Posted on 07/22/2006 7:06:59 AM PDT by NYer
Aw dang, Jeff, you caught us red-handed!Trying to Hook More Youths on Priesthood
In this era of Eminem and Britney Spears, of sexy sitcoms and sexier commercials, of high-speed Internet and instant gratification, a life of celibacy devoted to God can be a hard sell to a teenager.
So as the nation's Roman Catholic leaders gathered recently and watched a video called "Fishers of Men," designed to draw young men to the priesthood, they had good reason to worry about the future of their chosen way of life.
Church leaders have long been aware of the statistics. There are now about 43,000 Catholic priests in America, down from more than 58,000 in 1965. As the U.S. Catholic population has risen to about 70 million, more churches have had to share priests.
What receives less attention is that the men who go into the seminary generally don't do so until later in life. The average age of newly ordained priests was 36 last year, up from 28 in the 1960s and 26 in the 1940s.
...
Observers of vocational trends say more effort is needed now because of smaller families, with parents who want grandchildren; a secularized culture wary of lifetime commitment and celibacy; Catholic assimilation in America; and increased family mobility, which detracts from parish loyalties. [More...]
Dear marajade,
"I don't care who authored what. The Word is the inspired word of God. I read what it says and believe it, you don't."
If you don't care who authored it, since the letter actually SAYS who authored it:
"1 Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by command of God our savior and of Christ Jesus our hope,
2 to Timothy, my true child in faith: grace, mercy, and peace from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Lord."
one might infer that you don't appear to care what it actually says.
Like I said, when you actually learn a little bit about the Bible, we can continue.
Thanks,
sitetest
I understand 2nd Peter 1:20 very well. I'm watching you proudly violate it.
The "Word" is Our Lord, not the Scriptures. However, the Christian Scriptures make clear that the Apostles are to do what the young rich man, which was to give up all and follow him. They were to travel pretty light. Wives and children can be heavy burdens, especially at a time when "family" meant an extended family, a small tribe. Jesus famously asked, who is my family. To take into fellowship those who were not kin was extraordinary but consistent with the prophetic mission. Luke takes care to draw a parelle between John the Bpstist and Jesus. Neither was the domestic type.
No I care what it says and follow it. The Catholic Church doesn't however. I've cited many many Bible verses which the Catholic Church practices against it.
How I am violating it?
Dear AnAmericanMother,
"I wonder if we're wasting our time here."
At this point, it's clear that we are.
It's difficult to infer anything charitable about our interlocutor. Devoid of any appearance of logic, or even the ability to discern what Scripture plainly says, one hopes the poster is just pulling our collective leg, and isn't posting this stuff in earnest.
sitetest
I'm pulling your leg? I'm the only one it seems is posting scripture and actually reading it in context.
Dear marajade,
"No I care what it says and follow it."
No, you already said you didn't care who wrote it. Here are your words:
"I don't care who authored what."
Yet, the first thing that the first letter to St. Timothy says is... WHO AUTHORED IT. But you don't care about that. You just told us that.
"The Catholic Church doesn't however. I've cited many many Bible verses which the Catholic Church practices against it."
You haven't actually successfully identified the author of what you cite, no less evinced any understanding of the words, themselves.
I'll pray for you.
sitetest
Absolutely! I believe in Acts 13 where the Holy Ghost chose Barnabas and Saul (Paul) to be ordained to the priesthood. The Lord chose them. They showed forth wonderful power thereafter!
You're the only one here who thinks Timothy wrote the Epistles of Saint Paul to Timothy. That's a failure at the most basic level of comprehension, and it says a lot about your understanding of scripture.
Then again, you claim to be a pro-abortion bible-believer, so your understandign of Christ is also obviously lacking at fundamental levels.
Dear marajade,
"I'm pulling your leg?"
It's the most charitable interpretation I could give to your postings.
sitetest
Ach!:
"understandign" should be "understanding."
Why not read it and see for yourself?
Among other things, it is about St. Paul himself practicing celibacy.
In order to disprove your thesis that celibacy is incompatible with holding the office of bishop, I need cite only a single counter-example. That example is St. Paul himself.
You cannot maintain your interpretation of 1 Timothy 3:2 in light of this fact. I have shown you, above, an interpretation which is consistent with 1 Corinthians 7. You're either going to have to offer something of substance to show me wrong, or you're going to have to maintain that Scripture is inconsistent with itself.
I guess you missed 2nd Tim 3:16?
I'm taking the dog for a walk and then saying my Rosary and going to bed! G'night and God bless.
The author is: God.
For example, if a heresy muddies the waters with a doctrinal subject, the pope will (carefully) use his power of infallibility in the matters of faith and morals to combat the heresy.
Even the scripture in the books Luther deleted?
Whatever. I make a mistake because I was impassioned. God wrote everything. Get it? Including Timothy.
You mean you transposed the spelling of a word? Are you lying?
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