Posted on 04/30/2010 8:03:48 AM PDT by Quix
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7 “When you pray, don’t babble on and on as people of other religions do. They think their prayers are answered merely by repeating their words again and again. 8 Don’t be like them, for your Father knows exactly what you need even before you ask him! 9 Pray like this: Our Father in heaven, --New Living Translation 7And when you pray, do not heap up phrases (multiply words, repeating the same ones over and over) as the Gentiles do, for they think they will be heard for their much speaking. [I Kings 18:25-29.] 8Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask Him. 9Pray, therefore, like this: 15But if you do not forgive others their trespasses [their [j]reckless and willful sins, [k]leaving them, letting them go, and [l]giving up resentment], neither will your Father forgive you your trespasses. --Amplified Pray with Simplicity 5"And when you come before God, don't turn that into a theatrical production either. All these people making a regular show out of their prayers, hoping for stardom! Do you think God sits in a box seat? 6"Here's what I want you to do: Find a quiet, secluded place so you won't be tempted to role-play before God. Just be there as simply and honestly as you can manage. The focus will shift from you to God, and you will begin to sense his grace. 7-13"The world is full of so-called prayer warriors who are prayer-ignorant. They're full of formulas and programs and advice, peddling techniques for getting what you want from God. Don't fall for that nonsense. This is your Father you are dealing with, and he knows better than you what you need. With a God like this loving you, you can pray very simply. Like this: 16-18"When you practice some appetite-denying discipline to better concentrate on God, don't make a production out of it. It might turn you into a small-time celebrity but it won't make you a saint. If you 'go into training' inwardly, act normal outwardly. Shampoo and comb your hair, brush your teeth, wash your face. God doesn't require attention-getting devices. He won't overlook what you are doing; he'll reward you well. |
Mark Kirby: O Mother of Good Counsel, I am all thine, Most Holy Mary, There is no part of my life that is not open to thee, I want to be completely transparent with thee, Praying in this way, I can be at rest, |
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Are you going to tell me? :^)
My understanding of the Gospels: They are fundamental Truth — direct testimony from persons who were intimately associated with Jesus personally, in His walk as a human being in this world.
That is to say, these men — Matthew, Luke, Mark, and especially John — the beloved apostle — testify and witness to the Logos of God, the ultimate criterion of all that exists in God's Creation. Compared to which St. Paul was a secondary source — though an eminently brilliant and completely faithful one, praise ever be to his name!
(Paul was not a direct witness of anything, except his own de-horsing on the Road to Damascus, with all subsequent complications....)
Do you see the problem differently?
Demanding that someone provide personal information that would compromise their screen name and the accuse them of having something to hide or be ashamed of when they don’t comply is pretty lowball tactics.
Trying to get personal information out of people is very strongly frowned upon on FR in the first place, but trying to taunt someone into it or co-erce them with comments about *If you don’t, I’m going to assume this and such about you* is beyond unacceptable.
It smacks of the *If you don’t answer, I;m going to assume you mean “Yes” tactic.* that some people use to trap others.
Unethical at the least. This kind of behavior is not unlike what I grew up with and leads me to conclude that not much has changed since those days. And I’ll get castigated for that as well, I’m sure.
He is part of us, joined to us in mind and spirit
That's news to me. I didn't realize Catholics did that sort of thing.... From where I sit (and observe), at least.
we have just discovered another
STATION OF THE WHITE HANKY:
at the Shrine of ULTIMATE HOSTILE HYPERBOLE in the service of the caricatured pseudo-Mary personage--QUEEN OF HEAVEN.
Do you see the problem differently/
HMMMMMM
Of course we wouldn’t. Most Prottys hereon are not given to sucking on hate, to begin with.
Well that goes back to the first question that I asked you, never answered
For some folks of the rabid cliques . . .
the answer for a lot of such questions appears to be . . .
for pure-dee nastiness.
Where'd I say that?
Or is that anything like telling me that mine is meaningless because I was immature in my thinking that the experiences I experienced that were backed up with Catholic teachings were normal?
