BY: Unknown Centurion
Resistance of the Faithful Remnant
The Bible provides us with the model of the “faithful remnant”. Through periods of infidelity, idolatry, and indifference to the God who saved them, there always seemed to remain a faithful remnant who did not follow corrupt leaders, pagan neighbors, or the apostate masses. It was because of this small but faithful portion of Israel or Judah that assuaged God’s wrath, led Him to remember His promise, and caused Him to return His Face toward them. Even when the leaders, be it priests, prophets, or kings, turned their backs on God, and caused the people to do likewise, a small remnant remained steadfast, worshipping God as He wanted, while refusing to bend their knee to men or to gods.
Would we not expect the faithful resistance of a latter-day Catholic remnant to the idolatry and apostasy of the religious and political elites and the masses under their influence and control, incline God to return His gaze toward us and purge and purify the Body of Christ, because there are some who continue to work and pray for it, even in the face of persecution? Can an interconnected remnant of modern, faithful Catholics serve as a source of encouragement, support, solidarity, and strength to other Catholics who may feel discouraged, isolated, powerless, or anxious, and a source of fear or restraint to those who want to remake the Church in the fallen image of man?
The first step of such a remnant, as always, is to pray for the conversion of our enemies, giving them the benefit of the doubt that they are merely deceived and not deliberately diabolical. Then, to counter such a scenario, we must pray and sacrifice to discern and carry out the will of God, not foolishly rushing headlong into a fight of our own design and making, creating even more problems and division. For, Jesus is in control of His Church and has a plan for how such enemies within are dealt with, which plan may not involve our impetuous, unwarranted actions.
Our mission is to remain faithful to Him, and the inalterable teachings of His Church, ignoring the punitive edicts and capricious decrees to the contrary. Although we must always recognize a duly elected pope as the undisputed head of the universal Church on earth, we can also be aware that he just might be a man of little faith and post-modern morals in direct opposition to prior popes and the Church’s magisterium and following him could lead us outside of the protection of the Church.
This is the basis of the aptly named “recognize and resist movement”, which has been a part of the Catholic faith since the Middle Ages when sinful Popes ruled in an authoritarian fashion advancing their own interests. The great counter-reformer, Saint Robert Bellarmine, described what this duty to recognize and resist looks like:
As it is lawful to resist a pope if he attacks the body, so it is lawful to resist him if he attacks the soul or afflicts the state, and much more if he seeks to destroy the Church. It is permitted, I say, to resist him by not doing what he commands and by preventing the execution of his will. But it is not lawful to judge him, or to punish him, or to depose him, which alone is the business of a superior. (De Summo Pontifice, lib. II, cap. 29,7).
Thus, it is our duty to resist him, but God’s duty to judge, punish, or remove him.
For we only have a duty to obey our religious authorities if they are acting or speaking consistently with the established teaching of the Church, which is where our duty of obedience is derived. Just as we owe no obedience to an unauthorized, unlawful, or immoral mandate from an executive or bureaucrat who exceeds his authority, we owe no duty of obedience to the flimsy fiats of a bishop or pope, not in continuity with the teaching and tradition of the Church.
When faced with such deviations to the Faith, we can and should petition and plead with them for greater fidelity and orthodoxy, and for the sake of the souls entrusted to them, in an encouraging and charitable spirit of reverence for their office (Canon 212 S3). If these authorities fail to repent and continue down the paved path of perdition, with thousands of souls in their wake, we can also make our fellow Catholics aware, for the good of the Church and the salvation of souls, including the soul of the wayward bishop, priest, or pope.
We should strongly support and encourage the courageous and faithful bishops to speak out in opposition to their erring brother bishops and grant dispensations to their flocks with regard to modern inventions, novel decrees, and retributive restrictions on the full practice of our faith. We are called to both “avoid and expose” and to “recognize and resist” but do so in a spirit of obedience, without calumny, malice, superiority, or rash judgment, for the good of the Church.
Rather than be rigid, resentful, resistors, we must remain joyful warriors and courageous, magnetic, models in the face of this modern martyrdom imposed from within. Such a visible, faithful remnant can and should continue to live their lives consistently with the laws, liturgy, and life of the Church, confident that Christ has not left us orphans, and drawing strength from the Mass, the Sacraments, and the Eucharist, overcoming the unnecessary obstacles and arbitrary restrictions imposed by those at the top.
Remember, neither Christ, His herald John, nor His chosen apostles were in any way connected with the organized religious authorities. In fact, Jesus taught His followers to practice the “avoid and expose” and the “recognize and resist” strategies where He avoided their edicts, exposed their hypocrisy, recognizing their authority, yet resisted them at every turn. If the religious leaders of Jesus’ time were selfless, holy men singularity focused on the right worship of God and the salvation of souls, Jesus too would have obeyed them, praised them, and encouraged others to follow their example.
