Posted on 10/20/2014 2:34:17 PM PDT by BlatherNaut
A Daily Telegraph article - and there will be many like this - attempts to pit Pope Francis against the Catholic Church. In these analyses, Francis is the great 'enlightened one', the great 'moderniser' (think Tony Blair, the Labour Party and Clause 4 or David Cameron, the Tories and 'gay marriage') and the Church is out-dated, unfair, unenlightened, even evil. Even Catholics - perhaps even Cardinals and Popes - continue to believe the Church is a political entity or Party.
It is not. Let's be clear about this. If Pope Francis desires to tamper with, dilute, modify, edit or remove the doctrine of the Church for the sake of 'pastoral necessity', or even wishes to ignore the Church's teachings then the situation is not merely one of Francis Vs Church. The Church and Christ are one. If Francis is attempting to do any of the above then he isn't 'taking on' merely the Church as an institution, but is seeking confrontation with - rather than the imitation of - Christ Himself. The Pope is called to stand 'in the place of' Christ on Earth, not to 'stand in his way'.
The Church offers the 'True Image' of Christ: The Church teaches
the fullness of truth. If Francis wishes to take an axe to the Catechism of the Church - if Francis wants a battle with the Deposit of Faith he is charged with the duty to defend, he isn't seeking a confrontation with his brother Cardinals and Bishops, priests or the laity. He is seeking a confrontation with He Whose Vicar we are led to believe he is.
If Pope Francis really believes he is more 'merciful' than Jesus Christ, more 'pastoral' than Jesus Christ, more 'humble and compassionate' than Jesus Christ to the point that the teachings of Christ, even those teachings recorded in Holy Scripture concerning adultery, are no longer 'relevant' or can be dismissed as 'obsolete', then he is seeking emnity with Our Lord Jesus Christ - God Himself.
Of course, we're not certain that this is the case because as Cardinal Burke noted, a statement defending the timeless - yes, timeless (read: true in any age, including this one and all to come) - teachings of the Church is "long overdue". The suspicion has been aroused however, that Pope Francis is permitting everything to be discussed in the manner that it has because nothing (heresy, blasphemy, error) can offend him, even if Our Lord is offended. Suspicion has been aroused that the Synod didn't go according to plan because the resulting votes were not liberal enough!
The suspicion has been aroused that it was not Peter's faith which was firm and rock-like, but that of the Bishops and Cardinals who said no to the (renaissance?) Prince of Princes orchestrating things behind the scenes to go the way of Cardinal Kasper - the way of those who think that Christ's teachings are no longer important for the Church.
So let's just be clear on this: He who is against the teachings of the Church has, for 2,000 years, been against Christ and His Church - against the Church and its Lord and God - that is anti-Christ. That has been true for lay persons, priests, nuns, monks, friars, canons, bishops, cardinals and popes. Why this perception should change that you can be anti-Church and pro-Christ in 2014 is mysterious indeed.
You cannot be anti-Church teachings and pro-Christ. You can only be anti-Church teachings and anti-Christ. You can say that the Church is full of wicked sinners. You can say bishops and Cardinals are corrupt and depraved. You can say priests are often terrible priests. You can say that the laity are lukewarm and adulterous. You can say the whole of the Church is seemingly black, but you cannot say She is not beautiful. She is beautiful because she is the Bride of Christ and in Her teachings she can never err, not yesterday, not nearly 2,000 years ago, not nearly 1,000 years ago, not today, not now, not ever. She was always intended to stand in contradiction to, not in agreement with, the World.
The Church is sanctified by Christ, nourished by Christ. It is Christ's Church. It is not the possession of the Pope. If in the Church at the present time there were only a thousand Saints and the rest of the Church were dreadful sinners the Church would still be Holy. If in the Church there one Saint and the rest of the Church were dreadful sinners the Church would still be Holy. If there were no Saints in the Church today on Earth the Church would still be Holy and inerrant in Her teaching because the Holy Spirit has been given to the Church to vouchsafe Her and stamp the words '100% TRUE' on all Her Teachings, even those which did not come from the mouth of the Son of God while He walked the Earth.
If a layman cannot sign, 'I agree' at the end of the Catechism of the Catholic Church he places himself at emnity, not in friendship, with Jesus Christ. If a bishop or even the Bishop of Rome cannot do the same, according to the Faith of the Church, he too, like the layman, ceases to be a Catholic. Yes, in this sense, in the Catholic Church, we have always had equality. If a Pope contradicts the Teachings of the Church, or places himself at emnity with the words of Jesus Christ, he can be as heretical as a lay man who does the same and the fact that he is a Pope and is placed in great authority over the Church makes no difference to this truth. Not. One. Bit.
So if ever a Pope arrives who teaches in such manner that he thinks he knows better than Jesus Christ what to teach the children of God, then remember that if in conscience you wouldn't accept these same words from me, or Austen Ivereigh, because we are lay men, that you don't have to accept them from the Pope either because nobody - not even the Pope - knows better than Almighty God Who has vouchsafed to grant to the Catholic Church the fullness of Truth. Each Pope is servant of the Truth, not master of it. That was true of Blessed Paul VI, Saint John Paul II and Benedict XVI. We hope and pray that Francis will adopt their humble attitude towards Jesus Christ and the Church from which He can never be separated, since the Bride and the Bridegroom can never be divorced, for what God has joined together, let no man put asunder!
Yep. Anything even slightly contradictory to the Bible, and the words of Christ that Francis says proves that he and those near him at least should not be in the positions they are.
One last Pope before the end, right? Or during?
Absolute 100% true. Love the first sentence. Pro-aborts ARE NOT CATHOLIC! As a Catholic you are either in all the way or you are out! There are no gray areas. You either believe 100% what the Church teaches or don’t let the door hit you in the ass on the way out.
