"Diabolical Influence" Part Three

I have set forth the definitions of discernment by Garrigou-Lagrange earlier this week and followed up those posts with these on false apparitions. The reason for the connection is this: discernment, a gift given to all Catholics in confirmation as part of the gifts of counsel and knowledge. Counsel perfects the virtue of prudence.

Now, the charismatics and other groups have ruined definitions concerning "gifts" teaching people that not all gifts belong to all Catholics. This is an error. The gifts of the Holy Spirit are given to all Catholics. But, how these gifts are used determines a person's ministry. To deny that all receive the list of gifts below in confirmation would be bordering on heresy. That one needs to cooperate with the development of these gifts in grace is an essential truth. Some extraordinary gifts, as listed by Paul for the up building of the Church, are not given to all in the same way. But, Paul claimed he had all the gifts, and I think his comment was to make us all realize that this is a possibility, even for the extraordinary gifts. These two types of gifts are not to be confused, and some people want to make others think discernment is a special gift, when it is part of the gift of knowledge, which we all get in confirmation, and need.

When St. Paul writes that some people are prophets and some teachers, he is explaining that the roles in the Church use gifts in different ways. As written on this blog in the past on gifts and virtues, the gifts perfect the virtues received in baptism.

Baptism and confirmation are necessary for the life of the Catholic. The list is given below.

What diabolical influence does is twist the virtues and the gifts, taking away the clarity of discernment, knowledge, counsel and wisdom.

For example, in a false apparition or false messages, knowledge of the Church regarding salvation may be and is frequently twisted into heretical statements. One of the most obvious twisting of truths has to do with a famous seer telling people, as if God said this, that it is permissible for Catholics and Orthodoxs to attend regularly each other's liturgies. As this statement is against both the solemn teaching of the Catholic and the Orthodox Churches, one sees immediately a discrepancy in truth.

Those who chose to follow the false teaching of this seer fall into error because of the demonic influences, a serious problem as souls are then led astray into heresy. The gift of knowledge is twisted and the virtue of prudence set aside by those who, instead of following the teachings of the Church, follow the seer.

As I have noted many times here, I found in the early days of the website The Warning many doctrinal errors. I have done what every Catholic adult has done and learned my Faith, which is not exhaustive, as one can study this rich deposit all one's life and not know all, but we must know the basics. That is our responsibility as adults.

Once people are led to leave one truth of Catholic teaching, they open themselves up to following other false teachings. The list of the above errors is on this blog.

We are responsible not to leave the teaching authority of the Church, preferring individuals who claim direct knowledge from God. The first test of authenticity is whether the messages conform to Catholic teaching and in no way contradict this.

The demons involved in the masterly deceit make some believe "truths" which are lies, contrary to God's Revelation to us already.

This demonic influence involves sin if the persons have been instructed as to the deviations from doctrine and still follow the seers, over the long heritage of teaching in the Church.

When one decides on private revelation over Church teaching, one is in serious sin, if one has had that knowledge shown to them by someone, including the CDF. If people ignore local bishops and the CDF, their souls are in danger of losing first wisdom, then counsel, then knowledge and then the Faith entirely.

Another example is a seer from many years ago who had visions of God the Father as a person, in human form. If one knows one's faith, one knows that the Father is a Spirit, that Christ in Incarnate, and that the Holy Spirit is likewise a Spirit. In the lives of the saints and in the visions of approved mystics, the Father comes to the person through Christ, and in Spirit. But, the setting aside of Catholic teaching reveals an ignorance, or worse, the purposeful acceptance of falsehood.

Satan and the demons of the air are smarter than we are. They have the ability to make something seem true which is false. But, we have the virtues, gifts and graces to withstand such deceit. One can see that if one allows diabolical influences into one's life, the danger of damnation becomes a real possibility. This is why knowing the Faith and obeying the Church regarding visionaries is essential.

Our souls are safe resting in the virtue of obedience. St. Teresa herself wrote that anything which was revealed and against the Creed would not be from God. So too, by extension, anything shared which is against Catholic doctrine would be from satan and not God.

Also, if you readers go back into my posts on St. John of the Cross, you will remember that he said clearly that a sign of holiness is the acceptance of suffering and the moving away from seeking consolation. A sign of those who are on the way to perfection is this acceptance of suffering and ignoring of spiritual consolations, seeing these as distractions. Follow the tags.

The popes and bishops determine true apparitions and messages, not individuals. And until Rome approves, one should avoid. This is more than common sense, it is imperative in order to protect one's soul from deceit.

St. John XXIII made a statement which is hardly considered on this subject on February 18th, 1959:

"We urge you to listen to the salutary warnings of the Mother of God
with simplicity of heart and uprightness of spirit. The Roman Pontiffs are constituted the guardians and interpreters of divine Revelation, as contained in Holy Scripture and Tradition; but they also have the duty to recommend to the attention of the faithful - when, following mature examination, they judge it opportune for the general good - those supernatural lights which it pleases God to dispense freely to certain privileged souls, not in order to propose new doctrines, but in order to guide our conduct." (cf. Saint Thomas Aquinas, II. 11 , q. 174, art. 6 ad 3m)

All Catholics have the gifts given and here, again, is the list from the CCC:

1. 1831 The seven gifts of the Holy Spirit are wisdom, understanding, counsel, fortitude, knowledge, piety, and fear of the Lord. They belong in their fullness to Christ, Son of David. They complete and perfect the virtues of those who receive them. They make the faithful docile in readily obeying divine inspirations.

To be continued....

1. 
   

On Discernment Part One

This bit of information is taken from a book by Garrigou-Lagrange, The Priest in Union with Christ...the one I have asked for in my last post.

I want to highlight the gift of discernment, as it is misunderstood. I have written somewhat on this before, but the term is misused almost daily.

Discernment is part of the gift of knowledge given to all Catholics in the sacrament of confirmation.
But, it must be developed, as all the gifts must be and released from sin and the tendencies to sin, such as the predominant fault. One can learn to discern by asking God to enlighten one's knowledge and by purity of heart.

Here is a snippet on discerning the spirit of God from this book. I shall examine this before going on to more selections.

The spirit of God is an internal prompting or tendency of the soul to judge, love, will and act in a supernatural way. It incites the soul to avoid sin by mortifying the flesh and by practising humility, and to tend towards God by obedience, piety, faith, confidence, and charity both affective and effective. This divine spirit is, therefore, particularly evident in the promptings of the Holy Ghost which correspond to the seven gifts.

