Modernism has infected much of Church today, watering down the true Faith and leading to compromised doctrine on teachings of morality. While it is easy to whine and complain about modernism, the question is why modernism has not only emerged but has spread and thrives so perniciously among those who profess Christ, both among the clergy and the laity. Even many of the most seemingly sound and solid in the Faith reveal their serious moral or theological error shortly after when pressed on certain matters, such as contraception, divorce, in vitro fertilization, and usury.
All heresy is the product of a rebellious heart that rejects God as the Truth and the arbitrator of Truth. It is the manifestation of the flesh that is weak, one unable to seek the will of God not because of a lack of intellectual capacity to understand truth, but because of self-love so strong that it kills one’s innate desire to seek truth, leading one to supress the truth by one’s wickedness (Romans 1:18).
Thus, heresies are all doctrines of the flesh, conceived in the flesh, born in error, and baptised by heresiarchs and their followers as ‘truths’ that are no truths at all, but error mixed with truth. At the heart of all heresy, regardless of shape or form, is the desire to not only sin, but to justify one’s sin while wanting to appear righteous, true, and good. Heresy is evil and wicked at its very core. God abominates all heresy, and no heretic shall inherit the Kingdom of Heaven.
Heresy is ultimately the justification for sin through its perversion of truth, leading to all manner of error, both moral and theological. Truth is simple but difficult to accept because of the innate rebellion of the flesh which desire to satisfy itself is so strong that it perverts the truth without realising it, completely blind to its error. Most heretics and heresiarchs do not even realise their error because of the lusts of the flesh and lusts of the eyes that blind them. Their pride renders them stubborn to persist in their error and despise correction. Such people are patently unholy and wicked in spite of their appearance of holiness and virtue.
These heretics, including false Christians, may be strict about all kinds of matters, but when it comes to their idols, such as material possessions, politics, romantic love, as well as marriage and family, they suddenly become liberal in their doctrine, supporting the sins of usury, unnatural sexual acts within marriage, contraception, and divorce. These people are no holier than the average professed unbeliever, with the only difference being that they have a false appearance of holiness and knowledge of God which they do not apply, rendering such knowledge to be not only attained in vain, but also to their greater damnation.
The inability to wholeheartedly accept all moral and theological truths from God in faith stems from the flesh. Though such people may profess the Faith, they still live in rebellion against God and hate God. Their lips profess to love God but inwardly they do not, and are guided by the flesh, not the spirit, leading to a myriad of errors.
The Virtue of Mortification
Most professing Christians are corrupted by modernism. They are under all kinds of error, both theological and moral. This is the result of their lack of virtue, especially the virtue of mortification. Instead of submitting to God, they think God must submit to them and their fleshly desire as they attempt to mould Him into their own image in accordance with their wayward, rebellious ways. They do not submit to Him, and nor do they fear Him, all while claiming to love Him and worship Him.
The mortification of the flesh is requisite to submitting to God in all things. This includes not only accepting all theological and moral truths, but also that these necessarily come from God who is the arbitrator of all truth. Without accepting all these truths on this basis alone, one is not living in accordance with the Truth. To reject even one theological or moral truth, or refuse to accept any such truths on the basis of God being the originator of the Truth, is to be in error. Such a person is a heretic.
Without the mortification of the flesh, there can be no whole-hearted submission to God, and without such submission, there can be no holiness. For without mortification, one will remain attached to the world and conformed to its ways. No matter how genuine one’s profession of faith or one’s belief in Christ may be, without mortifying the flesh, one cannot become holy and thereby enter Heaven. For as Saint Paul teaches:
For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit set their minds on the things of the Spirit. For to set the mind on the flesh is death, but to set the mind on the Spirit is life and peace. For the mind that is set on the flesh is hostile to God, for it does not submit to God’s law; indeed, it cannot. Those who are in the flesh cannot please God.
