:
Quote:“Luther is one of the greatest religious geniuses of all history. In this regard I put him on the same level as St. Augustine, St. Thomas Aquinas, or Pascal. In a certain way, he is even greater. He entirely rethought Christianity . . . I studied Luther a lot. Scarcely a month goes by without my revisiting his writings.” (The Catechism of the Crisis in the Church, p. 36)
Unfortunately, Congar’s studies of Luther allowed him to learn the all-important lesson of keeping the “reforms” within the bounds necessary to avoid being censured — Congar thus learned how to push the limits of heterodoxy. That is the critical insight of the book Francis cited as inspiration for his push to “create a different church.”
As we can see from the Synod’s first two years, Francis and those leading the Synod have already created a different church, one that no longer resembles the Catholic Church:
Church Identification. The Synod’s Instrumentum Laboris for the October 2023 meeting has 114 references to the “Synodal Church” and 26 references to the “Catholic Church,” most of which are simply to identify the “Eastern Catholic Church.” By giving the “different church” a new name, Francis has made it much simpler for us to discern that the Synodal Church definitely is not the Catholic Church.
Membership. In his 1943 encyclical, Mystici Corporis, Pius XII clearly explained the membership of the Catholic Church:
Quote:“Actually only those are to be included as members of the Church who have been baptized and profess the true faith, and who have not been so unfortunate as to separate themselves from the unity of the Body, or been excluded by legitimate authority for grave faults committed.” (Mystici Corporis, §22)
Conversely, the Synodal Church has a much more amorphous membership, which appears to include all baptized people:
Quote:“[A] synodal Church is founded on the recognition of a common dignity deriving from Baptism, which makes all who receive it sons and daughters of God, members of the family of God, and therefore brothers and sisters in Christ, inhabited by the one Spirit and sent to fulfil a common mission.” (Instrumentum Laboris)
Throughout its documents, the Synod frequently suggests that its membership is synonymous with the People of God:
“Indeed, both synodality and ecumenism are rooted in the baptismal dignity of the entire People of God.” (Instrumentum Laboris)
As Fr. Dominique Bourmaud described in his One Hundred Years of Modernism, it was Congar who helped introduce this concept of the “People of God” in the Vatican II documents:
Quote:“To Congar, friend of Rahner, do we owe the schema of Lumen Gentium, which, with its famous ‘subsistit,’ claims that the separate Churches belong to the Church of Christ — pure heresy. Small wonder if equivocacy of terminology was rampant at the Council. Where the traditional magisterium dealt with the nature of the Church, Congar spoke instead of the mystery of the Church; where Pius XII consecrated the notion of member of the Mystical Body of Christ, Congar inserted Tyrrell’s vague notion of ‘communion of the People of God.’ Why? Because one is or is not a member of a body, but one can be more or less in communion.”
Thus, the Synodal Church does not explicitly reject Catholics, but it includes those who Pius XII (like his predecessors) always excluded from membership in the Catholic Church.
Missionary Spirit. The actual Catholic Church understands its relationship to the world in terms of the mission Our Lord gave it. Leo XIII described this mission in his 1885 encyclical on the Christian Constitution of States, Immortale Dei:
Quote:“For the only-begotten Son of God established on earth a society which is called the Church, and to it He handed over the exalted and divine office which He had received from His Father, to be continued through the ages to come. ‘As the Father hath sent Me, I also send you.’ ‘Behold I am with you all days, even to the consummation of the world.’ Consequently, as Jesus Christ came into the world that men ‘might have life and have it more abundantly,’ so also has the Church for its aim and end the eternal salvation of souls, and hence it is so constituted as to open wide its arms to all mankind, unhampered by any limit of either time or place. ‘Preach ye the Gospel to every creature.’”
The world will hate us for trying to convert souls, but that will remain the Church’s mission until the consummation of the world.
