(The corruption of the best is the worst!). 13. Why, then, do they come at such a high price for both God and us? I. Is it at death or sometime before? Rather, Hell is eternal because the decision of the damned is irrevocable. And then that wicked one shall be revealed: whom the Lord Jesus shall kill with the spirit of his mouth and shall destroy with the brightness of his coming: him In dealing with human sin--the "mystery of iniquity"--we are dealing with a mystery, which means something that exceeds the grasp of reason alone. Our greatest strengths are also our greatest struggles. When Paul speaks the word mystery it’s not a statement he uses lightly. "I am writing these things to you so that you may not sin. First Station: Jesus is condemned to death, 5 prayers you should say this Lenten Season News, Eighth Station: Jesus meets the women of Jerusalem, Fourteenth Station: Jesus is laid in the tomb. DV, No. Our tour has yielded only crumbs. To all our readers, Please don't scroll past this. Bible Verses about Mystery of Iniquity. DV, No. In his encyclical on the Holy Spirit Dominum et Vivificantem, Blessed John Paul II discussed the meaning of the Holy Spirit's role in convincing the world of sin. 7 For the mystery of iniquity doth already work: only he who now letteth will let, until he be taken out of the way. Contents: Pt. What is the glory of our yes if it is not possible to utter a no? The mystery of iniquity is so profound and so terrifying that it should send us running to God as fast as we can exclaiming, “Lord save me from myself, from my obtuseness, my hardened heart, my rebelliousness, and my iniquity. The mystery of iniquity causes the world and the church to be in grave crisis; Pt. Site by Glass Canvas, The Latin root of the English word “iniquity”. It is hard to say, but here we reach the deepest mystery: the permanently unrepentant heart. As the Catechism of the Catholic Church teaches, the eternity of Hell is not due to a defect in divine mercy (CCC # 393). In doing so, we cannot ignore the operative word “mystery.” We must ponder with humility, realizing that some of what we are confronting is revealed, but much of it is hidden. Scripture more than hints at the fact that a third of the angels fell from Heaven in this rebellion, before the creation of man (, Thus, ascribing iniquity and lawlessness to human weakness, How could angels, with a nature and intellect far more glorious than ours, knowingly reject. Human ills have plagued the world since the primeval fall of our first parents. The mystery of iniquity is so profound and so terrifying that it should send us running to God as fast as we can exclaiming, “Lord save me from myself, from my obtuseness, my hardened heart, my rebelliousness, and my iniquity. The mystery only deepens. We enter this world with a cry, and we leave it with a sigh. Copyright © 2021 Catholic Standard what is good, true, and beautiful? The glory of our freedom and our intellect are abused. We must pray for the Holy Spirit to "convince" the world concerning sin. - Why do we, who are otherwise rational creatures, choose to do that which we know is wrong? 4. And now you know what is holding him back, so that he may be revealed at the proper time. Even then, when the gospel shone so brightly, the Spirit of God bore this clear and distinct testimony by Paul: “THE MYSTERY OF’ INIQUITY DOTH ALREADY WORK,” (2 Thess ii 7.) Hence, I propose that we ponder the “mystery of iniquity,” which is already here. "It is not possible to grasp the evil of sin in all its sad reality," Pope John Paul II continues, "without 'searching the depths of God.'" In our lives as Catholics we should cultivate the knowledge of the viciousness of sin--both its natural viciousness and its supernatural malice. He explained that the mysterium iniquitatis or “mystery of iniquity” was “not the sin of Adam and Eve” but the sin of Lucifer. Yes, the great mystery of iniquity! Over time, the demands of God’s justice seem increasingly obnoxious. - The intellect and free will are arguably God’s greatest gifts. If you donate just $5.00, the price of your coffee, Catholic Online School could keep thriving. Catholic Online is a Project of Your Catholic Voice Foundation, a Not-for-Profit Corporation. For Helwys the "mystery of iniquity" was "a working power of Satan," and, given his historical context, he saw this evil especially in the pomp, the power, and the polity of the Roman Catholic and Anglican Churches who conspired with governments to deny freedom of conscience. If you donate just $5.00, or whatever you can, Catholic Online could keep thriving for years. 