Pope Francis and the New World Order Kenosis

Editor's Note: Fr. Collins wrote this at the beginning of the Synod on Synodality, but it is every bit as relevant today. The confusion among Catholics is rampant. I'm currently reading Archbishop Lefebvre's Open Letter to Confused Catholics which could have been written last night. I recommend it to anyone who wants to understand the current state of the Church, the gutting of all of her sacraments, the abuse of the Bride of Christ, and the absolute need to return to the faith of our Fathers. Confusion is always a sign of the devil. May we all seek the clarity of the authentic catechisms issued since the Didache, written in the late first or early second century. It's short and available online, a good place to start your catechism journey. Give us clarity, O Lord, in this age of chaos!

Pope Francis and the New World Order by Fr. Tom Collins

There is a lot of confusion and concern among orthodox Catholics concerning some of the statements and actions of Pope Francis since he began his pontificate. These statements and actions seem to indicate changes in the basic premise, perspectives and priorities among many Church leaders, which seem to be guiding the current Synod on Synodality. But they do make sense, if they are viewed in light of an ever-evolving kenosis theology.

Kenosis theology is based on a novel interpretation of Philippians 2:7-8, where we are told that, in order to save us, Jesus had to “empty Himself” (Greek, kenosis) on the cross. It asserts that, just as Jesus emptied Himself for our salvation two thousand years ago, Catholics today are being called by “the Spirit” to courageously take the risks to “put out into the deep” (Lk 5:4) and step out in faith in order to embrace the wisdom of our modern world. To do this, however, requires that Catholics take the awkward and painful steps required to question and even renounce the “false security” of the Church’s doctrinal dogmatism and moral rigorism proclaimed through the “medieval theology” of her magisterium. It thus opens the way for the incremental replacement of the paradigm of the Mystical Body of Christ with a complex of alternative paradigms based on a greater respect for the insights offered by non-Christian religions and by the proponents of the secularist New World Order.

Kenosis theology asserts that the current situation in the Church is analogous to that of the Apostolic Church. When Gentiles were allowed to be baptized without first being circumcised in accordance with ancient Mosaic Law, Jewish Christians were deeply disturbed. For several centuries, faithful Jews had been going through great suffering and persecution because they insisted in being faithful to all the commands and precepts of the Mosaic Law (cf., Dan 3:2-97, 6:2-25; I Mac 1:60-63, II Mac 6:18-7:41). And the covenantal ritual of circumcision was established as an everlasting sign (Gen 17:10-13). It must be noted that Jesus Himself observed all these laws (cf., Lk 2:21-41, 4:16). Thus these Jewish Christians were understandably upset. They sincerely, though mistakenly, thought that most of the precepts of the Mosaic Law, which were an integral dimension of the Jewish covenantal relationship with God and for which they had been enduring so much persecution and suffering, were now to be glibly ignored in order to accommodate Gentile converts - many of whom seemed to have received only rudimentary catechesis. They could even point out the Jesus Himself had restricted the proclamation of the Kingdom to the lost sheep of the house of Israel (cf., Matt 10:5-8). But the opposition of such Jewish Christians did not stop after the Council of Jerusalem (Acts 15:1-29), as is indicated numerous times in the ways St. Paul faced opposition within the Church from Judaizers, who took umbrage at his evolving interpretation of the restriction of that Council regarding eating meat sacrificed to idols (cf. I Cor 8:1-11).

In a similar way, kenosis theology sadly asserts that traditional Catholics are trapped in an inadequate and rigid medieval theological mindset, which is not in harmony with the more sophisticated wisdom, insights and customs of contemporary society. Like the Judaizers of New Testament times, they are viewed as tragically caught up in the obsessive-compulsion of doctrinal dogmatism and a moral rigorism, which, experience is showing, cannot effectively address either the insights and challenges of our modern age or the unique situation of each person. Thus they oppose any effort of Church leaders, like Pope Francis, to humbly and incrementally empty the Church of her arrogant assurance of her monopoly on the truth, which was manifested in former ages by her proclaiming such things as there is only one Way to eternal life and that Baptism was absolutely necessary for salvation. Such assertions allegedly restrict the freedom of the Spirit to renew the face of the earth on God’s terms.

