Posted on 05/17/2014 3:53:49 AM PDT by NYer
Vatican City
“Pope Francis says studying Jesus is not enough to get to know him, we must also pray to him, celebrate him and imitate him. This was the Pope’s core message at Mass on Friday in the Santa Marta residence, Vatican Radio reports. In his homily the Pope reflected on the best way for us to get to know Jesus, describing it as the most important work in our lives. At the same time he warned that studying or having ideas was not enough on its own to acquire that knowledge of Jesus.”
“Ideas by themselves do not lead anywhere and those who pursue the path of their own ideas end up in a labyrinth from where they can’t get out again! It’s for this reason that heresies have existed from the very beginning of the Church. Heresies are this: trying to understand with our minds and with only our personal light who Jesus is. A great English writer wrote that a heresy is an idea that’s gone crazy. That’s right! When they are ideas by themselves they become crazy… This is not the right path!”
Pope Francis explained that we need to open three doors in order to know Jesus:
“The first door is praying to Jesus. You must realize that studying without prayers is no use. We must pray to Jesus to get to know him better. The great theologians did their theology while kneeling. Pray to Jesus! By studying and praying we get a bit closer… But we’ll never know Jesus without praying. Never! Never!”
“The second door is celebrating Jesus. Prayer on its own is not enough, we need the joy of celebration. We must celebrate Jesus through his Sacraments, because these give us life, they give us strength, they nourish us, they comfort us, they forge an alliance with us, they give us a mission. Without celebrating the Sacraments, we’ll never get to know Jesus. This is what the Church is all about: celebration.”
“The third door is imitating Jesus. Take the Gospel, what did he do, how was his life, what did he tell us, what did he teach us and try to imitate him.”
“Entering via these three doors, the Pope went on, means entering into the mystery of Jesus and it’s only in this way that we can get to know him and we mustn’t be afraid to do this. During the day, today, we can think about how the door leading to prayer is proceeding in our life: but prayer from the heart is not like that of a parrot! How is prayer of the heart? How is the Christian celebration in my life proceeding? And how is the imitation of Jesus in my life proceeding? How must I imitate him? Do you really not remember! The reason is because the Book of the Gospel is full of dust as it’s never opened! Take the Book of the Gospel, open it and you will discover how to imitate Jesus! Let’s think about how these three doors are positioned in our life and this will be of benefit to everybody.”
There are times when I envy the neo-Cats. Ignorance is bliss.
More to the point, He did not give them "rote prayer" as in a repeat-after-me sort of thing, but instead as it is written directed them in Matthew 6 to instead
"In this manner, therefore, pray"
"Pray then in this way"
"This, then, is how you should pray"
though I will venture that the prayer itself can be recited as is also, while searching for/meditating inwardly upon meanings as to the manner of the form.
There too is place for call and response sort of worship, where those of the congregation confess with their own voices affirmation of that which is agreed upon to be worthy of worship; Romans 10:9-10
that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.
27 “Whatever I tell you in the dark, speak in the light; and what you hear in the ear, preach on the housetops. 28 And do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. But rather fear Him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell. 29 Are not two sparrows sold for a copper coin? And not one of them falls to the ground apart from your Father’s will. 30 But the very hairs of your head are all numbered. 31 Do not fear therefore; you are of more value than many sparrows. Confess Christ Before Men32 “Therefore whoever confesses Me before men, him I will also confess before My Father who is in heaven. 33 But whoever denies Me before men, him I will also deny before My Father who is in heaven.
He never told any of His disciples "I send you to Rome, and from there to the world!"
How many churches? How many written of by John in the book of Revelation?
How many lamps in all were there on the lampstand which was to within in the inner holy place nearby the holy of holies?
How many buds were there upon Aaron's staff?
We can count those sort of things perhaps...but can you count the descendants of Abraham?
ekklēsía(from 1537 /ek, "out from and to" and 2564 /kaléō, "to call") – properly, people called out from the world and to God, the outcome being the Church (the mystical body of Christ) – i.e. the universal (total) body of believers whom God calls out from the world and into His eternal kingdom.[The English word "church" comes from the Greek word kyriakos, "belonging to the Lord" (kyrios). 1577 /ekklēsía ("church") is the root of the terms "ecclesiology" and "ecclesiastical."]
And I say to thee: That thou art Peter; and upon this rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. Matthew 16:18
In the above bible quote, do see the word "church" or "churches"?
If you’re going to quote me, please don’t parse my sentences.