3. Save me from the lawlessness in me! Paul seems to be writing in a kind of secret code: Concerning the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our being gathered to him, we ask you, brothers and sisters, not to become easily unsettled or alarmed by the teaching allegedly from us—whether by a prophecy or by word of mouth or by letter—asserting that the day of the Lord has already come. I cannot understand it, let alone save myself from it! For those looking solely for experience to prove validity, they will easily be sucked into the deception. Others speculate that, at least in this fallen world, contrast is necessary to highlight the glory of truth. For the mystery of lawlessness is already at work; but the one who now holds it back will continue to do so till he is taken out of the way. Some scholars say that Paul is referring to the Roman government (which I doubt). For the mystery of iniquity doth already work: only he who now letteth will let, until he be taken out of the way. Of course, God’s law is none of these things, but as the darkness grows within a heart, the light seems more and more obnoxious and hateful. Don’t let anyone deceive you in any way, for that day will not come until the rebellion occurs and the man of lawlessness is revealed, the man doomed to destruction. wherein we ponder the mysterious reality of lawlessness that seems so operative among us, individually and collectively. Jesus has chosen to confide his Church to a man. Reason is not enough to convince us of sin's depravity. THE "MYSTERY OF INIQUITY" is the power unseen, unknown except by its effects, which is ever working in the world for evil — working against the law and will of God, corrupting what has been well done and well begun by man, causing misery in the natural world in all that man has to do with, through the mischief which it works in the moral and spiritual world, in the heart and soul … and thus we give way easily to temptation. Perhaps it is not a mystery that is meant to be solved, but to be accepted and to cause us to turn to God, who alone understands. Rather, Hell is eternal because the decision of the damned is irrevocable. I’d like to explore how it affects us, both personally and collectively. We know that choosing evil leads to harm in the long run. How does a soul end up in this state? Only you, Lord, can save me from my greatest threat, my greatest enemy: my very self.”. Any unauthorized use, without prior written consent of Catholic Online is strictly forbidden and prohibited. We know that choosing evil leads to harm in the long run. There is a phrase in the Scriptures that, while speaking of mystery, is itself a bit mysterious and is debated among scholars: the “mystery of iniquity.” St. Paul mentions it in Second Thessalonians and ties it to an equally mysterious “man of iniquity” who will appear before Jesus’ second coming. You can contact Andrew at [email protected]. “At the heart of liberty is the right to define one’s own concept of existence, of meaning, of the universe, and of the mystery of human life.” Are we weak? When does a soul reach the point of no return? DV, No. “For the mystery of iniquity already worketh; only that he who now holdeth, do hold, until he be taken out of the way.” (2 Thess, 2,7) Pope Francis continues to use the Year of Mercy to flog the Church towards the great 500th anniversary of … Even these reasonable speculations cannot fully address the mystery of why so. We must work toward developing a healthy and habitual fear--out of love of God--of sin, so that we can say with the saints: Death rather than sin! There was a great rebellion among the angels. While this offers some insight, it does not ultimately solve the mystery, for we consistently seem to choose to do that which we know is wrong or harmful. "It is a quite special unparalleled malice, the depth of which the created intellect can no more plumb than it can comprehend the sublimity of the grace to which that malice runs counter. All this requires “the love of Peter,” wrote Cardinal Sarah: “The mystery of Peter is a mystery of faith. The present-day crisis analyzed: the mystery of iniquity opposes the reign of Jesus Christ the king; Pt. The hardened soul starts to sneer at God’s law, calling it intolerant, backwards, and simplistic. The reason why reason alone cannot fully grasp the gravity of sin and recourse to the Holy Spirit and the Cross of Christ is necessary is because there is, in fact, a two-fold aspect to any serious sin: a natural aspect and the more significant supernatural aspect of which reason is ignorant. As St. Paul says, For the mystery of lawlessness is already at work. The persecution that accompanies her pilgrimage on earth will unveil the “mystery of iniquity” in the form of a religious deception offering men an apparent solution to their problems at the price of apostasy from the truth. Yes, but that is not the complete answer. Our greatest strengths are also our greatest struggles. The Corruption of the Best and Brightest - The intellect and free will are arguably God’s greatest gifts. DV, No. Nay, grant that I may rather die a thousand deaths, than ever commit one mortal sin. Why do we choose evil, knowing that it is evil? Some argue that our will has been weakened on account of original sin and thus we give way easily to temptation. Pope John Paul II recognizes this dual depravity of sin--natural and supernatural--in his Encyclical on the Holy Spirit when he states that sin is the "contradiction to the presence of the Spirit of God in creation," but is "above all" a "contradiction to God's salvific self-communication to man," that is, sanctifying grace, the