My personal opposition to “From Conflict to Communion:
Lutheran-Catholic Commemoration of the Reformation” will read like a rant to
many. Hopefully a few others out there
will agree and perhaps some Catholic clergy out there can correct me if they
feel I’ve gotten something wrong here. I
welcome the comments of all, whether we agree, I would still really like to
hear other opinions.
Now I know my non-Catholic
friends (yes, I do have them) are going to hate what I have to say, but I am speaking as the Catholic
I am about my faith and views on how my Catholic faith is operating in today’s
world. So if you don’t like it, don’t
read it. I have no intentions of shutting my mouth for fear of offending anyone
with my Catholic faith.
OK, ready for my rant?
The Reformation is a great day of celebration (yes it is a
CELEBRATION, not merely a “commemoration” in the Lutheran denomination – the Bishops
can play word games all they want, they are not fooling anyone, certainly not
God) for many protestant denominations- especially the Lutheran’s who view
Luther as the savior of Christianity (not Christians- there is a difference)
from the evils of the Catholic Church and Her popes. Luther HATED the Catholic Church AND her
teachings and the Sacraments. This is
clear from his own writings…
Martin Luther’s letter to Pope Leo X (in part)
Luther writes: “Your see, however, which is called the
Court of Rome, and which neither you nor any man can deny to be more corrupt than any Babylon
or Sodom, and quite, as I believe, of
a lost, desperate, and hopeless impiety, this I have verily abominated, and
have felt indignant that the people of Christ should be cheated under your name
and the pretext of the Church of Rome; and so I have resisted, and will resist,
as long as the spirit of faith shall live in me. Not that I am striving after
impossibilities, or hoping that by my labours alone, against the furious
opposition of so many flatterers, any good can be done in that most disordered Babylon; but that I feel myself a debtor to my
brethren, and am bound to take thought for them, that fewer of them may be
ruined, or that their ruin may be less complete, by the plagues of Rome. For
many years now, nothing else has overflowed from Rome into the world--as you
are not ignorant--than the laying waste of goods, of bodies, and of souls, and
the worst examples of all the worst things. These things are clearer than the
light to all men; and the Church of
Rome, formerly the most holy of all Churches, has become the most lawless den
of thieves, the most shameless of all brothels, the very kingdom of sin, death,
and hell; so that not even antichrist, if he were to come, could devise
any addition to its wickedness.” [Wittenberg, 6th September, 1520] –
Link: http://www.iclnet.org/pub/resources/text/wittenberg/luther/web/cclib-1.html
How does the Lutheran
denomination TODAY view the Reformation?
Let’s see…
“God's Reformation of His Church through
Martin Luther began as a rediscovery of the main teaching of Christianity, that
we are declared righteous (justified) by faith in the cross of Jesus Christ. It
is not our righteousness (created by our works, efforts, and obeying God's
laws) that saves us; Christ's righteousness saves us. And His righteousness is
credited to our account when we believe that He died for us.
Put
very simply, Luther's Reformation was a matter of taking this rediscovered
Gospel, showing that it was Scriptural, and then reforming the Church by
it. Whatever in the Church was found to contradict this Gospel of salvation
by grace through faith was to be reformed. Anything else (if it edified) could
be retained.Luther's
Reformation was concerned with essentials, with the very heart of Christianity.
It is for this reason that it swept through Europe and had such amazing
results. Without this Reformation,
there would have been no salvation, for the Gospel would have remained largely
hidden. When we celebrate the Reformation, we are celebrating this
rediscovered Gospel that we believe in; and we are celebrating our salvation
through Jesus Christ.” [End quote]
Really? The Catholic Church was HIDING the Gospel and
it was all up to Luther to bring salvation to the world?? That’s what Lutheran’s are taught and
believe. This is why “Reformation Day”
is a HUGE celebration in this denomination.
Luther brought back salvation to them? *not!* But that is their
belief. So the Catholic Bishops can play with words saying "its not a celebration", but it IS a celebration, it has been for nearly 500 years! WAKE UP CATHOLICS! You're being deceived!
Now
how does (or did until now) the Catholic Church view the Protestant
Reformation? As a HERESY.
