Catholic Basics Section

Sacrilege

"...sacrilege...is [a] great sin, because it is an abuse of a sacred thing." (Baltimore Catechism)

"A person sins by sacrilege when he mistreats sacred persons, places, or things." (Baltimore Catechism)

"A sacrilege is the profanation of a place, of a person, or of a thing consecrated to God and set apart for his worship." (Catechism of Pope St. Pius X) 

"Can. 2325 Whoever excites superstition or perpetrates a sacrilege is to be punished by the Ordinary according to the gravity of the fault, with due regard for the penalties established by law against such superstitious or sacrilegious acts." (1917 Code of Canon Law)

"[T]he sin of sacrilege consists in the irreverent treatment of a sacred thing. Now reverence is due to a sacred thing by reason of its holiness: and consequently the species of sacrilege must needs be distinguished according to the different aspects of sanctity in the sacred things which are treated irreverently: for the greater the holiness ascribed to the sacred thing that is sinned against, the more grievous the sacrilege. Now holiness is ascribed, not only to sacred persons, namely, those who are consecrated to the divine worship, but also to sacred places and to certain other sacred things. And the holiness of a place is directed to the holiness of man, who worships God in a holy place. For it is written (2 Maccabees 5:19): 'God did not choose the people for the place's sake, but the place for the people's sake.' Hence sacrilege committed against a sacred person is a graver sin than that which is committed against a sacred place. Yet in either species there are various degrees of sacrilege, according to differences of sacred persons and places. In like manner the third species of sacrilege, which is committed against other sacred things, has various degrees, according to the differences of sacred things. Among these the highest place belongs to the sacraments whereby man is sanctified: chief of which is the sacrament of the Eucharist, for it contains Christ Himself. Wherefore the sacrilege that is committed against this sacrament is the gravest of all. The second place, after the sacraments, belongs to the vessels consecrated for the administration of the sacraments; also sacred images, and the relics of the saints, wherein the very persons of the saints, so to speak, are reverenced and honored. After these come things connected with the apparel of the Church and its ministers; and those things, whether movable or immovable, that are deputed to the upkeep of the ministers. And whoever sins against any one of the aforesaid incurs the crime of sacrilege." (St. Thomas Aquinas, Doctor of the Church and "greatest theologian in the history of the Church")

Also See: Sacrilege (Church Talk Reflections) | Sin | Evil / Satan

Note: Categories are subjective and may overlap. For more items related to this topic, please review all applicable categories. For more 'Reflections' and for Scripture topics, see links below.

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Salvation

Also See: Heaven / Salvation (Topic Page)

"There is no salvation through anyone else [other than Jesus Christ], nor is there any other name under heaven given to the human race by which we are to be saved." (Acts 4:12)

"So then, my beloved, obedient as you have always been, not only when I am present but all the more now when I am absent, work out your salvation with fear and trembling." (Phil. 2:12)

"[God our savior] wills everyone to be saved and to come to knowledge of the truth." (cf. 1 Tm. 2:4)

"After this I had a vision of a great multitude, which no one could count, from every nation, race, people, and tongue. They stood before the throne and before the Lamb, wearing white robes and holding palm branches in their hands. They cried out in a loud voice: "Salvation comes from our God, who is seated on the throne, and from the Lamb [that is, Christ]." (Rv. 7:9-10)

"[T]o be saved man must die in the state of grace." (Fahey)

"Above all, the state of grace is absolutely necessary at the moment of death without it salvation and supernatural happiness - the beatific vision of God - are impossible." (Pope Pius XII, 1951 A.D.)

"Jesus Christ founded the Church to bring all men to eternal salvation." (Baltimore Catechism)

"The sacraments most necessary to salvation are two: Baptism and Penance." (Catechism of Pope St. Pius X)

"The salvation wrought by Jesus is the bestowal of life and resurrection." (Pope John Paul II, 1995)

"Since our supreme legislator is God, our salvation depends on carrying out his will." (St. Maximilian Kolbe)

"The chief things we should ask of God are His own glory, our eternal salvation and the means of obtaining it." (Catechism of Pope St. Pius X)

"Sanctifying grace is necessary for salvation because it is the supernatural life, which alone enables us to attain the supernatural happiness of heaven." (Baltimore Catechism)

"Indeed, my children, the good God did not place us on the earth to suffer and endure, but to work out our salvation." (Catechism of the Cure de Ars)

"Christian doctrine is the doctrine which Jesus Christ our Lord taught us to show us the way of salvation." (Catechism of Pope St. Pius X)

"Few things are really necessary for salvation: believe all the mysteries of our religion and keep the commandments of God." (St. Francis de Sales, Doctor of the Church)

"[N]o man, old or young is delivered from the contagion of death and the bonds of sin, except by the one Mediator of God and men, Jesus Christ." (St. Augustine, Doctor of the Church)

"All those who are willing to be saved through the cross will find salvation there. But those who desire to be saved without it will perish miserably. There is no salvation except in this cross." (St. Francis de Sales, Doctor of the Church)

"If anyone shall say that a man who is born again [baptized] and justified is bound by faith to believe that he is assuredly in the number of the predestined: let him be anathema." (Council of Trent)

"Jesus Christ died for all, but not all are saved, because not all will acknowledge Him; all do not observe His Law; all do not avail themselves of the means of salvation He has left us." (Catechism of Pope St. Pius X)

"All would wish to be saved and to enjoy the glory of Paradise; but to gain Heaven it is necessary to walk in the straight road that leads to eternal bliss. This road is the observance of the divine commands." (St. Alphonsus Liguori, Doctor of the Church)

"[I]t is not enough for our salvation that Jesus Christ has died for us; it is also necessary that the fruit of His Passion and death be applied to each one of us, which is accomplished especially by means of the Sacraments instituted for this end by Jesus Christ Himself; and as many either do not receive the Sacraments at all, or do not receive them well, they thus render the death of Jesus Christ useless in their regard." (Catechism of Pope St. Pius X)

"The gate of the kingdom must be asked for by praying: it must be sought after by living properly; it must be knocked at by persevering. It is not sufficient to ask in words only if we do not also seek diligently how we ought to be living, so that we may be worthy to obtain that for which we plead, as he bears witness when he says: 'Not everyone who says to me, "Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven; but he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven, he will enter the kingdom of heaven' (Mt. 7:21)." (St. Bede the Venerable, Doctor of the Church)

"The prototype, the example on which one should reflect and model one's self is Jesus Christ. But Jesus chose the cross as his standard, so he wants all his followers to tread the path to Calvary, carrying the cross and then dying stretched out on it. Only this way do we reach salvation." (St. Padre Pio of Pietrelcina) [Reminder: Interpretation and application of items herein should not be contrary to the perennial, official teaching of the Roman Catholic Church. Do not take items out of context. Do not inflict harm on yourself or others, break laws, take unsuitable / incautious or inappropriate / drastic actions, or take figurative items literally.

