JUNE 2003
TRINITY SUNDAY
vol 14, no. 30

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"Are you saved, brother?"

    Incredibly it would seem Baptism and belief in the Holy Trinity are now no longer necessary for salvation according to the Vatican II church!

        "The crisis in the Church rose to a new level with the publication of the message of John Paul II on Pentecost Sunday last year regarding World Mission Day last October 20th. The theme was "Mission is Proclamation of Forgiveness." Some nice things, some true things, were said in the document. Jesus forgave His enemies from the Cross. True! We must love one another as He has loved us. True! We must love and forgive our enemies. Difficult, yet true! But, incredibly, throughout the whole document there is not one mention of the necessity of Baptism, and this in a document on the evangelizing mission of the Church. In fact, near the beginning of the document, Jesus is quoted as saying: 'Go therefore, and make disciples of all nations … teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you' (Mt.28:19,20). You expected perhaps to hear the true text of that passage:'Go therefore, and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit…' But that part of the quotation has been omitted in the document, because it refers to Baptism."

    Editor's Note: In Father Louis Campbell's sermon for Trinity Sunday, he reveals what so many do not see: the panreligious bent of the conciliar church and John Paul II. If ever it was more obvious it was in his letter released last year on Pentecost for Mission Sunday in which not only did John Paul II leave out any reference whatsoever to the necessary Sacrament of Baptism - which is vital for salvation - but misrepresented the Sacred Scriptures by omitting our Lord's absolute and definitive words in Matthew 28: 19 to His words "baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost" - This is also the surest sign in Scriptures of the Holy Trinity. Yet, in the ensuing Mission Letter of John Paul II below Father's sermon, one can see less and less reference to the Triune Divinity and more to "one God" in order to placate and include not just believers in Jesus Christ, but beyond the Reformation by appeasing pagan, Jew and atheist. If what John Paul II has written in his Mission Statement is true, then all the works of the holy saints, martyrs, popes and doctors of the Church, not to mention all members of the Church Militant were in vain and there was no need for the Crucifixion.

    Note: For the Readings for this Sunday, see Proper for Trinity Sunday

    The Feast of the Holy Trinity celebrates the greatest mystery of our Faith, the mystery of Three Divine Persons in One God. This mystery was revealed to us by the Son, Who was sent by the Father into this world to make known to us the way of salvation. When we are signed with the seal of the living God in the Sacrament of Baptism, we become children of God, and heirs of eternal life. Belief in the Blessed Trinity is necessary for salvation.

    The ceremony of Baptism invokes the mystery of the Trinity. For those who seek Baptism, simple belief in God is not enough. They must believe in the Triune God, Three Divine Persons in One God, and be baptized "In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost." Thus, believing as the Jews do, or as the Muslims do, is not enough, even though the Vatican II documents say that the adherents of the three religions, Judaism, Islamism and Christianity, all worship the same God. This is one of the cruelest deceptions of Vatican II, since it gives the Jews and the Muslims a false assurance of salvation.

    Christian worship - the only true and acceptable worship offered to God our Father, through Him Who is at once Son of God and Son of Man - Jesus Christ our Lord, reaches its highest expression in the holy Sacrifice of the Mass. The prayer of the baptized Christian in the state of grace is united to the prayer of Jesus Christ, and rises like incense to the throne of God the Father. All other worship, well meant though it may be, is at best only of an earthly kind, and merits only an earthly reward.

    Since Vatican II, however, Catholic life and worship have suffered shipwreck. Some say the Second Vatican Council introduced Protestant doctrine and worship into the Catholic Church. But the "Church of Vatican II" has gone far beyond Protestantism. At least the reformers (or would-be reformers) still believed in the inerrancy of Sacred Scripture, and that one must "repent, believe, and be baptized" in order to be saved.