And let us not forget that immediately following the Ascension, the apostles rejoiced at being punished by the Sanhedrin and refused to obey their decree not to preach in the name of Christ. For God often operates outside of the established channels of authority, especially when it has fallen so far from the ideal upon which they were established.
This is why, sadly, an infinitesimally small number of priests and bishops become saints, especially in the modern and postmodern eras. But we must realize as Jesus taught, that Satan seeks to sift these men like wheat, and it takes a man of great faith and virtue, the prayers of the faithful, and the grace of God, to overcome him and not be ensnared, enslaved, or an ally of the Evil One. The answer is to pray, sacrifice, support, encourage, and charitably correct them.
Our role can never be to demonize, calumnize, scandalize, or cause schism, revolution, or apostasy. For even if or when a less than pious pope is installed at the helm of the Barque of Peter, we must never engage in mutiny or abandon ship. No matter what, we must remain aboard the Ark of Salvation, for Satan’s days are numbered, and he will be defeated.
23 thoughts on “Good Catholics, Bad Bishops and Popes: Part II”
Jehanne:
Doesn’t Paul tell us in 2 Timothy 3:15-17 that Scripture is sufficient? And in 2 Timothy 4:1-5 he warns about straying from the truthfulness of the Scriptures?
In Colossians 2:1-8, he further warns us to stay rooted in Christ and “ See to it that no one captivate you with an empty, seductive philosophy according to human tradition, according to the elemental powers of the world and not according to Christ.”
As far as purgatory, I still question it despite your offered scriptures. Didn’t Jesus tell us to strive to be perfect in this life in Matthew 5?
”Silence in the face of evil is itself evil: God will not hold us guiltless. Not to speak is to speak. Not to act is to act.” Dietrich Bonhoeffer
“We’ve had enough exhortations to be silent. Cry out with a thousand tongues – I see the world is rotten because of silence.” St Catherine of Siena
“He who is not angry when there is just cause for anger is immoral. Why? Because anger looks to the good of justice. And if you can live amid injustice without anger, you are immoral as well as unjust.” St. Thomas Aquinas
“If I were to remain silent, I’d be guilty of complicity.” Albert Einstein
Or you could have pointed out Revelation 21:5-8, which includes the following:
“8 But as for cowards, the unfaithful, the depraved, murderers, the unchaste, sorcerers, idol-worshipers, and deceivers of every sort, their lot is in the burning pool of fire and sulfur, which is the second death.”
Robert, you asked me >>> “Just wondering – how is it a more valid argument to quote writings of church-declared “saints” than passages from the Bible?”
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Generally speaking, I will attest to what the Bible is teaching us when it is validated by what the Catholic Church teaches on said passage. Without my knowing what the Catholic Church has said, I will rely on my own understanding based on what I can discern.
For instance, John 3:16 does not guarantee a direct flight to heaven upon death. Some may insist it does, I insist it does not. I could site 25 passages from Scripture that directly or indirectly speak to a time spent in purgatory before one is allowed into heaven. Protestants do not believe purgatory exists, consequently, I find a plethora of their interpretations or teachings to be lacking or faulty.
As far as the words from varied canonized saints is concerned, I consider how they have been highly esteemed and declared holy by the Catholic Church to be put on the same plain as prophets of the Old Testament. They are God revealing truths for the benefit of the Church and the faithful that are not explicit in Scripture. The same goes for Church-approved Marian apparitions. The words of the Virgin Mary to mere children and the miracles that accompany those visits are, to me, de facto words from heaven from which we can be assured.
Thanks for your response.
Agree with you about John 3, since Jesus indicated that no one has gone to heaven.
However, do we need more than the Holy Scriptures? We have God’s words from the beginning and to the end, as well as the in-between.
With regard to purgatory, I would be interested in the 25 passages that you believe refute arguments from Protestants.
Robert —- We absolutely need more than just the Bible to understand all that God wants to reveal to us. Scripture says as much. For one Jesus gives His Church (the Catholic Church with Peter as the first pope) the authority here on earth to rule. “Whatsoever you hold bound on earth shall be held bound on heaven.” Which implies that there will be discernment to know the true path on many theological levels of decision. Other passages allude to the unfolding of greater understandings as well, but I cannot think of them, presently. ————- How many passages that I say point to purgatory do you think I can type out here? How about starting with two.