The need for us to embrace the more inclusive perspectives of kenosis theology was allegedly manifested even by Jesus Himself. Sadly, many traditional Catholics seem to think that the assertion of Heb 13:8, that Jesus Christ is the same, yesterday, today and forever, indicates that His teachings are forever stagnant. But the ministry of Jesus showed that His understanding of His Father's will was not stagnant, but ever-evolving into richer dimensions of inclusivity. Note, for example, that, while He clearly stated that He was sent only to the lost sheep of the House of Israel (Matt 15:24) and directed His disciples not to preach to pagans or Samaritans (Matt 10:5), His understanding of His Father's will evolved and became more inclusive through the faith of a Roman centurion (Matt 8:5-13) and of a Canaanite mother (Matt 15:21-28). Also He refused to reprimand some Jews, who were not His disciples, from conducting exorcisms in His Name (Matt 9:38-40). More recently, this ever-evolving dimension of Jesus and His ministry was indicated in the official logo of the Jubilee Year 2000, which in proclaiming Christus heri, hodie semper (Christ yesterday, today, forever), left out the word, idem (the same), found in Heb 13:8. Thus enabled to renounce faithful accountability to the whole truth of God with a "more adult" responsibility in adapting our understanding of God's Word to suit the premises, perspectives and priorities of modern society, it becomes easier for souls to treat Him as a kind of spiritual Rorschach test (i.e.,not as the Master of their lives, but as a mascot for their lifestyles and agendas), Whose techings are to be compassionately conformed to their needs and agendas.

The proponents of kenosis theology will also point out how the lapsi in the early Church were allowed to be reconciled to the Church. The lapsi were those who, under duress or torture during the Roman persecutions, renounced Jesus and the Catholic Faith. Many Catholics, who had suffered torture, exile and/or confiscation of property during the persecutions, were opposed to them being so easily reconciled to the Church. They believed that approving such a reconciliation would compromise the integrity of the Faith and the spiritual stamina of the faithful. Yet Church leaders chose to open the way for the lapsi to be reconciled.

Similarly, the proponents of kenosis theology will point out that the celebration of the Sacrament of Reconciliation for serious sins was severely limited in the early Church. But, with the large number of barbarians being converted with little catechetical formation, this discipline was incrementally relaxed by Church leaders.

Thus it is that, by way of analogy, proponents of kenosis theology view the Scriptures as living documents, much as liberal justices on the Supreme Court view the Constitution as “a living, breathing document”, which must be interpreted not as originally written or in accordance with the original intent of its authors, but in a way that addresses the current felt needs of various special interest groups in our nation. They also point out how St. Paul, inspired by the Holy Spirit, violated the precepts of the Council of Jerusalem (Acts15:22-29) by asserting that the spirit of that Council permitted Christians to eat meat sacrificed to idols (I Cor 8:7-13 and 10:25-30), provided that they did not actually take part in the sacrificial worship. Thus it is that those now embracing kenosis theology have no problem with the use of foods, pharmaceuticals and cosmetics developed and produced by the use of tissues from aborted babies, provided that those using them have not directly participated in the abortion.

This new gnostic theological tendency was also reflected in the “evolution”* of the Code of Canon Law regarding the sin of abortion. The 1918 Code of Canon Law made abortion a reserved sin, with the requirement that absolution could be given and penance imposed only in accordance with the directive of the local bishop. This strict discipline was embraced because abortion did not only kill an innocent child. It also did so in a way that ensured that the child would never be able to be baptized. The 1981 Code, however, eliminated this restriction. After all, the Church does proclaim that God is compassionate beyond comprehension. Expanding on this premise, many pastors have been led to conclude and teach that aborted babies are not consigned to limbo, but rather are compassionately and lovingly embraced by God into heavenly glory as soon as they die. This also helps explain why bishops are reluctant to discipline Catholics, who support aborticide and infanticide. After all, in a way more dramatic than Baptism, these procedures allegedly “strip off” the flesh (Col 2:11), and thus allow the soul of an unborn child to be embraced by God into eternal life. Unlike Baptism, though, which leaves a soul vulnerable to mortal sin later on in life, we are told that these procedures guarantee the soul’s salvation. Thus, since the purpose of the Church is to bring more souls into eternal life, and we are assured by some of our clergy that we are free to presume that all babies killed by abortion are automatically taken into heaven, why would Church leaders vigorously oppose pro-abortion politicians, whose efforts are allegedly sending more souls into heaven than the Church herself is through her sacramental system? Salus animarum lex suprema (The salvation of souls is the supreme law).

