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!”
Let me ask you a question...What is Truth?
Thank you for your honest reply.
Jesus Christ.
And don’t make a mistake. I am not saying Jesus is created.
“Yep, the Roman Catholic cult also teaches many other things not found in Scripture. But, the claim that your church teaches angels about God? That is a new one to me. They are spirit, like God. They are His created servants.”
Ephesians 3:10.
I really wish you Protestants were as familiar with scripture as you seem to beat your chests about “things not found in Scripture.” Honestly, it’s embarrassing how often Protestants mistakenly insist something isn’t in scripture because their sect taught them to be anti-Catholic bigots and to assume scriptural teachings actually appear no where in scripture. It’s hubris and arrogance of the worst kind.
ΠΡΟΣ ΕΦΕΣΙΟΥΣ 3: 10 ἵνα γνωρισθῇ νῦν ταῖς ἀρχαῖς καὶ ταῖς ἐξουσίαις ἐν τοῖς ἐπουρανίοις διὰ τῆς ἐκκλησίας ἡ πολυποίκιλος σοφία τοῦ θεοῦ,
so, how do you get that your roman catholic cult teaches angels about God? I think your church is certainly teaching error...
One very good explanation is :
Ephesians 3:10 reveals God's intent to make known his "manifold wisdom" through the church "to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly realms." What are these rulers and authorities? Why do they matter?
We encountered these powers in chapter 1, where it says that God seated Christ "at his right hand in the heavenly realms, far above all rule and authority, power and dominion" (1:20-21). Chapter 2 referred to Satan as "the ruler of the kingdom of the air" (2:2). Later, in Ephesians 6, we'll read about "rulers," "authorities," "powers of this dark world," and "spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms" (6:12). Paul uses this kind of language to refer to what we might identify as demonic powers. Yet, he is not thinking simply of individual demons who harass or possess people. Rather, he envisions the whole cosmos as permeated and influenced by powers that we might call supernatural. Yet, these powers might also include cultural, economic, and political forces, the kinds of forces that shape our lives each day (see, for example, 1 Corinthians 2:8).
“so, how do you get that your roman catholic cult teaches angels about God? I think your church is certainly teaching error...”
I’m not in any “roman catholic cult” and have never been a in a cult of any type. Cults with some Christian teachings are really a Protestant thing, not Catholic.
The Roman Catholic CULT is based in manmade doctrine and "traditions". You can call me anything you wish, but Christian most aptly describes me. You can use all the elegant language you wish, but the Roman Catholic church makes claims not found in either history, nor Scripture.
Sorry, but you can use all of those claims and find yourself heading straight for hell. There is no middle place, FRiend! The Word of God tells us the Truth, and it isn't found in Rome!
Revelation 17: 3 Then the angel carried me away in the Spirit into a wilderness. There I saw a woman sitting on a scarlet beast that was covered with blasphemous names and had seven heads and ten horns. 4 The woman was dressed in purple and scarlet, and was glittering with gold, precious stones and pearls. She held a golden cup in her hand, filled with abominable things and the filth of her adulteries. 5 The name written on her forehead was a mystery:
babylon the great
the mother of prostitutes
and of the abominations of the earth.
And birds of a feather will flock together.
All I can do as a Catholic is continue to state the truth: we also love the Bible, we do good works, we follow Christ, and we possess something beyond price: the Eucharist Christ left us.
Catholics can no longer keep the Good News under a bushel for fear of hurting people’s feelings.
We’ve got to educate these sad souls who’ve been fed lies like pablum.
Some people define themselves by what they oppose. This in my opinion applies to the fervent bashers of the Catholic Church caused revolt - PROTESTantism on this forum. They will predictably deny it, but they obviously act it out on these pages every day. Such creatures could not exist without this enemy they see in Luther, the BIBLE and it's believers. In this they remind one of Catholics, who for over 20 centurys have defined themselves by what they hate: Protestantism in all its expressions, lack of central control, and the ability to make decisions on one's own.
These threads almost always start off with posts bashing protestants. Then Catholics getting all huffy when protestants have a different opinion. Has anyone ever noticed that?
There is nothing Catholic about the Bible.
HMMMmmm...
How can you say that, Geron!?! The catholics come here for high tea daily and are outraged when their scones are scorched by protestant flame throwers. All they want to do is just get along and have their Earl Grey. Now, take off your boxing gloves and put on your white gloves. The Tea Room is about to open...;)
Walkin’ dead man!
That is Ellie's problem: mastitis on her right side.
Got as big and hard as a basketball.
I was too timid in draining her; but the vet paid no attention to her bawling while he lanced her teat with a large needle.
About a gallon of yellowish fluid came out! (And she is just a small Nigerian.)
see above
But if you keep it up...
Unlike, I suppose, getting it straight from the Magisterium; which is NOT, uh, an interpretation.
Right?
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