Quote: “Protestant groups display a wide variety of
different doctrines. However, virtually all claim to believe in the teachings
of sola scriptura ("by Scripture alone"—the idea
that we must use only the Bible when forming our theology) and sola
fide ("by faith alone"— the idea that we are justified by
faith only). The great diversity of Protestant
doctrines stems from the doctrine of private judgment, which denies the
infallible authority of the Church and claims that each individual is to
interpret Scripture for himself. This idea is rejected in 2 Peter 1:20, where
we are told the first rule of Bible interpretation: "First of all you must
understand this, that no prophecy of Scripture is a matter of one’s own
interpretation." A significant feature of this heresy is the attempt to
pit the Church "against" the Bible, denying that the magisterium has
any infallible authority to teach and interpret Scripture. The doctrine of private judgment
has resulted in an enormous number of different denominations. According to The
Christian Sourcebook, there are approximately 20-30,000 denominations,
with 270 new ones being formed each year. Virtually all of these are
Protestant.” [End quote]
Source: http://www.catholic.com/tracts/the-great-heresies
According
to Catholic Church teaching & documents the Protestant Reformation is a HERESY!
 |
| Martin Luther burning Pope Leo X's Papal Bull |
Now
WHY should ANY Catholic want to “commemorate” a HERESY?
Do Catholics commemorate Gnosticism?
How about Arianism? NO!
We do not, for good reason! Our Church council’s sorted this all out
long, long ago but sadly it seems TODAY’s Catholic clergy are either IGNORANT
of these facts or flat out ignoring them to the detriment of Christ’s Holy
Catholic Church.
HOW
can a Catholic bishop ignore what the Church says about ANYONE who denies the
Sacraments or rejects any of the Teachings of the Church?
“LET
HIM BE ANATHEMA!” cries the Church!
Do
the bishops know what “anathema” means? Or WHO the Church calls “anathema”?
From:
THE COUNCIL OF TRENT
|
Session VII - Celebrated on the
third day of March 1547, under Pope Paul III
|
Canon 1. If anyone says
that the sacraments of the New Law were not all instituted by our Lord Jesus
Christ, or that there are more or less than seven, namely, baptism,
confirmation, Eucharist, penance, extreme unction, order and matrimony,[1] or
that any one of these seven is not truly and intrinsically a sacrament, let
him be anathema.
Canon 2. If anyone says
that these sacraments of the New Law do not differ from the sacraments of the
Old Law, except that the ceremonies are different and the external rites are
different, let him be anathema.
Canon 3. If anyone says
that these seven sacraments are so equal to each other that one is not for any
reason more excellent than the other, let him be anathema.
Canon 4. If anyone says
that the sacraments of the New Law are not necessary for salvation but are
superfluous, and that without them or without the desire of them men obtain
from God through faith alone the grace of justification,[2] though all are not
necessary for each one, let him be anathema.
Canon 5. If anyone says
that these sacraments have been instituted for the nourishment of faith alone, let
him be anathema.
Canon 6. If anyone says
that the sacraments of the New Law do not contain the grace which they signify,
or that they do not confer that grace on those who place no obstacles in its
way,[3] as though they were only outward signs of grace or justice received
through faith and certain marks of Christian profession, whereby among men
believers are distinguished from unbelievers, let him be anathema.
Canon 7. If anyone says
that grace, so far as God's part is concerned, is not impaired through the
sacraments always and to all men even if they receive them rightly, but only
sometimes and to some persons, let him be anathema.
Canon 8. If anyone says
that by the sacraments of the New Law grace is not conferred ex opere operato,
but that faith alone in the divine promise is sufficient to obtain grace, let
him be anathema.
Canon 9. If anyone says
that in three sacraments, namely, baptism, confirmation and order, there is not
imprinted on the soul a character, that is, a certain spiritual and indelible
mark, by reason of which they cannot be repeated,[4] let him be anathema.
Canon 10. If anyone says
that all Christians have the power to administer the word and all the
sacraments,[5] let him be anathema.
Canon 11. If anyone says
that in ministers, when they effect and confer the sacraments, there is not
required at least the intention of doing what the Church does,[6] let him be
anathema.
Canon 12. If anyone says
that a minister who is in mortal sin, though he observes all the essentials
that pertain to the effecting or conferring of a sacrament,[7] neither effects
nor confers a sacrament, let him be anathema.
Canon 13. If anyone says
that the received and approved rites of the Catholic Church, accustomed to be used
in the administration of the sacraments, may be despised or omitted by the
ministers without sin and at their pleasure, or may be changed by any pastor of
the churches to other new ones, let him be anathema.
