Vague Words (again!)

I have been thinking a bit lately about the recent decision of Pope Francis to sign a document that stated that God "willed" that there be a multiplicity of religions. I suppose this could be accurate if we are thinking about the tower of Babel -- but that was not a good thing--it was a punishment! I have said before that it is a sad state of things when we have to spend time trying to find an orthodox way to take the words of our Holy Pontiff, but that is where we are at. I, personally, have grown so tired of doing it that I usually let others go about it, and just do my best to put little emphasis on these problematic comments and keep my focus on Christ.

Whatever Francis meant by signing that document (orthodox or not), the entire experience of being grieved by the words of our Pope on a regular basis can really wear us down. What adds to this difficulty is that, for one reason or another, few Bishops are speaking out against the harm that Francis is causing. I am not surprised that many say they are concerned whether the Pope is in a state of grace or not. I am not the one to judge this, but it does give me cause to pray for his soul (and possibly his conversion to the Catholic faith). I am not just aiming at bashing Francis or any of the other Bishops and Cardinals who behave in similar compromised fashion; rather, we are all forced to deal with these repeated problems, and I cannot say nothing.

I recall a quote from the 19th century that I read a while back:

"That which is difficult to obtain by employing defined words becomes easy when using vague words which, depending on the state of mind of those who read or hear them, comprise an absolutely opposed meaning".

In other words, of you say something vague enough you can make people hear whatever they want to hear. I sincerely pray to our Lord that this is not what Francis is doing at times, yet it does feel that way. I am encouraged each day to remember that of all the bad that the devil can throw against the Church, nothing he does will ever destroy her. It is remarkable how often I tell myself that.

I am also reminded of a quote from St. Pius X, where he pointed out that "modernists" (which is, by the way, still a bad thing to be) will intentionally hide their false doctrines in "certain ambiguous words and nebulous formulae to catch the incautious in their snares..." Once again the brilliance of that great Saint is shown clearly. He warned us about how things were developing back in the early 20th century, and it seems as though few in the Church paid attention.

So my encouragement to everyone is try not to get too caught up in trying to find the orthodoxy (or the unorthodoxy) in the Holy Father's statements. Unless we see a genuine repentance (or maybe a retirement!?), these things will likely continue. Therefore, just keep reminding yourself that we are dependent on Christ and not on anyone else. Remind yourself that no error is too big for Jesus to conquer. Finally, keep your focus on that great testimony of our Lord when He ascended into Heaven:

All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, to the close of the age.