An Unvarnished Look at the Life and Teaching of Martin Luther

Father Anthony Mellace, OVM

(A biography of Martin Luther according to Saint Lawrence of Brindisi)

While in Italy, I found a three-volume set on the life of Martin Luther, written by Saint Lawrence of Brindisi, who was Capuchin and has been proclaimed a Doctor of the Church. I brought the books back with me and started to read them. The following is a summary of what Saint Lawrence had to say about Martin Luther. Saint Lawrence chose critically his sources and cites the biographers who lived closest to the time of Luther or were his contemporaries and knew him personally. One of the biographies cited was dated 1549, only a few years after Luther’s death. The biographers that Saint Lawrence selected are trustworthy. Luther was born in 1483 and Saint Lawrence in 1549, not too far apart from each other chronologically speaking.

Martin Luther was born on November 10^th, 1483 in Eisleben, Saxony. He was baptized Martin for being born on the vespers of the feast of Saint Martin of Tours. Luther’s real last name was “Ludher” but since this had a bad connotation, it was changed to Luther. Luther admitted to Melanchthon, his successor, that he was the son of a villain. He declared that his father, grandfather, and great-grandfather were all true villains.

To pay for his studies, Luther would go from door-to-door begging for money. He was able to make it to the famous philosophy academy of Erfurt and graduated at twenty years of age. At 21, he did not pursue the course of jurisprudence, but decided to become an Augustinian monk in Erfurt. Luther recounted to his relative John Luther the reason why he made this decision. He had a traumatic experience with a flash of lightening that killed a companion at his side. He felt that heaven had used terror to call him to the religious life and he felt forced and obligated to take his vows. He did not become a monk by reason of a spontaneous vocation or desire, but felt moved by simple terror and fear of a sudden death. He entered the monastery not for love of God nor through a spirit of piety, but constrained by a fear that he felt would give him stability.

Martin Luther studied theology in the Augustinian college of Erfurt. In 1508, he was called to Wittenberg to teach at the Academy. He was then 26 years old. Through fraudulent ways and stolen money, Luther was able to obtain his doctorate in theology. The monks of the monastery suspected that Luther had dealings with the malign spirits. Every time the devil was mentioned in a Gospel reading, Luther would fall to the ground and scream, saying that it was not him. Luther did confess that he knew the devil well and had eaten salt together with him.

In the beginning of his religious life, Luther was a sincere and devoted Catholic, faithful to the pope and the Church. He declared that if anyone offended the pope, he would kill that person with his very own hands. He also declared that he adored all the teachings of the pope and Church. In his commentary on the Epistle to the Galatians, he exhorts everyone to venerate the pope with a sincere and disinterested spirit. In the beginning, Luther did everything with simplicity of heart and good zeal for the glory of God. He said that he esteemed so greatly the authority of the pope that he considered the least dissension to be a crime worthy of eternal damnation. He felt the heretic John Huss to be so impious and cursed that the very thought of him was foolishness.  He was so zealous in defending the pope against Huss that he himself would have brought iron and fire to burn the heretic.

He protested that no one took to heart and defended as zealously the laws of the Church and decrees of the pope as he did. He openly declared that the Church and pope preceded the light of the Gospel and came before it. With great seriousness and conviction of spirit, he accepted the teachings of the Church as holy. He defended, taught, and assimilated into his very soul their acceptance and observance as necessary for the salvation of the soul. He said that one cannot find Christ if you do not find the Church first. He used the example of the Nativity story. The shepherds first found Joseph and Mary and through them found Jesus. He affirmed that who wants to find Christ must first find the Church. Who wants to know Christ must first go to visit and consult the Church because she conserves (like Mary did) in heart all the words of God.

Luther attempted to put all these things into practice through fasts, vigils, and prayer. He did this with more zeal than many of his contemporaries. He truly lived his vows and said his Mass. Even so, Luther continued tormented and suffering from doubts, fears, and hate. Despite all he did, he confessed that he hated God and considered him to be the punisher of sinners. Luther would not swallow the idea that he had been condemned by original sin and this revolted him (too bad he had no knowledge of ontology theology, which would have liberated him from his internal anguish).  He hated the Bible and said that God used both Old and New Testament to threaten us with his anger and make us suffer. While Luther constantly churned these things in his mind, he would fall into fits of fury, hopelessness, and rage against God. He would freeze himself stiff in terror and appear like a dead man before his fellow religious.

In his mental anguish, tortures and doubts, Luther sought help, light, and counsel from an old Augustinian monk. Similar to the situation of Mohammed and the Arian monk (where Mohammed sought him out for light in understand the Holy Trinity and was misguided by the Arian who only gave him the heretical interpretation of the teaching) Luther was given a false orientation and teaching by his fellow religious who confused him even further. Grossly misinterpreting a text of Saint Bernard on salvation and citing it out of context, the theologically incompetent, ignorant, and dullish monk told Luther simply to believe in the complete remission of sins if he wanted to be saved.

Luther was not satisfied by this answer and sought some enlightenment in the texts of Saint Paul.  While reading the words of the Apostle, Luther created a fascination (or rather fixation) for the figure of Saint Paul and started to identify himself with the great missionary and theologian.  Saint Lawrence of Brindisi, at this point of his biography, makes a very keen, interesting, and brilliant observation in the development of Luther’s mental and psychological deterioration and his drive towards a schizophrenic personality.

A schizophrenic is a person who goes through deep, emotional suffering, pain, anguish, and torture and simply cannot take it anymore. To escape from the situation of suffering, a “second” or illusory personality is created by the imagination and mind through which the real person escapes to, hides, lives in or transfers himself in order to be safe and protected from the hard and real world of the unacceptable and unsupportable first real self. The person, in a sense, rejects his true personality and practically substitutes it for the second and just becomes it. He seeks to find peace, tranquility, freedom, etc. from the hardships that the real world and his personality bring about, in the new created artificial self.

The imagination of the schizophrenic person seeks some figure to imitate that it feels comfortable and good with to substitute its real self that lacks self-esteem and is full of inferiority complexes. Schizophrenic personalities will imitate sports figures, TV and cinema artists, religious personalities, politicians, admired peers, etc. or anyone they feel will give them a compensation and ideal for their unaccepted and rejected egos.

Nowadays, psychologists have substituted the very good term “schizophrenic” for the poor, miserable and very naïve word “bipolar” which is naked in meaning. In their attempt to be fashionable and modern, they end up being ridiculous, inexact, and confusing. 

In order to escape from his mental anguish, Luther began to associate himself with and identify with Saint Paul the Apostle. He reasoned in the following manner:

–like Luther, Saint Paul also suffered psychologically from his attempts to observe and obey the OT laws and regulations.

–Saint Paul had a conversion, illumination, and revelation from Jesus Christ with a new and better message that freed him from his mental tortures and doubts.

–Saint Paul now lived the free, unhindered, and unhampered life of the Spirit with no more rules or laws to bind and oppress him.

–His mission, under the direct command and revelation of Jesus, was to spread this shackle free life to all.

–Saint Paul reached fame, sanctity, power, respect and self-independence in this new way and life.

Luther came to the conviction that there was no difference between him and Saint Paul. He too, could receive revelations from Jesus that would authorize him to tell people of a better, freer, and simpler way of life and belief than the oppressive teachings of the Catholic Church. These revelations and teachings would come from the very voice and authority of Christ commanding him to preach them to others and to live himself.

This schizophrenic passage to the new personality of a contemporary Saint Paul figure put his mind at rest and he felt relief in regards to his psychological sufferings. In his mental deterioration, he developed the “Pauline greatness complex” or the “false ego identification syndrome”. Joseph Smith, the founder of the Mormons, would suffer from the same mental disease.

There are serious flaws in Luther’s reasoning. First, Saint Paul’s revelations belonged to that of the apostolic age and were the authentic foundations of Christian belief, the true teachings of Jesus Christ in his chosen representatives. After the death of Peter, James, Paul and John, the revelations of Jesus ended and there was nothing more to be revealed in regards to our Faith. Anything after, that claimed to be revealed by someone would be something added to Revelation and therefore be of a false and untruthful nature.

Second, Saint Paul never left the Catholic Church and all he taught and preached was within its context and confirmation. Even his acceptance amongst the Apostles had to be approved by them. Saint Paul never claimed to have found an answer for a personal problem in Jesus and go off on his own to preach it on his private authority. All that Saint Paul taught and revealed was constructed on the foundation of the apostolic authority. If, for some reason, the Church were to say to Saint Paul that it did not accept his revelations directly coming from the command of Jesus in his rapture to the third heaven, Saint Paul, in his love and obedience to the institution, would immediately reject them. Jesus himself had said that all were to obey him through the Church authorities that he established. Jesus once told Saint Margaret Mary that if the Church did not approve the revelations he was making to her on the devotion to the Sacred Heart that she was to reject them and obey the legitimate authorities.

Luther did not understand that even if Jesus did command him to preach certain doctrines, he was to submit such revelations to the Church and await her decision first. This idea of having personal revelations and inspirations about the Faith in a Pauline fashion spread like wild fire throughout Europe and down through the ages across the continents. If Luther could have revelations, everyone could and would. Thousands of Protestant preachers all of a sudden became thousands of Saint Paul’s with their particular messages to tell others. They had the personal authority of Jesus and could do their missionary work without any qualms.

Luther had no intention of leaving the Catholic Church nor to start a new one, but to tell others of his new message that he believed to have received under the revelation and command of Christ. Since this message did undermine basic teachings of Jesus Himself and the deposit of Faith, he was condemned for them. What Martin Luther was really rebelling against was not so much the authentic teaching of the Catholic Church (that was all later consequence), but cosmology theology’s inadequate and faulty response to the problem of original sin and God’s justice. Martin Luther did have a legitimate gripe of something that he could not understand and was driving him crazy, but his psychotic solution of attempting to be a false Saint Paul figure was truly asinine.

The one who did begin a “Lutheran Church” was Melanchthon, Luther’s successor. He gathered together Luther’s thoughts and formulated them into a system. Saint Peter Canisius, the Jesuit doctor of the Church, frequently debated Melanchthon in public and was so convincing in his arguments against Lutheranism, that Melanchthon confessed that he considered Peter Canisius to be correct and truthful and was attracted to returning to the Catholic faith. Melanchthon, however, refused to convert because he was too much attached to his power and influence amongst the Protestants.

I am however, getting ahead of myself and in the next article I will present further observations and arguments brought forth by Saint Lawrence of Brindisi.

Luther would not accept preachers who came around saying that they had private revelations and were sent by God to announce these things. Luther was persistent in insisting that they prove their authenticity by miracles. Saint Lawrence of Brindisi, at this point, catches on to Luther’s inconsistency of argument and attacks him with his own medicine.  Saint Lawrence asks Luther: “If you too, Luther, also said you had a revelation from God and that it was from the direct authority and command of Jesus for you to proclaim it, where are your miracles to back it up? You have produced none, nor have any of your Lutheran successors. None of them have performed miracles to back up their doctrine.

Even with all his wonderful revelations, the apostle Paul still had to be instructed in the Faith and accepted amongst the faithful in the Church by Ananias before he could receive any commission to preach and evangelize. The apostles did not accept Paul until they analyzed and scrutinized him well along with the vocation he claimed to have. Only after this examination was he accepted and given authority to preach. They wanted to be sure of the authenticity of his calling and sincerity of his conversion. If Saint Paul had not first submitted his Gospel to the judgment and authority of the Church and apostles, no one would have believed him.

