Posted on 02/05/2012 2:58:27 PM PST by marshmallow
Fidel Castro will be received back into the communion of the Roman Catholic Church during Pope Benedict XVI’s visit to the island in March, the Italian press is reporting. If true, this is a remarkable story — and one that has yet to catch the attention of editors this side of the Atlantic.
On 1 Feb 2012, La Republicca — [Italy’s second largest circulation daily newspaper, La Republicca follows a center-left political line and is strongly anti-clerical; not anti-Catholic per se but a critic of the institutional church] — reported that as death approaches, the octogenarian communist has turned to God for solace.
ABC’s Global Note news blog is the only U.S. general interest publication I have found that has reported this story. It referenced the La Republicca story and said that Castro’s
daughter Alina is quoted as saying “During this last period, Fidel has come closer to religion: he has rediscovered Jesus at the end of his life. It doesn’t surprise me because dad was raised by Jesuits.” The article quotes an unidentified high prelate in the Vatican who is working on the Pope’s Cuba trip: “Fidel is at the end of his strength. Nearly at the end of his life. His exhortations in the party paper Granma, are increasingly less frequent. We know that in this last period he has come closer to religion and God.”
Some Italian websites have even speculated as to when Fidel will make his confession and credo — setting the date as 27 March 2012 at 17:30 when the two ottantacinquenni, Pope Benedict XVI and Castro, will meet at the Palacio de la Revolución when the pope makes his official visit to the head of state, Raul Castro.
During Pope John Paul II’s 1998 visit to Cuba, Castro attended mass, but did...........
(Excerpt) Read more at geoconger.wordpress.com ...
BB, just the fact we have the canon of scriptures, preserved, I believe even Luther gave the Church credit for that.
And what God has to say about time is of course different than what Catholics say about God and time.
Romans 5:6 For while we were still weak, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly.
So what?
Why is Luther's opinion significant? Or why is it important to us or relevant to the discussion?
God is eternal and unchanging,so everything is one eternal event with God-The resurrection the crucifixion,your death and mine, Moses parting the sea,Adam and Eve and so on and so on
I don’t understand why this is so difficult to some to grasp this explanation
From Saint Thomas Aquinas...
That God is Eternal
THE beginning of anything and its ceasing to be is brought about by motion or change. But it has been shown that God is altogether unchangeable: He is therefore eternal, without beginning or end.*
2. Those things alone are measured by time which are in motion, inasmuch as time is an enumeration of motion.* But God is altogether without motion, and therefore is not measured by time. Therefore in Him it is impossible to fix any before or after: He has no being after not being, nor can He have any not being after being, nor can any succession be found in His being, because all this is unintelligible without time. He is therefore without beginning and without end, having all His being at once, wherein consists the essence of eternity.
3. If at some time God was not, and afterwards was, He was brought forth by some cause from not being to being. But not by Himself, because what is not cannot do anything. But if by another, that other is prior to Him. But it has been shown that God is the First Cause; therefore He did not begin to be: hence neither will He cease to be; because what always has been has the force of being always.
4. We see in the world some things which are possible to be and not to be. But everything that is possible to be has a cause: for seeing that of itself it is open to two alternatives, being and not being; if being is to be assigned to it, that must be from some cause. But we cannot proceed to infinity in a series of causes: therefore we must posit something that necessarily is. Now everything necessary either has the cause of its necessity from elsewhere,* or not from elsewhere, but is of itself necessary. But we cannot proceed to infinity in the enumeration of things necessary that have the cause of their necessity from elsewhere: therefore we must come to some first thing necessary, that is of itself necessary; and that is God. Therefore God is eternal, since everything that is of itself necessary is eternal.
Hence the Psalmist: But thou, O Lord, abidest for ever: thou art the self-same, and thy years shall not fail (Ps. ci, 13-28).
Focusing on the carnal connection is a Catholic thing. Don’t try to force that on us. Our connection is Christ as it has been for all true Christians.
1 Corinthians 3:3 For ye are yet carnal: for whereas there is among you envying, and strife, and divisions, are ye not carnal, and walk as men? 4 For while one saith, I am of Paul; and another, I am of Apollos; are ye not carnal?
Don’t expect us to list some carnal connection like that Catholics do.
>> Just you, no history, no real people. Just you. A church of one.<<
>> Prove me wrong.<<
Colossians 1:18 And he is the head of the body, the church: who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead; that in all things he might have the preeminence.
1 Cor. 12:8 But now hath God set the members every one of them in the body, as it hath pleased him.
Eph. 2:19 Now therefore ye are no more strangers and foreigners, but fellowcitizens with the saints, and of the household of God; 20 And are built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the chief corner stone; 21 In whom all the building fitly framed together groweth unto an holy temple in the Lord: 22 In whom ye also are builded together for an habitation of God through the Spirit.
