アヴェ・マリア・インマクラータ！
愛する兄弟姉妹の皆様、
レネー神父様の霊的講話 「ルターの誤謬について」【英語原文】をご紹介いたします。
天主様の祝福が豊かにありますように！
トマス小野田圭志神父（聖ピオ十世会司祭）
On the errors of Luther
Sermon Seoul-Osaka 12 November 2017
My dear Brethren,
November is particularly dedicated to praying for the souls in Purgatory. Indeed, it is a dogma of faith that there is a Purgatory, where souls go who died in the state of grace but with some venial sins still on their conscience, or with some temporary penalties still due for their past sins. Such souls do not go straight to Heaven, but have to be purified through Purgatory.
Now this dogma – and many others – is denied by Luther and the Protestants, though it is taught by the Holy Scriptures and the most ancient Tradition. Those celebration of the 500th anniversary of Luther’s rebellion, especially those “joint-celebrations” do much damage to souls.
I was reading recently a beautiful sermon of St John Chrysostom, where he confuted some heretics who did not believe in the equality of the Father and the Son. He says with great affection: it is out of love for those souls who are deceived by heresy that he denounces the errors and refutes them. Indeed, how could we truly love our neighbour and see his soul darkened by error, wounded by sin, and on the road to hell, and be indifferent? Our heart aches seeing so many souls deceived by such errors and far from the light of our Lord Jesus Christ: we love the sinner but hates the sin because it harms him so much; we love the man created by God, but hates the sin done by man. Because we want their eternal happiness, we want to help them to find the truth of the Catholic Faith and thereby come to the participation of the life of our Lord Jesus Christ, unto life eternal.
Indeed, the Catholic Faith is the one true Faith taught by our Lord Jesus Christ, faithfully transmitted by the Apostles to their successors and handed down to us by the Tradition of the Catholic Church. The Catholic Church is the Mystical Body of Christ, out of which one cannot live of the life of Christ; one cannot be animated by the Spirit of Christ except in “the body of Christ which is the Church” (Col. 1:24).
Protestants claim that the main issue between Catholics and Protestants is the Gospel: they put the Gospel first, and claim that “the church is a creature of the Gospel”, while the Catholic Church teaches that the Church is first and “the Gospel arose within her bosom.” Now the Gospels themselves give testimony to the fact that our Lord Jesus Christ built His Church, and He did so while living on earth – but the Gospels were written only between 15 years later for St Matthew’s and 60 years later for St John’s. Thus, it is evident that the Church was before the Gospels, and therefore could not be a creature of the Gospel.
Moreover, if one understands the word gospel not as the written word, but as the preaching of the Gospel, even then, according to St Paul, the Church must be first. Indeed, St Paul says: “how shall they believe him, of whom they have not heard? And how shall they hear, without a preacher? And how shall they preach unless they be sent, as it is written: How beautiful are the feet of them that preach the gospel of peace, of them that bring glad tidings of good things!” (Rom. 10:14-15). Now our Lord Jesus Christ sent His Apostles, and they in their turn sent their successors and the priests their helpers: so, it is clear that the Gospel cannot be preached unless the preachers themselves are sent by the successors of the Apostles, i.e. the authority of the Church which thus is prior to the preaching of the Gospel. The true ministers of the Gospel are sent by the Catholic Church, NOT self-appointed protestant ministers, or ministers chosen by the people rather than by the successors of the Apostles!
Here again, as in many other cases, the Scriptures themselves give testimony to the fact that the very foundational principles of Protestantism are false! They teach that the Gospels are above the authority of the Church; and this is false. The Gospel are part of the teachings of the Church, which is anterior to them and gave them birth, by the operation of the Holy Ghost IN HER. Note here, as in many other truths, the parallel between the Church and the Blessed Virgin Mary.
To rip the Gospel out of the Church is to uproot it from its very mother; it is to take the letter and lose the Spirit – and again St Paul teaches that “the letter killeth, but the spirit quickeneth = gives life” (2 Cor. 3:6). It is not surprising afterwards to see that the interpretations given by Luther and all protestants after have departed from the true meaning of the Scriptures – and in many places are clearly and evidently against the letter itself.
