Posted on 10/15/2013 6:52:31 AM PDT by markomalley
Idolatry and hypocrisy do not spare even the Christian life. Pope Francis put us on guard against both these vices in his homily at this morning’s Mass at the Casa Santa Marta. In order not to give in to the dangers of these sins, he said, it is necessary to put into practice the commandments of love of God and love of neighbour.
Once again, the liturgy of the Mass elicits from Pope Francis a reflection on the traps that punctuate the life of faith: To become an apostle of one’s own ideas, or a devotee of one’s own well-being, rather than that of God; speaking ill about someone because he does not conform to certain formalities, forgetting that the “new” commandment of Christianity is love of neighbour without ifs and buts. From the words of St. Paul, the Pope goes on to condemn the sin of idolatry, that of people who – as the Apostle says – “for although they knew God they did not accord him glory as God or give Him thanks” preferring to worship “the creature rather than the creator.” It is an idolatry, the Pope said, that “stifles the truth of the Faith” in which “is revealed the righteousness of God”:
“But since we all have need to worship – because we have the imprint of God within us – when we do not worship God, we worship creatures. And this is the passage from faith to idolatry. These people, idolaters, have no excuse: because having known God, they have neither glorified nor worshipped Him as God. And what is the way of idolatry? He says clearly: ‘they became vain in their reasoning, and their senseless minds were darkened.’ The selfishness of their own thoughts, the omnipotent thought, that which I think is true: I think the truth, I make the truth with my thought.”
The critics of Saint Paul, two thousand years ago, went to the idolaters who prostrated themselves before reptiles, birds, and four-legged creatures. And here, Pope Francis immediately responds to the objection that this problem doesn’t arise, because no one goes around worshipping statues. It’s not so, the Pope replied: idolatry has found new forms and fashions:
“Even today, there are so many idols, and even today there are so many idolaters, so many who think they are wise. But even among us, among Christians, eh? I’m not speaking about them, I respect them, those who aren’t Christians. But among us – we’re speaking within the family – they think they’re wise, they know everything... They’ve become foolish and exchange the glory of the incorruptible God with an image: myself, my ideas, my comforts . . . Today, all of us – I go ahead, eh! It’s not only something historic – even today, along the way there are idols, even a step forward . . . We all have within ourselves some hidden idol. We can ask ourselves, in the sight of God: what is my hidden idol? What takes the place of God?”
If Saint Paul calls the idolaters foolish, in the day’s Gospel Jesus says the same thing about the hypocrites, in the person of the Pharisees who are scandalized because the Master hadn’t washed as was the norm before sitting down at table. “You Pharisees!” Jesus replied. “Although you cleanse the outside of the cup and the dish, inside you are filled with plunder and evil.” And He adds, “But as to what is within, give alms, and behold, everything will be clean for you.”
“Jesus counsels: don’t look at appearances, go by the truth. The plate is the plate, but what is important is what’s on the plate: the meal. But if you are vain, if you are a careerist, if you are ambitious, if you are a person that always puts himself forward or likes to advance yourself, because you think you are perfect, give a little bit of alms and that will heal your hypocrisy. This is the way of the Lord: it is to worship God, to love God above all things and to love your neighbour. It’s so simple, but so difficult! This can only be done with grace. Let us ask for this grace”.
I know...Like I said, 'ain't that rich'...
bump
My soul magnifies the Lord,
And my spirit rejoices in God my Savior.
For He has regarded the low estate of His handmaiden,
For behold, henceforth all generations shall call me blessed.
For He who is mighty has done great things for me, and holy is His name. And His mercy is on those who fear Him from generation to generation.
He has shown strength with His arm:
He has scattered the proud in the imagination of their hearts.
He has put down the mighty from their thrones,
and exalted those of low degree.
He has filled the hungry with good things;
and the rich He has sent empty away.
He has helped His servant Israel, in remembrance of His mercy;
As He spoke to our fathers, to Abraham and to His posterity forever.
Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit.
As it was in the beginning, is now and ever shall be, world without end. Amen
Magníficat ánima mea Dóminum,
et exsultávit spíritus meus
in Deo salvatóre meo,
quia respéxit humilitátem
ancíllæ suæ.
Ecce enim ex hoc beátam
me dicent omnes generatiónes,
quia fecit mihi magna,
qui potens est,
et sanctum nomen eius,
et misericórdia eius in progénies
et progénies timéntibus eum.
Fecit poténtiam in bráchio suo,
dispérsit supérbos mente cordis sui;
depósuit poténtes de sede
et exaltávit húmiles.
Esuriéntes implévit bonis
et dívites dimísit inánes.
Suscépit Ísrael púerum suum,
recordátus misericórdiæ,
sicut locútus est ad patres nostros,
Ábraham et sémini eius in sæcula.
Glória Patri et Fílio
et Spirítui Sancto.
Sicut erat in princípio,
et nunc et semper,
et in sæcula sæculórum.
Amen.
She became the Mother of God, in which work so many and such great good things are bestowed on her as pass man’s understanding. For on this there follows all honor, all blessedness, and her unique place in the whole of mankind, among which she has no equal, namely, that she had a child by the Father in heaven, and such a Child . . . Hence men have crowded all her glory into a single word, calling her the Mother of God . . . None can say of her nor announce to her greater things, even though he had as many tongues as the earth possesses flowers and blades of grass: the sky, stars; and the sea, grains of sand. It needs to be pondered in the heart what it means to be the Mother of God.
(Commentary on the Magnificat, 1521; in Luther’s Works, Pelikan et al, vol. 21, 326)
I do I suppose, since I don’t think that the Epistles of Paul were divinely inspired, but rather a reworking of older pagan religions that the gentiles would understand and stomach.
I do I suppose, since I don’t think that the Epistles of Paul were divinely inspired, but rather a reworking of older pagan religions that the gentiles would understand and stomach.
Hmmmm...so why in the world would Catholics, who claimed to have written the NT, put Paul’s writings in the Bible?
Catholics did not write the Bible, the Catholic Church either did not exist or was an underground church in a very small way somewhere. They might deserve credit for putting the books together, I dunno, and I give them great credit for keeping knowledge alive during the “Dark Ages”.
See, I can be charitable
Please check your FReepmail
Comparison to Roman Catholic views
"Luther came to criticize Roman Catholics for blurring the distinction between high admiration of the grace of God wherever it is manifested in human beings and religious service offered to them and other mere creatures. In some instances he considered the Roman Catholic practice of making intercessory requests addressed especially to Mary and other departed saints to be idolatry.[27]"
"Furthermore, how will you endure [the Romanists'] terrible idolatries? It was not enough that they venerated the saints and praised God in them, but they actually made them into gods. They put that noble child, the mother Mary, right into the place of Christ. They fashioned Christ into a judge and thus devised a tyrant for anguished consciences, so that all comfort and confidence was transferred from Christ to Mary, and then everyone turned from Christ to his particular saint. Can anyone deny this? Is it not true?"[28]
This distinction separates Lutheran views from Roman Catholic Mariology. It is also significant in the context of Roman Catholic claims, that modern Protestants deserted Luther's Mariology. Roman Catholics and Protestants may have held some similar views on Mary in the 16th century, but for Luther it was a "passive" Mariology, while for Roman Catholics it was "active" in suggesting devout veneration ("hyperdulia") and constant prayers for intercession. Questions have been raised, if the Marian views of Martin Luther could bring separated Christians closer together. There seems to be scepticism on both sides.[29] The eighth "Lutherans and Catholics in Dialogue" addressed these issues."
