The visibility of the Church does not require that the faithful or the hierarchy be seen in every single geographical location around the globe. This has never been the case. Simply, the visibility of the Church signifies real Catholic faithful who externally profess the one true religion, even if they are reduced to a very small number. These faithful who externally profess the one true religion will always remain the visible Church of Christ, even if their ranks are reduced to just a handful. And that is precisely what is predicted to happen at the end of the world. St. Athanasius: Even if Catholics faithful to tradition are reduced to a handful, they are the ones who are the true Church of Jesus Christ.” Our Lord Himself indicates that the size of the Church will become frighteningly small in the last days. Luke 18:8: “But yet, when the Son of man cometh, shall He find, think you, faith on earth?” The Apocalypse of St. John seems to indicate the same. Apocalypse 11:1-2: “And there was given me a reed like unto a rod, and it was said to me: Arise, and measure the temple of God, and the altar, and them that adore in it. But the court, which is without the temple, cast out, and measure it not, because it is given to the Gentiles…” The Haydock version of the Douay-Rheims Bible, a popular compilation of Catholic commentary on the Scriptures by Rev. Fr. Geo. Leo Haydock, contains the following comment on Apoc. 11:1-2. Catholic Commentary on Apoc. 11:1-2, Haydock version of the Douay-Rheims Bible: “THE CHURCHES CONSECRATED TO THE TRUE GOD, ARE SO MUCH DIMINISHED IN NUMBER, that they are represented by St. John as one church; ITS MINISTERS OFFICIATE AT ONE ALTAR; AND ALL THE TRUE FAITHFUL ARE SO FEW, WITH RESPECT TO THE BULK OF MANKIND, that the evangelist sees them assembled in one temple, to pay their adorations to the Most High. - Pastorini.” During the Arian crisis the true Faith was eliminated from entire regions, so much so that there were hardly any Catholic bishops to be found anywhere. Fr. William Jurgens: “At one point in the Church’s history, only a few years before Gregory’s [Nazianz] present preaching (+380 A.D.), PERHAPS THE NUMBER OF CATHOLIC BISHOPS IN POSSESSION OF SEES, AS OPPOSED TO ARIAN BISHOPS IN POSSESSION OF SEES, WAS NO GREATER THAN SOMETHING BETWEEN 1% AND 3% OF THE TOTAL. HAD DOCTRINE BEEN DETERMINED BY POPULARITY, today we should all be deniers of Christ and opponents of the Spirit.” Fr. William Jurgens: “In the time of the Emperor Valens (4th century), Basil was virtually the only orthodox Bishop in all the East who succeeded in retaining charge of his see… If it has no other importance for modern man, A KNOWLEDGE OF THE HISTORY OF ARIANISM SHOULD DEMONSTRATE AT LEAST THAT THE CATHOLIC CHURCH TAKES NO ACCOUNT OF POPULARITY AND NUMBERS IN SHAPING AND MAINTAINING DOCTRINE: else, we should long since have had to abandon Basil and Hilary and Athanasius and Liberius and Ossius and call ourselves after Arius.” The Arian heresy became so widespread in the 4th century that the Arians (who denied the Divinity of Christ) came to occupy almost all the Catholic churches and appeared to be the legitimate hierarchy basically everywhere.So also the Vatican apostates clergies who deniy almost all the catholic Dogmas are also appearing as the legitimate The Arian heresy became so widespread in the 4th century that the Arians (who denied the Divinity of Christ) came to occupy almost all the Catholic churches and appeared to be the legitimate hierarchy basically everywhere. St. Ambrose (+382): “There are not enough hours in the day for me to recite even the names of all the various sects of heretics.” St. Gregory Nazianz, “Against the Arians” (+380): “Where are they who revile us for our poverty and pride themselves in their riches? THEY WHO DEFINE THE CHURCH BY NUMBERS AND SCORN THE LITTLE FLOCK?”
Posted on: Fri, 12 Dec 2014 07:32:15 +0000