Saint Paul wanted to submit to the apostles the doctrine he received from God in order to receive approval by them before the whole Church.  In this way, his preaching would have value and esteem before the faithful. By his actions, Saint Paul showed the great esteem he held for the authority of the holy Church. Saint Paul went to Jerusalem to confirm with the apostles the doctrine he was preaching. He did this in order not to “run in vain” in his missionary endeavors. He did not want to “work in vain” in the preaching of the Gospel. He did not want to give to the faithful a doctrine that had not been firstly and formerly approved and confirmed by the Church.

Saint Augustine said that he would believe no one’s gospel that was not confirmed beforehand by the authority of the Catholic Church. Saint Paul went to have his gospel approved by the highest dignitaries of the Church, that is, the very columns Peter, James, and John. Saint Lawrence asks: how can Luther dare to compare himself to Saint Paul when there is no Church that approved his gospel? What saint or doctor of the Church is Luther a disciple or follower of? To whom did Jesus send Luther to be instructed in the Faith by as he had Saint Paul sent to Ananias?

In truth, Luther founded a new church and became its supreme patriarch. He refused to recognize anyone superior to or on equal footing to the doctrine of his faith. By his own authority, he became his own self-constituted bishop.

Saint Lawrence presents other texts of Luther that shows the very strangeness and ironic aspects of his schizophrenic personality. Though Luther considers his doctrine (which Saint Lawrence will analyze later) to be untouchable and a direct revelation of God, yet he is pitiless, hard, critical, and cruel towards the hundreds of itinerant self-established preachers who roamed throughout the parishes of Germany. He detested these self-proclaimed evangelists who announced in public their particular versions of the word of God. Luther wrote long and scathing apologetic texts against them. If he were alive today, he would be appalled with the thousands of Pentecostal preachers on TV, radio, internet, etc with their likewise thousands of street corners churches and messages. He did not approve of such things.

Luther wrote that God does not want, in his divine works and church, anything that smacks of self-will and human counsels but that rather all must come from his command or by legitimate calling, especially in the area of the preaching of the Gospel (I wonder if these fly by night modern day evangelists ever read their founder Martin Luther). Luther goes on to say that if anyone wants to legitimately proclaim the Gospel, he needs to present proof of the authorization that legitimizes his vocation to do so (or forever hold your peace). If not, they are hypocrites to be trampled on by the hoofs of bulls.

Luther gave very minute instructions in regards to how to prohibit ambulating preachers without authorization to intrude on Catholic parishes and preach to the parishioners without the will of the pastor. Luther says that if these preachers were truly sincere, they would first go to the pastor of the parish. They would come to an understanding with him by manifesting their authentic vocation and preaching material and contents. They would then ask his permission and lawful faculties to preach. Luther also demanded that the preacher be examined publicly before the people by the civil and ecclesiastical authorities. These representatives would ask them the following questions in public:

–where do you come from?

–who sent you?

–who granted to you the office of preaching?

–where are your credentials and official papers authorizing you to preach?

–where are your miracles proving you to be ambassadors of Christ?

–why didn’t you seek the priest’s permission before preaching?

–why did you come in an occult manner and hiding yourself in unnoticed buildings?

–why didn’t you show and manifest yourself publicly?

–if you are a son of the light, why do you flee from the light?

Saint Lawrence asks: did Luther himself follow the counsels that he was meting out to others? (I myself would utilize these excellent rules and great counsels of Luther as established rules to apply to itinerant theologians and false psychologists who plague our Catholic parishes and universities with their defense and promotion of homo-erotic practices in their lecture tours).

Luther said that he hated the words “God’s justice” which he interpreted to be God punishing sinners and the iniquitous.  Luther said that he did not love, but hated “the just God who punishes sinners” with a furious internal rebellion which he launched against God. The schizophrenic Luther felt calm and relief when he suddenly discovered Saint Paul’s phrase in Romans that “the just live by faith.” Now he finally understood “God’s justice” in another light; meaning that the just person lives by the gift of God (which is faith itself). The merciful God therefore justifies us by Faith. Luther felt reborn and that the doors of paradise were now pushed wide open. He did not hate God’s justice anymore, but loved and exalted it as a sweet word.

Saint Lawrence was dumbfounded and must have shaken his head in humor as he asked: So this is Luther’s big revelation that no human being is allowed to challenge or question? In truth, it is not even a revelation. Luther had never had a revelation. What he said above is simply a human study of his and personal meditation. What Luther is trying to present as a sublime and profound revelation is really nothing new or revealing in theology, but an evident and simple Catholic truth that has been around throughout the ages in theological circles since the time of Saint John Chrysostom.

One can see that no schizophrenic personalities or anyone possessed of a deranged psychosis present brilliant idea. How can one expect them to since they are dominated by a sickness, which prevents them from thinking in a normal, clear, logical, and intelligent manner? Rather, they say many naïve and silly things like drunken men do and waste the time of those who expect something great to come from them. What profound truths have come from heretics like Arius, Luther, Joseph Smith, Karl Marx, etc or that society did not already know about and came from known sources? Their fame is more in denying, attacking, destroying, and tearing down the faith than presenting anything worthwhile to really build upon.

Luther manifests his mental unstableness when he declares that he is uncertain whether to challenge or not the authority of the pope and propose his teachings. At the same time, he says what he received is certainly from Jesus. Such confusing and conflicting statements only show the contradictory and fluctuating nature of his character. A schizophrenic personality is certain of nothing, but is plagued by uncertainties and casts doubt on the things that he says.

Luther involved himself in a war against the abuse of indulgences in the Church (and gained many admirers and supporters), but he himself confessed that he did not even know what an indulgence was and knew nothing about them. Saint Lawrence asks: “so why did he combat them?” I guess it is typical of a schizophrenic.  One thing for sure: Luther’s unnecessary involvement in the indulgence issue simply triggered off in him another personal and tragic crisis.

Luther wrote and published texts against the abuse of indulgences in the Church without understanding anything about them. Though many people liked what he wrote, he was actually looking for approval and support from the hierarchy itself (and did not receive). He did still venerate the Catholic Church and recognized it as the true one. Influenced by his mental illness, however, Luther was in doubt as to whether he should challenge and disobey the Church. These thoughts brought upon him much mental anguish.

Luther feared Church authority and ceded to it, obeying the order of Cardinal Cajetan to remain silent. Luther’s unnaturally repressed and non-integrated fears could not hold out too long within him. They would either both dominate and freeze him into terror once again or he would have to suppress them consciously by letting go of them through a false sense of superiority. Luther chose the second path and disobeyed the Church. Erasmus of Rotterdam wrote him a letter and asked how he could go against so many numerous series of wise men, approved by the unanimous consensus of many centuries; great illustrious masters of holy texts and writings, holy martyrs, famous miracle working saints, untold number of theologians, academies, Church councils, bishops, and popes?

Luther wrote back and told Erasmus that he really did not want to mess with the authority of the Holy Catholic Church. He admitted and recognized the wisdom of the intelligent people and doctors cited by Erasmus, but…. (and here we have our schizophrenic again) he claimed that “he did not teach the doctrine of men, but of God.” That was his simple and only answer to Erasmus. Saint Lawrence asked: “well, Luther, if the Church and its wise saints are uncertain and untrustworthy and you yourself fluctuate in regards to certainty about what you say, then where are people to find certainty concerning belief?”

In a sense, Luther was undermining everyone’s faith. If they could not find a refuge and rock in the Church or in him, each one would now be obligated to be his own source and fount of revelation in regards to the Faith. Every religious fanatic will now begin to teach whatever pops into his or her head. Luther’s mental illness progressed rapidly driving him to madness and insanity. His internal conflicts, uncertainties and fears caused him to seek relief and stability in a search for control through an intolerant attitude. Luther made an insane and absurd statement when he declared that if anyone were to teach anything different from what God had revealed to him (whether he be pope, Saint Augustine, one of the apostles, or an angel from heaven) that they be cursed.

Aggressive, intolerant, and fanatical Pentecostal pastors and evangelical preachers who pounce on helpless souls, obligating them to accept their version of the Gospel (which they also say is the revealed word of God) or face the fires of hell, also suffer from the same mental illness that afflicted Luther. They are no different from him. It is also interesting to note that “the God of justice who punishes sinners” has become now Luther himself. By threatening and condemning to hell those who do not accept his version of religious teaching but forces them to accept it, becomes a violator of their human freedom and an image of the oppressor God. The very God that tormented Luther and which he hated is brought back to life by him to now torture with fear other people. The ghost of fear that he tried to get rid of simply comes back to haunt him and others.

Another interesting thing is that the children of evangelical and Pentecostal parents do not possess the right or freedom to choose their own religion or even investigate and study others, but are obligated to follow and obey the one chosen by their intolerant mothers and fathers. This too is a serious violation of one’s conscience and unacceptable to God.  If they should convert, their parents show a hateful and furious attitude towards them and reject them from their midst.  This also shows that Luther’s sickness extends to many evangelical families.

According to Luther, not only had God given a divine commission and the title of apostle to Luther on the same footing as Saint Paul the apostle, but even granted the dignity of an evangelist equal to the four narrators of the Gospels. Luther wrote that, “he was also certain that Christ himself nominated him as his personal evangelist.” He goes as far as to claim that his gospel is so lofty that it is untouchable and beyond human judgment. Not even an angel is permitted to say anything in its regard. Luther affirmed that all humanity and the celestial court of angels will be judged by his doctrine. Those who do not embrace his doctrines will be damned to hell.

Luther’s sick mind continues rambling round the clock. His schizophrenic personality does not cease to fluctuate. He contradicts himself when he says (in other texts) that he is really not sure if what he teaches is truly from God or not. He asks himself: “Is the work of my teaching really from God?” (The back-and-forth doubts are true psychotic manifestations of a deranged mind and extremely unstable character). In the torments of his uncertainty as to what he preaches to be from God or not, in his desperation and exasperation he simply ends up advising people: “just believe and think as you wish!”

Now I ask: Would a serious responsible Christian allow his soul and faith to be fed, guided, steered by and put into the hands of a devious and scatterbrained religious with a debilitated mind?  Would they trust the very question of the salvation of their souls to this tormented man? I believe that anyone that does so would be truly foolhardy (like those who confided their voyage to the commander of the Titanic). Like this admiral, Luther also is a spiritual shipwreck. Fluctuating in his schizophrenic world, Luther tosses around like a ship on the ocean waves. For example, he goes back to say that the only just cause in the world is his and that popes, bishops and church are only inventions of the devil. Luther said that other things which belong to the devil (of a completely useless nature) were universities, studies, colleges, degrees, and professors.

The sickness in Luther advances even further. After his conflict with the Church, Luther turned tables and began to praise everything John Huss wrote saying that the Church’s condemnations of his theories was completely wrong. He claimed that the Hussites were the only true Church.  Luther even claimed that John Huss was his prophet (referring to him as Saint John Huss) who had announced Luther’s coming to the world (in the same way that the prophets had announced John the Baptist).

He cited a letter written by Huss in prison: “The Church will roast this duck (Huss means duck in Bohemian) but in a hundred years it will listen to a whooping swan that will sing while tearing them apart (according to Luther, the whooping swan refers to him).” Saint Lawrence analyzed the words of Huss and commented on the prophecy. In Leviticus 11:13-18 and Deuteronomy 14:12-16, the whooping swan is declared to be an impure bird. It was never considered as a symbol of good. 