HOW
can a Catholic bishop ignore what the Church says about ANYONE who denies the
Sacraments or rejects any of the Teachings of the Church?
I’m not a Catholic clergy, but I know what “anathema” means
and what the Council of Trent says, so why don’t the Catholic Bishops and
Cardinals know this too?
My opinion is
they DO know it, they just REJECT it. Unfortunately,
I see many (not all) in the Catholic Church today as more concerned with the
WORLD, than with the mission Christ left His Church and the work Jesus left for
His priesthood. Preaching the Gospel
message and bringing salvation to the lost with the Sacraments through Christ’s
Holy Catholic Church. THAT should be
FIRST and foremost ALWAYS.
Dictionary: “Anathema”anathema [əˈnæθəmÉ™]n pl -mas 1. a detested person or thing he is anathema to me2. (Christianity / Ecclesiastical Terms) a formal
ecclesiastical curse of excommunication or a formal denunciation of a doctrine3. (Christianity / Ecclesiastical Terms) the
person or thing so cursed4. a strong curse; imprecation
[via Church Latin from Greek: something accursed, dedicated
(to evil), from anatithenai
to dedicate, from ana- + tithenai
to set]
Does the Church simply toss out what previous Council’s have
to say on such matters? How about Papal
Bulls? Do Papal Bulls expire from one
generation to the next?
Is Luther and
those who follow Luther’s teachings no longer viewed as “anathema” by the
Church? Was there a new Papal Bull for
this that I missed? Was it in the fine
print of Vatican II? How about Pope Leo
X’s Papal Bull against Martin Luther AND all those who followed Luther? Is that history now too?
Quote,
in part, Pope Leo X states:
“With the advice and consent of these
our venerable brothers, with mature deliberation on each and every one of the
above theses, and by the authority of almighty God, the blessed Apostles Peter
and Paul, and our own authority, we condemn, reprobate, and reject completely each of these theses or errors as
either heretical, scandalous, false, offensive to pious ears or seductive of
simple minds, and against Catholic
truth. By listing them, we decree and declare that all the faithful of
both sexes must regard them as
condemned, reprobated, and rejected….We restrain all in the virtue of
holy obedience and under the penalty of an automatic major excommunication....
Moreover, because the preceding
errors and many others are contained in the books or writings of Martin Luther,
we likewise condemn, reprobate, and reject completely the books and all the
writings and sermons of the said Martin, whether in Latin or any other
language, containing the said errors or any one of them; and we wish them to be
regarded as utterly condemned, reprobated, and rejected. We forbid each and
every one of the faithful of either sex, in virtue of holy obedience and under
the above penalties to be incurred automatically, to read, assert, preach,
praise, print, publish, or defend them. They will incur these penalties
if they presume to uphold them in any way, personally or through another or
others, directly or indirectly, tacitly or explicitly, publicly or occultly,
either in their own homes or in other public or private places.
Indeed immediately after the publication of this letter these works,
wherever they may be, shall be sought out carefully by the ordinaries and
others [ecclesiastics and regulars], and under
each and every one of the above penalties shall be burned publicly and
solemnly in the presence of the clerics and people.As far as Martin himself is concerned, O good God, what have we overlooked
or not done? What fatherly charity have we omitted that we might call him back
from such errors? For after we had cited him, wishing to deal more kindly with
him, we urged him through various conferences with our legate and through our
personal letters to abandon these errors. We have even offered him safe conduct
and the money necessary for the journey urging him to come without fear or any
misgivings, which perfect charity should cast out, and to talk not secretly but
openly and face to face after the example of our Savior and the Apostle Paul.
If he had done this, we are certain he would have changed in heart, and he
would have recognized his errors. He would not have found all these errors in
the Roman Curia which he attacks so viciously, ascribing to it more than he
should because of the empty rumors of wicked men. We would have shown him
clearer than the light of day that the Roman pontiffs, our predecessors, whom
he injuriously attacks beyond all decency, never erred in their canons or
constitutions which he tries to assail. For, according to the prophet, neither
is healing oil nor the doctor lacking in Galaad.
But he always refused to listen
and, despising the previous citation and each and every one of the above
overtures, disdained to come. To the present day he has been contumacious. With
a hardened spirit he has continued under censure over a year.
