Episode Transcript
Speaker 0 00:00 <inaudible>. Let's start tonight by asking ourselves, what is justification? What is justification? The question was answered in great detail by the Council of Trent in the decree on justification, but in that same decree, the concent, Trent also gave a short answer and I quote the justification. The center is a translation from that state, which a man is one, a child of the first data to this state of grace, of the adoption of the sons of God through the second Jesus Christ, our savior. Close quote, the justification of the sinner is a translation from the state, which a man is born, child of the first down to the state of grace or the adoption of the sons of God. The second one, Jesus Christ.
Speaker 0 01:05 Okay, so what is that one? The one hand, it means that justification is a true free from sin, both original sin and actual sin. If it be present, sin is actually removed, not just covered up or ignored by God. Okay, so that's on the one sin is truly removed. And on the other hand, justification is the filling of the soul of that justified person was sanctifying grace, which is a created share in God's own way that makes the person Holly. Okay? So justification consists in a movement from the fallen skinful state in which Adam placed us into this state of grace. That's the constant Trump meant when it stayed the justification of the sinners and translation and that state which a child is born, the child, a child of the first Adam to the state of grace and adoption of the sons of God to the second end, Jesus Christ, our savior.
Speaker 0 02:10 Okay, so justification's of movement from the fallen sinful state into the state of grace. Now let's take a moment to quickly review what we mean by the state of grace. Grace means free gift. We remember that is a free gift from God. Now there's more than one type of grace. For example, actual grace. Actually, grace gives us the supernatural power to do supernaturally, good act, so actual grace, supernatural eyes as the way we act. But when we speak of being justified, we're speaking of being in the state of grapes, which means we're speaking of sanctifying grins, actual grace. Supernatural dies as the way we af, but sanctifying changes our being. It changes how we are sanctifying. Grace sanctifies us. It makes us be holy. Sanctifying craze is actually a created share in God's own life that he places into our souls to give us a new type of life, supernatural life, and this makes us wholly, this is what Saint Peter is referring to in second Peter one four when he writes of us becoming partakers of the divine nature, partakers of the divine nature.
Speaker 0 03:37 When we're in the state of grace, God is actually placed. A created share is on life into our soul and it completely penetrates the soul filling it with holiness. Again, set find grace as a created Sharon, God's own life. He places it into our soul to give us a new life, supernatural life. This makes us holy and this makes us partakers of the divine nature, and that is what it means to be justified. Okay? The Great Catholic author, frank, she'd commented that supernatural life is given to a man in this life and what man does with it is the primary story of his life. Everything else is incidental on the friend of no permanent importance. We come to Dada. We are judged by the answer to that one question whether we have the supernatural life in our soul. If the answer is yes, then to heaven, we shall surely go for the supernatural. Life is the power to live the life of heaven. If the answer is no, then we cannot possibly go to heaven if we could not live there when we got there. So if we die in the state of grades, if we died, justify, if we die with sanctifying Greg's, we can and will go to heaven. If we die without it, we can't go to him, which means we have to go to hill.
Speaker 0 05:11 Okay, a little more background before we turn to today's topic, and for this part we rely on months senior Fenton. Monsignor Fenton was a student and the great father character Lagrand, one of the theological experts who assisted the head of the holy office <inaudible> at the second Vatican council, Monsignor Fenton, the fathers of the church, men like Santa Guston, Saint Ambrose sent f from St base of the great were those early Catholic writers who were remarkable, both for the holiness of their lives and the orthodoxy of their teachings. Theologians cite the fathers as offending witnesses of the faith as well as the practice of the ancient church because of the times in which they live. They were in a particularly good position to know the content and the significance of the preaching of the apostles. As a result, when one father or a group of them state that particular doctrine had been revealed by God and taught by our Lord, this testimony naturally has a tremendous way, but when the fathers is unanimously testified that some doctrine is a part of divine revelation, then their testimony is absolutely certain.