"Considering that forthwith upon salvation being brought out for mankind, Jesus Christ laid upon His Apostles the injunction to 'preach the Gospel to every creature,' He imposed, it is evident, upon all men the duty of learning thoroughly and believing what they were taught. This duty is intimately bound up with the gaining of eternal salvation: 'He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not, shall be condemned.'" (Pope Leo XIII, "Sapientiae Christianae", 1890 A.D.) [Note: It should be noted that belief may be considered the 'first step'. As Scripture makes clear, one must also obey, and not just believe.]

"'See how we were bought: Christ hangs upon the cross, see at what a price He makes His purchase... He sheds His blood, He buys with His blood, He buys with the blood of [Christ], He buys with the blood of God's only Son. He who buys is Christ; the price is His blood; the possession bought is the world.' (St. Augustine) This purchase, however, does not immediately have its full effect; since Christ, after redeeming the world at the lavish cost of His own blood, still must come into complete possession of the souls of men. Wherefore, that the redemption and salvation of each person and of future generations unto the end of time may be effectively accomplished, and be acceptable to God, it is necessary that men should individually come into vital contact with the Sacrifice of the Cross, so that the merits, which flow from it, should be imparted to them. In a certain sense it can be said that on Calvary Christ built a font of purification and salvation which He filled with the blood He shed; but if men do not bathe in it and there wash away the stains of their iniquities, they can never be purified and saved." (Pope Pius XII, "Mediator Dei", 1947 A.D.)

"According to the Catholic faith we believe this also, that after grace has been received through baptism, all the baptized with the help and cooperation of Christ can and ought to fulfill what pertains to the salvation of the soul, if they will labor faithfully. We not only do not believe that some have been truly predestined to evil by divine power, but also with every execration we pronounce anathema upon those, if there are [any such], who wish to believe so great an evil. This, too, we profess and believe unto salvation, that in every good work we do not begin, and afterwards are helped by the mercy of God, but He Himself, with no preceding good services [on our part], previously inspires us with faith and love of Him, so that we may both faithfully seek the sacraments of baptism, and after baptism with His help be able to perform those [acts] which are pleasing to Him. So very clearly we should believe that the faith - so admirable - both of that famous thief, whom the Lord restored to his native land of paradise [Luke 23:43], and of Cornelius the centurion, to whom the angel of the Lord was sent [Acts 10:3], and of Zacheus, who deserved to receive the Lord Himself [Luke 19:6], was not from nature, but a gift of God's bounty." (Council of Orange II, 529 A.D.)

"Likewise we believe that we must hold most firmly that all the multitude of the faithful, regenerated 'from the water and the Holy Spirit' [John 3:5], and through this truly incorporated in the Church, and according to the apostolic doctrine baptized in the death of Christ [Rom. 6:3], in His blood has been absolved from its sins; that neither for these could there have been true regeneration unless there were true redemption; since in the sacraments of the Church there is nothing false, nothing theatrical, but certainly everything true, dependent upon truth itself and sincerity. Moreover, from this very multitude of the faithful and the redeemed some are preserved in eternal salvation, because through the grace of God they remain faithfully in their redemption, bearing in their hearts the voice of their God Himself: 'Who...perseveres even unto the end, he will be saved' [Matt. 10:22; 24:13]; that others, because they were unwilling to remain in the safety of faith, which in the beginning they received, and because they choose by wrong teaching or by a wrong life to make void rather than to preserve the grace of redemption, came in no way to the fullness of salvation and to the reception of eternal beatitude. In both certainly we have the doctrine of the holy Doctor: 'We who are baptized in Christ Jesus, are baptized in His death' [Rom. 6:3], and: 'All you who are baptized in Christ have put on Christ' [Gal. 3:27], and again: 'Let us approach with a true heart in fullness of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience, and our bodies washed with clean water let us hold unwavering the confession of our hope' [Heb. 10:22], and again: 'For to us sinning willfully after the accepted knowledge of the truth, there is now left no sacrifice for sins' [Heb. 10:26], and again: 'He who making void the law of Moses, dies without mercy with two or three witnesses. How much more do you think he deserves worse punishments, who has crushed under foot the Son of God, and has considered the blood of the testament unclean, by which he was sanctified, and has offered insult to the Spirit of grace?' [Heb. 10:28]." (Council of Valence III, 855 A.D.)

Also See: Perseverance | Predestination | Heaven | Few Are Saved | All Are Tried / Those Who Are Lost Could Have Been Saved | Our Efforts are Necessary for Holiness / Salvation (Increase Holiness Reflections) | Necessity of Being Catholic For Salvation (Coming Home Reflections) | No Salvation Outside the Church | None Should Presume Their Own Salvation or Despair of Neighbor's Salvation (Coming Home Reflections) | The State of a Soul at Death Determines Its Eternity | Resurrection | Judgment

Note: Categories are subjective and may overlap. For more items related to this topic, please review all applicable categories. For more 'Reflections' and for Scripture topics, see links below.

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Schism / Heresy

Also See: Heresy & Schism (Topic Page)

"After a first and second warning, break off contact with a heretic, realizing that such a person is perverted and sinful and stands self-condemned." (St. Paul, Ti. 3:10-11)

"His Church is one, He is one, founded by the voice of the Lord on Peter. No other altar can be set up, no other priesthood instituted apart from that one altar and that one priesthood. Whoever gathers elsewhere, scatters." (St. Cyprian of Carthage)

"The essence of schism consists in rebelliously disobeying the commandments: and I say 'rebelliously,' since a schismatic both obstinately scorns the commandments of the Church, and refuses to submit to her judgment. But every sinner does not do this, wherefore not every sin is a schism." (St. Thomas Aquinas, Doctor of the Church and "greatest theologian in the history of the Church")

"Augustine (Contra Faustum Manichaeum xx,3; Contra Cresconium ii,4) distinguishes between schism and heresy, for he says that a 'schismatic is one who holds the same faith, and practices the same worship, as others, and takes pleasure in the mere disunion of the community, whereas a heretic is one who holds another faith from that of the Catholic Church.'" (St. Thomas Aquinas, Doctor of the Church and "greatest theologian in the history of the Church")

"Heresy and schism are distinguished in respect of those things to which each is opposed essentially and directly. For heresy is essentially opposed to faith, while schism is essentially opposed to the unity of ecclesiastical charity. Wherefore just as faith and charity are different virtues, although whoever lacks faith lacks charity, so too schism and heresy are different vices, although whoever is a heretic is also a schismatic, but not conversely. This is what Jerome says in his commentary on the Epistle to the Galatians (In Ep. ad Tit. 3:10): 'I consider the difference between schism and heresy to be that heresy holds false doctrine while schism severs a man from the Church.' Nevertheless, just as the loss of charity is the road to the loss of faith, according to 1 Timothy 1:6: 'From which things,' i.e. charity and the like, 'some going astray, are turned aside into vain babbling,' so too, schism is the road to heresy. Wherefore Jerome adds (In Ep. ad Tit. 3:10) that 'at the outset it is possible, in a certain respect, to find a difference between schism and heresy: yet there is no schism that does not devise some heresy for itself, that it may appear to have had a reason for separating from the Church.'" (St. Thomas Aquinas, Doctor of the Church and "greatest theologian in the history of the Church")

