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!”
If your right hand offend you; cut it off.
You are good at claiming you won and the other guy lost.
You DO???
Golly; then you could do it again; right?
Or, if that takes away too much of your precious time, any link to it would be just dandy.
I guess WRITTEN fails the RCC test.
Or at least YOURS.
Hey!
Climb back outta da ring!
I can handle dis!!!
;)
You coulda been a contenda!
Okay, so based on what authority, do you believe Matthew wrote an inspired gospel? If any Bible verse mentions Matthew wrote an inspired gospel please post it now.
I accept the universal early (East, West, Oriental)church's Canon because of how they recieved and recognized the scriptures, It was not a fiat pronouncement by a Pope.
"The criteria the church used for recognizing and collecting the Word of God are as follows:
1) Was the book written by a prophet of God?
2) Was the writer authenticated by miracles to confirm his message?
3) Does the book tell the truth about God, with no falsehood or contradiction?
4) Does the book evince a divine capacity to transform lives?
5) Was the book accepted as God's Word by the people to whom it was first delivered?
Of these criteria, the one of most importance was the first one--was the book written by a prophet? Its corollary, did the book receive apostolic approval?, was the chief test of canonicity in the early church. This criterion is a logical result of knowing what an "apostle" was. The apostles were gifted by God to be the founders and leaders of the church, so it is reasonable to accept that through them came the Word governing the church.
The apostles were promised the Spirit of truth who would bring to their remembrance what Christ had said (John 14:26) and guide them into "all truth" (John 16:13). After the ascension of Christ, the apostles received supernatural gifts to enable their work and confirm their message (Acts 2:4). God's household is "built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets" (Ephesians 2:20). Given the apostles' special commission, it only makes sense that the church made apostolicity the number-one test of canonicity. Thus, the Gospel of Matthew was considered canonical (it was written by an apostle); and the Gospel of Mark, with its close association with the Apostle Peter, was also accepted.
When the New Testament was being written, the individual books and letters were immediately accepted as God's Word and circulated for the benefits of others. The church of Thessalonica received Paul's word as the Word of God (1 Thessalonians 2:13). Paul's epistles were circulating among the churches even during apostolic times (Colossians 4:16). Peter recognized Paul's writings as inspired by God and equated them with "the rest of the Scriptures" (2 Peter 3:15-16). Paul quoted the Gospel of Luke and called it "Scripture" (1 Timothy 5:18). This widespread acceptance stands in stark contrast to the few debated books, eventually rejected as non-canonical, that enjoyed a limited favor for a time.
Read more: http://www.gotquestions.org/canonicity-scriptural.html#ixzz2egYkQxLq
And chance messin’ up this dame mug?! Not a chance, stumpy. Now throw me cigar and get back in there and bite of a left ear for me. I ain’t getting’ any younger or prettier here..
...you WANT me on that wall!
Sometimes, you must repeat the question before you finally get an answer, instead of a speech.
think you’re bein’ smart, dontcha’, speakin’ into my left ear when you know I only have the one good’un. The Ogiefanogie Stogie indeed. You’ll never live up to that name! Now dance, stub-boy, DANCE!
I’ll repeat: you are very good, articulate, logical, and all those things. (and at times clueless - I don’t “impugn capitalism”, the Communist faith purists do!) None of which matters. So, the Catholic Church IS your business? OKey doke. Now, what effect have these Internet diatribes of yours and others here vomiting volumes of Bible quotes, that, as I studied, no one ever reads (because no one ever responds to their contents, d’uh!) what effect does all this have on the Catholic Church? Heck, I haven’t heard of a single Catholic believer here being “rescued” by you into your Harold Camping (or is it Jim Jones?) faith.
An old co-worker, a former Franciscan was (and probably still is) deeply involved in the matters of the Church, and would respond better to your ignorant assertions about dissent within it and about papal infallibility (which are lies constantly corrected by others here, and still repeated ad infinitum), but when I knew him, he couldn’t bother, busy as he was within the Church, and as I remember he only once during our conversation easily devastated the gibberish of one Dr Gene Scott, a flamboyant TV preacher (now deceased), with a doctorate from Stanford in sociology, if memory serves.
Yes, I know, your kind does like analogies, doesn’t like “broad brush”, like it doesn’t like decor on the concrete walls of your sad churches, and ghetto storefront chapels. It’s all and nothing else but the Scripture, like teabags in the styrofoam cups. Pure. No ceremony, thank you, we’re pure. And boring. And irrelevant to the daily lives of common people.
Who in the Catholic Church is to take seriously the sewer spilling out of the keyboards of anonymous “theologians” on some obscure Internet forum, “theologians” with nicks like Star Trek Wars Fan or Metropolitan Oprah Mother (examples made up on the spot)? Who are you kidding? Am I to take the theology of theirs more seriously than that of Joseph Ratzinger? What hubris! The word of the day is ‘inconsequential’.
personally, I think you’re just jealous that someone named Aunt Bruce can make mincemeat out of your arguments..
Small voice indeed!
personally, I think you’re just jealous that someone named Aunt Bruce can make mincemeat out of your arguments..
It seems that most of their "arguments" can be summed up by saying.
Don't you know who WE are? IE the "one true church"
“I accept the universal early (East, West, Oriental)church’s Canon because of how they recieved and recognized the scriptures, It was not a fiat pronouncement by a Pope.”
So, you’re now claiming you accept Maccabees as scripture?
When you change your story - and I am certain you will - please also tell me why I should put any stock in your answers after that.
Sorry, forgot the word “can”. And still, Jesus clearly didn’t rely on sola scriptura.
You think not?
Luke 4:1-11 And Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan and was led by the Spirit in the wilderness for forty days, being tempted by the devil. And he ate nothing during those days. And when they were ended, he was hungry. The devil said to him, “If you are the Son of God, command this stone to become bread.” And Jesus answered him, “It is written, ‘Man shall not live by bread alone.’”
And the devil took him up and showed him all the kingdoms of the world in a moment of time, and said to him, “To you I will give all this authority and their glory, for it has been delivered to me, and I give it to whom I will. If you, then, will worship me, it will all be yours.” And Jesus answered him, “It is written, “‘You shall worship the Lord your God, and him only shall you serve.’”
And he took him to Jerusalem and set him on the pinnacle of the temple and said to him, “If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down from here, for it is written, “‘He will command his angels concerning you, to guard you,’ and “‘On their hands they will bear you up, lest you strike your foot against a stone.’”
And Jesus answered him, “It is said, ‘You shall not put the Lord your God to the test.’”
And when the devil had ended every temptation, he departed from him until an opportune time.
Matthew 4:1-11 Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. And after fasting forty days and forty nights, he was hungry. And the tempter came and said to him, “If you are the Son of God, command these stones to become loaves of bread.” But he answered, “It is written, “‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.’”
Then the devil took him to the holy city and set him on the pinnacle of the temple and said to him, “If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down, for it is written, “‘He will command his angels concerning you,’ and “‘On their hands they will bear you up, lest you strike your foot against a stone.’”
Jesus said to him,“Again it is written, ‘You shall not put the Lord your God to the test.’”
Again, the devil took him to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory. And he said to him, “All these I will give you, if you will fall down and worship me.” Then Jesus said to him, “Be gone, Satan! For it is written, “‘You shall worship the Lord your God and him only shall you serve.’”
Then the devil left him, and behold, angels came and were ministering to him.
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