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!”
ROFL That mastitis has caused some serious problems for sure!!!
Except there is enough available online by several sources to double check the meaning of Greek or Hebrew words which along with the guidance of the Holy Spirit give us a clear understanding of what scripture really teaches.
No siree! Black is required in that case. Blue and gray is rasis!
In addition to that the RCC uses the translation from the Latin which was a translation from the original languages. It got polluted twice.
Church teaches angels in deed. NOT!
OH really?
“We need not shrink from admitting that candles, like incense and lustral water, were commonly employed in pagan worship and the rites paid to the dead. But the Church from a very early period took them into her service, just as she adopted many other things indifferent in themselves, which seemed proper to enhance the splendor of religious ceremonial. We must not forget that most of these adjuncts to worship, like music, lights, perfumes, ablutions, floral decorations, canopies, fans, screens, bells, vestments etc. were not identified with any idolatrous cult in particular; but they were common to almost all cults” (Catholic Encyclopedia, III, 246.)
“When we give or receive Christmas gifts; or hang green wreaths in our homes and churches, how many of us know that we are probably observing pagan customs...the god, Woden, in Norse Mythology, descends upon the earth yearly between December 25th and January 6th to bless mankind...But pagan though they be, they are beautiful customs. They help inspire us with the spirit of 'good will to men', even as the sublime service of our Church reminds us of the ‘peace on earth’ which the babe of Bethlehem came to bestow” (Externals of the Catholic Church, 140).
Catholics themselves admit they are a combination of Pagan cults and Christianity.
Remember, Catholics have the Queen of Heaven(Mary) on their side. So you better watch it.
I can just feel the love, compassion and all those things Catholics claim Protestants don’t have coming through in that post. /s
Oh, thank you too much!
She took the shot just fine; with no twitching at all when the alcohol was squirted on her rump.
Also; she didn’t hardly move at all when I cleaned her and stuck that BIG needle in her teat.
Today’s fluid was more blood stained - not the yellowish stuff like yesterday.
A LOT less of it; too!
That mean ol’ Jack head butted her last night and knocked her over for no reason.
I swatted him and made him stay all by himself in the chickens area.
Hey, I hope my “please don’t post farm pictures” comment didn’t make you delete that picture! Yes, it WAS gross but I wasn’t series. NOW, post a Helen Thomas picture and be fore-warned. I WILL be series.:)
LOL! Yeah, but his heart was in the right place. ;o)
OOps!
I had uploaded the later pictures and found I had that one in there twice.
I guess I deleted the wrong one!
No one can read a language that never existed.
“The Roman Catholic CULT is based in manmade doctrine and “traditions”.”
There is no “Roman Catholic CULT”. You can enjoy whatever Protestant anti-Catholic twilight world fantasy you want to, but that doesn’t change the fact that the Catholic Church is not a cult.
“Unlike, I suppose, getting it straight from the Magisterium; which is NOT, uh, an interpretation. Right?”
No, it most certainly is an interpretation - but it is an interpretation made with the guidance of the Holy Spirit and built on ancient teachings of the Church. Protestant interpretations are simply interpretations of men. They are made without the guidance of the Holy Spirit, contradict one another, and have nothing to do with the ancient teachings of Christianity.
“Then why are you Catholics so worried?”
I’m not worried. I know suffering is part of the life of Christ and therefore part of our life as Christians as well. I long ago accepted the fact that heretics, schismatics, and morons would attack the faith.
“We PROTESTants will just VANISH someday.”
No, some will be converted to the truth. Some will not. In any case your sects will simply cease to exist one day no matter what.
Ephesians 3:10 is in the Bible - even yours. Deny it all you want. It’s still there.
So, there haven’t been any bad popes for nearly 500 years - and out of over 300 popes you found about half a dozen or so. One out of twelve Apostles betrayed Jesus. A few bad popes more than 500 years ago aren’t going to worry me.
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