(Romans 8:5-8)
Mortification is a virtue because it is the destruction of all disordered love, all self-love which is the essence of all rebellion against God, all wickedness, and all evil. Without mortification, one cannot be pure in heart, and only those who are pure in heart can see God. Mortification is the requisite for sanctification, necessary for attaining holiness. As one pursues the virtue of mortification, one will not only become more virtuous, but that growing in virtue becomes less arduous as one’s thirst for holiness becomes greater and one’s hatred for anything unholy grows.
By contrast, the rejection of the doctrine of mortification is itself rebellion. Like all heresies, the modernist heresy is conceived in rebellion. But what makes modernism especially pernicious is its infection of all true doctrines by its denial that truth is necessarily from God, and its elevation of human wisdom that elevates man above God, thereby rejecting the truth that God is absolute and only the source of all truth.
The error of modernism is not only conceived from and ordered towards pursuing the will of the flesh and its vices; it must necessarily defend such vices to maintain its legitimacy as a philosophy. Its opposition to any doctrine in line with the natural law, especially as it pertains to moral virtue, is evidence of that and explains why those inculcated with modernism find it difficult to accept even the most basic of moral principles and the concept of morality as a theological concept itself. Any acceptance of moral virtue is driven by self-serving motives, such as the fear of suffering personal harm, rather than because virtue pleases God and vice offends Him.
Mortifying the Flesh is the Denouncement of Pleasure
Many professing Christians insist that holiness need not mean that one cannot seek pleasure, but to so think is to err, as well as demonstrate a sore lack of wisdom and understanding. Saint Paul condemns people in the Last Days for being ‘lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God’ (2 Timothy 3:4). One cannot be both a lover of pleasure and a lover of God. One either loves God or pleasure.
The question is, what is pleasure? Pleasure is the satisfaction of the senses. These senses appertain to the physical aspects of the human personality, being the sight, smell, hearing, touch, and taste. These senses are created by God to enable one to glorify Him, not for one to indulge in for one’s own self-satisfaction.
The love of pleasure is a vice. It is to please oneself rather than God. It is the love of self and all that the flesh desires. It is born out of an innately disordered self-love that loves self for the sake of self. It is unspiritual, the way of death, for it is to live in accordance with the flesh which is rebellious and evil. Every love that it has is ordered towards the self, incapable of loving God, and only hostile towards God.
Lovers of pleasure are those who desire a life of leisure and treasure, and of ease and comfort. They are lovers of self, rather than God (2 Timothy 3:2). They desire only a life of repose, and disdain the very idea of sacrificing one’s life for others in their service, wanting only to live a life of pleasure. The idea of serving God and neighbour is repugnant to them, while being all too happy for others to make sacrifices for them and serve them. They are self-centred, living for themselves, not for God. They do not think it worthy to serve their neighbours as motivated by charity towards them, but only use them for their own ends. They desire only their own gain, and see others as a means to attain the gain they desire, which is the satisfaction of their own lusts and pride.
The virtue of mortification necessarily requires the denouncement of pleasure, without which one cannot grow in spiritual strength but remain spiritually anaemic. Without mortification, one will remain wallowing about helplessly in sin, especially those that one is most prone to, often without realising the hurt such sin causes to oneself that one thinks indulging in such sin to be normal and good. One eventually develops a desire for the sin that one struggles with, and grows in the desire for it, like a seed in the ground that lies dormant for years but is developing inside and grows into a large tree.
In particular, one will be susceptible to certain strongholds, especially strongholds pertaining to lust, gluttony, greed, and envy – the four cardinal sins appertaining to the desire for satisfaction. These sins find something other than God to find satisfaction in. All sins, however, can only be battled by mortifying the flesh. This explains why there are many professing Christians who struggle with such sins despite hating them. For as Saint Paul testifies of the battle between the soul and the flesh:
For I do not understand my own actions. For I do not do what I want, but I do the very thing I hate. Now if I do what I do not want, I agree with the law, that it is good. So now it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells within me. For I know that nothing good dwells in me, that is, in my flesh. For I have the desire to do what is right, but not the ability to carry it out. For I do not do the good I want, but the evil I do not want is what I keep on doing. Now if I do what I do not want, it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells within me.
