THE VICENTIAN PRINCIPLE: BEACON OF FAITHFULNESS AND GUARDIANSHIP OF THE ETERNAL FAITH

“In the Catholic Church, we must take the utmost care to hold fast to what has been believed everywhere, always, and by everyone.”

— St. Vincent of Lerins, Commonitorium

St. Vincent of Lerins’ declaration is not just a theological formula; it is a hymn to the stability of the faith amidst the storms of history. This principle not only guides the intellect in doctrinal discernment but also touches the heart of the believer with the certainty that by remaining faithful to what has always been believed, we walk in the light of eternal Truth.

It is not merely a technical rule or a pragmatic tool; it is a manifestation of the very nature of the Christian faith, an echo of God’s love, which does not change and cannot be betrayed. This article delves into the dimensions of this principle, not merely to describe it but to explore its scope, foundation, strength, and beauty.

I. THE VICENTIAN PRINCIPLE: NATURE AND DIMENSION

In his Commonitorium, St. Vincent of Lerins offers us a criterion for distinguishing true doctrine from heresies:

“True faith is that which has been believed everywhere, always, and by everyone.”

This principle has three fundamental dimensions, which are not merely descriptive but express the very nature of revealed Truth.

1. UNIVERSALITY (UBIQUE)

True faith must be accepted throughout the Church, without regional or cultural exceptions. This does not imply superficial uniformity but an essential unity in faith.

St. Thomas Aquinas reinforces this point by teaching that the truth of faith is catholica because it is not limited by space or time but belongs to the fullness of Christ’s Mystical Body:

“The Catholic faith is one because it is meant to unite all men in the same revealed Truth.”

2. ANTIQUITY (SEMPER)

True faith is not a recent invention or a reinterpretation of what has already been received; it is a continuous testimony from the Apostles. Antiquity is not measured merely in chronological terms but in its uninterrupted connection to apostolic Tradition.

St. Augustine expressed this clearly:

“That which is truly Catholic is not new, but what has always been believed from the beginning.”

3. CONSENSUS (AB OMNIBUS)

True faith is that which has been accepted by the entire body of the Church, not by an intellectual elite or an isolated group. This consensus reflects the sensus fidelium, the supernatural instinct of the faithful guided by the Holy Spirit.

St. Leo the Great strongly affirmed:

“What has been believed by God’s people from the beginning cannot be doubted, for in it resounds the voice of Christ who lives in His Church.”

II. THE SCOPE OF THE VICENTIAN PRINCIPLE

The Vicentian principle does not only have doctrinal application but encompasses the entire life of the Church: liturgy, morality, and spirituality.

1. IN DOCTRINE: AN INCORRUPT FAITH

The principle ensures that any legitimate doctrinal development must be consistent with what has been received. Blessed John Henry Newman stated:

“Authentic development does not alter the substance of the faith but unfolds and clarifies it. Any contradiction with the ancient is a sign of corruption.”

2. IN LITURGY: A FAITH THAT PRAYS

Liturgy is the visible expression of the faith. The Vicentian principle ensures that any liturgical reform must be in continuity with Tradition. St. Pius V declared when promulgating the Tridentine Mass:

“Nothing should be added to what has been transmitted to us, for what has been consecrated by Tradition needs no correction.”

3. IN MORALITY: AN ETERNAL LAW

Christian morality is not a flexible ethical system but an expression of Divine Law. St. Francis de Sales remarked:

“The love of God does not change, nor does His law. What was holy yesterday remains holy today and will be for all eternity.”

III. THE VICENTIAN PRINCIPLE AS A RESPONSE TO HERESIES

Throughout history, the Vicentian principle has been an essential criterion for refuting heresies and preserving the faith.

1. THE ARIAN CRISIS

St. Athanasius defended the consubstantiality of the Son with the Father by appealing to the Church’s consensus:

“We do not preach something new, but what the Church has always believed: that the Son is of the same essence as the Father.”

2. PELAGIANISM

St. Augustine refuted Pelagius by demonstrating that the doctrine of grace is part of the deposit of faith:

“Grace is not an addition but the foundation of our faith, received from Christ Himself.”

3. THE DIVINE MOTHERHOOD

At the Council of Ephesus, St. Cyril of Alexandria defended Mary as Theotokos, showing that this truth is rooted in Tradition:

“What we say of Mary, we say of Christ, for she is the Mother of the Incarnate Word.”

IV. THE VICENTIAN PRINCIPLE IN THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN LEX ORANDI AND LEX CREDENDI

The Catholic faith is not only professed in words but lived and expressed through liturgical prayer. This inseparable link between lex orandi (the law of prayer) and lex credendi (the law of faith) is a direct manifestation of the Vicentian principle: what has always been believed has always been prayed. The liturgy is a living testimony to the continuity of faith.

