It’s almost disappointing to hear the Gospel about Jesus’ temptation in the desert in
Mark, since he makes it so brief. But far more important than Jesus’ temptations are
our temptations.The call to repent and believe the Good News is always a good place
to start in Lent. When it comes to repenting, sometimes it’s kind of easy to know our
need to repent. Infidelities, lies and stealing come to mind. Sometimes believing in
good news is easy too. Getting a good job, a new baby or getting out of the hospital
come to mind. However, allow me to continue a tour of Papal teachings from the past
because Pope Pius X in his Encyclical Pascendi Dominici Gregis (On Modernism, 1907)
is taking much of the modern world to the woodshed for a severe tongue lashing. In this
Encyclical, he is like an angry teacher after his students flunked his test. He is like a
frustrated dad chewing out a wayward son. But to us in the 21 st century, his complaints
can easily fall on deaf ears. As a matter of fact, since he his complaining about
“modernism” I’m afraid many today will ignore him like many a wayward son ignores his
father’s advice. So, either Pius X was somewhat a fool and ignorant of the great
blessings of the modern world, or we, as a church, should listen to him and begin that
change of heart that repentance and true belief require. But what’s so bad about
moderism? Why can’t he believe that our faith is Good News and be more positive.
Doesn’t he know that condemnations and negativity don’t win over hearts to Jesus?
Doesn’t he know that many people leave the church precisely because they don’t like
being “preached to”?

In this papal letter, he famously says, Moderism “is the synthesis of all heresies”. Now
we are getting somewhere. If this little theological grenade makes sense to you, you are
on the right track. But if the idea of a Pope or any Catholic teacher for that matter trying
to spell out heresies, upsets you then I dare say, you most definitely have something to
work on during Lent. Your mission, if you decide to accept it, requires “spiritual reading”
on top of giving up your favorite adult beverage or candy. That Pope from long ago is
putting his finger on a problem just as pertinent today as it was in 1907. To live our faith
more authentically and closer to the Lord Jesus Christ it is so important to realize the
danger of heretical teachings. Do not let the English title of his letter, “On Modernism”
distract you. He is not upset that the Wright Brothers recently built the airplane or that
Alfred Noble recently discovered dynamite. He is upset about errors in philosophy and
theology that lead to bad moral conclusions and even to the negation of the validity of
religion itself. One such error has to do with the concept of “negativity” itself. Being
negative about errors is a good thing. Spiritual reading, especially of Aquinas, sooths
the soul.