Matthew 5:23-26
“Therefore if you are presenting your offering at the altar, and there remember that your brother has something against you, leave your offering there before the altar and go; first be reconciled to your brother, and then come and present your offering. Reconcile with your opponent at law while you are with him on the way, so that your opponent may not hand you over to the judge, and the judge to the officer, and you be thrown into prison. Truly I say to you, you will not be released until you have paid up the last penny.”
—- [Jesus is assuring us (“truly I say to you”) that we will pay (be imprisoned) for a portion of our transgressions until we have paid the last penny if we do not forgive others or obey. The key word is UNTIL. It is clear that once we have paid for our sins, Then we WILL be released from our prison. That is not Hell because Hell is eternal. This is not an earthly reference as many who are to be saved have died without fulfilling all the requirements this passage implies. This is referring to purgatory where you will be imprisoned for a time (purified and made holy) but eventually released.]
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1 Corinthians 3:12-15
“Now if any man builds on the foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, straw, each man’s work will become evident; for the day will show it because it is to be revealed with fire, and the fire itself will test the quality of each man’s work. If any man’s work which he has built on it remains, he will receive a reward. If any man’s work is burned up, he will suffer loss; but he himself will be saved, yet so as through fire.”
—– [Saved, but still will suffer loss as yet through fire. Protestants may argue this is some earthly punishment, not an afterlife matter, but the Catholic Church says, not so. Where is this place that a man, after he dies, suffers loss, as through fire, but is still saved. Hell? No, there is no escape. Heaven? No, you don’t suffer loss in Heaven. This is a reference to a purgatory sentence. As gold is purified through fire, so is the soul purified. As the Lord says, “nothing defiled shall enter the kingdom.”]
Andrew:
Thank you for your comments.
Is it judging if we question what priests, or bishops, or the pope preach/write that appears to conflict with the Scriptures?
Also, what about the other warnings in the Bible from Jesus, Paul, John, and others?
Did Jesus preach unity, as the current pope does? Clearly, Jesus did not.
Doesn’t the Book of Revelation warn us about coming events leading up to the return of Jesus Christ? Many students of eschatology suggest that the scriptures tell us in Revelation 13 about a false prophet, who will encourage the world to worship the antichrist, and will help implement the “mark of the beast” to enforce it. Revelation 17 and 18 seem to describe the Vatican, and gives us another warning.
Revelation 18:4-5
Douay-Rheims 1899 American Edition
4 And I heard another voice from heaven, saying: Go out from her, my people; that you be not partakers of her sins, and that you receive not of her plagues.
5 For her sins have reached unto heaven, and the Lord hath remembered her iniquities.
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“… But it is not lawful to judge him, or to punish him, or to depose him, which alone is the business of a superior.” – This type of thinking is the problem and has no biblical basis that I’m aware of at all.
Is St. Bellarmine referring to any and all kinds of judgement? He certainly can’t be, since to “recognize and resist” requires us to judge the speech and actions of a person to come up with such a response for ourselves in the first place.
So, does St. Bellarmine mean that we should simply encourage the other ordained leaders in the Church to confront and remove the person as needed? If so, that doesn’t seem very wise in today’s church (if ever) where the rot and lack of faithfulness towards living the way that our Lord and Savior wants is quite rampant and rather perfuse across the hierarchy; especially at the upper levels where not enough are willing to keep each other on the straight and narrow instead of pretending like problems don’t exist.
That’s like expecting criminals to police themselves!?!
Given all of that, I honestly don’t know where this idea came from that non-ordained laypeople don’t have an equal voice or the authority (which comes from one’s faithfulness with Christ) to confront and remove false clerics of any rank as needed. However, that needs to stop and change unless the bible says otherwise, because the clergy has wrongly placed themselves above us like parents who know better about everything.
We are not living under an Old Testament King or the Lordship of anyone other than Jesus! For we need no King, and have no Lord, but Him (and I DO NOT mean Caesar)! That’s the reality we’re supposed to be joyfully living out with the clergy, who have their function to provide certain sacraments that we ordinarily can’t provide for ourselves and to help settle disputes about the faith that has been passed on for millennia.
It’s our job as lay disciples to teach as well, which means the clergy and the magisterium are not the sole proprietors of that. Rather they are supposed to settle disputes as needed instead of constantly telling everyone, again like a parent to ignorant children apart from the Holy Spirit, what they are supposed to say and do (believe) at all times; since they act like we are too ignorant to read and understand God’s will for us on our own as a family!
Nonsense!
