[Greek] κοσμικός (kosmikos), [Latin] saeculum, [German] zeitgeist: worldly, earthly, mundane, pertaining to the world; Tit.2:12, Heb.9:1
Cardinal Sarah accuses many Western bishops, accommodating to the world, of succumbing to a “practical atheism”.
Background information:
Greek Hellenism: This term means world, worldly, secular, and belonging to the world.
Secularism: This is a philosophy seeking to interpret life on principles derived solely from the material world without recourse to religion. French secularism in the Age of Enlightenment was based on Gallicanism, which emphasized state supremacy, anti-clericalism, and materialism.
New Testament: This term, suggesting hostility to God, means worldly, earthly, and which belongs to the world.
Tit.2:12: “And training us to reject godless ways (ungodliness) and worldly desires and live temperately, justly, and devotedly in this age.” (Ungodliness and worldly desires: offensive acts (words), things that have nothing to do with the life to come, worldly lusts (desires), ACTIONS (DEEDS) WHICH DO NOT LAST, sinful desires, unlawful desires, selfishness, pride, idolatry and paganism, and superstition.):
Heb.9:1: “Now even the first covenant had regulations for worship and an earthly sanctuary.” (The Old Covenant permitted all the priests to enter the Holy Place, but only the high priest was permitted to enter into the Holy of Holies once a year.)
Cardinal Sarah denounces “atheistic” Western bishops who prefer the world to the cross.
- So many bishops desire to be “loved by the world” that they have forgotten that Christianity calls them to be signs of contradiction.
- Many bishops have a “failure of nerve” when confronted by cultural revolutions convulsing the West.
- Practical atheism is more insidious because it seeps into every aspect of contemporary culture, including ecclesiastical discourse.
- Many pretend to be Christian believers and men of faith, but in fact live as pagans and unbelievers.
- Many in the Church and its leadership, accommodating to the world, fall in this trap of practical atheism.
- This brand of atheism is a masterful trap set by Satan himself.
The dangerous ‘spirit’ of synodality: by Phil Lawler
What is the real purpose of the Synod?
- T0 begin a process, to create a new understanding of what it means to be the Church.
- To usher in a new synodal approach to Catholicism.
- This document is a launching pad [for a new Church].
- Synodality is the walking together of Christians with Christ toward God’s Kingdom, in union with humanity.
- Synodality is a path of spiritual renewal and structural reform that enables to the Church to be more participatory and missionary.
- The spirit of Vatican II has been invoked, giving rise to a liturgical revolution.
- But older and wiser Catholics remember gave rise to a liturgical revolution far removed from the vision set forth in the actual Council documents.
- The Church is losing ground wherever prelates spend too much time listening to the secular culture.
- The first order of business is to determine whether we are heading in the right direction or simply walking in place.
Etymology: The Greek noun kosmos means order, good order, and orderly arrangement. The Greek verb kosmeo means to prepare, to order, to arrange, and to adorn. The Greek adjective kosmetikos means skilled in adornment and arrangement.
Quotes by G. K. Chesterton, often rightly called the “apostle of common sense”:
“We do not want a church that will move with the world. We want a church that will move the world.”
“The modern world is insane, not so much because it admits the abnormal as it because it cannot recover the normal.”
“Right is right even if nobody does it. Wrong is wrong even if everybody is wrong about it.” (Right and wrong must not be determined by worldly secular values.)
“Progress should mean that we are changing the world to fit the vision. Instead we are always changing the vision.”
Conclusion:
Zeitgeist, cosmic, microcosm, cosmetic, secular
The French Revolution (The Reign of Terror) is most notably known by atheism and the persecution of the Church in France in the late 1700’s.
Scripture makes an important distinction with temporary worldly actions (belonging with the world) and with eternal actions in doing God’s will (accumulating longer lasting heavenly treasures for oneself).
Update: Pope Francis, in his efforts to create a worldly synodal Church, is moving the Church to accommodate the world. We now have a Church is tolerating worldly values, situational moralities, and sin.
The Vatican seems to act more like an NGO, engaged in worldly missions, rather than a church concerned with saving souls. Not much is said about what is sin and forgiveness.
Pope Francis’ Synod of Synodalities seeks to share the decision-making authority the most poorly catechized generations of laity in recent memory. This includes doctrine and dogma! What could ever go wrong with this???
The German Cardinal Kasper claims that the Church needs more leadership from the laity.
Pope Francis’s efforts to “reform” and “renew” the Church has not truly renewed the Church. There continues to be further confusion, division, schism, and heresy in the Church. Pope Francis’ efforts have been a failure for the Church.
As schism, heresy, error, and evil have entered into the Church and society, still too many Cardinals, bishops, and priests have remained cowardly silent in speaking against out these concerns. We also must acknowledge that the Devil may influence some clergy in undermining the Church.
We now have high-level Church clergy shutting down other clergy deemed too Catholic or too Traditional. (These are examples of the Bergoglian Reign of Terror on faithful clergy.)
Satan and his minions are seeking to undermine the Church by upending God’s moral laws (teachings) and confusing and corrupting man.
Modernists are seeking to undermine the Church by upending God’s moral laws (teachings) and confusing and corrupting man.
Pope Pius X’s encyclical Pascendi Dominici Gregis correctly foretold that the Modernists would seek to democratize the Church magisterium (teaching authority).
Pope Pius X: “Progress of dogmas is, in reality, nothing but corruption of dogmas.”