Building a Better World

Read this post if you want, but I would like to alert you that Ches's post at The Sensible Bond is far better. I recognise this because I'm humble, you see. In an ambitious kind of a way, though, naturally. So if you want to read on...

The mind boggles. I find the Holy Father's most recent interview far more alarming than the previous one. The purpose of the mission of the Catholic Church is not now, nor has it ever been, nor will it ever be, to 'make the world a better place'.

It is surely a fruit of Her Faith in Christ, hopefully, that by the grace and mercy working through the Church the world is made better - a more holy, more loving World, but that is not her 'purpose'. Her purpose is to save souls, to bring the Salvation of God to the World - to make sinners into Saints, to the glory of God.

Let's also be clear that not everybody shares our vision of a 'better world' - a World in which God's holy will is done 'as it is in Heaven' - and be plain that Original Sin has something to do with that. A eugenically-minded abortionist following what he thinks is good, may always think that he is making the world a better place, like Hitler and the Nazis thought they were making the world a better place in following their warped consciences by killing off the 'unfit'. Those who mount floats at 'Gay Pride' marches are convinced in their conscience they are buliding a 'better world', but disregard the sanctity of the family and marriage. Those contracting 'same-sex marriages' presumably are doing so following their conscience, a conscience not informed by the Church or the light of Faith or even in the light of natural reason. Is it not the truth that the darkening of men's consciences, without the light of Christ, the lumen fidei, has led them to believe in many arenas of human life that evil is good and that good is evil, virtue vice and vice versa?

It is an effect - a wonderful thing - that the work of those 'labourers' for the Lord building God's Kingdom makes the world an objectively better place, more loving, less cold, but it is not why Jesus died on the Cross and it is not why He rose again, it is not why He became incarnate in (and only in) the Blessed Virgin Mary. It is not why He founded His Bride, the Church - the Instrument of Salvation.

The Lord Jesus did not give the Apostles a commission or a 'mandate' to go forth and 'make the world a better place', but to 'teach all nations, baptising them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.' If the purpose of the Church is to make the World a better place then it becomes the NGO that the Holy Father said he wishes Her not to be. Oxfam claim to make the World a better place, and they do so by feeding starving populations, but at the same time they are also roped into the 'culture of death', assisting 'reproductive choice' centres in their work 'building a better world'.

Whether unemployment is the biggest problem facing humanity is really a very subjective opinion, entirely debatable. Unemployment and poverty certainly feeds into family life and the abortion issue, undoubtedly. Lack of employment is certainly a problem, one I suffer with myself for long periods of time, but at the same time, I had hitherto been led to believe that the greatest evil afflicting not just the World, but the Church, is sin. Sin can only be overcome, or taken away, by the Lamb of God, Our Lord Jesus Christ, He Who is the Light of the World, Who became incarnate of the Virgin Mary, Who suffered and died that man might be reconciled with God, no longer to be stranger to Him, but one who worships 'in spirit and in truth', a servant, adopted son or daughter, friend, no longer an enemy.

All will be filled with light but not all will be able to bear it...

In the end, as the Holy Father says, we will all be filled with light - God's light. For some that will mean the unbearable knowledge of sin unconfessed and unrepented of, leading to eternal destruction and damnation, to others, the saving mercy and salvation of God, in soul at the private judgment and body at the general. There are areas of the Pope's new interview that are confusing, disconcerting, alarming even.

I've had dialogues with atheists, they tend to go round in circles. You often find areas of agreement. It all goes quite swimmingly until you start talking about the divinity and humanity of Christ our Lord. Of course there are areas of agreement in the dialogue. No matter what though, however hard you try to keep things on an even keel, eventually the issues of sin, salvation, hell, heaven, the Devil, Jesus, Mary, the Church, the Sacraments crop up because the atheist in discussion still wants the truth even if he doesn't like it and ends up in a huff.

'He who hears you, hears me', said the Lord to His Apostles. I'm not hearing much from or about the Lord Jesus from these interviews. I know we must place such things in the context of the interviewer, but then, these things go out to the whole world. I'm hearing a great deal about the Church and about the person of the Pope.

'Think of me, think of me often', said Pope Francis to his interviewer. Yes, Your Holiness, many are thinking of you and praying for you fervently. You are certainly on my mind a lot just recently.

Please, though, help us all to think about Jesus Christ, our light, our hope, our salvation, our God. There is a better world than this one, a world without end in which God reigns. If you are called upon to defend the holy doctrines and the Faith of the Church then please do so boldly and without thought of whether men think you inferior in their sight for not compromising on the truth to please persons. After all, Your Holiness, you, Pope Francis the Humble, the Ambitious, are the Pope.

I've said it before and I'll say it again...When His Holiness stepped out onto the balcony to greet the crowd after his election, Pope Francis said he wanted to 'pray for the world so there is a big brotherhood'. That was the first day, but not the last, that I thought to myself, 'Oh no! The Pope's a Freemason!'

Ghost train interview: Out of nowhere, its Cardinal Martini!

That His Holiness seems intent on implementing a project of reform envisaged by Cardinal Martini, who was mourned by Italian Freemasons upon his death, does little to allay my fears. That His Holiness suggested in his interview that Jesus became incarnate to instill in mankind 'the feeling of brotherhood' (rather than to save us) does even less and neither do I recall the Italian Freemasons roaring with approval when Benedict XVI was elected.

Still, pray for His Holiness we must. Read the full interview here. It's like a ghost train ride at a fun fair. The frightening ghoul, Cardinal Martini pops up out of nowhere and you just scream in horror. Also, watch out for that ambitious 'spirit' of the Council. If you've been reading my blog for a while and still need some information on the Church's official position on Freemasonry, you can watch Michael Voris's 'FBI investigation' below.