Posted on 03/29/2013 8:31:16 PM PDT by OKRA2012
VATICAN CITY (AP) — Pope Francis has won over many hearts and minds with his simple style and focus on serving the world's poorest, but he has devastated traditionalist Catholics who adored his predecessor, Benedict XVI, for restoring much of the traditional pomp to the papacy.
(Excerpt) Read more at news.yahoo.com ...
The inclusion of women in the rite is problematic for some because it could be seen as an opening of sorts to women's ordination. [The washing of the feet during the Holy Thursday liturgy represents Jesus washing the feet of His Apostles, the bishops of His Church, who were men.] The Catholic Church restricts the priesthood to men, arguing that Jesus and his 12 apostles were male [Crazy talk!].
Francis is clearly opposed to women's ordination. But by washing the feet of women, he jolted traditionalists who for years have been unbending in insisting that the ritual is for men only and proudly holding up as evidence documentation from the Vatican's liturgy office saying so.
This is no trivial thing. No one would have had a problem with him washing anyone's feet outside of the Holy Thursday liturgy.
Does the reaction seem hysterical?
Yesterday, at Mass, our deacon (a priest in formation) stated, "thankfully, it only took 2000 years of evolution..."
Judging from the reaction of our young deacon, I'm afraid that this act will reawaken the spirit of disobedience (to put it kindly) that practicing Catholics have been trying to tamp down for the last 40 years.
Poor pitiful leftists!
They believe that the denial of sodomite “marraige,” abortion, contraception, women priests, and fornication is just because Tradition gets in the way.
Francis is propounding Dogma in a best of ways and that will be the big upset for the destroyers.
Since when does Yahoo speak for catholics everywhere.
I consider myself a traditional catholic, and so far Francis seems ok to me.
Since recorded time began the foot is considered by both semitic groups Jews and Arabs as the filthiest part of the body. Tossing a shoe by arabs is considered a great insult and when a stranger washes anothers foot it is considered a great act of humility. That’s why this is such a big deal and particularly to that group akin to kissing a bunghole .
13 It was just before the Passover Festival. Jesus knew that the hour had come for him to leave this world and go to the Father. Having loved his own who were in the world, he loved them to the end.
2 The evening meal was in progress, and the devil had already prompted Judas, the son of Simon Iscariot, to betray Jesus. 3 Jesus knew that the Father had put all things under his power, and that he had come from God and was returning to God; 4 so he got up from the meal, took off his outer clothing, and wrapped a towel around his waist. 5 After that, he poured water into a basin and began to wash his disciples’ feet, drying them with the towel that was wrapped around him.
6 He came to Simon Peter, who said to him, “Lord, are you going to wash my feet?”
7 Jesus replied, “You do not realize now what I am doing, but later you will understand.”
8 “No,” said Peter, “you shall never wash my feet.”
Jesus answered, “Unless I wash you, you have no part with me.”
9 “Then, Lord,” Simon Peter replied, “not just my feet but my hands and my head as well!”
10 Jesus answered, “Those who have had a bath need only to wash their feet; their whole body is clean. And you are clean, though not every one of you.” 11 For he knew who was going to betray him, and that was why he said not every one was clean.
12 When he had finished washing their feet, he put on his clothes and returned to his place. “Do you understand what I have done for you?” he asked them. 13 “You call me ‘Teacher’ and ‘Lord,’ and rightly so, for that is what I am. 14 Now that I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also should wash one another’s feet. 15 I have set you an example that you should do as I have done for you. 16 Very truly I tell you, no servant is greater than his master, nor is a messenger greater than the one who sent him. 17 Now that you know these things, you will be blessed if you do them.
I’ve always this “wealth of the Church” bit overblown.
As you say, most of the wealth of the Church consists of real estate. While the land under Notre Dame probably is worth a great deal of money, actually monetizing it would require tearing down the cathedral so the land could be put to other use.
After all, it’s not like a cathedral building has a whole lot of other uses.
I’m not Catholic, and the Church in past centuries did indeed own massive amounts of secular property, with many upper clergy living like princes on the income, but AFAIK this is mostly not the case today.
I must be a Bad Christian, but I find it difficult to take this idea literally. What would be blissful about eternally chanting the same thing?
For that matter, why would God arrange to have a choir eternally chant his praise? Doesn't that sound just a bit like the Cult of Personality dictator over-compensating for his inferiority complex? Is God really just one of the Kims writ large?
Why would God create spirit and human creatures with free will to serve him for eternity as living audio loops? Couldn't he find Best Buy?
I'm afraid I view this idea of chanting eternal praise as symbolic. God will have real work for us to do, but that work and our lives will at the same time be praise of Him.
My apologies if these thoughts offend anyone.
What Pope Francis did he simply did what Jesus did, a reminder of the “servants of the servants of God”.
A gentle correcting is in order.
In this life, we do the work of God. When we are home with him we rest.
Have a good and blessed Easter.
Jesus and St. Francis of Assisi must be smiling down on this new Pope. :):)
Sorry, but I disagree.
70 years of work and then an eternity of rest?
Doesn’t sound very restful to me.
It sounds more like life here on Earth is the event, and the afterlife is nothing but memory. I find that very hard to swallow. I don’t know what God has in store for us, but I really doubt it’s an eternity of “rest.”
I have the children’s edition of the best-selling book, “Heaven Is For Real”, which has wonderful painting pictures of what the child in the story was going through when he had his “nde” and it showed Heaven in a very relaxed, peaceful setting. It shows a joyous account of one little boy’s experience. It did not show heavy labor.
Remember Jesus says come to him to rest.
We obviously have very different ideas of what would constitute heaven.
I hope you find yours.
I think I’d last about half an hour.
Your “young deacon” sounds like one of those individuals who suffers from the common delusion that doctrine is “made” the way activists and legislators make policy. That’s moral and intellectual poison.
Those to whom Jesus spoke were, mostly, the poor and oppressed.
They labored as hard as they could for their entire lives just to keep themselves and their families alive. Of course the idea of rest from their labors was immensely appealing.
Would it have had the same appeal to Roman aristos lolling around their palaces between orgies? I don’t think so.
I believe Jesus used rest, something his hearers longed for and never got, as symbolic of Heaven as a place where all your needs would be fulfilled. Also symbolizing peace and other good things. But not inactivity.
John 5:17. “But Jesus replied, “My Father is always working, and so am I.”
The Heavenly Father and Jesus do their work, with the angels.
Remember Jesus was speaking mostly to those who are poor and opressed in the Gospels.
A hearty Protestant bump for your well-expressed thought. Unfortunately, there are far too many churches out there -- mine included -- which have clear-cut their liturgies simply because they're old.
The Lord Jesus Himself, advocating for sinners even while He was being tortured, begged almost in the manner of an attorney for the defense --- for the defense of those who were murdering Him! -- "Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do."
I can't stop thinking about that.
The inclusion of women in the rite is problematic for some because it could be seen as an opening of sorts to women's ordination. The Catholic Church restricts the priesthood to men, arguing that Jesus and his 12 apostles were male.The title is too sensational; but I agree with the author on the above point. Our own pastor (who is sympathetic toward women in the clergy) had a foot-washing bonanza during Holy Thursday's Mass. (He also wants it to become a Sacrament.) It won't help our pastor's "liberalism," that Pope Francis, himself, disregarded Church rule in this instance.
That would be a matter of opinion, not of fact...
“Diffrent strokes” and all, but that's sad.
I don't beleive it's sad at all...
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