Notice that God gives one discernment to judge (yes, contrary to the pc crowd), to love, will and act all in and through grace. God's life is us brings us to accept and choose mortification and actually practice humility, not merely endure it.

Notice the list of virtues which emanate from God's life in us: obedience, piety, faith, confidence (in Providence) and love. Again, the gifts of confirmation are evident when one cooperates with purification.

Now, the great Dominican continues with the oppositions to the real life of virtues.

Opposed to the spirit of God is the spirit of human nature, which is characterized as an inclination to judge, will and act in an excessively human manner, following the lead of fallen nature which tends towards its own ease and advantage. It is a spirit of egoism, a spirit of individualism. Prudence, for example, is no longer treated as the virtue directing man's acts to moral perfection and rightly ordering all the other moral virtues, but as the virtue needed for finding means of avoiding every inconvenience. Similarly, mediocrity takes the place of the happy medium of virtue.

Again, the ego must go before one can live the life of the virtues, a theme reiterated in the first two perfection series. Notice that egoism and individualism kill the spirit of God in one. And, this movement away from the supernatural life leads to mediocrity.

How often to I hear that men and women are not called to perfection, either in comments or in conversation? Here is Garrigou-Lagrange on this point.

This spirit of mediocrity also invades the sphere of the theological virtues by continually denying further possible development to full perfection, as if they were bound by their nature to be nothing more than average virtues, as though it were possible for man to err by excess in his belief or hope in God or in his love for God, just as a man might love his country to excess by placing it before God.

The saints did not settle for second best, but pursued Christ and His love. Those who deny the road to perfection want to minimize the effort needed to become united to Christ. The criticism some hear today is that they are too zealous for God. God rewards this zeal.

The trouble with not choosing the path to perfection is that one chooses a road away from God's will. If one is not moving forward in the life of grace, one is sliding backwards. This paragraph is a short version of the chapters in other books by this great priest describing the predominant fault as well as the capital sin of sloth-see my posts below on this.

The spirit of human nature will always be found to result in tepidity and eventually in sloth, and the person who yields to its promptings commits numerous venial sins, which gradually become more and more deliberate until at last he falls into mortal sin. Sometimes it has a peculiar affectionate character revealing itself in sentimental attachments to creatures, in an emotional love for them which takes the place of that genuine love existing primarily in the will. And it is but a step from romantic sentiment to carnal prudence and stupidity, which give a man an earthbound vision of everything even of divine things so that he only regards their capacity to satisfy his senses or his pride. Cf. Summa, Ila Ilae, q. 55, q. 46.¹

In discerning "spirits",  Garrigou-Lagrange is simple, and profound, as usual.

In every soul one or other of these three spirits is predominant: the spirit of the devil in the wicked, the spirit of human nature in the lukewarm, the spirit of God in those who are beginning to dedicate themselves generously to the way of perfection, even though they may yet experience the influence of the spirit of nature from time to time and also of the devil.

Note that some people have given themselves over to wickedness and mediocrity. Men and women daily make choices which lead them one way or the other.

Now comes the role of discernment in all of this. 

The priest explains that 

The discernment of spirits signifies the power of judging correctly the spirit which is ordinarily predominant in some individual. This power may be either acquired or infused. If acquired, it consists in the correct application of the principles of moral theology under the guidance of acquired and infused prudence, and it is perfected to a greater or less degree by the inspiration of the gift of counsel.

All who are baptized and confirmed may acquire discernment through the study of moral theology, prayer, and the use of prudence and counsel, also given by God to us. Infused discernment is given to some for God's use. For example, a person or priest on an exorcist team may have infused discernment in order to help with the identification of demons.

Some spiritual directors who are priests or lay exhibit this infused discernment.

Garriogue-Lagrange helps us understand how to determine the spirits within a person.

What is the fundamental principle to be observed in the discerning of spirits? It is the one laid down by Christ himself: "it is by their fruit that you will know them", because "any sound tree will bear good fruit, while any tree that is withered will bear fruit that is worthless; that worthless fruit should come from a sound tree, or good fruit from a withered tree, is impossible" (Matt, vii, 17, 18, 20).

The good fruit which should result from the spiritual life are the virtues, the gifts of the Holy Ghost, and actions corresponding to the virtues and gifts. Therefore the discernment of spirits must be based on the principal virtues which are, in ascending order of perfection: chastity and mortification; humble obedience; faith, hope, and charity. We will now apply this principle to the three kinds of spirits.

The obvious is sometimes overlooked. The fruits of grace, that is God's life in us, are the virtues, the gifts of the Holy Spirit, and the resulting actions. These are bound up by sin and egoism until a person allows God to purify the soul, heart and mind.

Notice the order of fruits: 

• chastity
• mortification
• humble obedience
• faith
• hope
• charity

I shall continue this later today.....to be continued...

Etheldredasplace: Chaos vs. Discernment

16 Apr 2014

Discernment. Posted by Supertradmum. Dante appropriately defines the concept of contrapasso in his presentation of divisive shades, the most clear-cut manifestation of a logical relationship between the offense and the ...

http://supertradmum-etheldredasplace.blogspot.com/

On the misunderstanding of the term discernment of spirits

21 May 2013

Discernment is a gift which comes with the purification of the imagination and conscience. One must be orthodox for keen discernment. Many charismatics think that the term "discernment of spirits" has to do with figuring out ...

http://supertradmum-etheldredasplace.blogspot.com/

Etheldredasplace: On discernment and prudential judgement

03 Mar 2013

An excellent lesson is that given by St. Ignatius Loyola in his "Spiritual Exercises". Here we find rules for the discernment of spirits and, being clearly and briefly formulated, these rules indicate a secure course, containing in ...

http://supertradmum-etheldredasplace.blogspot.com/

Etheldredasplace: Norms Regarding the Manner of ...

06 Jul 2012

Norms Regarding the Manner of Proceeding in the Discernment of Presumed Apparitions or Revelations. Posted by Supertradmum. NOTE: update at bottom of page and more on this tomorrow in a long post.... By the way, for ...

http://supertradmum-etheldredasplace.blogspot.com/

Etheldredasplace: Why A Catholic Cannot Discern

28 Feb 2014

9) One is a heretic in some way, perhaps not even knowing that one is not completely orthodox, If one chooses not to be orthodox, such as maintaining a position of "informed dissent", one will lose discernment quickly.

http://supertradmum-etheldredasplace.blogspot.com/

Perfection Series VII: Part II

The Indwelling of the Trinity occurs at baptism, but is lost through mortal sin. The entire doctrine of grace flows from the understanding of this Indwelling. Grace is the gift of God's life to the soul and the Presence of the Trinity, which cannot be separated from that life. Christ is the True Son of God, but we become adopted sons and daughters through and in grace. 