This bird symbolizes men who are inhospitable and injurious to their neighbors.  These swans are accustomed to fight against each other and to tear themselves apart. They bite themselves like dogs. They were popularly known as birds full of villainy.  The whooping swans symbolized hypocrisy because while pretending to show sanctity it really manifested ambition and avarice.  Their white feathers on the outside are lovely, but possess inedible black meat on the inside. They are similar to the white washed sepulchers to which Jesus compared the Pharisees. The whooping swan will only sing when he sees a fine wind coming his way.  This symbolizes the hypocrite who will only begin to do things if he sees that there is some personal advantage to gain in the endeavor involved.

Saint Lawrence says that Huss really did no favor to Luther by calling him a swooping swan, since the bird represents hypocrisy. Saint Lawrence says also that Huss was no prophet, but rather a terrible liar, worthy of scorn and jeers.

Luther claimed to be a prophet sent by God, and to prove it, attempted to perform a miracle. In 1523, a man drowned in the Elba River and Luther tried to miraculously bring him back to life, but to no avail. The man remained dead. In 1545, he tried to exorcise a devil out of a girl who was the daughter of the Count of Meisen. The event that took place in a church of Wittenberg rendered no results. On the contrary, after long shouts given by Luther to the devil, the demon counter-attacked and put him shamefully to flight. Luther ran off terrorized by the devil.

Many persons ask: “If Luther had so many psychological problems that made him rather strange, weird, and contradictory, how was he able to influence so many people, gain their sympathy and cause a large following? Saint Lawrence of Brindisi answers that, in the beginning, Luther proved to be a good Augustinian who was well versed in Scripture. In his cycle of homilies, he thundered with strength against all the vices of his time. He lashed his tongue out against all the bad habits of the social order.

He took advantage of the press, that was invented at that period in Germany, to write pamphlets and booklets where he explained the Scriptures to the people. He inspired people to piety and the observance of the Divine Law and instructed the simple folk in the things of religion. People believed him to be a true man of God (if he had continued in this way without going overboard, he might have become a saint of the Church). He also showed a humble, reverent, and obedient attitude towards the pope Leo X.

His psychological problems continued unresolved however, and Luther writes that doubts, terror, hate and blasphemy within him persisted in his heart against God. He wrote that he hated the word “penance” and that the love he forced himself to express towards God was something fake and forced from inside. He once again began to also hate the Church, the pope, and bishops and even the Jesuits (whom he referred to as the Loyolalists). He did not show this hate openly, but was an expert in manipulation. He would write beautiful letters of submission and fidelity to the pope and cardinals, and then turn around and launch all sorts of deprecations against them. He praised and treated kindly and gently all of his followers and supporters.

Saint Lawrence applied the prophecy found in the book of the Apocalypse 9:7-11(or Revelation) to Luther and his followers. He explained that the horse with a man’s face and woman’s hair but with lion teeth and scorpion tail is typical of Luther speaking in such a tender and human fashion to attract others to follow him, but then preaches treacherous and scathing things against them once he has them. This is very evident in the tactics used by false evangelical pastors who want to trap souls and capture them into their churches. They are horses with soft female hair and gentle manly faces that are used to conquer outsiders but once gained, show their hidden lion’s teeth and scorpion tails to sting and poison them.

Saint Lawrence of Brindisi recognizes Martin Luther as a prophet, but qualifies him as a false one. He cites Jesus’ warning in regards to them (Beware of false prophets who come to you as wolves covered with sheep’s clothing) and tells everyone to distinguish the true from the false ones. They come with gentleness and soft words (sheep’s clothing) but then reveal their ferocious and rapacious nature.

Is Martin Luther a heretic? Saint Lawrence says yes, but he wants to prove this with arguments. Saint Lawrence cites Saint Paul’s first letter to Timothy 4:1 and the second letter to Timothy 3:1-5 as referring to Luther.  Drawing from this, Saint Lawrence says that a heretic manifests four essential characteristics that define him:

—selfishness (or love of self) Christ said that those who love their souls will lose them. This is the root and origin of all vices. It is in conflict with the love of God.  It corrupts all purity of heart, conscience and finally faith itself.

—pride this vice makes the proud convince everyone that they are the masters of the word of God giving them the right to receive praise and adulation.

—avarice (love of money) those who seek to enrich themselves through religion end up in the tangles of the devil that captures them with his net. They are trapped by temptations and harmful desires. They themselves submerge their followers into death and perdition. This is the root of all evil that has caused many to lose their faith and bring upon themselves countless sufferings.

—love of pleasure these leave the Church in order to serve their bellies.

Saint Lawrence of Brindisi, citing his many sources, showed that practically all the biographers of Martin Luther agreed together and were in common accord that Martin Luther left the Church because of avarice. The story is as follows:

Pope Leo X, who needed money to construct the Basilica of Saint Peter in Rome and to pay the engineers, architects, and painters, offered indulgences to those who would support the project with financial contributions. They would also receive indulgences if they financed the armies that were to fight against the Turks. These donations also required that the faithful participate in the sacrament of Confession and Communion and pray the necessary prayers that accompanied the indulgences. Pope Leo X sent letters to all the bishops of Europe asking them to collaborate in the project.

The cardinal Albert of Brandenburg and Bishop Jerome of Mainz signaled out the Augustinian friars to coordinate the campaign to promote the indulgences in their areas. The Augustinians chose Martin Luther to preach in the parishes and raise the money by means of the papal indulgences. He was very happy with this since he would receive a generous commission from the amount that he would gather in. Luther organized the campaign very well and had regular contributors registered and inscribed in his files.

The Dominicans of the area became envious of the money pouring in and solicited the cardinal to give them authority to also be involved in the campaign. The cardinal removed the coordination from the Augustinians and passed it to the Dominicans. The Dominican theologian John Tetzel substituted Martin Luther as the preacher of the indulgences. The Augustinians felt this to be a grave injury and became resentful towards the Dominicans and the cardinal. A verbal war broke out between the Augustinians and the Dominicans, between Luther and Tetzel.

In order to revenge his personal financial loss, Luther turned tables and began to preach against the papal indulgences. He did not deny them per se, but attacked the abuse involved in the question (for example, he denounced the scandal of half the money from the indulgences being pocketed by the bishop of the area).  He also suggested that the indulgences be replaced by good works of mercy instead. He attacked and preached against the Dominicans. He published 95 theses in denouncing the indulgences. Tetzel, angry with Luther, counter-attacked and published 106 theses against him and the arguments he used against the indulgences.

Luther’s attacks against the indulgences caused him to lose the support and admiration of many followers. He caused displeasure amongst the Roman authorities and his enemies took advantage to denounce him before the ecclesiastical heads. Luther retracted and sent an apology to Pope Leo X. Even with all this, he was called to Rome to give a justification for his actions and writings. The powerful friend of Luther, John Frederick, the Duke of Saxony, got him a dispensation from having to go to Rome. He went, instead, to Augusta to meet Cardinal Cajetan.

Luther feared the cardinal and did not go to meet him. He appealed to the pope and asked him to bring up his question at a future ecumenical Church council. He protested and confessed to the pope to have always held and maintained the Faith and doctrine of the Holy Catholic Church. Even so, forty of his ninety-five theses were condemned by the Church. Luther became furious and full of hatred towards the Roman pontiff, calling him the anti-Christ and throwing anathemas against him. He wrote a booklet called “Against the execrable bull of the Anti-Christ.”(referring to the pope’s document that condemned his forty theses). He also wrote another work against the pope called the “Babylonian captivity”.

Saint Lawrence compares Luther to Judas that betrayed Christ for love of money and brought up arguments against him when the penitent woman spent a large sum to anoint Jesus with the perfumed oil, saying that the fortune could have been used for the poor. When Luther saw the coins slip from his hands, he too attacked the Church with the same reasoning process of Judas. Saint Lawrence states that Jesus did not condemn the votive offerings that the Jews were giving in front of the Temple (pocketed by the priests and Pharisees). Though he realized that these religious leaders were rich, he did not condemn the contributions towards the Temple. He even praised the poor widow that gave everything she had in favor of the maintenance of the Temple. Christ did not, like Luther, go to the Temple and preach to the people to stop offering money to the priests and Pharisees. In this sense, Luther was not acting in the spirit of the Gospels.

Saint Lawrence asks: if what Luther was doing was a revelation of God and he had a certainty that it was God’s work and not his, why did he avoid going to Rome and avoid meeting the Cardinal? Why did he go with an escort of soldiers to protect him, with gold in his pockets and documents from dukes and emperor? Saint Paul met his enemies with a pure conscience, prayer, and trust in God. He had no recourse to civil authorities to back up his doctrine or have money and an army to accompany him. Why did not Luther act in the same spirit as Paul if he claimed to be another Paul in society? If Luther was convinced that his mission was from God, why did he offer to be silent in order to appease the cardinal? The Apostles did not follow the injunctions of the Pharisees to be silent but told them that they had to obey the voice of God.

Luther’s theses were analyzed by the universities of Basil, Fribourg, Paris, and Louvain. They too condemned many of his articles. In response, Luther wrote scathing works against these universities also. In his sick mind, Luther widened his attacks against all Catholics in general.

Even though Paul was persecuted and whipped many times by his fellow Jews, still, he spoke as little as possible against them in order not to scandalize the Gentiles and make difficult their conversion.  Luther suffered no physical aggressions from his fellow Catholics (that he abandoned). Even so, he wrote works of raging and spiteful attitude towards them. This certainly is not to imitate the Paul he claims to be. Paul treated with Christian respect the enemies that sought to end his life and tortured him with physical abuse. Luther would violently and outrageously spit out terms like Turks, infidels, idolaters, anti-Christ, cursed, diabolical, asses, dogs, hogs, etc. against the pope, bishops, cardinals, fellow religious, and Catholics in general. Luther had a real infantile rage and insane anger problem to deal with.

Saint Paul, on the other hand, ardently and sincerely desired the salvation of his enemies. He did not hate or curse them as Luther did.  Saint Paul has not one word of angry resentment written against the heads of the synagogue or princes of Judah in his letters (as Luther’s writings are full of in regards to all the leaders of the Catholic Church). Luther reacts with animal fury against the hierarchy of the Catholic Church (something Paul would never do against his fellow Jewish enemies). Saint Lawrence cites the scripture that says: You shall not curse the prince of your people (something Luther did not observe). Saint Lawrence notes that Jesus told his Apostles that he was sending them as sheep amongst the wolves (and not as wolves amongst the wolves). Luther never comprehended this. Luther was worse than dogs and wolves in his screaming, yelling, howling, barking, back-biting, and launching of the most atrocious curses, contumaciousness, insults, and all sorts of blasphemy as his writings fully attest and overflow with in uninhibited evil speaking and villainy. 

Saint Lawrence of Brindisi was very familiar with the written works of Luther and read many of them. He was surprised and dismayed to see so many contradictions in what Luther wrote. The following are a few examples.

In the preface of his book entitled “The falsely nominated order of bishops” Luther confesses his personal vices, but proclaims his love and loyalty to the Church and pope and their teachings. He vigorously defends her as the true Church of Christ, established by the Son of God. In his “Assertations on the articles condemned by Leo X” Luther spits out his hate of the Church and does not consider her to be the true spouse of Christ. He declares, on the other hand, that the only authentic church is the Greek Orthodox and the one established by John Huss. Then, many years later after he left the Catholic Church, he confessed and admitted that she was the only and true Church of Christ.

