SD, Once a week is not a grevious burden.
How's about 52 times a year, and 3,120 times in a 60-year period. This is works, that do nothing for a man's salvation, other then making him think he is paying his way, which then does away with the free gift of salvation.
Secondly, in this rapidly secularizing culture the removal of a weekly reminder to folks that Jesus died for us in a way that had a real impact on peoples' lives is hadly showing them "mercy." If anything it leads to a weakening of the faith and contributes to the coming of the "post-Christian" era.
I guess when it comes to the Spiritual part of salvation, we just can't get through to you.
How many people do you think who kept meatless Friday, came to know God from this mini sacrifice? It simply became a ritual that they kept every Friday with no consideration of what it represented. That is why repetition is condemned in the word, because it becomes vain when man no longer puts his heart into it and simply does it because it's Friday again.
Man cannot make laws that bring others to God, and God himself knew that, and that is why Christ had to come. Man does not become good by doing good things unless he is doing it from his inner person, and he may even appear to be a good person, but as Christ said they are become as whitened sepulchers.
Mt23:25 Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye make clean the outside of the cup and of the platter, but within they are full of extortion and excess.</b?
It is the Holy Spirit in us, that helps us do things for the right reason, and never because it pleases a man or a church, but God.
As I have tried to make the point of comparison before, It’s like the man who drives slowly and carefully through a school zone to make sure he doesn’t hit a child, compared to the person who watches his speedometer in case he’s being tracked by radar, and never looks out for children.
I might add, if you drive through the same school zone every morning, and you never see a child, how hard is it to not become complacent and simply watch the speedometer or the crossing guard at the inter section, it is hard to be totally aware of life at every waking moment, and repetition numbs the senses even more.
It helped me to know God a little better. When you make a sacrifice for God, it centers your thoughts on God. Try it sometime. That's why I and many other Catholics still abide by meatless Friday's even though it is not required.
Do you read the Bible daily? Pray daily? Do you always have your heart fully into it? Anything we do routinely runs the risk of becoming routine. The solution is not to stop reading the Bible or praying, but rather to do it properly, understanding your purpose. With your heart, not by rote. Sort of an ongoing, personal 'revival'.
Then how about the men at your church (hypothetically) who have met every Wed morning at 6am to pray and read scripture? What about your (hypothetical) daily bible study or quite time with the Lord? What about Baptist churches that meet every Wed in addition to Sunday services? Does the second sentence apply to those "ritual" observances as well? Or is it only if the Catholics decide to do something as a group that it becomes a "work"?
Shall I start ending with "no offense intended" or will a ":-)" do until we figure out when the other is mad?
How's about 52 times a year, and 3,120 times in a 60-year period.
Dude, that's like what? once a week? Not a grievous burden at all, according to you.
This is works, that do nothing for a man's salvation, other then making him think he is paying his way, which then does away with the free gift of salvation.
This is what you think it is. No Catholic who has been properly catechised thinks that having a fish sandwich is getting them straight into Heaven. It's preposterous. how about you stop characterizing every Catholic as a simpleton, a Pelagian simpleton at that?
Secondly, in this rapidly secularizing culture the removal of a weekly reminder to folks that Jesus died for us in a way that had a real impact on peoples' lives is hadly showing them "mercy." If anything it leads to a weakening of the faith and contributes to the coming of the "post-Christian" era.
I guess when it comes to the Spiritual part of salvation, we just can't get through to you.
I guess whenever something physical is involved we can't get through to you that it's still a spiritual exercise. Avoiding meat once a week is a thing we do spiritually. Just because matter is involved in some way doesn't make it bad.
If I follow your example then nothing is required of a Christian, at least nothing that involves self-sacrifice or matter.
How many people do you think who kept meatless Friday, came to know God from this mini sacrifice? It simply became a ritual that they kept every Friday with no consideration of what it represented.
First of all you are arguing again to the stupidity of Catholics. I think most Catholics know or knew why they were doing what they were doing. They didn't think "it's because we're Irish" or "we're Italian, it's what we do." It wasn't just a cultural artifact, it was done in remembrance of the specialness of that day.
The little Italian store down the street from me (a mom and pop 7-11 type) is closed on Good Friday from 12 to 3. Do you think they do this because it's a quaint "custom"? Do you think they think it's their ticket to Heaven? Is it possible they actually know why they do it?
That is why repetition is condemned in the word, because it becomes vain when man no longer puts his heart into it and simply does it because it's Friday again.
Speak for yourself. God condemns what is vain, not what is repetitious. God himself gave us things to "repeat."
SD