Posted on 06/13/2010 12:16:24 PM PDT by markomalley
.- Thousands of pilgrims and faithful gathered at noon Sunday in St. Peters Square to pray the Angelus with the Holy Father. Before the prayer, he said that the fruits of the recently ended Year for Priests could never be measured, but are already visible and will continue to be ever more so.
The priest is a gift from the heart of Christ, a gift for the Church and for the world. From the heart of the Son of God, overflowing with love, all the goods of the Church spring forth, proclaimed Pope Benedict XVI. One of those goods is the vocations of those men who, conquered by the Lord Jesus, leave everything behind to dedicate themselves completely to the Christian community, following the example of the Good Shepherd.
The Holy Father described the priest as having been formed by the same charity of Christ, that love which compelled him to give his life for his friends and to forgive his enemies.
Therefore, he continued, priests are the primary builders of the civilization of love.
Benedict XVI exhorted priests to always seek the intercession of St. John Marie Vianney, whose prayer, the Act of Love, was prayed frequently during the Year for Priests, and continues to fuel our dialogue with God.
The pontiff also spoke about the close of the Year for Priests, which took place this past week and culminated with the Solemnity of the Sacred Heart of Jesus. He emphasized the unforgettable days in the presence of more than 15,000 priests from around the world.
The feast of the Sacred Heart is traditionally a day of priestly holiness, but this time it was especially so, Benedict XVI remarked.
Pope Benedict concluded his comments by noting that, in contemplating history, one observes so many pages of authentic social and spiritual renewal which have been written by the decisive contribution of Catholic priests. These were inspired only by their passion for the Gospel and for mankind, for his true civil and religious freedom.
So many initiatives that promote the entire human being have begun with the intuition of a priestly heart, he exclaimed.
The Pope then prayed the Angelus, greeted those present in various languages, and imparted his apostolic blessing.
Sadly, I "GUESS" you are clueless as to what the Catholic Church offers because you "APPEAR" to not even know or acknowledge the difference between a city in the nation of Italy, Vatican City, a separate nation that houses the administrative head of the Catholic Church, and the Catholic Church itself. I also "GUESS" that your APPARENT ignorance is willful out of envy for the blessings bestowed by God upon Catholics. I "GUESS" you only have yourself to blame.
I try to avoid posting to some on these threads because I would find it difficult to retain Christian love in the tone I might take. In other words, I control myself and don't allow others to "drag me down to their level". This is because it is no excuse for being hateful, hurtful and churlish and others will read my posts and not see the context to which it replied.
To set the record straight, "Catholic Topic Threads" are often started as open threads. This means they are open to anyone to comment and not just to those within a select "caucus". If theology is proclaimed that others find is not their understanding it is their right as Free Republic members to post, within guidelines, their own opinions of the subject. As often happens, the original post subject gets subdued as other topics are brought up in connection to the discussion - this often happens in normal conversations.
I think it is unfair and disengenous to describe such discussion as "hijacking" since the thread is open and as such invites opposing views. To describe other's opinions as "litter box" contributions is to show a high opinion, even a snootiness, to your own and a low one to others you don't agree with. People who think this way should NOT even be on open threads because they are too easily offended and disrupt the discussion. They usually have nothing serious to add and only seek to make the thread about individuals, which is against the posting rules. Some may do this intentionally, I understand, in order to get threads they dislike closed or posters they dislike reprimanded, banned or ordered off the thread as a sort of "badge of honor". I have no respect for them and try to ignore them as much as possible. I think the moderators do a good job and I let them do what they are assigned.
Finally, judging others' motives for posting as soley for the purpose of "slandering" and intentionally "insulting" just because we don't agree with their theology is childish and shows a level of immaturity not up to the standards of Free Republic. I know my intent when I post an opposing view and it is not to slander nor insult. I may not like what others believe, but I have a responsibility to speak online just like I would face-to-face and my Mama taught me right! Let's try to give others the benefit of the doubt when it comes to their motives. Their intent will be clear enough.
But when the posting history of non-Catholics show that they are attracted almost exclusively, like flies to a dung heap, to Catholic topic threads it speaks volumes about intent and motivation and I am perfectly free to draw the obvious conclusions.
Ewww! You're not making another "potty" reference are you? You ARE certainly free to do whatever you want. That's what I love about America. You could certainly look at my posting history and see I post a lot to the Religion Forum, although it is not exclusively. My reasons, as a former-Roman Catholic is to let others know about what I believe and to share the good news of the Gospel so that those who are seeking for truth, as I was, may know what God's word says. I certainly do not post to a thread simply because it is RC, but when a thread is started with the intent to provoke the debate between Catholics and Protestants - which happens with regularity - I join in if I have something to contribute.
I see YOU on these threads quite frequently. Why are you so "attracted" to them?