In his tract called “Against the king of England” Luther declares himself absolutely certain that the doctrine he preaches is not his, but Christ’s and that it was revealed to him by God. He is of firm persuasion that the origin of his gospel is not from him, but from God (it is easily seen and very obvious to all that the schizophrenic Luther is simply mimicking Saint Paul). In his book “The falsely nominated order of bishops” he also affirms, with unfailing certainty, that God had called him to be an evangelist (on par with the four evangelists of the New Testament).

In his books called “Against the Capricorn of Lypsia”, “Against the celestial prophets” and “On the two species of the sacraments” Luther states that he is not certain at all if what he says and preaches is truly and really from God. He is not sure if what he tells others is coming from God or not (typical schizophrenic).

In his other works entitled “Against clandestine preachers”, “Facts before the cardinals” and “Glossary on the edict of Caesar” he praises the universities and the doctorate he received. He is happy with it and esteems it greatly with pride and joy. He respects the work and fruits of human knowledge in the colleges. He recognized the validity of science, theology, and philosophy in these institutions of higher learning. In his book, “The falsely nominated order of bishops”, Luther downgrades, despises, and attacks doctorates from universities and the universities themselves (he wrote this after being despoiled of his doctorate by Pope Leo X).

In his book, “The falsely nominated order of bishops”, Luther had intensely attacked Huss as a heretic and even swore to have killed him himself. In his books called “The disputes of Lypsia” and “Confirmations” Luther praises Huss and says that all he wrote was pure truth.

In his books called “On Indulgences” and “Resolutions” Luther defends and considers theologically correct the practice of indulgences (he wrote this when he himself was making money off them), but preferred to substitute them with the good works of mercy (of which he also provided apologetics in favor). Luther had no problems with the teaching on good works and defended and promoted them in his writings.

After the coordination and responsibility of the indulgence project was taken away from Luther by the archbishop and given to the Dominicans, Luther became furious and wrote a work entitled “The Babylonian captivity” in which he attacks indulgences and good works and preached salvation by faith alone.

Considering all the above that was shown, we have before us not only a deranged schizophrenic but also a downright spoiled brat. As long as everyone (including the pope) was doing what Luther liked, he was your best friend and defender. Once you rubbed the wrong way with this maniac, he would chew and cut you down to smithereens. Like any sharp brat, he knew exactly what to say to topple and wound them. If you are Luther’s friend and he was aware of the fact that you liked carrots, he would write a whole treatise on the benefit of carrots. If you went against Luther, then he would fatally revenge himself against you by writing volumes on the harmful nature of carrots.

Luther had no intellectual seriousness and responsibility to him at all, but was expertly manipulative in his infantile and childish reaction to others. He had to have his way at all times and neither heaven nor hell would stop him.  No true scholar would really take Martin Luther seriously in what he preaches and writes. Martin Luther’s ideas are inspired purely by irrational emotions and intense passion of hate and revenge. Unlike Aristotle, Plato, Augustine, Saint Thomas Aquinas, etc and others who wrote with consistent reasoning, serious intellectual development, fidelity to truth and love of wisdom, respect and politeness for authorities and diverse opinions, Luther simply manipulates his knowledge with blind passion in order to mortally wound his opponents by purposely planting weeds in the middle of wheat. He is like a malicious child who, hurt in his ego, counter attacks by kicking, biting, and spitting at the adults he is enraged with. He will say things and offer terms and words that he knows to hurt, divide and offend. That is Martin Luther’s method of teaching.

Saint Lawrence of Brindisi says that the “Faith without works” teaching is the oldest of all heresies in the history of the Church. It was condemned in Scripture by Saints Peter, James, and John. Luther himself did not care one way or another if one was saved either by Faith with works or alone without them. He would accept, defend, and preach the teaching that was most financially profitable for him. This is the contradictory Luther who, like a tempest tossed ship, navigates both the right and left. At one point, he exhorts everyone to good works and in a second moment, denies them. At one moment he tells people to work out their salvation in fear and trembling, at a second moment, he tells them that there is surety and certainty of salvation.

When Jesus spoke of Saint John the Baptist, he asked the people: “did you go out to the desert to see a reed shaken by the wind?” No, John the Baptist spoke only God’s word without any contradictions in full accord with the prophets and scripture. Luther is the shaken reed of heresy and rebellion who is full of contradictions and tossed by the wind of errors in all directions. Luther was a false apostle of Christ, or rather an apostle of the anti-Christ. Worse yet, Luther himself is the anti-Christ (according to Saint Lawrence) because, as St. John the Evangelist explains it, an anti-Christ is a deserter who leaves the midst of others and then returns to combat and persecute the Church to its death (as Luther did).

When Luther sent his theses to the pope, he declared that everyone was to obey them under the penalty of eternal loss in hell.

41 of Luther’s 95 theses were condemned by Popes Leo X, Adrian V and Clement VII and other popes who came later as also by the whole council of Trent. The universities of Paris, Louvain, and Cologne as well as many others condemned the errors of Luther. An army of professors and theologians from all sorts of religious institutions condemned and refuted the errors of Luther. So who will we follow and believe: Luther or the whole of united humanity of which he set himself up against?

Luther was also condemned by the civil authorities in the imperial diet of Worms held by the emperor Charles V. The document was signed by all the princes and dignitaries pertaining to the jurisdiction of the emperor. Present at the diet that condemned Luther were the five electors of the emperor, thirty ecclesiastical princes, twenty-three secular princes, twenty-two abbots, thirty-two counts and barons and thirty-nine mayors of the imperial cities.

Luther was condemned by the ecclesiastical and civil authorities for denying the sacraments of the Church that have been with her since her very foundation. He was also condemned for denying the sacrament of confession established by Jesus Christ.

Luther also denied the power of the Mass (declaring that it was neither good for the living or the dead). He denied the existence of free will and said that those who believe in it will go to hell. In agreement with the Waldensians, Pelagians and Hussites, he also denied the existence of purgatory. He derided and denied the authority of the Fathers of the Church. He denied devotion to the saints and any obedience to ecclesiastical authorities.

Luther denied the power of the sacraments to confer grace. He denied the power of baptism to remove sin from the soul of a child or baby.  He went even further and said that one must believe that the sacraments did not confer grace and that baptism did not remove sin from the soul, if that person wanted to escape being condemned to hell.  Luther also declared that those who believe that the three conditions for the sacrament of penance are contrition, confession and satisfaction will also go to hell. Luther said that everything that John Huss taught must be believed by everyone or else hell will await them.

Luther said that a woman or child has as much power to forgive and remit sins as does a bishop, pope, or priest.  Luther told people to love to be excommunicated when it happens and to desire it. Luther also said that the just man sins in his good works and that the best of good works are venial sins. He finally said that all good works are by nature mortal sins to those who perform them.

In the question of good works, Luther got himself in a bind. To believe, as Saint John the Evangelist declares in John 6:29, is also a good work “(the work of God is this: that you believe”). According to Luther’s logic, if to believe is also a good work, then it is also a mortal sin and it will be a mortal sin to believe because you are performing a good work by believing. Mortal sin does not justify a man nor sanctify him, but kills his soul and has him perish. To believe, therefore, in Luther’s logic is send oneself to hell.

Luther simply had a heyday with the teachings of the Faith. He wanted to teach and live a bestial life free of any type of law. He despised and condemned all species of laws.

He publicly burned the decrees and writings of the Church Fathers and canons of the Church and councils. He denied all their authority. He referred to the ecumenical councils of the Church as “Synagogues of Satan”.

Do we have a real nut case on our hand or not? The man went completely berserk and totally lost his mind. His emotional problem reached its limits and finally snapped his brain. This pitiful and sad schizophrenic really merits just pity and compassion more than anything else. He lost all his reason and was acting out of complete insanity, emotional revolt, hate and anger which he could not take anymore.

The Diet of Worms declared Luther to be an infamous heretic, false prophet, minister of Satan and precursor of the anti-Christ. When Luther heard this, he was possessed by an insane fury and blind spirit of revenge. He answered the emperor and the members of the Diet with savage and intense insulting terms and phrases.

The Diet of Worms had taken place in 1521. Noting Luther’s insolent and obstinate spirit, another diet was convoked in Nuremburg in 1524 where his condemnation was reaffirmed. Luther, once again, responded with cursing, calumny, lies, insults, torpid accusations, etc. against the emperor and clergy. He would use base terms like “filthy pig doctors of religion” and others of similar nature. Luther referred to his condemnation by the Church in the following way: “we pigs of Rome condemn Luther for preaching the pure gospel of Jesus.”

Saint Lawrence of Brindisi states that Luther never once obeyed a single order or decree that was sent to him; from his local superior of the monastery to the pope in Rome himself. From the day he entered religious life, he obeyed absolutely no one, but did whatever he wanted. He rejected every counsel, warning or correction that was given to him. Luther was uncorrectable. He refused to listen to the pope, the College of Cardinals, Cardinal Cajetan, the pope’s legate, and the emperor himself and his imperial council. He would not obey any of them. There is a proverb that says that when the impious fall into the depths of sin, they become completely blind and despise everyone. Luther self-crucified himself into his errors by his obstinate perfidy. He despised everyone and perished and was condemned by his own sentence. Saint Paul said that in relation to the perverse obstinate person, one is to correct him two times, but to flee from him the third time.

It is ironic that Martin Luther himself upheld and approved the authority of the Catholic Church to condemn a heretic. Luther defined a heretic as anyone who was contrary to the articles of the Catholic faith universally believed throughout the Church. He said that these heretics should be excommunicated and stoned as sacrilegious and false doctors.  There you have it, right out of the horse’s mouth!

Not one of Luther’s 41 theses is found in Scripture. They are his pure fantasies and mind inventions.  They are not found in the decrees of the Church councils or in the writings of the Church fathers and doctors of the Church or theologians.  Could anyone really be serious to follow, believe and accept a religion invented by a deranged and contradictory intolerant spirit as pouring out from this spiritual and fanatical madman?

The Catholic Church was not the only one to condemn Martin Luther. The Protestant Churches condemned him as well. Zwingli wrote to him and said that his crazy loquaciousness through which he covered everyone with insults by calling them pigs, demons, fanatics, cursed, thieves, heretics, seductress, simulators, and hypocrites was not acceptable as a way for the word of God to triumph. He told Luther that his rage, fury, and insanity full of insults and perverse judgments could not possibly come from a charitable spirit. Zwingli called him a heretic who was corrupting and falsifying the word of God. Zwingli said that Luther’s books were nothing more than sacks of lies. He said that Luther, through his arrogant words, reinforced by countless threats, miserably lead, into the gravest of errors, the minds of ignorant masses. Zwingli called Luther an impostor and seducer who deceived many of the ignorant faithful. He also added that he deceived and denied Christ, like any true heretic.

All of the Protestant biographers in and around the time of Luther confess that he was a proud, spiteful, cursing monk who would not tolerate the least contradiction of anyone to his person. They also confess that his errors in interpreting and translating the Divine Scriptures were countless and without end and obvious to everyone. Of course, what could one expect from a sly thieve like Luther who bought his doctorate in theology? Saint Lawrence of Brindisi was a renowned Scripture scholar in Europe respected by everyone. He knew fluently Greek and Hebrew and had memorized the whole Bible. So who will we believe and choose between Luther and Lawrence in regards to God’s word?

