December: We Are Not Communicating

We have written on a few subjects, such as I am not Proud to be a Catholic, because the world is redefining terms. In order to communicate with each other, we must use words and understand them the same way. We must speak the truth and use words that both parties understand.

The first thing we need to do is to tell the truth, because there is a Commandment against lying, the Eighth Commandment. Telling the truth means expressing what we believe in our minds and hearts about something. Anything else is a lie, because we are attempting to deceive.

"And in all seduction of iniquity to them that perish; because they receive not the love of the truth, that they might be saved. Therefore God shall send them the operation of error, to believe lying:" (II Thessalonians 2:10) We should love truth, especially the truths of the Divine and Catholic Faith. We should learn how to express those truths properly and clearly to others.

Notice that if we don't love truth, God will send us the operation of error to believe lying. How many of us have told a 'little white lie'? There is nothing little or white about a lie. A lie is a lie and therefore a sin, and therefore one of the evils in the world. Let us not down play any sin as 'little.'

And so has the operation of error come near us? Let us look at a few common things in every day conversation.

Take the word 'scandal' as an example. When we are shocked at someone's sin, we say we are scandalized, but that is not necessarily true. Scandal means an action that will lead another into sin. We may be shocked that someone committed a certain sin, but also not in any way inclined to commit a sin as a result. Let us rather say, "I am shocked that Father John Doe blasphemed."

In the trailer to the documentary film, Pope Michael, We addressed the issue of what religion We say We are. We do not say We are a Roman Catholic, because the only Vatican Council rejected use of that term at the request of the Bishops from England, because such term endorses the Anglican branch theory. Anglicans at the time said that the Church has three branches, Anglican Catholic, Orthodox and Roman Catholic. We state, that We are a Catholic, then proceed to explain what that truly means.

And this brings up a major break through of the operation of error, Vatican II or Second Vatican Council. This assembly of heretics and soon to be heretics is not Catholic and therefore not a successor to the 1869-1870 Vatican Council, an assembly of Catholic Bishops. Therefore it is not Vatican II, but The Council, which formed the Conciliar Church.

Two incidents from five centuries ago are misnamed by many, although as We were preparing this, We could not find this error in Catholic histories. Five centuries ago Martin Luther posted his 95 theses on the door of the church at Wittenberg, beginning the Protestant Revolt. We could also call this the Protestant Formation. However, to call it the Protestant Reformation is a lie, as you cannot reform what does not yet exist. Protestantism could attempt to reform today, but this appears unlikely. In response to the Protestant Revolt, the Catholic Church began a Reformation through the Council of Trent, because reform in people's lives was sorely needed. Note this was not a reform of doctrine, but Trent did present doctrine clearly and initiated many things in order to reform the Church.

The first was the commission to prepare a catechism for the use of Pastors in instructing their flocks in the Catholic Faith. The result is the Roman Catechism, also known as the Catechism of the Council of Trent. The missal, pontifical and ritual were reformed, so that the essential rites of the Sacraments are preserved and the accidental rites were stripped of anything unbecoming that had slipped in over time. This reformation has come to be called the Counter Reformation, which is also a lie.

In response to the question: "May any translation of the Bible, in the vernacular, be read?", the Catechism of Saint Pius X answers: "We can read those translations of the Bible in the vernacular which have been acknowledged as faithful by the Catholic Church and which have explanations also approved by the Church."

Words change meaning, or so we are told. So we must make sure we are getting our point across. Let us look at two words in the Douay-Rheims Bible, penance and repentance.

Penance among Catholics today has come to mean the "fruits worthy of penance." (Luke 3:8) If one looks back at the Latin Vulgate, the word in Latin is the same for both, penance and repentance. The translators used penance and repentance interchangeably.

Matthew 3:2: "And saying: Do penance: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand." The Explanation in the Douay-Rheims tells us: "'Do penance': Paenitentiam agite. Which word, according to the use of the scriptures and the holy fathers, does not only signify repentance and amendment of life, but also punishing past sins by fasting, and such like penitential exercises." So the word penance means three things, repentance, amendment of life and then penitential exercises, which would naturally come from repentance and amendment of life. This is something to keep in mind, during the holy season of Advent, when we hear these words said.

So let us purify our minds and our speech to express the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth. We see how improper speech is now in common use. However, the one's I have mentioned are only a few examples.

Let us be careful that we truly understand what we are reading. We have just seen how many misinterpret a simple word like penance. When we must, let us explain what we mean, when we say something. The person we are trying to communicate with may not understand what the words say.

Words are important and powerful and The Enemy misuses words to sow confusion. As We are preparing article, We find We need to define who We consider to be The Enemy. Saint Paul does it best: "For our wrestling is not against flesh and blood; but against principalities and powers, against the rulers of the world of this darkness, against the spirits of wickedness in the high places." (Ephesians 6:12) Remember that Lucifer is the Father of Lies, and the devils are our real enemies.