As quoted by Fr. Bourmaud in One Hundred Years of Modernism, Congar rejected the Church’s mission, apparently because it opposed his heretical views:
Quote:“Today nobody can claim that any need to save souls from hell is what accounts for the missions. God saves them without their knowing the Gospel. Otherwise we should all leave for China.” (Fr. Bourmaud cited the following for this quote from Congar: Jean Puyo, Jean Puyo Interroge le Père Congar: Une Vie pour la Vérité (Paris: Centurion, 1975))
Crucially, it appears that Congar could not have expressed this heretical rationale for abandoning proselytism in his True and False Reform of the Church without compromising his unholy undertaking of reforming the Church, so he crafted the thoroughly disingenuous position that trying to convert souls is bad because Catholics may begin to place too much weight on seeing the fruits of their labors:
Quote:“Some time ago I published a study on proselytism and evangelization in which I made a contrast between two attitudes that we can adopt. Using these two terms, we can see how we pursue the success of the institution of which we are ministers (proselytism) rather than seeking the spiritual good of others and their grounding and progress in Christ (evangelization). Looking at our real motives and the spirit of our actions, we perceive sometimes that we have allowed ourselves to be overtaken by enthusiasm and by a preoccupation with what is easy and immediate. So ultimately what we’re looking for, it seems, is converts to our group, numbers in our organizations, growing influence, and the support of influential people.”
So, according to Congar, we should not try to convert souls to the Church because we might be motivated by seeing large numbers of converts. He makes it seem as though Our Lord did not understand human nature when He gave the Church its mission! Congar surely knew how to work wonders with his malicious sophistry, much to the detriment of the Mystical Body of Christ.
Although Francis routinely condemns proselytism, the Instrumentum Laboris does not directly condemn proselytism but instead follows Congar in speaking of the Synodal Church’s missionary spirit in terms of evangelization:
Quote:“As a synodal Church, we are called to discern together the steps we should take to fulfill the mission of evangelization, emphasizing the right of all to participate in the life and mission of the Church and drawing forth the irreplaceable contribution of all the Baptized.”
Obviously there is no reason for the Synodal Church to convert souls to the Catholic Church. Tragically, it will be naive Catholics who are convinced to leave the Catholic Church to follow the Synodal Church.
Movement and Fluidity. The first sentence of Instrumentum Laboris describes the spirit of movement that animates the Synod: “The People of God have been on the move since Pope Francis convened the whole Church in Synod in October 2021.” Similarly, the Synod’s Document for the Continental Stage (DCS) spoke of the movement as a journey:
Quote:“The DCS will be understandable and useful only if it is read with the eyes of the disciple, who recognizes it as a testimony to the path of conversion toward a synodal Church.”
Essentially this “path of conversion” boils down to Catholics transmogrifying into anti-Catholics (like Francis, Cupich, McElroy, Martin, Hollerich, Grech, etc.) without having any suspicion that they have lost the Catholic Faith.
Congar spoke of this same process as one of “becoming”:
Quote:“‘Becoming’ means opening the mind to new dimensions of reality; failing or refusing to do that constitutes a new kind of moral category—a historical fault—a sin against the truth that reality has this dimension of becoming. Further, this is a collective failure, a historical-social failure of responsibility.”
This is one of those statements from Congar that is so ludicrously anti-Catholic that we can truly understand Fr. Bourmaud’s observation that Congar was “like the child who takes a perverse pleasure in destroying.” And yet he was one of the most influential experts at the Council, a Cardinal, and now the inspiration behind Francis’s Synodal Church.
Catholicism, on the other hand, does not involve any evolution of the Faith. Indeed, St. Pius X condemned the following proposition in his 1907 Encyclical Condemning the Errors of the Modernists, Lamentabili Sane:
Quote:“The organic constitution of the Church is not immutable. Like human society, Christian society is subject to a perpetual evolution.”
We see the immutable aspect of the Faith so clearly when we notice that the pre-Vatican II popes could always cite the popes and saints of the Church’s entire history to support their positions. Conversely, today’s “authorities” rarely cite anything other than Vatican II and John Paul II.
Content and Source of Beliefs. Naturally, the distinction between the Catholic Church’s immutable Faith and the Synodal Church’s “becoming” will lead to vastly different beliefs. Congar spelled out the need for those differences in his True and False Reform in the Church:
Quote:“In antiquity, the world was stable and the ideal was to continue a tradition. The church was required to be faithful to itself and it hardly felt any need to pursue new human initiatives. By contrast, we have entered a world of perpetual change, marked by an evolution of events that the world interprets as progress. We have acquired a sense of history that is something other than, and more than, simply knowledge of past events; there is a feeling of progress in the world, of development in human affairs. No longer is the church the framework for the whole of social life; no longer does the church carry the world within itself like a pregnant mother. From now on the world stands before the church as an adult reality, ready to call the church to account. It no longer suffices for the church to verify its fidelity to its own tradition. The church now must face up to questions and criticisms with respect to its relationship to the world, to social values, to progress, and to social developments.”
