Posted on 01/10/2014 3:41:50 AM PST by markomalley
"If we Christians believe professing the faith, even safeguarding it, if we are custodians of the faith , and entrust ourselves to God , the Lord , we will be victorious Christians. And this is the victory that has overcome the world: our faith". Otherwise we would be "half hearted Christians" those "defeated Christians" of which the Church "is full", said Pope Francis during his homily at Mass this morning at Casa Santa Marta.
Vatican Radio reports the Pope's homily focused on the passage from the First Letter of St. John, in which the apostle , "insists " on "that word which for him is as an expression of Christian life" , " remaining in the Lord" to love God and to love our neighbor . This "remaining in love" of God is the work of the Holy Spirit and our faith and has a concrete effect:
"Whoever remains in God, whoever is begotten by God, whoever remains in love wins the world and the victory is our faith. For our part, faith. For God - for this 'remaining' - the Holy Spirit, which carries out this work of grace. For our part, faith. This is really something! And this is the victory that has won over the world: our faith ! Our faith can do anything! This is victory! And it would be good if we repeated this, even just to ourselves, because we are so often defeated Christians. The Church is full of defeated Christians who do not believe in this, that faith is the victory, who do not live this faith, because if you do not live this faith, then there is only defeat and the prince of the world wins over the world".
The Pope recalled that Jesus praised the very faith of the Woman, the Canaanite, the man born blind and said that those who have faith, like a mustard seed can move mountains . "This faith - he says - requires two attitudes of us: to profess and entrust ourselves". First of all "profess".
"Faith is to profess God, but the God who has revealed Himself to us, from the days of our fathers until now, the God of history. And this is what we recite every day in the Creed. It is one thing to recite the Creed from the heart and another like parrots, no? I believe, I believe in God, I believe in Jesus Christ, I believe ... do I believe in what I say ? Is this profession of faith true or am I reciting it off by heart, because I have to? Or do I only half believe in it? Professing the Faith! All of it, not just a part of it! All of it! And safeguarding the faith in its entirety, as it came to us, on the road of tradition: all of the faith ! And ' how do I know if I profess the faith well? There is a sign: those who profess the faith well, all of the faith, are able to worship, worship God".
"We know how to ask God how to thank God - the Pope said - but to worship God, to praise God is something more! Only those who have this strong faith are capable of worship". And Pope Francis added: "I dare say that the thermometer of the life of the Church is a bit ' low in this: the capacity to worship is somewhat scarce, "we do not have a lot , some , yes ... " . And this "is because we are not convinced or only half convinced in the profession of our faith". So - said the Pope - the first attitude is to profess the faith and safeguard it . The other attitude is "entrusting ourselves".
"The man or woman who has faith entrust themselves to God: they entrust themselves! Paul, in a dark time in his life, said: 'I know well to whom I have entrusted myself'. To God! The Lord Jesus! Entrusting ourselves and this leads us to hope. Just as the profession of faith leads us to the worship and praise of God, trust in God leads us to an attitude of hope. There are many Christians who have a watered down hope, not a very strong one: a faint hope . Why? Because they do not have the strength or the courage to trust in the Lord . But if we Christians believe professing the faith, even safeguarding it, if we are custodians of the faith , and entrust ourselves to God , the Lord , we will be victorious Christians. And this is the victory that has overcome the world: our faith. "
Agreed, but what Pope has preached this in the last 50 years?