"As Isidore says (Etymologiarum viii,3), schism takes its name 'from being a scission of minds,' and scission is opposed to unity. Wherefore the sin of schism is one that is directly and essentially opposed to unity. For in the moral, as in the physical order, the species is not constituted by that which is accidental. Now, in the moral order, the essential is that which is intended, and that which results beside the intention, is, as it were, accidental. Hence the sin of schism is, properly speaking, a special sin, for the reason that the schismatic intends to sever himself from that unity which is the effect of charity: because charity unites not only one person to another with the bond of spiritual love, but also the whole Church in unity of spirit. Accordingly schismatics properly so called are those who, willfully and intentionally separate themselves from the unity of the Church; for this is the chief unity, and the particular unity of several individuals among themselves is subordinate to the unity of the Church, even as the mutual adaptation of each member of a natural body is subordinate to the unity of the whole body. Now the unity of the Church consists in two things; namely, in the mutual connection or communion of the members of the Church, and again in the subordination of all the members of the Church to the one head, according to Colossians 2:18,19: 'Puffed up by the sense of his flesh, and not holding the Head, from which the whole body, by joints and bands, being supplied with nourishment and compacted, groweth unto the increase of God.' Now this Head is Christ Himself, Whose viceregent in the Church is the Sovereign Pontiff. Wherefore schismatics are those who refuse to submit to the Sovereign Pontiff, and to hold communion with those members of the Church who acknowledge his supremacy." (St. Thomas Aquinas, Doctor of the Church and "greatest theologian in the history of the Church")

Also See: Heresy / Heretics / False Teachers | Heresy / Heretics & Schism / Schismatics (Coming Home Reflections) | Unchangeableness of Dogmas (Latin Mass & Catholic Tradition Reflections) | Duty to Reject Strange Doctrine (Coming Home Reflections) | Novel Teachings Are Forbidden (Coming Home Reflections) | Unity of the Church | No Salvation Outside the Church

Note: Categories are subjective and may overlap. For more items related to this topic, please review all applicable categories. For more 'Reflections' and for Scripture topics, see links below.

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Second Coming

Also See: Resurrection / Second Coming (Topic Page)

"If anyone says to you then, 'Look, here is the Messiah!' or, 'There he is!' do not believe it. False messiahs and false prophets will arise, and they will perform signs and wonders so great as to deceive, if that were possible, even the elect. Behold, I have told it to you beforehand. So if they say to you, 'He is in the desert,' do not go out there; if they say, 'He is in the inner rooms,' do not believe it. For just as lightning comes from the east and is seen as far as the west, so will the coming of the Son of Man be." (Mt 24:23-27)

"Immediately after the tribulation of those days, the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light, and the stars will fall from the sky, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken. And then the sign of the Son of Man will appear in heaven, and all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the Son of Man coming upon the clouds of heaven with power and great glory. And he will send out his angels with a trumpet blast, and they will gather his elect from the four winds, from one end of the heavens to the other." (Mt. 24:29-31)

"Learn a lesson from the fig tree. When its branch becomes tender and sprouts leaves, you know that summer is near. In the same way, when you see all these things, know that he is near, at the gates. Amen, I say to you, this generation will not pass away until all these things have taken place. Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away. But of that day and hour no one knows, neither the angels of heaven, nor the Son, but the Father alone. For as it was in the days of Noah, so it will be at the coming of the Son of Man. In (those) days before the flood, they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, up to the day that Noah entered the ark. They did not know until the flood came and carried them all away. So will it be (also) at the coming of the Son of Man [that is, some will be taken to the kingdom, the others will be left to perish]. Two men will be out in the field; one will be taken, and one will be left. Two women will be grinding at the mill; one will be taken, and one will be left. Therefore, stay awake! For you do not know on which day your Lord will come. Be sure of this: if the master of the house had known the hour of night when the thief was coming, he would have stayed awake and not let his house be broken into. So too, you also must be prepared, for at an hour you do not expect, the Son of Man will come." [Taken from Mt. 24:32-44] [Note: Explanatory text has been provided in brackets. Despite current notions to the contrary among some anti-Catholic sects, Jesus has only promised a Second Coming. Therefore, those not taken must be left to perish.] 

"When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, he will sit upon his glorious throne, and all the nations will be assembled before him. And he will separate them one from another, as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. He will place the sheep on his right and the goats on his left. Then the king will say to those on his right, 'Come, you who are blessed by my Father. Inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, a stranger and you welcomed me, naked and you clothed me, ill and you cared for me, in prison and you visited me.' Then the righteous will answer him and say, 'Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you drink? When did we see you a stranger and welcome you, or naked and clothe you? When did we see you ill or in prison, and visit you?' And the king will say to them in reply, 'Amen, I say to you, whatever you did for one of these least brothers of mine, you did for me.' Then he will say to those on his left, 'Depart from me, you accursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. For I was hungry and you gave me no food, I was thirsty and you gave me no drink, a stranger and you gave me no welcome, naked and you gave me no clothing, ill and in prison, and you did not care for me.' Then they will answer and say, 'Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or ill or in prison, and not minister to your needs?' He will answer them, 'Amen, I say to you, what you did not do for one of these least ones, you did not do for me.' And these will go off to eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal life." (Our Lord Jesus Christ, Mt. 25:31-46)

"Who, then, is the faithful and prudent servant, whom the master has put in charge of his household to distribute to them their food at the proper time? Blessed is that servant whom his master on his arrival finds doing so. Amen, I say to you, he will put him in charge of all his property. But if that wicked servant says to himself, 'My master is long delayed,' and begins to beat his fellow servants, and eat and drink with drunkards, the servant's master will come on an unexpected day and at an unknown hour and will punish him severely and assign him a place with the hypocrites, where there will be wailing and grinding of teeth." (Mt. 24:45-51)

"Then he said to his disciples, 'The days will come when you will long to see one of the days of the Son of Man, but you will not see it. There will be those who will say to you, 'Look, there he is,' (or) 'Look, here he is.' Do not go off, do not run in pursuit. For just as lightning flashes and lights up the sky from one side to the other, so will the Son of Man be (in his day). But first he must suffer greatly and be rejected by this generation. As it was in the days of Noah, so it will be in the days of the Son of Man; they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage up to the day that Noah entered the ark, and the flood came and destroyed them all. Similarly, as it was in the days of Lot: they were eating, drinking, buying, selling, planting, building; on the day when Lot left Sodom, fire and brimstone rained from the sky to destroy them all. So it will be on the day the Son of Man is revealed. On that day, a person who is on the housetop and whose belongings are in the house must not go down to get them, and likewise a person in the field must not return to what was left behind. Remember the wife of Lot. Whoever seeks to preserve his life will lose it, but whoever loses it will save it. I tell you, on that night there will be two people in one bed; one will be taken, the other left [that is, to perish]. And there will be two women grinding meal together; one will be taken, the other left [to perish].' They said to him in reply, 'Where, Lord?' He said to them, 'Where the body is, there also the vultures will gather.'" [Taken from Lk. 17:22-37] [Note: Explanatory text has been provided in brackets. Despite current notions to the contrary among some anti-Catholic sects, Jesus has only promised a Second Coming. Therefore, those not taken must be left to perish.]

