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!”
Like focusing on Jesus and Jesus only? What non-Catholics on FR have problems with that?
For instance he is preaching against extravagance in the Church its self,:Church leaders living in luxury: living in penthouses or castles and driving limousines.
ROTFLOL!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Coming from a Catholic. That's rich....
Is he going to forego the popemobile?
But these same issues are prevalent in the protestant Churches also, rich people do not bother me what so ever but if they get rich suffering for God, that makes me sick.
That's a new one. Who gets rich suffering for God?
.....”Without the Church there is no Christianity”.....
No,.. without Christ there is no Christianity...anybody can start a ‘Church’..and do.
The question is always do you practice Christianity or Churchianity? There is a gulf between the two.
ALL churches have fallen....none are exempt who cater to the ways of the world morally and otherwise today.
He said this would come...so why compare one church denomination to another?....Again HE said this would happen.... so being aware is the best we can do and fight the good fight none the less.
metmom, I guess you haven’t been following the news about Pope Francis. He did forego the Popemobile in Rio.
For all of you, what are your thoughts on the following?
When my Dad and Mom got married, he was a devout Catholic and she was a devout Methodist. They remained true to their respective religions their entire lives, but were very respectful of each others’s beliefs. Mom was totally supportive of Dad raising us Catholics, which included many hours of volunteering at our Catholic grade school. She also supported Dad when he became a deacon in the church. In the same way, Dad supported Mom, helping out at fish fries, chicken dinners and Thanksgiving meals, and even leading Bible study meetings at her church. There was a running joke that Mom was a Metholic and Dad was a Cathodist. They were both deeply devoted to Jesus, and when they prayed, they felt that Jesus was in their presence.
I, too, have remained a Catholic, but my daughter and her husband are members of a Christian church. We are all deeply devoted to Jesus, and when we gather together for a meal, we always ask the Lord’s blessing.
In Matthew 18:20, Jesus says: “For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them.”
When Christians of different faiths gather together in His name, is He not with all of them, or is He just with those who believe the right way?
My prayer is that He is with all of us and that my deceased Mom and Dad are both alive in His presence.
Had to laugh when all the cereal box’s etc. began to appear....they always appear at the same juncture...words get in the way.
If they've put their faith in Christ for salvation, it doesn't matter where they worship.
I really believe that some churches offer more Scriptural teachings and have a higher percentage of people who are truly saved than others, but it's not like if you belong to a church, everyone there is saved.
Churches don't save and churches don't damn. They are places to go for fellowship and worship. They should not even be the primary means of spiritual growth in our relationship with Christ.
I do not know where any of the other non-Catholic FReepers attend for worship services, nor do I care. If they have put their trust in JESUS for their salvation, not church membership, not baptism, not communion, not any other religious ritual, then they are saved and going to heaven.
Jesus is with any believers who gather in His name. THAT was His promise. Not that He was in any one church or denomination and people had to go there to find Him.
Acts 4:11-12 This Jesus is the stone that was rejected by you, the builders, which has become the cornerstone. And there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.”
There are those who are faithful to Christ alone in most all churches. Those who put their faith in Christ alone rather than a plethora of other entities or so called “intermediaries” are called the “sons of God”. Even in Revelation God calls for His people to “come out” of the whoring church in order to not partake in her plagues. So by that we see that even in the “whore of Babylon” church there are those who are called His.
I have said it quite often. The Protestant organizations are after all the daughters of the RCC are they not? They have retained many of her errors.
We all know better than to click on your virus laden links.
>> “ we Christians cannot unite against the REAL forces of darkness.” <<
.
Unite? - No! Light and Darkness cannot be united.
Matthew 10:
34] Think not that I am come to send peace on earth: I came not to send peace, but a sword.
[35] For I am come to set a man at variance against his father, and the daughter against her mother, and the daughter in law against her mother in law.
[36] And a man’s foes shall be they of his own household.
[37] He that loveth father or mother more than me is not worthy of me: and he that loveth son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me.
[38] And he that taketh not his cross, and followeth after me, is not worthy of me.
[39] He that findeth his life shall lose it: and he that loseth his life for my sake shall find it.
[40] He that receiveth you receiveth me, and he that receiveth me receiveth him that sent me.
[41] He that receiveth a prophet in the name of a prophet shall receive a prophet’s reward; and he that receiveth a righteous man in the name of a righteous man shall receive a righteous man’s reward.
[42] And whosoever shall give to drink unto one of these little ones a cup of cold water only in the name of a disciple, verily I say unto you, he shall in no wise lose his reward.
I think you misread? I mean, We Christians must unite against the real darkness of this world. We are all Christians, we all worship the same God. This makes us brothers in the light of Christ, and together we have a formidable army.
Calling one’s self a “christian” doesn;t make one automatically one of his elect. That calling is for The Father to do.
There are far more in darkness than light among those that call themselves Christian. Those cannot be united, nor should they be.
When it is time for that “formidable army” to show up, they will be returning with him, after the “first resurrection,” and the wedding feast.
Much of what that army will be fighting will be the tares that fill the ranks of the churches.
>> “When Christians of different faiths gather together in His name, is He not with all of them, or is He just with those who believe the right way?” <<
.
Are you aware of the logical conflict that exists in your question?
Calling yourself a “christian” does not make you one of his own. Those that live by his commandments are his, and those that deny those commandments are not. Churches are filled with both.
Like focusing on Jesus and Jesus only? What non-Catholics on FR have problems with that?
Coming from a Catholic. That’s rich....
Is he going to forego the popemobile?
Don,t know if you are calling me a Catholic or calling them rich or just what.
I have said it quite often. The Protestant organizations are after all the daughters of the RCC are they not? They have retained many of her errors.
How “Christian” of you/s. Sounds rather venomous to me - what you wrote, I mean.
Here....
My prayer is that He is with all of us and that my deceased Mom and Dad are both alive in His presence.
This is a really good example of how the 'real' church is invisible...
The key word is 'Christians'...And it's not the very loose definition your pope gives (some may have Jesus, some may not)...
A Christian is someone who trusts Jesus alone for his/her eternal salvation...Any others who calls themselves Christians are fooled and on the outside...
Both my parents accepted the Lord during their lifetimes...My mother didn't get dunked til she was in her late 60's...
They were divorced and my mother had what some would call a 'soul' mate...He was a Catholic...Every time for years I would try to talk to him about Jesus and his conversation stopper was always, I'm not worried, I'm Catholic...Damn that religion...
The church is invisible...We have no idea what was in a person's heart so we just don't know about our parents but are left with the consolation of out of the heart the mouth speaks...We have their testimony to go on, that's all...
I have found that when someone becomes a Christian, it has been a life changing event...And there is usually a 'testimony' of that transaction that they are more than happy to testify to...
You never heard of the popemobile?
Here....
I was just reading about rich TV evangelists, i believe it said six were being investigated by the irs, these guys bring in millions and keep a big part of ir.
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