Posted on 03/17/2015 4:10:36 PM PDT by Legatus
Pope Francis has again forcefully emphasized the Catholic church's need to be merciful, pointedly asking who Christians that do not allow someone to renter the church community think they are.
Speaking Tuesday during his daily homily at the Domus Sanctae Marthae, Francis asked bluntly: "Who are you who shuts the door of your heart to a man, a woman who wants to improve, to return back into the people of God, because the Holy Spirit has stirred his or her heart?"
The church, the pontiff said, is "the home of Jesus and Jesus welcomes -- but not only welcomes, [he] goes to find people."
"And if people are hurt, what does Jesus do?" asked Francis. "Scolds them because they are hurt? No, he comes and carries them on his shoulders."
"This is called mercy," the pope continued. "And when God reprimands his people -- 'I desire mercy, not sacrifice!' -- he speaks of this."
Francis' emphasis Tuesday on the need for mercy from Catholics comes just days after the pope announced Friday that he will be convoking in December an extraordinary jubilee year for the Catholic church to be called the Holy Year of Mercy.
The pope has made mercy a central theme of his papacy. On Friday he said he wanted to call the holy year -- a special time for Catholics to receive blessing and pardon from God and remission of sins -- so that the church "can make more evident its mission of being a witness of mercy."
Francis was speaking of mercy Tuesday as part of a reflection on the daily Mass readings, the first of which is a passage in which the prophet Ezekiel sees a vision of water overflowing and providing life for those near the temple in Jerusalem. The Gospel for the day sees Jesus heal a man who had been paralytic and could not even wash himself.
Using the imagery of water from both readings, the pope spoke of men and women who may have made mistakes in their lives but now feel "that the waters are moving" and they want to come back to the Christian community.
"And how many times today in Christian communities [they] find closed doors: 'But you cannot, no, you cannot,'" said the pope, imitating someone who prevents such people from reentering the community.
"'You have done wrong here and you cannot,'" Francis continued the imitation. "'If you want to come, come to Mass on Sunday, but stay there, but do not do more.'"
Summing up how he feels about such a situation, the pontiff said: "That which the Holy Spirit does in the hearts of people, Christians with the psychology of doctors of the law destroy."
"Today we ask the Lord in the Mass for us, for each of us and for the whole Church, a conversion towards Jesus, a conversion to Jesus, a conversion to the mercy of Jesus," Francis ended his homily. "And so the law will be fully fulfilled, because the law is to love God and neighbor, as ourselves."
If he's talking about what it looks like he's talking about then he's lost his mind.
Another take on this, someone who’s way out on a limb with the saw on the wrong side... I hope:
This pope is working on bringing all religions together under one all inclusive religion.
Jesus was merciful and extended that merciful hand to all sinner including the prostitute that was being stoned by the mob. But He immediately said to her after being delivered from the mob “go and SIN NO MORE. Nor did He imply “come to church next Sunday and we will make prostitution not a sin any more”.
If he was working to bring all people together under one religion I wouldn’t have a problem with it, but all I can say is “He’s mad! He’s mad. He’s madder than Mad Jack McMad, the winner of this year’s Mr Madman competition.”
In the words of Big Daddy, I smell the stench of hy-pocrisy in these "words of mercy." I bet Frank would have gladly joined in booting me out. Now, had I been a pervert, on the other hand . . .
If they do not repent, they shut the doors to salvation to themselves.
Well I thought strawman too until I accepted the fact that he's talking about unrepentant sinners having a place at the communion rail.
Definitely a straw man. But he’s been doing that all along. Since when has the Catholic Church ever rejected anybody who wants to repent and get their lives together?
Those who worship God and those who worship a church divide themselves very obviously sometimes
Oh really? One world religion has no end times significance for you?
Big words of mercy from the religion that trys to hold the trump card on getting into heaven.
Because when you realize the subject matter (allowing divorced and remarried to communion) it completely makes sense what he’s up to. You should check out the other link/thread.
With respect to the aforementioned new pastoral proposals, this Congregation deems itself obliged therefore to recall the doctrine and discipline of the Church in this matter. In fidelity to the words of Jesus Christ(5), the Church affirms that a new union cannot be recognised as valid if the preceding marriage was valid. If the divorced are remarried civilly, they find themselves in a situation that objectively contravenes God's law. Consequently, they cannot receive Holy Communion as long as this situation persists(6).
This norm is not at all a punishment or a discrimination against the divorced and remarried, but rather expresses an objective situation that of itself renders impossible the reception of Holy Communion: "They are unable to be admitted thereto from the fact that their state and condition of life objectively contradict that union of love between Christ and his Church which is signified and effected by the Eucharist. Besides this, there is another special pastoral reason: if these people were admitted to the Eucharist, the faithful would be led into error and confusion regarding the Church's teaching about the indissolubility of marriage"(7).
The faithful who persist in such a situation may receive Holy Communion only after obtaining sacramental absolution, which may be given only "to those who, repenting of having broken the sign of the Covenant and of fidelity to Christ, are sincerely ready to undertake a way of life that is no longer in contradiction to the indissolubility of marriage. This means, in practice, that when for serious reasons, for example, for the children's upbringing, a man and a woman cannot satisfy the obligation to separate, they 'take on themselves the duty to live in complete continence, that is, by abstinence from the acts proper to married couples'"(8). In such a case they may receive Holy Communion as long as they respect the obligation to avoid giving scandal.
Ok, I had not considered that possibility - it is so beyond the pale.
He’s throwing a lot of pearls into the pigpen here.
I’m not so sure he’s saying unrepentant. I think he’s talking about divorced and remarried folks who may very well have gone to confession, BUT, as we know, confession doesn’t fix this situation. I think he wants to change things so it does.
Lighten up, Francis.
This just keeps getting more bizarre.
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