The Sunday Sermon Archive

Dear Friend,

Today we are warned to beware of false prophets. This seems to be even more appropriate today than ever. How are we to recognize who has been sent by God and who are the impostors sent by worldly ambition or even worse by the Devil?

"By their fruits you shall know them." Earlier the Lord had told the Apostles they should not pray, give alms, or fast, before other men as hypocrites do. And that they may know that all these things can be done out of hypocrisy He says: Beware of false prophets.

Christ knew that there would be false teachers, so He warns us of the various heresies to come, by saying: Beware of false prophets. And as these would not be obvious unbelievers, but persons cloaked with the name of Christian, He did not say: Look well at them, but, Beware. For where a thing is certain it is seen; that is, it may readily be seen. But, when it is uncertain it is looked at, or watched carefully. And again He says. Beware: for to know whom to shun is a firm safeguard of security. He does not warn us to beware as though the devil will introduce heresies against God's will, and not by His permission. Since He will not choose His servants without trial, He permits them to be tempted. And as He wills that they should not suffer ignorance He therefore warns them.

The false prophets come in the clothing of sheep but inwardly are ravening wolves. Catholic teachers, though they may have been sinners, are not spoken of as ravening wolves, but as servants of the flesh: for they do not seek to destroy Christians. He therefore is manifestly speaking of heretical teachers: for it is to this end that they put on the garb of Christians; that they may rend Christians with the evil fangs of their seductions. And of these the Apostles said: "I know that after my departure, ravening wolves will enter in among you, not sparing the flock" (Acts xx. 29)

We might find some goodness of life in these heretics so we cannot judge of the apparent goodness but, we must look to the fruit.

St. Augustine says: "What fruits does he wish us to seek for? For many hold as fruit certain things that belong to the sheep's clothing and in this way they are deceived by the wolves. As for example: fasting, alms, prayer, which they practice before men who seek to find favor with those to whom such things seem difficult. These practices therefore are not the fruits by which, He warns us they are to be known. For such actions, done with a right intention, are parts of the clothing of the sheep. When they are done with evil purpose, in deception, they clothe none other than wolves. But sheep must not for this hate their own clothing; because it sometimes conceals a wolf. What the fruits are by which we may know an evil tree the Apostle then teaches us: The works of the flesh are manifest, which are fornication, uncleanness. And what the fruits are by which we shall know a good tree, the same Apostle makes known to us saying: But the fruit of the Spirit is charity, joy, peace. (Gal. v. 19, 22)

The Catholic Church has ever struggled against these false prophets, first the heretics and schismatics of the early Church followed by the Protestants in their "Deformation", and then by the modernists culminating in the false "Vatican Council II". The wolves have struck the shepherd and the sheep have scattered. And now that leaves us with the many individuals who are truly false prophets pretending to work for the restoration of the Church to pre-"Vatican Council II" status.

There are countless false priests and false religious promoting and publishing their own ideas ever striving to make names for themselves and fleece the sheep both physically and spiritually. These false prophets all sound good on the surface, but when the pretty shinny wax is pealed from the fruit it soon reveals the soft rotten core beneath.

Rather than attempt to expose the rotten core of so many of these "traditional" false prophets, it is a rather easy measure to check their Catholicity with the simple question: "Who is your bishop?" Unless they are under obedience to a true Roman Catholic Bishop they are false prophets.

Catholics must be warned not to read their publications, or support them or their writings. If their writings are not approved by a true bishop then we should not waste our time reading them _ even if all that they say seems correct. In days past we would only read spiritual books that contained the imprimatur and nihil obstat. Let us look for these in old texts (pre-"Vatican II") and avoid the "traditionalist" wanderings so prevalent today.

The internet has become an open field for a multitude of false prophets. Catholics are here warned not to read, forward or in any way associate themselves with these. The danger is much greater than imagined. Too many overestimate their own virtue, knowledge of the Faith, and intellectual powers. We must not try to debate with the devils, they almost always will win. And even if we succeed in overcoming them it is truly a shallow victory, for they generally will not cease their evil ways.

Beware and avoid them at all costs, their fruit is very bitter and poisonous.

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