1. The young rich man in ‘Veritatis splendor.’
The parable of the young rich man in the Gospel which was the main theme in Pope John Paul II’s encyclical raised the most important and the only reason for man’s existence – the attainment of eternal life. All religions aim at some concept of eternal life; most of which are philosophically unsound. The importance of the answer to this universal and eternal question was the main theme of the best encyclical of this century.
The question had been raised many times in Scriptures. Christ gave the same answer. And so for Catholics we should not have any other answer except the same answer Christ gave. But today, as of old, many want to play god and are presenting their private and individual answers. All are free to chose whatever answer they want. But for Catholics of the One, Holy, Catholic and Apostolic Church…..there is only one answer. And this answer was the greatest legacy left for us by Pope John II; and it is contained and explained in his ‘Veritatis splendor.’
The encyclical is a summary answer to the question; ‘What must I do to have everlasting life?’ Pope John Paul II gave the summary answer; love God by obeying His commands in the Old Testament and love your neighbour.
Then John Paul II showed that this command to love God and neighbour is imperfect (since it is Old Testament) and is not sufficient for salvation. Christ said to the young man; ‘there is still one thing lacking.’ And then He gave the way to perfect the love of God and neighbour. This command is what made the whole world turn away from Christ….as when Christ taught the necessity of eating His Body and Blood. ‘And they did not walk with Him anymore.’ It is for this reason that many bishops did not read it. And the few who read it did not implement it.
‘Go home, sell all your possessions, give it to the poor and come follow Me.’ Who in his right mind will do that? No one, except the
insane who is insanely in love with God.
Then Christ said that these things must be done to enable anyone not to conform himself to the world which is a world of sin. Do you mean if I do not go home, sell all my possession, give them to the poor and follow Christ, I will not have everlasting life? If you don’t do those things you will live a life in conformity with the world. And since the world has Lucifer as its prince you will be subject to this prince; you will do evil and lose your soul. You will not have everlasting life but everlasting death instead.
Why? Because you do not love God nor your neighbour.
Then ‘Veritatis Splendor’ proceeded to the second part, how not to conform oneself with the ways off the world. Without which you cannot even begin to love God and neighbour. After all Christ said; ‘friendship with the world is enmity with God.’
2. The 15th Sunday in Ordinary time Gospel. The Good Samaritan.
The Gospel of the 15th Sunday speaks about the Good Samaritan. And it begins with the story of a lawyer who goes to Christ and asked exactly the same question as the young rich man; ‘teacher, what must I do to inherit everlasting life?’
Christ gives the same answer; ‘what is written in the law.’ The answer to the lawyer is identical to the young rich man but differently expressed. Instead of enumerating the 10 commandments of God, Christ quotes Deuteronomy; ‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your strength. Then Christ adds a command from Leviticus; ‘and thou shall love thy neighbour as thyself.’
Christ’s answer to the young rich man is identical to the lawyer. In both incident both young rich man and lawyer knew that to attain everlasting life they should love God and neighbour. But their love of both was imperfect.
So Christ perfected the knowledge of the young rich man by adding; ‘go home, sell all your things, give it to the poor and follow me.’ Christ perfected the knowledge of the lawyer by adding; ‘and who is your neighbour. And after describing who is one’s neighbour and how the neighbour should be treated Christ said; ‘then go and do likewise. Christ taught the lawyer how to perfect his love for God and neighbour by showing how he should treat his neighbour.
3. Let us stop here for a while and take note of the command ‘love your neighbour.’
First, you must love God by keeping His commands. When you keep God’s command you show compassion and mercy on yourself by meriting the salvation of your soul.
Secondly, now that you have known and obeyed all of God’s command …and have showed mercy and compassion on your own soul…..NOW, you can love your neighbour by showing mercy and compassion on your neighbour . This you can do by teaching them what and how to keep the commandments of Christ. Teaching your neighbours what and how to obey the commands of God is the way you show compassion and mercy on hour neighbours. This act is described as love of neighbour.
Notice that you cannot show compassion and mercy on others unless you show compassion and mercy on your own soul FIRST. You cannot love your neighbour unless you FIRST learn how to love yourself in the true Christian way. Thus the command of Christ is to love your neighbour as you love yourself.
Love of God is identical to love of neighbour. In developing this love, Christ wants man to concentrate on his love of neighbour because it is difficult to love God whom he cannot see. It is easier to love his neighbour whom he can see.
Note the difference on how to love God and neighbour. Christ said; love God above all things. When He commanded to love the neighbour Christ said; love your neighbour as yourself. Christ did not say; love God as you love yourself. Neither did he say; to love your neighbour above all things. Thus the command of Christ is; first to love God with all your heart. Then, to love one’s neighbour as you love yourself.
St. Thomas of Aquinas wrote; ‘ how is he merciful in taking compassion upon another who still by unrighteous living is unmerciful to himself?’ He, therefore, who has no compassion and mercy on himself by living a life of sin , cannot be compassionate and merciful on his neighbour.
He who disobeys the commands of God is unmerciful upon his own soul. Because he is unmerciful on his own soul, he cannot be merciful and compassionate on another.
4. The compassion and mercy of Pope Francis and many bishops.
Pope Francis’ compassion and mercy are contradicting the first part of the message of the parable of the Good Samaritan on ‘what must I do to have everlasting life.’ First, Pope Francis disobeys the command of God by tolerating adulterers in their adultery. Adultery is a sin against God’s command. And he, further, encourages adulterers to commit sacrilege by receiving Holy Communion. Apart from those sins, he allows the adulterous husband to sin against his lawful wife and abandon his real children. In that one decree Pope Francis had committed multiple sins of scandal.
His tolerance makes him an accessory to sin; he commits a sin of scandal. He has not only encouraged one to commit adultery. Through his writings, specially in ‘Amoris Laetitia’ he had encouraged millions to commit adultery. Imagine the amount of sin he had piled up on his head.
With this sin he showed absolutely no compassion and mercy on his own soul. If so, why will God show him compassion and mercy. Because he has no compassion and mercy on his soul by inviting eternal damnation through his commission of the sin of scandal, he becomes totally incapable of showing compassion and mercy on any of his neighbour. So what is this mercy and compassion that he is talking about? He is not describing compassion and mercy as defined in Scriptures. His compassion and mercy is a continuous encouragement to sin because of his erroneous belief that God is so good that no one goes to hell, as he had often said.
From his own words Pope Francis is showing that based on the story of the young rich man and the story of the lawyer, ….first, he has no love for God by his disobedience to many commands of God…the consequence of which is that he has no compassion and mercy on his own soul. And secondly, he has no love for his neighbour as shown by the fact that he has no compassion and mercy his neighbour. And as we shall see, he will not do what the Good Samaritan did to the wounded man.
Basing it on the Scriptural definition of the terms we used above, we find that NOT ONLY has Pope Francis been unable to perfect his love of God and neighbour; he does not even have imperfect love of God and neighbour. In short, by his own words and actions to prove it….he does not love God nor neighbour at all. Which makes us wonder, what is he doing in that chair of Peter? Is he there to fulfil the prophecy of the Apocalypse?
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