Pope Pius XI, in his
Act of Consecration of the Human Race to the Sacred Heart of Jesus, prayed:
Most sweet Jesus,
Redeemer of the human race,
look down upon us,
humbly prostrate before Thine altar.
We are Thine and Thine we wish to be;
but to be more surely united with Thee,
behold each one of us freely consecrates himself today
to Thy Most Sacred Heart.
Many, indeed, have never known Thee;
many, too, despising Thy precepts,
have rejected Thee.
Have mercy on them all,
most merciful Jesus,
and draw them to Thy Sacred Heart.
Be Thou King, O Lord,
not only of the faithful who have never forsaken Thee,
but also of the prodigal children who have abandoned Thee,
grant that they may quickly return to their Father's house,
lest they die of wretchedness and hunger.
Be Thou King of those who are deceived by erroneous opinions,
or whom discord keeps aloof
and call them back to the harbour of truth and unity of faith,
so that soon there may be but one flock and one shepherd.
Be Thou King of all those who even now sit
in the shadow of idolatry or Islam,
and refuse not Thou to bring them into the light of Thy kingdom.
Look, finally, with eyes of pity upon the children of that race,
which was for so long a time Thy chosen people;
and let Thy Blood, which was once invoked upon them in vengeance,
now descend upon them also in a cleansing flood of redemption and eternal life.
Grant, O Lord,
to Thy Church,
assurance of freedom and immunity from harm;
give peace and order to all nations,
and make the earth resound
from pole to pole with one cry:
Praise to the Divine Heart
that wrought our salvation:
to it be glory
and honour forever.
Amen
Whoever denies that Jesus is God is of Antichrist (1 John 2:22). Bearing that in mind, let's
look at what Dr. Mark Durie has to say about the Muslim "Jesus":
The Muslim ‘Isa (Jesus)
There are two main sources for ‘Isa, the Muslim Jesus. The
Qur’an gives a history of his life, whilst the Hadith collections —
recollections of Muhammad’s words and deeds — establish his place in the Muslim
understanding of the future.
The Qur’an
‘Isa, was a prophet of Islam
Jesus’ true name, according to the Qur’an, was ‘Isa. His
message was pure Islam, surrender to Allah. (Âl 'Imran 3:84) Like all the
Muslim prophets before him, and like Muhammad after him, ‘Isa was a lawgiver,
and Christians should submit to his law. (Âl 'Imran 3:50; Al-Ma’idah 5:48)
‘Isa’s original disciples were also true Muslims, for they said ‘We believe.
Bear witness that we have surrendered. We are Muslims.’ (Al-Ma’idah 5:111)
‘The Books’
Like other messengers of Islam before him, ‘Isa received his
revelation of Islam in the form of a book. (Al-An’am 6:90) ‘Isa’s book is called
the Injil or ‘gospel’. (Al-Ma’idah 5:46) The Torah was Moses’ book, and the
Zabur (Psalms) were David’s book. So Jews and Christians are ‘people of the
Book’. The one religion revealed in these books was Islam. (Âl 'Imran 3:18)
As with previous prophets, ‘Isa’s revelation verified
previous prophets’ revelations. (Âl 'Imran 3:49,84; Al-Ma’idah 5:46; As-Saff
61:6) Muhammad himself verified all previous revelations, including the
revelation to ‘Isa (An-Nisa’ 4:47), and so Muslims must believe in the
revelation which ‘Isa received. (Al-Baqarah 2:136) However, after ‘Isa the Injil
was lost in its original form. Today the Qur’an is the only sure guide to
‘Isa’s teaching.
The biography of ‘Isa
According to the Qur’an, ‘Isa was the Messiah. He was
supported by the ‘Holy Spirit’. (Al-Baqarah 2:87; Al-Ma’idah 5:110) He is also
referred to as the ‘Word of Allah’. (An-Nisa’ 4:171)
‘Isa’s mother Mariam was the daughter of ‘Imran, (Âl 'Imran
3:34,35) — cf the Amram of Exodus 6:20 — and the sister of Aaron (and Moses).
