Posted on 03/18/2015 4:38:28 PM PDT by NYer
Children remind us that “we are always children”, they bring their way of seeing reality, with a “confident and pure” gaze (“they have not yet learned the science of duplicity which we adults have learned”), they can “teach us to smile and cry again”. “Of course they also bring concerns and sometimes many problems, but a society with these concerns and these problems is far better than a society that is sad and gray because it has no children!” This was the crux of Francis’ message at this Wednesday’s General Audience in St. Peter’s Square.
After reflecting on the different figures withtin the family (mother, father, children, siblings, grandparents) over the past few weeks, today Francis focused on children as he continued his series of catecheses on the family ahead of the October Synod. Children are a great gift for humanity…but they are also great outcasts because they aren’t allowed to be born,” the Pope said. Francis announced that next week he will be talking about "some wounds that unfortunately hurt childhood". I think of "the many children I met during my recent visit to Asia: full of life, enthusiasm, and, on the other hand, I see that in the world today many of them live in undignified conditions... In fact, one can judge a society by the way it treats its children, not only morally, but also if it is a free society or a slave to international interests."
"First of all, children remind us all that, in the first years of life, we were totally dependent on the care and kindness of others. Not even the Son of God was spared this step.” Francis recalled the “beautiful and strong words” the Gospel uses to speak about 'little ones'. This term 'little one' means all the people who depend on the help of others, and especially children. For example, Jesus says: "I give praise Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because you have hidden these things from the wise and learned, and revealed them to little ones. The Pope highlighted that “God has no difficulty in being understood by children, and children have no trouble understanding God,” before underlining that "children are in themselves a treasure for humanity and for the Church, because they constantly remind us of the necessary condition for entering the kingdom of God: not to consider ourselves self-sufficient, but in need of help, love, forgiveness. And all of us, we are in need of help, love and forgiveness ... all of us!” "Children, he continued, remind us of another thing; they remind us that we are always children: even if one becomes an adult, or elderly, even if one becomes a parent, or occupies a position of responsibility, under all of this the identity of the child remains. We are all children. And this brings us back always to the fact that we did not give life to ourselves, we received it. The great gift of life is the first gift we have received, life. We sometimes risk forgetting about this, living as if we were the masters of our existence, and instead we are radically dependent. In fact, it is a great joy to hear that in every age, in every situation, in every walk of life, we are and we remain children.”
But more in general, “there are so many gifts, so many riches that children bring to humanity,” the Pope continued. “I will mention just a few. They bring their way of seeing reality, with a confident and pure gaze. Children have a spontaneous confidence in their mother and father; they have a spontaneous trust in God, in Jesus, the Virgin Mary. At the same time, their inner eye is pure, not yet tainted by malice, duplicity, the corrosion of life that hardens hearts. We know that even children have original sin, they have their egos, but they retain a purity and simplicity within. “Children,” Francis continued off the cuff, “are not diplomats: they say what they feel, they say what they see, directly. And so often they challenge their parents: 'I don't like this because it's bad '... in front of other people. But children say what they see, they are not two faced. They have not yet learned the science of duplicity which we adults have learned.”
Still speaking off the cuff, Francis said that children are able to smile and cry spontaneously. When I take them into my arms,” he confided, “some smile, others see me dressed in white, they think I’m a doctor who’s come to give then an injection and they cry. We often don smile sthat lack vivacity, that are artificial and clown-like. Our heart loses the ability to smile and cry,” “two things that we adults often 'block', we are no longer capable.” “Let us ask ourselves: “do I still cry or have I lost myt ability to smile and cry spontaneously?” “It always depends on the heart that hardens… Children can teach us to smile and cry again.”
"Children,” the Pope concluded, “bring life, joy, hope, even trouble. But, life is like that. Of course they also bring concerns and sometimes many problems, but a society with these concerns and these problems is far better than a society that is sad and gray because it has no children! And when we see that the birth rate of a society is down to one percent, we can say that this society is sad, is gray because it has no children.”
