The Scourge of Modernism

In the Catholic Church we see a great community of faithful and discerning people who understand their beliefs and refer to them to resolve moral dilemmas. Our faith is the basis for our conscience, which must be properly formed in order to guide us through the many moral and ethical decisions we must make. Our faith must be strong and our reasoning must be equally solid.

There is a movement both inside and outside the Church which seeks to attack our faith at its very root. This movement is known as Modernism. It is not a new phenomenon, as we have weathered its attacks since the mid-19th Century. Modernism has caused great harm to the faith of many Catholics and has even been the subject of two encyclicals (Pascendi Dominici gregis and Humani Generis). Today, the term Modernism is rarely used to describe the movement because it has several manifestations, including Liberalism, Secularism, and Relativism.

Modernism encompasses all methods of asserting that the Catholic Church and the Deposit of Faith (dogmas) are human institutions and can change over time. This is commonly seen in those who contend that "The Church needs to adapt to the times". Nothing could be farther from the case, for as G.K. Chesterton said, "The Church always seems to be behind the times, when it is really beyond the times; it is waiting till the last fad shall have seen its last summer. It keeps the key of a permanent virtue." - The Ball and the Cross

The approach that Modernism takes might at first be seen as benign. This is not the case. Modernism leads to a destruction of our beliefs, leaving no dogma safe. It places the Church in the crosshairs of relativism. Pope Pius X not only identified Modernism as heretical, but we went so far as to call it "the synthesis of all heresies" (Pascendi Dominici gregis, 39). The reason for this condemnation is that it undermined the idea of objective, unchanging truth and the authority of the Magisterium's teaching.

Why is Modernism the "synthesis of all heresies"? The reason is that the system of Modernism allows any type of new belief to be introduced and considered valid even if it directly contradicts a dogma of the Faith, because the newer idea is considered correct in its time and place. This essentially allows the Modernist to attack any doctrine of the Church as "out of date".

It is important here to understand what objective truth is and why we believe in it. Objective truth is the word of God, Incarnate: Jesus Christ. The great Pope John Paul II stated this as follows:

"Called to salvation through faith in Jesus Christ, 'the true light that enlightens everyone' (Jn 1:9), people become 'light in the Lord' and 'children of light' (Eph 5:8), and are made holy by 'obedience to the truth' (1 Pet 1:22)." - Veritatis Splendor

We must next understand that the truth is unchanging. Here we step into philosophy for a moment so that we can prove that the truth is unchanging. Jesus is the truth. Jesus is God, who is infinite and perfect. That which is infinite cannot change because to be infinite means to actualize potential. We as humans are imperfect, as we are constantly moving toward reaching our potential. We may be good, but there is always opportunity for growth toward an even greater level of goodness. God is perfect, so there is no opportunity for Him to grow in goodness. God is goodness; therefore, He does not change. This allows us to see that the Truth, which is Jesus, does not change.

So far we see that the Modernist movement seeks to change elements of unchanging Truth, which we call the "deposit of Faith". We also see that this is not only a heresy, but a catalyst for any other heresy to arise. What we have not clarified is which elements of the Church's teachings are contained in the deposit of Faith. The answer to this question as stated in the Catechism is simple; it is Sacred Scripture and Sacred Tradition:

"The apostles entrusted the 'Sacred deposit' of the faith (the depositum fidei), contained in Sacred Scripture and Tradition, to the whole of the Church.’ By adhering to [this heritage] the entire holy people, united to its pastors, remains always faithful to the teaching of the apostles, to the brotherhood, to the breaking of bread and the prayers. So, in maintaining, practicing and professing the faith that has been handed on, there should be a remarkable harmony between the bishops and the faithful.'" (Paragraph 84)

The essential elements of the Catholic Church found in Sacred Scripture and Tradition are matters of Faith and of morals such as the Real Presence of Christ in the Eucharist, belief in the Trinity, and the condemnation of abortion and birth control. These are all things which have been revealed to us, and thus cannot change. Modernism seeks to label these beliefs as "out of date".

Modernism is a great scourge in our Church. It must be combated with solid catechesis, prayer and obedience. It must be noted, however that it can be imprudent to think that nothing we do can be changed. There are many radical Traditionalists who think that nothing can be changed. We must guard against this fallacy as well.

There are many elements of our faith that are not considered "essential". These include many rules such as the order of elements in the liturgy, the content of many lay devotions, and even such things as the celibacy of priests. These are not essential parts of our Faith. They may provide great value and help to increase our Faith, but they are not essential. Traditionalists are those who take issue with certain nonessential elements of Faith even to the point of rejecting Papal authority and causing schism.

We must avoid both ends of this terrible struggle. Our obedience to the Holy Father, who has been given authority to guide the faithful in matters of Faith and morals, is of great importance. Though this obedience can be difficult at times, it requires perseverance and is indeed possible and proper. When we conform ourselves to Christ's Will, be find the journey much easier. Let us pray for obedience and wisdom to understand and accept the elements of our Faith.