    The crisis in the Church rose to a new level with the publication of the message of John Paul II on Pentecost Sunday last year regarding World Mission Day last October 20th. The theme was "Mission is Proclamation of Forgiveness." Some nice things, some true things, were said in the document. Jesus forgave His enemies from the Cross. True! We must love one another as He has loved us. True! We must love and forgive our enemies. Difficult, yet true! But, incredibly, throughout the whole document there is not one mention of the necessity of Baptism, and this in a document on the evangelizing mission of the Church. In fact, near the beginning of the document, Jesus is quoted as saying: "Go therefore, and make disciples of all nations … teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you" (Mt.28:19,20). You expected perhaps to hear the true text of that passage: "Go therefore, and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit…" But that part of the quotation has been omitted in the document, because it refers to Baptism.

    The reason for the omission is sadly, soon apparent, as we get to the heart of the document, one sentence, which gives us the sum and substance of John Paul's message:

        "Through evangelization, believers help people to realize that we are all brothers and sisters and, as pilgrims on this earth, although on different paths, we are all on our way to the common Homeland which God, through ways known only to Him, does not cease to indicate to us."

    A truly astonishing statement for one reputed to be a Catholic pope! This should inspire horror in the hearts of true believers. But some will be delighted and comforted. We can now believe, they will think, that we are all "on our way to the common Homeland." No more of this scary stuff about hell. And how nice to know that, although we all follow "different paths," - Buddhism, Islamism, Judaism, Lutheranism, Catholicism, and, yes, atheism - we will all end up in the same place, our "common Homeland," whether we wanted to or not. This is why John Paul can play everybody's grandfather, and can be so benevolent, so ecumenical, so "respectful" of everyone's religion, and make Traditional Catholics look like mean-spirited hate-mongers by comparison.

    We know now why the reference to Baptism was omitted. As far as John Paul is concerned, you don't need it. The purpose of evangelization is not to call the nations to conversion and baptism, but to help people to realize that we are all brothers and sisters on our way to a common homeland, while we follow the path of our choice. What we are faced with is the new doctrine of universal salvation, which can be found in some liberal Protestant circles. The idea of Christian universalism is that there are many paths, many religions, but they all lead to Jesus Christ, Who is the only way to Heaven. Even without faith or religious belief of any kind, you will still go to Heaven through Jesus Christ. This is not actually a new doctrine, but it was reintroduced into the Catholic Church at the time of Vatican II by some liberal theologians, notably Karl Rahner and Karol Wojtyla, now known to the world as Pope John Paul II. It is not the teaching of the Catholic Church. It is not the narrow way, which leads to life, but the broad road that leads to destruction.

    This is what I meant earlier about the "Church of Vatican II" going far beyond the Protestant reformers. This document, "Mission is Proclamation of Forgiveness," while it speaks piously about dialogue, forgiveness, and love, clearly illustrates that the conciliar church and its leaders have abandoned the Catholic faith and have initiated a new Reformation vastly more destructive than the Protestant one. Baptism has become an unnecessary ritual. One may find salvation following the path of any religion, or no religion. The New Covenant sealed in the Precious Blood of Jesus Christ includes everyone in the world, because Jesus forgave everyone from the Cross. Go where you wish, do what you will, you are being saved, brother.

    You have heard about the frog in the pot of water; he doesn't notice that the water is getting hot because it is being heated up gradually. But eventually he is cooked. I think the heat is being turned up another notch. Trusting Catholics have been warmed up to accept the new doctrine, and many already do. Now John Paul is openly teaching universalism. His outrageous document has got to be the last straw. Read it for yourself below and draw your own conclusions. And pray, pray, for the Holy Catholic Church. Even if she may seem only the remnant Church today, Jesus is still with her just as He has promised, as we see in today's Gospel: "and behold I am with you all days, even to the consummation of the world" (Matthew 28: 20). †

Father Louis J. Campbell


MESSAGE OF JOHN PAUL II FOR MISSION SUNDAY

Mission is Proclamation of Forgiveness

Dear Brothers and Sisters!

