In the Gospel today, John the Baptist reproached the leaders of the Jewish people, the Pharisees and Sadducees, calling them to repentance saying, "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand."
In every generation, there are different philosophies, world views, and heresies that come up in the Church. On the surface they seem attractive, especially since they are less demanding. Today, some leaders of the Church need to come to repentance for promoting the heresy of modernism.
Modernism is basing one’s religion on one’s emotions and feelings and so their beliefs are constantly changing; modernism falsely supposes dogmas can be changed by novel ideas, according to the times. Modernism therefore rejects objective truths. Something that has always been true, cannot someday be not true. Modernists want to change doctrine, but doctrine can never be changed because it comes to us from Jesus and the Apostles, through the Bible and Sacred Tradition. Divine revelation is unchanging and will be passed on until Christ comes again. The fullness of revelation of God is found in Jesus Christ, the way, the truth and the life.
Pope St. Pius X said, "It is an error to believe that Christ did not teach a determined body of doctrine applicable to all times and all men, but rather inaugurated a religious movement adapted or to be adapted to different times and places."
Here are some modernist ideas of today: In the history of the Church, women have never been ordained deacons or priests. A modernist wants to make it happen. However, in 1994, Saint Pope John Paul II said, "it is impossible for women to be ordained Catholic priests, since the decision to ordain only men came from Christ Himself". Pope John Paul II concluded the Church's law prohibiting women's ordination can never be changed. In fact, if a priest participates in a woman's ordination, he could be excommunicated, which is what happened to Fr. Roy Bourgeois in 2008.
Bishop Athanasius Schneider said, “An example of how modernism affects us today, is that some think the Catholic doctrine of homosexuality must change. The Church has always taught homosexual acts are intrinsically in themselves evil. There are some today, who think homosexuality can now be viewed positively, but this is false. Truth does not change.”
Modernists reinterpret scripture to mean something that it has never meant before. For example, a modernist no longer believes in the miracles of Jesus. A modernist would say Jesus never really multiplied loaves and fish. Rather, the people just shared their food. But the Church's teaching is that Jesus worked a real miracle multiplying loaves and fish. St. Cyril of Alexandria (376 to 444) explains what Christians have always believed. He said, “The feeding of the multitudes in the desert by Christ is worthy of all admiration. But it is also profitable in another way. We can plainly see that these new miracles are in harmony with those of ancient times.”
Some modernists say, Jesus never worked the miracle of multiplying the loaves and fish. But why is it that God multiplied food through saints such as St. Anthony of Padua, St. Dominic, St. Clare, Blessed Father Solanus Casey, etc.. It would be ridiculous to say Jesus didn't work miracles, but saints can.
A modernist places abortion on the same moral equivalence as the death penalty, immigration and global warming. But, abortion causes millions of deaths every year. Whereas combining deaths by the death penalty, immigration and global warming is minutely small.
Scripture and tradition as well as the Church's magisterium has always said a person in the state of mortal sin, may not receive Holy Communion. But a modernist thinks it is no longer sinful to receive Jesus in Holy Communion sacrilegiously because times have changed.
So, how do we combat modernism and all heresies All heresies can be destroyed by the Holy Rosary, including modernism. By meditating on the life of Jesus and His supernatural power over created things, it helps prove the divine origin of the Christian religion. This is one of the reasons why we should meditate on the miracles of Jesus.
While praying the Rosary, we gaze upon the Joyful, Luminous, Sorrowful, and Glorious mysteries. But we can also meditate on His miracles, by praying the Rosary of Miracles: Jesus healing of the paralytic, multiplying the fish and loaves, walking on water, freeing the possessed, raising of Lazarus from the dead.
When we pray Hail Marys and meditate on the mysteries of the Rosary, our soul is touched by grace and truth, and truth sets us free. When we gaze upon the mysteries of the Rosary, we contemplate unchanging truths. Truths that bring about our salvation, based on Jesus, who is the Truth. Meditation on the truths of our faith can touch our intellect and our soul with objective supernatural knowledge, which is unchanging.
St. Cyril of Jersualem said, “In learning and professing the faith, you must accept and retain only the Church’s present tradition, confirmed as it is by the Scriptures... For even if we, or an angel from heaven, should preach to you a gospel contrary to that which you have now received, let him be accursed in your sight. That is why, my brothers, you must consider and preserve the traditions you are now receiving. Inscribe them across your heart. Observe them scrupulously, so that no enemy may rob any of you in an idle and heedless moment; let no heretic deprive you of what has been given to you. Faith is rather like depositing in a bank the money entrusted to you, and God will surely demand an account of what you have deposited. In the words of the Apostle: I charge you before the God who gives life to all things, and before Christ who bore witness under Pontius Pilate in a splendid declaration, to keep unblemished this faith you have received, until the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. You have now been given life’s great treasure; when he comes the Lord will ask for what he has entrusted to you.”
My friends, if you pray the Rosary everyday, you won’t be swayed by changing times and heresies, because you are firmly grounded in Jesus. By the regularly praying the Rosary and meditating on the life and events of Jesus and Mary, we remain faithful to revelations given to us by God, and so, we are standing on rock, the Church, and will be safe.
If you want to help others to remain firm on the foundation on the Church, rather than novel ideas that change with the time, introduce the Rosary to them. Tell them, how through the Rosary, Jesus and His teachings will help them stay strong in their faith.
We know when we pray the Rosary, the Blessed Virgin Mary prays for us. She will help us to remain firm in our faith and keep us close to Jesus and His truths revealed to us.
Make your Advent special by daily praying the Rosary, including the Rosary of Miracles.
