Abomination of the Week

This week’s abomination is not a particular offence, but a prevalent practice. In many uberlibchurches, “Hear what the Spirit is saying to the churches” is said after scripture lessons.

Now some readers may ask what is offensive about that? After all, that is taken straight from scripture itself, from the Revelation of John. And we should certainly be sensitive to what the Holy Spirit is saying.

What “Hear what the Spirit is saying . . . ” replaces gives a big clue to the problem. For untold centuries, the reader of the Epistle Lesson in the Mass concludes his reading with “the Word of the Lord.” Unless I’ve missed something, it has never been “Hear what the Spirit is saying” until recent and sordid decades.

So by using their alternative conclusion, libchurches intentionally avoid saying “This is the Word of the Lord.”

There is a reason for that in addition to disregard for tradition. Liberal “Christians” do not believe all scripture is the word of God. At best, they think scripture “contains” the word of God, which is another mealy-mouthed dodge.

On the other hand, they blame their own violations of the authority of scripture on the Holy Spirit. In their nonsensical view, the Holy Spirit happens to be oh-so-progressive like them and goes around guiding churches in a very different direction than scripture guides. Thus, saying “Hear what the Spirit is saying to the Churches” after scripture lessons is a pious, self-righteous, and if I may add, a treacly dodge of the authority of scripture.

It is part of their rejection of the authority of scripture. They might as well say, “Ignore some of the scripture I’ve just read if you like. But hear what the more progressive Holy Spirit is telling us.”

That they cloak this rejection of the authority of the Lord and of his word with a pseudo-pious abuse of the scripture from Revelation makes the stench in God’s nostrils (and in mine) that much worse. It thereby richly deserves being named the Abomination of the Week.