With
regard to change & the teachings of the Church, it is essential to
note that:
"God
is not man that he should speak falsely, nor human, that he should
change his mind. Is he one to speak and not act, to decree and not
fulfill?" (Num. 23:19)
"Of
old you laid the earth's foundations; the heavens are the work of
your hands. They perish, but you remain; they all wear out like a
garment; Like clothing you change them and they are changed, but
you are the same, your years have no end." (Ps. 102:26-28)
"He
plumbs the depths and penetrates the heart; their innermost being he
understands. The Most High possesses all knowledge, and sees from of old
the things that are to come: He makes known the past and the future, and
reveals the deepest secrets. No understanding does he lack; no single
thing escapes him. Perennial is his almighty wisdom; he is from all
eternity one and the same, with nothing added, nothing taken away; no
need of a counselor for him!" (Sirach 42:18-22)
"Even
to your old age I am the same, even when your hair is gray I will bear
you; It is I who have done this, I who will continue, and I who will
carry you to safety." (Isa. 46:4)
"Surely
I, the LORD, do not change, nor do you cease to be sons of Jacob."
(Mal. 3:6)
"Jesus
Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever." (Heb. 13:8)
"Do
not be deceived, my beloved brothers: all good giving and every perfect
gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom
there is no alteration or shadow caused by change." (Jms. 1:16-17)
"Though
all things pass God does not change." (St. Teresa of Avila, Doctor
of the Church)
"Eternity
itself is the substance of God, which has nothing that is changeable.
There is nothing there that is past, as if it were no longer; nothing
there is future, as if it not yet were. There is nothing there except
'is'." (St. Augustine, Doctor of the Church, c. 5th century A.D.)
"Christ
is the teacher and the exemplar of all sanctity, and to His standard
must all those conform who wish for eternal life. Nor does Christ know
any change as the ages pass, 'for He is yesterday and today and the same
forever. (Hebrews xiii, 8)" (Pope Leo XIII, "Testem
Benevolentiae Nostrae", 1899 A.D.)
"Truth...cannot
change from day to day." (Pope Pius XII)
Church
dogmas can not change
"Let
what you heard from the beginning remain in you. If what you heard from
the beginning remains in you, then you will remain in the Son and in the
Father. And this is the promise that he made us: eternal life. I write
you these things about those who would deceive you." (St. John, 1 Jn.
2:24-26)
"Whoever
teaches something different and does not agree with the sound words of
our Lord Jesus Christ and the religious teaching is conceited,
understanding nothing, and has a morbid disposition for arguments and
verbal disputes. From these come envy, rivalry, insults, evil
suspicions, and mutual friction among people with corrupted minds, who
are deprived of the truth, supposing religion to be a means of
gain." (St. Paul, 1 Tm. 6:3-5)
"[T]hings
that are of natural law vary according to the various states and
conditions of men; although those which naturally pertain to things
Divine nowise vary." (St. Thomas Aquinas, Doctor of the Church and
"greatest theologian in the history of the Church")
The
Church is not a creator of doctrine, but its guardian. She
has authority only to pass on what she has already received, not
to invent new dogma.
"[N]othing
of the things appointed ought to be diminished; nothing changed; nothing
added; but they must be preserved both as regards expression and
meaning." (Pope St. Agatho)
"The
Holy Spirit was not promised to the successor of Peter that by the
revelation of the Holy Spirit they might disclose new doctrine, but that
by His help they might guard sacredly the revelation transmitted through
the Apostles and the deposit of faith, and might faithfully set it
forth." (First Vatican Council)
"To
announce, therefore, to Catholic Christians something other than that
which they have received is never permitted, is nowhere permitted, and
never will be permitted. And to anathematize those who announce anything
other than that which has been received once and for all has never been
unnecessary, is nowhere unnecessary, and never will be unnecessary"
(St. Vincent of Lerins, c. 434 A.D.)
