A fascinating look at OnePeter5 by Peter Kwasniewski as to how the current Lectionary omits the references to Antichrist from 2 Thessalonicans 2, which is rather like omitting the Wizard from The Wizard of Oz:
Last weekend on the new calendar fell the Thirty-First Sunday in Ordinary Time (Year C), for which the second reading is 2 Thess 1:11–2:2. This coming weekend, the Thirty-Second Sunday in Ordinary Time, “continues” with 2 Thess 2:16–3:5. Anyone who looks at the fine print will naturally wonder: What happens in verses 3 to 15, which are skipped over?
3 Let no man deceive you in any way; for that day will not come, unless the rebellion comes first, and the man of lawlessness [or man of sin] is revealed, the son of perdition,
4 who opposes and exalts himself against everything that is called God or that is worshipped, so that he takes his seat in the temple of God, proclaiming himself to be God.
5 Do you not remember that when I was still with you I told you this?
6 And you know what is restraining him now, so that he may be revealed in his time.
7 For the mystery of lawlessness [or iniquity] is already at work; only he who now restrains it will do so until he is out of the way.
8 And then the lawless [or wicked] one will be revealed, and the Lord Jesus will slay him with the breath of his mouth and destroy him by his appearing and his coming.
9 The coming of the lawless one by the activity of Satan will be with all power and with pretended signs and wonders,
10 and with all wicked deception for those who are to perish, because they refused to love the truth that they might be saved.
11 Therefore God sends upon them a strong delusion, to make them believe what is false,
12 so that all may be condemned who did not believe the truth but had pleasure in unrighteousness [or consented to iniquity].
13 But we are bound to give thanks to God always for you, brethren beloved by the Lord, because God chose you from the beginning to be saved, through sanctification by the Spirit and faith in the truth.
14 To this he called you through our gospel, so that you may obtain the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ.
15 So then, brethren, stand firm and hold to the traditions which you were taught by us, either by word of mouth or by letter. (2 Thess 2:3–15)
Elsewhere in the revised lectionary (Tuesday of the Twenty-First Week in Year B, to be exact), some of the foregoing is read: verses 1–3a appear (stopping at “in any way”), then jumping ahead to verse 14, skipping the entire discussion of the Antichrist and God’s punishment of those who imitate or follow him.
In this portion of the Word of God, St. Paul warns the Thessalonians to be on guard and not to be deceived by the Antichrist, who sets himself up against the Faith and against true worship of the one and only God (one cannot help but think of Abu Dhabi and the Amazon Synod). The apostle notes that God Himself will restrain the coming of this evil for a time, but not forever, and that those who refuse to love the truth (think of the error introduced into the Catechism) and who consent to iniquity (think of Amoris Laetitia) will be abandoned to delusion and deception, so that they will not be saved. It is sanctification by the Spirit and faith in the truth of the Gospel that lead to salvation — and this Gospel is handed down in traditions that we receive as members of the Church, such as our traditional rites of worship. These rites permanently embody and rightly express the Gospel and the true Faith.
Thus, it is not surprising that a substantial portion of this omitted passage turns out to be the one reading from Second Thessalonians in the traditional Latin Mass (2 Thess. 2:1–8). Because there are no “Years A, B, C” and no “long or short versions” to be found in the ancient missal, the following passage is read every year on Ember Saturday of Advent:
1 Now concerning the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our assembling to meet him, we beg you, brethren,
2 not to be quickly shaken in mind or excited, either by spirit or by word, or by letter purporting to be from us, to the effect that the day of the Lord has come.
3 Let no man deceive you in any way; for that day will not come, unless the rebellion comes first, and the man of lawlessness [or man of sin] is revealed, the son of perdition,
4 who opposes and exalts himself against everything that is called God or that is worshipped, so that he takes his seat in the temple of God, proclaiming himself to be God.
5 Do you not remember that when I was still with you I told you this?
6 And you know what is restraining him now, so that he may be revealed in his time.
7 For the mystery of lawlessness [or iniquity] is already at work; only he who now restrains it will do so until he is out of the way.
8 And then the lawless [or wicked] one will be revealed, and the Lord Jesus will slay him with the breath of his mouth and destroy him by his appearing and his coming.
As most Scripture scholars agree, although the Antichrist will be a definite figure and person, the “coming of the Antichrist” may also be understood more broadly as an ongoing and escalating resistance to Christ as history nears its end. Surely there is much in Second Thessalonians that resonates with believers today, as they see wickedness in high places; hitherto unimaginable deviations from the commandments of God; and attempts, both subtle and flagrant, to corrupt the sober apostolic faith and “deceive even the elect, if it were possible” (Mt. 24:24).
Go here to read the rest. As the Church teaches, sins of omission can be as deadly as sins of commission. Riddle me this readers, why do you think this passage has been omitted over the past half century?
