Posted on 01/27/2010 10:18:09 AM PST by T Minus Four
The late Pope John Paul II, who has been put on the fast track to sainthood by the Vatican, regularly whipped himself as an act of penance to feel closer to God, and signed a secret document saying that he would step down as pontiff if he became incurably ill, according to a new book.
"Why a Saint?" by Monsignor Slawomir Oder, the Vatican "postulator" in charge of the canonization process, says the Polish-born Pope performed self flagellation as a bishop in Krakow and continued to do so in the Vatican after being elected Pope in 1978.
"In his wardrobe, among his vestments, there hung on a clothes hanger a special belt for trousers which he used as a whip," Monsignor Oder says. He said self flagellation was "an instrument of Christian perfection" emulating the sufferings of Jesus Christ.
He added that in Poland the former Bishop Karol Wojtyla often slept on the bare floor to practice self-denial and asceticism, often disturbing his bed in the morning to pretend he had slept in it and so avoid drawing attention to his act of penitence.
(Excerpt) Read more at foxnews.com ...
Nothing new here — if you read up on the saints, many of them practiced forms of self-mortification in reparation for the sins of others.
Thought I’d get this posted before the RC’s causused this one too. I think this is sick.
Herein lies part of the great error of Rome. They behave as if something other than the blood of the Lamb provided by God will rescue their sorry souls. When the top down believes such superstitous cult-like nonsense that self-flaggelation will somehow atone for sin, there is little hope for the rank and file. Repent Rome, if you can.
The word translated "discipline" is hupopiadzo, "1) to beat black and blue, to smite so as to cause bruises and livid spots 1a) like a boxer one buffets his body, handle it roughly, discipline by hardships 2) metaph. 2a) to give one intolerable annoyance 2a1) beat one out, wear one out 2b) by entreaties 3) that part of the face that is under the eyes"
1 Corinthians 9:27
God loves us so much! Imagine Him wanting us to hurt ourselves to please Him!
In the Old Testament, self-mutilation was a common practice among false religions. First Kings 18:24-29 describes a ritual in which those who worshiped the false god Baal slashed themselves with swords and spears, as was their custom. Because of the traditions of pagans, God made a law against this sort of practice. Leviticus 19:28 says, “You shall not make any cuttings in your flesh for the dead, nor tattoo any marks on you: I am the LORD.”
In the New Testament, cutting oneself was associated with someone who was possessed by demons (Mark 5:2-5). It was characteristic of behavior caused by evil spirits.
St. Paul in his letter to the Colossians (Chapter 2:20-23) saw no value in this practice:
20 If with Christ you died to the elemental spirits of the universe,* why do you live as if you still belonged to the world? Why do you submit to regulations, 21‘Do not handle, Do not taste, Do not touch’? 22All these regulations refer to things that perish with use; they are simply human commands and teachings. 23These have indeed an appearance of wisdom in promoting self-imposed piety, humility, and severe treatment of the body, but they are of no value in checking self-indulgence.*
Emo kids cut themselves and it’s called a mental disorder.
You wrote:
“Imagine Him wanting us to hurt ourselves to please Him!”
Who suggested this is about hurting ourselves to please God?
“In the Old Testament, self-mutilation was a common practice among false religions.”
Who said anything about John Paul II mutilating himself?
“In the New Testament, cutting oneself was associated with someone who was possessed by demons”
Who said anything about John Paul II mutilating himself?
Don’t you think it would be more productive for you to actually deal with what is posted rather than to make things up or imply things that have nothing to do with what is discussed?
See 1 Cor 9:27 for a different view.
"Always bearing about in our body the mortification of Jesus, that the life also of Jesus may be made manifest in our bodies." 2 Corinthians 4:10
Paul talks about self-control not self-mutilation using the discipline of athletic competition (running, boxing) as examples. Read the whole passage in context:
24 Do you not know that in a race the runners all compete, but only one receives the prize? Run in such a way that you may win it. 25Athletes exercise self-control in all things; they do it to receive a perishable garland, but we an imperishable one. 26So I do not run aimlessly, nor do I box as though beating the air; 27but I punish my body and enslave it, so that after proclaiming to others I myself should not be disqualified.
It's funny that Scripture references posted by Catholics are "cherry-picking," but you bring in something completely unrelated (the self-mutilation practiced by Baal worshippers) and it's supposed to somehow be germane to the topic.
Where ignorance is bliss, ‘tis folly to be wise.
See post#15. You have it out of context.
Better brush up on St. Paul’s epistles to the Corinthians.
but I punish my body and enslave it
See post 6.
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