“If a layman cannot sign, ‘I agree’ at the end of the Catechism of the Catholic Church he places himself at emnity, not in friendship, with Jesus Christ. If a bishop or even the Bishop of Rome cannot do the same, according to the Faith of the Church, he too, like the layman, ceases to be a Catholic. Yes, in this sense, in the Catholic Church, we have always had equality. If a Pope contradicts the Teachings of the Church, or places himself at emnity with the words of Jesus Christ, he can be as heretical as a lay man who does the same and the fact that he is a Pope and is placed in great authority over the Church makes no difference to this truth. Not. One. Bit.
“If a Pope contradicts the Teachings of the Church, or places himself at enmity with the words of Jesus Christ, he can be as heretical as a lay man who does the same and the fact that he is a Pope and is placed in great authority over the Church makes no difference to this truth.”
The pope is doing to the “teaching of the church” what Obama is doing to our constitution.
One should be excommunicated, the other impeached.
Pray that St. Pius X gets to all involved here.
MODERNISM
A theory about the origin and nature of Christianity, first developed into a system by George Tyrrell (1861-1909), Lucien Laberthonnière (1860-1932), and Alfred Loisy (1857-1940). According to Modernism, religion is essentially a matter of experience, personal and collective. There is no objective revelation from God to the human race, on which Christianity is finally based, nor any reasonable grounds for credibility in the Christian faith, based on miracles or the testimony of history. Faith, therefore, is uniquely from within. In fact it is part of human nature, "a kind of motion of the heart," hidden and unconscious. It is, in Modernist terms, a natural instinct belonging to the emotions, a "feeling for the divine" that cannot be expressed in words or doctrinal propositions, an attitude of spirit that all people have naturally but that some are more aware of having. Modernism was condemned by Pope St. Pius X in two formal documents, Lamentabili and Pascendi, both published in 1907. (Etym. Latin modernus, belonging to the present fashion.) All items in this dictionary are from Fr. John Hardon's Modern Catholic Dictionary, © Eternal Life. Used with permission.
Come on folks! Know your Catholicism! Read about it - use google! The pope can say anything he wants and it means anything I say - his opinion. When he speaks officially, he speaks with the authority of the bride of Jesus, HIS Church and will not be in error. This is not the daily talks or interviews or speeches!
Francis wants to get the more entrenched sinners with children into the circles of Christians and from there into Christian churches - anywhere there is Jesus Christ. From there he hopes they will ever fall more in love, some will, and please Christ. He, we, believe that will eventually bring them to the Catholic Church, though Catholics that don’t care much for Jesus are here as well. So he calls a synod to really think out just how much we can welcome some types of sinners. The bishops voted and they want more time to consult and ponder this....how do you let some sinner types in and not by that act drive others already in to think that type of sin is no longer hurtful to a human soul? How do you welcome such folks in and not piss them off at the same time?
My answer? Too many folks receive the Eucharist unworthily, in need of reconciliation. Used to be a third or a quarter would not go up. Now, only a few of us stay kneeling. We need us Catholics to recognize our sins committed and seek confession. Many of us would refrain from offending God and our souls. This would pave the way for the remarried divorcees and active homosexuals to also not receive the Eucharist and yet not stand out - kneeling beside me and the other yet-unrepentant grave sinners this Sunday...and they would feel welcomed to come and experience Christ just as I get to. SURE they are already so welcomed - but they would stand out during Communion and think that as a slap....unless we true sinners recognized our own hearts and sunfulness as Mathew and Mary Magdalen, and repented weekly.
If the bishops would scare us better about the TRUTH of our OWN souls, it would allow other, “worse” sinners (committed to sin via inappropriate marriage) to kneel right beside us, in the PRESENCE of Jesus Christ and begging for His Mercy, on our personal road toward repentance.
How else are they going to get clear of satan’s grip in their lives but by being in the presence of Jesus Christ weekly or daily. Francis rails of “conservatives” only in that he wants us all to see we are bug grave sinners and need to welcome other such ones in and not think we are different but trying hard....so we don’t become pharisees.
We all think we are saints, going up for the Eucharist, though we use birth control or have sex outside of marriage or watch pornography. By Church “law”, no such person may receive Jesus Christ into his body worthily, it is a desecration! Just like for homosexuals and remarried divorce, we’re committing ourselves to the same HELL!
Many years ago a pope wanted those without grave sin to feel encouraged to receive Jesus Christ in the Eucharist every day...that’s what makes saints often! Problem was, man’s envy gets involved and we all want in, worthy and not, and the priests and bishops don’t teach...so everyone goes up to communion...except the self-recognized sinners....remarried divorcees and active homosexuals and so they flee the embarrassment. Jesus says NO! COME and attend mass, just don’t receive. But they are embarrassed, rightfully. More of us need to feel embarrassed and stay kneeling beside these folks, equally on our unrepetnted path to hell. Graces will abound in us all to help us. We can’t think we are good catholics - because we commit grave sins - and just walk up for Jesus. The gays and remarried divorcees see the hypocrisy in us - and they are right! So Francis criticizes THAT in both sides, not our hearts in either side.
So the bishops have to “discern” some more how they are going to make the body of catholics see their own true grave sinfulness...so they will become humbled by humiliation, and so welcome the others that are humbled and need to see the face of Jesus weekly, though too unclean yet to receive Him physically - body, blood, soul and divinity.
Got to get to confession.
Try minute to minute or second to second.
Read the Bible and learn the Truth.
Maybe parishes should have a late-night Mass at which nobody goes to Communion. For all the adulterers, pro-abortion politicians, gay couples, etc.
“That The Bones You Have Crushed May Thrill” is a great website. I hadn’t been on it in a while.
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