A sign of contradiction, in

Catholic The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...

theology Theology is the systematic study of the nature of the divine and, more broadly, of religious belief. It is taught as an academic discipline, typically in universities and seminaries. It occupies itself with the unique content of analyzing the ...

, is someone who, upon manifesting holiness, is subject to extreme opposition. The term is from the biblical phrase "sign that is spoken against", found in

Luke 2 Luke 2 is the second chapter of the Gospel of Luke in the New Testament, traditionally attributed to Luke the Evangelist, a companion of Paul the Apostle on his missionary journeys. It contains an account of Jesus's birth and an incident from his ...

:34 and in Acts 28:22, which refer to

Jesus Jesus, likely from he, יֵשׁוּעַ, translit=Yēšūaʿ, label= Hebrew/ Aramaic ( AD 30 or 33), also referred to as Jesus Christ or Jesus of Nazareth (among other names and titles), was a first-century Jewish preacher and religiou ...

Christ Jesus, likely from he, יֵשׁוּעַ, translit=Yēšūaʿ, label=Hebrew/Aramaic ( AD 30 or 33), also referred to as Jesus Christ or Jesus of Nazareth (among other names and titles), was a first-century Jewish preacher and religious ...

and the early

Christians Christians () are people who follow or adhere to Christianity, a monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus Christ. The words '' Christ'' and ''Christian'' derive from the Koine Greek title ''Christós'' (Χρ ...

. Contradiction comes from the

Latin Latin (, or , ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally a dialect spoken in the lower Tiber area (then known as Latium) around present-day Rome, but through the power of the ...

, "against", and , "to speak". According to Catholic tradition, a sign of contradiction points to the presence of Christ or the presence of the divine due to the union of that person or reality with God. In his book, ''Sign of Contradiction'',

Pope John Paul II Pope John Paul II ( la, Ioannes Paulus II; it, Giovanni Paolo II; pl, Jan Paweł II; born Karol Józef Wojtyła ; 18 May 19202 April 2005) was the head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 1978 until his ...

says that "sign of contradiction" might be "a distinctive definition of Christ and of his Church."

The cross and mortification as signs of contradiction

Edith Stein Edith Stein (religious name Saint Teresia Benedicta a Cruce ; also known as Saint Teresa Benedicta of the Cross or Saint Edith Stein; 12 October 1891 – 9 August 1942) was a German Jewish philosopher who converted to Christianity and became a ...

, called the Patron of Europe by Pope John Paul II, once taught on the day of the Feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross, September 14, 1939: Views on the cross creates a division: "The division between those whose first love is God, and those whose first love is

self The self is an individual as the object of that individual’s own reflective consciousness. Since the ''self'' is a reference by a subject to the same subject, this reference is necessarily subjective. The sense of having a self—or ''selfhoo ...

– might also be expressed as the division between those who accept the place of the Cross in the following of Christ, and those who reject all sacrifice except it be for personal gain."

The Church and Christians as signs of contradiction

The second biblical phrase is from Acts 28:22, quoting a Jew in Rome with whom Paul was talking: According to Catholic theologians and ecclesiologists like Charles Journet and Kenneth D. Whitehead in ''One, Holy, Catholic, and Apostolic: The Early Church was the Catholic Church'', the sect being referred to here by the Jews is the early church of Christians. The Church and the early Christians, according to these Catholic theologians, are one with Jesus Christ. As an example, they say that when Paul was persecuting the early Church, Jesus Christ appeared to him and said: "Why do you persecute me?" The passage from the Acts of the Apostles is related to John 15:5–8: This passage shows the double-movement depending on the two possible attitudes towards Christ: whoever is united to Christ in holiness will rise and bear fruit, while those who are disunited to Christ will fall down and wither.

Pope John Paul II

A contemporary example seen by many as of a sign of contradiction is

. His defense of life and the

human embryo Human embryonic development, or human embryogenesis, is the development and formation of the human embryo. It is characterised by the processes of cell division and cellular differentiation of the embryo that occurs during the early stages of ...

through unprecedented infallible teachings on

abortion Abortion is the termination of a pregnancy by removal or expulsion of an embryo or fetus. An abortion that occurs without intervention is known as a miscarriage or "spontaneous abortion"; these occur in approximately 30% to 40% of pre ...

, euthanasia, and murder as grave

sin In a religious context, sin is a transgression against divine law. Each culture has its own interpretation of what it means to commit a sin. While sins are generally considered actions, any thought, word, or act considered immoral, selfish, s ...

s in the Encyclical , was seen as a sign of contradiction.

Catholic martyrs of the 20th century

Writing for

Catholic Herald The ''Catholic Herald'' is a London-based Roman Catholic monthly newspaper and starting December 2014 a magazine, published in the United Kingdom, the Republic of Ireland and, formerly, the United States. It reports a total circulation of abo ...

, Robert Royal, president of the ''Faith and Reason Institute'', reported about the results of his research which appeared in his book ''The Catholic Martyrs of the Twentieth Century: A Comprehensive Global History''.

Human beings as signs of contradiction

Elio Sgreccia, Vice President of the Pontifical Council for Life, said in an article entitled "The Embryo: A Sign of Contradiction":

''Sign of Contradiction'' by Pope John Paul II

''Sign of Contradiction'' is also the title of Lenten meditations preached by and written about upon the request of Pope Paul VI by Pope John Paul II. The theme of the book, according to one review, is "the human encounter with God in a world that seems to contradict the reality of divine power and love." Pope John Paul II says in his conclusion that "It is becoming more and more evident that those words (Luke 2:34) sum up most felicitously the whole truth about Jesus Christ, his mission and his Church."

Endnotes

References

{{Lacking ISBN, date=January 2021 *Wojtyla, Karol. ''Sign of Contradiction''. *Woods, Thomas. ''How the Catholic Church Built Western Civilization.'' *Quasten, James. ''Patrology.'' *Carrol, Warren. ''History of Christendom.'' *Journet, Charles. ''The Church.'' *Allen, John. ''Opus Dei: An Objective Look at the Most Controversial Force in the Catholic Church.'' *Casciaro, Josemaria, et al. ''Navarre Bible''.
José Miguel Cejas, ''Piedras de escandalo''
Catholicism-related controversies Catholic theology and doctrine