"For
the Church of Christ, watchful guardian that she is, and defender of the
dogmas deposited with her, never changes anything, never diminishes
anything, never adds anything to them; but with all diligence she treats
the ancient documents faithfully and wisely; if they really are of
ancient origin and if the faith of the Fathers has transmitted them, she
strives to investigate and explain them in such a way that the ancient
dogmas of heavenly doctrine will be made evident and clear, but will
retain their full, integral, and proper nature, and will grow only
within their own genus - that is, within the same dogma, in the same
sense and the same meaning." (Pope Pius IX, "Ineffabilis
Deus", 1854 A.D.)
Note
that even a so-called "new" dogma (e.g. the Immaculate
Conception of Mary), is not really new. Rather, it has always
been part of the deposit of faith, but it is simply put forth in a more
explicit manner. As Pope Pius XI has stated, "For the teaching
authority of the Church, which in the divine wisdom was constituted on
earth in order that revealed doctrines might remain intact forever, and
that they might be brought with ease and security to the knowledge of
men, and which is daily exercised through the Roman Pontiff and the
Bishops who are in communion with him, has also the office of defining,
when it sees fit, any truth with solemn rites and decrees, whenever this
is necessary either to oppose the errors or the attacks of heretics, or
more clearly and in greater detail to stamp the minds of the faithful
with the articles of sacred doctrine which have been explained. But in
the use of this extraordinary teaching authority no newly invented
matter is brought in, nor is anything new added to the number of those
truths which are at least implicitly contained in the deposit of
Revelation, divinely handed down to the Church: only those which are
made clear which perhaps may still seem obscure to some, or that which
some have previously called into question is declared to be of
faith." (Pope Pius XI, "Mortalium Animos", 1928)
The
dogmas of the Church are not subject to
changing interpretations over time.
"If
anyone says that it is possible that at some time, given the advancement
of knowledge, a sense may be assigned to the dogmas propounded by the
Church which is different from that which the Church has understood and
understands: let him be anathema." (First Vatican Council)
"I
entirely reject the heretical misrepresentation that dogmas evolve and
change from one meaning to another different from the one which the
Church held previously." (From the Oath Against Modernism,
Prescribed by Pope St. Pius X, 1910 A.D.)
"For
the doctrine of the faith which God has revealed is put forward not as
some philosophical discovery capable of being perfected by human
intelligence, but as a divine deposit committed to the spouse of Christ
to be faithfully protected and infallibly promulgated. Hence, too, that
meaning of the sacred dogmas is ever to be maintained which has once
been declared by Holy Mother Church, and there must never be any
abandonment of this sense under the pretext or in the name of a more
profound understanding. May understanding, knowledge and wisdom increase
as ages and centuries roll along, and greatly and vigorously flourish,
in each and all, in the individual and the whole church: but this only
in its own proper kind, that is to say, in the same doctrine, the same
sense, and the same understanding." (First Vatican Council)
"Finally,
I declare that I am completely opposed to the error of the modernists
who hold that there is nothing divine in sacred tradition; or what is
far worse, say that there is, but in a pantheistic sense, with the
result that there would remain nothing but this plain simple fact - one
to be put on a par with the ordinary facts of history - the fact,
namely, that a group of men by their own labor, skill, and talent have
continued through subsequent ages a school begun by Christ and his
apostles. I firmly hold, then, and shall hold to my dying breath the
belief of the Fathers in the charism of truth, which certainly is, was,
and always will be in the succession of the episcopacy from the
apostles. The purpose of this is, then, not that dogma may be tailored
according to what seems better and more suited to the culture of each
age; rather, that the absolute and immutable truth preached by the
apostles from the beginning may never be believed to be different, may
never be understood in any other way." (Pope St. Pius X, Oath
Against Modernism, 1910 A.D.)
The
Church is bound to protect the purity of the faith by preserving her
constant teachings and upholding tradition
"Take
as your norm the sound words that you heard from me, in the faith and
love that are in Christ Jesus. Guard this rich trust with the help of
the Holy Spirit that dwells within us." (St. Paul, 2 Tm. 1:13-14)
"O
Timothy, guard what has been entrusted to you. Avoid profane babbling
and the absurdities of so-called knowledge. By professing it, some
people have deviated from the faith. Grace be with all of you."