So we who hold the Catholic Faith remain in the period of “antiquity” described by Congar, which is likely why Francis routinely denounces Traditional Catholics as backwards. Conversely, the “enlightened” followers of Congar are in-sync with the modern world.
Interestingly, Congar spoke of the “synodal principle” as the means by which a church could “respond to the living consensus of the whole body,” which ultimately translates into following the “predilections of the modern world”:
Quote:“This link between church reform and the synodal principle makes sense. It clearly expresses something fundamental. It is a question of linking together an initiative from the base to the action of the authorities, linking support from the bottom to the leadership of the organization. An assembly, whatever form it may take—chapter, synod, council, congress, palavers—is a place of dialogue where a common will can form and be asserted, and where authorities can respond to the living consensus of the whole body.”
Whereas the Catholic Church safeguards the beliefs Our Lord entrusted to it, the Synodal Church discovers its beliefs from the “living consensus of the whole body.” In 2023, that “living consensus of the whole body” prompts the Synodal Church to ask the most enlightened of all questions in its Instrumentum Laboris, such as:
“In the light of the Post- Synodal Apostolic Exhortation Amoris Laetitia, what concrete steps are needed to welcome those who feel excluded from the Church because of their status or sexuality (for example, remarried divorcees, people in polygamous marriages, LGBTQ+ people, etc.)?”
As faithful Catholics, we can respond to this question with some of our own:
- Does anyone other than Satan and anti-Catholics benefit from pretending that the Catholic Church and the Synodal Church are the same?
- Given the fact that the Synodal Church is not the Catholic Church, can Catholics belong to both?
- Can Francis preside over both the Synodal Church and the Catholic Church?
- Can our good shepherds, with good conscience, fail to unequivocally denounce the Synodal Church?
It seems that the answers to each of these questions must be a resounding “no!” We still have good shepherds in the Church who know this. May God grant them the grace to see what is clear and have the courage to act upon it!
Immaculate Heart of Mary, pray for us!
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| China advances EMP weapons, military analysts’ report reveals |
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Posted by: Stone - 09-07-2023, 10:23 AM - Forum: Global News
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China advances EMP weapons, military analysts’ report reveals
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Washington Times [slightly adapted] | September 6, 2023
Chinese military researchers have made significant advances in developing and testing strategic electromagnetic pulse, or EMP, weapons that can disable electronics on U.S. warplanes and even entire military bases, according to a report by three open-source intelligence analysts.
Electronic controls for U.S. critical infrastructure, including the electric grid, could also be vulnerable to Chinese EMP arms, resulting in catastrophic losses, according to a new report on the threat.
“China‘s rapid advancements in the field of EMP weaponry have emerged as a significant concern for the strategic landscape of global security, particularly concerning the vulnerabilities of U.S. military and civilian operations,” the report states.
The report, “There’s Darkness in the Distance: The Rising Threat of China‘s EMP Weapons to U.S. Defenses and Critical Infrastructure,” was published Wednesday by military and intelligence analysts L.J. Eads, Ryan Clarke and Xiaoxu Sean Lin. The three researchers specialize in studying Chinese military and arms programs as part of a program called the Chinese Communist Party BioThreats Initiative.
An electromagnetic pulse is radiating energy first discovered during nuclear detonations. The pulses can destroy or damage electronic systems over wide areas.
According to the report, a 2020 military report states that China has a device called a high-powered magnetic pulse compressor that generates strong EMP pulses that can damage sensitive electronics.
The device poses “a considerable threat to intelligent military equipment,” the report said. A photo of the device was published in the report.
A weaponized EMP machine like the compressor could disable electronic equipment, neutralize defense systems and cripple communications. China could also employ EMP attacks against Taiwan in the first stage of a military assault against the island, the report said.
A second Chinese military research report, also from 2020, reveals that Beijing destroyed micro inertial sensors that are used in advanced weapons and civilian systems that employ micro-electromechanical systems, or MEMS — tiny microchips that help power a large number of smart devices. The study showed that a pulse of 780 volts and a pulse amplitude of 4.23 amperes was able to burn the sensor microchip components.