Speaker 0 06:35 The church knows that the unanimous teaching of the fathers on a matter of faith or morals cannot be in here. Okay. Now we're going to talk about the authority of the scholastic theologians. The first stuff, we better answer the question, who are the scholastic theologians? There's a big clue in their names since scholastic means school, so the scholastic theologians and those include men like Saint Thomas Aquinas, saint Bonaventure, they're traditional academic teachers who after the time of the fathers of the church have written traditional and scientific explanations of the Catholic faith, which had been recognized and used as such by the church. Monsignor Fenton explains quote, when the entire body of scholastic theologians asserts that some proposition is of the Catholic faith, their testimony is absolutely reliable because of the particular function of the scholastic's. If all of them should be an error on a point of this kind, then the Catholic Church would be deceived.
Speaker 0 07:45 They the qualified exponents of Catholic doctrine in the schools or the church there unanimous testimony that a definite doctrine has been revealed by God and has to be accepted by all with the center of divine faith mirrors the teaching of the church herself. This Giana and an entity of the scholastics must be reckoned in the same way as that of the church fathers. The testimony of the theologians is valid even for propositions which are put forth as theologically cert. Should the teaching of the theologians be sufficiently clear on a point that is not received with full unity and unity, the opposition to this thesis would take the form of a rash or Timarron proposition. Close quote. Okay. So the fathers of the church and like Santa Guston and saint basically great were early Catholic riders were remarkable wolf for their holiness and for the Orthodox, their teachings.
Speaker 0 08:44 And when the fathers unanimously testify that some doctrine falls apart, the divine revelation, then their testimony is absolutely sir. The scholastic theologians to include men like Saint Thompson clients and Saint Bonaventure are traditional academic teachers who after the time of the fathers of the church have written traditional and scientific explanations of the Catholic faith, which had been recognized and used as such by the church. Their unanimous testimony that a definite doctrines been revealed by God must be reckoned in the same one as that of the church fathers. Okay, quick review. What have we seen? Simple. We've seen the justification is a movement from the simple fallen state into the state of grace and we've seen that when we speak of being in a state of grace. By that we mean that God has actually raised a creative share of his own life into our soul, that it completely penetrates our soul, totally filling it with holiness.
Speaker 0 09:47 When we're justified, God has placed a new type of life, supernatural life, and our soul in this makes us be holy is created. Sharon Godson is known as sanctifying grace and we've seen it. The fathers, the church, and like Santa Guston and Saint FM of Syria were those early Catholic writers who are remarkable, both for the holiness of their lives, for the Orthodox of their teachings. And when the fathers unanimously testified that some doctors that part of divine revelation, then their testimony is absolutely sir. We've seen the scholastic theologians, men like Saint Thomas, saint Bonaventure are the, are the traditional academic teachers who after the time of the fathers of the church have written traditional and scientific explanations of the Catholic faith, which had been recognized and used as such by the church. Their unanimous testimony that a definite doctrine has been revealed by God. Mr Big stick by all with the ascent of divine faith must be rectified in the same one is that of the church fathers.
Speaker 0 10:51 All that. By way of background, let's turn to the topic today. Tonight we're going to take a quick look at the theology of father feeding some brief crack on. For those who don't know who father Feeney and father Leonard Feeney who lived from 1897 to 1978 was a Jesuit priest from Massachusetts who while working in the St Benedict Center near Harvard, made hundreds of condoms. He must have been blessed with a very gunner personality. In 1947 he decided that was preventing the church from fulfilling our mission to make disciples of all the nations. Was it the church had not been strongly affirming the dogma that there is no salvation outside the church by this father, Feeney meant that salvation required incorporation into the church by baptism of water. The position of father feeding was basically without sack metal baptism. There's no salvation to be saved. He must actually incorporate into the Catholic church by baptism.
Speaker 0 11:55 He taught to by the desire to be baptized before he's actually baptized. A man could be justified, but he denied such a man could be saved as a result of the desire of baptism, even though he had been justified, he was dismissed in the Jesuits in 1949 on a count of disobedience, not because of his teaching. And in 1953 he was excommunicated by the holy office on a kind of grave disobedience to church authority, but he did die and reconcile to the church. That's in a nutshell and although we are going to critique several aspects of his theology before we do that, it is important to keep in mind that his position is much, much closer to the truth and the current insane atmosphere we find of universal salvation where after they die, everybody apparently loads up in a pink sailboat cruises off to heaven in which we have preached in good standing, arguing that no one is going to hell. So before we go on, let's just deal with that. Once the thrall on November, 1414 59 Pope Pius the second condemn as the most pernicious air against the dogs of the holy fathers of the truth, the state that quote all Christians are to be saved. Close quote. Okay. If it's condemned to say that all Christians are to be saved, if that statement is a most pernicious error, then the opposite must be true, which is that some Christians are not safe. In other words, some Christians are damped.