"Behold, he is coming amid the clouds, and every eye will see him, even those who pierced him. All the peoples of the earth will lament him. Yes. Amen. 'I am the Alpha and the Omega,' says the Lord God, 'the one who is and who was and who is to come, the almighty.'" (Rv. 1:7-8)

"Behold, I am coming soon. I bring with me the recompense I will give to each according to his deeds. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the first and the last, the beginning and the end." (Rv. 22:12-13)

"Wherein He shows that His second coming shall be not in lowliness as His first, but in glory; and therefore it is folly to seek in places little and obscure for Him who is the Light of the whole world." (St. Jerome, Doctor of the Church)

"In vain, then do we attempt to compute definitely the years that may remain to this world, when we may hear from the mouth of Truth Himself that it is not for us to know this." (St. Augustine, Doctor of the Church)

"When the Almighty Creator shall appear in the form of the Son of man, so scarce will the elect be, that not so much the cries of the faithful as the torpor of the others will hasten the world's fall." (St. Bede the Venerable, Doctor of the Church)

"For the Only-begotten Son of God, when He came to save the world, wished to be in secret, that He might bear the cross for us. But His second coming shall not be in secret, but terrible and open. For He shall descend in the glory of God the Father, with the Angels attending Him, to judge the world in righteousness." (St. Cyril, Doctor of the Church)

"Among the signs which He gives of His second coming He certifies them concerning the place, and the deceivers. For it shall not be then as at His former coming, when He appeared in Bethlehem, in a corner of the world, unknown of any; but He shall come openly so as not to need any to announce His approach, wherefore, If any man shall say to you, Lo, here is Christ, or there, believe not." (St. John Chrysostom, Doctor of the Church)

"As He had above described in what guise Antichrist should come, so here He describes how He Himself shall come. For as the lightning needs none to herald or announce it, but is in an instant of time visible throughout the whole world, even to those that are sitting in their chambers, so the coming of Christ shall be seen everywhere at once, because of the brightness of His glory (Mt. 24:27)." (St. John Chrysostom, Doctor of the Church)

"Let us, then, live in expectation of the solemn hour, when 'the dead shall hear the voice of the Son of God.' (Jn. v. 25) He that is to come will come, and will not delay, as the Doctor of the Gentiles reminds us; His arrival will be sudden, as that of a thief, we are told, not only by St. Paul, but also by the prince of the apostles and the beloved disciple; and these in turn are but echoing the worlds of our Lord Himself: 'As lightening cometh out of the east and appeareth even unto the west: so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.'" (Liturgical Year)

"The false prophets, of whom He had spoken above, shall say of Christ one while, Lo, He is in the desert (Mt. 24:26), in order that they may cause men to wander astray; another while, Lo, He is in the secret chambers, that they may enthrall men under the dominion of Antichrist. But the Lord declares Himself to be neither lurking in a remote corner, nor shut up to be visited singly, but that He shall be exhibited to the view of all, and in every place, As the lightning comes out of the east, and shines even to the west, so shall the coming of the Son of Man be." (St. Hilary of Piotiers, Doctor of the Church)

"[T]he details mentioned in the Gospels and Epistles in connection with the last advent are not sufficient to enable us to determine the time of the judgment, for the trials that are foretold as announcing the proximity of Christ's coming occurred even at the time of the Early Church, in a degree sometimes more sometimes less marked; so that even the days of the apostles were called the last days (Acts 2:17) when Peter expounded the saying of Joel 2:28, 'It shall come to pass in the last days,' etc., as referring to that time. Yet it was already a long time since then: and sometimes there were more and sometimes less afflictions in the Church. Consequently it is impossible to decide after how long a time it will take place, nor fix the month, year, century, or thousand years as Augustine says in the same book (Ep. 199 ad Hesychius). And even if we are to believe that at the end these calamities will be more frequent, it is impossible to fix what amount of such calamities will immediately precede the judgment day or the coming of Antichrist, since even at the time of the Early Church persecutions were so bitter, and the corruptions of error were so numerous, that some looked forward to the coming of Antichrist as being near or imminent" (St. Thomas Aquinas, Doctor of the Church and "greatest theologian in the history of the Church")

"Say not that the end of the world is not yet come, and that the destinies of the human race are not filled up: it is not the world that is here in question, it is you individually. True the day of the Lord will be terrible, when this world shall be broken up as a vessel of clay...but, long before that day of universal terror, your own day of judgement will come. The inexorable Judge will come to you, you will stand before His face, you will have none to defend you, and the sentence He will pass will be eternal; and though the nature of that sentence, whether for or against you, will not be known to the rest of the world until the last and general judgment, still is this His coming to you, at your own judgement, terrible above measure. Remember, therefore, that what will make the terror of the last day so great is, that then you will be solemnly and publicly confirmed what was judged irrevocably, though secretly, between your own soul and her Judge; just as the favorable sentence, which the good receive at the happy moment of their death, will be repeated before the immense assembly of men and angels on the last day. Is it wise, then Christians, to put off your conversion, the plea of the day of the Lord not having come for ages, when it might be this night that your soul were required of you? The Lord is coming: lose no time; prepare to meet Him; a humble and contrite and converted heart is sure to find acceptance." (Dom Gueranger)

"How terrible is this our Defender, who tramples His enemies beneath His feet, as they that tread the wine-press; so that their blood is sprinkled upon His garments! But is not this the fittest time for us to proclaim His power, not that He is being treated with ignominy, and sold to His enemies by one of His disciples? These humiliations will soon pass away; He will rise in glory, and His might will be shown by the chastisements wherewith He will crush them that now persecute Him. Jerusalem will stone them that shall preach in His name; she will be a cruel stepmother to those true Israelites, who, docile to the teaching of the prophets, have recognized Jesus as the promised Messias. The Synagogue will seek to stifle the Church in her infancy; but no sooner shall the Church, shaking the dust from her feet, turn from Jerusalem to the Gentiles, then the vengeance of Christ will fall on the city which bought, betrayed, and crucified Him. Her citizens will have to pay dearly for these crimes. We learn from the Jewish historian Josephus, who was an eye-witness to this siege, that the fire which was raging in one of the streets was quenched by the torrents of their blood. Thus were fulfilled the threats pronounced by our Lord against this faithless city, as He sat on Mount Olivet, the day after His triumphant entry. And yet, the destruction of Jerusalem was but a faint image of the terrible destruction which is to befall the world at the last day. Jesus, who is now despised and insulted by sinners, will then appear on the clouds of heaven, and reparation will be made for all these outrages. Now He suffers Himself to be betrayed, scoffed at, and spit upon; but when the day of vengeance is come, happy they that have served Him, and have compassionated with Him in His humiliations and sufferings! Woe to them that have treated Him with contempt! Woe to those who, not content with refusing to bear His yoke, have led others to rebel against him! For He is King; He came into this world that He might reign over it; and they that despise His mercy shall not escape His justice." (Dom Gueranger)