To give but one of the clearest examples, Luther claims justification by faith alone – and all protestants would agree that this also is a foundational principle for them. Now the Scriptures teaches justification by Faith, but NOT by Faith alone. The Scriptures say very plainly and clearly: “if I should have prophecy and should know all mysteries, and all knowledge, and if I should have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, and have not charity, I am nothing” (1 Cor. 13:2). This is what Faith alone is worth, without charity: nothing!
And our Lord himself says: “Many will say to me in that day: Lord, Lord, have not we prophesied in thy name, and cast out devils in thy name, and done many miracles in thy name? And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, you that work iniquity” (Mt. 7:22-23). So, they had “all faith so that they would remove mountains”, yet because of their evil works they were rejected; their faith alone, without good works, was incapable to save them.
At the root of Luther’s error, or rather heresy, there is the idea that whatever man does is corrupt: therefore, man cannot do anything that could cooperate with his salvation. Luther goes so far as to say that even after justification man remains corrupt, and hence cannot do “good works”, and so is not required to do so; he merely has to trust in the merits of Jesus Christ and can never have his own merits. Such pessimistic approach is both against the Scriptures and absurd: it is tantamount to pretend that God is not capable to heal and restores that which sin had damaged! Under the pretext of exalting the power of grace alone, Luther in fact destroys it: for him, grace is not capable to heal human nature from sin. What contrast with what St Paul wrote: “such [big sinners] some of you were; but you are washed, but you are sanctified, but you are justified in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, and the Spirit of our God” (1 Cor. 6:11). It is quite clear: you were big sinners, but you are no longer. Now you are “alive unto God, in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Rom. 6:11). And St Peter says also very clearly that Christ “bore our sins in his body upon the tree: that we, being dead to sins, should live to justice: by whose stripes you were healed” (1 Pet. 2:24), truly healed and no longer corrupt.
Luther’s notion of a mere external, extrinsic justification, which would go along with sin, merely covered but not destroyed, is absolutely opposed St Paul’s doctrine. For St Paul, sin is buried, finished, no more! Luther pretends that Baptism frees us from the law of God, so that one is no longer obliged to obey the Law of God: absurdity! Baptism frees from sin, from the dominion of the devil, but not from God, not from the Law of God. What Baptism does is to make us friends of God, friends who love God and therefore love the Law of God, which thus is no longer a burden but a friend, a light: “lex lux – the Law is a light” (Prov. 6:23): in that sense we are not “under the law” as under a burden, but also we are “with the law” as with a friend and even “in the law” because we obey it (see 1 Cor. 9:21). One who wants to be free from the Law of God itself, proves thereby that He does not agree with God, He does not love what God loves, and therefore is not a friend of God.
Then you find some protestant ministers presenting all kinds of strange arguments to try to defend Luther. For instance, in Malaysia, one of them said: “there can be nothing standing in-between the divine-human union and communion, e.g. free will in conformity to the law.” Where did he get the idea that “free will in conformity to the law” would be “standing in-between the divine-human union and communion” as if it were an obstacle? Free will in conformity with the Law of God is nothing else but LOVE of God, as St Paul says: “Love therefore is the fulfilling of the law” (Rom. 13:10). What strange idea that the love of God would be “standing in-between” as if it were an obstacle to that union!!! Really absurd ideas, and opposed to the scriptures, which call charity, “the bond of perfection” (Col. 3:14): thus far from being an obstacle standing in between that divine-human union, charity is the very bond that unites us with God! Hence St Paul can conclude: “For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision availeth any thing, nor uncircumcision: but faith that worketh by charity” (Gal. 5:6). This is the Catholic Doctrine, the Catholic Faith, which is necessary unto salvation.
One more point: the treasure of the Church is the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass. This is really the most precious gift that our Lord Jesus Christ has given to His Mystical Spouse: and He could not give a greater gift than His own self, really present and offered under the sacramental appearances. This is what all the Saints have loved and cherished. This is the source of all graces. And Luther lost it, he rejected it, he even has horrible blasphemous words against the Holy Mass. Now if we really love these poor people deceived by Luther, we want to share with them that great treasure: the more we give it, the more we have it; it is inexhaustible!
So, my dear brethren, let us pray for the conversion of the Protestants, that by embracing the one true faith, the faith of the Apostles and of the Fathers, the Faith of the Saints, and practicing it by the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, they may partake of this most precious treasure of the Holy Mass and may reach the Kingdom of Heaven and live for ever with our Lady and all the Saints. Amen.
