Pope Francis greets the faithful at the May 8 General Audience (Credit: CNA / Stephen Driscoll)
Posted on 09/07/2013 3:49:35 PM PDT by NYer
.- In his daily homily on Saturday, Pope Francis reflected on the question of authentic Christianity and rejected the practice of focusing more on devotions than on Christ himself.
Jesus is “the center” of faith, said the Pope. “A commandment is valid if it comes from Jesus: I do this because the Lord wants me to do this. But if I am a Christian without Christ, I do this and I don’t know why I have to do it,” he said to the congregation at the Vatican’s Casa Santa Marta on September 7.
Like the Pharisees, he said, there are some people who “make so many commandments the center of their religiosity.”
Others who have a false sense of religiosity “only seek devotions” or “things that are a little uncommon, a little special, that go back to private revelations,” noted Pope Francis.
“If your devotions bring you to Christ, that works. But if you remain there, something’s wrong,” he explained.
“If Jesus is not at the center, there will be many other things,” so that people become “Christians without Christ.”
Remembering that Jesus is the center of faith “regenerates us, grounds us.”
Pope Francis further explained the mark of a true “Christian with Christ.”
“The rule is simple: only that which brings you to Jesus is valid, and only that is valid that comes from Jesus. Jesus is the center, the Lord, as He Himself says.”
Christians can avoid false religiosity by adoring Jesus as “the Lord, the only Lord.”
“If you aren’t able to adore Jesus, you’re missing something,” warned Pope Francis.
The sign of a true “Christian with Christ” is one who does “that which comes from Jesus” and that which leads to Jesus.
Such adoration bears true fruit in the life of a Christian, encouraged the Pope.
He said that Jesus also gives “the grace of loving Him so much, of following Him, of going along the path that He has shown us.”
A “Christian with Christ” has the courage to proclaim Jesus as Lord.
Pope Francis exhorted Catholics not to focus on false piety, but rather evangelize and “take the Gospel!”
The Catholic bashers just make me sick. I didn’t realize they existed until just last night. One of them even posted a nasty comment on a Catholic caucus thread this morning! My comments keep getting removed immediately with the claim that they are personal attacks, yet their personal attack comments remain. It took almost 30 minutes to get the anti-Catholic troll’s comment removed from the Catholic caucus thread.
As I keep writing: Their brand of Christianity is one of which I have no desire to belong. I can’t imagine what their worship services are like. If their idea of bring sheep to the flock is creeping anonymous posters on a chat site then attacking their beliefs then that is sad for them.
With everything going on in our country and around the globe, one would think that their energies might be turned elsewhere. Perhaps they should take their tactics to the Middle East and get some converts there.
Good luck with that! I did not post my belief. I posted facts...
cult [kuhlt]
1. a particular system of religious worship, especially with reference to its rites and ceremonies.
2. an instance of great veneration of a person, ideal, or thing, especially as manifested by a body of admirers:
3. the object of such devotion.
4. a group or sect bound together by veneration of the same thing, person, ideal, etc.
5. Sociology . a group having a sacred ideology and a set of rites centering around their sacred symbols.
Exodus 20: 4 You shall not make for yourself any carved image, or any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth; you shall not bow down to them nor serve them. For I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children to the third and fourth generations of those who hate me, but showing mercy to thousands, to those who love Me and keep My commandments.
And you don’t think your last post was bashing non-catholics? Do you not see the irony of it all? WE “bash”. You all “comment”. It is pitiful.
Using facts to describe something is not bashing. As a Protestant, I’m embarrassed by you and for you.
Then perhaps you should glide right past my comments. Or you’ll spend a great deal of your life embarrassed.
Yes, but that’s them.
We’re us.
*They* bash.
*We* comment.
The Rodney King branch of “Christianity” speaks.
Why the Alinsky tactics? Frightening. Telling.
'No. No we can't just get along. It's very difficult to get along with nimrods.'
I’m going to guess that some would even accuse Jesus of bashing when He called the Pharisees “hypocrites”, “white-washed tombs”, and *brood of vipers”, not to mention when He cleared the Temple twice.
I think they would just accuse Him of being “poorly catechized.”
Their lifestyle belies their message and if they are found guilty of illegal activity, they need to go to jail like anyone else found guilty of those same crimes.
I watched a couple of them back in the seventies when i still watched TV, i believe they were exposed in the early eighties but i had quit TV by that time.
TV?
What’s that?
"I'm a white guy and I have lots of black friends..." sounds about the same.The phrase usually comes before slamming black folk.Too often, it is actually a black guy writing... and trying to stir the pot.
As a Christian, I am embarrassed that someone calling themselves a Protestant is so ready to jump on us Christians who wish to depend on Scripture and God's Holy Spirit to "lead us into all truth".
I am quite ready to defend the Scriptures. My OPINIONS are based on my study thereof. You claim facts in your post and then proceed to give us your OPINION.
2 Timothy 3: ...14 But as for you, continue in what you have learned and have become convinced of, because you know those from whom you learned it, 15 and how from infancy you have known the Holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. 16 All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, 17 so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.
(That's a Koran, if you don't recognize it. That is the leader (Pope) of the Roman Cult. It is the holy book of that Satanic group called Islam.)
HELLO. And AMEN! To every word you said.
Matthew 23:28 Even so ye also outwardly appear righteous unto men, but within ye are full of hypocrisy and iniquity. 29 Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! because ye build the tombs of the prophets, and garnish the sepulchres of the righteous, 30 And say, If we had been in the days of our fathers, we would not have been partakers with them in the blood of the prophets. 31 Wherefore ye be witnesses unto yourselves, that ye are the children of them which killed the prophets. 32 Fill ye up then the measure of your fathers. 33 Ye serpents, ye generation of vipers, how can ye escape the damnation of hell?
Building lavish tombs and garnishing sepulchres of the righteous remind you of anyone?
Luke 12:51 Suppose ye that I am come to give peace on earth? I tell you, Nay; but rather division: 52 For from henceforth there shall be five in one house divided, three against two, and two against three. 53 The father shall be divided against the son, and the son against the father; the mother against the daughter, and the daughter against the mother; the mother in law against her daughter in law, and the daughter in law against her mother in law. 54 And he said also to the people, When ye see a cloud rise out of the west, straightway ye say, There cometh a shower; and so it is. 55 And when ye see the south wind blow, ye say, There will be heat; and it cometh to pass. 56 Ye hypocrites, ye can discern the face of the sky and of the earth; but how is it that ye do not discern this time?
Thanks for the post. Please put me on your ping list.
LOL Now you know they are not going to understand that last sentence.
The “Church” owns the toys (airplanes, luxury cars, large buildings) and sends them on “missions” to wherever they wish to go.
You’re right. Maybe the “church fathers” described nimrods so they have a jumping off place...
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