Also See: Jesus Christ | Resurrection | Judgment | Heaven | Hell / Eternal Damnation | Christ's Second Coming / Harmony Among Animals (St. Francis Reflections) | Second Coming of Jesus (Topical Scripture)

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Sign of the Cross

"We should make the Sign of the Cross with great respect" (Catechism of the Cure de Ars)

"We usually begin and end our prayers with the sign of the cross." (Baltimore Catechism)

"The Sign of the Cross is formidable to the devil, because by the Cross we escape from him." (Catechism of the Cure de Ars)

"By making the sign of the cross we proclaim to the world that we are not ashamed of the cross of Jesus, and of our belief in a crucified Redeemer." (Muller)

"We make the sign of the cross to express two important mysteries of the Christian religion, the Blessed Trinity and the Redemption." (Baltimore Catechism)

"Let us make the Sign of the Cross with trust in its power. It is the great means of protection, a sign for believers and a dread to evil spirits." (St. Cyril, Doctor of the Church, 386 A.D.)

"The virtue of the Sign of the cross, in the conflict with Satan, is easily understood. To make that sign, is to remind him of the whole history of his defeat, to invoke against him the just reprisals of the Almighty Crucified." (Fr. Delaporte)

"At the beginning and in the course of any work, on coming in and going out, when we dress, when we go to bed...and in everything we do, we make the Sign of the Cross on the forehead." [Tertullian ("an excellent early Christian writer" - although he would ultimately fall into heresy), c. 240 A.D.]

"The sign of the cross is the most terrible weapon against the Devil. Thus the Church wishes not only that we should have it continually in front of our minds to recall to us just what our souls are worth and what they cost Jesus Christ, but also that we should make it at every juncture ourselves: when we go to bed, when we awaken during the night, when we get up, when we begin any action, and above all, when we are tempted." (St. John Vianney)

Also See: The Passion / The Cross | Devil / Satan / Evil | Sacramentals

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Simony

"A man named Simon used to practice magic in the city and astounded the people of Samaria, claiming to be someone great. All of them, from the least to the greatest, paid attention to him, saying, 'This man is the 'Power of God' that is called 'Great.' They paid attention to him because he had astounded them by his magic for a long time, but once they began to believe Philip as he preached the good news about the kingdom of God and the name of Jesus Christ, men and women alike were baptized. Even Simon himself believed and, after being baptized, became devoted to Philip; and when he saw the signs and mighty deeds that were occurring, he was astounded. Now when the apostles in Jerusalem heard that Samaria had accepted the word of God, they sent them Peter and John, who went down and prayed for them, that they might receive the Holy Spirit, for it had not yet fallen upon any of them; they had only been baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. Then they laid hands on them and they received the Holy Spirit. When Simon saw that the Spirit was conferred by the laying on of the apostles' hands, he offered them money and said, 'Give me this power too, so that anyone upon whom I lay my hands may receive the Holy Spirit.' But Peter said to him, 'May your money perish with you, because you thought that you could buy the gift of God with money. You have no share or lot in this matter, for your heart is not upright before God. Repent of this wickedness of yours and pray to the Lord that, if possible, your intention may be forgiven. For I see that you are filled with bitter gall and are in the bonds of iniquity.'" (Acts 8:9-23)

"Can. 727 § 1 By divine law, simony is the studied will to buy or sell for a temporal price an intrinsically spiritual thing, for example, Sacraments, ecclesiastical jurisdiction, consecration, indulgences, and so forth, or temporal things so connected with spiritual things that without the spiritual they cannot exist, for example, ecclesiastical benefices, and so on, or a spiritual thing that is, even in part, the object of a contract, for example, the consecration of a chalice consecrated in sale. § 2 By ecclesiastical law, simony is to give temporal things that are attached to spiritual ones for other temporal things that are attached to spiritual, or spiritual things for spiritual things, or even temporal for temporal if, in so doing, there is a danger of that irreverence toward spiritual things that is prohibited by the Church." (1917 Code of Canon Law)

Also See: Selling of Spiritual Things / Simony (Commercial Sections Reflections) | Sin

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The State of a Soul at Death Determines Its Eternity

"If we were required to die twice, we could jettison one death. But man dies once only, and upon this death depends his eternity. Where the tree falls, there it shall lie [Eccl. 11:3]. If, at the hour of death, someone is living in bad habit, the poor soul will fall on the side of hell. If, on the other hand, he is in the state of grace, it will take the road for heaven. Oh, happy road!" (St. John Vianney) [Note: Most souls destined for heaven are thought to first require the purification of purgatory. Click here for purgatory reflections.]

"Above all, the state of grace is absolutely necessary at the moment of death without it salvation and supernatural happiness - the beatific vision of God - are impossible." (Pope Pius XII, 1951 A.D.)

Also See: Now is the Time for Mercy | Now is the Time for Repentance | Repentance | Forgiveness | Mercy | Suffering & Death | Perseverance | Judgment | Few Are Saved | All Are Tried / Those Who Are Lost Could Have Been Saved | Heaven | Hell / Eternal Damnation

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Suffering

"The Spirit itself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, then heirs, heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ, if only we suffer with him so that we may also be glorified with him." (Rom. 8:16-17)

"I consider that the sufferings of this present time are as nothing compared with the glory to be revealed for us." (Rom. 8:18)

"All suffering is slight to gain Heaven." (St. Joseph Calasanctius)

"The more we suffer, the more we are favored by God." (St. Jane Frances de Chantal)

"One should be patient, whatever one has to suffer" (St. Basil the Great, Doctor of the Church)

"If there be a true way that leads to the Everlasting Kingdom, it is most certainly that of suffering, patiently endured." (St. Colette)

"Let us go to the foot of the Cross and there complain (of our sufferings) - if we have the courage." (St. Madeleine Sophie Barat)

"To suffer! what does it signify? It is only a moment. If we could go and pass a week in Heaven, we should understand the value of this moment of suffering. We should find no cross heavy enough, no trial bitter enough." (Catechism of the Cure of Ars)

Also See: The Passion / The Cross | Suffering & Death | Suffering & Death (Catholic Life Reflections)

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Sunday / Holy Days of Obligation

"Can. 1247 On Sundays and other holydays of obligation, the faithful are obliged to assist at Mass. They are also to abstain from such work or business which hinder the worship to be given to God, the joy proper to the Lord's Day, or the suitable relaxation of mind and body." (1983 Code of Canon Law)

"We are to worship God on Sundays and holydays of obligation by hearing Mass, by prayer, and by other good works." (Baltimore Catechism)

