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!”
Mornin’ Mom!
25 to go, Nana!
Then keep it in the bedroom....
Er, if Catholics going to push it in everyone else's face, they've made it everyone else's business.
Since they've made it everyone else's business, everyone else has a right to comment on it s they see fit.
It is all internal matter of you opponents of Rome, and your arguments with those Harold Campings, who are heroes on television and inside various tents and stadiums until their first big scandal. Then you deny they’re yours.
No different than Catholics denying that the Pelosi's, Kennedy's, Kerry's et al are theirs. It works both ways.
The Catholic Church, which I don’t promote, despite your insinuation, doesn’t need me, and doesn’t need you.
Then it needs to stop counting me to claim 1.2 billion strong and Catholics need to stop telling me that *Once a Catholic, always a Catholic* and that baptism *leaves an indelible mark on my soul*.
FR is an open forum. If they want to contend for their faith, I will contend for Jesus. And if in that, Scripture proves them wrong, well they don't have to like it. But someday they will have to live with it.
You can’t translate what you can’t read.
“Are you aware that those types of folks are also part OF your ‘faith’?”
In practice they’re really not.
No, because if He did He never would have been able to talk about Moses’ seat. Matt 23:1-12.
Your claim is incorrect and the Bible in question is still a Protestant one.
Mormonism is essentially a reaction to and outgrowth of Protestantism even though it is only pseudo-Christian. And most Protestant sects today are just latter day, recent, Johnny-come-lately, sects and nothing else.
My interpretation is not mine at all and it is exactly what the text says. You tried to get out of it in several ways but even you conceded that there were angels learning. There was a teacher there too - the Church.
It’s the Mormon Apologetic. The Mormons flooded FR with their propaganda, and when questioned, they played the hate card.
“Are you the guy that poo-pooed a ‘few’ bad popes just a few replies ago?”
If you have to go back almost 500 years to find one then they can’t be that important or that influential.
“Is this another example of Catholic double standards shown?”
There is no Catholic double standard. This is just common sense. If you have to go back 500 years to find a bad pope and you can only list about half a dozen then there haven’t been that many and there haven’t been any in 5 centuries.
“..your attempt at IGNORING so many Catholic ‘beliefs’ - that are NOT in the BIBLE - has been noted.”
Show me where in the Bible it says that Matthew’s gospel is inspired. Oh, that’s right, there is no verse that mentions ST. Matthew’s gospel is inspired. There’s no verse that mentions he even wrote a gospel. Where is the inspired Table of Contents? Oh, that’s right, it was the Catholic Church, under the guidance of the Holy Spirit, which codified the canon.
If you agree with it, then it is your interpretation after all.
I've noticed the similarities.
Genitive Case For the most part, the genitive is often viewed as the case of possession. In more technical terms one noun in the genitive case helps to qualify another noun by showing its "class" or "kind". The genitive case has more uses than most other cases, but in general a noun in the genitive case helps to limit the scope of another noun by indicating its "kind" or "class". It is generally translated into English with a prepositional phrase starting with the word "of". The most common use of the genitive is to show possession (although it does not necessarily indicate actual, literal ownership).
For instance: "the servant of the high priest" (Mark 14:47). The words "of the high priest" are in the genitive case in Greek and modify the word "servant". (In Greek the word "of" is not present, but it is supplied in English in the translation of the genitive case). Here the genitive helps to qualify "which" servant the writer is referring to. It is helping to limit the sphere of all servants to a particular one. And: "But you have received a spirit of sonship..." (Rom 8:15). Again the word "sonship" is in the genitive case, telling what kind of spirit we have received. (Please be sure to see the list of 'Reference Sheets' where the genitive and other uses and classifications can be printed out for quick reference.)
This, as well as the King James translators appear to disagree with you...
Show me where in the Bible it says that Matthew’s gospel is inspired. Oh, that’s right, there is no verse that mentions ST. Matthew’s gospel is inspired. There’s no verse that mentions he even wrote a gospel. Where is the inspired Table of Contents? Oh, that’s right, it was the Catholic Church, under the guidance of the Holy Spirit, which codified the canon.
So we should trust the "one true church" who knowingly or ignorantly used forgeries to try to force anti historical claims of "universal authority" on the East. Who in fact caused to the great Schism.
Trust the church who added mandatory belief in novelties for salvation, that no one in the early church believed.
Trust the church who 1900 years after the resurrection declares herself to be infallible via a rigged council?
Remind me why I should come back to this legalism?
Well, ummmm.. you see.... it’s like this......
If you don’t cross the Tiber, you’re going to burn in hell heretic. Cause the RCC says so.
Thank God Jesus supersedes the Catholic church.
The quote you’ve found(from what source?) does not discuss the use of ‘para’, the preposition, but simply shows how the genitive case is used. If you consult Strong’s or perhaps Thayer’s Lexicon under the heading “para” you will find I am correct or you can simply google ‘para with genitive case greek’ and discover the information for yourself.
The AV does in fact agree since the word “of” can be used to mean “from”.
My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me: - John 10:27
But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know [them], because they are spiritually discerned. - I Cor 2:15
For one thing, they are creative which means He cannot lie. When He says a thing, it is. It is because He said it. He said "Let there be light" and there was light.
Give us this day our daily bread. – Matt 6:11
I am that bread of life. – John 6:48
It is the spirit that quickeneth; the flesh profiteth nothing: the words that I speak unto you, [they] are spirit, and [they] are life. - John 6:63
I thought it good to shew the signs and wonders that the high God hath wrought toward me.
How great [are] his signs! and how mighty [are] his wonders! his kingdom [is] an everlasting kingdom, and his dominion [is] from generation to generation. – Daniel 4:1-3
PREACH IT, SISTER!!!!
AMEN!!!!!!!!
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