[Greek] ὑβρίζω (hybrizō), [Latin] insultare, [Latin] flagellare, [German] misshandlung

[Greek] ὑβρίζω (hybrizō), [Latin] insultare, [Latin] flagellare, [German] misshandlung: to insult, to mistreat, to outrage, to shame, to abuse; Mt.22:6, Lk.11:45, Lk.18:32, Acts 14:5, 1Thess.2:2

The Synodal Church leadership, thinking that they know better, is alarmingly becoming more emboldened in their efforts to remake and redefine the Church. The Synodal Church is becoming more and more unrecognizable from the Church that Jesus established.

Background information:

Greek Hellenism: This term means to be insolent, to be vengeful, to insult, to mock, to be arrogant, to mistreat, and to outrage.

Herodotus’ The Histories 6.87: “The Aeginetans, blaming the Athenians and deeming themselves wronged, prepared to take vengeance on the Athenians.”

Sophocles’ Ajax 367: “Oh the mock! How I have been violated!”

Euripides’ Heracleidae 18: “Eurystheus thought it right to commit this outrage against you.”

Demosthenes’ Against Meidias 21.221: “The brutality and insolence with which Meidias treats everyone alike are well known to us.”

Plato: “Arrogance is ever accompanied by folly.”

Hubris:

1. Hubris involves trespassing beyond one’s own sphere.
2. The Greek tragedy (play) often illustrates the folly of hubris.
3. The gods oppose man’s hubris with retribution, punishment, and destruction.
4. Hubris often provides the impetus for conquest, world domination, violation of personal rights, and downfall.

Old Testament: This term means to be proud, to be arrogant, and to be lofty.

1. Loftiness and pride can be intrinsically wrong if they are linked with arrogance and presumptuousness.
2. The culture is aware that pride can be followed by the fall. Israel and their enemies both experienced pride and arrogance.
3. Pride is often associated with sin, disobedience, defiance and turning his heart away from God.
4. Domination, pride, arrogance, suppression of the poor, and secularization of piety may follow.
5. The prophets are sent to correct, to punish, and to humble offenders.
6. Adam and Eve provide an example pride and disobedience.

New Testament: This term mean to mistreat, to insult, and to attack.

Mt.22:6: “The rest laid hold of his servants, mistreated them, and killed them.” (The parable is a statement of God’s judgment on Israel and a warning to Matthew’s church.)

Parable of the Wedding Feast

1. The kingdom of heaven may be likened to a king who gave a wedding feast for his son.
2. The king dispatched his servants to summon the invited guests, but they refused to come.
3. The guests ignored the invitation and mistreated and killed the servants.
4. The enraged king destroyed these murderers.
5. The guests invited were not worthy to come to the wedding.
6. The king sent out his servants to invite guests both bad and good alike.
7. The guest without a wedding garment was bound and cast out
8. Many guests are invited, but few are chosen.

Lk.11:45: “Then one of the scholars of the law said to Him in reply, ‘Teacher, by saying this you are insulting us too.’” (Jesus accuses the Pharisees and scholars for focusing on outward appearances, rather than on one’s internal character. Only focusing on externals, these people pay no attention to judgment and have no love for God. Jesus calls them hypocrites.)

Jesus’ denunciation of the Pharisees and Scholars of the Law:

1. The Pharisees observed that Jesus did not observe the prescribed washing rituals before the meal.
2. Jesus rebuked the Pharisees for focusing more on outward purity rituals and for being filled inside with plunder and evil.
3. Jesus observed that they pay tithes of mint and rue, while paying no attention to judgment and to love for God.
4. Jesus stated that they love the seat of honor in synagogues and greetings in the marketplace.
5. Jesus stated that they were like unseen graves, endangering those who may touch this spiritual defilement and uncleanness without realizing it.
6. The Pharisees and Scholars may see outwardly respectable while leading others away from genuine holiness.
7. Their danger may not be in open rebellion but in concealed corruption.