2016-11-13 on Luther's errors and heresies
愛する兄弟姉妹の皆様、
レネー神父様の霊的講話 「ルターの誤謬について」【英語原文】をご紹介いたします。
天主様の祝福が豊かにありますように！
トマス小野田圭志神父（聖ピオ十世会司祭）
On the errors of Luther
Sermon Seoul-Osaka 12 November 2017
My dear Brethren,
November is particularly dedicated to praying for the souls in Purgatory. Indeed, it is a dogma of faith that there is a Purgatory, where souls go who died in the state of grace but with some venial sins still on their conscience, or with some temporary penalties still due for their past sins. Such souls do not go straight to Heaven, but have to be purified through Purgatory.
Now this dogma – and many others – is denied by Luther and the Protestants, though it is taught by the Holy Scriptures and the most ancient Tradition. Those celebration of the 500th anniversary of Luther’s rebellion, especially those “joint-celebrations” do much damage to souls.
I was reading recently a beautiful sermon of St John Chrysostom, where he confuted some heretics who did not believe in the equality of the Father and the Son. He says with great affection: it is out of love for those souls who are deceived by heresy that he denounces the errors and refutes them. Indeed, how could we truly love our neighbour and see his soul darkened by error, wounded by sin, and on the road to hell, and be indifferent? Our heart aches seeing so many souls deceived by such errors and far from the light of our Lord Jesus Christ: we love the sinner but hates the sin because it harms him so much; we love the man created by God, but hates the sin done by man. Because we want their eternal happiness, we want to help them to find the truth of the Catholic Faith and thereby come to the participation of the life of our Lord Jesus Christ, unto life eternal.
Indeed, the Catholic Faith is the one true Faith taught by our Lord Jesus Christ, faithfully transmitted by the Apostles to their successors and handed down to us by the Tradition of the Catholic Church. The Catholic Church is the Mystical Body of Christ, out of which one cannot live of the life of Christ; one cannot be animated by the Spirit of Christ except in “the body of Christ which is the Church” (Col. 1:24).
Protestants claim that the main issue between Catholics and Protestants is the Gospel: they put the Gospel first, and claim that “the church is a creature of the Gospel”, while the Catholic Church teaches that the Church is first and “the Gospel arose within her bosom.” Now the Gospels themselves give testimony to the fact that our Lord Jesus Christ built His Church, and He did so while living on earth – but the Gospels were written only between 15 years later for St Matthew’s and 60 years later for St John’s. Thus, it is evident that the Church was before the Gospels, and therefore could not be a creature of the Gospel.
Moreover, if one understands the word gospel not as the written word, but as the preaching of the Gospel, even then, according to St Paul, the Church must be first. Indeed, St Paul says: “how shall they believe him, of whom they have not heard? And how shall they hear, without a preacher? And how shall they preach unless they be sent, as it is written: How beautiful are the feet of them that preach the gospel of peace, of them that bring glad tidings of good things!” (Rom. 10:14-15). Now our Lord Jesus Christ sent His Apostles, and they in their turn sent their successors and the priests their helpers: so, it is clear that the Gospel cannot be preached unless the preachers themselves are sent by the successors of the Apostles, i.e. the authority of the Church which thus is prior to the preaching of the Gospel. The true ministers of the Gospel are sent by the Catholic Church, NOT self-appointed protestant ministers, or ministers chosen by the people rather than by the successors of the Apostles!
Here again, as in many other cases, the Scriptures themselves give testimony to the fact that the very foundational principles of Protestantism are false! They teach that the Gospels are above the authority of the Church; and this is false. The Gospel are part of the teachings of the Church, which is anterior to them and gave them birth, by the operation of the Holy Ghost IN HER. Note here, as in many other truths, the parallel between the Church and the Blessed Virgin Mary.
To rip the Gospel out of the Church is to uproot it from its very mother; it is to take the letter and lose the Spirit – and again St Paul teaches that “the letter killeth, but the spirit quickeneth = gives life” (2 Cor. 3:6). It is not surprising afterwards to see that the interpretations given by Luther and all protestants after have departed from the true meaning of the Scriptures – and in many places are clearly and evidently against the letter itself.