Speaker 0 13:37 We call them our safety. It's not for nothing, okay? So that although we are going to critique the theology of Father Feeney, it must be said that his position is far closer to truth than these current hallucinations that no one goes to hell. So let's take a look at a few things. We'll start by taking a quick look at the practical importance of the dogma. There is no salvation outside the church. Then we'll take a look at Sacramento baptism backers and the desire in the baptism of blood and finally we'll take a look at justification and salvation. First, the practical importance, the dogma. There's no salvation outside of the church without identifying with his particular interpretation of the dogma. Nevertheless, it's safe to say that father Feeney has a valid insight when he says that the underpinning of Catholic liberalism here in the United States was and is the failure to teach and defend the dog, that there is no salvation outside the church. Do we as a Catholic people really believe that this is the one true church?
Speaker 0 14:54 Does the average American Catholic really believe that this is saying it's worth dying? Why have so many American Catholics left the church and gone on to the seventh? Why so much false? Accuminism it's clear. There is a great practical importance. This dog second sacrament of baptism, baptism of desire, baptism of blood. We'll start with a quote from father finis summarizing his teacher here. Father feeding quote, if you do not receive baptism of water, you cannot be saved. Whether you were guilty or not guilty for not having receiving, you're lacking something required for heaven. Close Code. Okay, so it's obviously according to Father Fini, no one can be resuscitated. He felt receiving sacramental baptism. Father fee quote, every little Catholic child in the Catholic Church school from the time of Cardinal Gibbons on has been required to say and answer the question. How many kinds of baptism are there? There are three kinds of baptism.
Speaker 0 16:11 Yeah, cause I'm a water baptism, desire and baptism of blood. That is Harrison. Close quote, Father Fini according them. So father feeding claims, it's heresy to say there are three kinds of vouchers in baptism, water, baptism, desire and the baptism of blood. Let's compare that plan to the teachy phone in the last universal catechism. One of the action promulgated during Father Finney's lifetime, and that's the catechism of Paul Saint Pius the 10th we'll turn to the section on baptism. I'll read the two questions from the last official catechism for the 1983 one question, is baptism necessary to salvation? Answer, baptism is an absolutely necessary to salvation for our Lord is expressly said, unless a man be born again of water and the Holy Ghost, he cannot enter into the Kingdom of God. Question, can the absence of baptism be supplied in any other way? The answer, the absence of baptism can be supplied by Martin, which is called baptism of blood or by an act of perfect love of God or of contrition along with the desire at least implicit of baptism.
Speaker 0 17:37 And this is called baptism with desire. Close the call, the catechism of Saint Prize, the 10 so evidently it's not only not heresy, it's actually church teaching to refer to three kinds of baptism, baptism of water, baptism of desire and baptism and blood. Recognizing, of course the only one of these three that cause them a water is a sacrament. The other two are able to justify the recipient and an absence of baptism of water. Please know that this is not the same as saying everyone in his goat who does not receive sacramental baptism will automatically receive the grace of the baptism we desire or the baptism of blood merely points that they do in fact exist. Let's take a closer look. It is moral theology. The great doctrine of the church. Saint Alphonsus summarizes the teaching of the scholastic theologians like quote from Saint Alphonsus. The baptism of glove is the shedding of blood or death suffered for the faith or for some other Christian virtue.
Speaker 0 18:46 This baptism remits the fault and the punishment due sin and baptism of desire is perfect conversion to God by contrition or love of God above all things, a company by an explicit or implicit desire for true baptism of water, close quotes, Saint Alphonsus bishop and doctor, the church. This is just a standard church teaching. St Thomas has a specific question about the three baptisms which anyone can look up, but you can find this in virtually any scholastic track which treats a baptism. Last night I pulled two scholastic manuals off the shelf in my library. These were the manuals used to tranq priests in the old days, put together by the scholastic theologians. Here's the theological proposition which I translated from one of them. Quote three Baptisms are fitting me, enumerated the baptism of water, the baptism of desire in the baptism of blood, the baptism of blood has a preeminence over the other two.
