So, according to the Pope, the apostles of Jesus were not “true apostles of Jesus” because they proselytized! Peter, Paul, and the others should have just stayed at home! Christianity should never have been spread to Africa, Europe, and South America - it should have just remained a tiny Jewish sect and died off.
A few thoughts:
1) Most proselytizing is sharing one’s personal faith experience. You give out a tract of YOUR story. Although God is given a complementary role in the story.
2) When Jesus sent out the disciples he told them what to say and if the people didn’t want to hear it, shake the dust from your feet and move on. Don’t camp out if they don’t want to hear it.
3) So what was the message they told? All indications it was, “REPENT AND TURN TO GOD” Now there was some evangelization! How many of us want to do this?
4) Jesus said “feed my sheep”. To feed the sheep, you to find them. That is our evangelical mission, FIND THE SHEEP, the ones who have ears for the message. We don’t convert anyone, don’t even try.
5) If we are going to feed the sheep, we better have something to give them. We better be reading God’s word and the Holy Spirit at work in our lives.
6) There aren’t a lot of Jesus sheep out there, but each is precarious. If we can be used to find them, that is a pretty good thing.
Back to Argentina with him...
We shouldn't try to convince people of the error of their ways unless they are already believers who straying out of the lane. Jesus did that. Although there was that one incident involving the money changers out in front of the temple.
As for reaching those who are truly lost, there are plenty of people out there who are struggling through life and looking for answers. Our behavior, our demeanor, the expression on our faces create an atmosphere, or a "spirit", a Holy Spirit, if you will, that strikes a chord within them that will prompt them to ask us where we get our peace and joy from. Boom! Then you got 'em hooked.
I can't remember who said it (I think it was Francis of Assisi or Augustine), but someone said, "Preach The Gospel at all times. If necessary, use words."
I'm not sure if this is the message this Francis was trying to get across but it should've been.
Talk about anti-Christian. This guy spews at least one anti-Christian thought per day.
So, who needs the catholic church then? I mean, we all go to heaven and anything goes.
Um, maybe I’m confused dear pope socialista but exactly what did those dudes known as disciples do?
This Pope is about as bad as they come in my opinion. This guy is so messed up then he managed to be a fascist and a communist. During the Dirty War in Argentina, he used his position in the church to bless the junta when it was murdering people, throwing them out of helicopters. And make no mistake, 99% of them were not like Vietcong, or some sort of armed Rebels. They were various students, journalists, writers and people active politically on the left. It was just outright murder. And this guy happily gave them cover.
Now that that ara is over, and the Junta is long gone, he throws his lot in with the communists of today. This tells me something very basic about the moral cowardice of this man. He is simply an opportunist who gloms onto power, and throws in with whatever faction has power at that moment. Now he has thrown his lot in with the globalists and gained control of the Catholic Church. Evil man, weak man.
POPE FRANCESCO:
Let's go to your first. When I taught what look and what words I had towards believing children or of other religions ... But in Argentina there is a social phenomenon, which is the migratory phenomenon. After the two great wars there were migratory waves from Europe, also from Asia Minor and the Italians ... Do you think that 40% of Argentines have an Italian surname, almost the other 40 Spanish. Then Poles, Russians, all ... even Arabs, whom we called "Turks" because they came with the passport of the great Ottoman Empire. There is a mixture of blood, a strong mixed race in Argentina - I am the son of a migrant - and this has made a culture of coexistence. I went to public school and we always had companions from other religions. We were educated to coexistence: “There is a Jew, Russian ah ... Come, come! I am a friend of Russian! ". They said Russian because the majority of the Jews came from Odessa, some from Poland but the majority from Odessa. Then there was some Arab, Lebanese, Syrian ... "Ah, Turkish! Come come!". This was Mohammedan, this was Jewish ... But we all played football together, we were all friends. This has taught me so much, that we are all the same, all children of God and this purifies your gaze, it makes you human. In Argentina there is a small group of too closed Catholics who do not want Jews, do not want Muslims but this group, at least I have never liked it, is a group that is on the corner, they have a cultural magazine but they do not have incidence in society and when I taught I looked at them as they were, this is the secret. You must be consistent with your faith. It didn't occur to me and it doesn't have to be like saying to a boy or a girl: "You are Jewish, you are Muslim: come, be converted!". You be consistent with your faith and that consistency is what will make you mature. We are not in the times of the crusades. It's a bad thing but it made me suffer so much, a step of the "Chanson de Roland", when the Christians, the crusaders had won the Muslims and then a queue of all the Muslims was queued and the priest was in front of it and a soldier. The priest in front of the baptismal font and everyone came - read that passage - he asked: "Either the baptism or the sword". This has happened in history! They also do it with us Christians in other parts, they are also doing it, but what happened to us "shame" (shame) because it is a story of forced conversion, of not respecting the dignity of the person. This is why my experience was natural with people of other religions because my dad my dad's job was an accountant and he had so many Jewish business clients and they came home, it was normal and I didn't have this as a problem. But it must be normal. Nothing to leave them aside because they have another faith. And you. Damiano, what word would he use to convince someone to become a Christian ...
DAMIANO:
If you asked her a fundamental reason to start believing ...
POPE FRANCESCO:
The first is everything. In front of an unbeliever the last thing I have to do is try to convince him. Never. The last thing I have to do is speak. I have to live consistent with my faith. And it will be my testimony to awaken the curiosity of the other who says: "But why do you do this?". And yes I can speak there. But listen, never, never bring the gospel with proselytism. If someone says you are a disciple of Jesus and comes to you with proselytism, this is not a disciple of Jesus. Proselytism is not done, the Church does not grow by proselytism. Pope Benedict had said it, it grows by attraction, by testimony. Football teams do proselytism, this can be done, political parties can be done there but with faith no proselytism. And if someone says to me: "But why you?". Read, read, read the Gospel, this is my faith. But without pressure.
--end translation--
I don't see anything there that says "don't share your faith". He mostly seems to be saying that you should attract people to the faith by the life you live, not by your clever arguments.
January 6th
Once Upon a Time and not too long ago
The Twelfth Night Of Christmas
was celebrated with a ball
From the Day of Babes Birth
and the 11 thereafter
kith and kin were paid a visit
and friends from far and near
once were paid a call
So on this day I pray in the spirit that this date recalls
Let the gift of homage of kings gain
in the spirit of the days this season yet remain
ere it wane
Be thine Blessings Great
and misfortunes thee none befall
This is an abbreviated version of my poem in my poetry page.I’ve recorded how this season was observed by Catholics prior to the Vat 2 changes plus other changes is offered here
http://www.theusmat.com/natdesk.htm
“Asked by one of the students Friday how a Christian should treat people of other faiths or no faith, the pope said that “we are all the same, all children of God” and that true disciples of Jesus do not proselytize.”
That is like saying Christ did not proselytize.
To me that is blasphemy.
Sigh...
We are not all children of God. We are all creations of God. Only the redeemed are adopted children of God.
Romans 10:
14 How, then, can they call on the one they have not believed in? And how can they believe in the one of whom they have not heard? And how can they hear without someone preaching to them? 15 And how can anyone preach unless they are sent? As it is written: “How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news!”
Saint Joseph, please guide Franky to the next life soon.