[ 0 → 4] TrapCast Express [ 4 → 15] TrapCast Express, it's Wednesday, December 23rd, 2020. [ 16 → 20] No one says Merry Christmas quite like Jorge Bergoglio. [ 20 → 21] You know, the Frankster. [ 22 → 27] On Monday, December 21st, the apostate antipope gave his annual Christmas address [ 27 → 30] to the members of the Roman Curia. [ 30 → 35] And he began his 4,000-word screed by quoting approvingly [ 35 → 40] a 20th-century Jewish philosopher's distortion of the meaning of Christmas. [ 41 → 44] The philosopher in question is Hannah Arendt. [ 45 → 48] Here's what she said that was quoted by Francis. [ 49 → 49] Quote, [ 49 → 53] The miracle that saves the world, the realm of human affairs, [ 54 → 59] from its normal, natural ruin is ultimately the fact of natality. [ 60 → 64] It is this faith in, and hope for, the world [ 64 → 68] that found perhaps its most glorious and most succinct expression [ 68 → 73] in the few words with which the Gospels announce their glad tidings. [ 74 → 76] A child has been born unto us. [ 77 → 77] Unquote. [ 78 → 81] That is naturalist garbage. [ 81 → 86] Now that a Jewish woman doesn't believe in the incarnation of the Son of God is understood. [ 87 → 88] Jews don't believe in Christ. [ 88 → 89] But that a man who... [ 90 → 93] who claims to be the Pope of the Catholic Church [ 93 → 96] would include this in his Christmas address [ 96 → 98] is an outrage beyond words. [ 99 → 101] By quoting her approvingly, [ 102 → 104] Bergoglio is saying, along with Arendt, [ 104 → 108] that Christmas is merely the most excellent expression [ 108 → 111] of how humanity is continually being saved [ 111 → 113] by new children being born, [ 114 → 116] salvation by natality. [ 116 → 119] That reduces Christmas to an utterly naturalist [ 119 → 120] and ultimate... [ 120 → 121] and ultimately meaningless dimension. [ 122 → 126] It is simply a cutesy way of saying that humanity saves itself. [ 126 → 129] The exact opposite of the meaning of Christmas. [ 130 → 131] It's despicable. [ 132 → 136] Now Francis does proceed to affirm that God became man [ 136 → 137] and was born in Bethlehem. [ 138 → 141] But the very fact that he mentions and extols [ 141 → 143] that apostate distortion of Christmas [ 143 → 147] shows you that he is trying to introduce this concept [ 147 → 148] into people's consciousness. [ 148 → 153] An affirmation of heresy cannot be justified [ 153 → 157] on the grounds that the same idea is later contradicted. [ 158 → 160] Unfortunately, that Arendt quote [ 160 → 162] wasn't the only spiritual atrocity [ 162 → 164] in Francis' address to the Roman Curia. [ 165 → 168] The main topic was that of crisis and conflict. [ 169 → 171] Not exactly a Christmas theme, [ 171 → 174] but hey, he's got to talk about something, right? [ 174 → 177] The long and the short of it is [ 177 → 178] crisis good, [ 178 → 178] crisis good, [ 178 → 180] conflict bad. [ 181 → 182] Yeah, whatever. [ 183 → 186] Why should engaging in conflict be a bad thing per se? [ 186 → 189] Well, to explain that, he quotes, [ 189 → 190] can you guess? [ 191 → 193] He quotes himself, of course, [ 194 → 197] from number 226 of his infernal exhortation, [ 198 → 199] Evangelii Gaudium, [ 199 → 201] where he says, quote, [ 201 → 203] In the midst of conflict, [ 203 → 208] we lose our sense of the profound unity of reality. [ 208 → 208] Unquote. [ 208 → 212] Oh yeah, profound indeed. [ 213 → 215] Hey, I got a question for you, Francis. [ 216 → 219] Was St. John the Baptist not in conflict with King Herod? [ 220 → 224] Was our blessed Lord not in conflict with the Pharisees? [ 224 → 228] Did Christ not announce that he had come to bring conflict, [ 228 → 232] to fragment and polarize in Matthew 10.34? [ 233 → 236] After Pentecost, when the apostles began preaching, [ 236 → 238] were they not in conflict with the Jewish, [ 238 → 240] and