I am a Catholic and a living testimony to how absolutely wrong the anti-Catholics are. In contrast to the anti-Catholics I do not troll threads about other denominations or faiths because in the big picture they are irrelevant.
VERY WELL PUT, as always.
Thx.
Okay...that explains it for me. Do you see yourself as some sort of "avenging angel" sent to condemn those seen as "anti-Catholic" - which I guess means anyone who isn't Roman Catholic and toes the Vatican line? I wonder how many chances you miss to point the infidels to the true church because you don't visit the "irrelevant" threads?
Finally, judging others' motives for posting as soley for the purpose of "slandering" and intentionally "insulting" just because we don't agree with their theology is childish and shows a level of immaturity not up to the standards of Free Republic. I know my intent when I post an opposing view and it is not to slander nor insult. I may not like what others believe, but I have a responsibility to speak online just like I would face-to-face and my Mama taught me right! Let's try to give others the benefit of the doubt when it comes to their motives. Their intent will be clear enough.
Excellent, as usual. Thx.
As usual, I'm torn about using satire and the like. Some notice I TEND to avoid it enormously more with those who post civilly, to me. And, I'll likely continue to use it in highlighting absurd, blasphemous, idolatrous, double standard, horrific heresies etc. I also tend to use it to slap-down pontifical arrogance on the part of the rabid clique sorts. And, it probably makes certain truths somewhat more likely to be read by some personalities and certainly to be remembered longer by a wider range of personalities. I don't consider those things bad.
Folks, however, have no clue about me, if they think that my satire and the like are evidence of hate. Thankfully, even some RC's realize that's just NOT the case. I don't hate individuals hereon. I hate horrific heresies, particularly idolatry and blasphemy. I hate double standards and pontifical self-righteous arrogance.
I will likely continue to do all I can with whatever poor writing skills I have to highlight the absurdities and horrors of such things.
As to hating persons, I'd have to work at it to hate even OThuga and Shrillery. They do, however, have a head start in that direction.
The predictable response from the Queen of Denial.
Uhhhhhhhhhh no.
That would be Pope Joan.
Which, like Bigfoot, Unicorns, and factual, intelligent, and cogent posts from you, are only urban myths.
“2 Peter 1:1-12 Simon Peter, a bondservant and apostle of Jesus Christ, To those who have obtained like precious faith with us by the righteousness of our God and Savior Jesus Christ: Grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord, as His divine power has given to us all things that [pertain] to life and godliness, through the knowledge of Him who called us by glory and virtue, by which have been given to us exceedingly great and precious promises, that through these you may be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption [that is] in the world through lust. But also for this very reason, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue, to virtue knowledge, to knowledge self-control, to self-control perseverance, to perseverance godliness, to godliness brotherly kindness, and to brotherly kindness love. For if these things are yours and abound, [you will be] neither barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. For he who lacks these things is shortsighted, even to blindness, and has forgotten that he was cleansed from his old sins. Therefore, brethren, be even more diligent to make your call and election sure, for if you do these things you will never stumble; for so an entrance will be supplied to you abundantly into the everlasting kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. For this reason I will not be negligent to remind you always of these things, though you know and are established in the present truth.”
“If the things in the above paragraph came automatically with faith, there would be no need to tell them or for them to be reminded.”
Absolutely. Great post.
“The notion that faith is somehow separate and always precedes good works is precisely the heresy of “Sola Fide”; it is nowhere in the Bible.”
Exactly.
As it is written.
What an unfortunate metaphor. Surely you didn't intend to compare your church to a dung heap?
The way this is written is that the Spirit of God is a mechanism or emissary of God, and not God Himself.
Peter called Pauls writings scripture
The Church calls Paul's writings Scripture. And therefore it is. The Chronicler's writings are also Scripture. Do you think that 1 Chronicles 25 is any less important than Romans 6?
as I said before, those people that have a hard time with PAUL want to build their own god
Negative. It is the Paulians who wish to build their own Paulian god. Scripture is clear; Paulianity is not Christianity.
Define Godhead and show how it fits the Nicene formula.
"But to us there is but one God, the Father, of whom are all things, and we in him; and one Lord Jesus Christ by whom are all things, and we by him". (1 Corinthians 8:1).
Lord is often a title given to humans - the kings of old, for instance. This does not say that Jesus is God, and leaves out the Holy Spirit entirely.
"Endeavouring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. There is one body, and one Spirit, even as you are are called in one hope of your calling: One Lord, one faith, one baptism, One God and Father of all, who is above all , and through all, and in your all". (Ephesians 4: 3-6).
Is this saying that God the Father is above all, and there are other levels of gods below Him? This does not support the Nicene formula at all.
You guys have failed so far. Do you have more?
I will defer to a master. Your posts are exemplary.
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