Kenosis theology also accentuates the fact that one may need to renounce appreciation of one's cultural heritage. Since the history of all human cultures, civil or religious, is tainted by sin, appreciation of one's heritage may be viewed as intrinsically racist - or even evil. Even if such appreciation of the unique qualities of one's cultural or religious heritage does not disparage the unique beauty of other cultures or religions, such an appreciation can gradually become the breeding ground for systemic racism. Such systemic racism is now being recognized even by the pope as hidden in the centuries old assertion that the Catholic Church is the only true religion established by God. Kenosis theology thus points out that, while God should have a monopoly on the Catholic Church, we are not thereby free to assert that the Catholic Church has a monopoly on the truth, holiness, and sanctifying graciousness of God. God is always free to speak to humanity in partial and diverse ways (Heb 1:1) both within and outside the structure and disciplines of the Church.

In addition, kenosis theology requires that we critically examine those dimensions of the cultural and religious heritage of the African-American community and Hispanic communities, which are so deeply tainted by the colonial influence of European Christianity. After all, we must admit that, for centuries, such a "heritage" was systemically imposed on them by colonial powers, either through benign or oppressive motives. Thus, members of the African-American and Hispanic communities are allegedly now seeking to break the last vestiges of the cultural chains imposed by colonial powers of the past five centuries and to rediscover dimensions of their non-Christian and pagan cultural heritages suppressed by the paradigms of colonialism and imperialism . By renouncing the quaint cultural heritages imposed by colonial powers, they will be extolled by future generations as prophetic voices heralding a New World Order, based on tolerance, inclusivity and an ever-evolving and "liberating" moral relativism.

It is worth noting, however, that kenosis theology does allow for the fostering of traditional devotions and very inspiring spiritual insights, which bring much-needed encouragement and inspiration to languishing souls. But it frowns upon any assertion 1) that souls are ultimately accountability to the whole truth of God, 2) that salvation must be realized through ongoing repentance, the obedience of faith, and a more profound, pure and perfect integration into the sacramental life of the Church, or 3) that sins against the sacredness of marriage, of human sexuality and of human life are always grave matters. The admonishing of sinners is to be confined to the parameters and dictates prescribed by current secular norms of political correctness. It thus "proclaims liberty to captives" by offering a new enlightened morality based on the ever-shifting sands of secularist ideologies.

Kenosis theology thus asserts that authentic spirituality requires that individuals, societies and the Church herself courageously empty themselves of the the false security provided by antiquated, rigid and underdeveloped doctrines, so as to develop new ways to enter into the self-emptying love and wisdom of Christ. And as He manifested His fidelity to His Father by courageously stepping out in faith, so as to embrace humanity as it was in His day, He is now calling His disciples to do likewise. And they are to do so not by judging the modern world in terms of obsolete moral precepts and antiquated dogmas and calling all to a life-giving repentance guided by a reverent and docile accountability to the whole truth of God. Instead, He is allegedly calling all of us, through an ongoing synodal process, to both courageously and compassionately embrace a spirit of tolerance, inclusion and affirmation of doctrines and practices, whereby many in our age are seeking and finding a sense of true fulfillment. After all, Jesus Himself pointed out that man was not made for the Sabbath, but the Sabbath for man (Mk 2:27). Kenosis theology merely expands on the wisdom of these words to point out that man was not made to serve the other nine "culturally biased" Commandments, but rather that those Commandments were given to serve humanity by affirming the dignity of each person, regardless of that person's race, creed or lifestyle.