1. The evangelizing mission of the Church is essentially the announcement of God's love, mercy and forgiveness revealed to mankind through the life, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ our Lord. It is the proclamation of the good news that God loves us and wants all people united in his loving mercy, he forgives us and asks us to forgive others even for the greatest offences. This is the Word of reconciliation entrusted to us because, as Saint Paul says "God in Christ was reconciling the world to himself not counting men's transgressions against them and he entrusted the message of reconciliation to us" (2 Cor 5,19). These words are the echo and a reminder of the supreme cry from the heart of Christ on the cross "Father, forgive them for they know not what they do" (Lk 23, 34).

    This, in synthesis, is the fundamental contents of Mission Sunday which we will celebrate on Sunday October 20, with the stimulating theme: Mission is Proclamation of Forgiveness. Although this event is repeated every year with the passing of time it loses none of its special significance and importance, because mission is our response to Jesus' supreme command: "Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations…teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you" (Mt 28, 19).

2. At the beginning of the third Christian millennium the missionary duty is ever more urgent, because as I said in the Redemptoris Missio encyclical "The number of those who do not know Christ and do not belong to the Church is constantly on the increase. Indeed since the end of the Council it has almost doubled. When we consider this immense portion of humanity which is loved by the Father and for whom he sent his Son, the urgency of the Church's mission is obvious". (n. 3).

    With the great apostle and evangelizer Saint Paul, we wish to repeat: "Yet preaching the Gospel is not the subject of a boast: I am under the compulsion I have no choice. Woe to me if I do not preach the Gospel…it is a charge entrusted to me". (1 Cor 9, 16-17). Only God's love, able to make brothers and sisters of people of all races and cultures, can heal the painful divisions, ideological conflict, economic unbalance and violence which still oppresses humanity.

    We are all aware of the horrible wars and revolutions which bloodied the last century and the conflicts which, unfortunately, still afflict the world almost endemically. However undeniable also is a longing of men and women who, despite dire spiritual and material poverty, have a deep thirst for God and for his loving mercy. The Lord's call to proclaim the Good News is still valid today: indeed it is ever more urgent.

3. In the apostolic letter, Novo Millennio Ineunte, I underlined the importance of contemplating the face of Christ suffering and glorious. The heart of the Christian message is the proclamation of the paschal mystery of Christ, crucified and risen. Contemplating the face of the Crucified one in agony "we confront the most paradoxical aspect of his mystery, as it emerges in his last hour, on the Cross" (n. 25). In the Cross God revealed to us all his love. The Cross is the key that gives free access to "wisdom which is not of this world, nor of the rulers of this age…God's wisdom, mysterious and hidden" (1 Cor 2, 6.7).

    The Cross, in which the glorious face of the Risen Christ already shines, introduces us to the fullness of Christian life and perfect love, because it reveals God's longing to share with mankind his very life, his love, his holiness. In the light of this mystery the Church, remembering the words of the Lord: "Be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect" (Cfr Mt 5, 48), understands ever more clearly that her mission would be senseless if it did not lead to fullness of Christian life, that is to perfect love and holiness. Contemplating the Cross we learn to live with humility and forgiveness, peace and communion. This was the experience of Saint Paul who writes to the Ephesians: "I plead with you, then, as a prisoner for the Lord, to live a life worthy of the calling you have received, with perfect humility, meekness and patience, bearing with one another lovingly. Make every effort to preserve the unity which has the Spirit as its origin and peace as its binding force" (Eph. 4, 1-3). And to the Colossians he adds: "Because you are God's chosen ones, holy and beloved, clothe yourselves with heartfelt mercy, with kindness, humility, meekness and patience. Bear with one another; forgive whatever grievances you have against one another. Forgive as the Lord has forgiven you. Over all these virtues put on love, which binds the rest together and makes them perfect. Christ's peace must reign in your hearts, since as members of the one body you have been called to that peace" (Col. 3 12-15).

4. Dearest Brothers and Sisters, the cry of Jesus on the cross (cfr. Mt 27, 46) is not the anguish of a desperate man, it is the prayer of the Son who offers his life to the Father for the salvation of all mankind. From the cross Jesus shows the conditions which enable us to forgive. To the hatred with which his persecutors nailed him to the Cross, he responds with a prayer for them. He not only forgives them, he continues to love them, to want their good and to intercede for them. His death becomes the full realization of Love.