What is worse, adding evil to evil, and on learning of the citation, he
broke forth in a rash appeal to a future council. This to be sure was contrary
to the constitution of Pius II and Julius II our predecessors that all
appealing in this way are to be punished with the penalties of heretics. In
vain does he implore the help of a council, since he openly admits that he does
not believe in a council.
Therefore we can, without any further citation or delay, proceed against him to his condemnation and damnation as one whose
faith is notoriously suspect and in fact a true heretic with the full severity
of each and all of the above penalties and censures.
Yet, with the advice of our brothers, imitating the mercy of almighty God
who does not wish the death of a sinner but rather that he be converted and
live, and forgetting all the injuries inflicted on us and the Apostolic See, we
have decided to use all the compassion we are capable of. It is our hope, so
far as in us lies, that he will experience a change of heart by taking the road
of mildness we have proposed, return, and turn away from his errors. We will
receive him kindly as the prodigal son returning to the embrace of the Church.Therefore let Martin himself and
all those adhering to him, and those who shelter and support him,
through the merciful heart of our God and the sprinkling of the blood of our
Lord Jesus Christ by which and through whom the redemption of the human race
and the upbuilding of holy mother Church was accomplished, know that from our
heart we exhort and beseech that he cease to disturb the peace, unity, and
truth of the Church for which the Savior prayed so earnestly to the Father. Let
him abstain from his pernicious errors that he may come back to us. If they
really will obey, and certify to us by legal documents that they have obeyed,
they will find in us the affection of a father's love, the opening of the font
of the effects of paternal charity, and opening of the font of mercy and
clemency.
We enjoin, however, on Martin that in the meantime he cease from all
preaching or the office of preacher..." [end Papal Bull June 15, 1520 by Pope Leo X]
Did you see that part about “under the penalty of an
automatic excommunication” for those who accept ANYTHING Luther wrote, taught
or said?
Martin Luther was a heretic, who founded a heresy that
divided Christ’s Holy Catholic Church and caused unknown numbers of people to
be LOST and fall into damnation.
Why would ANYONE, especially a Catholic want to “commemorate”
a heretic and his heresy?
Does “commemorating” heresies bring about salvation when the
heresy denies Jesus Christ’s Church and Jesus Christ’s Sacraments? NO!
Catholic Catechism:
1400 Ecclesial
communities derived from the Reformation and separated from the Catholic Church,
“have not preserved the proper reality of the Eucharistic mystery in its
fullness, especially because of the absence of the sacrament of Holy Orders.”239 It is for this reason that, for the Catholic
Church, Eucharistic intercommunion with these communities is not possible.
However these ecclesial communities, “when they commemorate the Lord’s death and
resurrection in the Holy Supper... profess that it signifies life in communion
with Christ and await his coming in glory.”240 (1536)
406 The Church’s
teaching on the transmission of original sin was articulated more precisely in
the fifth century, especially under the impulse of St. Augustine’s reflections
against Pelagianism, and in the sixteenth century, in opposition to the
Protestant Reformation. Pelagius held that man could, by the natural power of
free will and without the necessary help of God’s grace, lead a morally good
life; he thus reduced the influence of Adam’s fault to bad example. The first
Protestant reformers, on the contrary, taught that original sin has radically
perverted man and destroyed his freedom; they identified the sin inherited by
each man with the tendency to evil (concupiscentia), which would be
insurmountable. The Church pronounced on the meaning of the data of Revelation
on original sin especially at the second Council of Orange (529)296 and at the Council of Trent (1546).297
What this “commemoration” will do, is what so many ecumenical
gatherings have done for decades… water’s down the True Faith (so as to not offend
anyone), causes confusion (among Catholics more than anyone because they think
these gathers put a “stamp” of Catholic approval on another belief system) and
is a stumbling block for many who MIGHT be looking to the Church for guidance
only to be led away by “commemorating” heresies as if they were something
good.
Heresy is NOT good- HERESY IS
EVIL. We should NEVER commemorate or
celebrate evil.
This “From Conflict to Communion” is nothing but a holiday
for the devil himself.
This is why (in my opinion) we NEED, DESPERATLY NEED a Vatican III to put a STOP to these things
once and for all!
Anyone agree or disagree with what was printed here? Let me hear it.
In Christ,
Julie @ Connecticut Catholic Corner
God bless and forgive us all...
