It seems the current Vatican apparatus is promoting sixth commandment sins committed contra naturam even more than even the last Vatican regime. Of course, that last sentence seems impossible for real Catholics who just endured the last decade of dogmatic madness issuing from Rome. But it’s obvious the current agenda is even more pronounced than the last one. (Consider the Chicago-based male-couple just brought in to be personal chefs at the Vatican’s new Laudato Sí restaurant.)
A few Catholics might be thinking (especially after this much brainwashing and gaslighting from the Vatican over the past 14 years) that perhaps the traditional teaching on the commandments is just too hard in the 21st century. Or, perhaps a few of you might even be thinking that God’s own commandments are capricious or perhaps arbitrary. We have seen Catholic clergy arguing for several decades for “reduced culpability” and “primacy of conscience” for their repeat penitents, especially in regards to addictions.
So, today we need a reminder that sin actually hurts the sinner, even if a priest give another a “pass” for “reduced culpability,” or a dozen other games currently played in the realm of moral theology.
Consider what St. Thomas Aquinas writes:
We speak of anger in God, not as of a passion of the soul but as of judgment of justice, inasmuch as He wills to take vengeance on sin. Because the sinner, by sinning, cannot do God any actual harm. But so far as he himself is concerned, he acts against God in two ways. First, in so far as he despises God in His commandments. Secondly, in so far as he harms himself or another; which injury redounds to God, inasmuch as the person injured is an object of God’s providence and protection.—Summa I-II 47.
Notice above that sin harms the soul of the sinner even if he doesn’t “intend to do it maliciously” or whatever excuse he might make to himself.
Recently, I read a book called The Shepherd of Hermas. It’s a second century (yes, you read that correctly: second century) Christian writing so profound that some Church Fathers thought it would make it into the Canon of the Bible. Although it didn’t make it into the Canon (it’s far too long) you could still read this early Christian classic in about two hours. Also, even to this day I have to admit it reads as almost-inspired. I see why many Church Fathers thought it was nearly as good as the Bible. So, I highly recommend it.
The Shepherd of Hermas is the story of a young Christian man in Rome who has a brief lustful thought and then has a mystical experience of angels to show what is will be expected of him as a Catholic. The entire short book is this mystical experience. However, it perfectly overlaps with traditional moral theology. One of the many things it demonstrates is that true mystical theology never diverts from moral theology.
In any case, the young man who narrates the book repeatedly talks to Christ and angels and they demonstrate to him that not only does following the law of God not make him weaker; it actually makes him stronger. One of the stunning examples from the book is this revelation:
These things he said to me in tones of the deepest anger, so that I was confounded and exceedingly afraid of him, for his figure was altered so that a man could not endure his anger. But seeing me altogether agitated and confused, he began to speak to me in more gentle tones; and he said: “O fool, senseless and doubting, do you not perceive how great is the glory of God, and how strong and marvellous, in that He created the world for the sake of man, and subjected all creation to him, and gave him power to rule over everything under heaven? If, then, man is lord of the creatures of God, and rules over all, is he not able to be lord also of these commandments? For,” says he, “the man who has the Lord in his heart can also be lord of all, and of every one of these commandments. But to those who have the Lord only on their lips, but their hearts hardened, and who are far from the Lord, the commandments are hard and difficult. Put, therefore, ye who are empty and fickle in your faith, the Lord in your heart, and ye will know that there is nothing easier or sweeter, or more manageable, than these commandments. Return, ye who walk in the commandments of the devil, in hard, and bitter, and wild licentiousness, and fear not the devil; for there is no power in him against you, for I will be with you, the angel of repentance, who am lord over him. The devil has fear only, but his fear has no strength. Fear him not, then, and he will flee from you.”
Notice above that keeping the commandments make you strong in God, and fierce against the wiles of the devil. Thus, the liberal clergy who are telling those in that most broken of all communities in the Catholic Church that they can continue in their sin (as we saw in the recent pilgrimage into the Vatican publicly approved not by only James Martin—but also by the man in white, as proven by an official Vatican correspondent here) usually has this type of stipulation: You may continue in such sexual behavior, provided your conscience approves of it. Then, love is love.
Such clergy are not only leading young people to hell, but they’re also lying about how hard it is to fulfill the law of God. Yes, addictions are hard to kick at first. But ultimately, the law of God is neither burdensome nor capricious. So, even before we get to that topic of heaven or hell, we can say that keeping the law of God here on earth is both lightsome and—dare I say—easy to fulfill.
For this is the charity of God: that we keep His commandments. And His commandments are not heavy.—1 John 5:3 (Mandata eius gravia non sunt.)
Thank you if you’re able to donate.