(Romans 7:15-20)
Succumbing to the will and desires of the flesh weakens a person both spiritually and morally. It diminishes the desires of a person to do the will of God, if such desire resides in him at all. For the desires of the flesh are hostile towards God, whereby it desires nothing but independence from God, which is the essence of human nature in relation to God and the things of God. The desires of the flesh are conceived in rebellion, birthed in its own desires, and which increases in its manifold wickedness, like a large tree with outstretched branches that began from a small seed. It grows in its hostility towards God as it pursues greater satisfaction of the flesh which appetite increases as it attempts to do so. The desires of the flesh are unquenchable like the destructiveness of Hellfire itself, and are inflamed by Hell itself. Just as ‘hell and destruction are never filled: so the eyes of men are never satisfied’ (Proverbs 27:20).
As a result of this weakness, a person will lack spiritual and moral courage. This lack of spiritual courage is characterised by the fear of surrendering to God, whereby one trusts God in all things. One resorts to trusting in one’s own ways instead of trusting in the ways of God, encompassing His wisdom, His promises, His provision, His grace, His peace, His power, and His goodness. Though he may profess Christ, he ventures into the world to find treasure, pleasure, and leisure to live what he regards as a ‘good life’ for no other reason than pleasing the world and following its ways, uncritically accepting what the world regards as the ‘good life’ to be the gospel truth.
A lack of spiritual courage leads him to fear accepting the counsel of God out of a worldly fear of how he would be perceived by other people, including not just worldlings but also those who profess Christ. He is constantly anxious about the state of the world, and the anxieties of this earthly, temporal life because of his own rebellion against God, in pursuing the lusts of the eye, lusts of the flesh, and pride of life, following the ways of the world which lives for and knows only how to pursue such desires for its own self-satisfaction.
The lack of moral courage accompanying this lack of spiritual courage is characterised by his assent to moral heresies, especially those that are popular with the world. He is susceptible to assenting to moral heresies, being tossed around by every wind of false moral doctrine and vain worldly philosophy. Since he seeks security in the world, rather than in God, he becomes concerned with pleasing others to succeed in the world, only to find that there is none, as he lives in constant fear and anxiety. He compromises on any moral doctrines he once might have adhered to dutifully and virtuously.
As he continues to appease the flesh, he becomes morally weak, degenerating over time into an increasingly immoral person, whereby he eventually becomes given over to the flesh and blinded in the intellect, lacking the ability to discern right from wrong, and good from evil. Anything that is good, right, and true, instils fear and anxiety in such a person because it not only exposes his wickedness, but also threatens his worldview in which he finds solace in justifying his own rebellion as the good and right path to satisfy his lusts and pride, as he persists in living a life of degeneracy. Such as person will know no peace, however, for ‘there is no peace [for] the wicked, saith the Lord’ (Isaiah 48:22).
This degeneracy is not only observed in those who do not profess Christ, but also many of those who do. In recent years, there has been the steady rise in the number of professing Christians who adhere to all kinds of evil ideologies rooted in not only heresy, but also a lack of charity, be it liberalism, modernism, ethnonationalism, or fascism. Such professing Christians are not true lovers of Christ, but heretics for whom Hellfire awaits, unless they repent before it is too late. Any rituals, sacraments, or ministry they may undertake in their efforts to become holy is all in vain because their adherence to heresy renders any good works they do to be completely unmeritorious.
Likewise, there has also been a recent surge in family annihilations whereby people have murdered their own spouse and children, owing to various reasons, be it a marriage breakdown, financial distress, or delusional, especially apocalyptic beliefs. This too is an example of moral degeneracy, which is the result of a darkened, disturbed mind that has become degenerate because of its own disordered thinking that begins with rebelling against God and His Truth. It is the result of a rebellious heart that becomes disordered, which leads to a darkened intellect and will, which in turn produces the rotten fruits of all kinds of degeneracy.