Speaker 0 19:58 Of course not so and far is the Sacramento because only the baptism of waters properly Sacramento, but in some far as its effect. Close quote. Now that's not heresy. That's church teaching and it's clear enough, but just to make the point, I'll read a theological proposition and a few more lines. I translate it from the other man. Quote, baptism of desire or even martyrdom are able to supply for baptism of water explanation. Even if baptism water is necessary by the necessity of means for salvation. Nonetheless, other means are not lacking to obtain salvation, but these needs are not independent of the sacrament itself. These means are the desire of baptism for adults and Margaret for all. Therefore, the baptism of water is said to be necessary in itself or in desires. Therefore, baptism may be distinguishing the three species, water, desire and blood. The theological certainty of this proposition is proximate to the faith in regards to the statement that baptism is desire is able to supply for baptism, blood, and theologically certain.
Speaker 0 21:18 In regards to this statement that martyrdom able has supply for baptism, water close quotes. Now remember what we heard. We considered the teaching the scholastic theologians, the unity of the scholastics must be reckoned in the same way as the church fathers. The testimony of theologians is valid even for propositions which are put forth as theologically certain. So father Feeney might've been a remarkable man, but this is the TG, the church and it can't be doubted. Back to father Feeney's teaching quote father taught that God would have seen to it, that those few martyrs who reported to die without baptism would not have left this life without bought baptism close school. In other words, unbaptized Margaret didn't really die in baptize. They weren't baptized in the blood, but somehow someone got them with water and baptize them before they died. Well, this past week we had the faith to see Saint Prn.
Speaker 0 22:11 Sianna, the rating in the old divine office tells us about quote <inaudible>, a Roman version and the foster sister to bless it, Aggies, while she was still a catechumen, burning with faith and charity, rebuked the idol worshipers who are full of fury against the Christians were upon them all mob assembled and stoned, praying your torment at the grave of St Agnes and having been baptized in her own blood so generously shed for Christ. She gave up her soul unto God closed coat. So St Emeran Siana who is in heaven and who is publicly honored as a sing. You can plot your hand missile and look at January 23rd St Mrns Ghana was baptized in her own blood period. Close the book. Okay. Third as a father's teaching regarding justification and salvation. Father feeding quote, question, what does baptism of desire meaning? Answer. It means a belief in the necessity.
Speaker 0 23:17 Baptism, water for salvation and a full intention. Receiving question can baptism of desire saving answer never. Question could baptize a desire to save you if you really believed it could answer. It could not. Question, could it possibly suffice for you to passenger's state of justification? Cancer, it could. Question if you've got into a state of justification with the aid of baptism of desire and then failed to receive baptism water, could you be and father feeling, can anyone now be saved without baptism? Water answered. No one can be saved without baptismal. One question. Are the salts who those of those who die in the state of justification save if they have not received the baptism water answered. No, they are not saved. Close quotes. Father F'ing. So Father Fini states that the baptism of desire means a belief, necessity, baptism of water for salvation, and a full intent to receive it.
Speaker 0 24:15 But even though it can justify you, it can't save you. But this contradicts the teaching the council of Trent. I'll quote from the constant trend for since Christ Jesus himself as the head into the members and the vine, the branches continually infuse his strength into those justified which trank always precedes, accompanies and falls. They're good words and without which they could not in any manner be pleasing, meritorious before God. We must believe that nothing further is wanting to those justified to prevent them from being considered to have by those very works which had been done in God, fully satisfied the divine law according to the state of his life, new truly married, eternal life to be obtained in its due time provided a depart this life and grace close quote, we must believe that nothing further is wanting to those justify to prevent him from being inspired to have fully satisfied divine law.