Lk.18:32: “He will be handed over to the Gentiles and He will be mocked and insulted and spat upon.” (Jesus foretold that the Israel’s leaders would had Him over to Roman authority. For His “crimes” of proclaiming to be the Messiah, He was viewed as a criminal. The Roman soldiers mockingly clothed Him in a purple robe with a crown of thorns. This was Jesus’ third prediction of the passion.)

Acts 14:5-7: “When there was an attempt by both the Gentiles and Jews to attack and stone them [Paul and Barnabas] they fled to the surrounding countryside to proclaim the good news.”

1. The Gentiles and Jews, who differed in culture and worship, found common cause to resist Jesus’ message.
2. The division produced by the apostles’ teaching revealed that the Gospel calls every people to the same repentance and faith.
3. Influential leaders joined this hostile movement.
4. The apostles faced pressure at the private, local, and public level.
5. This opposition involved shame, injury, persecution, stoning, and death.

1Thess.2:2: “Rather, after we [Paul and others] had suffered and been insolently, treated in Philippi, we drew courage through our God to speak to you the Gospel of go with much struggle.”

1. Paul and Silas had been publicly beaten with rods, imprisoned, and placed in stocks after false charges were brought against them.
2. These struggles did not silence their witness.
3. Jewish opponents pressured the Thessalonica city authorities to drive Paul and Silas away.
4. Resistance revealed that the conflict between Christ’s kingdom and unbelief.
5. Paul’s courage rested on God. Such boldness belongs to believers who trust in God’s authority, presence, and purpose amid opposition.
6. The gospel called the Thessalonians to turn away from idols and to receive the true and living God.

[Greek] ὑβριστής (hybristēs), [Latin] insolens, [Latin] superbus: insolent person, arrogant person, insulter; Rom.1:30, 1Tim.1:13

Rom.1:30: “They are insolent, haughty, boastful, ingenious in their wickedness, and rebellious toward their parents.”

Punishment of idolaters (Rom.1:18-30):

1. God’s wrath is indeed being revealed from heaven against every impiety and wickedness of those who suppress the truth of their wickedness.
2. As a result, they have no excuse. They became vain in their reasoning and their senseless minds were darkened.
3. While claiming to become wise, they became fools.
4. They exchanged the glory of immortal God for the likeness of an image of man.
5. God handed them over to impurity and lusts of their hearts for the degradation of their bodies.
6. They exchanged the truth of God for a lie and worshipped the creature rather than the creator.
7. God handed them over to degrading passions and unnatural relations.
8. Since they did not see fit to acknowledge God, God handed them over to their improper undiscerning mind.

1Tim.1:13: “I was once a blasphemer and persecutor and an arrogant man, but I have been mercifully treated because I acted out of ignorance in my belief.” (Paul makes reference to his past life as a rabid Pharisees persecuting the Christians. Paul know gives thanks for the mercy shown to him by God.)

Superbia (Pride): one part of the Mosaic of Sin in Basilique Norte-Dame de Fourviere (Lyon, France)

When clergy think that ‘they know better”:

1. Who ignore (suppress the truth), refute, or pay lip service to Church teachings against homosexuality. The Church promotes a LGBTQ “outreach” welcoming people but saying nothing about their sinful lifestyle.
2. Who just ignore Jesus’ statements about sinning no more (Jn.8:11-12). These clergy FORGET that while Jesus associated with sinners, He did not tolerate their sinful lifestyles.
3. Who engage in their homosexual sexual lifestyle thinking that they are entitled to this behavior, while not being held accountable for these sinful actions.
4. Who show tolerance, inclusion, false compassion about sinful behavior.
5. Who fail to encourage others to seek forgiveness, acknowledge sin, and to conversion of heart.
6. Who think it is better to MAKE A BETTER WORLD/SEEK FAVOR WITH THE WORLD rather than to BRING SOULS INTO HEAVEN.
7. Who think it is OK to change the Church (in Jesus’ image) into a worldly synodal Church in man’s image.
8. Who enact Modernist and Synodal liberal and progressive “reform” and “renew” rather than preserving Tradition.
9. Who think that the Novus Order Mass is more inspiring and popular than the Traditional Latin Mass
10. Who think imposing their Modernist and Synodalist ideology on the faithful is fruitful for the Church.
11. Who think restricting the TLM and removing altar rails is fruitful for the Church.