No more “church” hierchy to approach God for us or “representative” of Christ here on earth and Jesus is our only High Priest.
Hebrews 10:16 This is the covenant that I will make with them after those days, saith the Lord, I will put my laws into their hearts, and in their minds will I write them; 17 And their sins and iniquities will I remember no more. 18 Now where remission of these is, there is no more offering for sin. 19 Having therefore, brethren, boldness to enter into the holiest by the blood of Jesus, 20 By a new and living way, which he hath consecrated for us, through the veil, that is to say, his flesh; 21 And having an high priest over the house of God; 22 Let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience, and our bodies washed with pure water.
1 Pet. 2:9 But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light; 10 Which in time past were not a people, but are now the people of God: which had not obtained mercy, but now have obtained mercy.
We have our own Shepard and “Bishop” in Christ.
1 Pet. 2:25 For ye were as sheep going astray; but are now returned unto the Shepherd and Bishop of your souls.
We no longer need the “rituals” of the Old Testament, or the hierarchy of the Priests and Bishops of the old Temple.
Gal. 4: 4But when the fulness of the time was come, God sent forth his Son, made of a woman, made under the law, 5 To redeem them that were under the law, that we might receive the adoption of sons. 6 And because ye are sons, God hath sent forth the Spirit of his Son into your hearts, crying, Abba, Father. 7 Wherefore thou art no more a servant, but a son; and if a son, then an heir of God through Christ. 8 Howbeit then, when ye knew not God, ye did service unto them which by nature are no gods. 9 But now, after that ye have known God, or rather are known of God, how turn ye again to the weak and beggarly elements, whereunto ye desire again to be in bondage? 10 Ye observe days, and months, and times, and years. 11 I am afraid of you, lest I have bestowed upon you labour in vain.
Rely on your carnal ties if you must. We will point to Christ.
One lonnng dodge again.You still can’t do it. It’s a rare sect that can’t name one person, other than themself.
And now you try to escape to the visible church is ‘carnal’; as if the NT Church was ‘carnal.’
There’s no “we” in your church, no real people with a real history - there’s just you.
I name thee Number of the Beast!
Other than being the founder of the Reformation?
To you, I guess he's not. No one is. No opinion counts matters but your opinion.
Me either. I think some don't even try or object, knee-jerk, to anything that might be a Catholic belief. And some, perhaps, wish to maintain an anthropomorphic view of God based on their personal interpretation of scripture.
Well, I’ll ask you one question. Does God save individuals or groups?
Now, how long were you waiting to get that post number?
:)
Individuals of course, so it’s important we all stay individual, that was Christ’s teaching I think. That’s why they never ever had a church in the NT.
:)
Got anything relevant?
If you have a conflict that needs to be taken to the church, would you schedule an appointment with yourself?
In all my years here I have never been able to post as #666.
LOL...
Do you remember The Neverending Thread on here some years back? Some would try to be post 20,000 or 30,000.. There would be about a dozen posts trying for each milestone.
I don’t remember that one. Can you dig it up?
So why the obsession with groups? The admonition is to “assemble” together as in “get together” or meet or fellowship. There is never an admonition to form “organizations” or “hierarchies”.
Hebrews 10:25 Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching.
Not once in scripture was anyone told to “join a church”. We are told that by believing we “become” part of the church.
Acts 2:47 And the Lord added to the church daily such as should be saved.
>> that was Christ’s teaching I think.<<
You think? How about scriptural reference to what you “think”? Individuals were saved which caused them to “be added” to the church universal. There wasn’t a long “study time” or requirement to “be catechized” and pronounced a member of some organization. The simple “believe on the Lord Jesus” was what was required which Jesus said made them part of the church.
>> That’s why they never ever had a church in the NT.<<
I’m not sure what you mean by “church” here. There was indeed a “church” in the sense that the believers were considered a “called out” people. The Greek word “ekklesia”, that has been translated “church” actually means “assembly” or “congregation”. It never once meant an organization or a building. There certainly were an “assembling” of believers in the New Testament but never a centrally governing authority.
Have you not been reading my posts? Have I ever said I don’t meet with other believers on a regular basis?
And you know this how?
In what nugget of divine revelation did God reveal this to you about Himself?
Since when are events which happen in time concurrently existant outside time and how do you know this?
That's odd. I don't recall hearing anywhere that Luther intended to *found* anything.
The truth got out and people ran with it, as they ought to have.
I realize that Catholics are so conditioned to follow men that it's beyond their comprehension that people jsut don't do that. We are not followers of men. True believers are followers of Christ.
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