FROM THE SERVANT GENERAL
OUR THEME FOR 2023
(Part 18)
FAITH AND MODERNISM
October 17, 2023
Today’s reading: Romans 1:16-25
Today the Church is infested with modernism, which is the heresy of all heresies. It is a great threat to authentic faith and in fact overturns it. Unless we are firm in faith, we can easily be swayed by the lies of the evil one, disguised as truth. The enemy overturns what is right and good with what is wrong and bad. Thus abortion is now healthcare.
What is modernism? “They exchanged the glory of the immortal God for an imitation, for the image of a mortal human being” (v.23a). “They exchanged God’s truth for a lie and have worshipped and served the creature instead of the Creator” (v.25a). Modernists look to the well-being of man but at the sacrifice of the righteousness of God. Their focus is on man and not God, with man and not God at the center.
Thus modernists in our hierarchy today insist on loving the sinner but ignore the part about hating the sin. They talk of accompaniment but do not talk of trying to bring people out of their sin. They want to please people even as they greatly displease God.
What is one result? “That is why God abandoned them in their inmost cravings to filthy practices of dishonoring their own bodies.” (v.24). Thus they approve of homosexuality and LGBT, including transgenderism. Thus men who want to become women mutilate their own bodies.
Modernists in the Church hierarchy are most to be blamed, for not guiding the faithful in the way of truth. “They knew God and yet they did not honor him as God” (v.21a). They have overturned age-old teachings of Christ, the apostles and the Church. “These people have no excuse” (v.20b), “for what can be known about God is perfectly plain to them, since God has made it plain to them” (v.19). But they “hold back the truth” (v.18b) and “their uncomprehending minds were darkened” (v.21b).
They are “so stupid” (v.22b). The current liberal woke ideologies are so insane. Transgenders insist that men can become women, can become pregnant, can chestfeed babies. And many have embraced these woke ideologies, such that men invade women’s sports, are put in women’s prisons, win Miss Universe contests.
And what do modernists in the Church hierarchy say about all this? Nothing. They are too busy pursuing social justice issues and climate change.
No matter what Church modernists say or teach, even including the Pope, we must be firm in faith and profess what is true. Even if the Pope tells us not to proselytize (that is, make converts), we must know the authentic mission of the Church. We must not “be ashamed of the gospel; it is God’s power for the salvation of everyone who has faith” (v.16a).
In the gospel “is revealed the saving justice of God; a justice based on faith and addressed to faith” (v.17a). The authentic gospel is the way to salvation. “As it says in scripture: Anyone who is upright through faith will live.” (v.17b). On the other hand, “the retribution of God from heaven is being revealed against the ungodliness and injustice of human beings who in their injustice hold back the truth.” (v.18).
Reject modernism, and remain firm in faith.
