The National Catholic Register portal presents a “Sunday Guide” by Msgr. Charles Pope for the 12th Sunday in Ordinary Time (June 21, 2026), commenting on the Gospel of Matthew 10:26-33. The article discusses the concept of “fear of the Lord,” attempting to balance reverential fear with God’s love, and concludes with practical advice for Catholic living. While superficially touching on traditional themes, the piece exemplifies the theological shallowness and pastoral banality characteristic of the post-conciliar neo-church, reducing supernatural realities to psychological self-help and omitting the urgent call to conversion and the stark reality of eternal judgment. This homily, typical of the conciliar sect, presents a domesticated Christ who merely “waves everyone through to heaven,” stripping the Faith of its demanding, life-altering truths.
The Gospel’s Stark Warning Diluted into Pastoral Platitudes
The article begins by acknowledging the Gospel’s teaching on fear, stating, “The Lord speaks to us of a central struggle in life: fear.” It then proceeds to categorize fear into “positive” and “negative” roles, a psychological framing that immediately reduces a profound supernatural virtue to a mere human emotion to be managed. While it correctly identifies God as the “proper object of our fear,” it quickly pivots to a comforting, almost sentimental, portrayal of Jesus. The author notes, “Many are uncomfortable thinking of the Lord this way, preferring to think of Christ just waving everyone through to heaven. But this is not what Scripture teaches.” This statement, while seemingly orthodox, is immediately followed by a softening: “This proper fear is not rooted only in the dread of punishment (though if that’s all you’ve got, go with it). It is a reverential fear that remembers God’s love for us and his desire to save us.”
This framing is a hallmark of modernist theology: the attempt to balance God’s justice with His mercy in a way that diminishes the former. The “dread of punishment” is presented as a lesser, almost undesirable motivation, rather than a fundamental aspect of the virtue of fear of the Lord, which is a gift of the Holy Ghost. The Catechism of the Council of Trent explicitly states that “the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom” and includes a “servile fear” (fear of punishment) as a starting point, which, while imperfect, is still a fear of God and can lead to filial fear. To dismiss it as “if that’s all you’ve got, go with it” is to misunderstand the very nature of this supernatural virtue and its role in conversion. The article’s emphasis on “God’s love for us and his desire to save us” without equal weight on His justice and our obligation to repent and believe the Gospel, creates a distorted image of a deity who is primarily a benevolent therapist, not a righteous Judge.
The Omission of Hell, Judgment, and the Necessity of Conversion
The most glaring omission in this “Sunday Guide” is any serious engagement with the reality of Hell, the Last Judgment, and the absolute necessity of conversion. While the article mentions “Gehenna” and “judgment,” these are presented as abstract concepts rather than terrifying realities that should compel every soul to immediate and profound repentance. The author states, “Jesus is asking us to consider what and whom we fear most. Whom do you fear more, men or God, honestly?” This is a valid question, but it is left hanging without the urgent call to action that the Gospel demands.
Our Lord’s words are unequivocal: “And do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul; rather, be afraid of the one who can destroy both soul and body in Gehenna” (Matthew 10:28). This is not a suggestion; it is a divine command to fear God above all else, precisely because He has the power to condemn. The article’s attempt to soften this by immediately pivoting to “reverential fear” and “God’s love” effectively neuters the Gospel’s warning. It fails to convey the terrifying truth that “wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it” (Matthew 7:13). The modernist aversion to preaching on Hell and judgment, often dismissed as “scare tactics,” is a direct contradiction of Our Lord’s own teaching and a disservice to souls who need to be warned of the eternal consequences of sin.
Furthermore, the article omits any mention of the necessity of conversion, of turning away from sin and towards God. The Gospel is not merely about “living faithfully” in a general sense, but about a radical transformation of life, a metanoia, that requires repentance, confession, and a firm purpose of amendment. The modernist tendency to focus on “God’s love” without the corresponding demand for holiness and separation from sin leads to a false sense of security and a presumption of salvation, which is a grave danger to souls.
The Sacraments as Mere “Graces” Without the Necessity of Dispositions
The article concludes with a “Sunday takeaway” that includes: “Balanced fear takes seriously our need to prepare for judgment and to avail ourselves of God’s graces in the sacraments, the liturgy, his word and prayer.” This statement, while containing a kernel of truth, is presented in a vague and ultimately unhelpful manner. It speaks of “God’s graces in the sacraments” without emphasizing the absolute necessity of proper dispositions for their fruitful reception.
