The current condition of Faith and Theology

Commentaries on the text of the Conference Presided by Cardinal J. Ratzinger

Guadalajara, Mexico, 1996 (2)

Sent to all Conference Participants on May 8, 1997

From the ample text presented by His Eminence. Cardinal Ratzinger in said conference, two primary concerns could be detected in Cardinal Ratzinger's Conference: (a) The fundamental errors that the neo-theologians continue to propagate; and (b) The poisoning of the Christian faith with the errors of pseudo scientific theology.

By means of this document we propose to the Eminent participants of that Conference some concepts which may contribute to: (a) A better definition and understanding of the reality of Jesus - God AND Man; and (b) Better counter the error and its disastrous consequences. Consequences clearly identified by His Eminence Cardinal Ratzinger.

The conscious or unconscious aim of the neo-theologians is only and exclusively to de-divinize Jesus Christ. That is, to lower Him to the level of Prophet or that of one of the Masters who habitually present to us the Oriental Religions. This makes easier for them the justification of any perversion of the "Truth" in the name of relativist tolerance, the bastard descendant of Enlightened Democracy.

As His Eminence illustrated by quoting J. Hick's pseudo-theological pronouncement (3) , the fundamental weapon against the Salvific action of The Most Holy Trinity is precisely to illustrate, by words and arguments, of dubious logic and origin, that the hypostatic union is a "scientific impossibility".

"Scientific impossibility" for the neo-theologians really means: Anything that their limited human intellect cannot understand. Let us see:

Let us review the serious problem that man presented to God with, by falling from the well known Paradisical state, through the following sequence:

1. Man is the center of Creation; in other words, God created man, who is provided and supported by the rest of the Universal Creation.

3. Although lucifer and his group fell irrevocably when they rebelled against God, He wanted to provide Redemption to favor His most beloved creature, the human being. His preferential love for His human creation moved Him so.

4. For such type of sin, as well as for all sins which have its roots in the original sin, payment was, and is required in equivalent "coin"; therefore...

5. Only God Incarnated would have the necessary "coin" for paying such a great debt to Himself.

Invoking the principle of internal and external coherence and assuming the Redemption of mankind as an integral part of Creation, the integrated Divine-Human condition of Jesus Christ provides the only possible formula to achieve it. There is no alternative which would pass the coherence test.

A man cannot become "Divine" a posteriori because this involves the soul changing at some point after his original conception. Souls and bodies are not interchangeable. Each soul is predetermined to be united with its corresponding body; union that will be performed when that body manifests itself in Time at the moment of conception.

Thus, we cannot change in Time a physical-spiritual union which is part of a Present immutable in the Eternity.

Now, let us go one step forward and let us try to better understand the dynamic integration of a human body and a soul.

We will utilize the technique used by Our Lord Jesus Christ to illustrate what is impossible to illustrate in human terms: A symbolic Parable.

A simple television set is a compendium of electronic components aimed to transmit [receive-process-project] some information. That information is materialized and transmitted in the form of electromagnetic waves, with very special features in themselves and by their interrelation, which eventually will be integrated in a complete image on the screen.

A television set is exposed to all the signals transmitted in its reception field. Some signals can be processed and others cannot, depending on the electronic design features. It will only process the signals which it can process, projecting them to its screen in accordance to its specific features (black and white, or color, - mono or stereo sound) and to the channel selection (Channel 5, Channel 8, etc.)

Then, let us look at the anatomical-physiological organism, which is the body of a human being, as a television set in which the circuits are developed progressively and in a predetermined form with the purpose of transmitting the "signal", that comes from God and that we could compare with "the soul".

That "signal" is manifested in a progressive manner, in accordance to the level of development of the anatomical-physiological organism (body) at that particular moment and in accordance with the Divine plans, which, in the Frame of Reference that we will call "Time", are dynamic too.

As "technological improvements" are incorporated in the primitive television set, transforming part of its circuits into better ones, etc., the quality of the image is improved, in other words, the reception and projection of received signals are improved. Such images are only limited by the quality of the circuits and components - the "anatomical-physiological equivalent" - of the television set. In parallel, a perfect signal, in a perfect television set, but still in development, will produce a perfect image, although still not in its fullness.

In order to carry out the Redemption plan, God had to incarnate as any other human does, except in his capacity to sin. His development, from newborn baby to adult, had to follow the same rules as any other human being. The only difference, apart from Being Immaculate, was that the "signal" transmitted to Him was, in substance, Divine.

Thus, since the moment of the hypostatic union in Mary's womb, Jesus Christ is God and is man. His soul was always Divine, since the "circuits" of His human body could receive only one "Program"... that of the Second Person of the Most Holy Trinity. Although His "circuits" had to been developed in the same way as any other human entity, it did not mean that the signal that He received was not perfect. It was a perfect signal that progressively improved in its manifestation up to the reaching of perfect plenitude - that is when Jesus Christ started His Public Ministry.

A "God in progress" is not possible. An human body in psycho-somatic development, yes, but a God, always... is not He an Eternal God?

It is very difficult to progressively intoxicate a healthy human body, well nurtured and psychologically alert and balanced, because: (a) The body rejects immediately the toxin; or (b) The intellectual ability of the victim allows him to be aware of being intoxicated and, if required, to seek help.

Then, why is it so easy to poison the Faith of Christians? Because the Evangelization effort has failed in spite of the last minute efforts like H.H. John Paul II's "Veritatis Splendor" Encyclical. Too little, far too late.

"2 ....Woe to the shepherds of Israel, that fed themselves: should not the hocks be fed by the shepherds? 3 You ate the milk, and you clothed yourselves with the wool, and you killed that which was fat: but my flock you did not feed. 4 The weak you have not strengthened, and that which was sick you have not healed, that which was broken you have not bound up, and that which was driven away you have not brought again, neither have you sought that which was lost: but you ruled over them with rigour, and with a high hand. 5 And my sheep were scattered, because there was no shepherd: and they became the prey of all the beasts of the field, and were scattered. 6 My sheep have wandered in every mountain, and in every high hill: and my flocks mere scattered upon the face of the earth, and there was none that sought them, there was none, I say, that sought them." [Ezekiel 34:2-6]

We know that for God all is possible and, if we accept our errors and cooperate with Him to amend the inflicted damage, He will work the necessary miracles.

Did He not say: "I say to you, that he will quickly revenge them. But yet the Son of man, when he cometh, shall he find, think you, faith on earth? " [Luke 18:8]

It is not too late yet [Matthew 20:1-16] to rekindle the Faith. God left in our hands the way to positively respond to these words transmitted by Luke.

Let us receive Him full of Faith. He has put in our hands everything necessary to achieve it.

(1) Officiated in Guadalajara, Mexico; 1996.
(2) As published by L'Osservatore Romano; N. 44; November 1, 1996
(3) "The Absolute Things or the Absolute itself is not possible in the history."

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