THE DEVELOPMENT OF DOCTRINE

Today there are many voices that are adding new practices based on newly made doctrines to the traditional teachings of the Catholic Church under the pretext that the Church must be modern and up-to-date with the times.   

The Church is spiritual; she cannot be modern in the worldly sense since the spirit is the same all the time.  But does this mean that the Church is not growing?  Heavens, no!  There is such a thing in the Church as the development of doctrine.  The doctrines of the Catholic Church taught in the early times can be compared to a child.  The doctrines, like the child, grows but the essence of the child does not change.  So with the Church: the doctrine develops.  We develop a deeper and more spiritual understanding of the teachings but it does not change essentially in any way. 

It may be compared to a rolled carpet.  At the beginning, it is rolled; then, it is gradually unrolled.  We see more of the carpet but it is the same carpet.

Most innovations today in the Church are not the result of a greater understanding of the mysteries and teachings of Christ.  They are most often just that. . .innovations--entirely new doctrines and teachings that have nothing to do with Christ.  Or, sophistry, the result of the thinking of armchair daydreamers whose reasoning is not based on the rules of right reasoning nor conclusions from a thorough research.