"Certain holydays are called holydays of obligation because on such days we are obliged under pain of mortal sin to hear Mass and keep from servile works as we do on Sundays." (Baltimore Catechism)

"It is a mortal sin not to hear Mass on a Sunday or holyday of obligation unless we are excused for a serious reason. They also commit a mortal sin who, having others under their charge, hinder them from hearing Mass, without sufficient reason." (Baltimore Catechism)

"Children who have reached the use of reason are obliged under pain of mortal sin the same as grown persons, to hear Mass on Sundays and holydays of obligation; but if they are prevented from so doing by parents, or others, then the sin falls on those who prevent them." (Baltimore Catechism)

"Can. 1246 §1 The Lord's Day (Sunday), on which the paschal mystery is celebrated, is by apostolic tradition to be observed in the universal Church as the primary holyday of obligation. In the same way the following holydays are to be observed: the Nativity of Our Lord Jesus Christ, the Epiphany, the Ascension of Christ, the feast of the Body and Blood of Christ, the feast of Mary the Mother of God, her Immaculate Conception, her Assumption, the feast of St Joseph, the feast of the Apostles Saint Peter and Saint Paul, and the feast of All Saints. §2 However, the Episcopal Conference may, with the prior approval of the Apostolic See, suppress certain holydays of obligation or transfer them to a Sunday." (1983 Code of Canon Law)

Also See: Duties of Catholics | Commandments | Precepts of the Church | Holy Days of Obligation (U.S.)

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Temptations

"Blessed is the man who perseveres in temptation, for when he has been proved he will receive the crown of life that he promised to those who love him. No one experiencing temptation should say, 'I am being tempted by God'; for God is not subject to temptation to evil, and he himself tempts no one. Rather, each person is tempted when he is lured and enticed by his own desire. Then desire conceives and brings forth sin, and when sin reaches maturity it gives birth to death." (Jms. 1:12-15)

"The chief way in which the bad angels [devils] try to harm us is by tempting us to sin." (Baltimore Catechism)

"Temptations are an incitement to sin that comes from the devil, or from the wicked, or from our own evil passions." (Catechism of Pope St. Pius X)

"We can always resist temptations, because no temptation can force us into sin, and because God will always help us if we ask Him." (Baltimore Catechism)

"[I]t is no sin to have temptations; but it is a sin to consent to them, or voluntarily to expose oneself to the danger of consenting to them." (Catechism of Pope St. Pius X)

"During life's pilgrimage on earth we cannot be without temptations; we profit and advance only through temptations; we should not acquire self-knowledge unless we were tried. No crown without a victory, no victory without a struggle, and no fight without temptations and enemies" (St. Augustine, Doctor of the Church)

"You must be courageous amidst temptations, and never think yourself overcome so long as they displease you, observing well this difference between feeling and consenting, namely, we may feel temptations, though they displease us; but we can never consent to them, unless they please us, since the being pleased with them ordinarily serves as a step towards our consent. Let, then, the enemies of our salvation lay as many baits and allurements in our way as they please, let them stay always at the door of our heart, in order to get admittance, let them make as many proposals as they can; still, so long as we remain steadfast in our resolution to take no pleasure in the temptation, it is utterly impossible that we should offend God. With respect to the delectation which may follow the temptation, it may be observed that, as there are parts in the soul, the inferior and the superior, and that the inferior does not always follow the superior, but acts for itself apart, it frequently happens that the inferior part takes delight in the temptation without the consent, nay, against the will of the superior. This is that warfare which the apostle describes (Gal. 5: 17), when he says that the flesh lusts against the spirit, and that there is a law of the members and a law of the spirit." (St. Francis de Sales, Doctor of the Church)

"If God does not stop those temptations with which you are assailed, He does it for reasons that are sure to result to your advantage. First of all, He wishes you to know and feel from experience, that you have become stronger, more powerful than your enemy. He wishes also that this temptation may keep you, as it were, in a balance, and that the dangers which threaten you prevent you from being exalted, on account of the graces you have received. God wills also that you should be tempted, in order that the devil, who is in doubt if you have renounced him, at length knows, by your patience, that you are still true to your Lord and Savior; more than this, God's intention is, that your soul should be fortified through temptation, and it thus remains stronger than ever. God permits the enemy to attack you, in order that you may realize by that, how great and precious is the treasure He has entrusted to you. For Satan would not have attacked you so violently, had he not seen you elevated to a condition more glorious than that in which you were before. It was that which irritated him so much when he saw Adam living in so glorious a garden; it was that, also, that made him so vexed against Job, when he saw that God even bestowed on him so many praises." (St. John Chrysostom, Doctor of the Church)

Also See: Temptation (Catholic Life Reflections) | Tribulations / Temptations (Increase Holiness Reflections) | Concupiscence | Evil / Satan | Mortification

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Thanksgiving

"As he continued his journey to Jerusalem, he traveled through Samaria and Galilee. As he was entering a village, ten lepers met (him). They stood at a distance from him and raised their voice, saying, 'Jesus, Master! Have pity on us!' And when he saw them, he said, 'Go show yourselves to the priests.' As they were going they were cleansed. And one of them, realizing he had been healed, returned, glorifying God in a loud voice; and he fell at the feet of Jesus and thanked him. He was a Samaritan. Jesus said in reply, 'Ten were cleansed, were they not? Where are the other nine? Has none but this foreigner returned to give thanks to God?'" (Lk. 17:11-18)

"Persevere in prayer, being watchful in it with thanksgiving" (Col. 4:2)

"We should not accept in silence the benefactions of God, but return thanks for them." (St. Basil the Great, Doctor of the Church)

"We notice in the Gospels that there were very few who confessed their indebtedness to Jesus Christ openly; people only thanked him for as long as they remained at his feet." (St. John Vianney)

"There is nothing more holy than a tongue which thanks God in adversity. To say but one 'Thanks be to God' in adversity or illness is better than to say it several thousand times in prosperity." (Muller)

Also See: Thanksgiving for Blessings Received (Our Father's Love Reflections) | Praise / Adoration / Thanksgiving (Prayers)

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Those With An Upright Conscience Call Good & Evil By Their Proper Name

"A result of an upright conscience is, first of all, to call good and evil by their proper name" (Pope John Paul II)

Also See: Evil / Satan | Sin

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Tradition

Also See: Traditional Catholic (Topic Page)

"Reject not the tradition of old men which they have learned from their fathers; From it you will obtain the knowledge how to answer in time of need." (Sirach 8:9)

"I praise you because you remember me in everything and hold fast to the traditions, just as I handed them on to you." (St. Paul, 1 Cor. 11:2)

"Therefore, brothers, stand firm and hold fast to the traditions that you were taught, either by an oral statement or by a letter of ours." (St. Paul, 2 Thes. 2:15)

"Let them innovate nothing, but keep the traditions. ['Nihil innovetur nisi quod traditum est']" (Pope St. Steven I, 3rd century A.D.)  

