WARNING
There are
certain kinds of people who are advised not to read this
book.
It was written by a king
who, prior to his schism from Rome and
persecution of Catholics in England, was an
accomplished theologian and staunch defender of the Catholic Faith.
Henry VIII
did not write it for the lukewarm, the apathetic or the
mediocre. Unconcerned as they are about objective truth
and reality, they systematically avoid controversy at
all costs and view courageous effort and risk as the
ultimate evil, which they are never prepared to face.
They vainly try to adjust their views to please
everyone, even at the risk of displeasing God Himself.
Henry VIII
did not write it for the worshippers of relativistic
ecumenism. Indifferent to the glory of God and salvation
of souls, they imagine that any religious denomination,
large or small, old or new, will always be favorably
acknowledged before the throne of Christ as His Church
and Bride. To them, it matters little if such
denominations were established according to individual
whims and preferences, objections, hair-splitting Bible
interpretations or subjective moral or doctrinal
choices.
Above all,
Henry VIII did not write it for the agnostics and
relativists, who do not recognize anything as
absolute and leave as the ultimate measure only the
measure of each one and his desires;* who accept
religion only as a private matter, as long as it does
not upset their petty comforts and lifestyles.
Such people
are unable to appreciate the fact that a counterfeit
understanding of ecumenism, imbued with irenic
relativism, has infiltrated the minds of a very large
number of baptized Christians today, including Church
authorities.
Ignoring as
it does the objective Revelation handed down by the
Apostles, such a mental attitude assumes that any creed
or code of ethics is an acceptable expression of the
Christian Faith, as long as it is regarded as ‘sincere’
and upsets no one; for such men, sincerity in belief is
sufficient proof of legitimacy and truthfulness.
They
overlook the fact that only the unsullied, objective
truth shall set them genuinely free, and lead them to
authentic happiness in this life and in the hereafter.
It could be
said that Henry VIII wrote this book for men of
mature faith, who do not follow fashions and the latest
novelty, but rather are profoundly rooted in friendship
with Christ.*
Such men
believe in the entire divine Revelation given to the
Apostles by Jesus Christ, who founded one Church, not
many, His only Bride, against whom the gates of hell
shall never prevail.
That same
Jesus Christ sent the Holy Spirit, Who, in turn,
inspired some of the Church's first Bishops to write the
New Testament and later guided Her to separate the
inspired Books from the apocrypha.
The Spirit
of God is He Who guides the Church, whose Magisterium is
the sole authentic interpreter of Sacred Scripture and
the Apostolic Tradition.
The Church
founded by Jesus Christ administers the seven Sacraments
that He instituted as the ordinary means to receive
divine grace unto eternal salvation.
It could
also be said that when Henry VIII wrote ‘Defence of the
Seven Sacraments’, he realized that Catholics could not
remain immature in the faith, in a state of
inferiority, as they run the risk of being tossed about
and carried here and there by any doctrinal wind. He
felt that a clear faith, according to the creed of the
Church, was needed.*
In
short, it was primarily to safeguard the integrity of the
true Faith, delivered to the Apostles, and to call all men
to salvation in the Church founded by Jesus Christ, that the
King of England and France, and Lord of Ireland, wrote this
book.