“You are great, O Lord, and exceedingly worthy of praise! Your power is immense! And Your wisdom is beyond all reckoning. And so we humans, who are but a small part of Your creation, long to praise You—we who carry our mortality about with us, the evidence of our sin and the proof that You resist the proud. You so excite us to praise You so that it may be us joy because You have made us, and drawn us to Yourself, and our hear is restless in you.” (The famous opening lines of the Confessions by St. Augustine)

Why did Adam and Eve disobey God? They did not want to receive creation as a gift. Instead, they wanted to receive creation on their own terms. This is the primal sin of pride (superbia).

What is pride? This is the refusal of gratitude. However, gratitude is often viewed as a weakness. This becomes a deeply ingrained attitude of having life on one’s own terms, rather than as a gift.

Conclusion:

Insult, insulting, flagellation, hubris

Greek Hellenism: The Greek plays (dramas) in the theater often provided a commentary on human nature (hubris, tragedy, power, etc.) Hubris plays an important motivation in power and conquest.

St. Augustine: Adam and Eve failed to express their gratitude and thankfulness to God. Adam and Eve wanted to act on their own terms. Pride (Superbia) expresses the attitude of “that I know better”. Instead, St. Augustine states that we have to say, “thank you” better.

Old Testament: This terms plays an important part in one’s relationship with God. Pride is often associated with sin and disobedience.

Update: Synodal surrendering to the culture: a pro-LGBT German bishop Gerhard Feige says that evangelization is not the “right answer” to people leaving the Church. God forbid that you follow Jesus’s command to make disciples!

Hatred toward the TLM: Jesuit priest Fr. Thomas Reese says that he that the TLM is like a zombie. He believes that Vatican II is moral standard for the Church.

Upside-down Synodal Church teaching: Fr. James Martin call priests “homophobic” for refusing to give the Eucharist to active homosexuals. Fr. Martin say that Catholic doctrine against disordered sexual inclinations as cruel.

Synodal delusion: There is no problem with the Church: pro-LGBT Cardinal Reinhard Marx says that the Church is not a sinking ship, but it’s just being remodeled. And that is a good thing?

Doubling down on Vatican II/Synodality: Pope Leo XIV is criticizing prophets of doom who believe modern times are worst than past ages. He suggested that we need to engage with modern realities.

Cardinal Cupich, failing to differentiate legal immigration with illegal immigration, calls advocacy for immigrants an act of divine worship.

The Vatican’s (and Pope Leo’s) excommunication of the SSPX is backfiring. More and more priests are joining the SSPX.

Welcoming everyone else but the SSPX: the Synodal Church welcomes all faith groups but excludes the SSPX from celebrations.

Pope Leo calls for the Church to become an “open house” with no judgment. This is furthering conforming the Church to the world. Further removing divine authority in the Church.

Further accommodating the world: Catholic clergy participated in and indigenous pagan purification ceremony. This the Vatican/Synodal Church’s efforts to associate with other faiths. God forbid that they would bring others into the fold of the Catholic Church.

Cardinal  Neri Ferrao states that the Vatican must adapts its understanding of the family. This is conforming the Church to the modern family life by furthering Amoris Laetitia.

Making Vatican II the Church’s moral guidepost: Cardinal Rys states that the entire Tradition of the the Church must be seen in the light of Vatican II. This means just ignoring Catholicism before Vatican II!

Making Vatican II the Church’s moral guidepost: Cardinal Roche arrogantly claims that traditionalists are “edging themselves away from the center of Catholicism.”

Presuming total ignorance: a National Catholic Herald journalist claimed that placing the Tabernacle behind the altar becomes a distraction at Mass. They are one and the same ===> Jesus!

“Pride is the utter poverty of the soul, disguised as riches, imaginary light where in fact there is darkness.” St. John Climacus

“Humility is dependence on God as pride is independence of Him.” Archbishop Sheen

“Right is right even if nobody does it. Wrong is wrong even if everybody is wrong about it.” GK Chesterton