Posted on 06/13/2010 12:16:24 PM PDT by markomalley
.- Thousands of pilgrims and faithful gathered at noon Sunday in St. Peters Square to pray the Angelus with the Holy Father. Before the prayer, he said that the fruits of the recently ended Year for Priests could never be measured, but are already visible and will continue to be ever more so.
The priest is a gift from the heart of Christ, a gift for the Church and for the world. From the heart of the Son of God, overflowing with love, all the goods of the Church spring forth, proclaimed Pope Benedict XVI. One of those goods is the vocations of those men who, conquered by the Lord Jesus, leave everything behind to dedicate themselves completely to the Christian community, following the example of the Good Shepherd.
The Holy Father described the priest as having been formed by the same charity of Christ, that love which compelled him to give his life for his friends and to forgive his enemies.
Therefore, he continued, priests are the primary builders of the civilization of love.
Benedict XVI exhorted priests to always seek the intercession of St. John Marie Vianney, whose prayer, the Act of Love, was prayed frequently during the Year for Priests, and continues to fuel our dialogue with God.
The pontiff also spoke about the close of the Year for Priests, which took place this past week and culminated with the Solemnity of the Sacred Heart of Jesus. He emphasized the unforgettable days in the presence of more than 15,000 priests from around the world.
The feast of the Sacred Heart is traditionally a day of priestly holiness, but this time it was especially so, Benedict XVI remarked.
Pope Benedict concluded his comments by noting that, in contemplating history, one observes so many pages of authentic social and spiritual renewal which have been written by the decisive contribution of Catholic priests. These were inspired only by their passion for the Gospel and for mankind, for his true civil and religious freedom.
So many initiatives that promote the entire human being have begun with the intuition of a priestly heart, he exclaimed.
The Pope then prayed the Angelus, greeted those present in various languages, and imparted his apostolic blessing.
I've been reviewing your posts, Dr. E., for clarity, Christian content and relevance. I examined them for any Christian beliefs whatsoever. There is only one thing I can say:
As I recall the Catechism states that God's free initiative demands man's free response, for God has created man in his image by conferring on him, along with freedom, the power to know him and love him. The soul only enters freely into the communion of love. God immediately touches and directly moves the heart of man.
Now you are revising to say: Roman Catholics et al who MIGHT or might be tempted to PRETEND THAT THE CATECHISM ONLY SAID THAT ABOUT SALVATION
Your revision is noted.
This signified that the way into the Holy of Holies in heaven was made possible to ALL MEN THROUGH THE BLOOD OF CHRIST (Heb. 9:8, 10:19-20). ALL have access to God now, without priests. (Acts 2:21; Rom. 10:9; Eph. 2:17-18).
How simple is THIS to understand? We don't NEED priests. Our body is the Temple of God. Christ is IN US. And we are IN HIM.
For shame.
2 Corinthians 4: 1 1 Therefore, since we have this ministry through the mercy shown us, we are not discouraged. 2 Rather, we have renounced shameful, hidden things; not acting deceitfully or falsifying the word of God, but by the open declaration of the truth we commend ourselves to everyone's conscience in the sight of God. 3 And even though our gospel is veiled, 2 it is veiled for those who are perishing, 4 in whose case the god of this age has blinded the minds of the unbelievers, so that they may not see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God.
Matthew 4: 1 1 Then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the desert to be tempted by the devil. 2 He fasted for forty days and forty nights, 2 and afterwards he was hungry. 3 The tempter approached and said to him, "If you are the Son of God, command that these stones become loaves of bread." 4 3 He said in reply, "It is written: 'One does not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes forth from the mouth of God.'" 5 4 Then the devil took him to the holy city, and made him stand on the parapet of the temple, 6 and said to him, "If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down. For it is written: 'He will command his angels concerning you and 'with their hands they will support you, lest you dash your foot against a stone.'" 7 Jesus answered him, "Again it is written, 'You shall not put the Lord, your God, to the test.'" 8 Then the devil took him up to a very high mountain, and showed him all the kingdoms of the world in their magnificence, 9 and he said to him, "All these I shall give to you, if you will prostrate yourself and worship me." 5 10 At this, Jesus said to him, "Get away, Satan! It is written: 'The Lord, your God, shall you worship and him alone shall you serve.'" 11 Then the devil left him and, behold, angels came and ministered to him.
Jesus was able to resist satan who offered Him sustenance, hubris and power. Why is it that the Reformation and its children have largely succumbed?
You may want that to always be the case, but it isn't. For example:
Protestants dont believe in Holy Tradition, but they follow man-made traditions of their own. The but doesnt negate the fact that Protestants dont believe in Holy Tradition.