(St. Paul, 1 Tm. 6:20-21)
"Remember
your leaders who spoke the word of God to you. Consider the outcome of
their way of life and imitate their faith. Jesus Christ is the same
yesterday, today, and forever. Do not be carried away by all kinds of
strange teaching." (St. Paul, Heb. 13:7-9)
"I
praise you because you remember me in everything and hold fast to the
traditions, just as I handed them on to you." (St. Paul, 1 Cor. 11:2)
"If
anyone rejects any written or unwritten tradition of the church, let him
be anathema." (Second Council of Nicaea)
"Let
them innovate nothing, but keep the traditions." (Pope St. Steven
I, 3rd century A.D.)
"The
best advice that I can give you is this. Church traditions - especially
when they do not run counter to the faith - are to be observed in the
form in which previous generations have handed them down" (St.
Jerome, Doctor of the Church, 4th century A.D.)
"The
Church appeals to the faithful not to abandon or make light of the
traditions of the Fathers but to receive them reverently as a precious
possession of the Catholic family and to honor those traditions."
(Pope Paul VI)
"The
customs of God's people and the institutions of our ancestors are to be
considered as laws. And those who throw contempt on the customs of the
Church ought to be punished as those who disobey the law of God."
(St. Augustine, Doctor of the Church, 5th century A.D.)
"'Therefore,
brethren, stand fast and hold the traditions which you have been taught,
whether by word or by our letter.' From this it is clear that they did
not hand down everything by letter, but there was much also that was not
written. Like that which was written, the unwritten too is worthy of
belief. So let us regard the tradition of the Church also as worthy of
belief. Is it a tradition? Seek no further." (St. John Chrysostom,
Doctor of the Church, c. 400 A.D.)
"If
then you adhere to the ancient faith, and which has been transmitted to
us by the Holy Fathers...and if you in nothing deviate from the doctrine
of the universal Church, (for neither are we wiser than our Fathers, nor
is it lawful for us to take upon ourselves some novelty or other than
our Fathers learned and taught,) this faith let us all mutually hold in
sincerity of mind and truth of heart, and there is peace. Let us keep
inviolate the rules which the Church has received from those same
Fathers, and there is peace." (Pope Gelasius I)
"Those,
therefore, who dare to think or to teach otherwise or to spurn according
to wretched heretics the ecclesiastical traditions and to invent
anything novel, or to reject anything from these things which have been
consecrated by the Church...or to invent perversely and cunningly for
the overthrow of anyone of the legitimate traditions of the Catholic
Church; or even, as it were, to use the sacred vessels or the venerable
monasteries as common things; if indeed they are bishops or clerics, we
order (them) to be deposed; monks, however, or laymen, to be
excommunicated" (Second Council of Nicaea, 787 A.D.)
"The
Church of Christ, zealous and cautious guardian of the dogmas deposited
with it, never changes any phase of them. It does not diminish them or
add to them; it neither trims what seems necessary nor grafts things
superfluous; it neither gives up its own or usurps what does not belong
to it. But it devotes all its diligence to one aim: to treat tradition
faithfully and wisely; to nurse and polish what from old times may have
remain unshaped and unfinished; to consolidate and strengthen what
already was clear and plain; and to guard what already was confirmed and
defined." (St. Vincent of Lerins, 5th century A.D.)
"'Guard,'
he says, 'what has been committed.' What does it mean, 'what has been
committed'? It is what has been faithfully entrusted to you, not what
has been discovered by you; what you have received, not what you have thought
up; a matter not of ingenuity, but of doctrine; not of private
acquisition, but of public Tradition; a matter brought to you, not put
forth by you, in which you must not be the author but the guardian, not
the founder but the sharer, not the leader, but the follower. 'Guard,'
he says, 'what has been committed.' Keep the talent [see Mt.
25:14-30]
of the Catholic Faith inviolate and unimpaired. What has been faithfully
entrusted, let it remain in your possession, let it be handed on by you.
