Posted on 07/15/2011 1:00:36 PM PDT by marshmallow
Bishop Highlights Spiritual Strength That Comes From Sacrament
CARACAS, Venezuela, JULY 14, 2011 (Zenit.org).- The bishop of San Cristobal de Venezuela administered the sacrament of anointing of the sick to the nation's president, who is recovering from cancer.
Bishop Mario del Valle Moronta Rodríguez gave Hugo Chávez the sacrament at a Mass to mark the nation's bicentennial, July 5.
The bishop said that the anointing should not cause alarm.
"It is for the sick to have physical, but above all spiritual strength," he said.
Bishop Moronta reflected in his homily on the importance of the Eucharist in the life of a Christian.
"The [celebration of the] Eucharist is the most important act we Christians have, when we are born, when we are ill, a joy when we marry or are ordained priests, when we celebrate great events, also when we die," he said.
The prelate also noted the bicentennial celebration, inviting the faithful to "live the forthcoming centuries of Venezuela's history in the name of God Almighty, and this means only one important thing, which summarizes all expressions of religiosity, and it is to make the God of life present in our midst."
The bishop reflected on sickness as an opportunity for spiritual purification.
"We all walk toward fullness and that is why God has given us faith, hope and charity, and in this journey of growth a difficult situation can appear, such as sickness," he noted. "And regardless of what the sickness is, it must be seen with the eyes of faith as a moment of purification. The sick person takes advantage of the suffering to purify himself, always according to life, to the fullness of life.
"This is what we pray for the president and for all those who are sick, that they may take advantage of that moment and remember that it is a moment of purification."
“And Kennedy killed one woman.”
and millions of babies.
I think some scripture here is in order (KJV):
For I have received of the Lord that which also I delivered unto you, That the Lord Jesus the [same] night in which he was betrayed took bread: And when he had given thanks, he broke [it], and said, Take, eat: this is my body, which is broken for you: this do in remembrance of me.
1Cr 11:25 After the same manner also [he took] the cup, when he had supped, saying, This cup is the new testament in my blood: this do ye, as oft as ye drink, in remembrance of me.
1Cr 11:26 For as often as ye eat this bread, and drink this cup, ye do shew the Lord’s death till he come.
1Cr 11:27 Wherefore whosoever shall eat this bread, and drink [this] cup of the Lord, unworthily, shall be guilty of the body and blood of the Lord.
1Cr 11:28 But let a man examine himself, and so let him eat of [that] bread, and drink of [that] cup.
1Cr 11:29 For he that eateth and drinketh unworthily, eateth and drinketh damnation to himself, not discerning the Lord’s body.
1Cr 11:30 For this cause many [are] weak and sickly among you, and many sleep.
No, he didn’t kill millions of babies. Their mothers did.
I never thought I’d see an open defense of Ted Kennedy on FR.
You wrote:
“I never thought I’d see an open defense of Ted Kennedy on FR.”
You still haven’t seen one.
Ted Kennedy, to my knowledge, never performed an abortion in his life.
What he did was provide immediate material cooperation to millions of abortions.
Immediate material cooperation occurs when the cooperator participates in circumstances that are essential to the commission of an act, such that the act could not occur without this participation. Immediate material cooperation in intrinsically evil actions is morally illicit.
That is a different crime than actually performing the abortion or having the abortion.
Do you know, for a 100% beyond-a-shadow-of-a-doubt fact, that he did not repent of that immediate material cooperation before his death? Confronted by the fact that he was soon to meet his maker, he did not examine his life very, very carefully, confess his sins, and receive the forgiveness that is promised to each of us?
I don't know about you, but I don't experience any joy at the thought of anybody, regardless of who that person is, standing before the judgment seat of God with unforgiven sin. I wouldn't wish hell upon my worst enemy. I understand that there are some (many, in fact) who reject the mercy of God and die in their sins. But I certainly don't rejoice in that. Far better to see repentance:
Luke 15:7 (RSV) Just so, I tell you, there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who need no repentance.
Luke 15:10 (RSV) Just so, I tell you, there is joy before the angels of God over one sinner who repents.
On the same basis, you all could assume that Ben Laden had a conversion experience and repented between the time the soldiers burst through the doors and the bullets hit. I wouldn't buy that one, either.
The bishop that authorized that embarrassment of a funeral is the one who owes a public act of contrition. A resignation and a one way ticket to a monastery might be appropriate.