1. LITURGY AS AN EXPRESSION OF TRUTH

St. Vincent of Lerins does not only refer to doctrine in its conceptual form but also to its expression in the Church’s life. Liturgy, as the highest public act of worship to God, reflects and guards the deposit of faith.

2. LEX ORANDI, LEX CREDENDI: A VITAL RELATIONSHIP

The principle lex orandi, lex credendi affirms that how we pray reflects and forms our faith. If the Church’s prayer deviates from Tradition, the faith itself can be endangered.

3. LITURGY AS A TESTIMONY OF TRADITION

Continuity in liturgy ensures that the faith remains rooted in its apostolic source. Radical changes in liturgical expressions can obscure essential truths. Dom Prosper Guéranger noted:

“The liturgy is living Tradition because it radiates what the Church has always believed.”

V. CONCLUSION: A CALL TO SUPREME FAITHFULNESS

The Vicentian principle is not just a theological norm; it is a hymn to eternal Truth, a tribute to the fidelity of Christ, who promised that the gates of hell would not prevail against His Church.

St. Vincent expressed it masterfully:

“True faith does not need novelty, for in it shines the light of eternity.”

This principle challenges us to be guardians of Truth with clear minds and burning hearts, trusting that by remaining faithful to what has always been believed, we walk toward the God who never changes.

OMO

BIBLIOGRAPHY

1. St. Vincent of Lerins. Commonitorium. Classic translations.

2. St. Thomas Aquinas. Summa Theologiae.

3. St. Augustine. De Doctrina Christiana.

4. St. Leo the Great. Sermons and Dogmatic Letters.

5. Blessed John Henry Newman. Essay on the Development of Christian Doctrine.

6. St. Pius X. Pascendi Dominici Gregis and Breviary liturgical reforms.

7. St. Athanasius. Writings against Arianism.

8. St. Cyril of Alexandria. Dogmatic Letters.

9. St. Francis de Sales. Introduction to the Devout Life.

10. St. Pius V. Quo Primum.

11. Dom Prosper Guéranger. The Liturgical Year and other traditional liturgical texts.

Our Faith

 

TRUE DEAD FAITH

Neither Tradition nor Traditionalism is dead faith.

The word of God tells us what true dead faith is: "For even as the body without the spirit is dead: so also faith without works is dead." (James 2:26).

This is what the Word of God teaches us: Whoever does not comply with God’s commandments, even if he believes, because of mortal sin his faith is dead, and if he dies without sanctifying grace, he will perish eternally.

Tradition is not the adoration of ashes, but the PRESERVATION and passing on of the fire.

On Traditionalists, Saint Pius X says:

“The true friends of the people are neither revolutionaries, nor innovators: they are traditionalists.” So traditionalism is not what former Protestant pastor Jaroslav Pelikan said: "the dead faith of the living", and who was recently quoted in the papal trip to Canada.

The following words of Pius XII make it very clear:

“Tradition is something very different from a simple attachment to a bygone past; it is the very opposite of a reaction mistrustful of all healthy progress. Etymologically, the word is synonymous with advancement and marching forward, synonymous but not identical… Tradition also signifies a forward march, but a continuous march as well, a movement both brisk and tranquil… By virtue of tradition, the youth, enlightened and guided by the experience of the elders, moves forward with a surer step, and the elders can confidently pass on the plow to stronger hands, to continue the furrow already begun. As the word itself indicates, Tradition is a gift handed down from one generation to another; it is the torch that one runner passes to the hands of the next at each relay, without the race slowing down or coming to a halt. Tradition and progress complement each other so harmoniously that, just as Tradition without progress would be a contradiction in terms, so also progress without Tradition would be a reckless enterprise, a leap into darkness”.

(Pius XII, Speech to the Roman Nobility and Patriarchate, "L'Osservatore Romano", January 20, 1944).

CATHOLIC FAITH WHOLE AND INVIOLATE

"Whoever wishes to be saved, needs above all to hold the Catholic Faith; unless each one preserves this whole and inviolate, he will without a doubt perish in eternity …"

Pope Eugene IV, Council of Florence

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ROMA LOCUTA

Faith is not a Buffet where You Can Choose Which Truths to Believe. Whosoever has True Faith Accepts Everything that God Revealed which is Guarded by His Church

• The buffet "Catholics", are neither Catholics nor have faith, but mere personal opinions.
• Faith must be integral or it is not faith.
• Whoever has faith believes all that God revealed, not just the dogmas that he likes or agrees with.
• There is no foundation more true and rational than the Truth that God left us, because God never lies since He is the Truth itself.
• He who consciously and pertinaciously denies one or more dogmas of the Catholic faith is a formal heretic.
• Such person would be in error and would not be a formal heretic if he does not deny it with pertinacity.
• The formal heretic who denies a single truth of faith, does not believe in the others with true faith but as a simple personal opinion. Therefore, the heretic does not have faith.

