In 2005, (then) Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger, in his capacity as Dean of the College of Cardinals, delivered the homily at the Pro Eligendo Pontiice Mass before the cardinals were sequestered in the conclave that elected him as the next pontiff. Cardinal Ratzinger, reflecting on Eph 4: 14, dare I say prophetically saw the future. He said: How many winds of doctrine have we known in recent decades, how many ideological currents, how many ways of thinking. The small boat of the thought of many Christians has often been tossed about by these waves flung from one extreme to another: from Marxism to liberalism, even to libertinism; from collectivism to radical individualism; from atheism to a vague religious mysticism; from agnosticism to syncretism and so forth. Every day new sects spring up, and what St Paul says about human deception and the trickery that strives to entice people into error (cf. Eph 4: 14) comes true.
Today, having a clear faith based on the Creed of the Church is often labeled as fundamentalism. Whereas relativism, that is, letting oneself be tossed here and there, carried about by every wind of doctrine, seems the only attitude that can cope with modern times. We are building a dictatorship of relativism that does not recognize anything as definitive and whose ultimate goal consists solely of ones own ego and desires.
We, however, have a different goal: the Son of God, the true man. He is the measure of true humanism. An adult faith is not a faith that follows the trends of fashion and the latest novelty; a mature adult faith is deeply rooted in friendship with Christ. It is this friendship that opens us up to all that is good and gives us a criterion by which to distinguish the true from the false, and deceipt from truth.
We must develop this adult faith; we must guide the flock of Christ to this faith. And it is this faith only faith that creates unity and is fulfilled in love.
øbama, exceeding his text again.
Bishop Conley is the Episcopal Advisor to the Catholic Medical Association whose board I served on. He was chosen as a result of his orthodox positions in regards to ethics and morals.
The good Bishop’s charterization of transgenderism as a “ tragic delusion” is spot on.. God created us male and female and to assert that His creation is often flawed and needs the action of an all powerful government to set right is an affront to the Creator. About time Christans are waking up to the fact that liberalism has its roots in atheism