(Maryam 19:28) She was fostered by Zachariah (father of John the Baptist). (Âl
'Imran 3:36) While still a virgin (Al-An’am 6:12; Maryam 19:19-21) Mariam gave
birth to ‘Isa alone in a desolate place under a date palm tree. (Maryam 19:22ff)
(Not in Bethlehem).
‘Isa spoke whilst still a baby in his cradle. (Âl 'Imran
3:46; Al-Ma’idah 5:110; Maryam 19:30) He performed various other miracles,
including breathing life into clay birds, healing the blind and lepers, and
raising the dead. (Âl 'Imran 3:49; Al-Ma’idah 5:111) He also foretold the coming
of Muhammad. (As-Saff 61:6)
‘Isa did not die on a
cross
Christians and Jews have corrupted their scriptures.
(Âl 'Imran 3:74-77, 113) Although Christians believe ‘Isa died on a cross, and
Jews claim they killed him, in reality he was not killed or crucified, and those
who said he was crucified lied (An-Nisa’ 4:157). ‘Isa did not die, but ascended
to Allah. (An-Nisa’ 4:158) On the day of Resurrection ‘Isa himself will be a
witness against Jews and Christians for believing in his death. (An-Nisa’
4:159)
Christians should accept Islam, and all true
Christians will
Christians (and Jews) could not be freed from their
ignorance until Muhammad came bringing the Qur’an as clear evidence (Al-Bayyinah
98:1). Muhammad was Allah’s gift to Christians to correct misunderstandings.
They should accept Muhammad as Allah’s Messenger, and the Qur’an as his final
revelation. (Al-Ma’idah 5:15; Al-Hadid 57:28; An-Nisa’ 4:47)
Some Christians and Jews are faithful and believe truly. (Âl
'Imran 3:113,114) Any such true believers will submit to Allah by accepting
Muhammad as the prophet of Islam, i.e. they will become Muslims. (Âl 'Imran
3:198)
Although Jews and pagans will have the greatest enmity
against Muslims, it is the Christians who will be ‘nearest in love to the
believers’, i.e. to Muslims. (Al-Ma’idah 5:82) True Christians will not love
Muhammad’s enemies. (Al-Mujadilah 58:22) In other words, anyone who opposes
Muhammad is not a true Christian.
Christians who accept Islam or refuse it
Some Jews and Christians are true believers, accepting
Islam: most are transgressors. (Âl 'Imran 3:109)
Many monks and rabbis are greedy for wealth and prevent
people from coming to Allah. (At-Taubah 9:34,35)
Christians and Jews who
disbelieve in Muhammad will go to hell. (Al-Bayyinah 98:6)
Muslims should not take Christians or Jews for friends.
(Al-Ma’idah 5:51) They must fight against Christians and Jews who refuse Islam
until they surrender, pay the poll-tax and are humiliated. (At-Taubah 9:29) To
this may be added hundreds of Qur’anic verses on the subject of jihad in the
path of Allah, as well as the ‘Book of Jihad’ found in all Hadith collections.
Christian beliefs
Christians are commanded not to believe that ‘Isa is the son
of God: ‘It is far removed from his transcendent majesty that he should have a
son’. (An-Nisa’ 4:171; Al-Furqan 25:2) ‘Isa was simply a created human being,
and a slave of Allah. (An-Nisa’ 4:172; Âl 'Imran 3:59)
Christians are claimed by the Qur’an to believe in a family
of gods — Father God, mother Mary and ‘Isa the son — but ‘Isa rejected this
teaching. (Al-Ma’idah 5:116) The doctrine of the Trinity is disbelief and a
painful doom awaits those who believe it. (Al-Ma’idah 5:73)
‘Isa (Jesus) in the Hadith
‘Isa the destroyer of Christianity
The prophet ‘Isa will have
an important role in the end times, establishing Islam and making war until he
destroys all religions save Islam. He shall kill the Evil One
(Dajjal), an apocalyptic anti-Christ figure.