This is what I said, “He calls people, living in mortal sin, out the blue telling them to find another Church, where nobody knows them, so they can sacrilegiously receive Holy Communion.”
Why did you fail to post the latter part of the above statement? I find that to be a bit unprincipled.
In the Strong's definition there is only one, yet too as I pointed towards, in the book of Revelation there was more than one, as in various congregations. If one wishes to think of them all as being simply one, in that as written "to the church at Ephesus" etc., and all the other salutation and addressing of "the church at.." the other locations too were still speaking of just one, that would be acceptable, but still not making the entire church then be dictated to needing be led by a singular figure whom those of the church of Rome see as the one singular highmost "bishop" over all
It is that last portion which cannot be firmly established -- not firmly enough, for "primacy" as in being first in some regard, never did equal Supremacy over all others (within the church) much less that even "primacy" is itself inheritable.
How many can be first? Only one. Not only one, then a new only one, then yet another new only one, for they cannot be first if they did not themselves arrive "first".
Even then -- Christ Himself said that the first shall be last, and the last first also. Is there some Romanist method to twist even that into support for popery? I wouldn't much doubt it for there is broad-based "bad exegesis" gene that papacy itself relied upon when it first began to crow about it's own alleged Supremacy.
The idea that [claimed to be] successors to Peter can look at themselves as "primary" and first in a unbroken line -- while ignoring all others "lines" (if one wants to put the "earthly, visible office") fails in part for reason of the existence of other Patriarchates, which themselves never owed their own existence to having been established by anyone from the church at Rome, or from that geographically identified lineage. Don't ask me to be "counting" churches now, when I have already otherwise answered that question.
You still haven’t answered my question of “how many churches”. Do you consider Islam to be a church? Or Taoism? Or Buddihism?
What exactly is your definition of a “church”?
What are you smoking?
Perhaps what I wrote was less than clear.
Peter was seen by many who came along centuries after the first Apostles as having "primacy".
Being "prime" as in being first, is a position which logically can only be taken up by that one who is themself "first".
One prime as in one numero uno, or else we are always resetting back to "one" all over again -- which makes counting impossible.
Would a person sit and count marbles, One marble, then again for the next say "one" marble, setting that aside to again say or count "one" marble, for the third one in succession?
What's would be the use?
By that example only one can be "first". Being that notions or concepts towards "Petrine primacy" begin with and/or based upon him being in some ways "first", then successors to this "first" cannot themselves have "primacy" in the same manner -- for they cannot be first, if indeed Peter was.
They can only come after Peter, leaving the notion that "primacy" is inheritable to be more a figment of imagination and wishful thinking from the get-go, than anything else.
Sounds like someone is losing his marbles, one day at a time.
Actually, I did answer the question. It is in Strong's definition of ekklesia, which is where the word "church" comes from.
Put understanding of "ekklesia" (called out ones, called by God) as I took effort to bring here, with
1When Israel was a child, then I loved him, and called my son out of Egypt.15 And was there until the death of Herod: that it might be fulfilled which was spoken of the Lord by the prophet, saying, Out of Egypt have I called my son.
If you wish to attempt to impose some notion or sense that "the church" is centered upon the Latin or [Roman] Catholic branch of "the church" (along with the various affiliates which go by differing names but still bow to Latin church bishops as singular "pope") or that it (and it's submissive affiliates) by itself is the "one true church", then I must say that is just so much Romish self-reverential fantasy.
Who in the heck is “Strong”?
How convenient. Shoot the messenger.
It happens on these pages every day, when one dares point out how "Rome" has been deceiving itself and any other who will listen to itself (herself?) concerning herself.
Acts 2
So he’s saying after confession when the priest tells you to say 10 Our Fathers and 10 Hail Marys as penance, you should just say a prayer from your heart and not repetitious, rote prayers.
Who are you a messenger of? Some goofball named “Strong”?
How convenient. Shoot the messenger.
It happens on these pages every day, when one dares point out how "Rome" has been deceiving itself and any other who will listen to itself (herself?) concerning herself.
Acts 2
My, oh my this is getting TEDIOUS. Thanks for NOTHING. Are you so truly so ignorant?
If you had gone to the link provided used in association with my bringing definition of the word "ekklesia" you would have seen that would lead to entry from Strong's Concordance for "ekklesia".
You asked about "church". I reached for (and provided to you) the root of the definition for that word.
For that you respond with insolence and insult.
Obviously -- "spit wads" is all you've got. (while I'm packing a scoped pump-action '06 and pounding the ten-ring)
Yes, He is the Way.
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