The Holy Spirit, Who is the Living Love between the Father and the Son is given to us as well, so that now we partake in that love. It is through this love, the Holy Spirit that we become like Christ.

If the Blessed Trinity lives in the just soul as in a temple, [589] a living temple of knowledge and love even while the just man lives on earth, how wondrously intimate must be this indwelling of the Blessed Trinity in the blessed who form the temple of heaven! [590].
This doctrine of the indwelling leads from the treatise on the Trinity to the treatise on grace. Grace is the created gift, brought forth and preserved in us by the Holy Spirit, who, by appropriation, is the Uncreated Gift, or by the Blessed Trinity, wholly present in us. Adoptive filiation, says St. Thomas, [591] comes to us, by appropriation, from the Father, who is the principle of natural filiation; but it comes also by the gift of the Holy Spirit, who is the love of the Father and the Son. The act of adoption by grace, he says elsewhere, [592] though it is common to the entire Trinity, is appropriated nevertheless to each person singly, to the Father as author, to the Son as exemplar, to the Holy Spirit as imprinting on us the likeness of that exemplar.
Grace, we may recall in conclusion, depends by its very nature on the divine nature common to all three persons; but, as merited for all redeemed souls, it depends on Christ the Redeemer.

Without Christ, without baptism, there is no Indwelling of the Holy Trinity. 

If I had to teach only one thing for the rest of my life, it would be the truth and necessity of baptism.

It is through the graces of baptism that one comes to the experience of Christ the Incarnate One.

Souls are lost because of mortal sin which kills that life of God in us and through the lack of the acceptance of Christ as God and Man. Evangelization must be part of one's call, but if one is allowing God to perfect one, this call becomes one of being and not merely words.

to be continued...

Repost Because It Is Timely

Monday, 31 December 2012

Well, yet another Gramsci post; without the Spirit, the intellect stagnates and dies

Posted by Supertradmum

Did philosophers and revolutionaries honestly believe that humans can be intellectuals without the life of the Spirit? Did and do they honestly want a better life while denying the soul?

Some critics of the Church since the Enlightenment state that the teachers and Popes did not address the modern issues of politics, science and modernism. This is a misunderstanding of the times and the teachings. Since the publication of Marx and Engels, the Church has been on the offensive, not the defensive regarding teaching concerning the effects of tyrannies, the materialists dialectic and the supposed war between the classes. All the popes since 1848 have addressed these ideologies. The problem has been in the implementation at the local levels of the clarity of the Teaching Magisterium.

Why? Many priests fell into error and carried those errors into the pulpit for the last two-hundred years. Many priests and even bishops themselves were and are communists and push for that version of a world-view, based on materialism, rather the the spiritual message of the Kingdom of God.

As laity, it is our duty to take care of our brothers and sisters in poverty or troubles.

Gramsci was clear that the Church was the only institution to understand what he and other revolutionaries wanted in the culture wars and the destruction of Western civilization, itself created largely by Christendom.

Here is one of  his quotations. Gramsci understood that both Faith and Reason were held together in the Catholic Church, that Revelation and the Teaching Magisterium provided a cohesive block against the fragmentation of society.

The strength of religions, and of the Catholic Church in particular, has lain, and still lies, in the fact that they feel very strongly the need for the doctrinal unity of the whole mass of the faithful and strive to ensure that the higher intellectual stratum does not get separated from the lower. The Roman church has always been the most vigorous in the struggle to prevent the “official” formation of two religions, one for the “intellectuals” and the other for the “simple souls” … That the Church has to face up to a problem of the “simple” means precisely that there has been a split in the community of the faithful. This split cannot be healed by raising the simple to the level of the intellectuals  .... but only by imposing an iron discipline on the intellectuals so that they do not exceed certain limits of differentiation and so render the split catastrophic and irreparable. 

Catholic intellectuals, including the laity, have a duty to combat the lies of the ideologies which have almost overcome the concepts of freedom and individualism. Our definition of the individual is not that of the socialist.  We are unique creatures, each one having a purpose, not to be subsumed by the bloated government. 

Those who are the enemy delight in the fragmentation of society, and society is built on natural, moral law and not the laws of men. This is the key to the strength of the Church...that we have recognized that man-made structures are doomed to tyranny and/or chaos.

Tyranny will come to America and chaos to Europe for the purposeful loss of the culture wars has occurred. 

That Gramsci only saw the discipline of the Church as evil, rather than a guideline of the Holy Spirit intended to persevere Truth mirrors his own lack of Faith and Reason. 

The man or woman who will not bend to God, will not bend to the Church. Humility in scholarship is key.

We are on the edge, as most people will choose material comfort over truth. This is the sad decline of the human spirit. The remnant Church holds the real intellectual unity of a society, which Gramsci wanted through his groups of intellectuals at all levels.

Of course, this burgeoning of intellectual life has not happen, and in fact, societies are less intellectual now than in the recent past. Atheism makes one closed to the entire spiritual world, and therefore, the world of creativity and newness.

There has been a split in the Church, but not the one mentioned in the above quotation. The real split is between those who see the Spirit working in the Church and those who want to make the Church into their own image and likeness, into their own ideological institution. Hence, the liberal intellectuals have sold out to the Gramscian ideal of "intellectualism" but separated from the soul.

This state in a person or government is suicide. The intellectual gifts are connected to the spirit of man and woman, to the soul, to prayer and illumination.

Gramsci's material mind-set could not imagine an institution which is actually empowered by  GOD HIMSELF.  That the Trinity dwells in each baptized Catholic and that there is insight and intellectual freedom partly defines us as made in the image and likeness of God.

Gramsci wanted men and women to be made in his image and likeness--and that is the primal sin of the angels; I will not serve.

Without the Holy Spirit and the individual free spirit of men and women, the intellect dies.

We are in that stage of Western Civilization. At the end of the year, we can only look forward to making ourselves and our families strong against the Gale of Stupidity and Barbarism which will engulf some reading this in their lifetime.

Perfection II Series: Manning on The Fruits

Cardinal Manning presents us with excellent basic catechesis on the virtues, gifts, and fruits of the Spirit.

Faith, hope and charity, the theological virtues, are given to us in baptism. These are called by Manning the “the faculties of the soul which is born again.”

The gifts are infused, not obtained by practice. The fruits are the result of the gifts flowing into the life of the virtues.

