INTRODUCTION

It was God Himself, in the Person of Our Lord, Jesus Christ, who warned us at the Sermon on the Mount


These words echo across the centuries to Catholics, as well as to all Christians in general, who are even more in need of such a warning in the 21st century.

What is that should motivate us to heed this warning most carefully in our day-to-day lives? The reality that a person's true Faith is a serious matter and can easily be corrupted.

But before continuing, let us pause and meditate upon the contents of the following Note which was added barely two years after the original publication of the document.



Let us now return to the original document...

Pope Leo XIII, in his encyclical Satis Cognitum, reminded us about this in so many words:

"Nothing is more dangerous than the heretics who, while conserving almost all the remainder of the Church's teaching intact, corrupt with a single word, like a drop of poison, the purity and the simplicity of the faith which we have received through tradition from God and through the Apostles."

Not only should we heed Our Lord's warning because of how EASILY a person's Faith can be corrupted, but we should find urgent motivation in the fact that the danger is more prevalent today than when Pope Pius X felt it necessary to write:




Certainly we do not expect to find men dressed in sheepskin. No. What we are told to be wary of is that what, on the surface, sounds pleasing to the ear and seems "positive" or "beneficial" at first glance, yet behind it all there is a subtle error that destroys Faith.

What is one of the best ways that an error against the Faith can be taught to a Catholic, and have him easily accept it as true even if at first they question its novelty?

The most effective way was launched when the concepts that "doctrine evolves" and that "truth evolves with man" at the turn of the 20th century. Today however, being that the concept of evolution is not generally looked upon favorably by Catholics, they will instead utilize the word/concept of 'development'. So now they will speak of "doctrinal development". This is the "sheep's clothing" of which Our Lord speaks.

What better way to have false doctrines accepted by the faithful than to claim that the doctrine only "seems different" because they are the truths of old which have "developed"! This is one of the most insidious and treacherous methods of corrupting the faith of a Catholic. The word "development" sounds beneficial and very "theological" to the ear, and may very well catch the faithful off guard. It is a very general term that has more than one meaning: Beware of ambiguous wording. The term must be properly understood.

An Example

When an oak tree grows, it matures and develops as everything does in nature. The oak tree has in fullness what the acorn had in essence. The acorn does not become an apple tree.

When it comes to the supernatural truths of Divine Revelation we see that this is also true. The Faith cannot at one time condemn something as a sin or error and later teach that it is true and/or a virtue; or the reverse. If that were the case, the cause behind such reversal would be a mistake and not a development.


Another and most interesting Example

Let us look at a young boy who lived generations ago - Michael Ghislieri. At age 10 the boy learned his catechism, received the sacraments and professed his Faith. He was a Catholic pure and simple, and knew the truths of his faith. As he matured, so did his faith and understanding of the truths, which he always knew were true. Later in life he studied philosophy and theology and became a theologian.

He was still just as much of a Catholic as he was when he was 10 years old but now instead of simply believing things to be true, he now understands the why and how of these truths. He attained a better understanding as he grew older. This is nothing less than a "development of doctrine" in its true sense. At age 10 he was Catholic with a good understanding of the Truths of the Faith. As an elderly theologian he believed and professed the very same doctrines with the same meanings but with a better understanding.
Incidentally, that boy, Michael Ghislieri blossomed into St. Pope Pius V.


DETAILS

The Roman and Eastern Churches were given the Truths of the Faith by Our Lord. Truth is immutable. What was once condemned by the Faith cannot be later approved in principle, nor can what was once declared as true and good by the Faith, later become false and sinful. A true development of doctrine increases the understanding of the fine points and its relation to other truths, it does not reverse it; in spite of the efforts of Cardinal Ratzinger to justify such reversal.

A theologian believes the same truths as the school-boy, only he knows them in better detail as an adult. This fuller detail cannot be contrary to what the school-boy knows.

So, we see that Our Lord warns us that such men today, quite often, wear the sheep's clothing of "doctrinal development" to fool unwary Catholics into believing different doctrines than were previously taught in the Catholic Faith.

The sheep's clothing, which is just as treacherous and insidious, is that of "ecclesiastical position". The Vatican had to deal with such heretics in the past; and dealt with them severely. Heretics who hold high office in the Church can easily fool the average Catholic simply by standing on the dignity of his office (as we see in the quote above by Pope Pius X).

History shows that this has wreaked havoc on the Church. Bishop Arius is a good example. The Arian heresy caused about 80% of the clergy in the East to fall away from the Faith dragging many of the faithful with them, who went along, not because they understood that heresy, but because they simply followed their clergy into it.

St. Paul seemed to warn us about different doctrines specifically when they come from a source with a high office or dignity:


St. Paul gives us a principle to remember: "...brethren, stand fast; and hold the traditions which you have learned, whether by word, or by our epistle." (2 Thess. 2:14)


CONCLUSION

Those strong words of St. Paul - "...though we, or an angel from heaven..." - are words which include the warning that even the office of the Papacy could be used to spread heresy. There are enough examples in history to support this statement.

Of course, in such a case, he would be an "anti-pope" and not a real one although the general public would not be aware of this.

So effective is the Sheep's Clothing of "ecclesiastical office" in promoting error that St. Bernard, Cardinal Newman, and others, logically believed that the only way the Anti-Christ could possibly be so effective in creating a "great apostasy" among Catholics is by becoming an "anti-pope" whom the Catholic world at large would think is a valid Pope.

So we can now see:


The principle at the heart of all of this is: The Truth of the Catholic Faith is immutable. It has not, cannot, and will not change.

As the Church is convulsed by the sexual abuse scandals worldwide and Cardinals and other Vatican Officials meet to map out a Damage Control Strategy, it behooves all of us to review the (obviously) unheeded warnings of such Roman Catholic luminaries as Pope Leo XIII and Pope Pius X as well as the beautiful example of the life of Pope Pius V.

Their words and warnings, as well as their examples, are more timely now than ever, when a few men, so called Princes of the Church, have managed to almost destroy the little Faith left amongst believers.

There is nothing wrong with the Great Catholic Faith, the problem lies with those who chose Caesar while pretending to live for God.


EPILOGUE

Speaking of 'sheep's clothing' - The M+G+R Foundation feels that it is worthy to note that: When archbishops receive the pallium it symbolizes their metropolitan authority and his union with the Holy See. A pallium is a white woolen vestment prepared by nuns from lamb's fleece. Until they are conferred on the archbishops, the white woolen strips are stored in a coffer at the tomb of St. Peter. A coincidental play of words? Of course not! Our Lord does not play with the truth; He was warning us about this very serious danger 2,000 years ago.






En Español:  Lobos con piel de cordero

Originally published on October 18, 2000. Texas, USA. • Restructured on July 27, 2019