To give but one of the clearest examples, Luther claims justification by faith alone – and all protestants would agree that this also is a foundational principle for them. Now the Scriptures teaches justification by Faith, but NOT by Faith alone. The Scriptures say very plainly and clearly: “if I should have prophecy and should know all mysteries, and all knowledge, and if I should have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, and have not charity, I am nothing” (1 Cor. 13:2). This is what Faith alone is worth, without charity: nothing!
And our Lord himself says: “Many will say to me in that day: Lord, Lord, have not we prophesied in thy name, and cast out devils in thy name, and done many miracles in thy name? And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, you that work iniquity” (Mt. 7:22-23). So, they had “all faith so that they would remove mountains”, yet because of their evil works they were rejected; their faith alone, without good works, was incapable to save them.
At the root of Luther’s error, or rather heresy, there is the idea that whatever man does is corrupt: therefore, man cannot do anything that could cooperate with his salvation. Luther goes so far as to say that even after justification man remains corrupt, and hence cannot do “good works”, and so is not required to do so; he merely has to trust in the merits of Jesus Christ and can never have his own merits. Such pessimistic approach is both against the Scriptures and absurd: it is tantamount to pretend that God is not capable to heal and restores that which sin had damaged! Under the pretext of exalting the power of grace alone, Luther in fact destroys it: for him, grace is not capable to heal human nature from sin. What contrast with what St Paul wrote: “such [big sinners] some of you were; but you are washed, but you are sanctified, but you are justified in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, and the Spirit of our God” (1 Cor. 6:11). It is quite clear: you were big sinners, but you are no longer. Now you are “alive unto God, in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Rom. 6:11). And St Peter says also very clearly that Christ “bore our sins in his body upon the tree: that we, being dead to sins, should live to justice: by whose stripes you were healed” (1 Pet. 2:24), truly healed and no longer corrupt.
Luther’s notion of a mere external, extrinsic justification, which would go along with sin, merely covered but not destroyed, is absolutely opposed St Paul’s doctrine. For St Paul, sin is buried, finished, no more! Luther pretends that Baptism frees us from the law of God, so that one is no longer obliged to obey the Law of God: absurdity! Baptism frees from sin, from the dominion of the devil, but not from God, not from the Law of God. What Baptism does is to make us friends of God, friends who love God and therefore love the Law of God, which thus is no longer a burden but a friend, a light: “lex lux – the Law is a light” (Prov. 6:23): in that sense we are not “under the law” as under a burden, but also we are “with the law” as with a friend and even “in the law” because we obey it (see 1 Cor. 9:21). One who wants to be free from the Law of God itself, proves thereby that He does not agree with God, He does not love what God loves, and therefore is not a friend of God.
Then you find some protestant ministers presenting all kinds of strange arguments to try to defend Luther. For instance, in Malaysia, one of them said: “there can be nothing standing in-between the divine-human union and communion, e.g. free will in conformity to the law.” Where did he get the idea that “free will in conformity to the law” would be “standing in-between the divine-human union and communion” as if it were an obstacle? Free will in conformity with the Law of God is nothing else but LOVE of God, as St Paul says: “Love therefore is the fulfilling of the law” (Rom. 13:10). What strange idea that the love of God would be “standing in-between” as if it were an obstacle to that union!!! Really absurd ideas, and opposed to the scriptures, which call charity, “the bond of perfection” (Col. 3:14): thus far from being an obstacle standing in between that divine-human union, charity is the very bond that unites us with God! Hence St Paul can conclude: “For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision availeth any thing, nor uncircumcision: but faith that worketh by charity” (Gal. 5:6). This is the Catholic Doctrine, the Catholic Faith, which is necessary unto salvation.
One more point: the treasure of the Church is the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass. This is really the most precious gift that our Lord Jesus Christ has given to His Mystical Spouse: and He could not give a greater gift than His own self, really present and offered under the sacramental appearances. This is what all the Saints have loved and cherished. This is the source of all graces. And Luther lost it, he rejected it, he even has horrible blasphemous words against the Holy Mass. Now if we really love these poor people deceived by Luther, we want to share with them that great treasure: the more we give it, the more we have it; it is inexhaustible!
So, my dear brethren, let us pray for the conversion of the Protestants, that by embracing the one true faith, the faith of the Apostles and of the Fathers, the Faith of the Saints, and practicing it by the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, they may partake of this most precious treasure of the Holy Mass and may reach the Kingdom of Heaven and live for ever with our Lady and all the Saints. Amen.
2016-11-13 on Luther's errors and heresies