I'm throwing this out there for consideration. Some pretty scandalous things have been done at Assisi in the name of peace. And granted, not just there but in a lot of places as we see the evangelical fervor of the Faith gradually diluted into some sort of weird humanism. This is a far cry from Pope Pius XI's teaching in Quas Primas:
When once men recognize, both in private and in public life, that Christ is King, society will at last receive the great blessings of real liberty, well-ordered discipline, peace and harmony.
So we need the recognition of Christ as King if we're going to have any sort of peace. I have no idea how the Assisi meetings encourage this, but that's not the point. The point is Pope Benedict's recent comments that resonate much more closely along these lines:
The Holy Father dedicated his remarks to three themes the Commission has been examining in recent years, turning first to consider the question of God and the understanding of monotheism. Benedict XVI recalled how "behind the Christian profession of faith in the one God lies the daily profession of faith of the People of Israel". However, with the incarnation of Jesus Christ, "the monotheism of the one God came to be illuminated with a completely new light: the light of the Trinity, a mystery which also illuminates brotherhood among men". For this reason theology "can help believers to become aware of and bear witness to the fact that Trinitarian monotheism shows us the true face of God, ... and is the source of personal and universal peace".
This is refreshing stuff. The Holy Father doesn't just stick with monotheism, which is an unfortunate habit by some ecumenists. He is clear that Judaism and Islam don't count. It's the Trinity that does, along with the Incarnation. This is where the true peace is. Given that he was talking about the nature of Catholic theology, it's also clear that we are talking about Catholicism rather than whatever Mike Murdock might be espousing.
That's all very good to hear, as it calls the Church back to Her mandate to evangelize. Evangelization is the path to peace. Or to take The Master's word for it:
[H]e that gathereth not with me, scattereth.
Luke 11:23
If I can give the Pope one more bit of props (yo) here, I should mention his hat tip to an idea he talked about in Caritas in Veritate:
"The Church's social commitment is not a merely human activity", Benedict XVI explained, "nor is just a social theory. The transformation of society by Christians over the centuries has been a response to the coming of the Son of God into the world. ... The disciples of Christ the Redeemer know that no human community can live in peace without concern for others, forgiveness, and love even for one's enemies. ... In our indispensable collaboration for the common good, even with those who do not share our faith, we must explain the true and profound religious motivations for out social commitment. ... People who have understood the foundation of Christian social activity may also find therein a stimulus to consider faith in Jesus Christ".
In other words, all this charity stuff that people do doesn't matter if it isn't being done with the Truth in mind. Taking care of temporal needs for the poor doesn't mean anything if the condition of their souls is neglected. It's another call for converting the masses. I wonder if the liberation theologians will bother to listen.
2 comments:
Oh dear heart. The Anglican church would ascribe to this trinitarian teaching. It is the proclamation of Christ the King they will not endorse, because it means the restoration of the Church He founded. And our Holy Father has signed off, at VII, the enthusiastic endorsement, the glowing endorsement, of secularism, of the secular state which puts mankind at the center of the state, not Christ. And he continues to do so. He continually praises US democracy, our faux democracy, our devilish state, our corruption. Our pope uncrowned Him then and continues to put Him second now. I am thinking of his welcome to the last diplomat from the US to the Vatican, who was an Obama supporter, in money and in Catholic votes delivered. These words are empty words to him. He represents us, as he did at Assisi, as 'Christian' and lumps us in with the rebels who first uncrowned Christ.
First, thank you for reading and taking the time to comment.
On the rest. I think you are overstating the case of Anglicanism.
I don't pretend to understand the circumstances that Pope Benedict is acting under. I will say that I can't see him lumping us in with the rebels as you put it. He took a lot of heat for Anglicanorum Coetibus. That might have been the most unecumenical thing a pope has done in about 40 years.
When I look at the current Holy Father, I see a guy surrounded by enemies, including those closest to him. He doesn't strike me as someone with the serpentine shrewdness advised by the Master in dealing with such people. That puts us all in a bad situation, and so I trust in Providence that all will be well.
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