In Christ,
Andrew
I was hesitant to wade into this discussion on authority and judgement, because it wasn’t a main focus of my article, but with the varying perspectives, and the possibility that my article might have caused confusion, or even scandal, I felt compelled to put in my 27 cents (used to be 2 cents before inflation). My understanding is that God is a God of order. He established a hierarchy (sacred order) in heaven, and a hierarchy (not bureaucracy) in His Mystical Body, upon the authority of Peter and His apostles. As the Church grew, the apostles ordained bishops, priests (presbyters) and deacons, equipping them with the authority they received from Christ Himself. Our bishops are the undisputed, valid successors of the apostles, and cannot be punished or deposed by priests, deacons or the laity. While priests and deacons take a vow of obedience to their diocesan bishop, the lay faithful take no such oath of fealty. That said, if one’s bishop orders the laity within his diocese to do something (or not do something), even if it’s senseless or dumb, they should follow the order, unless it is immoral or contrary to Scripture, Tradition, or the Magisterium. Many great saints have grown in sanctity and humility by submitting to and suffering under oppressive and erring religious authority. Recently when my bishop followed lock-step the directives of my blue state governor, I wore a mask during Mass (out of obedience and penance), but not elsewhere in public. Both Jesus and St. Paul preached obedience to religious authority, though both rightly criticized them when their teaching or behavior caused scandal (Matthew 23:2-4; 2 Galatians 11:13). I hope nothing in my article encourages rebellion against the valid, divinely-established order, for that was never the intent, and I sure wouldn’t want to share the fate of Korah who rebelled against and attempted to usurp the religious authority of his time (Numbers 16:31-33). It was intended to unite and galvanize a faithful, but discouraged remnant to support those good bishops worthy of support, to encourage those without courage, to avoid those we should avoid, and, yes, to hold to account the unaccountable wolves in shepherd’s clothing, as the Church specifically authorizes us to do. We are not their superiors, or even their equals, thus we cannot punish, judge, remove, or especially damn even the worst among them. We can call them out (individually and privately, then collectively and publicly) and we should pray for them, trusting that God is in charge of His Church, (not us and ultimately, not even them), and those pampered princes and hired hands will sooner or later be held to account.
Love these words you have quoted from St. Robert Bellarmine: >>> “As it is lawful to resist a pope if he attacks the body, so it is lawful to resist him if he attacks the soul or afflicts the state, and much more if he seeks to destroy the Church. It is permitted, I say, to resist him by not doing what he commands and by preventing the execution of his will. But it is not lawful to judge him, or to punish him, or to depose him, which alone is the business of a superior.”
To me, I think this should be crystal clear for a devoutly pursuing Catholic. I do not care how despicable is the man you come in contact with, we have no right to ever judge, punish, or speak evil of him to others. Because we have no idea how that man was born, nurtured, educated, traumatized, etc. and got where he is today. They may be here merely as a witness (from above) to measure how we treat them.
In the nine day Divine Mercy chaplet novena, Jesus told Faustina every one of the nine days I want dedicated for a specific intention reflecting a different lot of mankind. One day is for priests and religious, one for pagans who do not know Me yet, one for souls of children, etc. But the ninth and final day Jesus dedicated for these >>> in Jesus own words to Faustina >>> “Today bring to Me souls who have become lukewarm… These souls wound My Heart most painfully. My soul suffered the most dreadful loathing in the Garden of Olives because of lukewarm souls.” —————- Could it not be more clear. We Christians who think we are in such good standing, or who dare compare ourselves to others, we are at the greatest risk. Not just an arduous purgatory, but maybe worse. “To whom more has been given, more will be required.” For any Christian who knows better, to become lukewarm in his service to God, or judgmental of others, what a bad place to be.
Dear Jehanne,
Please biblically update your current perception of “judgement” so you may speak and act on it more faithfully as the Lord wants you to. Here are some nuggets (not a complete list) from His inerrant Word to keep in mind and heart at all times about our duty to judge:
“For why should I be judging outsiders? Is it not your business to judge those within?” – 1 Corinthians 5:12
“Do you not know that the holy ones will judge the world? …” – Corinthians 6:2a
“Do you not know that we will judge angels? Then why not everyday matters?” – Corinthians 6:3-4
Also, “holy ones” is a reference to “saints or the royal priesthood (of believers)” which, according to 1 Peter 2:9, everyone who is a baptized follower of Christ Jesus is part of. We must be baptized and believe (which means to follow) to be saved and adopted into God’s family forever. Even saying that is a judgement against those who do not believe, and are condemned in their unbelief according to John 3:18f (the end of the verse). Even Jesus’ merciful love for us during His passion and on the cross include the judgement of our guilt and shame for putting Him there (or more accurately for Him needing to be there to save us from ourselves). If we don’t accept that judgment of our guilt then we will not repent and be justified, or keep repenting to be sanctified. In addition, without accepting such initial and ongoing judgement from God and others who are with Him, then NONE OF US would ever see or obtain salvation through the redemptive work of Jesus the Son.