Careful with St. Paul there, you could find yourself in a pickle. LOL!
What kind of trouble are you trying to cause getting back to the Bible that the Catholic church says it adheres to?
Ahhhhhhhh . . .
Evidently . . .
we have discovered another
—DOUBLE STANDARD;
—DOUBLE SIDED CONSTRUCTION ON REALITY ETC.
I gather it’s a new SHRINE and a NEW STATION OF THE WHITE HANKY.
As best as I can make out, this new SHRINE goes by the name, something along the lines of . . .
NEENER-NEENER ORDER OF THE PAPIST BIGOTS. Reportedly, only THEY are authorized awards of the gilded white hankies for
BIGOTRY UNPARALLELED ON OPEN NET THREADS.
So we’ve observed.
ad nauseum.
Benny Hinn?
Don’t even get me started on him......
Here's the deal. Educated people realize that their own experiences are not comprehensive. When I had sheep, I not only learned about diseases that had been in my flock, but diseases I had never seen. And it paid off. When I saw a sheep with an acute vitamin B deficiency, I could diagnose and treat it, though I had never seen it before.
That is because I trusted the writings of experts in sheep diseases more than I trusted my own experience.
If someone grows up in a Catholic neighborhood, one may think that that neighborhood represents all of Catholicism -- unless one reads and studies.
IF one reads and studies, one learns that Catholicism is not what mommy and daddy and grandma say it is, or even what red-nosed Father McGillicudy says it is.
One parses out dysfunctional families and communities from the Church which tries to minister to them. One teases the doctrine out and learns to distinguish between the earthen vessels and their contents.
Now the reason I am not doing what you are doing only in reverse is this: I am not saying the Catholic Church does not include bozos (and worse) or have areas where the doctrine is poorly taught and where kinky weird practices are carried out by those who claim they are doing them in the name of the Church.
But I AM distinguishing between the sweet and clear water and the rusty pipes which bring it to me.
Those who know me know this story:
Long, long ago, when the earth was young and I had just been ordained a deacon in the Episcopal Church, I was 'head teacher' of the parish child care center. One of my teachers wanted to have a little chapel service for the very little children. I said, "Go for it," and then came to observe.
She was trying to get 4-year-olds to say the Lord's prayer AND it wasn't working as fast as she'd like. Naturally they were mumbling as they tried to wrap their tongues around words they'd never heard before.
So the teacher,a very sweet lady, said brightly, "Speak up children! God can't hear you if you don't speak clearly!"
So I'm resisting smacking my head. I'm thinking, "Great. Boo [that was her name] is teaching them that God wants them to say stuff they don't understand and that He's hard of hearing."
To me that was an enlightening experience about how devout "grown-ups" (this was LONG before the Episcopal Church jumped off the cliff) unconsciously use the concept of "God" to control the behavior of others, and in the process become DYSangelists (as opposed to EVangelists.)
I've heard all the Catholic horror stories. I grew up in an elementary school with only one Catholic in it (and he was a hellion!)
But I've read in Augustine, Justin, Irenaeus, Thomas Aquinas, Dante (!!!! ding ding ding) and I worked with the "compare and contrast "between" superstitious and life-denying Catholic practices here and there, and the wonderful beauty I saw in a very few Catholic people and a great many Catholic books.
Some of us walk into a garden and all we notice is the, ahem, fertilizer. Others keep looking until at last we see the Roses. THen we understand not only the roses but the fertilizer, while those who turned away at the first unpleasant whiff end up not understanding the fertilizer and knowing little of roses.
I rebuke your anti Catholicism in the name of Jesus Christ
Am humbled and honored that you would bother to reply, Dear Sister in Christ.
I’m curious. Have you read any of the quotes from Ferraro’s book?
They seem to be fierce statements in opposition to your perspective.
I’m also a bit puzzled . . . how does Heavenly authentic Mary spend 100% of her “time” 100% focused on Christ
AND
attend to every soul on earth?
Sounds like some variation of a God-like omnipresence, omniscience, to me.
INDEED.
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