She is a Calvinist but she has a poor understanding of Scripture. The but doesnt negate the fact she is Calvinist.
She had training in grammar but she applies it poorly. The but doesnt negate the fact that she was trained in grammar.
Im sure you must have paid attention in counseling class, but it looks like the class was teaching you junk grammar.
What is the Truth? Jesus said this " "My word is truth." "If you hold onto my words, you are my disciples, and you shall know the truth and the truth will make you free.""
Was all His word written down at the time?
So the job of the pillars is to uphold the truth,, The word of God..
Amen, whether its written or not.
The Reformation was the result of the same temptations that satan gave to Jesus in Matthew 4:. The difference is that Jesus did not succumb.
It is interesting that you are trying to correct Jesus on his own word. Again, the verses under discussion are Matthew 35-46. I said we must love our brothers. You asked me who is your brother. I said the word has many meanings but here I used the word brother in the context it is used in these verses of Matthew, i.e. those in need. I also said: Pay special attention where the Lord says I say to you, inasmuch as you did it to one of the least of these My brethren, you did it to Me." Thats Matthew 40.
Now we have you saying Well at least I am not calling a child of satan my brother and Only a tragic misreading of scripture thinks the tares are brothers.
The Lord considers the least of these" as His "brethren. You may think the needy are children of satan and tares, but the Lord calls the needy His brethren. Ill stick with the Lord on this one.
Are not Pauls words inspired by the Holy Spirit? Should they be removed from the canon?Are some words more inspired than others? Just how does one decide that?
One does not. The Church does. But at any rate, let us examine the premise of relative importance.
Men inspired by God are not, no matter how much inspired, able to supersede the words of God Himself - Jesus Christ. Unless you believe that any man - Paul included - has equal or greater importance than God (in which case you cannot seriously call yourself Christian), then the quotes attributed to Jesus in the NT are the greatest in the NT. We look at the NT through the Gospels - the pinnacle of God's revelation to men. If you don't, how in the world can you call yourself Christian?
Spot on,dear brother!
Once again, you demonstrate another misunderstanding of Catholicism. The Church does not provide an OFFICIAL commentary or interpretation on each verse of Scripture.
I believe catholics are not allowed any private interpretation
There you go again.
Does the OFFICIAL reading of the Catholic authorized commentaries say all men are the brethren of the saved?
Dont be dishonest. I didnt claim that. I said I used the word brother in the context that the Lord did: I say to you, inasmuch as you did it to one of the least of these My brethren, you did it to Me."
The twisted misunderstanding that the needy are "children of satan" and "tares" is not one taught by the Lord.
Christians view God's Grace as a gift. The Judgement puts a lie to the frogmarching beliefs of the Reformation. You know Quix, the hardest thing a man can do is not to be good and earn heaven, the hardest thing a man can do is to understand that you are not the captain of your own ship.. the course was determined by another.. Men do not like having a sovereign God..
That is why the Beatitudes are so difficult for those who are Calvinist. They are open commands to all men, and not to some fictional elite.
Those of you who try to earn God's approval by obeying his laws have been cut off from Christ. You have fallen out of God's favor.Gal 5::4
God will Judge you on your works and your eternal reward, utilizing His Grace, will be based upon how you represent the Master. Matthew 25:.
That is too funny!
Hey mark we have agreement
Certainly. The UCC is sliding down the same sewer hole that most of the churches of the Reformation are sliding down. The only thing is which church is in the lead.
Which is exactly why Catholics have no idea how to read the scriptures...
Think about that scripture (Matthew 4) Mark, seeing you chose that scripture.. do you know WHY the Holy Spirt led Christ up to be tempted? Do you understand the significance of it? (hoping that readers will have to consider what the word of God says... )
Jesus was able to resist satan who offered Him sustenance, hubris and power.
Of course, do you know how He did it?
Why is it that the Reformation and its children have largely succumbed?
Why is it the people that say they are the ONE true church can not rightly divide scripture ?:)
Spot on,dear brother!
Thank you sir. The lord of this world is very active and has recruited many into his service. Including the useful idiots.
That is not exactly what I was asking..If Grace is GODS UNMERITED favor.. how is it one can decide to make himself merit grace, seems to me that is making God a debtor to man ... and the grace merited by the mans actions
speaking of chimps with ouija boards, can you explain the Catholic Church’s mystery of the eucharist?
Two issues with that:
1) None of the three versus you referenced say anything about priests or direct access;
2) Catholic Priests do not impede anyone's access to God, they in fact educate, support and facilitate that access.
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