You wrote:
“And I doubt that you all would be going to bat for him in this manner if he was a Mormon.”
And I doubt you would be mischaracterizing my words if I were a Protestant.
Just stay on the talking points, and you’ll get your indulgence.
You wrote:
“Just stay on the talking points, and you’ll get your indulgence.”
Just stay on your myth making, and you’ll get your reward.
He’s been sick in the head for years.
No it's not. Did not say it was proof.
And I doubt that you all would be going to bat for him in this manner if he was a Mormon.
You can doubt all you want, but I would hope that any person would call upon the mercy of God before he died. Any person.
On the same basis, you all could assume that Ben Laden had a conversion experience and repented between the time the soldiers burst through the doors and the bullets hit.
I don't assume anything. But certainly I would hope that he would have a conversion experience before he died. Or at least that he repented of all the lives he took. I am not holding my breath.
I wouldn't buy that one, either.
Let me ask you something:
I Cor 13:12 says: We see now through a glass in a dark manner: but then face to face. Now I know in part: but then I shall know even as I am known.
Pretend for a moment that you went to heaven. And you found out that he, in fact, did have a conversion experience and that God, in His Divine Mercy, saved him. Would you be sorrowful that he did not get what's coming to him or would you be thankful that the blood of Christ managed to cover even that sinner?
The bishop that authorized that embarrassment of a funeral is the one who owes a public act of contrition.
I'll agree with you to this extent: the bishop who allowed this funeral to be used as a political event to celebrate the evil life and acts of Kennedy as if they were good created a major scandal.
He does owe a public apology and repudiation of what happened.
NB: In Catholic terms, a scandal does not mean something that is outrageous and offensive. A scandal is something that can lead others to sin.
I do not agree with many of my Catholic brethren that he should have been denied a Catholic funeral. But there should have been some serious stipulations on it:
CCC 1689 The Eucharistic Sacrifice. When the celebration takes place in church the Eucharist is the heart of the Paschal reality of Christian death. In the Eucharist, the Church expresses her efficacious communion with the departed: offering to the Father in the Holy Spirit the sacrifice of the death and resurrection of Christ, she asks to purify his child of his sins and their consequences, and to admit him to the Paschal fullness of the table of the Kingdom. It is by the Eucharist thus celebrated that the community of the faithful, especially the family of the deceased, learn to live in communion with the one who "has fallen asleep in the Lord," by communicating in the Body of Christ of which he is a living member and, then, by praying for him and with him.
Canon 1184 says:
Can. 1184 §1. Unless they gave some signs of repentance before death, the following must be deprived of ecclesiastical funerals:1/ notorious apostates, heretics, and schismatics;
2/ those who chose the cremation of their bodies for reasons contrary to Christian faith;
3/ other manifest sinners who cannot be granted ecclesiastical funerals without public scandal of the faithful.
1: He was not an apostate, heretic, or schismatic.
2: He did not have his body cremated, much less cremated for reasons contrary to Christian faith.
3. He was a notorious sinner because of his consistent immediate material cooperation with abortion. However, read the text of that canon fully. Could the funeral have been handled in such a way as to avoid public scandal? Sure, following the points I made above. Concentrate on the mercy of God. Don't focus on what a great guy the deceased was. And don't allow it to be used for a spectacle. Unfortunately, Cardinal O'Malley did not do any of the above.
So the granting of the funeral I don't see as the problem. Allowing the funeral to be conducted in the way it was is the major problem. And, yes, he does need to own up to that error in judgment, apologize for the scandal that he created, and provide the correct teaching.
But, as with the Bin Laden issue discussed above, I'm not holding my breath.
We are told that we will be surprised by some of the folk that we find in heaven, and surprised by some that we don't. I'll be surprised if I find him there. He never publicly exhibited any conduct that indicated that he was Christian.
i understand your concern about his un-repetance.
But do we really know?
We cannot judge because God is the final judge. Obviously Chavez will have a lot to account for, but in his soul, we do now know if he is truly repentant or not.
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**Explain a full blown Catholic funeral for an unrepentant arch pro-abortionist.**
do we know if he totally repented on his deathbed?
or are you thinking he is in hell?
Onlt Christ who meets us at the moment of our death and God the Father who knows everything know for sure.
“do we know if he totally repented on his deathbed?
or are you thinking he is in hell?”
IF he repented on his deathbed then he would have wanted it to be known. It wasn’t.
The RCC went full out for him - like he was some sort of saint.
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