Renouncing a sense of security given through one's religious and cultural heritage is awkward at first. Thus it is that proponents of kenosis theology appreciates the current need to maintain the facade of the traditional Catholicism by frequently including quaint devotions and sharing inspiring spiritual insights, which seek to assure souls that this theology is in harmony with the Church's Magisterium and Tradition. Meanwhile, they allow the larger agenda of the New World Order to be incrementally introduced into the perspectives, premises and practices of a new generation of Catholics. Thus it is that, as we become more compassionately, tolerantly and lovingly engaged with each other in the vision of hope being offered to us through 1) the synodal process, 2) ongoing dialogue with secular society and other religions, and 3) the guidance of the ever-evolving wisdom offered by the dictates of political correctness. Forget the warning in Gaudium et Spes #39 against identifying secular progress with the Kingdom of God, we will be gradually led to assert that the Kingdom of God is in the process of being established in our midst through the various technological and theological developments of our age and the new political structures being developed for a New World Order.

Kenosis theologians thus assert that we can only courageously proclaim the ever-evolving Faith of the Church and be faithful to our heritage by renouncing the allegedly vapid false security offered by the premises and precepts of a “primitive and poorly evolved” Faith. They claim that, only in this way, will we finally be able to witness Christ making all things new (Rev 21:5) through the global implementation of the agenda of the secularist New World Order and its One World Religion.

And they tell us that, if we just “step out in faith,” so as to uncritically embrace the premises, perspectives, promises and practices proposed through their kenosis theology, we will gradually be enlightened to see how, in their own inscrutable way, they do make sense. Furthermore, with all the technological advances of our modern world, they point out that such new wine must be poured into the new wine skins being provided by the ever-evolving premises of our increasingly inclusive and secularized technological society.

In sum, kenosis theology asserts that the Church is no longer to proclaim Jesus Christ as being the same, yesterday, today and forever (Heb 13:8). Rather, through the synodal process, He is to be understood as ever-evolving in accordance with the latest needs, narratives, insights and agendas promoted by the elitist leaders of our modern world. And just as the blind Bartimaeus courageously stepped out in faith by throwing off the security of his cloak to seek out Jesus (cf., Mk 10:46-52), we are urged to throw off the "stagnant security" of the Church's antiquated doctrines and unscientific sexual morality so as to experience a new birth of freedom and reconciliation through the agenda of the secularist New World Order and the ever-evolving politically correct precepts of its One World Religion.

Fr. Thomas R. Collins Hot Springs VA frtrac1@hotmail.com

*FURTHER REFLECTIONS

Evolutionists believe that creatures like this were Mary's (and our) ancestors! Hogwash!

The evolution paradigm, though quite popular, is intrinsically opposed to the evocation 
paradigm of the Gospel, in that it is impersonal (i.e, rooted in the Darwinian dynamic of the survival of the fittest and it promotes the pursuit of being on the right side of history [the error of those who gave their allegiance to Hitler and Tojo in late 1941], whereas evocation promotes seeking to be on the right side of Christ). Likewise, it promotes responsibility to ever-evolving agendas, rather than accountability to a Person, Jesus Christ. It also promotes the ideal of a New World Order instead of the incorporation and integration of humanity into the Mystical Body of Christ. Thus it also promotes the moral relativism, which asserts that the end justifies the means since expediency in implementing its dynamic is more important than personal and social integrity.

Sadly, the cancer of the evolution paradigm has been dynamically evident in the Church over the past sixty years. During this period, various tweaks to the traditional understanding of pastoral care and theology have been made, which subtly and incrementally prioritize 1) emotional feelings over the eternal truths entrusted to the Church, 2) subjective values over objective virtues, 3) respect for sin-seared consciences over respect for sincere consciences accountable to the whole truth of God, 4) secular relevance over the precepts of Divine Revelation, 5) expediency over integrity and 6) acquiesence to narratives and agendas provided government, industrial and media elitists over careful and critical discernment of the truth.. Kenosis theologians assure us that, by "courageously" continuing to travel on this path of "compassion", "hospitality", "inclusion" and "tolerance", we will witness “the Spirit” renewing humanity and our planet in ways beyond our comprehension..

In opposition to the agenda of the proponents of kenosis theology, it must be noted that Jesus came to bring to fruition the truths proclaimed in the Law and by the prophets by His cooperation with the Holy Spirit in integrating them through a new covenant into Himself. He did not come to abrogate those truths through an amoral amorphous ambiguity, which leaves humanity subject to the ever-evolving secularist dictates of political correctness and promotes subjective opinions, unbridled gratification and values based moe on hormonal urges than on objective truth. Instead, He came to proclaim our accountability to objective virtues, discovered through a careful and docile discernment of the whole truth of God. 

