In Catholic teaching there are six sins that blaspheme against the Holy Spirit. They are:
- Despair (believing that one’s evil is beyond God’s forgiveness);
- Presumption (glory without merit, that is, hope of salvation without keeping the Commandments, or expectation of pardon for sin without repentance)
- Envying the goodness of another (sadness or repining at another’s growth in virtue and perfection);
- Obstinacy in sin (willful persisting in wickedness, and running on from sin to sin, after sufficient instructions and admonition);
- Final impenitence (to die without either confession or contrition for sins);
- Impugning the known truth (to argue against known points of faith, and this includes misrepresenting parts or all of the Christian faith to make it seem undesirable)
The second one is what we see within most churches and on social media pages where Christians gather to talk. They often speak of those who aren’t saved, while they’re filled with presumption of their own salvation just because they go to Church, say prayers, were baptised and believe in Jesus – not God, Jesus. Have you noticed Jesus is the trend now rather than the whole Blessed Trinity?
The comments seen that are filled with pride at their own holiness is astounding. The attacks they make on others who dare make comments or ask questions is horrible to see. They make it pretty obvious that unless you too are an ardent Catholic, or other baptised Christian, you are not welcome to question anything.
Don’t they realise it’s by questioning we learn and grow? How is anyone meant to learn anything if they don’t ask questions or aren’t allowed to? How are they themselves meant to learn if they think their learning has reached its peak and there is nothing else for them to question?
They should remember Jesus told us, “7 Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you:8 For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened.” Matthew 7:7-8
We should be seeking and knocking till the day we die. If they have stopped those things and try to stop others from seeking, they are denying all that Christ promised would and could open up to us. Why would anyone wish to limit themselves to knowledge in such a way?
It’s possible to see the religious proud, preening themselves with puffed out chests as they exalt their own goodness while decrying others. Dare to point out their arrogance and spiritual pride and the vitriol is seen to spew forth like something bubbling up from a witches cauldron.
How come no one on the Vatican News page says anything? They should be telling them about this sinful behaviour and spiritual arrogance. How come priests who see it ignore it and leave them to swell with pride at the fact they believe themselves superior to all other religions and people of no faith; ignore that they even dare to presume they’re saved and need do no more? It’s because sadly, many priests, cardinals, bishop’s etc are the same.
There is surely no coincidence all this escalated and started to spread since the prayer to Saint Michael was stopped in all churches. This prayer must be intoroduced again, but already, the decline and badness has spread in ways that will be very hard to eliminate for a long time.
God couldn’t care less what religion anyone belongs to. What He does care about is that if you belong to any religion professing to follow His laws, that you are true to them and stop twisting those laws to suit yourself.
What He cares for most is not how many times you’re seen to go to church or pray in a lacklustre, parrot fashion way, but whether you’re obeying His laws; how you behave, live, treat others, the planet, animals and whether you are filled with ego or humility.
He doesn’t want people following man’s laws and rules in place of His that have been twisted to fit what man wishes in order to control and be superior. God’s laws are simple, uncomplicated and unchangeable. His laws are for one and all, not the select few.
Nor did God write different laws for the many different religions, man made those different ways up all by themselves. He didn’t create religions and the different rules within those religions, man did.
God didn’t need buildings to preach and teach or worship His Father; buildings that separate people from each other. Again, that was something man did – even in Jesus’ time. If you remember, He had to go in and clean those up then and this is what He wants to happen again now.
Religion can be good, the most wonderful thing to be a part of. Having places for likeminded people to come together to worship can be good, but it’s only good if done with the purity and humility God asks of us. Done without presumption of salvation. Sadly, this is often missing and is not seen in as many as it should be. God brings humility, Satan brings pride.
Those thinking themselves the only ones to be saved due to their religious beliefs are deluding themselves. Their belief it brings them salvation and a guaranteed pass into paradise is wrong – it doesn’t. This is something we need to work on every day of our lives till we take our last breath. Only God decides if we are saved, all we can do, is have humility and try our hardest each day to please Him in ways He asks of us.
There is nothing uglier than spiritual pride. It is on the increase and is one of the things turning genuine lovers of God away from places of worship due to this arrogance and false spirituality. It’s bad enough we’re seeing so many people fall away from God and think of Him as something to be sneered at, ridiculed and shunned.
To see those who profess to know, love and serve Him behave in ways that offend Him is even sadder. Spiritual pride and arrogance is ugly. It is often spiteful, mean and cruel to others. How is this anything of God?
Is this happening due to lack of guidance/teaching and a lack of priests with courage enough to tell them their behaviour is unacceptable? That God isn’t being fooled by public displays or regular attendance in church when their hearts are so dark?
Priests need to stamp this ego out of their parishioners – and themselves most often – for they are lost souls who are unaware they are lost. They need to be shown they are filled with pride and be made to face the truth about their own huge failings. It is time for people to look deep within, but sadly, as the Vatican News page shows, very few attending churches believe they have any need to do so. Are you one of them?
