The Judas Kiss of Heresy!

Never give Jesus a Judas kiss!

Read and weep! The author of this, Fr. Frederick William Faber was a convert from Anglicanism to Catholicism, a follower of John Henry Newman. What zeal he had for the "Faith of Our Fathers," which he articulated in the well-known hymn. Think of how many in the Church overlook and coddle heresy today and pray for a Catholic awakening, especially among the clergy!

If we hated sin as we ought to hate it, purely, keenly, manfully, we should do more penance, we should inflict more self-punishment, we should sorrow for our sins more abidingly.

Then, again, the crowning disloyalty to God is heresy. It is the sin of sins, the very loathsomest of things which God looks down upon in this malignant world. Yet how little do we understand of its excessive hatefulness! It is the polluting of God’s truth, which is the worst of all impurities.

Yet how light we make of it!
We look at it, and are calm. We touch it and do not shudder. We mix with it, and have no fear. We see it touch holy things, and we have no sense of sacrilege. We breathe its odor, and show no signs of detestation or disgust.

Some of us affect its friendship; and some even extenuate its guilt. We do not love God enough to be angry for His glory. We do not love men enough to be charitably truthful for their souls....

Where there is no hatred of heresy there is no holiness....We need St. Michael to put new hearts into us in these days of universal heresy. (Read more....)

How many of us today betray Christ with the kiss of heresy. We pick and choose the doctrines of Holy Mother Church like we browse through the produce at the grocery store. And we reject Christ's teachings while we "kiss Him" with the kiss of Judas by unworthy reception of Holy Communion.

Help me, Jesus, to be faithful to you in both great matters and small. Let me never give you the Judas kiss believing my own stupid opinion is greater than your teachings through your Church.

Our Lady, Seat of Wisdom, pray for me! (And thanks to my friend Gary for sending this!)