Manning notes that the first fruit is love, or charity, as is the usual term. He writes that there is no middle ground for the growth of the fruits, One cannot be mediocre or lukewarm as a Catholic and bear the fruits of the Spirit of God.

The fruits are the “active perfection” of the soul, not the passive.

If we are not bearing fruit, the good Cardinal reminds us, we are dead, living in sin. There is no middle ground.

Love is first, then joy, which includes gratitude and “the consciousness of God’s infinite goodness, in which we live and move; peace, whereby we are at rest with God,  and in ourselves, and with all mankind.”

The Cardinal continues on the fruits which have to do with our neighbors. Patience is the most obvious fruit and Manning asks, “Are we irritable, revengeful, resentful, malicious?”

Those automatic reactions which happen too easily show us that we are not bearing fruit.

Manning is quite clear on this point. “If so, the fruits of the Holy Ghost are not in us, because the benignity of God is not in us.”

Again, we must ask for the purification necessary to bear fruit, to have all hidden sins removed from the depth of the soul.

Goodness follows patience. Longanimity is “another name for patience. Just as equity is the most delicate form of justice, longanimity  is the most perfect form of charity, the perpetual radiance of a loving heart which, in its dealings with all who are round about, looks kindly upon them and judges kindly of their faults. Longanimity  means also perseverance.”

What follows is an indictment for most of us. “…the not being wearied in well-doing, not throwing up and saying, ‘I have tried to good for such a one, I have tried to correct his faults, I have tried to win him; but he is ungrateful, he is incorrigible, and I will have no more to do with him.”

This is the mantra of divorce and the loss of friendship. Manning notes, “Our Lord does

not so deal with us. Longanimity means an unwearied perseverance in doing good.”

So often, we remove ourselves from relationships because we do not love enough, or long enough. Even in prayer, do we not sometimes give up?

There are many people I have been praying for over the years. I cannot see any change in their ungodly lives, as some are atheists, agnostics, heretics, or full of self-deception. They are not walking with God. Do I give up? No.

A spiritual stubbornness comes out of a heart which loves, even if there is not any regard or love returned.

Manning writes of mildness, gentleness, kindness, forebearance, “the dissembling of wrong, the absence of the fire of resentment and of the smouldering of ill-will.”

One must catch one’s self and immediately repent of even venial sin, even the uncharitable thoughts which one may not act upon.

To be continued….

Manning on The Perfection of Adam

Henry Edward Cardinal Manning in his discussion of the Indwelling of the Holy Spirit writes this:

"...original justice was no part of the nature of mane; it was a superadded gift, a supernatural perfection over and above the perfection or integrity of human nature. It was not due to man that he should have the gift of original justice: his perfection consisted in the body and the soul, the  faculties and the powers-intellectual and moral-which constitute human nature. But original justice is more than this: namely, the gift of a supernatural grace and state, by the indwelling of the Holy Ghost in the soul, illuminating it by the infusion of His light in the form of truth: and sanctifying it by the infusion of His grace in the form of sanctity."

"This was original justice, and therefore Adam was in two ways the son of God. He was a son of God by nature, because he was created by God; and a son of God by grace, because the Holy Ghost dwelt in him. Further, because he had this original justice, he also had two other gifts. He had immortality in the body, because he was without sin; and he had perfect harmony and integrity, or order, in the soul, because the soul was under the direction and guidance of the Spirit of God. Therefore in Adam there were three perfections: there was perfection of nature, the body and the soul; there was the supernatural perfection or the indwelling of the Holy Ghost and of sanctifying grace;  there was the preternatural perfection of immortality in the body and in harmony in the soul, in and with itself."

I shall continue this later, but this section deserves meditation and contemplation.

Notice how many of the great writers come back to the idea of perfection.

to be continued...

Manning and Others on Revelation

The Cardinal writes this: "...Revelation signifies the unfolding to the intelligence of man truths which are contained in the intelligence of God, the knowledge of which without such revelation would be impossible. Men may be subjects of revelation, and not of inspiration; and they might be the subjects of inspiration, and not of revelation."
Some theologians have said that Revelation is knowledge of God beyond that which comes through Reason and Nature; Nature would include natural law.

Some note that after the Fall, God promised Revelation, beginning to give it immediately in the Garden of Eden with the promise of Mary and Christ, the first prophecy. So, as soon as Adam and Eve fell away from the daily encounter with God in the Garden, they had to be given Revelation in order to come back to God.

Revelation is divided, therefore, into two categories-natural revelation and divine revelation. Aquinas writes thus:

Natural or general revelation means that humans can come to some truths by the fact that we are human.

Divine or special revelation is that given by God directly. Here is the long CCC introduction to Revelation.

 II. THE STAGES OF REVELATION
In the beginning God makes himself known
54 "God, who creates and conserves all things by his Word, provides men with constant evidence of himself in created realities. And furthermore, wishing to open up the way to heavenly salvation - he manifested himself to our first parents from the very beginning."⁶ He invited them to intimate communion with himself and clothed them with resplendent grace and justice.
55 This revelation was not broken off by our first parents' sin. "After the fall, [God] buoyed them up with the hope of salvation, by promising redemption; and he has never ceased to show his solicitude for the human race. For he wishes to give eternal life to all those who seek salvation by patience in well-doing."⁷

Even when he disobeyed you and lost your friendship you did not abandon him to the power of death. . . Again and again you offered a covenant to man.⁸

The Covenant with Noah
56 After the unity of the human race was shattered by sin God at once sought to save humanity part by part. The covenant with Noah after the flood gives expression to the principle of the divine economy toward the "nations", in other words, towards men grouped "in their lands, each with [its] own language, by their families, in their nations".⁹
57 This state of division into many nations is at once cosmic, social and religious. It is intended to limit the pride of fallen humanity¹⁰ united only in its perverse ambition to forge its own unity as at Babel.¹¹ But, because of sin, both polytheism and the idolatry of the nation and of its rulers constantly threaten this provisional economy with the perversion of paganism.¹²
58 The covenant with Noah remains in force during the times of the Gentiles, until the universal proclamation of the Gospel.¹³ The Bible venerates several great figures among the Gentiles: Abel the just, the king-priest Melchisedek - a figure of Christ - and the upright "Noah, Daniel, and Job".¹⁴ Scripture thus expresses the heights of sanctity that can be reached by those who live according to the covenant of Noah, waiting for Christ to "gather into one the children of God who are scattered abroad".¹⁵

