† J. M. J. An Open Letter to Anyone Concerned:
Dear concerned soul:
The Word of God warns us in the Holy Bible
from the Epistle of St. Paul to the Colossians
2:8:
“Beware lest any man cheat you by philosophy
and vain deceit: according to the tradition
of men according to the elements of the world
and not according to Christ.”
Pope Pius XII in his encyclical Humani Generis
of August 12, 1950 against modern errors
condemns existentialism as a fictitious philosophic
theory:
“For truth and its philosophic expression
cannot change from day-to-day. ... Let no
Christian therefore, whether philosopher
or theologian, embrace eagerly and lightly
whatever novelty happens to be thought up
from day-to-day... “If one considers all
this well, he will easily see why the Church
demands that future priests be instructed
in philosophy 'according to the method, doctrine,
and principles of the Angelic Doctor (St.
Thomas Aquinas)… “How deplorable it is then,
that this philosophy, received and honored
by the Church, is scorned by some, who shamelessly
call it outmoded in form and rationalistic,
as they say, in its method of thought...
They allege, finally, that our perennial
philosophy is only a philosophy of immutable
essences, while the contemporary mind must
look to the existence of things and to life,
which is ever in flux... they seem to imply
that any kind of philosophy or theory, with
a few additions and corrections if need be,
can be reconciled with Catholic dogma. No
Catholic can doubt how false this is, especially
where there is a question of those fictitious
theories they call immanentism, or idealism,
or materialism, whether historic or dialectic,
or even existentialism, whether atheistic
or simply the type that denies the validity
of the reason in the field of metaphysics.”
Pope Leo XIII on August 4, 1879 in his encyclical
Aeterni Patris, On the Restoration of Christian
Philosophy, said:
“Under the impulse of the 'Reformers' of
the 16th century, man began to philosophize
without any regard for the (Catholic) Faith
and each one granted the other full liberty
to allow the mind to wander as it liked and
according to its natural bent. The result
of course, was that philosophical systems
multiplied. Those multiple systems resting
simply on the authority and judgment of each
particular thinker have but a shifting basis...
and can only produce a shaky philosophy without
consistence. Our predecessors have honored
the wisdom of St. Thomas Aquinas with remarkable
praise and the most glorious approbation...
We judge it a temerity not to have continued
at all times and in all places to render
him the honor which he merits.”
The following excerpt from a college textbook
gives an excellent example of how man has
been philosophizing without the Catholic
Faith:
“Existentialism does not lend itself to a
single definition, since its principal theorists
did not adhere to a common body of doctrines.
For example, some existentialists were atheists,
like Jean Paul Sartre, or omitted God from
their thought, like Martin Heidegger; others,
like Karl Jaspers, believed in God but not
in Christian doctrines; and Martin Buber
was a believing Jew. Perhaps the following
principles contain the essence of existentialism,
although not all existentialists would subscribe
to each point or agree with a way it is expressed.
“1. Reality defies ultimate comprehension;
there are no timeless truths that exist independently
of and prior to the individual human being.
Our existence precedes and takes precedence
over any presumed absolute values. The moral
and spiritual values that society tries to
impose cannot define the individual person's
existence.
“2. Reason alone is an inadequate guide to
living, for people are more than thinking
subjects who approach the world through critical
analysis. They are also feeling and willing
beings, who must participate fully in life
and experience existence directly, actively,
and passionately. Only in this way does one
live wholly and authentically.
“3. Thought must not merely be abstract speculation
but must have a bearing on life; it must
be translated into deeds.
“4. Human nature is problematic and paradoxical,
not fixed or constant; each person is like
no other. Self-realization comes when one
affirms one's own uniqueness. One becomes
less than human when one permits one's life
to be determined by a mental outlook -- a
set of rules and values -- imposed by others.
“5. We are alone. The universe is indifferent
to our expectations and needs, and death
is ever stalking us. Awareness of this elementary
fact of existence evokes a sense of overwhelming
anxiety and depression.
“6. Existence is essentially absurd. There
is no purpose to our presence in the universe.
We simply find ourselves here; we do not
know and will never find out why. Compared
with the eternity of time that preceded our
birth and will follow our death, the short
duration of our existence seems trivial and
inexplicable. And death, which irrevocably
terminates our existence, testifies to the
ultimate absurdity of life.