"Be zealously affected to command that in all the churches the pure tradition be held." (St. Agatho I, 680 A.D.)

"Not all the truths revealed for us by God are found in the Bible; some are found only in Divine Tradition." (Baltimore Catechism)

"Divine Tradition has the same force as the Bible, since it too contains God's revelation to men." (Baltimore Catechism)

"If anyone rejects any written or unwritten tradition of the church, let him be anathema." (Second Council of Nicaea, 787 A.D.)

"[W]e must keep for ever, firm and unmoved, the tradition which we received by succession from the fathers" (St. Gregory of Nyssa)

"[N]othing of the things appointed ought to be diminished; nothing changed; nothing added; but they must be preserved both as regards expression and meaning." (Pope Agatho)

"It is needful also to make use of Tradition, for not everything can be gotten from sacred Scripture. The holy Apostles handed down some things in the Scriptures, other things in Tradition." (St. Epiphanius of Salamis)

"Catholics hold that the apostles made over the divine revelation to the generation after them, not only in writing, but by word of mouth, and in the ritual of the Church. We consider that the New Testament is not the whole of what they left us; that they left us a number of doctrines, not in writing at all, but living in the minds and mouths of the faithful." (Cardinal Newman)

"Therefore, brethren, stand fast and hold the traditions that you have been taught, whether by word or by our letter' (2 Thes. 2:15). From this it is clear that they did not hand down everything by letter, but there was much also that was not written. Like that which was written, the unwritten too is worthy of belief. So let us regard the tradition of the Church also as worthy of belief. Is it a tradition? Inquire no further." (St. John Chrysostom, Doctor of the Church)

Also See: Tradition / Traditions (Latin Mass / Catholic Tradition Reflections) | Latin Mass & Catholic Tradition Section

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Treasury of the Church

"As He hung upon the Cross, Christ Jesus not only appeased the justice of the Eternal Father which had been violated, but He also won for us, His brethren, an ineffable flow of graces. It was possible for Him of Himself to impart these graces to mankind directly; but He willed to do so only through a visible Church made up of men, so that through her all might cooperate with Him in dispensing the graces of Redemption. As the Word of God willed to make use of our nature, when in excruciating agony He would redeem mankind, so in the same way throughout the centuries He makes use of the Church that the work begun might endure." (Pope Pius XII, "Mystici Corporis Christi", 1943 A.D.)

"Dying on the Cross He left to His Church the immense treasury of the Redemption, towards which she contributed nothing. But when those graces come to be distributed, not only does He share this work of sanctification with His Church, but He wills that in some way it be due to her action. This is a deep mystery, and an inexhaustible subject of meditation, that the salvation of many depends on the prayers and voluntary penances which the members of the Mystical Body of Jesus Christ offer for this intention and on the cooperation of pastors of souls and of the faithful, especially of fathers and mothers of families, a cooperation which they must offer to our Divine Savior as though they were His associates." (Pope Pius XII, "Mystici Corporis Christi", 1943 A.D.)

"The Church by means of indulgences remits the temporal punishment due to sin by applying to us from her spiritual treasury part of the infinite satisfaction of Jesus Christ and of the superabundant satisfaction of the Blessed Virgin Mary and of the saints." (Baltimore Catechism)

"The Church by means of Indulgences remits this temporal punishment by applying to us the superabundant merits of Jesus Christ, of the Blessed Virgin and of the Saints, which constitute what is known as the Treasury of the Church." (Catechism of Pope Pius X) 

"The only begotten Son of God ... 'made unto us from God, wisdom, justice, sanctification and redemption' [1 Cor. 3], '... by His own blood entered once into the holies having obtained eternal redemption' [Heb. 9:12]. 'For not with corruptible things as gold or silver, but with the precious blood of His very (Son) ... He has redeemed us' [cf. 1 Pet. 1:18-19], who innocent, immolated on the altar of the Cross is known to have poured out not a little drop of blood, which however on account of union with the Word would have been sufficient for the redemption of the whole human race, but copiously as a kind of flowing stream, so that 'from the soles of His feet even to the top of His Head no soundness was found in Him' [Is. 1:6]. Therefore, how great a treasure did the good Father acquire from this for the Church militant, so that the mercy of so great an effusion was not rendered useless, vain or superfluous, wishing to lay up treasures for His sons, so that thus the Church is an infinite treasure to men, so that they who use it, become the friends of God [Wis. 7:14]. Indeed this treasure ... through blessed Peter, the keeper of the keys of heaven and his successors, his vicars on earth, He has committed to be dispensed for the good of the faithful, both from proper and reasonable causes, now for the whole, now for partial remission of temporal punishment due to sins, in general as in particular (according as they know to be expedient with God), to be applied mercifully to those who truly repentant have confessed. Indeed, to the mass of this treasure the merits of the Blessed Mother of God and of all the elect from the first just even to the last, are known to give their help; concerning the consumption or the diminution of this there should be no fear at any time, because of the infinite merits of Christ...as well as for the reason that the more are brought to justification by its application, the greater is the increase of the merits themselves." (Clement VI, "Unigenitus Dei Filius", 1343 A.D.)

Also See: The Passion | Communion of Saints | Good Works | Indulgences

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Truth

"And the Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us, and we saw his glory, the glory as of the Father's only Son, full of grace and truth." (Jn. 1:14)

"Jesus then said to those Jews who believed in him, 'If you remain in my word, you will truly be my disciples, and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.'" (Jn. 8:31-32

"Jesus said to him, 'I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. If you know me, then you will also know my Father. From now on you do know him and have seen him.'" (Jn. 14:6-7)

"So Pilate said to him, 'Then you are a king?' Jesus answered, 'You say I am a king. For this I was born and for this I came into the world, to testify to the truth. Everyone who belongs to the truth listens to my voice.' Pilate said to him, 'What is truth?'" (Jn. 18:37-38)

"And from your own group, men will come forward perverting the truth to draw the disciples away after them." (Acts 20:30)

"Love is patient, love is kind. It is not jealous, (love) is not pompous, it is not inflated, it is not rude, it does not seek its own interests, it is not quick-tempered, it does not brood over injury, it does not rejoice over wrongdoing but rejoices with the truth." (1 Cor. 13:4-6)

"So stand fast with your loins girded in truth, clothed with righteousness as a breastplate, and your feet shod in readiness for the gospel of peace." (Eph. 6:14-15)

"But if I should be delayed, you should know how to behave in the household of God, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and foundation of truth." (1 Tm. 3:15)

"I charge you in the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who will judge the living and the dead, and by his appearing and his kingly power: proclaim the word; be persistent whether it is convenient or inconvenient; convince, reprimand, encourage through all patience and teaching. For the time will come when people will not tolerate sound doctrine but, following their own desires and insatiable curiosity, will accumulate teachers and will stop listening to the truth and will be diverted to myths. But you, be self-possessed in all circumstances; put up with hardship; perform the work of an evangelist; fulfill your ministry." (2 Tm. 4:1-5)