God chooses Abraham
59 In order to gather together scattered humanity God calls Abram from his country, his kindred and his father's house,¹⁶ and makes him Abraham, that is, "the father of a multitude of nations". "In you all the nations of the earth shall be blessed."¹⁷
60 The people descended from Abraham would be the trustee of the promise made to the patriarchs, the chosen people, called to prepare for that day when God would gather all his children into the unity of the Church.¹⁸ They would be the root on to which the Gentiles would be grafted, once they came to believe.¹⁹
61 The patriarchs, prophets and certain other Old Testament figures have been and always will be honored as saints in all the Church's liturgical traditions.
God forms his people Israel
62 After the patriarchs, God formed Israel as his people by freeing them from slavery in Egypt. He established with them the covenant of Mount Sinai and, through Moses, gave them his law so that they would recognize him and serve him as the one living and true God, the provident Father and just judge, and so that they would look for the promised Savior.²⁰
63 Israel is the priestly people of God, "called by the name of the LORD", and "the first to hear the word of God",²¹ the people of "elder brethren" in the faith of Abraham.
64 Through the prophets, God forms his people in the hope of salvation, in the expectation of a new and everlasting Covenant intended for all, to be written on their hearts.²² The prophets proclaim a radical redemption of the People of God, purification from all their infidelities, a salvation which will include all the nations.²³ Above all, the poor and humble of the Lord will bear this hope. Such holy women as Sarah, Rebecca, Rachel, Miriam, Deborah, Hannah, Judith and Esther kept alive the hope of Israel's salvation. The purest figure among them is Mary.²⁴

III. CHRIST JESUS -- "MEDIATOR AND FULLNESS OF ALL REVELATION"²⁵
God has said everything in his Word
65 "In many and various ways God spoke of old to our fathers by the prophets, but in these last days he has spoken to us by a Son."²⁶ Christ, the Son of God made man, is the Father's one, perfect and unsurpassable Word. In him he has said everything; there will be no other word than this one. St. John of the Cross, among others, commented strikingly on Hebrews 1:1-2:

In giving us his Son, his only Word (for he possesses no other), he spoke everything to us at once in this sole Word - and he has no more to say. . . because what he spoke before to the prophets in parts, he has now spoken all at once by giving us the All Who is His Son. Any person questioning God or desiring some vision or revelation would be guilty not only of foolish behavior but also of offending him, by not fixing his eyes entirely upon Christ and by living with the desire for some other novelty.²⁷

There will be no further Revelation
66 "The Christian economy, therefore, since it is the new and definitive Covenant, will never pass away; and no new public revelation is to be expected before the glorious manifestation of our Lord Jesus Christ."²⁸ Yet even if Revelation is already complete, it has not been made completely explicit; it remains for Christian faith gradually to grasp its full significance over the course of the centuries.
67 Throughout the ages, there have been so-called "private" revelations, some of which have been recognized by the authority of the Church. They do not belong, however, to the deposit of faith. It is not their role to improve or complete Christ's definitive Revelation, but to help live more fully by it in a certain period of history. Guided by the Magisterium of the Church, the sensus fidelium knows how to discern and welcome in these revelations whatever constitutes an authentic call of Christ or his saints to the Church.
Christian faith cannot accept "revelations" that claim to surpass or correct the Revelation of which Christ is the fulfillment, as is the case in certain non-Christian religions and also in certain recent sects which base themselves on such "revelations".

IN BRIEF
68 By love, God has revealed himself and given himself to man. He has thus provided the definitive, superabundant answer to the questions that man asks himself about the meaning and purpose of his life.
69 God has revealed himself to man by gradually communicating his own mystery in deeds and in words.
70 Beyond the witness to himself that God gives in created things, he manifested himself to our first parents, spoke to them and, after the fall, promised them salvation (cf. Gen 3:15) and offered them his covenant.
71 God made an everlasting covenant with Noah and with all living beings (cf. Gen 9:16). It will remain in force as long as the world lasts.
72 God chose Abraham and made a covenant with him and his descendants. By the covenant God formed his people and revealed his law to them through Moses. Through the prophets, he prepared them to accept the salvation destined for all humanity.
73 God has revealed himself fully by sending his own Son, in whom he has established his covenant for ever. The Son is his Father's definitive Word; so there will be no further Revelation after him.

---

The promise that God would help mankind even after the disaster of the Fall is a comfort to us, culminating in the Person of Jesus Christ, Who is the Fullness of Revelation and this Revelation resides in fullness in the Catholic Church.

Genesis 3:15

Douay-Rheims 

¹⁵ I will put enmities between thee and the woman, and thy seed and her seed: she shall crush thy head, and thou shalt lie in wait for her heel.

The Modern Errors on Inspiration

Even today, there are Catholics and Anglicans who do not believe in the inerrancy of Scripture. Cardinal Manning places the confusion on the table of Spinoza. The "sceptical criticism" of Holland and Germany spread to England and America rapidly, undermining the authority of the Church and the authority of Scripture.

Manning clarifies the fact that the Anglicans fell into the heresy of denying the inspiration of the Holy Spirit in such areas as denying the exact words of Jesus Christ and the Apostles as being as these were written. Another error which crept into the universities was that inspiration was only to be found in the Scriptures themselves and not in Tradition.

Inspiration is the enlightenment of the intellect and reason by the Holy Spirit. Of course, God did not "dictate", like grand orator in the sky to a secretary evangelist, but used the gifts of the Holy Spirit within those men to write the truths revealed to them through the Old Testament, Christ while on earth and the Holy Spirit after the Ascension.

Simply put, revelation and inspiration work together within the writers of the Scriptures, books whose Author is the Holy Spirit, the Third Person in the Blessed Trinity.

The Anglicans moved from sola Scriptura to chaos.

The Catholic Church has been very clear on the Scriptures and Manning summarizes these teachings for his readers. I have put these in my own order and words for simplicity.

One, God is the Author of the sacred books.

Two, the writings of the Prophets and the Apostles are Holy Scripture.

Three, that the Canon of Tent is the same as that of the Council of Florence, Carthage and the papal declarations of SS. Innocent and Gelasius.

Four, that all the books in all the parts are sacred and canonical and, therefore, none of the books contain any material of human authorship. In other words, no extraneous or "creative writing"...

Five, the Vulgate is the authentic translation.

Well, many a Scripture instructor in many Catholic universities would not abide by these truths and, therefore, be heretical.

Manning reminds us that both the Eastern and Western Fathers wrote that in substance and in form the Old Testament and the New Testament were revealed and inspired by God.

Here are a few quotations from Manning's choice of Fathers:

"S. Irenaeus says, 'The Scriptures are perfect, being dictated by the Word of God and by His Spirit.'"