The blessings of judgement bring us to salvation and keep us there throughout our lives. Please don’t sell His work short by sentimentalizing out our need for sound judgement!
In Christ,
Andrew
P.S. There are also great commands and warnings in Ezekiel, chapter 3 and chapter 33 (the prophet and the watchmen/sentinel), about the consequences for us not taking up our duty to judge/warn others about their sinful behavior (and get them to turn away from them = repent). That responsibility between brothers and sisters in the faith is sobering!
Sorry, Andrew,
but I am somewhat underwhelmed by your response to my post. For one, you are vague. Two, the word “judge” carries several meanings or applications in Scripture and elsewhere. Your rebuttal neither addresses that all important point, nor does it clear it up. If you want to carry this on then please highlight one or more of my statements and tell me specifically why it is wrong. Do not answer with another Bible verse, that is not critical analysis of what I said., imo Protestants excel at that.
I already explained what I meant by the word ‘judge,’ similar to how Bellarmine used it. We cannot pass sentence on any man based on what we have observed of him. We cannot say “that sin deserves X” we cannot say “if that man does not repent he will go to hell” or anything of the like. We can say adultery or theft or vicious slander of a person is a sin, yes. In that way, we can and should judge. But to suggest what should happen to him because of this, no, cannot do. Then that becomes a sin upon us.
Jehanne:
Just wondering – how is it a more valid argument to quote writings of church-declared “saints” than passages from the Bible?
Anyone who has thought about the conundrum we find ourselves in with the dreadful state of the church recognizes that the laity has been called to take some form of action rather than wait it out. Unfortunately, most of the action to date has been to abandon the Barque of Peter. We are called to act, but what should we do?
I find unknown centurion’s practical and actionable advice to be the best I’ve seen to date and look forward to forwarding this article to others who have been pondering what to do. I would ask others here to chime in with commentary on unknown centurion’s practical steps as well as pro-offer other actionable steps.
Edna- what ideas do you have?
They too serve who only stand and wait – John Milton
“The first step of such a remnant, as always, is to pray for the conversion of our enemies, giving them the benefit of the doubt that they are merely deceived and not deliberately diabolical.”
Glad to see this. But to give them the benefit of the doubt you must understand where they are coming from, and identify the good intentions involved, misguided as they may be. They see themselves as addressing a problem. Usually it’s something that you agree is a problem. Dialog is essential. Otherwise if you pray (or act) for their “conversion” you are yourself being misguided.
It is never misguided to pray for the conversion of sinners. We are all sinners. Those in the Church who want to change the teachings of the Church and change/erase some of the teachings in the CCC need our prayers. And we must always pray for our Pope. Then, let God do the rest.
Look at the disparaging caricature you present of those who are not you: proceeding “blindly, clinging to idols, etc”. You don’t even recognize how you apotheosis yourself and your tribe in this and construct an imaginary “them” who you are then free to dehumanize and disparage. This tribalism reflects the well-known gulf between Christendom and actual Christianity, between worldly egotism and tribal power, and actual compassion and love for all people.
Edna-It is not a “tribe.” It is, we are, the Mystical Body of Christ. Guy, Texas
More tribal narcissism. Not a thing about love, all about our little group’s superiority over the mass lot of heathens. And then some martial imagery, to remind us about the 1000 years of wars that derive from this thinking. I’ve known people my whole life like this. And I’ve learned from experience that this mentality is profoundly selfish.
Good morning Edna,
I’m sorry that you didn’t appreciate the message or the somewhat militaristic tone in which it was delivered, but these times when souls are entering hell like snowflakes demand we act with a sense of urgency and holy boldness for their salvation. I must disagree that such an approach is selfish and without live, for actually the opposite is true. How is it not an act of love to pray and sacrifice daily for the souls of others? How is it narcissistic or selfish to spend one’s time in prayer, Adoration, at Mass, engaging in acts of fasting, mortification, and asceticism, and suffering persecutions from state and religious authorities for the good of the other? I thought that was what love is. Or should we all just continue along blindly, clinging to our worldly idols, pursuing our own pleasure, without caring for or so much as lifting a finger to help those who may be on the road to perdition, as we all might be. Or do you prefer those in the Church Militant continue down the path of passivity and apathy as she hemorrhages precious souls by the thousands with a hopeless, hospice mentality? And how is that course working out for all concerned? To me, doing nothing is the opposite of love.
Peace
Go to Galatians 2:11-14 to see how Paul confronted Peter about his error in judgment.