    Faced with the great mystery of the Cross we can only kneel in adoration. "In order to bring man back to the Father's face, Jesus not only had to take on the face of man, but he had to burden himself with the "face" of sin. "For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God." (2 Cor 5:21; Novo Millennio Ineunte, 25). The total forgiveness of Christ, also for his persecutors, is the beginning of the new justice of the Kingdom of God for everyone.

    During the Last Supper, the Redeemer said to his Apostles: "I give you a new commandment: love one another. As I have loved you, so you too love one another. This is how all will know you for my disciples, your love for one another". (Jn 13, 34-35).

5. The Risen Christ gives peace to his disciples. The Church, faithful to the Lord's command, continues to proclaim and spread his peace. Through evangelization believers help people to realize that we are all brothers and sisters and, as pilgrims on this earth, although on different paths, we are all on our way to the common Homeland which God, through ways known only to Him, does not cease to indicate to us. The main road of mission is sincere dialogue (cfr Ad Gentes 7, Nostra aetate 2); "dialogue does not originate from tactical concerns of self-interest" (Redemptoris Missio, 56) nor is it an end in itself. Dialogue, instead, speaks to others with respect and understanding, stating the principles in which we believe and proclaiming with love the most profound truths of the faith which are joy, hope and meaning of life. In fact dialogue is the realization of a spiritual impulse leading "to inner purification and conversion which, if pursed with docility to the Holy Spirit, will be spiritually fruitful" (ibid 56). Commitment for attentive and respectful dialogue is a conditio sine qua non for authentic witness of God's saving love.

    This dialogue is linked closely with readiness to forgive, because a person who forgives opens the hearts of others and learns to love and understand others entering into harmony with them. Because the act of pardoning, after the example of Jesus, challenges and opens hearts, heals the wounds of sin and division and creates real communion.

6. The celebration of Mission Sunday offers everyone an opportunity for self-examination on the demands of God's infinite love. Love which calls for faith; love which tells us to put all our trust in Him. "without faith it is impossible to please Him. Anyone who comes to God must believe that He exists, and he rewards those who seek him" (Heb. 11,6).

    On this annual recurrence we are called to pray assiduously for the missions and to cooperate with every means in the Church's activity all over the world to build up the Kingdom of God, "an eternal and universal Kingdom: a kingdom of truth and life, a kingdom of holiness and grace, a kingdom of justice, love and peace" (Preface for the Feast of Christ the King). We are called to bear witness first of all with our life to our total adhesion to Christ and to his Gospel.

    Yes, we must never be ashamed of the Gospel and never be afraid of proclaiming that we are Christians, hiding our faith. Instead we must continue to speak to extend the spaces for proclaiming salvation, because Jesus has promised to be with us for ever and he is always in the midst of his disciples.

    Mission Sunday, the feast day of Mission, helps us discover the value of our personal and community vocation. It stimulates us to reach out to "my least brothers" (Cfr Mt 25, 40) through missionaries in every part of the world. This is the task of the Pontifical Mission Societies which have always been at the service of the Church's mission, ensuring that the least ones are not lacking those who break with them the bread of the Word and continue to bring them the gift of inexhaustible love that gushes from the heart of the Savior.

    Dearest Brothers and Sisters, let us entrust this commitment to proclaim the Gospel and indeed the whole evangelizing activity of the Church to Most Holy Mary, Queen of Missions. May she accompany us on our journey of discovering, proclaiming and witnessing to the love of God who forgives and gives peace to mankind.

    With these sentiments, to all missionaries throughout the world, to those who accompany them with prayers and fraternal help, to Christian communities of ancient and new foundation, I gladly send my Apostolic Blessing, invoking upon you all the unfailing protection of the Lord.

From the Vatican, May 19 2002, Solemnity of Pentecost

John Paul II

Document provided by the International Fides Service / Pontifical Mission Society for the Propagation of the Faith.


SUMMER 2003
vol 14, no. 30
"Qui legit, intelligat"
Father Louis Campbell's Sunday Sermons

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