The Heresies in Benedict XVI’s 2001 Book “God is Near Us”

*This is from my continuing study of Benedict XVI’s books. For those who don’t know, Benedict XVI is Joseph Ratzinger.

God is Near Us by “Cardinal” Joseph Ratzinger, 2001 (Ignatius Press, 2003)

Since there are so many heresies from Benedict XVI, I have limited myself to including only those heresies that are truly noteworthy.

HERESIES IN “GOD IS NEAR US”: - BENEDICT XVI DENIES THAT WE EAT THE FLESH OF THE LORD - BENEDICT XVI APPROVES OF “FOR ALL” IN THE CONSECRATION - OTHER QUOTES OF INTEREST

BENEDICT XVI DENIES THAT WE EAT THE FLESH OF THE LORD

“Cardinal” Joseph Ratzinger, God is Near Us, 2001, p. 84: “There were those who were filled with the thought: Jesus is really there. But ‘reality’, for them, was simply physical, bodily. Consequently, they arrived at the conclusion: In the Eucharist we chew on the flesh of the Lord; but therein they were under the sway of a serious misapprehension. For Jesus has risen. We do not eat flesh, as cannibals would do.”

This is a crafty denial of the Real Presence. We do eat the Body and Blood of the Lord. When one receives the Eucharist he should try not to chew on the host, of course. He should receive it and consume it without chewing. But the meaning of Benedict XVI is that we don’t receive Our Lord’s flesh (which is bold heresy). The fact that this is his meaning is further proven when he says: “We do not eat flesh.” This is a clear denial of the Real Presence and Our Lord’s declaration in John 6:54.

John 6:54- “Amen, amen I say to you: except you eat the flesh of the Son of man, and drink his blood, you shall not have life in you.”

BENEDICT XVI APPROVES OF “FOR ALL” IN THE CONSECRATION

“Cardinal” Joseph Ratzinger, God is Near Us, 2001, p. 34: “The German translation no longer says, ‘for many’, but ‘for all’, and this takes into account that in the Latin Missal and in the Greek New Testament, that is to say, in the original text that is being translated, we find ‘for many.’ This disparity has given rise to some disquiet; the question is raised as to whether the text of the Bible is not being misrepresented, whether perhaps an element of untruth has been brought into the most sacred place in our worship.” “Cardinal” Joseph Ratzinger, God is Near Us, 2001, pp. 36-37: “I leave open the question of whether it was sensible to choose the translation ‘for all’ here and, thus, to confuse translation with interpretation, at a point at which the process of interpretation remains in any case indispensable. There can be no question of misrepresentation here, since whichever of the formulations is allowed to stand, we must in any case listen to the whole of the gospel message: that the Lord truly loves everyone and died for all.”

This means that he accepts either “for many” or “for all” in the consecration formula. The mistranslation of “for all” in the vernacular New Masses is a grave change which renders the New Mass invalid. In the formula of consecration, Christ is expressing those for whom His Blood is effective unto the remission of sins. Christ shed His Blood for all, but His Blood is not effective for all unto the remission of sins. It is effective unto the remission of sins only for those who cooperate with grace and enter the Church. That is why not one traditional rite in the history of the Catholic Church ever used “all” in the consecration. And that is why the Catechism of the Council of Trent taught that “for all” WAS DELIBERATELY NOT USED BY OUR LORD WHEN INSTITUTING THE FORMULA OF CONSECRATION!

The Catechism of the Council of Trent, On the Form of the Eucharist: "The additional words for you and for many, are taken, some from Matthew, some from Luke, but were joined together by the Catholic Church under the guidance of the Spirit of God. They serve to declare the fruit and advantage of His Passion. For if we look to its value, we must confess that the Redeemer shed His Blood for the salvation of all; but if we look to the fruit which mankind have received from it, we shall easily find that it pertains not unto all, but to many of the human race. When therefore (our Lord) said: For you, He meant either those who were present, or those chosen from among the Jewish people, such as were, with the exception of Judas, the disciples with whom He was speaking. When He added, And for many, He wished to be understood to mean the remainder of the elect from among the Jews and Gentiles. WITH REASON, THEREFORE, WERE THE WORDS FOR ALL NOT USED, as in this place the fruits of the Passion are alone spoken of, and to the elect only did His Passion bring the fruit of salvation." (The Catechism of the Council of Trent, TAN Books, 1982, p. 227.)

OTHER QUOTES OF INTEREST

“Cardinal” Joseph Ratzinger, God is Near Us, 2001, p. 58: “The reshaped liturgy was accused of Puritanism, poverty, iconoclasm. It was said that the Mass had been made completely Protestant and that the real Catholic element in it had been destroyed. Thus, it was said, the Catholic Church, at this point in her very heart, had ceased to be Catholic. The Eucharist would have to be celebrated outside her and despite her, since there was no longer a valid Eucharist within her.”

This is an interesting quotation because it shows us that Benedict XVI is fully aware of what is going on and what people are concluding about the Vatican II sect and the New Mass. The fact of the matter is that what he says is true with regard to the New Mass having been made “completely Protestant” and that in it “the real Catholic element” had been destroyed. (Remember, the New Mass was created with the help of six Protestants and specifically to make the Catholic Mass more Protestant, as Paul VI admitted to his good friend Jean Guitton.) Benedict XVI is wrong, of course, when he says that we conclude that the Catholic Church “ceased to be Catholic.” The Catholic Church cannot cease to be Catholic. It is the members of the Vatican II sect who practice this new religion who have ceased to be Catholic. They have left the Catholic Church, reducing her to a remnant in this time of the Great Apostasy.

Our Lady of La Salette, Sept. 19, 1846: “Rome will lose the faith and become the Seat of the Antichrist… the Church will be in eclipse… Who will be the victor if God does not shorten the length of the test?... It is time; the sun is darkening; only faith will survive.” Luke 18:8 “But yet the Son of man, when he cometh, shall he find, think you, faith on earth?” “Cardinal” Joseph Ratzinger, God is Near Us, 2001, p. 69: “The second objection we wanted to consider was directed against the act of receiving Communion: kneeling – standing, hand – Mouth. Well, first of all, I would like to say that both attitudes are possible, and I would like therefore to ask all priests to exercise tolerance and to recognize the decision of each person…”

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