Feast of the Immaculate Conception
Reading: Genesis 3:9-15,20
We understand modernism to mean the embrace of the culture of the age, which, in a world dominated by the evil one, is contrary to God’s ways. In a certain sense, modernism was there at the very start of creation, when the serpent tempted Eve and told her that if she ate of the forbidden fruit she would be like god. The choice was between God’s command and the devil’s temptation. Eve took the latter. Today, modernists partake of forbidden fruits, unmindful of God’s commands. They look to the well-being of man and neglect the righteousness of God. They are acting as gods unto themselves.
Despite the clear commands of God as to living an authentic Christian life, many Catholics succumb to temptations. Tragically, they today are also being misled by our own modernist pastors.
A top hierarch says that those who advocate for Mary as co-Redemptrix are silly. Well, you may be for or against Mary being declared co-Redemptrix, but why pronounce and insult those who are for it as silly? After all many in our Church accepted her as such through the centuries. And it is theologically sound, because God “put enmity between (the serpent) and the woman, and between (the devil’s) offspring and hers” (v.15a). And it is the woman and her offspring who will strike at the serpent’s head (v.15b), dealing it a crushing and deadly blow. The woman and her offspring are Mary and Jesus. So Mary is co-Redemptrix. To ridicule those who see it this way is to denigrate Mary and her role in salvation history. It is modernist revisionism of salvation history.
Such a posture would also weaken our looking to Mary as the terror of demons. She would be reduced to someone who is just an intercessor looking to Jesus (though this is a very important role). But Mary has a direct and powerful role in the defeat of the evil one. The Rosary, which is a powerful weapon in spiritual warfare, was given to us by Mary and not by Jesus. Fr Gabriele Amorth, Chief Exorcist of the Vatican for many years, said “anyone who goes to Mary and prays the Rosary cannot be touched by Satan.” So why are modernists, in not accepting her as co-Redemptrix and even insulting those who do accept her as such, weakening our forces and depriving us of weapons? Whose side are they on?
One more thing. Mary did not speak much. Mary stayed quietly in her home with Jesus for 30 years before his public ministry. She certainly prayed a lot. She certainly interceded for Jesus. We can say that Mary was a “cloistered” contemplative. The role of such cloistered contemplatives is very important for the life and mission of our Church. And so it is that God raised many such congregations of women through the centuries.
So why is a top modernist hierarch forcing cloistered nuns to get out of their convents and go out into the world to serve? Why is he depriving the Church of the focused intercessory prayers of such holy women?
In fact, this hierarch is working against Tradition in the Church.
He is suppressing the Traditional Latin Mass, which has been the Mass of All Ages.
He restricted use of the Latin Mass by the Franciscan Friars of the Immaculate.
Some seminaries under his watch are forcing out tradition-minded seminarians in favor of liberal ones.
He has warned against “Intransigent defense of tradition” that hardens the heart. Agreed. However, age-old Tradition in our Church does need to be defended, especially against modernists that are tearing down these traditions.
He has decreed term limits for leaders of religious movements. But new ecclesial movements, sent forth by the Holy Spirit for the third millennium, have their founders, and how can there be term limits on founders? Such leadership is by anointing and not by appointing. To set term limits is to be quite secular and even political. It is to set aside tradition.
Early in the life of humanity in the world, evil entered and all humanity (composed of two persons) fell under the dominion of the evil one. Today, most of humanity is under the dominion of darkness, sin and evil. Instead of fighting such, modernist pastors in our Church, by their false and wrong teachings, are enabling them.
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