"S. Macarius says, "God the King sent the Holy Scriptures as His epistles to men.'"

"S. John Chrysostom says, 'What things the Scriptures promulgate, the Lord pr0mulgated.'"

"S. Basil says, 'Let therefore the Scriptures which are inspired by God decide for us.'"

"S. Gregory Nyssen says, 'Whatever the Sacred Scriptures declare are the utterances of the Holy Ghost.'"

"S. Augustine says of the Scriptures,'In it God Himself speaks.'"

"S. Gregory the Great says, 'The author of the book is the Holy Ghost.'"

Manning notes that until the age of the controversy of the nature of inspiration, these ideas were held by all Christians.

How sad that now the Catholic Church even holds false teachers in Her midst.

to be continued...

More Manning of The Illumination of The Holy Spirit

One cannot help but see how far some Catholics have departed from the idea that the Holy Spirit has resided and still resides in the Church. Even the teaching on infallibility points to the truth that the Holy Spirit illuminates the Church daily in teaching and in preaching.

Revelation, of course, came to an end with the last book of the Bible. Tradition is the interpretation, again inspired by the Holy Spirit, of the Scriptures, which cannot be done by an individual, but only by the Church.

Today's moral chaos partly has derived from the Protestant liberal interpretation of Scripture.

One such amazingly irrational interpretation has been one I have actually heard from a Catholic pulpit, that Sodom and Gomorrah were destroyed not because of sodomy, but because of inhospitality.

Every word of Scripture, quotes Manning from an old statement from the once orthodox men at the Louvain and Douai, is like a mystery like the sacraments.

Recently, I heard a priest from Chicago state, that the evangelists listed in the Canon are not the real authors of the Gospels. Sadly, this cleric is seriously leading his students astray.

One must be careful in referring to form and matter, an idea first discussed by Luther.

All Scripture is inspired, all. But, the Scriptures are not "dictation" like "automatic writing" which is of the occult only.

As rational creatures, God inspires our intellects, and especially the saints who wrote the Bible, all in the Illuminative and most in the Unitive State, one can trust that their words are from God. The truth that all the words are inspired cannot be changed simply to those which deal with morals or doctrine.

One thing which both science and archaeology have discovered are the more mundane truths of Scripture-like the existence of Jericho and the order of creation in Genesis.

Manning defines his terms so that his readers are clear on the point of inspiration.

"Inspiration, in its first intention, signifies the action of the Divine Spirit upon the human, that is upon the intelligence and upon the will. It is an intelligent and vital action of God upon the soul of man' and 'inspired' is to be predicated, not of books or truths, but of living agents."

"In its second intention, it signifies the action of the Spirit of Go upon the intelligence and will of man, whereby any one is impelled and enabled to act, or to speak, or to write, in some special way designed by the Spirit of God."

"In its still more special and technical intention, it signifies an action of the Spirit upon men, impelling them to write what God reveals, suggests, or wills that they should write. But, inspiration does not necessarily signify revelation, or suggestion of the matter to be written."

Do not, therefore, confuse inspiration with Revelation, which I shall cover in a later post today.

To be continued....

The Wisdom of Cardinal Manning on The Holy Spirit and Scripture

Pursuing the reading of the book by Cardinal Manning on the Holy Spirit in the Church, I can see how much the teaching on the Holy Spirit is not something new at all, as some writers want to state, but part of the long tradition of the Church.

One of the themes in the book I have mentioned in previous posts this week, which is the application of the Attributes of God to the Holy Spirit within the Church. Cardinal Manning also looks carefully at the attributes of the Church, as one, holy, Catholic and apostolic, noting how the Holy Spirit is also present in the Church as one, as holy, as unifying and universal, and as in the unbroken line from the apostles.

But, what I want to emphasize today is the aspect of Reason with regard to the presence of the Holy Spirit in the Church's Canon of Scripture.

As I noted earlier this week, the rational basis for accepting the Catholic Church as the one, true Church having the long history of the presence of the Holy Spirit within guiding and teaching cannot be denied by those who are sincere about discovering the truth.

The problem with most Catholics is that they have been influenced by Protestant New Criticism with regard to the relationship between the Holy Spirit and Scripture, one of two gifts in the Church to the world, along with Tradition.

That it is reasonable to accept the role of the Holy Spirit in the creation of Scripture and Tradition has been set aside by those who follow in ways of New Criticism. I have written several times on this blog referring to both Dei Verbum, found here and Providentissimus Deus, found there.

Manning makes it clear that there is a danger of error when approaching Scripture regarding the terms inspiration, revelation, form and matter.

To be begin, one must start with the fact that there are no errors in Scripture. Also, we have the Doctors of the Church as guides, who are "the masters" as St. Augustine states. St. Augustine also writes that those who want to learn go to the masters. Obviously, those who do not want to learn, do not do so, or go to false teachers. This reference is in Providentissimus Deus.

Manning writes this with regard to Reason: "It may be truly said that the history of the human intellect in the last eighteen hundred years is the history of Christianity, and the history of Christianity is the history of the Catholic Church. It is in the Catholic Church that the human intellect has developed it activity and its maturity, both within the sphere of revelation and beyond it."

The systematic study of Scripture and Theology may be traced back to not only some of the Doctors of the Church, but most specifically through the great minds and hearts of SS. Anselm, Hugh and Richard of St. Victor, Bernard of Clairvaux and many others, as Manning elucidates.

To study is not to doubt.

The relationship between Reason and the study of Scripture becomes a problem for some feminist and Protestant scholars. Those who find themselves disagreeing with the moral and theological truths of Scripture pick apart the idea of Revelation and Inspiration so that these two truths no longer apply, in their minds, to the reading of the texts.

Revelation becomes merely one's own interpretation determined by cultural influences and inspiration merely becomes "creative writing".

Manning also points out that among the saints, there has been a solid agreement concerning the Truths of the Catholic Church, including the inerrancy of Scripture. This "consensus" of the faithful is not infallible per saint, but as Manning notes, the consensus of accepted truths is the consensus brought about by the Holy Spirit.

Therefore, those who hold with sola Scriptura depart from this consensus. To be continued...

And more from Manning....

The book I have been reading and will share on this blog for the rest of the week, The Temporal Mission of the Holy Ghost, is one very personal to me. Written in 1865, this book reveals the truth of the one, true, holy, Catholic and apostolic Church for our times.

Manning notes that the dividing line between darkness and light has harden, become obvious, as some people, like himself, have received and accepted illumination regarding the nature of the Church, while others are falling into shadow and darkness of errors.

