“And the great dragon was thrown down, that ancient serpent, who is called the Devil and Satan, the deceiver of the whole world he was thrown down to the earth, and his angels were thrown down with him.” – Revelation 12:9
“All the evils which poison men and nations and trouble so many hearts have a single cause and a single source: ignorance of the truth – and at times even more than ignorance, a contempt for truth and a reckless rejection of it.
“Thus arise all manner of errors, which enter the recesses of men’s hearts and the bloodstream of human society as would a plague. These errors turn everything upside down: they menace individuals and society itself.” (Ad Petri Cathedram, Encyclical of Pope St. John XXIII on Truth, Unity and Peace, in a Spirit of Charity, paragraph 6)
“Anyone who consciously and wantonly attacks known truth, who arms himself with falsehood in his speech, his writings, or his conduct in order to attract and win over less learned men and to shape the inexperienced and impressionable minds of the young to his own way of thinking, takes advantage of the inexperience and innocence of others and engages in an altogether despicable business.” (Ad Petri Cathedram, paragraph 11)
Ancient lie: A priest by the name of Arius promulgated that Jesus Christ was a creature, the greatest of all creatures, a Son of God, but not God. The idea gained traction and threatened splitting the early Church. An Ecumenical Council was called in A.D. 325 in Nicaea that condemned (and affirmed in A.D. 381) what is now referred to as Arianism. We now recite the creed promulgated at those councils.
The fact that Arianism exists today should not surprise you. Not all who agree Jesus is the Son of God mean the same thing as the Second Person of the Blessed Trinity or believe in the personhood of the Holy Spirit.
Modern lie: Abortion. To say people argue over it does a massive disservice to what it means to argue. I invite you to watch Bishop Robert Barron’s seven-minute YouTube video “Our Catholic President …” and see President Biden’s untenable position.
“Once we have attained the truth in its fullness, integrity, and purity, unity should pervade our minds, hearts, and actions. For there is only one cause of discord, disagreement, and dissension: ignorance of the truth, or what is worse, rejection of the truth once it has been sought and found.
“It may be that the truth is rejected because of the practical advantages which are expected to result from false views; it may be that it is rejected as a result of that perverted blindness which seeks easy and indulgent excuses for vice and immoral behavior.” (Ad Petri Cathedram, paragraph 20)
Probably the greatest modern lie is that of contraception. Did you realize that before 1930 there was a universal witness of all Christian denominations that contraception was wrong in all circumstances? What changed? Nothing. It became a lie.
For the skeptics, I could go to the authority of the Church or Genesis. How about I go to something we all know, the “Our Father.”
The words, “Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name, thy kingdom come, thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven …” Whoa! Thy will be done?
Two miracles occur regularly each day throughout the world. The first, Transubstantiation, is the changing of bread and wine to the body, blood, soul and divinity of Christ. The second is the creation of a soul at conception by the will of God.
When a man and/or a woman uses contraception, what is said is, “My will, not Thy will.” Does this remind you of a whisper in the garden? “For God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.” (Genesis 3:5)
Consider when people claim to be “pro-life” and use contraception. Turns out they are pro-life only on their terms, not God’s. Additionally, they are no longer “the light of the world” and seen as hypocritical for arguments against the homosexual lifestyle and other lifestyle choices of our day.
“(I)f I (Paul) am delayed, you (Timothy) may know how one ought to behave in the household of God, which is the Church of the living God, the pillar and bulwark of the truth.” (1 Timothy 3:15)
Give thanks and praise for the “one, holy, catholic, and apostolic Church,” which holds truth in ages of old through today.