Posted on 06/07/2013 2:33:44 PM PDT by NYer
A friend of mine was showing a Southern Baptist neighbor around the Catholic Church. She explained the Stations of the Cross, the crucifix, the image of the Blessed Mother and the saints.
Then they came to the image of the Sacred Heart of Jesus. The Baptist was bemused.
“Why do y’all have a statue of Jesus with his heart on the outside?”
“Well,” said the Catholic lady sweetly, “You Baptists like to ask Jesus into your heart right?”
“That’s right.”
“We like to ask Jesus to take us into his heart.”
Perfect apologetics. Welcoming and kind and working from what the other person knows to what they have yet to discover.
Here’s a poem for the Solemnity today:
My true love hath my heart and I have his,
By just exchange one for another given;
I hold his dear, and mine he cannot mis,
There never was a better bargain driven.
My true love has my heart and I have his.
His heart in me keeps him and me in one,
My heart in him his thoughts and senses guides
He loves my heart, for once it was his own,
I cherish his, because in me it bides.
My true love has my heart and I have his.
Read Sacred Heart – Tough Love
The lowering of the paralytic-—a case of others helping one to approach Jesus
The Centurion father of the dying child
The dying thief: “Remember me when You come into your kingdom”
Mary Magdalene washing His feet
And we can’t overlook prevenient grace, which is manifested in quite a few of the Scriptural accounts.
Catholics know the mystery of faith, the snake handlers and Harold Campings know everything!
Thanks for those additional examples.
What I said is that He didn't sit around and wait for people to come to Him. He actively sought people out.
Read the gospels sometime. How many times did He say to His disciples, *Come on guys. Time to hit the road and preach the gospel in other towns.*?
Acts 10:34-38 34 So Peter opened his mouth and said: “Truly I understand that God shows no partiality, 35 but in every nation anyone who fears him and does what is right is acceptable to him. 36 As for the word that he sent to Israel, preaching good news of peace through Jesus Christ (he is Lord of all), 37 you yourselves know what happened throughout all Judea, beginning from Galilee after the baptism that John proclaimed: 38 how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power. He went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with him.
“Read the gospels sometime.”
Dear metmom, I read the Gospels every day of my life and have done so for most of my 85 years of life, especially ever since my Baptism at age 21.
God draws us, convicts us through the Holy Spirit of sin, righteousness, and judgment, set the times and places we should live so that we can most easily seek Him, commands all men everywhere to repent, works in us to will and to do according to His good pleasure, prepared in advance good works for us to do, strengthens us, has raised us up and seated us in the heavenly places, gives us the Spirit of wisdom and of revelation in the knowledge of him so that the eyes of our hearts be enlightened, strengthens us with power through his Spirit in our inner being, so that Christ may dwell in our hearts through faith, has made us alive together with him, having forgiven us all our trespasses, by canceling the record of debt that stood against us with its legal demands setting it aside, nailing it to the cross.
Doesn’t sound like a God who sits back passively and waits for US to do something.
Then re-read my post.
I never said that people didn’t come to Jesus.
I disagreed with the statement that Jesus always waits for us to approach Him. (Post 36)
I read it
Amen. He does not sit back passively waiting for his sheep to come to Him.
“I know Mine own, Mine own know Me;
Ye, not the world, My face shall see.
My peace I leave with you.” Amen.
You know
Non believers would love to point out how religious threads here always end up with flame wars
“And we can’t overlook prevenient grace, which is manifested in quite a few of the Scriptural accounts.”
Except this one:
Joh 6:64-65 But there are some of you that believe not. For Jesus knew from the beginning who they were that believed not, and who should betray him. (65) And he said, Therefore said I unto you, that no man can come unto me, except it were given unto him of my Father.
“Non believers would love to point out how religious threads here always end up with flame wars”
I don’t start fights around here. I do finish them, though.
Your reply sort of proves my point.
rather arrogant for a thread about salvation
And since I posted it as a lament rather than an invitation I will let you as you say...finish it.
and as they say...turn the other cheek as a mere man
something I don;t do by nature
I would submit that this seeking and finding in our sonship with the Lord is not just “either/or”.
In any true relationship there is reciprocity. Love is not received passively by either party, but shared. This is most surely true in our covenanted relationship with the Lord.
Why else would the Lord cry out “Come to me with all your heart; don’t let sin keep us apart.”
The Lord also presented us with Life and Death and asked us to “choose” Life. He offers and asks for a definitive choice.
Then in the parable of the Prodigal Son, it is the Father who went out every day to see if He could see his son —in the distance-—returning to Him.
It is peace of soul to know how much the Lord loves us and to return that love with all our heart and soul.
There really isn’t an “either/ or” here.
It is Love given, received and given back-—the talent that returns with many times its original value.
I feel pretty sure you both know what I’m expressing here.
I leave now to get rest.
“... about salvation”
There is nothing more important than that.
2Ti_4:2 Preach the word; be instant in season, out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort with all longsuffering and doctrine.
“Preach the Gospel at all times. If necessary, use words.” St. Francis of Assisi
In short, walk the talk.
May God bless us all.
Good night.
““Preach the Gospel at all times. If necessary, use words.” St. Francis of Assisi
In short, walk the talk.”
He never actually said that. Also, it’s not biblical. In fact, it’s anti-Biblical.
I’ll let him know.
“I’ll let him know.”
You do that! Meanwhile, I’ll keep doing what I was already doing.
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