gift of the Holy Spirit. Can it get any worse? The rejection of the natural moral order is, at least implicitly, a rejection of the Word of God who established that law in the creation of the world, the Word "who is also the eternal law, the source of every law which regulates the world and especially human acts." It is hard to say, but here we reach the deepest mystery: the permanently unrepentant heart. - The mystery only deepens when we consider that this is not just a human problem; it is also an angelic one. - Many today like to blame God for Hell, and they particularly scoff at the notion that Hell is eternal. Even the most minor prohibition makes the thing seem all the. We ought to be able to say and really mean--without false piety or hypocrisy, but with sincerity--the words of the spiritual writer Alfonso Rodriguez, or St. Francis de Sales, or even the young St. Dominic Savio. Your Catholic Voice Foundation has been granted a recognition of tax exemption under Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code. 3. In his work The Practice of Christian and Religious Perfection, the Jesuit priest Alfonso Rodriguez frames the sentiment this way: "Let me rather die than sin. We are back to confronting our mysterious rebelliousness, stubbornness, and hardness of heart; our almost knee-jerk tendency to bristle when we are told what to do, even if we know it to be good for us and others. Lest we forget, he let this man betray him thrice in the face of all, before handing him the keys of his Church. Today, we humbly ask you to defend Catholic Online's independence. Understanding the Mystery of Iniquity ... - Catholic Online "If the creature is truly elevated by grace to the dignity of a child of God, the malice of his sin is as unprecedented and mysterious as is the position in which he had entered relative to God," Scheeben writes. Liberty becomes license; lasciviousness and intellect become insubordination and intransigence. What is the glory of our yes if it is not possible to utter a no? Here is a song from my youth that celebrates rebellion, iniquity, and lawlessness. Can it get any worse? 98% of our readers don't give; they simply look the other way. The mystery only deepens. St. Paul mentions this mystery in 2 Thessalonians and ties it to an equally mysterious “man of iniquity” who will appear before Jesus’ second coming. He maintains a blog entirely devoted to the natural law called Lex Christianorum. Perhaps God, who is love, saw love as so magnificent that even its rejection by some could not overrule its glory in those who accepted it. reason is ignorant. We are back to confronting our mysterious rebelliousness, stubbornness, and hardness of heart; our almost knee-jerk tendency to bristle when we are told what to do, even if we know it to be good for us and others. For the mystery of lawlessness is already at work; but the one who now holds it back will continue to do so till he is taken out of the way. When does a soul reach the point of no return? There lurks that rebellious voice that says, “I will not be told what to do! 33. (John 14:26)  One of those things that Jesus specifically says the Holy Spirit would teach us is what might be called sin's trilogy:  "He will convince the world," Jesus says, "concerning sin and righteousness and judgment." Thus, ascribing iniquity and lawlessness to human weakness cannot be a complete answer. We must rouse ourselves from our laxity. Let’s look at the mystery of iniquity in four parts, wherein we ponder the mysterious reality of lawlessness that seems so operative among us, individually and collectively. Save me from the lawlessness in me! That phrase comes down through the centuries to us, provoking us to ponder its rich meaning. Here is the deep “mystery of iniquity” having nothing to do with the flesh, or with sensuality, or with human limits. I will do what I want to do, and I will decide whether it is right or wrong.”. (John 16:7). Don’t you remember that when I was with you, I used to tell you these things? Only the Catholic has a fundamental remedy for social problems, for only the Catholic diagnosis the basic cause, which is the mystery of iniquity. Death rather than sin! Surely God foresaw that many angels and human beings would reject Him. While this offers some insight, it does not ultimately solve the mystery, for we consistently seem to choose to do that which we know is wrong or harmful. As Matthias Scheeben writes in his The Mysteries of Christianity: "Sin," from the perspective of the natural order, "is the privation, the exclusion of justice, an opposition set up against the moral order established by God. But a serious sin does more than outrage the natural moral order. If we don't, we must turn to the Holy Spirit, the Holy Spirit whom Christ promised would "convince" us "concerning sin, righteousness, and judgment." The Antichrist, who leads the descent into lawlessness, will set a new standard of depravity. The Latin root of the English word “iniquity” is iniquitas (in (not) + aequus (equal)), meaning unjust or harmful, but the Greek μυστήριον τῆς ἀνομίας (mysterion tes anomias) is probably