Francis & the Vatican II Gospel by Fr. Campbell+St. Michael the Archangel

Attached is my sermon for Sunday, September 29, 2013.
God’s Blessings,
Fr. Campbell
Feast of St. Michael the Archangel, September 29, 2013

Going into Battle for the Kingdom of God

 
“And there was a battle in heaven; Michael and his angels battled with the dragon, and the dragon fought and his angels. And they did not prevail, neither was their place found any more in heaven. And that great dragon was cast down, the ancient serpent, he who is called the devil and Satan, who leads astray the whole world; and he was cast down to the earth and with him his angels were cast down” (Apoc.12:7-9).
 
The battle rages, and we must all unite in the struggle to protect the Holy Catholic Church of Jesus Christ from the satanic heresies that would seek to destroy it.
 
Recently it has been widely reported, as in the New York Times (Sept.20, 2013), that Francis (as he wishes to be called) claims the Church is “obsessed” with abortion, same-sex marriage and contraception, and he has chosen not to talk about these issues. It is said that he objects to putting dogma before love. But there is no genuine love without truth. The truths of the faith (dogmas) must be believed, and the Commandments must be obeyed, by all who wish to be saved by Him who is “the Way, and the Truth, and the Life” (Jn.14:6).
 
The Times captions a picture of Francis, “Pope Francis, the pragmatist!” And what is pragmatism but “a philosophy that tests the value and truth of ideas by their practical consequences.” Is truth then relative? “We have to find a new balance,” says Francis, “otherwise even the moral edifice of the Church is likely to fall like a house of cards, losing the fragrance of the Gospel.” What Gospel? The new Vatican II “gospel” is already bringing down what was once the Catholic Church, and it is falling “like a house of cards.” 
 
But for Francis, there is nothing wrong, really: “The Church is not falling to pieces,” he says, “It has never been better. This is a wonderful moment for the Church, you just need to look at its history” (www.vaticaninsider.com, Sept. 18, 2013).
 
His enthusiasm is showing. Francis has enthusiasm for Jesus Christ. But it’s not the Christ we find in the Gospels, or in the teachings of the Catholic Church. It’s just that – enthusiasm! Francis the Charismatic! Now in all fairness to Charismatic Catholics, not all of them are led astray by enthusiasm. Some of them take great care to preserve the integrity of their Catholic Faith. Many of the saints possessed what we call the charismatic, or spiritual gifts, like St. Teresa of Avila, and St. Philip Neri. But only the Church has the right to judge the genuineness of the spiritual gifts. In the case of Francis, perhaps his faith has been tainted by his close association with Protestant charismatics, and with his close friends, the Jews, of whom he says: “What I can say to you, with the Apostle Paul, is that God’s fidelity to the close covenant with Israel never failed and that, through the terrible trials of these centuries, the Jews have kept their faith in God. And for this, we shall never be sufficiently grateful to them as Church, but also as humanity” (Sept.11, 2013, Open letter to Eugenio Scalfari, La Repubblica).
 
Was it the Jews who kept their faith in God, or was it the Apostolic Church? Francis rolls around like a loose cannon, demolishing the ancient doctrines of the Catholic Faith, one after the other. To him even atheists are “children of God of the first class”:
 
“The Lord has redeemed all of us, all of us, with the Blood of Christ: all of us, not just Catholics. Everyone!… Even the atheists. Everyone! And this Blood makes us children of God of the first class! We are created children in the likeness of God and the Blood of Christ has redeemed us all!” (May 22, 2013, Zenit News Service, Rome).
 
He wrote In his letter to Scalfari:
 
“Sin, also for those who don’t have faith, exists when one goes against one’s conscience. To listen to and to obey it means, in fact, to decide in face of what is perceived as good or evil. And on this decision pivots the goodness or malice of our action” (Sept. 11, 2013, Zenit.org).
 
Here the distinction between the natural and the supernatural is denied. Works may be good on the natural level, but faith is absolutely required if our works are to be good and pleasing to God on the supernatural level, for “Without faith it is impossible to please God” (Heb.11:6).
 
And whatever happened to Original Sin? It’s “blowing in the wind.” All are now “born in grace”. And if that be so, what can we say about the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary, the “singular grace and privilege” spoken of by Pope Pius IX in his solemn proclamation on December 8, 1854? How, then, is it a “singular grace and privilege”?
 
And if all are “born in grace” the Sacrament of Baptism is unnecessary. None of the Sacraments are necessary. The CATHOLIC CHURCH isn’t necessary. Everyone is capable of good deeds that merit an eternal reward. So the atheists can go to Heaven without faith. The Holy Bible, Sacred Tradition, and the great Councils of the Church are all in agreement with the words of Our Lord:
 
“He who believes and is baptized shall be saved, but he who does not believe shall be condemned” (Mk.16:16).
 
The Council of Trent, for instance, condemns the present heresies by its infallible decrees which bind all Catholics under the pain of excommunication (anathema), as in this decree:
 
“If anyone says that baptism is optional, that is, not necessary for salvation: let him be anathema” (Decree of the Council of Trent on Baptism: Canon V).
 
The successors of St. Peter, the first pope, have sworn since early times in the Papal Coronation Oath (discarded in October, 1978) to uphold the doctrines of the faith handed down to us from Apostolic times, but apparently the conciliar “popes” no longer consider themselves bound by the holy doctrines of the faith, and can freely wallow in the decaying swamps of heresy. Wherefore we pray with the Church:
 
St. Michael the Archangel, defend us in battle! Be our protection against the wickedness and snares of the devil. May God rebuke him, we humbly pray; and do Thou, O Prince of the Heavenly Host – by the Power of God – cast into hell, Satan and all the evil spirits, who prowl about the world seeking the ruin of souls. Amen.