Posted on 12/19/2019 8:29:28 AM PST by Salvation
See my post below, please.
Er, see my post ABOVE!
Conservative Presbyterian churches that I have been a member of tend to run 90 minutes.
Justin Wilson (Cajun comic) had a great story about a Catholic boy and a Protestant boy who became friends. Each was curious about the other’s church so they decided that both would attend both services.
They go to the Catholic service first and the little Catholic boy explains the mass, each ritual and its symbolism to the Protestant kid.
The next Sunday they go to the Protestant church. At the beginning the entire congregation stands and sings a hymn. The preacher goes to the pulpit and lays a big pocket watch on the Bible. The Catholic kid asks, “What does that mean, huh? The other kid responds, “Not a damn ting, I garontee!”
A good part of what I've learned about RC priests has been on these forums....from Roman Catholic priest....one in particular who has been banned.
In the United States, priests must have a four-year university degree in philosophy plus an additional four to five years of graduate-level seminary formation in theology with a focus on Biblical research. A Master of Divinity is the most common degree.
The MDiv is the standard degree for the vast majority of theology students.
I do question the emphasis on Biblical research based on the MDiv requirements of the RC seminaries I've reviewed.
I'll ask you again....are you a priest?
Also, many more evangelical Christians than Catholics are actually reading the Bible themselves in any given week. If you aren’t reading the Bible for yourself, then for the most part those Scripture readings go in one ear and out the other.
And when the actual Scripture Roman Catholics is exposed to is examined they are missing a good part of it.
This presumes attendance on Sundays and Major Feasts (three year cycle).
NT% 40.8%
OT% 3.7%
Prior to Vatican II it was worse.
http://catholic-resources.org/Lectionary/Statistics.htm
The average Roman Catholic is exposed to very little Scripture over a three year period...for those attending.
The Roman Catholic is further hampered in their desire (?) to study Scripture in that Rome has only dogmatically defined a small number of verses.
And, as we have been told on these forums, an individual cannot read and understand the Scriptures on their own.
This leaves the Roman Catholic at a great disadvantage IF they try to read and understand Scripture.
Since I attend daily Mass I hear/read Biblical passages daily. I've been attending Mass and hearing these readings all my life.
Please don't assume that "Scripture readings go in one ear and out the other." You don't know me. In fact, it's downright insulting. I have no intention of insulting YOU so please try to afford me the same courtesy. THANK YOU.
Pax tibi. [Peace be with you.]
Monsignor Pope is spot on in his observations. My late uncle who passed away years ago and was an outstanding priest always said 10 minutes max in sermon length. Any time after that you would “start to loose attention spans.” I tend to believe he was right!
THAT'S for sure.
Do you watch EWTN [Eternal Word Television Network]?
I do and I've seen Bishop Sheen many times. What an orator he was!
Priests are like any other folks--they have unique talents which they try to bring to their priesthood. Some are good orators, others are good writers.
Priests are far more intelligent and educated than the priests of 100 years ago. But, they CHOSE to heed the call of God and devote their ENTIRE adult lives to serving God. They are priests until the day they die.
That commitment staggers the imagination.
TEN MINUTES is perfect.
We have a pastor who had been an attorney. He likes to hear himself talk, I think. HIS sermons are way too long (20-25 minutes) and my mind tends to "wander."
I want to YAWN just thinking of it.
We have a pastor who had been an attorney. He likes to hear himself talk, I think. HIS sermons are way too long (20-25 minutes) and my mind tends to "wander."
I want to YAWN just thinking of it.
People are willing to give sporting events three hours of their day, they'll watch a two hour movie, a 30 minute show on tv, etc....
Yet you're willing to give a whole 10 minutes to hear the preaching of the Word????
IF all Roman Catholics are of this mindset it helps explain a lot of things about RCs.
You would not have made it in the early church. It would run somewhere around 3 hours.
Rather, believing in a christ whose appearance does not correspond to what he materially is, but which "true body and blood" is imagined to be consumed under the appearance is non-existent bread and wine (until the non-existent hosts manifest decay/corruption) is pure delusion, regardless of psychological effects it may provide to those who believe the fantasy of the Catholic contrivance of the Lord's supper.
As said before, nowhere in the only wholly inspired substantive authoritative record of what the NT church believed (which is Scripture, especially Acts thru Revelation. and which best shows how the NT church understood the OT and gospels) is the primary unique function of pastors that of offering the Lord's supper, nor as it being a sacrifice for sins, nor is it described as spiritual food, and the means of obtaining spiritual life in oneself.
Instead, in the primary work of NT pastors is that of prayer and preaching, (Act 6:3,4; 2 Tim.4:2) by the latter of which they “feed the flock” (Acts 20:28; 1Pt. 5:2) for the word is what called spiritual food, "milk," (1Co. 3:22; 1Pt. 1:22) and "meat," (Heb. 5:12-14) which is said to "nourish" the souls of believers and build them up, (1 Timothy 4:6; Acts 20:32) and believing it is how the lost obtain life in themselves. (Acts 15:7-9; cf. Psalms 19:7)
Neither are distinctive Catholic teachings manifest in the only wholly inspired substantive authoritative record of what the NT church believed.
But of course, you have been shown this before, and as you persist in your provocative promotions of RC teaching then you should not complain about the reproof it should result in.
50 minutes! In the at least 1500 services I have been part of as a born again Christ in evangelical fellowships I do not think any were as short as that, with most lasting about 2 hours or more. In conservative Baptist and Pentecostal churches the sermons were about 35-45 minutes, and in the latter churches so was the worship. Praise the Lord.
When I was a weekly Mass-going adult RC the only priest that I recall giving sermons which came close to being life-giving, sounding like he had the Spirit of Christ, was a guest priest in a RCC (where I was not sppsd to go to) in a neighboring town. He was a liaison btwn the marginalized charismatic Catholics (which then were a definitive different breed) and the standard traditional church.
And in Scripture primary work of NT pastors is that of prayer and preaching, (Act 6:3,4; 2 Tim.4:2) by the latter of which they “feed the flock.” (Acts 20:28; 1Pt. 5:2) For the word is what called spiritual food, "milk," (1Co. 3:22; 1Pt. 1:22) and "meat," (Heb. 5:12-14) which is said to "nourish" the souls of believers and build them up, (1 Timothy 4:6; Acts 20:32) and believing it is how the lost obtain life in themselves. (Acts 15:7-9; cf. Psalms 19:7)
In contrast, nowhere in the only wholly inspired substantive authoritative record of what the NT church believed (which is Scripture, especially Acts thru Revelation. and which best shows how the NT church understood the OT and gospels) is the primary unique function of pastors that of offering the Lord's supper, nor as it being a sacrifice for sins, nor is it described as spiritual food, and the means of obtaining spiritual life in oneself. And of-course, neither are distinctive Catholic teachings manifest therein either.
That is the focus, with that being their primary unique function, in clear contrast to what we see in the the only wholly inspired-of-God and substantive record of what the New Testament church believed
Not guilty yes, but not as having no sinful nature. Else all who are said to be filled with the Holy Spirit would be sinless, yet this is not what is manifest. Forgiven yes, but not as sinless like as the fabricated Mary of Catholicism is asserted to be.
So now Catholics are contradicting Scripture twice over regarding claiming people are sinless.
Probably an attempt to retain the worship of Mary despite John being greater than her.
You are serious? See my previous posts.
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