“This threshold indicates the sensor’s vulnerability to electromagnetic pulses in warfare scenarios,” the report said.
The EMP weapon could destroy multiple systems on the Pentagon’s F-35 and F-22 jets, as well as the coming B-21 strategic bomber. All those rely on MEMS technology, including navigation systems, weapons systems and flight safety systems.
The radar systems on the warplanes could also be attacked by Chinese EMP weaponry, the report said.
The report also revealed China‘s development of a mobile, suitcase-sized directed energy weapon. The microwave active denial system was developed by the Chinese firm CETC International Co. Ltd. CETC was among the companies sanctioned by the Biden administration for its support of the Chinese military’s balloon surveillance program.
China could use its balloon fleet in the future to conduct strategic EMP attacks against the United States, “severely compromising the nation’s critical infrastructures and defense readiness,” the report warned. The electronic denial system can be deployed to disrupt military systems by jamming or disabling critical communications used in coordinating with allies, and also take down electronic surveillance and security systems at military bases prior to commando operations.
For civilian targeting, the electronic denial system can be used to disable vital infrastructure networks, “including power grids, transportation hubs, and communication networks,” the report said.
The electronic denial system could also be used as part of what the report calls China’s “neurostrike” weaponry — brain warfare attacks on people and entire populations. The authors of the paper stated in an earlier study that China‘s military is a global leader in developing brain warfare technology.
A review of China’s patent applications globally shows Beijing has filed large numbers of patent applications for high-power pulsed power sources, and high-power microwave source technologies.
International airfields, both military and civilian, are critical transportation nodes and are vulnerable to EMP attacks. Small weapons like China’s microwave active denial system thus pose a significant potential threat.
“An EMP attack targeting an airfield could create cascading effects that extend far beyond the immediate vicinity,” the report said.
Among the targets of EMP weapons are air traffic control systems, instrument landing and navigation systems and communications systems.
Critical infrastructure vulnerabilities also make EMP attacks on electric grids and communications networks attractive targets in a conflict. Power plants, substations and high-voltage lines could be hit with EMP and cause widespread blackouts. Electronic systems that control the electric grid are also vulnerable to EMP, which could cause overloads and produce equipment failures.
Cell towers, data centers and satellites can also be attacked electronically, causing massive disruptions.
Transportation networks are vulnerable as well. An EMP strike could disrupt rail traffic, airline communications and road traffic controls. EMP attacks also could cause financial damage, through attacks on the stock market or ATM machines.
“The potential devastation of an EMP attack on U.S. critical infrastructure is profound,” the report said. “The intertwined nature of these systems means that the failure of one could cascade to others.”
China is also developing EMP countermeasures, an indication that the military thinks the use of electromagnetic weapons will be an element of future warfare.
The report urges the military and the U.S. government to rapidly develop strategies and countermeasures to meet the Chinese EMP threat.
“In essence, while the EMP threat looms large, a combination of advanced materials science, innovative circuitry, and exhaustive intelligence efforts can fortify the U.S.’s defenses, ensuring continued operational capability even in the face of EMP adversity,” the report stated.
Robert McCreight, a former special operations officer and former State Department treaty negotiator, said the report reveals continuing challenges along the electromagnetic spectrum.
“This is a threat that the U.S. government urgently needs to address,” he told Inside the Ring.
New U.S. Army center to study ground forces in Asia
The Army recently announced plans for a new China Landpower Studies Center at the Army War College in Carlisle Barracks, Pennsylvania. The center is unusual in that most research and planning for conflict with China has focused solely on nonterritorial war-fighting domains, mainly Navy and Air Force forces.
The new Army center will be similar to other niche military study centers at institutions such as the National Defense University, Air University and the Naval War College.
The new Army center will study the People’s Liberation Army and ground forces that form the core of the military’s efforts to build joint war-fighting power. The center will also study Chinese national policy and strategy and help Army leaders to better understand what is now viewed as America’s main adversary.
A land war with China was not a subject for U.S. military study in the past, and the new center is expected to further complicate Chinese military calculations regarding a future invasion of Taiwan.
The PLA must now factor in that any military assault on the island democracy will not be limited to naval and air counterattacks by U.S. forces. Now, the Army could play a major role in flowing ground forces to the island.
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