“The letter kills, but the Spirit quickens” (2 Cor 3:6)

Starting from this truth, exemplified many times by Jesus in exposing the hypocritical Pharisaism of the Sabbath’s literalist discipline, the Holy Church has never denied that the Word of God should be interpreted correctly.

But it is the same St. Peter who immediately seals the criterion always confirmed for the correctness of the interpretation:

“Know first of all this: no prophetic scripture should be subject to private explanation, for not by human will a prophecy was never brought, but moved by the Holy Spirit those men spoke from God.” (2Pt 1, 20-21)

It is therefore never possible to interpret the Word of God in a way that contradicts it.

The Holy Church in her Solemn Magisterium has always served the faith of believers exactly helping not to fall into the traps of those who, unwilling to accept the obvious meaning of what the Lord says, opposes it to other parts of the Word of God.

True theology is a way to help the faithful to understand the Authentic Magisterium even better.

If, on the other hand, theology becomes the law that interprets Scripture and the Magisterium in the light of the mentality of the world, we are evidently faced with the negation of both the primacy of the Word of God and of God’s faithfulness to His teaching.

If, like the response of Bergoglio and Fernandez to the reformulated Dubia of the cardinals, re-proposing the first answer, it is understood that the Church has the faculty to introduce teachings or even just practices different from the previous magisterium, as Cardinal observes. Muller is done as if the Holy Spirit could now reveal new ways of expressing the faith that directly contradicts those of all time.

This is not possible, it is a lie, because “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today and always! Do not be mislead by different and peregrine doctrines” (Heb 13:8-9).

“Beloved, do not believe every inspiration, but test the inspirations, to test whether they really come from God, because many false prophets have appeared in the world. From this you can recognize the spirit of God: every spirit that recognizes that Jesus Christ came in the flesh is from God; every spirit that does not recognize Jesus is not from God. This is the spirit of the antichrist who, as you have heard, is coming, indeed he is already in the world” (1 Jn 4: 1-3).

The spirit that questions the Word of Jesus by virtue of the mentality of the world, of the new hermeneutics or of anything else they will invent, is the spirit of the antichrist.

Jesus has said several times that those who do not believe in John’s preaching will not be saved, and that without repentance they cannot be saved. Jesus said to them, “Truly I say to you, the tax collectors and the prostitutes go forward to you in the kingdom of God. For John came to you in the way of righteousness, and you did not believe him; but the tax collectors and the prostitutes believed him. You, on the contrary, have seen these things, but then you have not even regretted it so that you believe them.” (Mt 28, 31-32)

Clearly to say that one can administer the sacraments without asking for repentance means not recognizing Jesus who came into the flesh.

Always the Fathers of the Church saw in Jerusalem the prophetic figure of the Church:

Jesus said: Jerusalem, Jerusalem, that you kill the prophets and stone those who are sent to you, how many times have I wanted to gather your children, as a hen gathers the chicks under the wings, and you did not want to! Your house will be left to you deserted! For I tell you, you will not see me again until you say, ‘Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.” (Mt 23, 37-39)

More and more clearly we see the meaning of this prophecy, which evidently becomes referring to the Church in the parable that Jesus enunciates in near circumstances, the parable of the mines, in Luke 19:11 and following, which, referring to those servants who have misused their authority in the Church, says:

“And those enemies of mine who did not want me to be king, and bring them here and kill them before me” (Luc 19:27).

Let’s watch the return of our King!

Francis of Erasmus, Catholic Priest

Tarquinia, 3 October 2023, first vespers of St. Francis