[Greek] πίπτω (piptō), [Latin] incidere, [Latin] concidere, [Latin] decider, [Latin] perire, [Latin] prostrare, [German] fallen, [French] ruiner: to fall, to fall prostrate, to kneel, to fall down; 92 scriptural references
The Blind leading the blind: painting by Peter Bruegel the Elder (1568) The group’s leader has already fallen on his back into a ditch. A Synodal study group suggests that homosexuality is NOT sinful! Synodality: the blind leading the blind into a pit of heresy.
Background information:
Greek Hellenism: This term means to fall, to fall down, to perish, to fail, to fall under (be counted as), and to throw oneself.
Euripides’ Hecuba 787: “But hear my reason for throwing myself at your knees.”
Aeschylus’ Seven Against Thebes 794: “The boasts of the powerful men have fallen to the ground.”
Sophocles’ Ajax 828: “Send on my behalf some messenger with news of my downfall to Teucer.”
Sophocles’ Electra 42: “Now, I beg you by our ancestral gods, obey me, and do not fall in your senselessness.”
Old Testament: This term, used extensively, has many meanings. Such uses include falling, lying down, being allotted, dying, falling prostrate, neglecting, giving birth, attacking, ceasing, oppressing, ruining, being inferior, settling, losing confidence, and being infertile.
Falling into rebellion and sin:
Deut.6:13-14: God warns of worshiping or bowing down to other gods.*
Num.25:1-9: Some Israelites prostituting themselves with Moabite women. They ate sacrifices offered to the god of Baal.**
Num.11:4, 34: The Israelites being dissatisfied in what God has given you [manna].***
Exo.32:6: The Israelites sacrificed burnt offerings and sat down to eat, drink, and to revel.****
Num.21:5-9: The Israelites were complaining to Moses about why were they still in Egypt.*****
Num.14:2-37, Num.16:1-35: All of the Israelites grumbled against Moses and Aaron. Some Israelites led a rebellion against Moses and Aaron.******
New Testament: This term, used both literally and figuratively, means to fall, to fall down, to be come guilty, to cease, to sin, to being defeated, to collapse, to overturn, and to be slain. I will focus on the negative and harmful aspects of this term.
Mt.4:9: “The devil said to Him, ‘All these I shall give to you, if you will prostrate Yourself and worship me.'” (The devil is the ruler (prince) of the world. [Jn.12:31] The devil wanted Jesus to show him allegiance to the kingdoms of the world [and their magnificence]. Jesus states that one only must worship and serve God alone.)*
Mt.15:14: “Let them alone; they are blind guides of the blind. If a blind person leads a blind person, both will fall into a pit.”
HUMAN Traditions of the Elders:
- The Pharisees and scribes ask why Jesus’ disciples do not wash their hands when they eat a meal.
- Jesus asks the Pharisees and scribes why to they break [nullify] God’s commandments for the sake of their human traditions.
- Isa.29:13: this people honor me with their lips but their hearts are far from Me. They teach human doctrines.
- Jesus states that what comes out of the heart and mouth is what defiles.
- The Pharisees and scribes were offended by what Jesus said.
- From the heart comes evil thoughts, immorality, adultery, unchastity, theft, false witness and blasphemy.
Mt.21:44: “The one who falls on this stone [Jesus Christ] will be dashed to pieces; and it will crush anyone on whom it falls.”
The one who falls on this stone: This suggests an encounter with Christ which leads to a humbling or breaking of one’s pride and self-reliance. This is a call of repentance and acknowledgement of Jesus as Messiah.
The one who is crushed by this stone: This is one who ultimately rejects Christ and opposes God’s plan of salvation through Christ. This is one who experiences divine judgment, and complete destruction.
Lk.16:17: “It is easier for heaven and earth to pass away than for the smallest part of the letter of the law to become invalid.” (Even the smallest part [detail] of God’s law is significant, unchanging, and divinely inspired. This is more lasting than the physical heavens and earth.)
Jn.12:24: “Amen, amen, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it produces much fruit.”
A fallen grain producing life:
- When Jesus states, “Amen, amen, I say to you..”, Jesus will begin to state an important and profound truth.
- This metaphor foreshadows Jesus’ own death and burial, which was necessary for the greater purpose of salvation of humanity.
- The scripture that immediately follows states that one must lose one’s life [die to oneself] in order to save oneself to have eternal life. This is one who follows Jesus.
- In God’s providence, He may permit one to experience struggles as a means to bring one closer to God or to strengthen one’s relationship with God.
- In some situations, one perhaps may be called to share in Jesus’ sufferings and struggles. (Redemptive suffering)
Acts 5:5: “When Ananias heard these words [‘You have lied not human beings, but to God’], he fell down and breathed his last breath” (Ananias’ sin was in his deception of the community. Satan had filled Ananias’ heart so that he lied to the Holy Spirit. Lying to the Holy Spirit is a grave act.)
1Cor.10:8: “Let us not indulge in immorality as some of them did, and twenty thousand fell within a single day.”**
1Cor.10:6: The Israelites desired evil things (sin, immorality, idolatry).***
1Cor.10:7: Do not become idolators as some of the Israelites did. ****
1Cor. 10:9: Let us not test Christ, as some of the Israelites did and later suffered death by serpents.*****
1Cor.10:10: Do not grumble as some of the Israelites did and suffered death by the destroyer.******
[Greek] ἐμπίπτω (empiptō), [Latin] incidere, [German] fallen, [French] tomber
1Tim 6:9: “Those who want to be rich are falling into temptation and into a trap and into many foolish and harmful desires, which plunge them into ruin and destruction.” (The love of money is the root of all evils. In their desire for it, some people have strayed from their faith. Material gain should not be at the forefront of desires.)