Other Protestant biographers said that Luther began and ended his books with the help of the devil. These Protestant biographers wrote that a great number of his articles were devoid of content, other books devoid of Faith, many with a grave scarcity of exposition, others were false or full of curses, many attacked the very word of God and articles of Faith,

The Sacramentarians, another Protestant group, called Luther the man full of the devil. This is because Luther himself confessed to have received much of his doctrine from Satan himself. Luther refers to the devil frequently in his writings as a source of what he writes. The Sacramentarians said that Luther’s books were full of the devil and obscene curses. They are full of venomous breath and fury to the point that those who read them also become insane. One cannot become surprised enough at such diabolical writings. Much of what Luther wrote was termed as “ass tales” by the Sacramentarians.  The Zurich Protestant theologians condemned Luther as a heretic.

The Protestant Casimirian theologians also declared Luther to be full of unacceptable errors. They declared that Luther’s writings were not the word of God but rather polemical texts full of sophisms, calumnies, insults, and exaggerations, presented without foundations and in an arrogant spirit. Serious themes are treated with puns, derision, and scurrility by Luther in clown like manner. The Casimirians said that Luther atrociously affronts, insults, and offends very wise, holy and innocent men as well as great princes whom he should have shown respect for. This is an unworthy brutality on the part of a Christian theologian. The Casmirians appealed to Luther’s successors, gathered in Augusta, for them not to have Luther’s books serve as the norms for the organization of the new Lutheran Church.

The people who lived with Luther in Saxony, Lipsia and Wittemburg even turned against him and referred to him as the “selfish one, so full of self that it was nauseating. He was the man who despised everything and everyone. He was the center of the world and everything revolved around him. He did not like anything unless it was realized and done by him personally.” They called him the great provocateur, because anything that was defended by him was considered to be a just cause. He ceded no argument to anyone. He also believed in no one except himself. He was only absorbed in self-inflating himself. He was extremely jealous of anyone he thought might do better or pass him in anything. He was called the “hyperbolic master”, because he would turn a flea into a camel once he got on a subject. He would pretend to know a hundred thousand things, and really did not even know four. He was never worried if what he was saying was really true or false. He would also exaggerate and double anything he would say. He was also referred to as the “nosy one” since he would put his nose into many things he had no business doing.

He was called “the advertiser of his own genius” since he loved going amongst the people showing off his talents in a conceited and pompous fashion. He was also referred to as the “tyrant” since he oppressed and treated his neighbors as slaves. He was called the “dreamer” since he put off to the people as revelations of God his delirious nightmares of his torturous nights.

The Anabaptists also condemned Luther and despised and detested him greatly. Other Protestants of that period simply referred to Luther as a diabolical and false man.

John Calvin stated that Luther torpidly and shamefully corrupted the Sacred Scripture. Calvin did not recognize Luther’s doctrine. He condemned him as a heretic and his teaching as flagrant heresy.

In his letter to the Duke of Saxony, King Henry VIII wrote that he never knew a person like Luther that was so seditious, pestilent, nefarious, who removed religion from hearts, turned insipid every law, corrupted every good habit, and conspired to upset the ordinary social order. He violated every sacred thing and contaminated the secular. He wreaked havoc of the sacraments and the grace of God.  He destroyed free will and denied good works. He gave permission for everyone to sin. He depressed justice, treated in an extreme and impious manner the things of God and God himself, and spread his venomous poison throughout Europe like the ancient serpent. He caused divisions in the Church and turned vile every authority. He turned the laity against the priests and both against the Pope.  He turned the people against their king. He armed them for warfare and civil strife. He had Catholics turn against their Faith and to combat the faithful ones.

Now you evangelicals, don’t blame the Catholic Church, it is your own people that condemn the man who inspired your Protestant ideas.

Martin Luther loved to launch himself into arguments and to always win them at any cost. This was one of the reasons that he got himself involved in the question of the indulgences, as well as many trivial contentions also, proved by his many polemical writings and actions. He always promised to obey the results of the analysis done by the Universities and Cardinals in regards to his challenges, but he never did.

When he finally took on the whole Catholic Church and left her, he suffered terrible conscience pangs. He said that he was in deep anguish and desperation during the two years after leaving the Church. The words of Christ that said “if finally, they do not obey even the Church, let them be cast out as idolaters and publicans…” haunted and tortured Luther’s mind. The Fathers of the Church say that those who abandon, betray, leave and apostate from the Church will have no true peace during their lives and not even at the hour of their death, but will suffer from constant psychological torture and anguish of mind. Luther confessed that he considered himself a true unbeliever and infidel and always was in doubt if the Catholic Church was not the true Church of Christ.

Luther so hated the Catholic Church that he declared that even if she were to triumph over his heresies, he would still invent new ones to chastise her with. He affirmed that if the Catholic Church declared Huss a heretic, he was ten times more one himself. Now we are talking about the contradictory Luther who some years back had stated that he considered being a “crime worthy of hell to dissent from the Pope even in the least of matters.”

One of Luther’s close followers and biographers, John Mathesius, wrote that Luther, one day, approached a coachman, put his hand on his shoulders, and told him:”Go and tell your friends that you have seen Luther, the great founder of heresies, with your very own eyes”. In a letter to Cardinal Albert of Brandenburg, Luther wrote that he (Luther) was “the universal devil sent against Rome, whose prelates were no more than devils themselves, homicides, and bloody dogs. He was the new Elias sent by God.”

Luther wanted everyone to know that he was not just a simple enemy sent against the Catholic Church, but a great, principal and grandeur enemy of diabolical proportions, strong and powerful as a demon. He was impressed that Jesus had called Judas a devil for opposing him, but he (Luther) was even more than Judas because he self termed himself as the universal and not just a common devil. When Jesus told the parable about the weeds and the grain, he said that the weeds, causing divisions, had been planted by a devil or enemy and by the sons of the iniquitous one. Saint Lawrence says that Luther fits well into this parable.

Saint Cyprian of Carthage says that it is exactly the devil who invents all heresies and schisms to undermine the Faith and corrupt the truth. Heresies and schisms rob the Church of souls and deceive them with the errors of new doctrines. Saint Paul says that heretics are rebellious apostates of the Church and true deserters of Christ who pass to the anti-Christ.  Saint Cyprian added that heretics do not have the right to assemble together in the name of Christ since they have manifestly separated themselves from Christ and His Gospel.

It is not the Catholic Church that has distanced itself from the heretic, but rather the contrary is true. Saint Lawrence tells us that Luther’s problem consisted in abandoning the good spirit who had led him in the past, to be possessed by a diabolical one that now conducted his mind and actions. One of Luther’s early biographers even went so far as to say that those who closely looked into Luther’s eyes became frightful to notice a very demonic look and presence in them. Luther himself confessed in his writings that he frequently had very intimate and close conversations with the demon himself.

John Aurifaber, one of Luther’s greatest admirer and follower, who had gathered together Luther’s texts and published them, narrates that Luther in 1533 confessed that every night he disputed with the devil about the question of justice.  In these nightly conversations with Satan, Luther confessed that he was almost convinced by the devil that God did not even exist. Luther said that many beliefs that Protestants attempted to convince him of were nothing new to him. The devil had already told him these things beforehand in his rest periods. Luther would take these counsels of the devil and pass them off as the word of God.

In his writings, Luther confessed that he slept and ate more times with the devil than with his wife Catherine (that he had married after some years). Luther even had composed a prayer to the devil whenever the demon would torture him for his sins:  “Holy Satan, pray for us. We did nothing evil against you, good Lord Satan.”

Luther confesses that it was the devil who taught him to attack the Holy Mass. Through the inspiration of Satan, he called the Mass a detestable and abominable idolatry.  Luther said that the devil had told him: “During these 15 years of celebrating daily Mass, you have committed the sin of idolatry by adoring mere bread and wine and led others into the same sin. Also, how can you be sure that the bishops had the real power to consecrate you a priest?” The devil incessantly tormented Luther with endless arguments to the point of nearly physically killing him and taking his life.

Luther did not want to celebrate the Mass in order not to accumulate “abominable and sacrilegious profanations” as he called them. The devil also argued with him that if a priest were to baptize a baby and there was no baby around to be baptized, then there is no sacrament of baptism. In the same way, if Luther said his Mass in private and no one to participate in it (except himself), then there is no valid Mass present. Since Luther had said his Mass in private alone during 15 years without anyone present to assist them, then those 15 years consisted of invalid Masses. The devil also told him that an impious and unfaithful priest has not the power to consecrate at Mass.

The devil asked Luther: “How can you be sure and certain that this “private work” (the celebration of the Mass) is valid for salvation? Are you going to depend on the lies of men instead of the proof coming from the word of God?” (Here we have the origin of Luther’s thesis on the works, inspired directly from the devil). Luther gave himself over to the devil and obeyed all he had told him. Luther admitted that Satan is so intelligent in arguing that one can only beat him with a special grace from God. Luther revealed that the devil is an extremely astute and excellent liar because he begins all his arguments with an undeniable truth and from it develops, with incomparable art, the reasons that no one is able to confute or confound. Luther said that the devil is a master at manifesting our iniquities since he throws against them the commandments of God and our own conscience.

The devil told Luther that all the priests and bishops had recourse to Mary and the saints in order to be consoled and protected from Christ, the severe judge. Saint Lawrence tells us that now we know who the real author of Luther’s new gospel was.       

Luther considered himself a prophet greater than John the Baptist and an angel of purity and sanctity. He also declared himself better than Saint Augustine and Saint Ambrose saying that he was literally the greatest man on earth. Everyone had to accept his doctrine or else would go to hell if not, and declared that even the angels would be judged by it. Those who denied his doctrine could not possibly be saved.

In regards to demons, Saint Peter tells us that we must be watchful since the devil, our adversary, is like a roaring lion seeking to devour those around him and the ruin of souls. Saint Paul tells us to put on the shield of faith by which we can extinguish all the flaming darts of the evil one.  He warns that those who love danger will perish. Jesus tells us that Satan was an assassin and liar since the beginning. Saint Paul tells us that the devil has the capacity to turn himself into an angel of light.

Saint Lawrence tells us that we are not to heed the demons even if they tell the truth. Jesus imposed silence on them when they cried out: “You are the son of God.” Saint Paul also imposed silence on the demon in the possessed child who cried out:” These men are the servants of the God of heaven who announce to you the way of salvation.” Now why would Luther want to dispute religious questions with the devil? Luther adored the devil and attributed to him priestly power and authority. He said that if the devil wishes so, he can preach the Gospel, baptize, consecrate bread and wine, absolve sins, and exercise all the activities of a priest. He added that the sacraments administered by the devil are valid. Luther affirmed such statements, not once, but several times. Luther said that the devil, similar to Christ, is the master of truth and of the Lutheran gospel.

Saint Lawrence solemnly declares that the true mason, architect, and founder of Lutheranism is the devil himself. Luther learned everything from the devil, denied the Mass and with it, all of the Catholic belief tied to it. He introduced a new author of religion which is the devil. The devil, in Luther’s works, is mentioned ten thousand times.

The question of women’s ordination to the priesthood is nothing new and dates back to the time of Augustine. In his book “On Heresies”, Saint Augustine speaks of the heretics who spread this error and refutes them. Luther himself took up the question once again in his writings. He argued that holy orders are an inherent part of the sacrament of Baptism. Since women are baptized, they too are inherently priests and can be ordained. Luther’s thirteenth thesis that promoted women’s ordination was condemned by Pope Leo X.

