The Golden Principle - Bp. Donald Sanborn 04-20-15

SummaryBp. Donald Sanborn is a detailed theological lecture focused on the nature of the Catholic Church, its identity, and the crisis it faces in the modern era, particularly since the Second Vatican Council (Vatican II). Using biblical imagery, especially that of the Good Shepherd and his flock, His Excellency explains the Church as both an invisible spiritual reality led by Christ and a visible institution governed by the Catholic hierarchy. Membership in the Church is grounded in the virtue of faith, baptism, and submission to this hierarchy. The speaker warns that this membership can be lost through heresy or schism, which destroy faith or disobedience to the Church’s authority, respectively.The core of the homily critiques Vatican II and its reforms, describing them as a substantial and heretical alteration of Catholic doctrine and practice. According to the speaker, the Vatican II hierarchy has broken the Church’s indefectibility—its divine protection from teaching error—and thus cannot be the true Catholic hierarchy. This creates a crisis because the official Church leadership is seen as having introduced a “new religion” that deviates from authentic Catholicism. Bp. Sanborn contrasts two logical positions: either accept the Vatican II hierarchy and its changes as legitimately Catholic or reject them as heretical and thus outside the Church. He rejects the position of the Society of St. Pius X (SSPX) for continuing to acknowledge the Vatican II hierarchy while opposing its reforms, branding this stance as schismatic and inconsistent with Catholic doctrine.Bp. Sanborn emphasizes the importance of remaining faithful to the “Good Shepherd” — Christ — and warns against the “wolves” in sheep’s clothing, namely the modern clergy who promote what the speaker considers false doctrine. He concludes with a call to reject the modernist alterations and maintain fidelity to true Catholicism as defined by tradition and the Church’s indefectibility.HighlightsThe Catholic Church is both a visible institution led by the hierarchy and an invisible spiritual body led by Christ, the Good Shepherd.Membership in the Church requires the virtue of faith, baptism, and submission to the Catholic hierarchy.Heresy and schism are the primary ways to lose membership in the Church; heresy destroys faith, while schism rejects legitimate Church authority.Vatican II and its reforms represent a substantial and heretical alteration of Catholic doctrine, violating the Church’s indefectibility.The modern Vatican II hierarchy is declared heretical and thus not the true Catholic hierarchy.The position of the Society of St. Pius X is criticized for being schismatic because it denies the authority of the modern hierarchy while still recognizing it.Catholics must reject the “wolves” in sheep’s clothing and remain faithful to the true Catholic Church as led by Christ, avoiding the false religion imposed by modernist clergy.Key InsightsTheological Foundation of Church Membership: Bp. Sanborn underscores that faith is not merely personal conviction but assent to divine revelation mediated by the Church’s teaching authority. This aligns closely with traditional Catholic ecclesiology, where the Church’s magisterium is essential for true faith, highlighting the inseparability of faith and Church authority.Indefectibility as a Dogma: The homily hinges on the doctrine of indefectibility, the belief that the Church will not and cannot teach error in matters of faith and morals. This principle is foundational in Catholic theology and is used here as a litmus test to evaluate the legitimacy of post-Vatican II changes.Heresy as the Ultimate Severance: Heresy is portrayed not just as a doctrinal error but as the “killer” of Church membership because it destroys the virtue of faith. This sharp delineation emphasizes the seriousness with which the speaker treats deviations from orthodox teaching.Legal and Invisible Bonds of the Church: The distinction between visible (legal) and invisible (spiritual) bonds of Church membership provides a nuanced understanding of how someone can be formally within the Church yet spiritually detached through heresy or schism. This duality is used to explain the ambiguous situation of many post-Vatican II Catholics.Critique of Vatican II as a “Substantial Alteration”: Bp. Sanborn’s condemnation of Vatican II as a heretical rupture challenges the widely accepted view of the Council as a legitimate development within the Church’s tradition. This critique is central to traditionalist Catholic arguments and highlights deep divisions within Catholicism today.Logical Consequences of Positions on Vatican II: The homily outlines two mutually exclusive logical positions — acceptance of the Vatican II hierarchy as legitimate or rejection of it as heretical. This binary framing forces a choice that defines one’s entire ecclesiological stance and practical relationship with the Church.Schism and the Society of St. Pius X: The SSPX is criticized for what is seen as a contradictory position: rejecting the post-Vatican II reforms while still acknowledging the Vatican II hierarchy’s legitimacy. Bp. Sanborn argues this is schismatic because it involves disobedience to the Church’s lawful authority, illustrating the complex tensions within traditionalist movements.Authority and the Common Good: The analogy of authority being inherently ordered to the common good is used to justify resistance to a hierarchy that promotes heresy, suggesting that such a hierarchy automatically loses legitimate authority. This appeals to a natural law reasoning that authority cannot be legitimately used for evil ends.Call to Fidelity and Resistance: The homily ends with an exhortation to remain faithful to Christ and reject false teachers within the Church, framing the post-Vatican II crisis as a spiritual battle between the Good Shepherd and wolves in sheep’s clothing, urging Catholics to discern and choose true doctrine over imposed error.Bp. Sanborn offers a comprehensive traditionalist critique of the post-conciliar Church, emphasizing faith, authority, and the Church’s indefectibility while diagnosing contemporary ecclesial upheaval as a crisis rooted in heresy and schism introduced by Vatican II and its aftermath.TrueCatholicFaith.com