In one tradition of Muhammad we read that no further
prophets will come to earth until ‘Isa returns as ‘a man of medium height, or
reddish complexion, wearing two light garments, looking as if drops were falling
down from his head although it will not be wet. He will fight for the cause of
Islam. He will break the cross, kill pigs, and abolish the poll-tax. Allah will
destroy all religions except Islam. He (‘Isa) will destroy the Evil One and will
live on the earth for forty years and then he will die’. (Sunan Abu Dawud,
37:4310) The Sahih Muslim has a variant of this tradition: ‘The son of Mary ...
will soon descend among you as a just judge. He will ... abolish the poll-tax,
and the wealth will pour forth to such an extent that no one will accept
charitable gifts.’ (Sahih Muslim 287)
What do these sayings mean? The cross is a symbol of
Christianity. Breaking crosses means abolishing Christianity. Pigs are
associated with Christians. Killing them is another way of speaking of the
destruction of Christianity. Under Islamic law the poll-tax buys the protection
of the lives and property of conquered ‘people of the Book’. (At-Taubah 9:29)
The abolition of the poll-tax means jihad is restarted against Christians (and
Jews) living under Islam, who should convert to Islam, or else be killed or
enslaved. The abundance of wealth refers to booty flowing to the Muslims
from this conquest. This is what the Muslim ‘Isa will do when he returns in the
last days.
Muslim jurists confirm these interpretations: consider, for
example, the ruling of Ahmad ibn Naqib al-Misri (d. 1368).
"... the time and the place for [the poll tax] is before the
final descent of Jesus (upon whom be peace). After his final coming, nothing but
Islam will be accepted from them, for taking the poll tax is only effective
until Jesus' descent (upon him and our Prophet be peace) ..." (The Reliance
of the Traveller. Trans. Nuh Ha Mim Keller, p. 603).
Ibn Naqib goes on to state that when Jesus returns, he will
rule ‘as a follower’ of Muhammad.
In
my last post, I noted how Archbishop Jozef De Kesel is calling on Catholics to be in solidarity with Islam.
Be nice. Be nonjudgmental. We must be more tolerant. This is the mindless mantra of those who have succumbed to relativism.
'America, it is said, is suffering from intolerance,' wrote Servant
of God Archbishop Fulton Sheen in his prophetic 1931 essay 'A Plea for
Intolerance....
It is not. It is suffering from tolerance: tolerance of right and
wrong, truth and error, virtue and evil, Christ and chaos.
Our country is not
nearly so overrun with the bigoted as it is overrun with the
broad-minded.'
But shouldn’t we be tolerant? Isn’t that charitable?
'Real love involves real hatred,' countered Archbishop Sheen.
'Whoever has lost the power of moral
indignation and the urge to drive the buyers and sellers from the temples has
also lost a living, fervent love of truth. Charity, then, is not a mild
philosophy of live and let live.'Adds Father Andrew
Apostoli of the Franciscan Friars of the Renewal, EWTN host and vice postulator
of Archbishop Sheen’s cause,
'You can’t tolerate evil teachings and distortions
of values against God’s laws and natural law to be accepted by
society.'
It’s a daily challenge for many when confronted with today’s
morally bankrupt political correctness masquerading as real tolerance.
True ToleranceSo how is a Catholic to walk the narrow
road of true Christian tolerance with genuine love of neighbor and not stumble
along the wide road of politically correct tolerance?
First, 'Love is not
tolerance,' Archbishop Sheen wrote. 'Christian love bears evil, but it does not
tolerate it. It is not broad-minded about sin.'
Then the archbishop made
an important distinction. 'Tolerance applies to the erring, intolerance to the
error,' he noted. 'Tolerance does not apply to truth or principles. About these
things we must be intolerant.'
We condemn the sin, but not the sinner, as
Father Apostoli puts it: “That’s the kind of distinction Bishop Sheen is making.