"My brothers, if anyone among you should stray from the truth and someone bring him back, he should know that whoever brings back a sinner from the error of his way will save his soul from death and will cover a multitude of sins." (Jms. 5:19-20)

"There were also false prophets among the people, just as there will be false teachers among you, who will introduce destructive heresies and even deny the Master who ransomed them, bringing swift destruction on themselves. Many will follow their licentious ways, and because of them the way of truth will be reviled. In their greed they will exploit you with fabrications, but from of old their condemnation has not been idle and their destruction does not sleep." (2 Pt. 2:1-3)

"I write to you not because you do not know the truth but because you do, and because every lie is alien to the truth." (1 Jn. 2:21)

"Nothing gives me greater joy than to hear that my children are walking in the truth." (St. John, 3 Jn. 1:4)

"Truth never contradicts truth." (Pope Leo X)

"[Truth] cannot change from day to day." (Pope Pius XII)

"Our religion, which is truth, is Divine reality in human history. It cannot be discovered or invented." (Pope Paul VI)

"Truth enlightens man's intelligence and shapes his freedom, leading him to know and love the Lord." (Pope John Paul II)

"[T]he truth is not created or measured by man but is given to man as a gift by the supreme truth, God" (Pope John Paul II)

"God cannot deny himself, nor can truth ever be in opposition to truth. The appearance of this kind of specious contradiction is chiefly due to the fact that either the dogmas of faith are not understood and explained in accordance with the mind of the Church, or unsound views are mistaken for the conclusions of reason." (First Vatican Council)

"But in order that the faithful may appreciate the fruit they derive from a knowledge of so many and such exalted mysteries, it is necessary, first of all, to point out that to God, who has hidden these things from the wise and made them known to little ones, we owe a debt of boundless gratitude. How many men, eminent for wisdom or endowed with singular learning, who ever remained blind to this most certain truth! The fact, then, that He has made known to use these truths, although we could never have aspired to such knowledge, obliges us to pour forth our gratitude in unceasing praises of His supreme goodness and clemency." (Catechism of the Council of Trent)

Also See: Doctrine / Dogmas | Must Not Dissent From Any Point of Truth | Unity / Truth (Vatican View Reflections) | Truth / Error / Nature of Man (Coming Home Reflections) | Heresy / Heretics / False Teachers | Truth (Topical Scripture)

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Unchangeable

"God is not man that he should speak falsely, nor human, that he should change his mind. Is he one to speak and not act, to decree and not fulfill?" (Num. 23:19)

"Surely I, the LORD, do not change, nor do you cease to be sons of Jacob." (Mal. 3:6)

"Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever." (Heb. 13:8)

"Do not be deceived, my beloved brothers: all good giving and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no alteration or shadow caused by change." (Jms. 1:16-17)

"Though all things pass God does not change." (St. Teresa of Avila, Doctor of the Church)

"Eternity itself is the substance of God, which has nothing that is changeable. There is nothing there that is past, as if it were no longer; nothing there is future, as if it not yet were. There is nothing there except 'is'." (St. Augustine, Doctor of the Church, c. 5th century A.D.)

"Any meaning of the sacred dogmas that has once been declared by holy Mother Church, must always be retained; and there must never be any deviation from that meaning on the specious grounds of a more profound understanding." (First Vatican Council)

"[T]hings that are of natural law vary according to the various states and conditions of men; although those which naturally pertain to things Divine nowise vary." (St. Thomas Aquinas, Doctor of the Church and "greatest theologian in the history of the Church")

"For the Church of Christ, watchful guardian that she is, and defender of the dogmas deposited with her, never changes anything, never diminishes anything, never adds anything to them; but with all diligence she treats the ancient documents faithfully and wisely; if they really are of ancient origin and if the faith of the Fathers has transmitted them, she strives to investigate and explain them in such a way that the ancient dogmas of heavenly doctrine will be made evident and clear, but will retain their full, integral, and proper nature, and will grow only within their own genus - that is, within the same dogma, in the same sense and the same meaning." (Pope Pius IX, "Ineffabilis Deus", 1854 A.D.)

"For the doctrine of the faith which God has revealed is put forward not as some philosophical discovery capable of being perfected by human intelligence, but as a divine deposit committed to the spouse of Christ to be faithfully protected and infallibly promulgated. Hence, too, that meaning of the sacred dogmas is ever to be maintained which has once been declared by Holy Mother Church, and there must never be any abandonment of this sense under the pretext or in the name of a more profound understanding. May understanding, knowledge and wisdom increase as ages and centuries roll along, and greatly and vigorously flourish, in each and all, in the individual and the whole Church: but this only in its own proper kind, that is to say, in the same doctrine, the same sense, and the same understanding." (First Vatican Council)

"Finally, I declare that I am completely opposed to the error of the modernists who hold that there is nothing divine in sacred tradition; or what is far worse, say that there is, but in a pantheistic sense, with the result that there would remain nothing but this plain simple fact - one to be put on a par with the ordinary facts of history - the fact, namely, that a group of men by their own labor, skill, and talent have continued through subsequent ages a school begun by Christ and his apostles. I firmly hold, then, and shall hold to my dying breath the belief of the Fathers in the charism of truth, which certainly is, was, and always will be in the succession of the episcopacy from the apostles. The purpose of this is, then, not that dogma may be tailored according to what seems better and more suited to the culture of each age; rather, that the absolute and immutable truth preached by the apostles from the beginning may never be believed to be different, may never be understood in any other way." (Pope St. Pius X, Oath Against Modernism, 1910 A.D.)

Also See: God is Unchangeable (Latin Mass / Catholic Tradition Reflections) | Unchangeableness of Dogmas (Latin Mass / Catholic Tradition Reflections) | The Substance of the Sacraments is Unchangeable (Latin Mass / Catholic Tradition Reflections) | Against Novelty / Novel Doctrine (Latin Mass / Catholic Tradition Reflections)

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Wrongly Thinking Evil of Another / Rash Judgment

"Rash judgement or rash suspicion is a sin which consists in judging or suspecting evil of others without sufficient foundation." (Catechism of Pope St. Pius X)

"A person commits the sin of rash judgment when, without sufficient reason, he believes something harmful to another's character." (Baltimore Catechism)

"From the very fact that a man thinks evil of another without sufficient cause, he despises him unduly, and therefore does him an injury." (St. Thomas Aquinas, Doctor of the Church and "greatest theologian in the history of the Church")

"The Eighth Commandment, Thou shalt not bear false witness, forbids false testimony in a court of justice, and it also forbids backbiting, detraction, calumny, adulation, rash judgement and rash suspicion and every sort of lying." (Catechism of Pope St. Pius X)

"Rash judgment is believing a person guilty of sin without a sufficient cause. Backbiting is saying evil things of another in his absence. Slander is telling lies about another with the intention of injuring him. Detraction is revealing the sins of another without necessity." (Baltimore Catechism)

Also See: Gossip / Detraction | Sin

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