At the end of the Audience, Pope Francis embraced 25 homeless people of different religious and cultural backgrounds who came from Marseille to meet him and “launch a message of hope fromt he heart of the Church”. According to Vatican newspaper L’Osservatore Romano, the five-day pilgrimage to Rome was promoted by the Archbishop of Marseilles, Mgr. Georges Pontier, who is also President of the French Episcopal Conference, along with Fr. Christian Papazian whose role involves welcoming and assisting the marginalised. These people receive daily assistance from Secours Catholique – Caritas France. “We have come here with conviction, to bear witness to the fact that we are all brothers and all have equal dignity because there are no differences between people,” said Kadri, one of the homeless people. “Fraternity is the goal we should all strive for, starting witht he homeless and the jobless,” he added.
They have to take the vow or else they can’t be a priest. There’s no biblical reason to force men who want to be church leaders to take such a vow. Homosexuals haven’t seemed minding to take them because “marriage” isn’t what they are into. This has definitely negatively affected the crop of potential good men candidates who would make good priests.
Our parish has 2 priests and 3 married permanent deacons. It doesn't bother you, men having all these choices, does it?
If you think limiting men because they are married is good church policy, with no biblical command to, then God bless.
It’s futile to continue on this. Probably see you on some other topic.
There are more married deacons in the Catholic Church in the USA (around 15,000) than there are priests in religious orders like the Jesuits and the Franciscans (about 14,000).
Any man can make his own choice whether he has a vocation to celibacy or to marriage. If a married man takes all the necessary steps to become a Permanent Deacon, he can preside at Communion services, he can do Baptisms and Marriages, he can bring the Eucharist to the sick and homebound, he can give people religious counseling and spiritual direction, he can be a prison chaplain or a military chaplain or a hospital chaplain, he can be on the pastoral team for a parish or a chancery officer for the Diocese, he can be a Diocesan Chancellor or a Canon Lawyer or a Tribunal Judge --- and do all of this as a married man.
Just where is the problem?
Some men choose to be celibate like Jesus and St. Paul. This is what they discern they have been called to. I don't see what's wrong with letting them make this choice.
Thank you for explaining that. I wondered at the time, why the Pope chose to communicate an idea, using that mildly slanderous expression. It was not his expression to begin with.
You’re welcome.
Yea just don’t be rabbits
“We have friends living in “retirement communities “. The very idea seems horrible to us. “
==
I’m with you.
I’m an 82 year old in a condo building with all ages.
It’s perfect.
.
“Isn’t this the same Pope Francis who ‘chastised’ Catholics for wanting to ‘breed like rabbits’? So which is it?”
So, according to your logic, the only two possibilities are:
1) ‘breed like rabbits”
or
2) no children
There is a third option: traditional Christian practice.
If he can do all this, why relegate him to a position of no advancement within the church, all because he’s married?
Again, absolutely no biblical requirement or command church leaders (priests, bishops/archbishops, cardinals, etc) be celibate.
None. the only thing stated is Paul’s PERSONAL opinion - as he says it is his own opinion - that if you are one of the few that can be celibate and not give into lust, it’s better to remain celibate. But for MOST they cannot do this.
His comments also were also in the context of any Christian, not targeted at church leaders.
Anyway, bye, I’m done.
You're grasping at straws to find objections.
Good night. I'm done,too.
I did notice you never dealt with the other point I brought up.
Per the awesomeness of being a Chancellor, apparently you ovesold it:
In the Roman Catholic Church a chancellor is the chief record-keeper of a diocese or eparchy or their equivalent. Normally a priest, sometimes a deacon or layperson, the chancellor keeps the official archives of the diocese, as a notary certifies documents, and generally manages the administrative offices (and sometimes finances and personnel) of a diocese. He may be assisted by vice-chancellors. Though he manages the paperwork and office (called the “chancery”), has no actual jurisdictional authority: the bishop of the diocese exercises decision-making authority through his judicial vicar, in judicial matters, and the vicar general for administrative matters.
I wonder why people can’t just say, “Yes, of course this is true.”
My Mom wants nothing to do with her grandkids. She moved to Seattle to keep away from them.
I knew my grandpa very well growing up, my children will not have that. The Boomer stereotype has some basis in reality.
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