The Council of Trent, in its Decree on the Sacraments, taught that “if anyone saith, that, in the three sacraments, Baptism, to wit, Confirmation, and Order, there is not imprinted a character, that is, a certain spiritual and indelible sign, whence they cannot be repeated; let him be anathema” (Session VII, Canon 9). This indelible character signifies a permanent configuration to Christ and an obligation to live according to that grace. More importantly, Trent also taught that “if anyone saith, that the sacraments of the New Law are not necessary unto salvation, but are superfluous; and that, without them, or without the desire thereof, men obtain of God, through faith alone, the grace of justification; though all (the sacraments) are not indeed necessary for every individual; let him be anathema” (Session VII, Canon 4). The article’s vague reference to “availing ourselves of God’s graces in the sacraments” fails to convey this absolute necessity and the grave obligation to receive them with the proper dispositions of faith, repentance, and a state of grace.
The modernist approach often presents the sacraments as mere channels of grace that are automatically effective, regardless of the recipient’s interior disposition. This is a dangerous error. As St. Paul warns, “For anyone who eats and drinks without recognizing the body of the Lord eats and drinks judgment on himself” (1 Corinthians 11:29). The article’s failure to emphasize the need for a state of grace, proper preparation, and the avoidance of sacrilege in receiving the sacraments is a serious omission that can lead to spiritual ruin.
The “Pastoral” Tone as a Symptom of Modernist Apostasy
The overall tone of the article is “pastoral” in the worst sense of the modernist understanding: soft, accommodating, and devoid of the prophetic urgency that characterizes true Catholic preaching. It uses phrases like “balanced fear,” “sober fear,” and “reverential fear,” which, while not inherently wrong, are employed here to dilute the stark, uncompromising message of the Gospel. The modernist “pastor” seeks to make the Faith palatable to the world, to avoid “scaring” people, and to present a Christ who is primarily a friend and helper, not a demanding Lord and Judge.
This approach stands in stark contrast to the preaching of the prophets, the Apostles, and the saints. St. John the Baptist cried out, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand!” (Matthew 3:2). Our Lord Himself began His public ministry with the same message (Matthew 4:17). The Apostles, filled with the Holy Ghost, preached with boldness and urgency, calling men to repent and believe the Gospel (Acts 2:38). The modernist aversion to such directness is a sign of a loss of faith in the supernatural realities of sin, judgment, and Hell, and a capitulation to the spirit of the age, which seeks to eliminate all discomfort and challenge from religion.
The article’s concluding exhortation, “Do not be afraid,” while taken from the Gospel, is presented without the context of “fearing God” above all else. It becomes a mere platitude, a comforting sentiment that fails to convey the profound truth that true peace and freedom from fear come only from a right relationship with God, achieved through faith, repentance, and obedience to His commandments. The modernist “Do not be afraid” is a call to complacency, while the Catholic “Do not be afraid” is a call to trust in God’s providence while simultaneously fearing His justice and striving for holiness.
The Neo-Church’s Domesticated Christ and the Loss of the Supernatural
Ultimately, this “Sunday Guide” exemplifies the neo-church’s systematic dismantling of the supernatural dimension of the Faith. By reducing the “fear of the Lord” to a psychological balancing act, by softening the reality of Hell and judgment, and by presenting the sacraments as mere “graces” without emphasizing the absolute necessity of proper dispositions, the article contributes to a domesticated, naturalistic Christianity. This is a Christianity that is comfortable with the world, that seeks to affirm rather than challenge, and that ultimately denies the very essence of the Gospel: that man is a fallen creature in need of redemption, that sin has eternal consequences, and that salvation comes only through Christ and His Church, demanding a radical conversion of life.
The conciliar sect, in its pursuit of “relevance” and “dialogue” with the modern world, has effectively gutted the Faith of its power and urgency. It presents a Christ who is a moral teacher, a social reformer, a therapist, but not the divine Judge and Savior who demands our all. This “Sunday Guide” is a microcosm of that larger apostasy, a testament to the spiritual bankruptcy of a church that has traded the eternal truths of God for the passing fashions of men. The faithful are not called to a “balanced fear” that avoids discomfort, but to a holy fear that recognizes the immense majesty and justice of God, and responds with a life of profound repentance, unwavering faith, and ardent charity. This is the path to true peace, not the false comfort of a modernist homily.
Source:
Jesus Reminds Us: Live Faithfully, Not Fearfully (ncregister.com)
Date: 19.06.2026