Furthermore, it is easy to think of oneself as one who will never commit such heinous sins and to label them as ‘monsters’ whose depravity is beyond human comprehension. Those who commit such sins never thought themselves capable of doing so, yet were driven to do so by the will of their fleshly desires which they could not overcome. The reality is that anyone is capable of committing those exact same sins that we condemn in such people if we too fail to mortify the flesh and faced the same adverse circumstances as such people.
Mortifying the Flesh is the Gracious Acceptance of Suffering
Saint John Bosco once said: “Your mortification should be your diligence in doing your duties and in putting up with the annoyances of others.” Such annoyances may be trivial, or serious but endurance in the midst of one’s afflictions is the essence of mortification. Without such suffering and affliction, there can be no mortification. Without mortification, there can be no sanctification. It is for this reason that God not only allows suffering, but orders our circumstances that one endures suffering for the sake of one’s sanctification, and ultimately, one’s Salvation. Without suffering, no one can see his need for God. It is not to be resisted, but embraced.
There is no sanctification without growth in virtue. A person’s virtue is tested not by prosperity, but by adversity. Suffering is necessary for spiritual growth, including advancement in moral virtue. This explains why those who are degenerate with absolutely no understanding of moral virtue are almost always those who have endured no hardship, affliction, or suffering. They are typically those who grew up in prosperity, and attain more prosperity with relative ease later in life, enjoying all manner of comfort, leisure, and pleasure. Such things are all they have ever known. People who enjoy such things only, and live a life free from all affliction, suffering, and hardship are seen as ‘blessed’ in the eyes of the world, but such people are accursed.
God is a God who tests and tries, to bring people who He has chosen for Salvation to see their need for Him, as well as sanctify them. Patience is the gracious acceptance of affliction. It is through such affliction by which a person is humbled and receives the grace to see not only his real need for God, but that God is the only one, the only thing, he needs. Such patience is pleasing to God that He will reward both in this earthly life, and the next.
It is through patience that one acquires the virtue of mortification. Endurance of affliction reaps humility, and humility reaps patience, a virtue in its own right. Patience and humility are not merely the prerequisite but the foundation of mortification. Without these two virtues, there can be no mortification.
Not only does mortification requires the denouncement of pleasure in detaching oneself from the world, rejecting the pursuit of pleasure, but also the gracious acceptance of suffering. It is the sign of one’s true love for God, in not loving oneself, but loving God and God alone. Father Gabriel surmised it best: “Mortification, which is suffering eagerly accepted for the love of God, is one of the greatest proofs of love that we can give Him.”
Suffering is an affliction of the soul. It is precisely because it is an assault on the soul which desires pleasure, comfort, security, and ease that it is necessary for mortification. Suffering challenges the natural inclination of the flesh that craves only such things and compels it to seek God. The pain of suffering is the way by which God draws people to Christ, to whom no one can come ‘unless the Father draws him’ according to Christ Himself (John 6:44).
From a worldly perspective, suffering is not and could not be a blessing by any measure, but only a tragedy, a meaningless, miserable existence that reaps no joy or pleasure. A person who suffers has no joy, no hope, no love, existing not only for the sake of existing, but whose life is unworthy of living. It is for this reason that worldlings who suffer hardship, affliction, or pain are always trying to find ways to console themselves and primarily focused on their own healing through all kinds of worldly means, rather than embrace suffering. Such people are selfishly focused on their own healing, wanting to escape it, instead of graciously accepting their suffering in humble submission before God.
Once the worldling finally escapes from his suffering, if he eventually does, he becomes as the well-to-do worldlings who are smug behind their wealth, only too happy to live a life of comfort and ease, indulging in their worldly pleasure and treasure. He expresses no gratitude towards either God or anyone else. He does not even think to be filled with gratitude because of his pride. He curses those who have caused him suffering out of his love of self, not out of a holy love for God that rightly desires the punishment of the wicked as did King David in his imprecatory prayers against his oppressors.