I noted before that Manning wrote that the Church is immutable "in its knowledge, discernment and enunciation of the truth..."

The continuous enunciation of the truth, from the apostles and "not only from council to council" but from the "living voice" of the Church, in and with the Holy Spirit, gives all authoritative dogmatic decrees, plus an assurance of truth.

This continuous enunciation, knowledge, and discernment were given ten days after the Ascension, at Pentecost, as Manning notes.

He quotes St. Paul on the theme of unity; "One body and one spirit; as you are called in one hope of your calling; One Lord, one faith, one baptism. One God and Father of all, who is above al and through all, and in us all. "

The oneness of the Holy Spirit gives all members of the Church a unity. Manning traces St. Paul's theme of oneness in both the Epistle to the Romans and to the Corinthians as well as in Ephesians.

"All these things one and the same Spirit worketh, dividing to every one according as he will. For as the body is one and hath many members; and all the members of the body, whereas there are many, yet are one body; so also is Christ. For in one Spirit we were all baptized into one body..."

This overwhelming testimony to the Oneness of the Holy Spirit with all the members of the Catholic Church reveals the glory of the True Church as one with Christ. The Ascension is the necessary event which brings about Pentecost, the birth of the Church, in the coming of the Holy Spirit. Manning writes that the coming o the Holy Ghost is likewise declared to be the condition of the creation, quickening, and organisation of the mystical body, which is the church of Jesus Christ."

Such writing gives one hope and great joy in the future of the Church, not as a Triumphant creator of Christendom, which we most likely will never see again, but as the great mover and preserver of the gifts and Presence of the Holy Spirit in the world.

How much teaching has been lost in recent times...

To be continued...

More from Manning

Continuing in the reading of Cardinal Manning's excellent book on the Holy Spirit and the Church, one can pick out a few more points in the Introduction, before moving on to Chapter One.

The Attribute of God as One, which I have written about on this blog, is that Attribute of Unity. Cardinal Manning wrote that as an Anglican, he could understand the Trinity as One, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit as One. However, he had denied that the Church, was, therefore, as the Mystical Body of Christ, also One.

The external expression of Oneness in the Catholic Church revealed the internal, intrinsic Unity of that institution founded by the One God.

His illumination came after many years of living in the fog of denial that the extrinsic sign of unity, the papacy, was a necessary element revealing the internal, intrinsic unity.

That Christ is One and that Christians have the Indwelling of the Holy Spirit cannot be ideas separated from the Oneness, the Unity of the Catholic Church.

God's Attribute of Oneness is, therefore, expressed in the Church.

Manning noted that he had to write the book in reparation for erroneous ideas which he has stated earlier in his career. His reparation had to be made to Truth, Who is the Divine Person of Christ.

The organic unity of the Church belongs to the intrinsic essence of the Church, which is perfection.

As I noted in the last post on Manning, this unity involves the eternal unity of the Holy Spirit, Who is in the Church. Therefore, to deny the working of the Holy Spirit through, for example, infallibility, is to deny the Holy Spirit-the most serious of sins.

Much to ponder...

More later...

More on Cardinal Manning's Book

but, later...I have been traveling and am tired.

Need some zzzzs.

Perfection in The Church

In The Temporal Mission of the Holy Ghost, Cardinal Manning delineates points which prove that the highest form of the use of Reason is the acceptance of Revelation.

Of course, as he notes in this book, this idea contradicts the Rationalists, and the Protestants.

Rationalists maintain that only what can be understood by Reason may be considered valid.

The good Cardinal also notes that the sign of the perfection of Reason is the acceptance of the Revelation of the Catholic Church.

In other words, he underscores the point I have been stressing for several years concerning perfection,that the first step is the acceptance of the Teaching Magisterium of the Church.

In other words, the first rung on the step of perfection is orthodoxy. This has been a theme on this blog for a long time.

Cardinal Manning writes that to submit to the “Voice of the Holy Spirit in the Church is the absolute condition to attain a perfect knowledge of revelation.”

What the Protestants deny is the continual Presence of the Holy Spirit in the Church from the time of Christ to the present day.

The two huge errors in rational thinking may thus be summarized in these notes:

1)      Atheists, agnostics, pagans, those of other “faith” and Protestant cannot begin to climb the road to perfection with assent to orthodoxy, as passed down in the Catholic Church;

2)      Those who belong to Protestant groups which deny orthodoxy in any way are actually denying the work of the Holy Spirit in the world, only fully in and through the Catholic Church.

Cardinal Manning writes that Reason is illuminated by God to bring all to the Catholic Church, and that this “mission” of the Holy Spirit has been entrusted to the Church.

He believes, as I do, that the natural moral laws, which are part of the soul of all humans and part of the conscience of humans, also can lead people to the truth. This is the basis of the seeking of God-moral natural law.

In addition, Cardinal Manning elaborates on the fact that all philosophies point to the truth of the Catholic Church. He also states that nature itself leads one to God and to the truth of the Church. Obviously, the Church has had a missionary effort, until modern times, to help those who have come to some truth to find the fullness of truth.

Cardinal Manning emphasizes that there are not many “Christianities”, but that there is one Christianity and that is Catholicism.

One of the weaknesses in modern catechesis has been the ignoring of the fact that one cannot become perfect, follow the road to perfection, without the acceptance of the Creed and the teaching of the Eucharist.

Also, many Catholics who have fallen away, or even some who attend weekly Mass, move away from orthodoxy in some way. I know one woman in her 80s, who is Irish and believes that the Church is wrong about women priests. She has moved off the road to perfection by adamantly refusing to accept St. John Paul II’s infallible statement on this fact.

To depart from the teaching of the Church interrupts one’s progress. Some step off the ladder because of contraception, divorce and remarriage without annulment, acceptance of homosexual sins, and so on.

One must conform one’s mind to the mind of Christ. Thankfully, if we “fall off the ladder” and repent, God is there is pick us up and lead us onward and upward.

At baptism, one becomes a child of God and heir of heaven. Not until then is one given the virtues necessary for the way of perfection. The Indwelling of the Trinity means that the Catholic who follows Church teaching does so in a unity of grace. Those who deny something which is given through the Holy Spirit to the Church have caused a division in that Indwelling of the Trinity. Manning compares the present day divisions of Protestant faiths with the myriad groups of pagans at the time of the Coming of Christ-and that the Incarnation ended all possible assents to paganism. St. Augustine states that since Satan could no longer tempt those to give up Reason through paganism, that he caused the divisions in the Church through heresies.