“Riddle me this readers, why do you think this passage has been omitted over the past half century?”
Because it doesn’t fit with the devilish spirit of Vatican II where nearly all are saved and that Catholics task is to make a heaven on earth ala Pierre Teilhard de Chardin.
Hummmm
Well, since there is no Hell, this passage is just too..rigid. It doesn’t fit the Church of Nice.
The Novus Ordo readings omit a lot of key passages that don’t fit into the modernist agenda of the homosexual clerics running the Vatican. This is but one of many examples. That’s why everyone who attends a Novus Ordo Mass should read the entire the chapter of the Scripture selection for the lectionary reading before going to Mass. What the lectionary does is the same as what Protestant Evangelicals and Pentecostals do – cherry pick what the clerics like and omit the rest.
I have been trying for some decades to find, in the Bible, i.e. in the original Greek words God inspired, where St. Paul said, again and again, as we hear at NO liturgies, “Brothers and Sisters . . “. Isn’t this typical for the patriarchs to flim flam us in this way? For sure the original had “Sisters and brothers . . .”. .
LQC-there you go again with the “baby puppies” – “homosexual clerics running the Vatican.” And you too Michael D with your “devilish spirit of VAtican II.” “Spirit” suffices to convey the message.
Guy, Texas
Maybe first we find out where it was in the 1962 lectionary before we try to make any inferences about its absence from the present one?
Yep, it was:
2 Thessalonians
2:1-8 Ember Sat Advent, Epistle
https://drive.google.com/file/d/0BxZeTtRK3_J5OXM0VXRqSEQxcms/edit
An excellent site for all things Lectionary:
http://catholiclectionary.blogspot.com/2013/06/scripture-index-for-1962-mr-and-some.html
Interesting. Thanks for the link Don. (Thanks also for not chiding me for failing to actually, you know, read what was posted, instead of lazily skimming over it, since I could have found the answer to my question all by myself).
Let me note though, that we were still omething 2 These 2:9-15, the verses with the “lawless one” and delusions and deceptions and condemnation unbelievers. So I’m hesitant to read any ulterior motive into the revision.
[…] Damien Of Molokai & The Holy Face – Fr. Dwight Longenecker at National Catholic Register Omitting The Antichrist – Donald R. McClarey, J.D., at The American Catholic The Earth Is Not My Mother. . […]
Speaking of the Anti-Christ, a new front page article in Tuesday’s La Repubblica, Scalfari has said that Pope Francis denies the bodily resurrection of Jesus.
https://www.churchmilitant.com/news/article/scalfari-pope-francis-denies-bodily-resurrection-of-jesus#.XcRBDVSl5Xw.twitter
[…] OMITTING THE ANTICHRIST […]
Do what I do on Sunday morning – if you can – and go to the Tridentine/Extraordinary Form/Traditional Latin Mass. Invest in a Missal of your very own. You will NOT be disappointed.
Worship as the Saints and martyrs and Catholic warriors did. Unite yourself a a part of the Church Militant to the Church Triumphant. Unite yourself to your ancestors who have gone before you who worshipped the Risen Lord in the same exact way. Know that Satan HATES the Latin Mass.
JFK.
Regarding your link.
One wonders just how many strikes until your out;
Scalfari says that Bergoglio does not believe in Hell…
Scalfari says that Bergoglio doesn’t believe that Jesus was divine on earth.
Scalfari says that Bergoglio doesn’t believe in the bodily resurrection of Jesus.
I’m not sure who is more insane.
The one who writes this stuff or the one who continues to give the author interviews.
Scalfari is a communist and a liar.
That in no way excuses Pope Francis’s poor judgement in speaking with him a second time.
To say nothing of subsequent interviews.
Like LQC, I’ve been telling my bible group how important it is to read the whole thing before Holy Mass. I admit there’s times when the outtakes distract the reader from the point. But many times it’s otherwise. I’ve been gratified to have some tell me they’ve taken up the habit of reading thoroughly.
Brick by brick.
Scalfari is just the messenger. Francis and his minions want us to know this or they would refute it. Let’s stop being so naive!
What is most interesting to me is the fact that the section that is read in Church seems to say “don’t even think about this question” but in fact St. Paul is quite detailed in describing what the real signs of a mysterious apostasy and divine intervention will be, i.e., the Lord will destroy it with the “breath of his mouth” (Holy Spirit). What I see here is what Our Lady of Fatima was talking about when she spoke a hundred years ago about the future of the Church and even prescribed the remedy (establishing devotion to her Immaculate Heart, etc.) to receive in exchange the “triumph of her Immaculate Heart” and a time of peace for the world. As in former years, we ignore prophecy with dire consequences.
Jacob.
+1
Thanks for that message Jacob.
I posted this article to Facebook and it was not permitted. Can’t handle truth?