Posted on 07/24/2015 7:31:26 AM PDT by don-o
A Catholic priest once told me something an older priest said to him at a party for his archdiocese’s seminarians headed off to study at the North American College in Rome: “Those poor boys. They leave here in love with Jesus, and come home in love with the Church.”
(Excerpt) Read more at theamericanconservative.com ...
“’They leave here in love with Jesus, and come home in love with the Church.’”
I was excoriated here a couple days ago when I wrote that a friend of mine, an ex priest, said that when there’s a conflict between the Bible and the Catholic church, they always, always, ALWAYS opt for the church’s side. The Bible is not all that important.
So may I infer that you never wondered why the Great Commission did not say: “Go into all the world and hand out Bibles”?
I did once wonder about it. If that is the one needful thing, seems He would have been clear about that from the get go.
I really hope that the RF can move beyond the vitriol that pretty much ruined it for me long ago. I hope that mutual respect would be the expected standard.
lol True. Some get so wrapped up in churchiness they lose track of reality.
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/religion/3314962/replies?c=357
Here’s the relevant post and “excoriating” reply. It’s what most people would call a civil, as well as obvious, response to MM’s post, very much what I was planning to remark upon its restatement, before I got curious about the previous use.
Looks so to me.
One thing that struck me about Dreher's piece is that he accuses no one but himself of anything. This is powerful.
How can a priest say that? That is if he ever understood that the Bible is the expression of the Church in the New Testament and the People of God in the Old Testament?
The Church was rather well formed long before the Church gave us the Holy Bible, eventually in print for all, but not without contest as heresies certainly existed, as Sacred Scriptures gives account.
There is nothing in the Bible that is a threat to the Church. This priest was discounting both the Church and the Holy Bible, by attempting to pit one against the other.
And the next that came up is an hour plus Valaam Men’s Choir
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bt0srHszhxs
To me, the Russian settings are wonderful. Try as I do, the Byzantine just lacks....something.
The topic didn’t resonate with me all that much, but I felt convicted by the original poster’s request to give the piece an honest effort, irrespective of the author. His discussion of the ways he thought the topic had affected himself seemed honest and gave me some things to think about.
All the people he quoted had interesting perspectives, too. I suppose, being as how it’s a great big Church out there, it’s entirely to be expected that some people would observe issues that never cross the minds of others.
“If you liturgize it, they will come. Come and see. The services will teach them everything. Acquire the Holy Spirit and thousands around you will be saved, right?”
Yes, right. The services will indeed teach them everything and that will transform them and creation around them will be saved too! By prayer they might “die to the self” and experience the uncreated light of God!
“As you may imagine, that kind of sloganeering does not much appeal to me, because it at least seems to me that its underlying message is “You don’t have to go into all the world and preach the Gospel. You don’t have to teach people the Gospel message.”
What a shame. This man made his way to the Western Church but failed spiritually there so now he shows up in the East and tells us how wrong we’ve been for the past 1800 years or so. The reality of lex orandi lex credendi is not sloganeering!
When we are in Montreal, we attend St. George AOC. They have a “Russian” choir in the choir loft and a Byzantine Choir down by the psaltis’ stand. For Arabic and Greek, the Byzantine chant is sublime. For English, however, the Slavonic tones of the Russian choir are spectacular. English just doesn’t do it with Byzantine tones.
To be fair to Mr. Dreher, the lines you quote, Uncle K., are by one Fr. Andrew Damick at this website: https://blogs.ancientfaith.com/roadsfromemmaus/2015/05/08/do-orthodox-christians-know-the-gospel-message/
Whether Mr. Dreher is presenting them with full agreement, I can’t say. My impression is that he believes different approaches work better for different people.
His use of large chunks of other people’s material reminds me of some college papers I wrote when I was in a hurry. “Shoot, I’m not up to five pages yet ... better find another quote!”
Trust me on this one, TC, Damick is no better than Dreher. If ever a man loved the self important sound of his own bloviating, it’s Damick. He’s part of that American convert class of Orthodox priests who claim their mission is to “de-mystify” Orthodoxy.
I yield to your knowledge of Orthodoxy! I just felt the urge for completely accurate attribution, because tracking it down gave me the excuse to avoid vacuuming for another five minutes.
I don’t know why I’m bothering: three boys are coming home from camp tomorrow, and the filth will be ghastly. I’ll probably have to go to the Laundromat, too.
I took my Akathist booklet to the gym this morning, for prayer on the (multiple deleted expletives) elliptical trainer. You Greeks sure can put words together!
....Or better yet, getting into the Bible.
Thanks! I particularly like a prayer that my booklet, published by a Byzantine Catholic printer, calls “Kontakion of the Annunciation”:
I am your own, O Mother of God!
To you, Protectress and Leader,
My songs of victory!
To you who saved me from danger,
My hymn of thanksgiving!
In your invincible might,
Deliver me from all danger,
That I may sing to you:
“Hail, O Bride and Maiden ever-pure!”
That’s going on an index card for my captive audience and me to memorize.
You’re reaching to justify your faux pas.
There is nothing else to say.
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>> “Or better yet, getting into the Bible.” <<
Only if you want to make it a success story.
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