In today’s reading, St. Paul teaches about Protestants in his day. Consider just one sentence from 2 Thes 3:6-10, 16-18: We instruct you, brothers and sisters, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, to shun any brother who walks in a disorderly way and not according to the tradition they received from us.
“the tradition they received from us” (Paul and the Apostles, all Catholic Priests and Bishops), included the Sacraments. All seven Sacraments are important. Those who prefer to “walk in a disorderly way” are “not according to the tradition they received from us.” and only recognize a few of them, generally Baptism and Marriage, The earliest Protestants were already starting little schisms to provide themselves with position and cash flows. Amazingly, Protestants still read that passage and believe that it is St. Paul and those who follow the Catholic faith who are in error. This is a perfect example, in one clear, simple sentence, of how the garden is self-weeding. Is St. Paul criticizing Protestants? He disapproves of the vanity that leads to disobedience, “walking in a disorderly way” and “not according to tradition”.
For you know how one must imitate us. For we did not act in a disorderly way among you (We followed the teaching from Christ and the Disciples), nor did we eat food received free from anyone. (We did not use our authority to get out of work, but supported ourselves, unlike priests in the many false religions who neither labored nor took vows of poverty.)
On the contrary, in toil and drudgery, night and day we worked, so as not to burden any of you. Not that we do not have the right. Rather, we wanted to present ourselves as a model for you, so that you might imitate us. (That you might follow the teaching, without making self-serving changes. We made it clear that obedience was more important than getting money from you, unlike the false priests of the false religions who are in it for themselves.) In fact, when we were with you, we instructed you that if anyone was unwilling to work, neither should that one eat. That way, we set an example for the priests we would leave behind. Is St. Paul criticizing Protestants? He is criticizing all who led vanity lead them away from The Church Jesus Founded.
Today’s Reading from the Psalms, 128:1-2, 4-5,also seems to be critical of Protestants:
R. (Blessed are you who fear the LORD, who walk in his ways! (“Walk in His ways means “follow the teachings from Jesus, the Church He Founded, and the Apostles. The rewards are clear): For you shall eat the fruit of your handiwork; blessed shall you be, and favored.
Then, Jesus weighs in on the importance of obedience to The Only Church He Founded. In today’s Gospel Reading, Mt 23:27-32: Jesus said, “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, you hypocrites. You are like whitewashed tombs, which appear beautiful on the outside, but inside are full of dead men’s bones and every kind of filth. Even so, on the outside you appear righteous, but inside you are filled with hypocrisy and evildoing. (When we realize that a million unborn babies are killed every year because 40,000 Protestant schisms have fragmented the Pro-Life people into a politically helpless position on abortion, artificial birth control, traditional morals, and divorce, we realize what “dead men’s bones and every kind of filth” means and see that such sins exist because of schisms. Endless schisms, each begun by a vain ego-maniac.
What happens to those involved in beginning and maintaining the hurtful schisms? “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, you hypocrites. You build the tombs of the prophets and adorn the memorials of the righteous, and you say, ‘If we had lived in the days of our ancestors, we would not have joined them in shedding the prophets’ blood.’ Thus you bear witness against yourselves that you are the children of those who murdered the prophets; now fill up what your ancestors measured out!” (Those who say they are “Christians” and build schismatic churches, “memorials of the righteous”, that cause the fragmentation that allows abortion and every sin to thrive await only “woe” eternally.
The self-delusion is such that any number of schismatics, even those who make excuses for abortion, divorce, and other destruction, can read those passages and think they apply to “someone else” because “I am a good person.”
If everyone were Catholic, sins would be curtailed. To be in schism is to be part of the problem. Not a good place to be at Judgment.
