The New Order Church has, for the most part, thrown out the many precious relics of the saints and blessed as nothing more than passé practices bordering on superstition.
This same mentality arose hundreds of years ago in the Church and was called "Iconoclasm."
The mentality of the iconoclast of the eighth century and the iconoclast of the twentieth century is fundamentally the same: a rabid hatred for the things or persons depicted. The objects of the iconoclasts hatred is what secretly motivates their elimination. If we were to trace the source of this strange attitude, we would find its origin in the Talmud _rabbinical attacks upon the true Religion. St. John Damascene, the "last of the Greek Fathers" proves his deep insight into matters when he states that "The parents and archtypes of all heresies are four in number, namely: (1) Barbarism; (2) Scythism; (3) Hellenism; (4) Judaism. Out of these came all the rest." (On Heresies, St. John Damascene).
We find this same mentality expressed through the persecution of the Church in Her visible manifestations orchestrated by Zionist-Masonic-Communism: churches are desecrated, Religious are forced out of their monasteries and convents into secular life; all external signs of the true Religion are expunged with the intention of washing these signs of the faith from the minds and memories of the people.
The devil knows he cannot destroy Jesus Christ and the true God Who sent Him. But, the devil knows that he can obliterate the idea and remembrance of God and Jesus Christ from the people and thereby lead them into his political and religious camp.
Iconoclasm today shows itself in the abandonment of Religious garb, in the secularization of our church services _ this was the secret goal of Jewish `Protestantism' which seeks to replace the cross with the star of Rempham _ the star of their god. (cf. Acts, 7,41-43).
The iconoclasts smash the statues of the Christians; they deface and destroy the images of Christ, the Virgin Mary and the saints. But they do not destroy the figures and images of their false gods nor the symbols of their wickedness.
After Vatican II, hospitals were stripped of all signs of the Catholic faith; people threw out pictures of the Sacred Heart of Jesus and the Immaculate Heart of Mary to whom their families were once consecrated.
Today, if you go into the home of the modern `Catholic,' most likely you will not find a crucifix or any other sacramental.
Iconoclasm means the destruction of church images. Not only images of the saints were destroyed, but even veneration of the crucifix was not permitted.
The Emperor Leo III forcefully suppressed the veneration of holy images and the crucifix. His son, ConstantineV, followed in his footsteps and resembled more the Emperor Diocletian in his rabid cruelty in persecuting the orthodox Catholics. Later, Emperor Leo IX (775-780) exiled his own wife, Irene, because of her sympathy with the orthodox tradition. Irene later returned to power, and aided the Second Council of Nicea to effect the restoration of images.
The seventh Ecumenical Council of the Church was called in the year 787 precisely to deal with this question. The dogmatic definition of this Council states:
"We, continuing in the regal path, and following the divinely inspired teaching of our Holy Fathers, and the tradition of the Catholic Church, for we know that this is of the Holy Spirit who certainly dwells in it, define in all certitude and diligence that as the figure of the honored and life-giving Cross, so the venerable and holy images, the ones from tinted materials and from marble as those from other material, must be suitably placed in the holy churches of God, both on sacred vessels and vestments, and on the walls and on the altars, at home and on the streets, namely such images of our Lord Jesus Christ, God and Savior, and of our undefiled lady, or holy Mother of God, and of the honorable angels, and, at the same time, of all the saints and of holy men. For, how much more frequently through the imaginal formation they are seen, so much more quickly are those who contemplate these, raised to the memory and desire of the originals of these, to kiss and to render honorable adoration to them, not however, to grant true latria according to our faith, which is proper to divine nature alone; but just as to the figure of the revered and life-giving Cross and to the holy gospels, and to the other sacred monuments, let an oblation of incense and lights be made to give honor to these as was the pious custom with the ancients. `For the honor of the images passes to the original'; and he who shows reverence to the image, shows reverence to the substance of Him depicted in it."
This Ecumenical Council further states:
"For thus the doctrine of the Holy Fathers, that is, the tradition of the Catholic Church which has received the Gospel from and even to the end of the world is strengthened. Thus we follow Paul, who spoke in Christ, and all the divine apostolic group and the paternal sanctity keeping the traditions [II Thess.2,14] which we have received. Thus prophetically we sing the triumphal hymns for the Church: `Rejoice exceedingly, O daughter of Sion, sing forth, O daughter of Jerusalem: be joyful and be happy with all your heart. The Lord has taken from you the injustices of those adverse to you: He has redeemed you from the power of your enemies. The Lord is king in your midst: You will not see more evils and peace to you unto time eternal.'"
This Sacred Ecumenical Council condemned those who would subvert the traditions of the Church:
"Those, therefore, who dare to think or to teach otherwise or to spurn according to wretched heretics the ecclesiastical traditions and to invent anything novel, or to reject anything from these things which have been consecrated by the Church: either the Gospel or the figure of the Cross, or the imaginal picture, or the sacred relics of the martyr; or to invent perversely and cunningly for the overthrow of anyone of the legitimate traditions of the Catholic Church; or even, as it were, to use the sacred vessels or the venerable monasteries as common things; if indeed they are bishops or clerics, we order [them] to be deposed; if monks, however, or laymen, to be excommunicated."
(Seventh Ecumenical Council of Nicea, 787 A.D.
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