I think your apostle addressed this already: For I speak to you Gentiles, inasmuch as I am the apostle of the Gentiles, I magnify mine office: [14] If by any means I may provoke to emulation them which are my flesh, and might save some of them. [15] For if the casting away of them be the reconciling of the world, what shall the receiving of them be, but life from the dead? [16] For if the firstfruit be holy, the lump is also holy: and if the root be holy, so are the branches. [17] And if some of the branches be broken off, and thou, being a wild olive tree, wert graffed in among them, and with them partakest of the root and fatness of the olive tree; [18] Boast not against the branches. But if thou boast, thou bearest not the root, but the root thee. [19] Thou wilt say then, The branches were broken off, that I might be graffed in. [20] Well; because of unbelief they were broken off, and thou standest by faith. Be not highminded, but fear: [21] For if God spared not the natural branches, take heed lest he also spare not thee. [22] Behold therefore the goodness and severity of God: on them which fell, severity; but toward thee, goodness, if thou continue in his goodness: otherwise thou also shalt be cut off. [23] And they also, if they abide not still in unbelief, shall be graffed in: for God is able to graff them in again. [24] For if thou wert cut out of the olive tree which is wild by nature, and wert graffed contrary to nature into a good olive tree: how much more shall these, which be the natural branches, be graffed into their own olive tree? [25] For I would not, brethren, that ye should be ignorant of this mystery, lest ye should be wise in your own conceits; that blindness in part is happened to Israel, until the fulness of the Gentiles be come in. [26] And so all Israel shall be saved: as it is written, There shall come out of Sion the Deliverer, and shall turn away ungodliness from Jacob: [27] For this is my covenant unto them, when I shall take away their sins. [28] As concerning the gospel, they are enemies for your sakes: but as touching the election, they are beloved for the fathers' sakes. [29] For the gifts and calling of God are without repentance. [30] For as ye in times past have not believed God, yet have now obtained mercy through their unbelief: [31] Even so have these also now not believed, that through your mercy they also may obtain mercy. [32] For God hath concluded them all in unbelief, that he might have mercy upon all. [33] O the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! how unsearchable are his judgments, and his ways past finding out! [34] For who hath known the mind of the Lord? or who hath been his counseller? [35] Or who hath first given to him, and it shall be recompensed unto him again? [36] For of him, and through him, and to him, are all things: to whom be glory for ever. Amen.
Lighting a menorah is not common prayer; it is a festival activity.
In the past 50 years, the papal teaching was that we should not view the Jews as an “anti-Christian sect”.
Of course you are on an anti-papist rant. The pope today is St. Francis; that’s whom you accuse of apostasy based on virtually anything he does. You are anti-papist.
You are correct; at this point those subscribing to the religion of rabbinical Judaism have to convert and be re-grafted to the covenant that was originally their own and at this point is with the Catholic Church.
Pope Saint Pius’ catechism did not mention common prayer. It stated:
>>15 Q: What else does the First Commandment forbid?
A: The First Commandment also forbids all dealings with the devil, and all association with anti-Christian sect’s.<<
Please don’t twist a saint’s word; it’s not charitable to do so.
So they're a pro-Christian sect then? And what happened fifty years ago to come to this new "ruling"?
Pope Pius X is not the only source of reference, you know.
The re-examination of the Church vis-a-vis the Jewry occurred in the wake of the Second World War and creation of the state of Israel, when it became clear that the Jews have an distinct role in the fabric of the Western Civilization and as a whole do not bear hostility to Christians, whereas often the hostility of the Christians toward the Jews is a gross failure of Christian charity. The Church therefore in her pastoral duty to the Christian world, undertook to ensure that the Jews as a group not be treated as anti-Christian religious community.
The source is Orthodox but the canons themselves are from the Undivided Church.
Actually the new covenant is with, and between, the Holy One of Israel and any Jew or Gentile whom he calls.
Are you saying the saint is wrong? It sounds like you are.
The covenant is with the Christian Church, to which Jews can of course convert like anyone else.
Read my post and you will know what I am saying. If it helps, by all means, read aloud and listen to how it sounds.
Please point out which exact post you made such a reference.
I’ve already read “Go, Dog, Go” and “Green Eggs and Ham”. I’m not ready to step down.
“Lighting a menorah is not common prayer” in 43. Indeed, I neglected to make the reference explicit but fixed my oversight in 47 and 48.
You didn’t fix anything. Your post 47 falsely stated you had already mentioned Apostolic Canon 45 earlier. You had not.
This is why I don’t bother to re-read you posts to myself out loud, as you have recommended. Dr. Seuss books have better continuity.
What is it then?
The reference to “common prayer” was implying Canon 45. The implication failed with you. I am sorry. I am not going to explain everything three times for you.
These are prayers that, we can assume, were said by the rabbi at the ceremony.
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