Pope Francis speaks to pilgrims during his Wednesday General Audience on April 23, 2014 Credit: Kyle Burkhart/CNA
Posted on 05/15/2014 2:15:20 PM PDT by NYer
.- Pope Francis reflected in his daily Mass on how the apostles evangelized by first telling the history of God’s people, explaining that it’s impossible to understand a Christian without this association.
“You cannot understand a Christian outside of the people of God. The Christian is not a monad,” but “belongs to a people: the Church,” the Pope observed in his May 15 homily.
“A Christian without a church is something purely idealistic, it is not real.”
Beginning by looking to the first reading, taken from the Acts of the Apostles, the Roman Pontiff addressed those gathered in the Vatican’s Saint Martha guesthouse by recalling how when Paul preached in Antioch, he did so by first recounting the whole of Israel’s salvation history.
“Jesus does not make sense without this history” because he “is the end of this story, (the end) toward which this story goes, toward which it walks,” he noted, so “you cannot understand a Christian outside of the people of God.”
“You cannot understand a Christian alone, just like you cannot understand Jesus Christ alone” the Pope went on to say, explaining that “Jesus Christ did not fall from the sky like a superhero who comes to save us.”
“No. Jesus Christ has a history. And we can say, and it is true, that God has a history because He wanted to walk with us. And you cannot understand Jesus Christ without His history.”
Pope Francis then described how a Christian without a history, a nation or the Church “is incomprehensible,” saying that it’s “a thing of the laboratory, an artificial thing, a thing that cannot give life.”
Drawing attention to the importance of remembering this “dimension of history,” the Bishop of Rome observed that a Christian is “a living memory of his people’s journey, he is the living memory of his Church.”
“Then, where is this people going? Toward the ultimate promise. It is a people walking toward fullness; a chosen people which has a promise for the future and walks toward this promise, toward the fulfillment of this promise.”
In order to do this Christians within the Church must be men and women “with hope: hope in the promise,” the Pope went on, noting that “It is not expectation: no, no! That’s something else: It is hope.”
“Right, on we go! (Toward) that which does not disappoint.”
Explaining how a Christian is also someone who remembers, the pontiff encouraged all present to “seek the grace of memory, always” so that by doing so and also looking forward with hope they might be a Christian who “follows the path of God and renews the covenant with God.”
This type of Christian constantly tells the Lord “Yes, I want the commandments, I want your will, I will follow you” he continued, adding that “He is a man of the covenant, and we celebrate the covenant, every day” in the Mass, therefore a Christian is “a woman, a man of the Eucharist.”
Concluding his reflections, Pope Francis encouraged all present to “think about our Christian identity,” stating that “Our Christian identity is belonging to a people: the Church.”
“Without this, we are not Christians” he observed, noting how “we entered the Church through baptism: there we are Christians.”
“For this reason, we should be in the habit of asking for the grace of memory, the memory of the journey that the people of God has made,” the pontiff said, and “also of personal memory: What God did for me, in my life, how has he made me walk…”
Praying, the Roman Pontiff asked “for the grace of hope, which is not optimism: no, no! It's something else,” and asked “for the grace to renew the covenant with the Lord who has called us every day.”
“May the Lord give us these three graces, which are necessary for the Christian identity.”
Ping!
And a church full of fake Christians is what?
Am going to use this on a family member who is constantly giving me that “it’s just as good if I stay home and pray here, right?” line.
Leibniz lives!
“And a church full of fake Christians is what?”
A figment of your imagination.
“The Christian is not a monad...”
Is that like a gonad?
Uh, there are plenty of entire “churches” full of unbelievers. Better known as social clubs.
Yes, even Catholic churches. Including the priests.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Monad_(philosophy)
I had to look it up.
“A figment of your imagination.”
Oh yea? Jesus wasn’t so sure.
“Nevertheless, when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on earth?””
Luke 18:8
I don’t exactly know what the breaking point is between a true and fake Christian. Some are obviously misled concerning the finer points and have unorthodox views. Still, I think just being part of the Body of Christ scores some points.
Sorry for the bad posting. That last parenthesis is needed as part of the link.
Refutes the FRoman Catholic fable of people becoming Christians without coming into contact with an actual Christian.
“Uh, there are plenty of entire “churches” full of unbelievers. Better known as social clubs.”
I don’t think you have any way of actually knowing that. What you’re probably doing is assuming that their faith is lacking because they don’t measure up to a standard you hold. That’s understandable, but is not proof.
“Yes, even Catholic churches.”
No. I have no doubt that there many woefully inadequate Christians in terms of the faith in many Catholic parishes. That doesn’t mean that the entire parish has not a single person of sincere faith. Also, you’re back to your original apparent presumption: I don’t think you have any way of actually knowing that.
“Including the priests.”
A priest is not an entire church. He’s merely one man.
“For consider your calling, brethren, that there were not many wise according to the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble; but God has chosen the foolish things of the world to shame the wise, and God has chosen the weak things of the world to shame the things which are strong.” -1 Corinthians 1:26-27
Christian congregations have people from all walks of life, most of them simple, all of them weak. That’s why they are there. Idealism has no place when crucifixion encompasses and embraces those who are poor in spirit. An idealist does not comprehend, not having ears to hear. Faith comes by hearing, and the speaking takes place within congregations where a faithful bishop studies and applies the biblical texts note merely for the sake of instruction, but to bring the merits of Christ to bear upon poor sinners so that they participate in the resurrection; in weakness for now, but not in weakness forever, for they shall see Him as He is.
“Oh yea? Jesus wasn’t so sure.”
Has Jesus come? If He hasn’t - and He hasn’t - then we’re talking about two different times so your prooftext doesn’t work. Thanks for trying.
Oraganized religion never gives up on its desire to control the faithful.
So now a man says his church must stand between a soul and God in order for that soul to reach salvation?
Jim Jones and many others would agree, but...
No, thank you.
Jim Jones was an atheist....but you knew that.
“Refutes the FRoman Catholic fable of people becoming Christians without coming into contact with an actual Christian.”
Can you post any examples of that?
Jesus didn’t come to save himself.
He chose twelve and had many disciples.
That means a community. That also means a Church.
A person who does not go to church does not know Jesus.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.