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!”
Who in the PROTESTant world is gonna take seriously some anonymous group of mystery men known as the Magisterium?
Those whose output is claimed to be INFALLIBLE?
Then post the verses where He said IT IS WRITTEN against those where He spoke of Traditions of MEN.
If you can...
You were a lot more wordy than I am willing to be at this point!
At least the MORMONs have a Quorum of Twelve that we KNOW!
And THEY all vote UNAMIMOUS!!!
Quite a labyrinth in the teachings of the RCC!
Watch your step!
Little twisty passages: all different.
Luke 10:20 Nevertheless, do not rejoice in this, that the spirits are subject to you, but rejoice that your names are written in heaven.” <-- sola ALERT!!!
Thank God for anything good (my enemies often have said the opposite), while my comments about you impugning capitalism refers to your statement against "the church (small ‘c’) of capitalism and imperialism," which, even if referring to Communism, seems to disparage capitalism.
So, the Catholic Church IS your business? OKey doke.
Yes it is:
"Beloved, when I gave all diligence to write unto you of the common salvation, it was needful for me to write unto you, and exhort you that ye should earnestly contend for the faith which was once delivered unto the saints." (Jude 3)
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?...The word of the day is ‘inconsequential’
That broadbrush ignores the fact that these debates often go into thousands of posts, and if they were not seen as a danger to Rome by her avid defenders then they would not go on, while God commands believers to warn such. And i know how much life-giving influence evangelical preaching had on me as a weekly RC (and CCD teacher and lector) looking from some life therein,though they know it not. (Ezek. 33:18; Eph. 5:11)
No ceremony, thank you, we’re pure. And boring. And irrelevant to the daily lives of common people.
I increasingly wonder what universe you life in. Perhaps one in which your like institutionalized Prot cousins (Episcopalians, etc.) represent Protestant faith. If so, i offer sympathy.
"Boring?" Been there, done that as RC for years, while not only I but the multitudes who life Rome for evangelical churches (which is far more than swim the Tiber the other way) testify that the spiritual deficiency they found in Rome was the main reason for them seeking and finding better pasture.
At least we can separate from the liberal Ted Kennedy type RCs, which seem to be the majority, while the church promoted here is one that counts and treats them as members in life and in death.
Your protestations should be directed toward the RCs who incessantly use FR as a RC news and propaganda service, rather than against us for responding to such in opposing and exposing Rome. Not that a better spirit of debate from both is desirous.
My reference to “the church (small ‘c’) of capitalism and imperialism,” was to the “church” from the point of view of the Communists (even if they never called it that), and I thought that was obvious. That is to say, the Communists treated capitalism they way that I see the Protestants on this forum treat the Catholic Church, a mortal enemy, a heretical giant that must be brought down. For the people, of course. Analogies, which you don’t like (to correct my previous entry that erroneously stated the opposite), are never exact and if they are, they’re not too interesting, or they are cliches.
You keep trying to define me. Now I’m Episcopalian? That’s where debates tend to descend, with attempts to read the opponent’s mind and emotions: “you are ____________” or “you think ___________”. I’ve been defending n these pages the Catholic Church and the Mormon Church against these often ignorant, angry and hateful attacks. I’d rather see the Religious Forum eliminated altogether.
In the meantime, my suggestion to JohnRob would be to disallow cut and paste in posts on this forum, and force these bombarding Bible quoters to type it all by hand.
Infallibility. Wiki:
“Infallibility, from Latin origin (’in’, not + ‘fallere’, to deceive), is a term with a variety of meanings related to knowing truth with certainty.”
And then:
“When a person is called ‘infallible’, this can mean any of the following:
Some (or all) statements or teachings made by this person can be relied on to be certainly true.
This person always makes good and moral choices, and his actions may never be considered immoral or evil.
This person is always right, and never wrong or incorrect.”
You like to question papal infallibility, but what I see on this forum is persons who, citing volumes of text from the Bible, claim infallibility for their personal interpretations of those texts (without calling it ‘infallibility’ of course.) The hunter gets captured by the game.
Finally, I remember hearing Paul Crouch saying on his TV channel “We don’t need no theology!”, using the double negative for emphasis, while his pink haired wife (at the time, or only a TV wife in the first place) did her best Ed McMahon imitation, religious TV kind of course, nodding and saying ‘Hey Men! Hey Men!’
I mention this apropos analogies, and side stories, which I read in Catholic literature (I mean Literature with a capital ‘L’, and not the Church literature) and hear in Catholic sermons while the Protestants bombard me with nothing but their Bible quotes, and even tell me that the Bible is the only book anyone needs. No, but thanks.
You can suggest a lot of things, but that would cripple much of what the Roman cult followers post herein. It makes it easier for me to post TRUTH from the Word of God.
John 3: ...5 Jesus answered, “Very truly I tell you, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless they are born of water and the Spirit. 6 Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit gives birth to spirit. 7 You should not be surprised at my saying, ‘You must be born again.’ ...
*******
Finally, I remember hearing Paul Crouch saying on his TV channel “We don’t need no theology!”,...
"Looking for love in all the wrong places"! Why would a good catholic watch such trash?
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.
********
... the Protestants bombard me with nothing but their Bible quotes
I guess that someone so bound up in the traditions of men would have a hard time receiving the Truth available in Scripture!
Hebrews 4: 10 for anyone who enters God’s rest also rests from their works, just as God did from his. 11 Let us, therefore, make every effort to enter that rest, so that no one will perish by following their example of disobedience. 12 For the word of God is alive and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.
Romans 8: ...14 For those who are led by the Spirit of God are the children of God. 15 The Spirit you received does not make you slaves, so that you live in fear again; rather, the Spirit you received brought about your adoption to sonship. And by him we cry, “Abba, Father.” 16 The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God’s children. 17 Now if we are children, then we are heirs—heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in his sufferings in order that we may also share in his glory. ...
Exactly what I identified: bombardment! Meaningless. Demonstration of a believer’s assumed infallibility.
Demonstration of the Word of God! May be meaningless to the cult of Rome, but not to a Christian.
Some people just can't stand before the Word. Bombs away!
2 For the word of God is alive and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.
Who's claimed infallibility (without actually calling it such, of course) on the RF? Could you point to the post or provide a link to it?
And how do you know that someone is calling themselves infallible without naming it as such?
Are you mind reading? Or guessing? Or just assuming?
Well, God is going to force Himself on no one.
Everyone is free to reject the words of God in favor of the words of men.
Just know that it's not going to work out so well and you can remember that you were warned.
Nice pretending ignorance. When you claim that your interpretations of the Bible are always correct, you are in effect claiming infallibility.
Sometimes I just wonder what some people are reading. I have posted Scripture alone, with no interpretation, yet many hearts are not able to receive it for whatever reason.
Hebrews 4: 12 For the word of God is alive and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.
Luke 18: 35 As Jesus approached Jericho, a blind man was sitting by the roadside begging. 36 When he heard the crowd going by, he asked what was happening. 37 They told him, “Jesus of Nazareth is passing by.”
38 He called out, “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!”
39 Those who led the way rebuked him and told him to be quiet, but he shouted all the more, “Son of David, have mercy on me!”
40 Jesus stopped and ordered the man to be brought to him. When he came near, Jesus asked him, 41 “What do you want me to do for you?”
“Lord, I want to see,” he replied.
42 Jesus said to him, “Receive your sight; your faith has healed you.” 43 Immediately he received his sight and followed Jesus, praising God. When all the people saw it, they also praised God.
Yeah. You might step in somethin'... On second thought, break out the hip-waders!
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