“7. We are free. We must face squarely the
fact that existence is purposeless and absurd.
In doing so, we can give our life meaning.
It is in the act of choosing freely from
among different possibilities that the individual
shapes an authentic existence. There is a
dynamic quality to human existence; the individual
has the potential to become more than he
or she is.” [1]
In the Holy Bible, St. Paul foretold: “Now
the Spirit manifestly saith that in the last
times some shall depart from the faith, giving
heed to spirits of error and doctrines of
devils…” (1 Timothy 4:1)
In order to avoid falling into the pitfalls
of the above seven philosophic beliefs of
existentialism, one should know what the
true Catholic Church (before John XXIII in
1958) teaches as in the following twelve
questions and answers taken from the Catholic
Penny Catechism, which is also known as:
A CATECHISM OF CHRISTIAN DOCTRINE
FAITH
Chapter One
1. Who made you? God made me.
2. Why did God make you? God made me to know
Him, love Him and serve Him in this world,
and be happy with Him forever in the next.
3. To whose image and likeness did God make
you? God made me to his own image and likeness.
4. Is this likeness to God in your body,
or in your soul? This likeness to God is
chiefly in my soul.
5. How is your soul like to God? My soul
is like to God because it is a spirit, and
is immortal.
6. What do you mean when you say that your
soul is immortal? When I say my soul is immortal,
I mean that my soul can never die.
7. Of which must you take most care, of your
body or of your soul? I must take most care
of my soul; for Christ has said, 'What doth
it profit a man if he gain the whole world,
and suffer the loss of his own soul?' St.
Matthew 16:26
8. What must you do to save your soul? To
save my soul I must worship God by Faith,
Hope and Charity; that is, I must believe
in him, I must hope in him, and I must love
him with my whole heart.
Chapter Two
9. What is faith? Faith is a supernatural
gift of God, which enables us to believe
without doubting whatever God has revealed.
10. Why must you believe whatever God has
revealed? I must believe whatever God has
revealed because God is the very truth, and
can neither deceive nor be deceived.
11. How are you to know what God has revealed?
I am to know what God has revealed by the
testimony, teaching, and authority of the
Catholic Church.
12. Who gave the Catholic Church divine authority
to teach? Jesus Christ gave the Catholic
Church divine authority to teach, when he
said, 'Go ye and teach all nations.' St.
Matthew 28:19
As long as people, nations and leaders fail
to profess the true Catholic Faith, which
was given to us by our Divine Lord Jesus
Christ for our only hope of eternal salvation,
they will continue to be lost in their false
ideas, philosophies and religions on the
broad way to eternal damnation, unless they
first convert. Jesus Christ warned: “And
if the blind lead the blind, both fall into
the pit.” (Matt. 15:14) The following three
excerpts from the well documented book Peter,
Lovest Thou Me? are about one of the most
prominent and influential world leaders today,
John Paul II, who was formerly known as Karol
Wojtyla before his claim to be pope since
October 16, 1978:
“... in 1969, Karol Wojtyla, had his main
work published, "Person and Act",
which is a formulation of his philosophy.
The book was discussed on October 16-17,
1970 at the Catholic University of Lublin
by the professional staff. The most orthodox
thomistic professors, headed by Kapriec,
expressed in their criticism against his
disrespectful mix of thomism and phenomenology.”
[2] “In summarizing the three important works
by Bishop Wojtyla: Amour et responsabilite
(1962), Persone et Acte (1969) and Aux sources
du renouveau (1972), his friend [Father]
Malinski writes: 'One can discern in his
way of thinking the ideas of Gabriel Marcel,
especially “Being and Having” those of Heidegger
in “Being and Mission” of Jaspers, Sartre,
and obviously Max Sheler, Husserl and Ingarden.
All this shored up by the great philosophy
of being in the interpretation of St. Thomas.