Luther had translated Saint Paul’s letter to the Romans into the German language. When friends and critics pointed out that the text was adulterated, Luther flew into a rage. (In Romans 3:28, Saint Paul writes: “For we hold that a person is justified by faith apart from works prescribed by the law.” Luther added the word “only” and modified the text to read: “For we hold that a person is justified only by faith…). Luther replied to his critics: “It is this way that I want it, it is this way that I will command it! My will must come in the place of reason! The text will remain this way because I am a doctor above all doctors!” What Luther wants, Luther gets!

Luther’s biographers are in agreement about Luther being a liar and possessing the habit of lying. One of his biographers called Thomas Murner, who investigated this aspect of Luther’s life founded, in one of his works, 55 lies. In the other texts of Luther, Murner discovered 874 lies!!! Saint Robert Bellarmine, the Jesuit cardinal and Doctor of the Church, refuted all the lies that Luther wrote in his works. Saint Lawrence himself discovered many lies but did not care to waste his time counting them.

Though Luther had actually lived a very chaste life in the monastery as priest and monk, he did end up violating and marrying a nun called Catherine Bora when he left and abandoned the Church, his priesthood and religious life.  Luther had a very torpid interpretation of Saint Paul’s words “where sin abounded, Christ’s grace abounded even more.” In order for Christ to send more grace to people, Luther encouraged them to sin. In one of his works, he wrote: “There is no greater happiness for man on earth than to sin and to enjoy sinning.” In another text, he says “The pleasure of sin cures annoyance.” He also added that he himself personally burned with the consuming flames of desire for the flesh which he was unable to dominate. He had so many temptations to the flesh that he went to seek help from doctors and surgeons. It is for this reason that he united himself to the nun Catherine Bora.

Is it any wonder now why so many people decided to follow Luther? Even though many good Christians would refuse a teaching that encourages one to “sin and enjoy sinning”, there are many spiritual freaks and simpletons in society that given this inch of moral licentiousness by Luther would stretch it to a mile and take him up on it. That is why Luther’s doctrine was accepted and spread like wildfire throughout northern Europe.

Luther had accused the Catholic Church of abusing the question of salvation by making it cheap, dishonest, and easy through means of the indulgences, yet he turns around and does exactly the same thing. Was not his entrance into the religious life insincere and a way for him to try and find a cheap and easy way to salvation also? Wasn’t this form of taking on and living a false religious life in trying to reach automatic salvation also an abuse on his part? Was not telling people that they too could enter heaven by sinning plentifully an abuse of grace horrendously more abusive, damaging, and terrible to everyone than the question of the indulgences? Luther, look at the beam in your own eye before accusing the Church of the speck she has.

The fact of the matter is that no one was saved by Luther’s doctrine. Saint Teresa of Avila had a vision in which she saw thousands of Lutherans falling into hell like leaves of a tree shaken by the wind.

In his attacks against the pope, Luther used very base terms that related to the products of the toilette (and which human decency does not allow me to repeat). Luther said that the pope’s decrees were exactly the things of the toilette. Saint Thomas More, the great chancellor of England and Catholic martyr, was shocked by Luther’s use of extreme vulgarity. He said that “Luther has in his mouth latrine, feces and dung and swims in this cesspool with the greatest of vile, torpid and gleeful pleasure.”

The bishops of Poland surprised with Luther’s foul mouthing, laughed and jeered at him. They would write puns about him and have them read in society. In one such rhyme, they said that if Luther had declared that everything outside of him was referred to as piles of dung, then he was the horse from whose belly it was produced and defected.” The University of Ingolstadt was the first respectable and serious institution of learning to oppose itself to Luther. Luther attacked her by calling her doctors and professors blind, miserable, crazy, and filthy men, and their university a toilette full of floating feces. Luther also said that the sacraments and the words of consecration at the Mass were pure dung.  The consecrated body of Christ was referred by Luther as the feces of the devil.

Is anyone out there impressed with the new gospel of Luther and enthused to embrace and follow it?

One of Luther’s grave crime and sin was that of sedition. He attempted to raise an army to go to Rome and kill the pope and cardinals. He wrote letters out to all the princes and nobles of Germany telling them that the pope was subject to the civil power and they had no obligation to obey him. He told them to resist the person of the pope and withdraw their goods and money from him. He told them to use all their possible means to free themselves of the pope and his authority. Luther was inflamed with the spirit of the evil and iniquitous one and went around spreading sedition, division, discord, and dissension. Luther incited the secular princes against the ecclesiastical authority and especially against the pope. Luther was transforming the sheep into wolves to attack their own pastor.

We are not to underestimate the terrible disaster and havoc that Luther had on political society. He is the true founder of our modern secular state. He is the one cunningly responsible for the real and pernicious separation of church and state. With Luther’s untiring efforts and persistence at their heels, it suddenly dawned on many princes, kings, and nobles that they really had no obligation to obey a religious power or be its spokesmen and executioners of its decrees and laws. They therefore broke away from ecclesiastical authority and formed independent sovereign secular states. They felt free now to do whatever they wanted to.

There was a certain disadvantage to this though. Under the Church, the state did not have to worry about or decide moral and spiritual questions. The Church took care of all that. The Church also maintained discipline, harmony, tranquility, peace, unity, and order in society. The Church and the civil authorities were also friends that worked together for the benefit of all. Luther, however, changed all that and turned the secular power against the Church, making them potential enemies of her.

Without the light, wisdom and presence of the Church, the state had to go on its own and try to resolve moral problems as best as it could in the dark. The consequences were disastrous. The secular state, with no religious authority to guide it, made one gross blunder after another. Divorce, atheism, wars, atheistic secularism in the schools and hospitals, contraceptives, abortions, homo-eroticism, embryonic stem cells, artificial insemination, etc. were the fruits of a political society devoid of the presence of a spiritual authority. Since political society had cut itself off like a branch of a tree, it could only wither and dry up, with nothing to sustain it.

Not only that, but the political leaders of the modern secular state, with no spiritual foundation to guide or control them, could only fall into corruption, dishonesty, tyranny, exploitation, and abuse. What we have witnessed of Nazism in Germany, Obamism in America, Fascism in Italy, Spain and Portugal is all fruit of Luther’s political thesis. Luther was the only heretic that was able to give a fatal blow to what was known as Christendom and end it forever in society.

The modern secular state of the 21^st century has become arrogant, blind, lost, confused, at enmity with decency, true morality, and the Church because it is the bastard child of Luther as he conceived and wished it to be. It would have to take the knowledge, art, and wisdom of a Saint Robert Bellarmine to try to salvage and save what was wrecked by an irresponsible and diabolical Luther.

Luther wrote a special book called “On the papacy founded in Rome by the devil” in which he wishes the Vicar of Christ every possible evil and disgrace. He insults and curses him. He invites everyone to curse the pope with their whole heart and soul. He asks everyone to wish for thunder and lightning to strike the pope and his cardinals and for them to burn with the fires of hell. He asks that pestilence and all sorts of diseases come upon them. He asked that all the known maladies of the times along with leprosy, rashes and plagues would fall on the pope. He added that this was the least he could wish on the pope. He said that all the evils and torments of earth and hell were too few for the pope.

In another pamphlet, Luther wrote: “Damned, cursed, infamous be the name of the pope and Catholics…Cursed, damned and destroyed be the papacy…” Luther said that he turned this petition into a prayer which he prayed unceasingly, daily and without interruption with his whole heart and tongue. Fortunately for all of us the Church is guided and protected by the Holy Spirit and Luther can continue praying his prayer before the devil in hell for all eternity as far as I am concerned because no one who is of God would answer such a diabolical petition.

Luther had composed other writings, in which he attacked, with his usual filthy language and foul, cursing mouth, monasteries, the religious vocation and Catholic princes.  I am not going to reproduce this language and words he used since everyone by now knows his way of speaking and acting and I would be wasting space in my text and everyone’s time to show again his repeated curses.  One thing for sure is that Germany became a devastated nation after Luther incited revolutions all over the country. The farmers and peasants rebelled against their lords after listening to Luther.

They invaded, devastated, burned, sacked, and reduced to dust Catholic churches, monasteries, and fortresses in many states of Germany. The princes of the country quickly met the rebellious peasants with their armies and killed over 100,000 of them. Isn’t Luther’s teaching and gospel very lovely and charitable, such that one would adore becoming a Lutheran? Luther himself showed absolutely no emotion over the death of the 100,000 dead farmers. On the contrary, he wrote another book calling upon other farmers to kill and exterminate the bishops and monks.

When Luther found out that the peasants had failed in their rebellion and that the princes had triumphed over them with their armies, our cowardly monk feared for his life and wrote a work against the farmers in order to please the princes and win their favor. In this work, Luther called the peasants thieves, rebels, homicides, whom, under the pretext of the gospel deceitfully rise up against their superiors.  There could not be a worse hypocrite than Luther in this world, a real dirty dog who caused the farmers to rebel and then turned against them when he noticed it would involve his own skin when they failed in their evil action. He wrote that there is nothing more poisonous, harmful, and diabolical than a rebel (the peasants) who must be killed like a raving dog (by the princes).  Luther’s treachery makes even the best of us vomit to hear this low-down scoundrel speak in this way.

Thomas Munzer was a Catholic priest who left the priesthood to follow Luther and his doctrine. He led one of the peasant rebellions and was captured. He self-constituted himself a prophet and pastor without Luther’s permission (now the new pope of Germany). Luther attacked him violently and did everything to ruin him. He did nothing to save him from being decapitated by the princes. Luther approved his death and said that he had the lying spirit of the demon in him. Luther said that if Munzer had the true spirit of God, he would not have lost the battles against the princes. What a great friend we have in Luther!

Martin Luther removed, from his new translated German Bible, the sentence found in the first letter of John chapter five, verse seven: “There are three that testify: the Spirit and the water and the blood, and these three agree.” In a letter that he wrote to Nicholas Amsdorf, he said that he (Luther) was worthy of being called the pope and was actually one (he chose the name Pope Luther I). He told Amsdorf that he would not absolve the Catholic pope of his sins, but would deny him forgiveness, absolution, the mercy of God, eternal life and withhold the retention of his sins. He, Pope Luther I, would kick the Roman pontiff into hell which was prepared for him from all eternity.

In his commentary on Saint Paul’s letter to the Galatians, he said that sin is the highest and most powerful god there is. He added that sin is so offensive that God cannot pardon it. In one of his writings, Luther affirmed that God is the author of all evils. According to Luther, it is God who takes away all of man’s free will. He said that God does all the good and evil in man. Man, therefore, is incapable of doing any good or evil. God is the author of everything, even evil. Luther said that it was God who caused the Pharaoh of Egypt to do evil. Luther added that Judas was a traitor by necessity and he did not have it in his power to do otherwise than to betray Christ. He declared that the fore-knowledge of God is diametrically contrary to free will.

Saint Lawrence commented that this teaching of Luther turned God into a pervert who delighted himself with the abandonment, condemnation, and damnation of human beings. Luther claimed that God wore the devil’s mask and wanted to be recognized by others as such. In another work of his, Luther attributes the vice of injustice directly to God. He said that: “God does not care whether those he saves or condemns merit such a decision on his part. In the ones he saves, he crowns the unworthy. Those who are not worthy of chastisement he punishes with hell. He crowns without merit and condemns the innocent. If you are pleased with the fact that God crowns the unworthy, you should not be displeased that he condemns the innocent.”

Now everyone out there who are reading these articles, tell me: is this teaching of Luther inspired by the Holy Spirit of God or the devil himself? Are you willing to follow a doctrine that was elaborated in the depths of hell?