Strong words from a great Doctor of the Church and words which are ignored by those involved in false ecumenism.

How have we moved so far from the truth that Protestant sects are not “religions” as states in Dominus Iesus, and that there are few differences in these sects either among themselves or with Catholicism?

How have priests come to accept the fallacy of mixed marriages as not being a serious harm to the growth of perfection and the pursuit of saintliness? There are Hahns who can testify to success in mutual support for conversion.

Cardinal Manning refers to St. Cyprian on “One God, one Christ, one Church”, as a statement which caused him to realize that moral unity was dying among Christian denominations.

Do we not see this with the almost universal acceptance of divorce and remarriage, homosexual relationships, and contraception among those denominations?

Reason has not lead to a full acceptance of Revelation in the Church because of sin. The “intrinsic anarchy” of the Protestant Revolt continues, which is one reason why the Church cannot canonize either pagans or Protestants. The anarchy of relativism only adds to the institutionalized chaos of those who have chosen to depart from the unity of the Trinity, which is found in and through the Catholic Church only.

Can one be saved outside the Church? Only through the merits of the Church and this puts the onus on all of us to become saints, as we gain the merits for this Church.

Pray for those who are separated from the Church. Pray for those who continue in anarchy against the Teaching Magisterium.

Sadly, the remnant may become very small, indeed.

More on this excellent book later-- Cardinal Manning’s section on the Church being immutable throughout all ages in knowledge, discernment, and enunciation of the truth is truly exciting reading.

Confirmation Series Two

As Confirmation is one of the Sacraments of Initiation, one of the questions asked of people who are getting married is whether they need to be confirmed first. Here is the Canon Law to set the record straight. 


from the 1983 Code of Canon Law: Text and Commentary

The text of the law:

Canon 1065 - 1. If they can do so without serious inconvenience, Catholics who have not yet received the sacrament of confirmation are to receive it before being admitted to marriage.

2. It is strongly recommended that those to be married approach the sacraments of penance and the Most Holy Eucharist so that they may fruitfully receive the sacrament of marriage.¹

^{Part of the reason for this is that Confirmation is a Sacrament of Initiation.} 

^{Here is the section to be examined today.} 

SECTION TWO
THE SEVEN SACRAMENTS OF THE CHURCH
CHAPTER ONE
THE SACRAMENTS OF CHRISTIAN INITIATION
ARTICLE 2
THE SACRAMENT OF CONFIRMATION




1285 Baptism, the Eucharist, and the sacrament of Confirmation together constitute the "sacraments of Christian initiation," whose unity must be safeguarded. It must be explained to the faithful that the reception of the sacrament of Confirmation is necessary for the completion of baptismal grace.⁸⁹ For "by the sacrament of Confirmation, [the baptized] are more perfectly bound to the Church and are enriched with a special strength of the Holy Spirit. Hence they are, as true witnesses of Christ, more strictly obliged to spread and defend the faith by word and deed."<sup>90




This unity has not been safeguarded in recent years, but the present Pope has made statements encouraging earlier Confirmation. Confirmation is the completion of Baptism. I would wonder why anyone would not want to enter into this completion. Such gifts are needed as well as a sharing in the Divine Life of Christ.</sup>

I. CONFIRMATION IN THE ECONOMY OF SALVATION
1286 In the Old Testament the prophets announced that the Spirit of the Lord would rest on the hoped-for Messiah for his saving mission.⁹¹ The descent of the Holy Spirit on Jesus at his baptism by John was the sign that this was he who was to come, the Messiah, the Son of God.⁹² He was conceived of the Holy Spirit; his whole life and his whole mission are carried out in total communion with the Holy Spirit whom the Father gives him "without measure."⁹³


Even in the beginning of Christ's ministry do we see Him giving us a sign of the importance of this ministry. I hope I do not have to remind readers that it is a heresy to believe that Christ did not know who He was until this time-a Modernist heresy condemned, as Christ always knew He was God and Man and Messiah.


1287 This fullness of the Spirit was not to remain uniquely the Messiah's, but was to be communicated to the whole messianic people.⁹⁴ On several occasions Christ promised this outpouring of the Spirit,⁹⁵ a promise which he fulfilled first on Easter Sunday and then more strikingly at Pentecost.⁹⁶ Filled with the Holy Spirit the apostles began to proclaim "the mighty works of God," and Peter declared this outpouring of the Spirit to be the sign of the messianic age.⁹⁷ Those who believed in the apostolic preaching and were baptized received the gift of the Holy Spirit in their turn.⁹⁸


How wonderful that the Holy Trinity wants to come to us in the Indwelling of the Trinity into our souls. This great mystery allows us to have the chance for perfection in grace. Without these graces, we remain unable to reach our goal of eternal life and the more immediate goal of the Kingdom of God on earth, as members of the Catholic Church. I am reminded that the preaching, the catechesis is part of the process, a necessary part. 


1288 "From that time on the apostles, in fulfillment of Christ's will, imparted to the newly baptized by the laying on of hands the gift of the Spirit that completes the grace of Baptism. For this reason in the Letter to the Hebrews the doctrine concerning Baptism and the laying on of hands is listed among the first elements of Christian instruction. The imposition of hands is rightly recognized by the Catholic tradition as the origin of the sacrament of Confirmation, which in a certain way perpetuates the grace of Pentecost in the Church."⁹⁹


The entire history of the Church has been the process of conversion, and new life given through the Apostolic Succession of the bishops and priests, down to the present age. When we are confirmed by the Bishop, or the appointed priest, we are assured of the continuity of teaching which is found in its fullness in the Catholic Church alone. This continuity is a great source of joy and the source of community for the Church. One might add that Protestant confirmations are therefore invalid and not sacramental, not efficacious. 


1289 Very early, the better to signify the gift of the Holy Spirit, an anointing with perfumed oil (chrism) was added to the laying on of hands. This anointing highlights the name "Christian," which means "anointed" and derives from that of Christ himself whom God "anointed with the Holy Spirit."¹⁰⁰ This rite of anointing has continued ever since, in both East and West. For this reason the Eastern Churches call this sacrament Chrismation, anointing with chrism, or myron which means "chrism." In the West, the term Confirmation suggests that this sacrament both confirms and strengthens baptismal grace.


There should be no confusion as to charismation or confirmation as terms as these mean the same in that the outward sign of the sacrament is efficacious and does what it signifies. The laying of the hands, and the anointing with chrism impart sanctifying grace. We are body and soul and need these signs, which are the sacraments and not merely symbols.


to be continued....