Let us add however that the philosophy of
man, created by Karol Wojtyla is not eclectic
(i. e. on a selective basis) but constitutes
a personal undertaking.'” [3] “Stanislaw
Kowalczyk, professor of the Catholic University
of Lublin where Karol Wojtyla, perfectly
illustrates this point regarding the book
Persone et Acte. He explains that in this
work: “Wojtyla recalls the classic adage:
agere sequitur esse i. e. one acts according
to one's nature, but he interprets it differently
from thomism. The latter explains the acting
of a man by what he is. Persone et Acte proposes
the inverse explanation, that the being of
a man is explained by his actions. This is
the road traced by Descartes, borrowed in
our days by phenomenology and existentialism.”
[4]
Is it be possible for man to be the Roman
Pontiff, the Vicar of Christ, if his way
of thinking and writing reveals the ideas
of renowned existentialist philosophers?
No, it is not possible because common sense
tells us, and Pope Paul IV told us in his
papal bull, Cum Ex Apostolatus Officio, February
15, 1559, with the following infallible teaching:
“if... even a Roman Pontiff, before his promotion
or assumption as cardinal or as Roman Pontiff
had deviated from the Catholic faith or fallen
into some heresy, before his promotion or
assumption as Cardinal or as Roman Pontiff,
that promotion or assumption concerning him,
even if made in concord and from the unanimous
assent of all the cardinals, is null, void
and worthless; not by the reception of consecration,
not by the ensuing possession of the office
and administration, or as if, either the
enthronement or homage of the Roman Pontiff,
or the obedience given to him by all, and
the length of whatever time in the future,
can be said to have recovered power or to
be able to recover power, nor can (the assumption
or promotion) be considered as legitimate
in any part of it, … without any further
declaration to be made…and to avoid…as warlocks,
heathens...”
John Paul II (Wojtyla) is a great actor and
one of the greatest deceivers of all-time.
He is making the world believe that he is
the Vicar of Christ; when in reality, he
is neither Catholic nor pope. One of many
other further proofs of his having deviated
from the Catholic Faith before his alleged
promotion to Roman Pontiff in 1978 was on
October 28,
1965, when Wojtyla signed the “Vatican II”
document Nostra Aetate, which states: “in
Hinduism, men contemplate the divine mystery
and express it through an inexhaustible abundance
of myths and through searching philosophical
inquiry.” This is a denial of the Faith and
the Most Holy Trinity the Divine Mystery
the only true God, which the Hindus do not
contemplate. The Hindus contemplate their
false gods, and according to their beliefs:
“The three principal gods, Brahma, Vishnu,
and Shiva…are joined as the Trimurti, or
three powers…” [5] “This is Antichrist, who
denieth the Father, and the Son.” (1 John
2:22) Therefore, if one does not want to
deny Jesus Christ also, one must now conclude
that John Paul II is an Antichrist antipope
and a false prophet. The Blessed Virgin Mary
warned us at La Salette, France in 1846:
“Rome will lose the faith and become the
seat of the Antichrist.”
Jesus Christ, True God and True Man, said:
“He that believeth and is baptized shall
be saved: but he that believeth not shall
be condemned. (Mark 16:16)…I am the way,
and the truth, and the life. If any one abide
not in me, he shall be cast forth as a branch
and shall wither: and they shall gather him
up and cast him into the fire: and he burneth.
(John 14:6,15:6) And many false prophets
shall rise and shall seduce many. But he
that shall persevere to the end, he shall
be saved. (Matt. 24: 11,13) Yet the Son of
man, when he cometh, shall he find, think
you, faith on earth?” (Luke 18:8)
Prayerfully in Jesus Christ the King through
the Blessed Virgin Mary our Queen, Michael
Raul Rios, Their most unworthy slave of love
+
[1] Western Civilization: A Brief History,
by Perry, Marvin, p. 586-588 [2] Peter, Lovest
Thou Me? , Le Roux, Abbe Daniel, Instauratio
Press, 1989, p. 77 [3] Peter, Lovest Thou
Me? , Le Roux, Abbe Daniel, Instauratio Press,
1989, p. 77 [4] Peter, Lovest Thou Me? ,
Le Roux, Abbe Daniel, Instauratio Press,
1989, p. 78 [5] “God,” Microsoft® Encarta®
Encyclopedia 99. © 1993-1998 Microsoft Corporation.
All rights reserved.
www. refugeofsinners. com
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