Speaker 0 25:20 According to the state of this life, no truly mattered, eternal to be obtained. And it's due time provided they depart this life in grace, which is what we said just in different words. We started off justifications and movement from the fall and sinful state and in state of grace. And when we talk about being in a state raised, but that would mean God is actually plays to create a chair of his own life into our soul. It completely penetrates our soul. It's only with volumes. So when we're justified, God has placed a new kind of life, supernatural life into our soul. It makes us holy. This new creating share in God's own life. It's called sanctifying crates. And if we die in a state of Chris, if we die, justify, if we die with sink, fine grades, we can and will go to heaven. If we die without it, we can't. We'll go to hell. So when Father Theni says the souls of those who died in the state of justification are not saying, if they have not received the baptism with water, he is wrong to cancel the teaching the council of Trent and it's wrong. Period.
Speaker 2 26:33 Okay,
Speaker 0 26:34 so what did we see? Let's walk back through. We've seen justification is a movement from the fonts in full state, the state of grace, and we've seen that we stick to being a state of grace. By that we actually mean you guys create a created share of his own life into our soul, completely challenged. Pates are penetrates us all play with holiness. When we're justified, he's placed his supernatural life into our soul, makes us be holy, and that created share in God's own life. It's called sanctifying grace. We've seen that the fathers of the church and like Santa Gust and Saint Basil, the great, but those early Catholic writers who are remarkable, both for the holiness and their life in orthodoxy, their teachings. Then when the father's unanimously testify that some doctrine is part of divine revelation, their testimony is absolutely certain. We've seen the scholastic theologians like Saint Thomas and Saint Bonaventure are traditional academic teachers who after the time of the fathers, the church have written traditional and scientific explanations of the faith which had been recognized and used as such by the church.
Speaker 0 27:41 Their unanimous testimony that a definite doctrine has been revealed by God must be reckoned in the same way as that the church fathers, we've seen it. Baptism is absolutely necessary to salvation for Lord's. Expressly said that unless a man be born again of water and the Holy Ghost, he cannot enter the Kingdom of God. But the absence of Sacramento Baptism can be supplied by Myron though, which is called the baptism of blood, or by an act of perfect love of God or contrition, along with the desire at least implicit about autism. That vis is called the baptism of desire. Let's close with some excerpts from the letter of the Holy Office to the Archbishop of Boston regarding Father Feeney's teachings.
Speaker 0 28:30 Among those things which the church has always preached, it will never cease to preach. Is that in that infallible statement by which we are taught that there is no salvation outside the church. However, this dogma must be understood and that sense in which the church herself understands it. Pros not to private judgements that our savior gave prince explanation those things that are contained in the deposit of faith, but to the teaching authority of the church. Now in the first place, the church teaches that in this matter, there's a question of a most strict command of Jesus Christ for he explicitly enjoined on his apostles to teach all nations preserve all things whatsoever he himself had commanded. Now among the commandments of Christ, we are commanded to be incorporated by baptism into the mystical body of Christ, which is the church, and to remain United to Christ and to his victory through whom himself in a visible manner governs the church on earth.
Speaker 0 29:32 Therefore no one will be saved who knowing the church to be having been divinely established by Christ nevertheless refuses to submit to the church or with holes of beatings from the Roman party, the vicar of Christ honor, and it's infinite mercy God as well. That the effects necessary for one to be saved of those helps to salvation which are directed towards man's final end, can also be obtained in certain circumstances when those helps are used only in desire and longing. Therefore that one may obtain eternal salvation is not always required, but it'd be incorporated the Church actually as a member, but it is necessary that he at least be United to her by desire and longing. Harvard, this desire need not always be explicit. It as is in catechumens, but when a person is involved in invincible ignorance, God accepts also an implicit desire so-called because it is included in that good disposition his soul whereby person wishes his will to be conformed to the will of God, but it must not be thought that any kind of desire entering the church suffices.
Speaker 0 30:46 That one may be. See, it is necessary that the desire by which one is related to church, the animated by perfect charity nor can implicit desire produce its effect unless that person has supernatural faith. These things are clearly taught and that in cyclical, which is issued by the sovereign pontiff, Pope Pius the 12th on the mystical body of Jesus Christ for in this encyclical the sovereign pod, if clearly distinguishes between those who are actually incorporated into the church as members and those who are United in the church only by desire tonight, let us thank God for the priceless gift of the faith, for the prices of being members of the one true church outside of which there is no salvation.