You have received gold, so give gold. For my part, I do not want you to
substitute one thing for another; I do not want you imprudently to put
lead in place of gold, or fraudulently, brass. I do not want the
appearance of gold, but the real thing. O Timothy, O priest, O
interpreter, O teacher, if a divine gift has made you suitable in
genius, in experience, in doctrine to be the Bezalel [i.e. skilled
craftsman] of the spiritual tabernacle, cut out the precious gems of
divine dogma, shape them faithfully, ornament them wisely, add splendor,
grace and beauty to them! By your expounding it, may that now be
understood more clearly which formerly was believed even in its
obscurity. May posterity, by means of you, rejoice in understanding what
in times past was venerated without understanding. Nevertheless, teach
the same that you have learned, so that if you say something anew, it is
not something new that you say." (St. Vincent of Lerins, c. 434
A.D.)
The
Catholic religion is not subject to human progress
"...that
progress of dogmas...is, in reality, nothing but the corruption of
dogmas." (Pope St. Pius X, "Lamentabili Sane", 1907 A.D.)
Error
CONDEMNED by Pope Pius IX in the Syllabus of Errors: "Divine
revelation is imperfect, and therefore subject to continuous and
indefinite progress, which corresponds to the progress of human
reason." (Bl. Pope Pius IX, This proposition was condemned in the
Syllabus of Errors, Dec. 8, 1864 A.D.)
"Urge
them never to allow themselves to be deceived and led into error by men
who have become abominable in their pursuits. These men attempt to
destroy faith on the pretext of human progress, subjecting it in an
impious manner to reason and changing the meaning of the words of God.
Such men do not shrink from the greatest insults to God Himself, who
cares for the good and the salvation of men by means of His heavenly
religion." (Pope Pius IX, "Qui Pluribus", 1846
A.D.)
"Therefore,
it is obviously absurd and injurious to propose a certain 'restoration
and regeneration' for [the Church] as though necessary for her safety
and growth, as if she could be considered subject to defect or
obscuration or other misfortune. Indeed these authors of novelties
consider that a 'foundation may be laid of a new human institution,' and
what Cyprian detested may come to pass, that what was a divine thing
'may become a human church.'" (Pope Gregory XVI, "Mirari
Vos", 1832 A.D.)
"It
is with no less deceit, venerable brothers, that other enemies of divine
revelation, with reckless and sacrilegious effrontery, want to import
the doctrine of human progress into the Catholic religion. They extol it
with the highest praise, as if religion itself were not of God but the
work of men, or a philosophical discovery which can be perfected by
human means... Our holy religion was not invented by human reason, but
was most mercifully revealed by God; therefore, one can quite easily
understand that religion itself acquires all its power from the
authority of God who made the revelation, and that it can never be
arrived at or perfected by human reason." (Bl. Pope Pius IX,
"Qui Pluribus", 1846 A.D.)
-
The
Church is a divine institution and cannot simply change
because her members might want her to
-
The
Church's teachings are timeless and never need to be
"modernized"
-
The
Church cannot contradict what she has always held to be true -
novelties can never become dogma!
-
Catholics
have a duty to reject novelties & strange doctrine
"Let
what you heard from the beginning remain in you. If what you heard from
the beginning remains in you, then you will remain in the Son and in the
Father." (St. John, 1 Jn. 2:24)
"Remember
your leaders who spoke the word of God to you. Consider the outcome of
their way of life and imitate their faith. Jesus Christ is the same
yesterday, today, and forever. Do not be carried away by all kinds of
strange teaching." (St. Paul, Heb. 13:7-9)
"Anyone
who is so 'progressive' as not to remain in the teaching of the Christ
does not have God; whoever remains in the teaching has the Father and
the Son. If anyone comes to you and does not bring this doctrine, do not
receive him in your house or even greet him; for whoever greets him
shares in his evil works." (St. John, 2 Jn. 1:9-11)
"I
am amazed that you are so quickly forsaking the one who called you by
(the) grace (of Christ) for a different gospel (not that there is
another). But there are some who are disturbing you and wish to pervert
the gospel of Christ. But even if we or an angel from heaven should
preach (to you) a gospel other than the one that we preached to you, let
that one be accursed! As we have said before, and now I say again, if
anyone preaches to you a gospel other than the one that you received,
let that one be accursed!" (St. Paul, Gal.