Contrary to this worldly view, however, suffering is a blessing, for it is a sign of God’s grace upon one. It is in such suffering whereby one is being drawn to God, granting one the opportunity for Salvation. Those who suffer are faced with either turning away from God, owing to anger towards God, or drawn close to God unto Salvation.
The worldling who is proud in heart, despises God for the suffering he endures in this life. He sees the injustice of it all as reason to hate God. He is fuelled by rage. He thrives on anger. He is driven to hatred. He is full of prideful unforgiveness. He lacks generosity and compassion towards others, and even despises the needy. In his unrighteous anger, he is driven to seek justice in an unrighteous manner, motivated by a worldly love of self. Any righteousness he speaks of is false, his thinking fundamentally based on error upon error.
The worldling who is humbled by suffering is being drawn to God. He is closer to heaven than the proud religious who think themselves so high and mighty, for all their participation in religious rituals and sacraments, but who are stiff-necked and rebellious, their religiosity amounting to nothing but an outward veneer that will be precisely what will damn them to an eternity in Hell on the Day of Judgment.
These proud religious people profess to love God but their hearts are far from Him (Isaiah 29:13; Ezekiel 33:31; Matthew 15:7–9). Their professed love for God is a sham, their religiosity conceals their hatred for God for not satisfying their lust of the eyes, lust of the flesh, and the pride of life. They are like the Rich Young Ruler who ran up to Jesus, asking “How can I inherit eternal life?”, only to be rebuked by Christ who told him that in spite of his perfect adherence to the commandments of the law since his youth, his love for mammon is why he cannot enter Heaven (Matthew 19:16-22; Mark 10:17-27).
In no way does Christ’s rebuke of the Rich Young Ruler only apply to him, as many try to claim. It applies to all. For the same Christ who told the Rich Young Ruler that he cannot enter Heaven because of his attachment to wealth stated “No one can serve both God and mammon. He will love one and hate the other” (Matthew 6:24). You and I are no different from the rich young ruler in our natural tendency to pursue mammon to satisfy our own fleshly desires, rather than surrender to God.
By contrast, the godly who are humble in heart are continually sanctified by their suffering. They grow in holiness, shining more brightly each day in their love for God and their neighbour. Their virtuousness becomes purer by the day as they endure their trials, tribulations, and temptations that God has willed for them by ordering their circumstances, while the wicked grow in rage towards God for their own suffering, and delight in the suffering of others. In their humility, they graciously accept the suffering that God has ordained them to endure in this life, desiring neither worldly power, earthly treasure, a comfortable, secure life, nor even consolation from God, never blaming God or despising those who have caused them suffering, but rather, possessing an attitude of compassion towards all, and graciousness towards their enemies, especially those responsible for their suffering.
Mortification of the Flesh is the Way to True Holiness
There is none who is righteous by nature (Romans 3:10). The fallen human nature is wayward, rebellious, perverse, and impossible to tame by the arms of the flesh or worldly means. It is only by mortifying the flesh that a person can be holy before the Lord. Mortification of the flesh is not only necessary for advancement in the spiritual life towards attaining greater holiness, but for one’s Salvation as one is being saved. Hence Saint Paul’s exhortation to, ‘work out your own salvation with fear and trembling’ (Philippians 2:12).
Without mortification, there can be no true holiness, but only a lukewarm faith that despite its sincere profession of Christ, is not a saving faith. Such a person will not enter Heaven. Without the mortification of the flesh, there can be no Salvation, but only eternal damnation.
Mortification of the flesh requires complete submission to God, in all His ways. This includes the whole-hearted acceptance of all truths from God, and that these truths are true because they are arbitrated by God. It also includes the denouncement of pleasure, and the humble, gracious acceptance of suffering in this life.
Let us all mortify the flesh daily, walking in humility and graciousness, as we grow in holiness.
For if you live according to the flesh you will die, but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live.
(Romans 8:13)
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