best rendered as “mystery of lawlessness.” Many modern translations use the “mystery of lawlessness,” though it doesn’t have quite the same ring to it. One way that the world by know and be convinced of its sin is witness. Translation issues aside, Paul seems to be writing in a kind of secret code: Concerning the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our being gathered to him, we ask you, brothers and sisters, not to become easily unsettled or alarmed by the teaching allegedly from us—whether by a prophecy or by word of mouth or by letter—asserting that the day of the Lord has already come. Yes, the danger is that we focus on the future, which is murky, and ignore the present. The rejection of the supernatural life of grace and our divinization, which occurs with each mortal sin done with knowledge and consent, is particularly foul and particularly vicious, even malicious. Show the volunteers who bring you reliable, Catholic information that their work matters. It’s foolish and mysterious! The stubbornness and hardness of heart of the damned reach a point of no return. Why do we do that which endangers us, threatens us, compromises our future, and further weakens us? If you are one of our rare donors, you have our gratitude and we warmly thank you. ", From the perspective of sanctifying grace and the order of Redemption, sin "not only opposes the law of God, not only resists God as Lawgiver, not only besmirches the dignity and position of the sinner: it runs counter to his own interior hunger and love for God and God's law, counter to his own interior and goodness.". Your gift is tax-deductible as allowed by law. Yes, the great mystery of iniquity! Do we honestly share in the sentiment of these model Christians? It is the deep, almost unfathomable mystery of our very own iniquity, our lawlessness, our irrational refusal to be under any law or restraint. The Angelic Rebellion - The mystery only deepens when we consider that this is not just a human problem; it is also an angelic one. Perhaps it is not a mystery that is meant to be solved but to be accepted and to cause us to turn to God, who alone understands. What is light if there is no darkness with which to compare it? Why, then, do they come at such a high price for both God and us? St. Paul says, More tortuous than anything is the human heart, beyond remedy; who can understand it? 48. ", This is also the counsel of St. Francis de Sales in his Introduction to a Devout Life: "Acknowledge boldly that you try to meditate that you would rather die than commit a mortal sin.". 39. Don’t let anyone deceive you in any way, for that day will not come until the rebellion occurs and the man of lawlessness is revealed, the man doomed to destruction. '2 Thess., 2,7. Even the most minor prohibition makes the thing seem all the more desirable to us. Show the volunteers who bring you reliable, Catholic information that their work matters. The glory of our freedom and our intellect are abused. According to John Paul II, this "mystery of iniquity" is opposed by yet another mystery, another truth inaccessible to reason: the "mystery of piety" (mysterium pietatis), that is to say, the entirety of Catholic truth and practice. Some contend that we are choosing what we perceive to be good, but despite our darkened intellects and our tendency to lie to ourselves, deep down we really know better. And now you know what is holding him back, so that he may be revealed at the proper time. The Catholic, on the other hand, is like a physician who gives the sedative indeed but then proceeds to the difficult and delicate operation which brings a permanent cure. I, alone, the LORD, explore the mind and test the heart. He will oppose and will exalt himself over everything that is called God or is worshiped, so that he sets himself up in God’s temple, proclaiming himself to be God. In 1944, Father Paul Furfey, former professor and head of the Department of Sociology at the Catholic University of America, published a book called, The Mystery of Iniquity. 675 Before Christ's second coming the Church must pass through a final trial that will shake the faith of many believers. Father Kramer has done a great service Why do we do that which endangers us, threatens us, compromises our future, and further weakens us? Scripture more than hints at the fact that a third of the angels fell from Heaven in this rebellion, before the creation of man (cf Rev 12:4). Even these reasonable speculations cannot fully address the mystery of why so many men and angels reject what is good, true, and beautiful; why so many prefer to reign in Hell rather than to serve in Heaven; why so many obstinately refuse to trust in God and obey even simple commands that they know are ultimately good for them. Sin is added upon sin and the hardness of heart grows. But it is all this only because it contradicts nature and outrages the natural order alone.". Father Paul Kramer, a Catholic priest ordained over 32 years ago, has studied Catholic prophecy for over 40 years, in the Old ... Mystery of Iniquity, will be a sure guide now, while awaiting the full release of the Third Secret.