Good time for this message

There’s something about human nature that loves secrets, and especially being ‘in’ on them. That’s the modern form of ancient Gnosticism, revived as a pop-culture phenomenon. And it’s why Benedict, in today’s audience at St. Peter’s on how St. Iranaeus fought the heresies of the early Gnostics, focuses the lens (without referring to them in particular) on the rash of neo-Gnostic books and films spreading out there these days.

Remember, Iranaeus was one of the earliest Fathers of the Church, a follower of Polycarp who followed St. John.

“As a writer –said Benedict XVI – he had the twin aim of defending true doctrine from heretical attacks and of exposing with great clarity the truth of faith”.  His works “can be defined as a most ancient Catechism”. At a time when the Church was threatened by Gnostic doctrine according to which “ the Church’s teachings of faith were merely symbolic for the simple incapable of true comprehension”, while the initiated were the only ones capable of understanding the meaning behind those symbols.  But “in this way a Christianity for the elite, the intelligencia was being formed”, which risked diversifying itself into many different schools of thought with “strange curios yet attractive elements”.

Catch that phrase in the middle of this snip? Gnostics believe the Church’s teachings are symbolic and for the simple-minded who can’t penetrate their depths, while really intellectual people understand the deeper and hidden meanings behind these teachings. Bunk, said Iranaeus…in so many words. And Benedict reminds folks caught up in neo-Gnosticism today that it’s still bunk, and Iranaeus’ message is timely right now. Skeptics can trace it back for authenticity.

The Gospel Irenaeus preached was the Gospel preached by his teacher Polycarp, who in turn received it from the Apostle John in an unbroken line of succession going back to Christ himself” and that this faith was taught “simply” but at the same time with great “depth”. “There is no secret doctrine, a superior Christianity for intellectuals, does not exist”, the faith which is taught is faith for everybody, publicly transmitted by the apostles to their successors the bishops.  Among these the teachings of the Church in Rome must be considered above all, as it traces its roots to the apostles Peter and Paul.  All other Churches must agree themselves to it.

That’s the basis for the ‘Scripture and Tradition’ teaching of the Catholic Church.

The Pope affirmed, this is where the genuine concept of tradition…comes from, and which has three essential characteristics.  First “it is “public”, because it is available to all through the teaching of the Bishops; to know the true doctrine it is enough to know the faith as taught by the bishops successors.

Secondly , the apostolic tradition “is “one”, because its content remains the same despite the variety of languages and cultures;”.  Benedict XVI here recalled some of the excerpts from Irenaeus book on heresies when he says “even though the Church is disseminated throughout the world, it holds the faith of the apostles as if it were one single home, spoken with one single tongue”. 

And finally the apostolic tradition is, in the Greek word “pneumatic”, because, through it, the Holy Spirit continues to enliven and renew the Church even today”. “It is not a case of the transmission of faith being entrusted to men who are more or less capable, but it is the Spirit of God who guarantees the truth of faith”.

Now apply this to the pop-theology so faddish these days with “The DaVinci Code”, “The Gospel of Judas”, “The Lost Tomb of Jesus” and “The Secret”, among others. Our Sunday Visitor just did a cover story on that last one, available here. What’s not available without subscription is the accompanying editorial which says this:

Everybody loves secrets. There is something exciting about possessing knowledge that no one else has or that very few share…

Hence, the popularity of neo-Gnosticism based as it is on…secret knowledge.

“The Secret” is cleverly composed to make itself appear compatible with a variety of traditional religious persuasions while adhering to none. In fact, it is really a mishmash of New Age philosophies and a heady whiff of Gnosticism, a stubborn early Christian heresy that posited a secret knowledge shared by Jesus with only a few of his followers. Like all heresies, it keeps returning in various guises.

Don’t be duped. Iranaeus said that to the earliest Christians, and Benedict continues teaching the truths handed on since then in an unbroken succession. There are good resources out there to get the real truths that these products of the pop-culture distort so insidiously. Carl Olson and Sandra Miesel have a great one in “The DaVinci Hoax“. Amy Welborn has both “de-coding DaVinci” and “de-coding Mary Magdalene”. And Ascension Press has good ones that pick apart all the fiction while teaching the truth.

The truth is exciting enough, especially when you stumble upon it by surprise.