Posted on 08/14/2005 9:17:15 AM PDT by Chi-townChief
I'll apologize in advance for this vanity post but I need to get this off my chest:
At our 10:30 a.m. mass this morning, our pastor was the celebrant. Today's Gospel was the story of Christ's meeting with the Canaanite woman and the eventual healing of her daughter. Our pastor then followed with his homily where he first related the plight of the Canaanite woman with a woman he knew who called him requesting prayers for an illness in her family which we could relate to since my wife and I are both contending with (minor, we hope) health issues.
The nest thing we know, the pastor is relating this to the "lady camped out in Texas asking for healing AND ACCOUNTABILITY" (the emphasis is my own). We sat there and listened through the sermon as he returned to the Sheehan story a few more times asking us to imagine an Iraqi woman who lost children in the same position.
Thankfully, it was pretty short and we stood for the Creed but then, immediately before the intercessions, the pastor returned to the topic.
This was too much for us so we turned and left, commenting to those around that we don't come to church to hear politics. I handed the usher my offering as we exited.
This is the first time something like this has happened in this church we have attended for the past twenty years or so and I feel pretty horrible about the whole thing.
when Pastors, priests, and rabbis (we know where imans stand)do this, no wonder religion is turning people off these days..congregations must speak out about these nitwit's politisizing religion
Sorry for your experience.
Sooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo
much churchianity and RELIGIOSITY presumes to replace
RELATIONSHIP WITH GOD these days.
A good church is hard to find and hard to maintain.
Especially when there is lack of humility and lack of truth at the top.
I hope you find a better place to worship.
Personally, I find better places to give my money to The Lord's work when I find the leadership arrogant and lacking in good horse sense.
Actually, personally, I try to give more than a 10% tithe routinely. And, I probably give half of what I give to the local church and try to give approximately a quarter in other Christian works directly and the rest to mission sorts of individuals, groups and activities.
BTW, SAMARITAN'S PURSE with Graham's son is a top flight org with low overhead.
And CBN's OPERATION BLESSING I think gives 100% of the monies donated to the end recipients. The org covers the overhead otherwise.
when Pastors, priests, and rabbis (we know where imans stand)do this, no wonder religion is turning people off these days..congregations must speak out about these nitwit's politisizing religion
.....................
The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing.
when the catholic church started sticking their noses into politics it told me it was time to get out. the last function i attended at church was more like a carnival than a service. time to find a new religion
I hope that tomorrow you get on the phone and speak to this priest and TELL him that the accountibility issue was settled last November. I would add, that I wish the bishops had been half so accountible in allowing Kerry to flaunt his defiance of Catholic doctrine and to take part in non-Catholic services in churches that supported him.
We prayed for the conversion of terrorists this morning!
Late last year, the senior priest in our three-priest parish launched a nuclear attack on Michael Moore, Islamofascists, and anti-American Americans who do not understand the depth of the "religious war" that we've been thrust into. I couldn't believe it. From the expressions all around me, I think most were pleasantly surprised--and agreed.
Afterwards, walking out, I told him, "Father, your homily was blatantly political today...and I'd love to hear more like that." Biggest damned grin I ever saw on a priest.
Point? Several have said here that they don't want the political in church. Is that the case, or we don't want to hear leftist crap? When I hear something like I heard, it gives me great hope for the church. When I hear the lefty crap from a priest (or a nun!), I worry that we're losing the church.
It's time to find a real church.
I left.....I handed the usher my offering as we exited.
You did the right thing, imo. I bet if you had a chance to think about it - you would have kept your offering. We bring your tithes and offerings to a place where you are being fed and uplifted so other can be fed God's Word - not pastor's thoughts. Cindy went for healing to Tx? Why not preach about God's healing grace. Bush could no more heal her emotions because of her son's death than can your pastor. God's the healer - after she gives up her unforgiving spirit can healing begin. Cindy wants her ego feed and not her emotions healed.
My pastor preached on unforgiveness today. It was great being reminded how unforgiveness destroys us. No one left -we needed to be reminded and uplifted hearing God's blessings on those that forgive and are obedient to his command to forgive and, by not doing so, how it destroys our walk, robs us our health and our blessings.
I have no problem w/talking politics to open our eyes to see the 'underlyings' of wrong. Cindy is blinded by her hatred and wants revenge. What a great lesson he could have preached on that! Cindy's son gave up his life so others may live - much like Jesus - what greater love to give up your life for your 'fellow' man. Did Mary go to those that performed the unjust crucification that killed her Son, Jesus Christ, and ask for accountability? Cindy's son went willing to Iraq, Jesus went willing to The Cross for all of us. Another great sermon.
Talk to your pastor IN PRIVATE. Seems like his intent was to talk about Cindy and searched the bible where someone's child was healed. He should not be spewing his thoughts, the pastor is there to preach the Word of God - and he can only do that if he is truly a man of God.
Chicago is a great place (my second home/family) and you will find a place where God wants you - where you will not leave w/a nauseous feeling but a place where you will be lifted up, where you will be renewed and refreshed, a place to heal from the wounds of the world through praise and worship. You are a child of The Most High God and he watches out for His children.
Pastor preaches accountability but where is it in his sermon? He should know that he will is accountable for taking His Word and using it for his own agenda. He will also be accountable that his words made some walk out of God's house plus those that he might have changed to side w/Cindy's tactics. How do you preach about someone else's accountability and not look at oneself. How many more in your church just sat there uncomfortable but did nothing.
During the clinton fiasco, did he use any scripture holding clinton accountable for the bombing of an aspirin factor keeping his name out of the headlines (pride, deceitfulness) or his lack of response when The Cole was hit and 20 of our men were killed?
as Texas_Conservative2 stated, I would've wlaked out earlier so the Priest could see you.....and I have...
During a homily years ago the priest was harping how single guys who did not get married were "selfish" and "flipped the seed of life in their hand"...I was so infuriated by this (nevermind the fact I found it hypocritical since the priest was single) I stormed out before the homily was over..it was 20 years ago but I remember it like it was yestarday.
Right on, Last Dakotan. A person MUST ask for forgiveness; where these people get their Theology is beyond understanding.
Years ago I lost it in church when the liberal minister gleefully announced, after clinton's impeachmen, that he had been found INNOCENT of the charges. That's what it meant to him, when clinton was NOT removed from office. It meant clinton was INNOCENT, what a moron. I don't go to that church anymore.
You should have stood up and said "No sense wasting my time here, then!" And isn't he overpaid, in that case?
Obviously all of us in the traditional churches heard the same lesson this morning.
Our priest used it also to talk about putting walls up for people who are "different" or not in our crowd.
She is never obnoxious, but fairly sure she leans a bit to liberalism. I think she was more afraid of offending those who think Jesus was God while he was on earth and thus not subject to prejudice or misunderstanding which he obviously was.
She wondered what people thought who read that Texas is one of three states (I think it was three) wherein whites are a minority. My thought was, "that's fine, as long as they are legal and habla engleese."
It's all over. Our pastor does a pretty good job of staying out of politics. However, I meet weekly with a group of men from the church, and lately there have been some overly belligerent confrontations over politics. I wsh I could lay it all on the feet of the liberals, but I'm afraid the bellicosity hasn't shown any political favorites in our group. We've had instigators of both stripes.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.