Bishop Mario Moronta
Posted on 03/13/2007 1:45:11 PM PDT by NYer
Bishop Mario Moronta
Caracas, Mar 13, 2007 / 10:09 am (CNA).- In an article published this week Bishop Mario Moronta of San Cristobal warned against misinterpreting the person of Jesus as “a Socialist,” a “guru,” or “hippie” and encouraged the faithful to constantly recall that Jesus is Lord, the Son of God.
“The person of Jesus, with his actions and teachings, has always inspired amazement and admiration in many, as well as questioning and even rejection in others,” the bishop wrote in an article for the diocesan newspaper.
“In modern times as well,” Bishop Moronta said, “the question about Jesus remains. The answer given is in accord with those who do the asking: Some have claimed he is an alien who has come from who knows what planet or galaxy in order to carry out a mission. Some have claimed he is a kind of ‘guru’ who, after his death in Israel, supposedly traveled to the Far East to achieve complete wisdom. Some claim he is a great teacher of wisdom. There is even no lack of those who would say he is a myth or an invention of the first Christians,” the bishop wrote.
“In our Latin American continent, there have always been attempts to answer the troubling question about Him,” he continued. “He has been identified as a ‘revolutionary,’ a ‘guerrilla,’ to the point that he has been depicted in paintings crucified on a cross of rifles. In our own national debate, he has been presented as a ‘Socialist.’”
“In every age,” Bishop Moronta said, “to not see Jesus in his true dimension produces in many a reaction against the Church, who is Mother and Teacher.”
“Therefore,” he recommended, “more than confronting those who do not understand the Church’s reasons, what we must do is show where the source of our answers is: in the Gospel, which is the Word of God,” where we find Peter’s profession of faith: “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.”
“Here is the authentic answer to the question about Jesus. It is the recognition of his divine mission, of his divinity, of his final objective—the salvation of humanity,” the bishop stressed.
When somebody claims something about the person of Jesus,” Bishop Moronta added, “the attitude of believers in Christ must be that which is inspired by the Gospel: a profession of faith, made without hesitation and without fear, not to condemn another, but to invite him to understand what the true meaning of the existence of the person and work of Jesus the Lord is.”
“Therefore, neither a revolutionary, nor a Socialist, nor a hippie, nor a philosopher, nor a Gnostic deity, nor an alien, nor a ghost, nor a myth: Jesus is Lord, the Son of the living God, the Savior, the Word incarnate who has made the mystery and plan of God known to us, the Beginning and the End, the faithful witness, the same today, yesterday and forever,” Bishop Moronta emphasized.
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It's like a prayer.
It's wonderful that he said this. What's sad is that he had to say it. Once upon a time, nobody would have disputed this. But our Church has been so riddled by these wood-worms (mostly Jesuit wood-worms) that the faith has become fragile and this seems like a bold and daring statement.
PRAY FOR HIM....I HAVE A VEERY BAD SENSATION....VALGAME DIOS!
Tuesday is 'lobby day' at the NYS Capitol. The Catholics chose March 13 to descend on their state representatives to express their views. Early this afternoon, I ran into a good sized group of priests and monks wending their way through the hallowed halls of state democracy. In fact, I inadvertently became part of their pack as they made their way down one particular hall. One of the state representatives approached them and I suddenly found myself 'locked in'. Hearing one of the monks speak with a British accent, I asked him how he had come here today. He is a deacon with the Franciscan Monks of the Atonement (Fr. Groeschel's order) and is studying in the Bronx. He will be ordained to the priesthood in 2 months and then return to Britain sometime this summer.
The conversation progressed so smoothely. I apprised him of the Holy Father's Encyclical which was released today. He was most excited to learn more. We both described that moment when Cardinal Ratzinger's name was announced as the next pontiff and the understanding that he was the right man at this time in our Church's history. As the group began to move, we extended the conversation to include the bishops and their reaction to this Encyclical. I commented that the local bishop could be viewed as a 'progressive'. He smiled, then told me that earlier in the day, he had attended Bishop Hubbard's Mass at the NYS Convention Center. Midway through the Mass (he assessed the bishop) and began praying for him (meaning his conversion of heart). I briefly explained how the liturgical abuses in this diocese had driven me to the Maronite Church. He beamed as he recalled last week which he spent with the MARONITE MONKS OF ADORATION , and the beauty of hearing the words of Consecration chanted in the language of Jesus, Aramaic.
It was such a special and meaningful day to meet up with fellow Catholics who abide in the Truth of our Church and are on the same track we follow.
Please don't say that...it worries me. I worry about the Pope all the time. I saw him at an audience in Rome about a month ago and I remembered something from one of the Fatima prophecies. We must all keep praying for him!
What a great account! Can we ping the regular collection of Catholic folk to this?
I hope the legislators were receptive. Once, years ago in the very first year of Bill Clinton, I went to the March for Life in Washington. Afterwards we all went to see our legislators. Needless to say, they were all conveniently out of town. But D'Amato, a conservative who was theoretically pro-life, had left behind a closed office. On the other hand, Moynihan (a Catholic gone bad after VatII) had left his office open, staffed, and had given us books to sign and places where we could fill out cards to state our opinions. And the staff was very pleasant, on top of that. I doubt that it made any difference in his policies, but it was nice to be treated with respect and courtesy, at least.
In any case, leaving aside politics, I have heard a lot of complaints about the papal document today, but frankly, I thought it was excellent. People should read the first couple of paragraphs (one of which explains exactly what kind of document it is) and then go through it very carefully. He has put in place every foundation for every practical step he is going to take - or make the bishops take - for the rest of his papacy. And it is all based on the Eucharist.
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I couldn't agree more. The priesthood will benefit from having this good man in its ranks.
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