More HUMAN TRADITIONS: Guiding principles of Modernist and Synodalist thinking:
- Agnosticism: human reason is confined and reduced entirely within the person’s perceptions and senses
- Vital Immanence: man finds within himself (sentiment, perceptions, and lived experiences) for an explanation for God, religious, faith, and doctrine. External objective supernatural objective and moral realities are excluded or diminished.
- Modernism: this belief system is a starting point for all heresies: Modernism ==> heresies [fill in the blank] ==> atheism (This idea comes from Pope Pius X.)
- Synodality: LIVED EXPERIENCES (“A listening Church”, “Giving the people of God a greater voice”, Synodal study groups) can often TAKE PRECEDENCE over Church teachings. ==> SYNODALITY BECOMES AN IDOL!
- A Church more focused on MAKING A BETTER WORLD/SEEKING FAVOR WITH THE WORLD rather than on BRINGING SOULS INTO HEAVEN. The Church looks more like a United Nations NGO rather than the divine Church established by Jesus.
- A Church who has lost the plot on what it means to become temporary earthly sojourners and citizens of heaven. (1Pet.2:11, Php.3:20, Eph.2:19) (Rather than focusing on spiritual issues, the Church focuses on politics, environment, immigration, inclusion, tolerance, and accommodation to the culture.)
- A Synodal study group suggesting that homosexual relationships may not be sinful (Making homosexuality OK in the Church)
- A Synodal study group calling upon the laity to play a part in selecting bishops. (Further blurring the distinctions between the clergy and laity)
- Synod of Synodalities: Synodal advocates are immorally appropriating the “Holy Spirit of Surprises” to ratify and justify their Synodal human traditions and novelties.
Conclusion:
Incident, incidental, coincide, coincidence, decide, prostrate, fall, fallen, ruin, tomb, peril, perish
Update: Many of us had perhaps fallen for the idea that Pope Leo would be different from Pope Francis. But No. Pope Leo is unfortunately following the Synodal path of Pope Francis.
We are continually seeing that the Synodal Church is continually bowing down to accommodating the LGBTQ community’s influence by becoming more tolerant and inclusive about homosexuality.
The Synodal study group now suggest that homosexual relationships may not be sinful. We are now having clergy and LAITY determining what is sinful. These are the consequences of having a “listening Church”. A Synodal Church bowing down to the world’s values.
Since Vatican II, the Church continues to fall into pit of worldliness and the “smoke of Satan” (spirit of undermining).
The Synodal Church and Synodal study groups: opening the door to more HUMAN TRADTIONS, worldliness and more “smoke of Satan” ===> the blind leading the blind into a pit of heresy.
Falling into hypocrisy: the traditional SSPX making more consecrations is schismatic, yet homosexuality is fine with the Church.
Easier to denounce tolerance and inclusion for homosexuality than to change the Church’s eternal teachings against homosexuality:
- Modernists and Synodalists will continue to try to de-stigmatize, to ignore, and to white wash this sinful activity.
- Pro-LBGTQ clergy and laity are also actively seeking to normalize and celebrate this sinful activity.
- Not surprisingly we have a MAJOR DIVISION IN THE CHURCH concerning homosexuality (and other issues.)
- Tradition: homosexuality is sinful. We need to uphold Church teachings.
- Synodality: the Church must now be more inclusive and tolerant toward the LGBTQ community’s lifestyles
Placing the harmful consequences and failures of Vatican II and Synodality under a “microscope” is producing good fruits for the truth for the faithful.
- More and more people are understanding that both Vatican II and Synodality have been the causes of problems, confusion, division, and heresies in the Church.
- More and more people are now seeking doctrinal (moral) clarity and Tradition in the Church.
- In response against Vatican II and Synodality, there has been an organic Holy-Spirit inspired movement (longing) back to Tradition.
- The younger generations (laity and clergy) are becoming more conservative and Traditionally minded. This in part a back-lash against the more liberal and progressive older generations.
- More and more people are seeing the harmful consequences of having a Church adapting to the world and culture. More are seeking a Church SEPARATE FROM THE WORLD.
Taking advantage of the Holy Spirit’s name for Synodal purposes is deceitful, serious, and evil. The Holy Spirit can only stand for Truth! Look what happened to Ananias! One wonders if the “Holy Spirit of Surprises” was at work when the Synodal study group suggested that homosexual activity is not sinful???
Many of us already are acting like little pagans bowing down to our electronic devices.
Many of us already worship and adore idols such as money, wealth, fame, likes, prestige, and career.
There are probably more people than we realize who have actually “sold their soul” to the devil in partaking of the riches and desires of this world.
Satan can also influence us by desire, sin, indulgence, distraction, spiritual dryness, and MAKING US FORGET ABOUT GOD.
Synodality: lived experiences, tolerance, inclusion, and false compassion often TAKE PRECEDENCE over Church doctrine, teachings, and scripture. This is how Synodality becomes an IDOL!
The Israelites were ultimately punished by God for their immorality, worshipping idols, sacrificing to idols, reveling, impatience, and grumbling. How would this be any different for Catholics, Christians, and non-Catholics in our current time?
“If you dig a pit for others to fall into, you will fall into it yourself.” Rumi
“Each man, in his suffering, can also be a sharer in the redemptive suffering of Christ.” St. Pope John Paul II
“You will never be happy if your happiness depends on getting what you want. Will what God wants and your joy no man shall take from you.” Archbishop Sheen
“Even if Catholics faithful to Tradition are reduced to a handful, they are the ones who are the true Church of Jesus Christ.” St. Athanasius.
“The greater your sufferings, the greater God’s love for you.” St. Padre Pio