1:6-9)
"I
have learned however, that certain persons from elsewhere, who have evil
doctrine, have stayed with you; but you did not allow them to sow it
among you, and you stopped your ears so that you would not receive what
they sow...Do not err, my brethren: the corrupters of families will not
inherit the kingdom of God. And if they who do these things according to
the flesh suffer death, how much more if a man corrupt by evil teaching
the faith of God, for the sake of which Jesus Christ was crucified? A
man become so foul will depart into unquenchable fire; and so also will
anyone who listens to him." (St. Ignatius of Antioch, hearer of St.
John the Apostle, c. 110 A.D.)
"Fly
from them and from their doctrines; do not go near them, for you know
that whoever is found in a place where outrage has been offered to the
king has to come into court to be questioned according to law. Even if
he can prove he was not guilty he will be condemned for want of zeal. Do
not sit with heretics nor associate with apostates. It would be better
to dwell with a demon than with a renegade. For if you abjure the demon
he will flee, for he cannot stand before the name of Jesus, but even
were you to exorcise the apostate ten thousand times he would not cease
from his wickedness or renounce his folly. It would be better to teach
demons than to try to convince heretics." (St. Ephraem the Syrian,
Doctor of the Church)
"They
exercise all their ingenuity in diminishing the force and falsifying the
character of tradition, so as to rob it of all its weight. But for
Catholics the second Council of Nicea will always have the force of law,
where it condemns those who dare, after the impious fashion of heretics,
to deride the ecclesiastical traditions, to invent novelties of some
kind...or endeavor by malice or craft to overthrow any one of the
legitimate traditions of the Catholic Church; and Catholics will hold
for law, also, the profession of the fourth Council of Constantinople:
We therefore profess to conserve and guard the rules bequeathed to the
Holy Catholic and Apostolic Church by the Holy and most illustrious
Apostles, by the orthodox Councils, both general and local, and by every
one of those divine interpreters the Fathers and Doctors of the Church.
Wherefore the Roman Pontiffs, Pius IV and Pius IX, ordered the insertion
in the profession of faith of the following declaration: I most firmly
admit and embrace the apostolic and ecclesiastical traditions and other
observances and constitutions of the Church." (Pope St. Pius X,
"Pascendi Dominici Gregis", 1907 A.D.)
It
should be noted that novelty / modernism has been strictly condemned by
the Church. In fact, modernists / liberals have been referred to as "the worst
enemies of the Church" (Bl. Pope Pius IX) and "the most
pernicious of all the adversaries of the Church" (Pope St. Pius X).
Click
here for more on modernism.
Although
it is clear that the Church cannot add to or change dogmas, it
should be noted that:
-
Not
everything uttered or written by a pope, theologian, saint, council,
doctor of the Church, etc. is dogma.
-
Not
all papal writings / utterances are considered "dogma" or
are protected by infallibility (click
here for more information)
-
Even
the greatest theologians and saints have been wrong on some points -
and even popes (when not speaking infallibly) have sometimes been
wrong. Clearly, one must learn to separate private opinions from
true Church dogma. This is best facilitated by looking to what the
Church has always held to be true.
-
Priests
- and even bishops and cardinals - do not always expound true
Catholic dogma, especially in today's age. As indicated above, one
must learn to separate private opinions from true Church dogma.
Again, this is best facilitated by examining what the Church has
always held to be true.
-
Certain
practices of the church - e.g. fasting regulations - (and not
dogma or doctrine) are subject to change. Such changes,
however, should only be made for the glory of God and for the good
of the Church and of souls.
"We
hope to kindle your zeal and solicitude as much as We can with the
help of God, so that you may diligently protect your flock from
the true causes of your past troubles. Watch earnestly lest
deceitful men and the promoters of novelties continue to spread
erroneous doctrines and false dogmas in your flock. Using the
pretext of the common good, as is their custom, they take
advantage of the credulity of those who are naive and rash, so
that they may have them as blind servants and supporters in
disturbing the peace of the kingdom and in overturning the order
of society. Surely the fraud of these would-be teachers must be
uncovered in clear words for the good and the instruction of the
faithful. The fallacy of their thought must be refuted
courageously everywhere with the words of divine scripture and the
testimony of Church tradition." (Pope Gregory XVI, "Cum
Primum", 1832 A.D.)