We have to be tolerant toward the person who many be weak, confused, mistaken in
good faith or may even be deliberately promoting distortions.”
____________________________________________________________________________
In
his book "Apologetics: A Philosophic Defense and Explanation of the Catholic
Religion," Monsignor Paul J. Glenn, Ph.D, S.T.D., writes, "Let Catholic
apologists..not surrender the cause of Christ...by a milk-and-water philosophy
of tolerance.
Tolerance is for external conduct;
it is not for
the mind;
the mind cannot tolerate error for an
instant." (p. 278). And this because error and truth are not "equally
good." In other words, we must always strive to tolerate people [including those
who disagree with us; and our worst enemies], but we cannot tolerate error.
Differing opinions are not equally valid.
And in his important work "The
New Tower of Babel," Dr. Dietrich von Hildebrand explains that, "Although the
dethronement of truth manifests itself in the most drastic and radical way in
Nazism and Bolshevism,
unfortunately many symptoms of this spiritual disease are also to be found
in democratic countries. For example, in discussions we sometimes hear the
following argument: 'Why should your opinion be more valid than mine? We are
equal and have the same rights. It is undemocratic to pretend that your opinion
is preferable.' This attitude is extremely significant because it reveals the
complete absence of the notion of truth, the tacit elimination of truth as the
determining norm for the value of an opinion....The immanent theme of every
opinion is truth; the only thing that matters here is whether or not it is in
conformity with reality..This brings us to another slogan disclosing the
dethronement of truth. It is the often repeated statement 'It is true for me,
but it may not be true for you.' The truth of a proposition is essentially
objective; a truth which as such would be valid for one person only is a
contradiction in terms. A proposition is true or false, but it can never be true
for one person and false for another. The statement that a certain action is
morally good may be true or false; but if it is true, it can never be false for
any other person.." (pp. 56-58).
Some might be tempted to believe that
the rejection of error and falsehood [ and here, again, we are speaking of ideas
not persons] is something "negative"
and
even cult-like. But such is simply not the case. Again, Dr.
Hildebrand explains: "Perhaps never before has there been as much
intellectual fraud as there is today. In the mass media - and even in
discussions on university campuses - this intellectual fraud appears chiefly as
the manipulation of slogans
designed to bluff the hearer or
reader,
and prevent him from thinking clearly. For a
typical example,
let us consider how the terms positive and negative are now
most often used to discredit the refutation of pernicious errors and to give
credit to the most shallow speculations.
The intellectual
swindlers who play such an important role in public discussions will
often denominate as 'positive' propositions and attitudes they favor. They
thereby seek to forestall questions of truth and value by enveloping their
prejudices in a vague suggestion of 'creativity,' 'originality,' 'openness,'
'unaggressiveness.' This is the device of the cuttlefish. The moment one tries
to grasp it, it emits a murky substance to confuse and deceive.In
reality, the popular slogan usages of positive and negative is a distortion of
the genuine meanings of the terms. In proper usage they can refer to existence
and nonexistence or to value and disvalue. They can refer to desirability and
undesirability, or to answers to questions and demands, or to results of tests
and inquiries. But when these terms are applied to attitudes of mind or to
theses - by way of suggesting an evaluation - an intellectual fraud is
committed; for they are then being used to evoke vague associations that
distract from the question that alone matters - namely: Is this attitude
objectively called for? Or: Is this thesis true?...It is the nature of truth to
exclude every contradiction of itself. Thus, the rejection of errors and
falsehoods can never be separated from the affirmation of truth. The one implies
the other...
To give the impression that affirmations are 'positive' and
denials 'negative' is to misrepresent completely the nature of judgments and
propositions. This abuse of the language transforms the terms positive and
negative into deceptive slogans and thus amounts to an intellectual swindle..."
(The Charitable Anathema, pp. 45-47).
We live in evil times. And at a
time when the Church needs sound moral and intellectual guidance, we need shepherds who understand that tolerance does not apply to truth or principles.