Luther did not believe in the Divinity of Christ and it was for this reason that he removed the word “God” in the text of Isaiah concerning the Messiah and substituted it for the term “Virtue”. The Protestants of Luther’s time, were horrified with what he said about Christ and swore that they would never accept the Christ of Luther. This is interesting because the Evangelicals are always pestering Catholics to “accept and confess Jesus as their personal lord and savior” in order to be saved, yet they never define if this Jesus of theirs has a Divine nature. If not, then the salvation they promise is an invalid one.

In his commentary on Saint Paul’s letter to the Galatians, Luther went on further to say that Christ was “the greatest thief, murderer, adulterer, sacrilegious person, and blasphemer that had ever appeared in the world.  Since he had to be the victim of all the sins in the world, it was not possible for him to be without sin and innocent. Since Christ was a liar, a crook, sinner, evil one, desperate and damned human, he was abandoned by God on the cross. Christ on the cross felt the same intense pangs of conscience that the souls in hell feel. Citing (and misinterpreting) Saint Paul, Luther said that Christ was cursed before God’s eyes for hanging on a piece of wood. According to Luther, Christ knew in his conscience that he was cursed before God. He ended up experiencing death and hell.

Luther not only blasphemed against the Trinity and Christ, but also the mother of God. He declared that every book in praise of Mary that was ever written was diabolical and satanic. Luther wanted to absolutely abolish every possible liturgical festival in honor of Mary and eliminate them from the calendar. He only admitted the Immaculate Conception and the Visitation of Mary.

He absolutely rejected the liturgical celebration of the Assumption of Mary and her Nativity. He claimed that there were no such feasts in the Scriptures. He told everyone not to make any special consideration in regards to Mary because in heaven she is nothing and no more than any other saint. There is no reason to put her above the choir of angels. It is blasphemy to invoke her and sing the Salve Regina. He declared that anyone on earth could intercede in the same way and with the same power and influence as Mary did. She was no better than anyone else. In his book against Pope Paul III, he scorned and defamed the Virginity of Mary and asked the pope if he had never sinned and remained a virgin like Catholics claimed Mary was. Being a virgin, Mary did not have the pleasure to sin and could never sin if she remained that way.

Luther stated that Mary was a great sinner who erred greatly in the Faith and it was for this reason that she could not find Jesus when he was lost. He also was determined to abolish all the liturgical festivals of the saints. He attacked Moses of the Old Testament and said that he had the horrible figure of the devil that spit forth fire. He told everyone to throw out Moses and the law and not to be afraid of his threats. He said that Moses was a heretic and damned person worse than the pope and the devil of whom no one was to pay attention to.

Luther also attacked Saint Peter and said that he lived and taught everything outside of the word of God and therefore erred greatly. He also attacked all the religious orders, especially the Franciscans and said that they only lived for human respect and their bellies.

Luther had promised to destroy the Catholic Church in the period of two years. After 24 years of his best efforts, he had failed. This got him even more revved up and he restarted his deprecations, maledictions and obscenities and insults against the pope with frenetic obsession and voluptuousness. He did this in the most obscene terms possible calling the pope the anti-Christ, the man of sin, the son of perdition, the destroyer of the Church and so forth. He spoke this on a daily basis. Only a most depraved and diabolical soul could invent the words that Luther vomited forth against the pope. He called the pope a tyrant, a thief, assassin of souls, enemy of God and men, foolish, buffoon, nuts and crazy, impious, idolater, the devil in person, possessed by a thousand demons, devil incarnate, head of the devils, blaspheming mouth of the devil, dung and crap of the devil, dog, wolf, bear, ass, head of an ass, dung of an ass and hog. In his letters to the popes, he addressed them as Mister Pig, Pope Ass, and Most Satan Pope. He wished them every evil and curse of the plague, leprosy, fever, lightning, hospital infections, the fires of hell and so forth.

He referred to our One, Holy, Roman, Catholic and Apostolic Church as the seat of the anti-Christ, the whore of Babylon which has seduced the whole world, Sodom and Gomorrah, infamous house of prostitution,  cathedral of pestilence  whose official doctrine was taught by a thousand devils, church of the malign, synagogue of Satan, church of sexless males, church of all devils, church of the prostitutes of the devils, school of demons full of diabolical lies, idolatry and iniquity, temple of all demons where an abominable idol is worshipped, work and invention of the devil, cursed infernal church, most highly cursed church of God, bloody persecutor of Christ and his saints, ten times worse than the Turks, pig sty and donkey stall, the worst stinking crap and feces of the devil.

It was this and thousands more vulgar and repugnant terms that Luther, in his satanic and bestial hate, threw against the pope and Church. Luther was happy with his hate words and curses and called it his glory. He asked a follower of his to write on his tomb that he had been full of evil words, insults, and blasphemies against the popes and that as he had pestered them during his life; he wanted them to continue suffering after his death. 

Saint Lawrence said that not even Saint Michael is able to curse Satan, so holy are the angels in their conduct and words, and yet, Luther did not hesitate to lash his filthy tongue at the Vicar of Christ on earth. The Holy Spirit has a horror of cursing, so we know that Luther’s words were purely inspired by the demon himself.

Luther had been possessed by the spirit of blasphemy and thrown around like wheat by him such that he could never be full or satisfied in his obscene and frenetic maniac behavior of cursing and blaspheming. Now I say to everyone: If I were an atheist seeking the Christian religion and read these works of Luther, I would definitely continue an atheist and never convert to such a repulsive doctrine of this perverted soul.

I would also like Catholics to be a bit self-conscious of their dignity and rights before the civil law. There are many evangelical pastors that continue cursing and defaming our Church in their temples and cults. They should be brought to court with charges and sued for their unethical conduct and lack of respect for other religions. It is not right that they take the liberty to insult and humiliate our holy Catholic Church before society as if these arrogant morons were the only ones to exist on earth. They do not dare say anything against the Jews because the Jewish people know how to defend their rights and have their religion be respected by others. One false word and the author of such things ends up behind bars. Too bad we Catholics do not have this zeal and concern for the honor of our own Church.

In Saint John’s Gospel, Jesus tells Peter to take care of his sheep. He particularly confided to Peter the direct custody of all souls and recommended to him fidelity and love. The true followers of Christ have always had for the Holy Father the most sincere sentiments of devotion and filial attachment, being humbly subject to him. They follow him in everything and love him whole-heartedly. The pope is, by the will of Christ, the pastor of all. True Christians have admiration and reverence for the Vicar of Christ. 

Therefore, how can we tell if a Christian is a true follower of Christ or not? The signs that show a false Christian to be one are the following:

–he persecutes with malign words the head of the Church

–he despises the Roman Pontiff

–he has the evil intention of separating from the Church through schism

–he is full of self and refuses obedience to the supreme head of the Church

–he apostatizes and casts himself outside of the Church

–he starts his own church, causing disunity and division within the true Church

Also, a person possessed by the devil manifests five satanic characteristics:

–he or she lies, blasphemes, and curses, destroys others through violence, practices impurities and creates divisions, separations, and schisms

A person possessed by the Holy Spirit manifests five holy signs:

–he or she always follows and tells the truth, respects others and persons in authority remaining silent in regards to their defects, defends and promotes human life in all its aspects, lives a pure and chaste life, and seeks to reconcile and maintain everyone in unity and peace

After showing Luther’s hate for the Church by citing his works, Saint Lawrence also shows the love and devotion the monk had previously for her before his final break. Luther still recognized and believed in the Church all the way up to 1519. Luther confessed that he had venerated the Church of the pope as the true Church. He admitted that he had adored all the articles of the Catholic Faith. He held and venerated the pope as the successor of Peter and the Vicar of Christ.

In a letter to Pope Leo X, he told him that in his voice, he recognized the voice of Christ that presided in him. In another letter to Pope Leo X, Luther confessed that he adhered with all his soul to the authority of the Catholic Church which he recognized as superior to all other powers. Nothing in heaven or on earth is to be preferred to her except Jesus Christ. Luther promised the pope that he would write booklets that would awaken amongst all sincere respect and veneration for the Catholic Church.

 In another letter to Cardinal Cajetan, Luther admitted that he had acted with impetuosity and without sound judgment against the Church and with irreverence in regards to the pope. He said that he repented with all his heart and asked for pardon. In a letter concerning the question of faith, Luther said that it gave him immense pleasure to know that he could judge his faith in the light of the Faith of the Church. He called the Church a miracle for the fact of Christ always conserving her in the pure and true Faith. This Faith is professed by all and the devil can do nothing against her.

Luther affirmed that the primacy of the Catholic Church is truly founded on the word of God. In this sense, Luther did not oppose the word of God to the Catholic Church but united the two harmoniously. Luther announced that the highest authority of the Church is, and will always be, the pope. Luther said that it was the will of God that had established the papacy and therefore one must have an attitude of reverence for the pope. It is illicit to obstinately resist and disobey the pope. Luther said that when things get bad in the Church, this is more reason to run to her aid and help her get better and not to abandon her in a cowardly way.

Luther wrote that even if popes similar to Pilate, Herod and Caiaphas or other violent tyrants were to take over the leadership of the Church, it is our duty to still reverence and venerate her with the greatest respect in imitation of Christ who, in fact, did honor them.  Not even the most unworthy abuse on her part should disturb us. Whatever she does, we are to support with joy or avoid with respect. We are not to despise the Church because of her personnel. Even if there are vile leaders at the head of the Church, we are still to respect her.

If Luther had truly continued thinking and writing in this manner, he would have been a great saint of the Church. Unfortunately, after his condemnation by the pope, he changed radically in his attitudes and thoughts concerning her.

At this point, Saint Lawrence ends his writing on Luther. I was surprised that he said nothing in regard to Luther’s last years and death. He also did not comment on Luther’s Bible. I guess Saint Lawrence was not interested in these questions, and felt that he had said enough in regards to Luther. In any case, I too will end my articles on Martin Luther according to Saint Lawrence of Brindisi. I am interested, however, in personally commenting on some questions that Luther did raise and Saint Lawrence did not get into. Before I do this, I will write two more articles. One will be the bibliography used by Saint Lawrence and the other will consist of a brief biography of Saint Lawrence himself.

 I would like now to introduce everyone to the written texts of Luther that show and prove concretely the things that he said and were confirmed in the volumes of Saint Lawrence.

Saint Lawrence of Brindisi’ book on Martin Luther consists of three volumes and is entitled (in Italian) “Lutero” published by the Ezio Cantagalli book company of Siena, Italy in 1932.  The 20^th century edition of Saint Lawrence’s text was faithfully re-produced by Father Gregorio Da Casteldelpiano, who was also a capuchin like our saint.

Saint Lawrence had recourse to the following commentaries and biographies of Luther:

“Theologiae Lutheranae”    (by Frederick Stafel, Withagius 1558)

“Septiceps Lutherus”             (by John Cocleo, Lipsiae, 1529)

“Works and Writings of M. Luther or De Actis” (by John Cocleo, Moguntiam 1549)

“Of the Acts of Luther” (by John Cocleo, 1549)*

*This biography goes into the details of Luther’s involvement with the devil and being possessed by him. He presents the true reason for his leaving the Catholic Church which was avarice

“The Seven Evil Spirits of Luther or Anatomia Lutheri” (by John Pistorio, Cologne, 1595)

“Commentary on the things that have happened in the world or Commentarius Brevis” (by Surio, Cologne, 1565)*

*Surio also recounts how the devil was invited by Luther in his life

“Dubitantius” (by William Lindano, Cologne, 1565)*

*Lindano also recounts the story of Luther’s demonic possession and as to the real motive for Luther’s leaving the Church which was avarice 

“Preface to the Latin works of Luther” (by Phillip Melanchthon)

“Commentary on religions” (by John Sleidano)

“Comment. De Statu Reipublicae” (by John Sleidano, Argentinae, 1556)

“Tischreden oder Colloquia Doct. M. Luthers” (by John Aurifaber, page 280, Eisleben, 1566)*

*In this biography, Aurifaber recounts the nightly conversations and disputes that Luther had with the demon and how the demon had inspired and provided the foundations for other Protestant groups. He also reproduces the text of prayers that Luther had composed for the devil.