"You
are already aware that among priests, especially those less
equipped with doctrine and of less strict lives, a certain spirit
of novelty is being diffused in an ever graver and more disturbing
manner. Novelty is never in itself a criterion of truth and it can
be worthy of praise only when it confirms the truth and leads to
righteousness and virtue." (Pope Pius XII, "Menti
Nostrae", 1950 A.D.)
"What
else do those preachers of another gospel than that which we have
received try to do, but to corrupt us from the purity which we
preserve for Christ, when they stigmatize the law of God as old,
and praise their own falsehoods as new, as if all that is new must
be good, and all that is old bad? The Apostle John, however,
praises the old commandment, and the Apostle Paul bids us avoid
novelties in doctrine." (St. Augustine, Doctor of the Church)
"However,
although We have found that Catholic doctors in general are on
their guard against those errors, yet it is well established that
there are not lacking today, just as in apostolic times, those
who, in their extreme zeal for novelty and also in their fear of
being held ignorant of those matters which the science of a
progressive age has introduced, strive to withdraw themselves from
the temperateness of the sacred magisterium; and thus they become
involved in the danger of gradually and imperceptibly departing
from the truth revealed by God, and of leading others into error
along with themselves." (Pope Pius XII, "Humani
Generis", 1950 A.D.)
"With
truly lamentable results, our age, casting aside all restraint in
its search for the ultimate causes of things, frequently pursues
novelties so ardently that it rejects the legacy of the human
race. Thus it falls into very serious errors, which are even more
serious when they concern sacred authority, the interpretation of
Sacred Scripture and the principal mysteries of Faith... In the
name of higher knowledge and historical research (they say), they
are looking for that progress of dogmas which is, in reality,
nothing but the corruption of dogmas." (Pope St. Pius X,
"Lamentabili Sane", 1907 A.D.)
"Those,
therefore, who dare to think or to teach otherwise or to spurn
according to wretched heretics the ecclesiastical traditions and
to invent anything novel, or to reject anything from these things
which have been consecrated by the Church... or to invent
perversely and cunningly for the overthrow of any one of the
legitimate traditions of the Catholic Church; or even, as it were,
to use the sacred vessels or the venerable monasteries as common
things; if indeed they are bishops or clerics, we order (them) to
be deposed; monks, however, or laymen, to be excommunicated."
(Second Council of Nicaea, 787 A.D.)
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Also
See...
Against
Human 'Progress' in Religion (Coming Home Reflections)
Against
Modernism / Novelty (Latin Mass & Catholic Tradition Reflections)
Church
Dogmas Are Unchangeable (Catholic Life Reflections)
Duty
to Reject Strange Doctrine (Coming Home Reflections)
Heresy/Heretics
& Schism/Schismatics (Coming Home Reflections)
Novel
Teachings Are Forbidden (Coming Home Reflections)
Popes
as Preservers of Tradition / Against New Doctrines (Vatican View
Reflections)
Tradition
/ Traditions (Latin Mass / Catholic Tradition Reflections)
Truth
/ Error / Nature of Man (Coming Home Reflections)
Truth
is Unchanging (Coming Home Reflections)
Unchangeableness
of Dogmas (Latin Mass / Catholic Tradition Reflections)
Latin
Mass & Catholic Tradition: Q & A
Modernism
/ Novelties (Q &A)
Summary
of Changes Since Vatican II: A Revolution in the Church?
Infallibility
(Vatican View)
Current
Issues
Classic
Encyclicals: Errors / Modernism
Necessity
of Being Catholic for Salvation
Truth
(Topical Scripture)
Error
/ Heresy / Those Who Reject Truth (Topical Scripture)
Wariness
of False Doctrines (Topical Scripture)
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