secular authorities? [ 241 → 243] When Catholics are confirmed, [ 243 → 245] do they not become soldiers of Christ? [ 246 → 250] Is the Catholic Church on earth not the church militant, [ 250 → 252] meaning a church engaged in battle? [ 253 → 258] Is Armageddon not the final conflict between Christ and Antichrist? [ 258 → 260] I'm asking for a friend. [ 261 → 266] All right, let's move now away from conflict and on to crisis. [ 266 → 267] Francis says, [ 267 → 274] Now, of course, he tries to substantiate that with examples from Scripture. [ 274 → 278] But the truth is that he might as well have flipped it around [ 278 → 279] and said, [ 279 → 286] And he would have easily been able to find justification for that [ 286 → 287] in sacred Scripture just as well. [ 288 → 291] It's simply a question of what passages to pick. [ 292 → 297] So, Francis proceeds to argue that we can see that crisis is a good thing, [ 297 → 302] because the history of salvation is filled with people in crisis [ 302 → 306] who played their part in it precisely by that very crisis. [ 307 → 312] Now, there's no doubt in my mind that that is true, at least to an extent. [ 312 → 316] But Francis, desperately looking for examples to use, [ 316 → 318] doesn't always succeed. [ 318 → 322] For example, he says that Moses had a crisis of confidence [ 322 → 325] when God told him to go before Pharaoh [ 325 → 326] to lead the Israelites out of the city. [ 326 → 327] He said, [ 327 → 329] That is very true. [ 329 → 332] Moses certainly did have a confidence crisis there. [ 333 → 336] But it was not because of that crisis [ 336 → 338] that he led his people out of bondage. [ 339 → 340] It was in spite of it. [ 341 → 345] His crisis of confidence was by no means necessary to the task. [ 346 → 349] And I really don't see how he would have failed in his mission [ 349 → 353] had he not objected to being chosen by God for that role. [ 355 → 356] Next, [ 356 → 358] Bergoglio does something much worse. [ 359 → 362] He blasphemes St. John the Baptist. [ 363 → 367] Again, desperately looking for examples of important biblical figures in crisis, [ 368 → 372] Francis accuses the Baptist of having doubted [ 372 → 376] that our blessed Lord Jesus Christ was truly the Messiah. [ 377 → 378] The fake pope says, [ 378 → 379] quote, [ 379 → 382] John the Baptist was gripped by uncertainty [ 382 → 384] about whether Jesus was the Messiah [ 384 → 386] because he did not believe in the Messiah. [ 386 → 388] He did not come as the harsh vindicator [ 388 → 390] that John was perhaps expecting. [ 391 → 393] Yet John's imprisonment set the stage [ 393 → 396] for Jesus' preaching of the kingdom of God. [ 397 → 397] Unquote. [ 398 → 400] That is poppycock. [ 400 → 405] The Baptist, of course, did not doubt the Messiah. [ 405 → 405] Duh. [ 406 → 408] His whole life's mission had been [ 408 → 410] to call people to repentance [ 410 → 413] and lead them to the true Messiahs. [ 413 → 415] If he had doubted that Jesus Christ was the Messiah, [ 415 → 416] if he had doubted that Jesus Christ was the Messiah, [ 416 → 416] if he had doubted that Jesus of Nazareth [ 416 → 418] was truly God's anointed, [ 419 → 421] he would have miserably failed in his mission [ 421 → 424] and been himself in need of a guide. [ 425 → 426] It is outrageous [ 426 → 429] that Bergoglio dares to say such a thing, [ 429 → 432] but it wasn't even the first time he said it. [ 432 → 434] He'd made that claim in sermons [ 434 → 435] at least twice before. [ 436 → 440] Now, where does he come up with the idea [ 440 → 441] that the Baptist doubted? [ 442 → 444] Well, he appeals to Matthew 11, [ 444 → 446] verses 2-6, [ 446 → 448] And that passage reads as follows, [ 448 → 449] Quote, [ 478 → 484] So, what's up with that? [ 484 → 487] At first sight, it might appear that the Baptist doubted. [ 488 → 491] But when you