Posted on 10/13/2014 4:15:07 PM PDT by BlatherNaut
God's laws are meant to lead all people to Christ and his glory, and if they do not, then they are obsolete, Pope Francis said in a morning homily.
In fact, the scholars of the law in Jesus' day were so wrapped up in doctrine as an end in itself, they were unable to see that Jesus was leading people down a new and surprising path toward his glory, the pope said Oct. 13 during his morning Mass in the Domus Sanctae Marthae, where he lives.
Jesus did "strange things," like "walk with sinners, eat with tax collectors" -- things the scholars of the law "did not like; doctrine was in danger, that doctrine of the law" that they and the "theologians had created over the centuries," he said, according to Vatican Radio.
The scholars were safeguarding the law "out of love, to be faithful to God," the pope said, but "they were closed up right there," and forgot all the ways God has acted in history.
"They forgot that God is the God of the law, but is also the God of surprises," he said.
"God is always new; he never denies himself, he never says that what he had said is wrong, but he always surprises us," the pope said.
The scholars of the law had forgotten how many times God surprised his people, like when he freed them from slavery in Egypt, he said. They were too wrapped up in their perfect system of laws -- "a masterpiece" where everyone knew exactly what he or she was supposed to do; "it was all settled. And they felt very secure there," he said.
They couldn't see beyond "this system made with lots of good will," and they could not read the "signs of the times," the pope said.
They couldn't see that what Jesus was doing was a sign indicating "that the time was ripe," he said. This is why in the day's Gospel reading (Lk 11:29-32) Jesus said, "This generation is an evil generation," because it sought the wrong kind of sign, the pope said.
The scholars of the law also forgot that the people of God are a people on a journey, "and when you journey, you always find new things, things you never knew before," he said. But the journey, like the law, is not an end in itself; they are a path, "a pedagogy," toward "the ultimate manifestation of the Lord. Life is a journey toward the fullness of Jesus Christ, when he will come again."
The law teaches the way to Christ, and "if the law does not lead to Jesus Christ," he said, "and if it doesn't get us closer to Jesus Christ, it is dead."
Pope Francis asked people to reflect, "Am I attached to my things, my ideas. Am I closed?"
"Am I at a standstill or am I a person on a journey? Do I believe in Jesus Christ, in what Jesus did," dying for humanity's sins and rising again? he asked.
"Am I able to understand the signs of the times and be faithful to the voice of the Lord that is manifested in them?" he asked.
Pope Francis urged people to pray to be able to walk "toward maturity, toward the manifestation of the glory of the Lord" and to have a heart "that loves the law, because the law is God's."
But may people also be able to "love God's surprises and to know that this holy law is not an end in itself," he said.
Ping!
>>God’s laws are meant to lead all people to Christ and his glory, and if they do not, then they are obsolete
As a former United Methodist, I know what that statement is code for. I’ve heard many liberal clergy use that as the lead-in to calls for “reconciliation” and “inclusiveness”.
This argument is leading up to an as-yet-unstated conclusion.
Frances has given us enough clues as to make the conclusion obvious.
Aren’t people supposed to lead people to Jesus? Hasn’t the law been done away with?
So, He’s the leader of the Catholic Church, ?
or the Supposed leader of all mankind. Hmmm...
Sorry Pope, my Bible teaches me that God is perfect, and his laws are unchangeable.
Sounds very like “never put a period where God put a comma” type theology but stops just short of it.
Without conviction of your sins, via the law the power of the Holy Spirit is useless. It is like a person dying of cancer who is convinced they are healthy, they feel they have no need for chemo or surgery.
One statement by Jesus that Francis seems unaware of is, “Let your yes be yes, and your no be no. Anything else is of the Devil.” (That quote is by memory, so may not be exact.) Francis seems to be the master of the ambiguous comment, comments which simultaneously seem to affirm traditional doctrine and to undermine it.
Christ Came to Fulfill the Law
17 “Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them. 18 For truly, I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not an iota, not a dot, will pass from the Law until all is accomplished. 19 Therefore whoever relaxes one of the least of these commandments and teaches others to do the same will be called least in the kingdom of heaven, but whoever does them and teaches them will be called great in the kingdom of heaven. 20 For I tell you, unless your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.
I take it the pope never read Galatians 1:8
All this is the end result of branding the Holy Torah a “temporary preparation.”
Interesting; God’s laws which have always led people to Jesus can somehow become obsolete. God’s laws must conform to man’s wants!
From the Sin-Nod, it seems like Francis and Kasper both believe the Sixth and Ninth Commandments are now obsolete.
Have you noticed that lately the Pope’s sermons all seem to be attempts to justify the evilness going on in his Sin-Nod?
When laws conflict with the Bible, they are Satanic!
PFL
“Aren’t people supposed to lead people to Jesus?”
Yes, but not just people.
“Hasn’t the law been done away with?”
Yes and no. If you want to wear a wool and linen blend, or eat a hot dog, or work on a Friday night, have at it. If you want to worship idols, or take the Lord’s name in vain, or steal, or murder someone, you’re headed for trouble.
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