Throughout Luther's life, he called Mary by the title Theotokos, Mother of God,[30] but at the same time he rejected the active invocation of Mary as formulated in such prayers as the "Hail Mary."[31] Protestantism usually follows the reformers in rejecting the practice of directly addressing Mary and other saints in prayers of admiration or petition, as part of their religious worship of God.[32]
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lutheran_Marian_theology
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_Roman_Catholic_Mariology
"The development of Mariology is ongoing and since the beginnings it has continued to be shaped by theological analyses, writings of saints, and papal statements, e.g. while two Marian dogmas are ancient, the other two were defined in the 19th and 20th centuries; and papal teachings on Mary have continued to appear in recent times.[14][15][16]"
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marian_doctrines_of_the_Catholic_Church
Let's see, the (c)hurch claiming itself to be "established by Christ", proclaimer and defender of the "one true faith", "gave the world the Bible", having access to the earliest information, the Vatican Archives, the Secret (private)Vatican Archives, the early church "fathers", the best minds and correct theologians took one thousand eight hundred and fifty-four years after the birth of Christ for Pope Pius XI to declare the dogma of Mary's "Immaculate Conception".
Likewise, one thousand nine hundred and fifty years after the birth of Christ, Pope Pius XII ,on another coin toss, declares the dogma of Mary's "Assumption into Heaven".
Truly the RCC is "The Church of The Latter Day Revelations".
I'm looking forward to Pope Francis' development of the "Theology of Women". It's going to be a doozy!!
Even Mary, declared that even she needed a savior("..rejoices in God my Savior."(Why did she need a "Savior"?)),and explains why she is "blessed":
"For He...."
"He has...."
"He has...."
"He has...."
"He has...."
"He has...."
"As He spoke...."
Gabriel, an Angel of God, even had to convince that doubter Mary at first:
http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Luke+1%3A34-37&version=NIV
"Pope" Peter said:http://biblehub.com/acts/4-12.htm
So the God of Heaven and Earth who so loved mankind, even though mankind chose to disobey and forget God, to invent and worship gods who are no god at all, deserving of His wrath, that God set His Divine Plan of Salvation into motion using His Spirit, His Prophets and the tragic yet extraordinary history of His Chosen People Israel to point a lost world to THE one man/God(“narrow gate”) at THE time in the history of the world and eternity, who would sacrifice Himself for the atonement of their sins, for those that would believe in Him, thus drawing them back to Himself and giving them the gift of Grace of Eternal Life, …….and then Pope Francis diverts attention and glory to "Mother" Mary.
Wonder what the popes did with that statue in the inn in Rome, "The Apple of God's Eye"?
Help us Jesus.
Because it fit the narrative that the Romans needed to control the population, and one must remember that Paul was beholden to his Roman puppeteers.
This “one” does NOT remember that “Paul was beholden to his Roman puppeteers.” Pray tell, where do you find this hidden “nugget”??
Whoa!!!! You don’t believe scripture is divinely inspired? Wow! Even Peter claimed Paul’s writings were scripture.
2 Peter 3:15b. As also our beloved brother Paul wrote to you, according to the wisdom given him, [16] as in all his letters, speaking concerning these matters, in which some things are hard to understand, which those who are untaught and unstable twist to their own destruction, as they do also THE OTHER SCRIPTURES. [17] You then, beloved ones, being forewarned, watch lest you also fall from your own steadfastness, being let away with the delusion of the lawless.
So you don't believe Peter either?
I suppose if you don’t believe that Paul’s writings were divinely inspired or believe Peter when he called Paul’s writing’s scripture you can make up most anything you want.
You don't believe the books of Peter were inspired either???
No.
Using anything written by Paul, does nothing to bolster your argument. Where is the evidence for the historical Jesus?
Though you, and a line of Rabbi's from L.A. to Jerusalem would gladly spit on me for saying so, Jesus is Messiah.
Remember my witness to you today. You'll hear of it again.
Thank you, haffast, for your link. ARA, haffast told you you'll hear of his witness again one day. I'm letting you know WHEN you'll hear of it.
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