The 60 major texts and works of Luther cited by Saint Lawrence are:

“Against the falsely nominated order of bishops”*

*In this book, Luther confesses his past evil life as well as his loyalty to the pope and Church. In the same breath, he declares himself to be an apostle and evangelist called by God. His gospel is pure and genuine and not his, but of the Holy Spirit. This gospel is a direct revelation of Christ himself to Luther. No one, not even an angel can judge this gospel. He will judge the angels and the bishops with this new gospel and those who will not receive it cannot be saved. Further ahead, the foul mouthed and morally bad breathed Luther throws tons of curses and insults against the bishops of the Church and the civil princes saying that they are ferocious tyrants, infamous murderers, senseless monsters, masked idiots, impious deceivers, ministers of Satan and members of anti-Christ. He asks everyone to kill them 

“Against the Capricorn of Lipsia”*

*Luther confesses that his doctrine did not have its origin in God

“Against the Celestial Prophets”*

*Luther has fits of doubt and is not sure whether his doctrine is of God. In this book, he uses terms related to the toilet (crap, feces, latrine, cesspool, dung, etc) to attack and insult the sacraments of the Church.

“Commentary on the Epistle to the Galatians”*

*In this book, Luther obstinately insists that he will cede to no one whether they be angels, apostles, popes, emperors or the whole world. Only to the devil will he cede. He claims that sin is a most powerful god and such an offense, that not even God himself can forgive it. He states that God wears the mask of the devil and wants to be known as a devil. He blasphemed against Jesus when he said that Christ was the worst and most cursed of all sinners to be able to die on the Cross. He also tells everyone to throw out Moses and his law from their lives and heart. He attacked Peter and Paul and called them great sinners and men of error.

“Assertion on the articles condemned by Leo X”*

*This is the text in which Luther defends Huss and his ideas and also calls all good works mortal sins. He affirms that God is the author of all good and evil and that man has no free will to do anything about it.

“Contra Henricum” (pages 357-359)*

*In this book, Luther declares that he is certain that his doctrine is from heaven and really not his, but of Christ. It is in this work that Luther uses some of the most obscene, pejorative, insulting, base, vulgar, repugnant and indecent terms against the Church hierarchy and pope. 

“Letter to Frederick and George, Dukes of Saxony”, “Letter to all Christians”, “De Scholis Erigendis”*

*Luther claims that the origin of his gospel is not from him, but from God and no human power can impede or destroy it

“Dispute in Lipsia” and “Confirmations”*

*These are Luther’s books praising the teachings of John Huss and John Wycliffe as well as despising all higher education and referring to it as things of the devil. In the same breath, Luther recognizes the Catholic Church and admits loyalty to her

“On the two species of the sacrament”*

*In this book, Luther declares that he has begun his great miracle of wounding the greatest power of Satan who is the pope

“Exhortation to peace”*

*In this text, Luther blames the bishops, priests and monks for the failure of the peasant uprising which he himself instigated and referred to the clergy as blind, stupid and cursed. It is a hypocritical, treacherous and seditious work of Luther in which he scorns, humiliates and curses the peasants of Germany

“On the Efficaciousness of the Indulgences”*

*This is the book in which Luther defends and promotes the indulgences 

“Against the Execrable Bull of the Anti-Christ”*

*This is Luther’s hate document against the pope where he called him the anti-Christ and spitted out a thousand maledictions, calumnies, insults, opprobrium, blasphemies, infamous last names and bestial accusations. Luther had self-ordained himself a bishop and pope and ex-communicated the Catholic pope and his followers. He consecrated the pope to hell and handed him over to Satan in his neurotic mind. He pleads and cries to all the princes of Germany to disobey the pope and asks them to murder him.

“On the Babylonian Captivity”*

*This book of Luther is a most pestilent writing of uncountable heresies and where he initiates his war against good works, previously defended by him. He said that if his heresy were destroyed, he would invent many more. In this work, he also attacks the Holy Mass and says that only two of the seven sacraments are valid.

“Disputationis Schedula”, “On Indulgences”, “Resolutiones”*

*The above three texts are Luther’s defense of good works for salvation and many reasons for obeying and honoring the pope and his authority

“De Viribus et Voluntate Hominis”, “Facts of Augusta Before Cardinal Cajetan”, “Appeal to the Pope and Council”, “Instructions on Diverse Articles”, “2^nd Commentary on the Letter to the Galatians”, “De Missa Angulari”, “Unctione Sacerdotum”, “Against the Anabaptists”*

*In these texts, Luther confesses that the Catholic Church is the true one and recognizes her authority as true and valid and defends her with strong arguments. He also defends child baptism as taught by the Church as well as the rest of the sacraments and condemns the teachings of John Huss and uses strong terms against heretics and heresies

“Warnings to my dear Germans”*

*This book of Luther is nothing more than a collection of malign curses, deprecations, calumnies, torpid accusations and insults against the Catholic clergy.  It is a call to arms to his fellow Germans to completely destroy the Catholic Church. He also calls on them to burn and destroy every book that speaks of and exalts the Virgin Mary.

“On Free Will”*

*In this large volume, Luther says that those who believe in free will will go to hell. Similar to the teaching of Calvin, Luther blasphemes and says that it is God who makes men to be evil or good, to go to heaven or hell. No one can choose his final destiny, but depends on God’s caprice and self-pleasure.

“Letter to the Cardinal of Brandenburg”*

*In this letter Luther self-proclaims himself the universal devil sent by God to destroy the devils and bloody dogs (the pope and bishops)

“Table Colloquies”*

*In this work, Luther recounts how he ate, drank and slept with the devil

“On the Private Mass”, “On the Unction of the Priests”, “Confession of the Supper”*

*In these books, Luther tells how the devil taught him that the Mass is a detestable idolatry. Luther also attributes the priestly power and authority to the demon to administer the sacraments. He also says that the consecrated body of Christ in the Eucharist is nothing more than the dung of the devil.

“De Abroganda Missa Privata”*

*In this book, Luther denies and attacks the existence of purgatory and the sacrament of Holy Orders. He attributes to the devil all ecclesiastical tradition, laws, rites, ceremonies and functions of the bishops, priests and clerics. 

“On the ordination and institution of ministries in the Church”*

*In this book, Luther denies the ministerial priesthood and says that there exists one priesthood common to both clergy and laity, such that a child or woman can confess and say the Mass.

“Response to the cursed and injurious text of the king of England”, “Against George, the Duke of Saxony”*

*In these written pieces of work, Luther manifests his puffed up spirit and declares that he is the greatest man the sun has ever seen. He also says that no one is worthy of unlacing his sandal, whether it is the pope, cardinal, bishop, king or emperor. He claims that he is even greater than Augustine and Ambrose. He says that he is the doctor of doctors above all doctors.

“The Glossary on the pretended Edict of Caesar”*

*In this text, Luther says that every bishop, emperor, pope and cardinal must accept Luther’s true and holy gospel or else burn forever in hell

“Ecclesiastical Folder for the day of the Annunciation”*

*In this piece of writing, Luther downgrades and attacks the figure of Mary

“The words of Christ: This is my Body”*

*In this work, Luther states that the words of consecration are dung

“Against the epitome of Sylvester Prierat”*

*In this piece, Luther encourages everyone to form any army and go to Rome to kill the pope and cardinals

“Of the papacy founded in Rome by the Devil”*

*This is one of the most horrendous and offensive attacks on the pope by Luther. He throws against him every curse, evil, disgrace and insult. He encourages everyone to do the same and to wish on the pope every possible disease, misfortune and danger. Every infernal and terrestrial terror, evil and torment is to be wished upon the pope.

“Against the sycamore of Dresden”*

*Luther says that he transformed the prayer of the “Our Father” into a curse against the pope which he repeated without end for the whole of his life at every second. He also said that on his tombstone, he wanted to be written with pride and honor,  that he had been the most terrible pestilence against the pope

“Terrible Fact and Judgment of God on Thomas Munzer, in which God reproves and condemns his lying spirit or Eine Schrecklische”*

*This is Luther’s piece against the priest who abandoned the priesthood to follow him, but allowed him to die due to the intense jealousy Luther felt in his regard

“Letter to Nicholas Amsdorf”*

*In this emissary, Luther self-constitutes himself Pope Martin Luther I, withholds forgiveness and remission of sins for the Catholic pope, denying him the mercy of God and kicks him into hell.

“Commentary on Psalm 21”*

*In this text, Luther says that Christ was rightly abandoned by God for being so full of sins and crimes and being the worst of sinners. Christ was also cursed by God for hanging on a piece of wood.

“Against Ambrose Catherine”*

*In this writing, Luther abolishes every liturgical feast of Mary except for two

“De Formula Missae”*

*In this piece, Luther abolishes every liturgical feast of the saints

“On the observance of the sacred ceremonies”*

*In this text, Luther absolutely rejects the solemnity of the Assumption of Mary and her Nativity. 

“Enarrationes” (page 438), “Baptism Sunday”*

*In this volume, Luther cynically attacks all of Mary’s privileges and titles and her place in salvation history and calls her a woman full of errors and great sins

“Discourse on the 24^th Sunday of Ordinary Time”, “Commentary on the First Epistle of Saint Peter”*

*Luther, in this discourse and commentary, abolishes God’s grace and the men and women sanctified by it. He makes no distinction between sinners and saints

“Against the papacy”*

*The cynical Luther makes fun of the pope and says to him: “Of course Mary could not sin and was without sin; how could she if she was a perpetual virgin? You too must be a virgin if you have no sin on your soul.”

“Commentary on Psalm 44”*

*In this text, Luther scorns and makes fun of Moses calling him an image of the devil

“Commentary on the sixth chapter of Saint Matthew”*

*Luther attacks the religious monasteries and insults the Franciscans”

“Commentary on the Apocalypse”*

*In this book, Luther defends the pope and the Catholic Church

“De Considerationes”*

*In this work, Luther once again defends the papacy and Church citing Saint Bernard

“Resolutions around the disputes concerning the Indulgences”*

*Once again, Luther defends the authority of the papacy

“Discourse on the strength of ex-communications”*

*Luther, interestingly enough, argues strongly in favor of obedience and respect to ecclesiastical authorities and the pope, even when they are corrupt and dishonest.

“2^nd appeal to the pope for a council”*

*Luther states that there are no possible reasons to use to undermine Church authority which is true and to be respected.

After showing what Luther had written, said and done during his life, Saint Lawrence, along with many other authors concluded that he was nothing more than an ignorant doctor of religion, a defrocked monk, an infamous apostate, a deserter of the Catholic Church, fugitive charlatan, rapacious wolf dressed in sheep’s clothing, pestilent heretic, the worst of the arch-heretics, false prophet, apostle and evangelist of lies, pre-cursor of the anti-Christ, son of perdition worthily called a devil.