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February 17th, 2009
Santa Cruz, California
Received by FAB
I am here, Erasmus.
I am pleased that you are able to see the Reformation more from
my point of view. You are seeing what happened then with new eyes.
This is because your soul has grown, and thus your insights are
greater.
Yes, Martin Luther had his share of suffering over here, which
I had actually anticipated on earth. I saw that he was not able
to always discern how to behave according to the teachings of Jesus.
Desiderius Erasmus Roterodamus (sometimes known as Desiderius
Erasmus of Rotterdam) (October 27, 1466/1469, Rotterdam– July
12, 1536 Basel) was a Dutch Renaissance humanist and Catholic Christian
theologian.
Erasmus lived during the Reformation; one issue of the time was
that of various clerical abuses in the Church, one of the factors
that led some critics (following Martin Luther) to embark upon Protestantism
and reject the authority of the Pope. Meanwhile others remained
committed to reforming the Church from within. Erasmus was committed
to the latter cause. He consistently criticized certain contemporaneous
Christian beliefs (popular), abuses and practices. He also remained
committed to Catholic doctrines such as that of free will, which
Protestant Reformers rejected in favor of the doctrine of predestination.
This middle road disappointed and even angered many Protestants,
such as Luther, as well as some of the more conservative elements
in the Church. While rejecting and attacking abuses of the contemporary
Roman Curia and abuse of power and lack of discipline among the
clergy, Erasmus never sided with Protestantism and remained a faithful
Catholic. Ironically, he died in Basel in 1536 and was buried in
the formerly Catholic cathedral there which had been recently converted
to a Reformed church. (Source: Wikipedia)
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