Yesterday, 08:46 AM
PART SECOND.
I. Can the Church ever need Reformation?
— Dear reader, however strong and healthy you are, you may occasionally be subject to some derangement, which, not the least affecting the soundness of your constitution, will make it necessary that you should purify your blood, and have recourse to some medicine. That these remedies may attain their desired effect, they must be administered with knowledge and prudence. Place yourself in the hand of doctors established for this purpose, and have no recourse to charlatans or quacks, who will endanger your health and perhaps send you to the graveyard.
Thus the Church also, divine though she be, may need reforms. The Church is the society of the disciples of Jesus Christ. He has promised to be with his Church unto the end of the world, to preserve in her true faith, and true morality. By the assistance of Our Lord the Church is therefore infallible and holy.
But the Church is composed of men. Popes, bishops, and priests are men. In spite of the intrinsic sanctity of their ministry, they are subject to the imperfections and weakness of human nature. We can then well understand in what sense the Church has needed and will always need reforms. There will never be any need of rectifying the teachings of her faith, divine as it is and infallible. She will never need to reform her morality, which is holy, nor change her sacraments, through which she sanctifies man. But she constantly needs to recall to a sense of their duty those among her children, and even her ministers, who, being but fallible, may prevaricate or disregard the observance of her laws.
For eighteen hundred years Popes and Councils and Synods have indefatigably labored to reform what may become relaxed from time to time in matters of discipline. Such was eminently the work of the Council of Trent, which has definitively reformed the Church.
It was a great mistake of Luther and his associates to mix up, in this question, the essence with the form, what is divine and unchangeable with what is human and susceptible of changes. They have taken into their heads to reform the dogma, the rule of faith, and the principles of morality. Instead of a true reformation they have only begotten a disastrous rebellion, which has deformed and upset everything.
They were quacks, no physicians. Under pretext of drawing a decayed tooth they have broken the jaw. Instead of purging the system they have poisoned it.
I. Can the Church ever need Reformation?
— Dear reader, however strong and healthy you are, you may occasionally be subject to some derangement, which, not the least affecting the soundness of your constitution, will make it necessary that you should purify your blood, and have recourse to some medicine. That these remedies may attain their desired effect, they must be administered with knowledge and prudence. Place yourself in the hand of doctors established for this purpose, and have no recourse to charlatans or quacks, who will endanger your health and perhaps send you to the graveyard.
Thus the Church also, divine though she be, may need reforms. The Church is the society of the disciples of Jesus Christ. He has promised to be with his Church unto the end of the world, to preserve in her true faith, and true morality. By the assistance of Our Lord the Church is therefore infallible and holy.
But the Church is composed of men. Popes, bishops, and priests are men. In spite of the intrinsic sanctity of their ministry, they are subject to the imperfections and weakness of human nature. We can then well understand in what sense the Church has needed and will always need reforms. There will never be any need of rectifying the teachings of her faith, divine as it is and infallible. She will never need to reform her morality, which is holy, nor change her sacraments, through which she sanctifies man. But she constantly needs to recall to a sense of their duty those among her children, and even her ministers, who, being but fallible, may prevaricate or disregard the observance of her laws.
For eighteen hundred years Popes and Councils and Synods have indefatigably labored to reform what may become relaxed from time to time in matters of discipline. Such was eminently the work of the Council of Trent, which has definitively reformed the Church.
It was a great mistake of Luther and his associates to mix up, in this question, the essence with the form, what is divine and unchangeable with what is human and susceptible of changes. They have taken into their heads to reform the dogma, the rule of faith, and the principles of morality. Instead of a true reformation they have only begotten a disastrous rebellion, which has deformed and upset everything.
They were quacks, no physicians. Under pretext of drawing a decayed tooth they have broken the jaw. Instead of purging the system they have poisoned it.
"So let us be confident, let us not be unprepared, let us not be outflanked, let us be wise, vigilant, fighting against those who are trying to tear the faith out of our souls and morality out of our hearts, so that we may remain Catholics, remain united to the Blessed Virgin Mary, remain united to the Roman Catholic Church, remain faithful children of the Church."- Abp. Lefebvre