But sadly, kenosis theology, by asserting that a noble end allows for those holding to these disciplines to be routinely maligned, ostracized, slandered or otherwise written off as undeserving of any serious consideration. Jesus Christ is not ever-evolving. He is the same - yesterday, today and forever (Heb 13:20). Thus it is that the real nature of Christ's kenosis is properly understood not so much as a dynamic of undisciplined and indiscriminae Self-emptying, but rather as one of a salvific and sanctifying Self-investment into our humanity and all its relationships, so as to bring to fulfillment all the promises graciously made through God's sacred covenantal commitments to Noah, Abraham, Moses and David. Jesus did not squander Himself for our salvation, but rather reverently and generously invested Himself into establishing a sacred and sanctifying communion with all those willing to receive His mercy and love through sincere ongoing repentance and the obedience of faith, which flows from humble docility and accountability to the whole truth of God.

Finally, it seems that kenosis theology may be used to support the premise that salvation history is to be divided into three eras. The first two millenia were the era of the Father. The second two millenia were the era of the Son. And the current third two millenia are to be seen as the era of the Spirit, Who is mysteriously and mystically drawing all of humanity through a New World Order into a One World Religion, which will presage the final decisive inbreaking of the Kingdom of God.
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As an addendum, it was sad that, on December 12, 2020, Pope Francis expressed his conviction that the assertion that Mary is Co-Redemptrix was "foolishness". This assertion would be true, if one were to embrace the paradigm of integral human nature as not intrinsically covenantal, but rather as radically aloof and alienated, and thus capable only of relationships which are parasitic, symbiotic or altruistic. In effect, since man is formed in God's image and likeness, such a rejection of the covenantal nature of man raises questions about the very trinitarian nature of God and seems to be a ratification of the Islamic theology, which proclaims Allah to be intrinsically aloof and altruistic - graciously but arbitrarily giving blessings as He sees fit, but neither desiring nor capable of having intimate relations with humanity or with His Creation.

Ironically, while Pope Francis asserted that Mary is the most perfect disciple of Jesus, he overlooked the fact that the perfect covenantal communion with Jesus,manifestd by Our Blessed Mother, is actually the most perfect form of both docility and discipleship. Such a denial of the basic ontological nature of covenantal communion would degrade such communion to the point of being merely a subjective, putative or psychological construct, which can easily be rearrange of terminated. Such is the rationale for permitting divorce and remarriage. This paradigm, which seems to be embraced by Pope Francis, aside from its Islamic nuances, is also quite compatible with the foundational principles of our secularized materialistic society - absolute subjectivity, invincible ambiguity and codependent whines that demand our showing an "inclusive" codependent compassion for those promoting ideas and practices contrary to the Gospel. Such a paradigm inevitably gives license to treating Jesus more as a mascot for one's agendas and lifestyle choices, rather than as the Master of our lives and our relationships, to Whom we are all accountable. Sadly, seems that this anthropoligical paradigm is strongly guiding the synodal process subtly guiding the deliberations of many of the Synodal Fathers. And whereas authentic transcendence is discovered through fidelity to the humility and docility of covenantal intimacy, synodality tends to embrace the secularist paradigm of seeking transcendence through various "quantum leaps" achieved through the accumulation of power, prestige and possessions. Thus it is that Pope Francis embraces as the guiding paradigm for human development athe secular idea of an impersonal evolution, rather than evocation, whereby God is calling humanity and all Creation into a sacred and sanctifying covenantal communion in Christ. And, although Jesus alone is God the Son, His very being is invested into obeying the call of the Holy Spirit to draw all dimensions of His humanity and relationships into a holy covenantal communion.

Thus it is that, when we proclaim in the Gloria, "You alone are the Holy One, You alone are the Lord, You alone are the Most High", we are not asserting the uniqueness of Jesus Christ to be an aloof, altruistic and alienated person, but rather one living "with the Holy Spirit, in the glory of God the Father." Apart from a sacred and sancifying covenantal communion with Him, we can do nothing but plant the seeds of degradation, desecration and destruction within ourselves and in the lives of thaose He entrusts to our care and our prayers..

Fr. Thomas R. Collins Hot Springs VA

frtrac1@hotmail.com