Luther Lost His Faith Because of His Heresies

Saint Thomas Aquinas teaches:

“A heretic who disbelieves even one article of faith does not have faith, either formed or unformed. The reason of this is that the species of every habit depends on the formal aspect of the object, without which the species of the habit cannot remain. Now the formal object of faith is the First Truth, as manifested in Sacred Scripture and the teaching of the Church. Consequently, whoever does not adhere, as to an infallible and Divine rule, to the teaching of the Church, which proceeds from the First Truth manifested in Sacred Scripture, has not the habit of faith, but holds the other articles of faith by a mode other than faith. Like someone who holds in his mind a conclusion without knowing how that conclusion is demonstrated; it is evident that he does not have scientific knowledge, but merely an opinion about it.

"So likewise, it is evident that he who adheres to the teachings of the Church, as to an infallible rule, assents to whatever the Church teaches; otherwise, if, of the things taught by the Church, he holds what he chooses to hold, and rejects what he chooses to reject, he no longer adheres to the teachings of the Church as to an infallible rule, but to his own will. Hence it is evident that a heretic who obstinately disbelieves even one article of faith, is not prepared to follow the teaching of the Church in all things (but if he is not obstinate, he is not a heretic but only erring). Therefore, it is clear that such a heretic with regard to one article has no faith in the other articles, but only a kind of opinion in accordance with his own will."

"Lest perhaps, when I have preached to others, I myself should become a castaway": Saint Paul

If You Believe, You Will See

-God Alone is Enough

Faith

To enter the Kingdom of Heaven, it is not enough to say, "Lord, Lord!" It is necessary to believe fully - without any contamination - the Divine Revelation and to do the will of God.

The Deposit of Faith is Unchangeable

"The doctrine of Faith that God has revealed, was not proposed to the minds of men as a philosophical discovery to be perfected, but as the divine deposit, entrusted to the Spouse of Christ that she might faithfully keep it and infallibly define it. Consequently, the meaning of the sacred dogmas which must always be preserved, is that which our Holy Mother the Church has determined. Never is it permissible to depart from this in the name of a deeper understanding" (First Vatican Council. Dogmatic Constitution Dei Filius, Dz.1800).

Faith Without Works Is Dead

Let Us Ask God for the True Faith

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Source of information: Blog CATOLICIDAD, http://www.catolicidad.com/2016/04/pidamos-la-fe-verdadera.html

In the Face of An Agnostic and Atheistic World, Let Us Proclaim Our Unshakeable Faith:

JESUS CHRIST, TRUE GOD AND TRUE MAN

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Source of information: Blog CATOLICIDAD, http://www.catolicidad.com/2016/04/frente-un-mundo-agnostico-y-ateo.html

The only effective solution

That what is profane is also mundane, that is, everything that distances from the spiritual and higher issues. Holiness is the life of sanctifying grace in our souls. We are all called to be saints, to live in God’s grace, so that, one day we may reach eternal bliss together with our Creator. Many believe that holiness lies only in the heroic practice of the virtues, however, anyone who lives in a state of grace is already leading a saintly life. Holiness is not something unattainable.

Sanctification is a process through which the believer, who accepts and keeps intact the faith that he/her has received, grows steadily in holiness by the continuous action of the Holy Ghost, which begins with his/her incorporation to the Church through the Sacrament of Baptism, and extends until death. Holiness implies getting away from everything that is sinful, and that contaminates both the body and soul, also, behaving in a saintly manner in all aspects of our life and in our relationships with others, getting away from evil and dedicating our entire life, within our means, to God and to serve Him faithfully. The frequent use of the Sacraments, prayer, penance, and the practice of the virtues will increase this process.

Saint Paul tells us: “Therefore, brethren, stand fast in the faith: and hold the traditions, or doctrines, which you have learned.” (2 Thessalonians 2:14) and he also states: “But now being made free from sin and become servants to God, you have your fruit unto sanctification, and the end life everlasting.” (Romans 6:22).

Therefore, the real solution is to convert to God, adjusting our hearts and will to God’s will, and refraining from making the Church worldly or adapting her to the world, which is one of the enemies of our souls, together with the flesh and the devil. The Divine teaching and the deposit of Faith must not be adapted to the criteria and currents of the world, instead we must turn our hearts to God and accept and follow His doctrine and laws. G. K. Chesterton said: “The Church must move the world, rather than moving with the world.” Let us transform hearts instead of deforming the Church!

By standing fast in the faith we have received and acting in keeping with it, one day we will attain the joy of living with God eternally. Therein lies the only and true solution.

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“I BELIEVE!”

Let us see the views about God of a select group of scientists of the last century. It would be impossible to list all the greatest scientists of history that believed in God.

Watch video (Click below in CC to see subtitles):

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Source of information: Blog CATOLICIDAD
http://www.catolicidad.com/2016/02/yo-creo.html Translated from Spanish by Fabiola Lozano.