recall who the Baptist was, [ 491 → 495] you realize very quickly that that really makes no sense. [ 496 → 501] Remember, St. John the Baptist leapt for joy in the womb of his mother [ 501 → 506] when the Blessed Virgin, pregnant with a Christ child, visited her cousin Elizabeth. [ 507 → 508] So, St. John recognized, [ 508 → 516] Then the Baptist spent practically his whole life in the desert, [ 517 → 519] fasting on locusts and wild honey, [ 519 → 523] abstaining from strong drink and wearing animal skin. [ 523 → 526] This man was not a reed shaken with the wind. [ 527 → 532] His holiness was inferior only to that of our Lord himself, [ 532 → 534] the Blessed Mother, and St. Joseph. [ 535 → 538] Next, St. John the Baptist not only recognized, [ 538 → 542] Christ as the Messiah when our Lord came to ask for baptism, [ 542 → 545] he even publicly acknowledged him with the words, [ 545 → 551] Behold the Lamb of God, behold him who taketh away the sin of the world. [ 551 → 553] That's John 1.29. [ 554 → 560] And then the Baptist even personally witnessed the descent of the Holy Ghost [ 560 → 563] in the form of a dove upon our Lord's head, [ 563 → 568] and he heard the voice of the Father declaring him to be his beloved son. [ 569 → 573] So, it would be utterly absurd to think that this man, [ 573 → 575] more angelic than human as it were, [ 576 → 580] among the top three of the greatest saints who ever lived, [ 581 → 584] had begun to doubt whether Jesus was really the Christ [ 584 → 587] simply because he was now sitting in a dungeon [ 587 → 590] for refusing to play Amoris Laetitia with Herod, [ 590 → 592] if you know what I mean. [ 593 → 595] So, what is the solution then? [ 595 → 598] Why did the imprisoned St. John send disciples, [ 598 → 601] to ask Christ if he was the Messiah? [ 602 → 604] It was not because he doubted it, [ 605 → 606] but because they did. [ 607 → 608] His disciples did. [ 608 → 612] And you can find that confirmed in traditional Bible commentary, [ 612 → 617] such as Bishop Frederick Necht's practical commentary on Holy Scripture, [ 618 → 620] in which he notes on page 493, [ 621 → 621] quote, [ 621 → 626] John himself had no doubt whatever that Jesus was the Messiah and Son of God, [ 627 → 627] for this was the burden of his life, and he was not alone. [ 627 → 627] John himself had no doubt whatever that Jesus was the Messiah and Son of God, [ 627 → 627] for this was the burden of his life, and he was not alone. [ 627 → 628] John himself had no doubt whatever that Jesus was the Messiah and Son of God, [ 628 → 630] as he was preaching on the banks of the Jordan. [ 630 → 633] But it was different with many of his disciples, [ 634 → 637] especially those who had not seen, but only heard, [ 637 → 639] of the works of our Lord. [ 640 → 641] In order to confirm their faith, [ 642 → 644] John sends them to Jesus to ask him directly [ 644 → 646] whether he was the Messiah. [ 646 → 651] Our Lord answers them indirectly by referring them to his works. [ 651 → 655] This would confirm the Baptists' own testimony of Jesus. [ 656 → 656] Unquote. [ 656 → 657] Unquote. [ 658 → 664] important for St. John to ensure that his disciples would become disciples of Christ. [ 664 → 669] And since he was no longer able to instruct them, being imprisoned, and since he knew that his end [ 669 → 675] was near anyway, he had to make sure that their faith in the true Messiah would be confirmed. [ 675 → 682] That is why the Baptists did that. And if Francis had spent more time reading Catholic theology [ 682 → 687] instead of Jewish philosophers, he would have known it. Merry Christmas. [ 687 → 693] Tratcast Express is a production of Novos Ordo Watch. Check us out at Tratcast.org, [ 693 → 697] and if you like what we're doing, please consider making a tax-deductible contribution [ 697 → 700] at NovosOrdoWatch.org.