Posted on 06/13/2010 12:16:24 PM PDT by markomalley
.- Thousands of pilgrims and faithful gathered at noon Sunday in St. Peter’s 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.
“WE’ve” seen NO SUCH THING FROM A SINGLE VERSE, MUCH LESS A GROUP OF VERSES.”
Some see and hear but they do not understand.
Irony, thy name is rbmillerjr!!
“Since the Cross accounts for nothing in such a theology”
Actually Catholics believe Christ’s death on the cross and Resurrection mean everything. God is not encumbered in any way. However, we sinners are limited in out ability.
The worst thing we could do is to fritter away the great sacrifice of Jesus by throwing up our arms and wishing,,,”hey, that’s it, I’ve done my part by accepting this truth”. The Bible calls Christians to do things, attempt to emulate Christ as much as we can. We fall miserably short, but Scripture tells us to attempt to be like Him.
“Using your logic then, since Jewish/Hebrew law included the Ten Commandments, we can worship false gods, use the name of God in vain, dishonor our parents, steal, murder, commit adultery, etc., but as long as we do “works of love” we can be saved???”
There is no logic in this post. It is a perfect example of reductio absurdum fallacious reasoning.
“Protestantism has collectively decided than only the elect can determine the meaning of scripture and determine what constitutes the revealed word of God and what doesn’t. Even though there are over 33,000 versions of the correct meaning, one for each denomination based upon the agenda of its alter-pontiff founder’s aspirations, they deny that Catholics have that ability.”
Worth repeating due to the pointedness and clarity of their problem.
The irony is deep. (Luther and Calvin are fine. My pastor is fine. However, the interpretations of Christ’s appointed Apostles, Church Fathers, and Church into current times, is to be ignored and mocked.
The richness and fullness of the Christian faith, God and Jesus, is there to be worshipped, studied and researched, yet they not only ignore it but mock it.
I jest with them but sincerely pray for them. If they choose another church they choose another church. However, mocking the Church closest to Jesus Christ is not a wise nor certain approach.
Romans 4:5: "To the man who does not work, but trusts God who justifies the wicked, his faith is credited as righteousness.
I think scripture is very clear that men are saved by grace through faith and not their works
Here the scripture tells us that a man is justified (saved) by faith
1)The saved man" does not work"
2)He "trusts." not in himself but in the work of another, Christ
3)He confesses confesses that he is "wicked." and not deserving to be saved
4) He comes in faith
5)He sees His faith only as "credited" to him. as righteousness
Jhn 3:15 — That whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal life.
Jhn 3:36 — He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life: and he that believeth not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth on him.
Jhn 5:24 — Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that heareth my word, and believeth on him that sent me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation; but is passed from death unto life.
Jhn 6:47 — Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me hath everlasting life.
I could go on... but you can see that Christ stressed faith .. not works
What a GRACIOUS post.
I wonder, though, if it obscures . . .
IRRC . . . you, too, have seen a firm Biblical criteria for FAITH IN CHRIST as THE key to Salvation through Christ with no part of SALVATION EARNED by human works regardless of attitude in their earning.
In any case, this is evidently a slippery enough issue given all the givens that I’m going to have to slow down in responding to such.
THANKS FOR YOUR SHARING.
MORE chronic unmitigated UNTRUE NONSENSE.
Picking up your cross is not a part of THE gospel, it is IN a gospel ...there is a difference ..The gospel is repent and believe ... That is the GOOD news
Our faith is not in a public declaration.. it is faith in the grace of God and His faithfulness to His word
Only the saved can exhibit the Love of Christ.. the unsaved hate Christ, hate the gospel, they exhibit a kind of love, but not the Love of God ..it is a self love .
Can I ask you what you have faith in? What faith does your "love "flow from? It can not be faith in Christ as your savior, because you see that as conditional ..Is it faith that your works will be sufficient? faith that obeying the laws of the church and receiving the sacraments will save you?
I do have to admit that y'all are much longer standing experts about fallacious, idiotic, UNBiblical, demonized dogma and arguments.
Truly, if a person could be "good enough" to earn eternal life then Christ died for nothing.
To God be the glory, not man, never man.
“It still boggles me that anyone could read into any of those verses the least bit of ANY SALVATION BY WORKS OUT OF ANY MOTIVE WHATSOEVER.”
I baffles others when those claiming sola scriptura exclude versus of God’s Word to prop up the likes of Calvin and Luther.
Mat 16:27"For the Son of man shall come in the glory of his Father, with his angels; and then he shall reward every man according to his works."
Luke 14:14"For thou shalt be recompensed at the resurrection of the just."
(Rev 22:12)"And, behold, I come quickly; and my reward is with me, to give every man according as his work shall be."
1Peter 5:4 And when the chief Shepherd shall appear, ye shall receive a crown of glory that fadeth not away."
The Goats are condemned , not because they did not work, but because that work was not done to the glory of God.. They did the works of the natural man..... they had never repented and believed..and scripture tells us that what is not of Faith IS SIN, so this was a sin judgement for the goats and a reward judgement for the sheep
The God pleasing works were not self serving works to earn or secure their salvation or for the approval of men ..They flowed out of the heart of Christ as works HE HAD ORDAINED for them before the foundation of the world
Romans 4:5 But to him that worketh not, but believeth on him that justifieth the ungodly, his faith is counted for righteousness.
They were not sheep because they did the work that God had ordained for them, they did the work because they were the sheep.
Gal. 2:16: "[T]hat we may be justified by faith in Christ, and not by the works of the Law; since by the works of the Law shall no flesh be justified
Hear Jesus teaching on salvation by works
but a corrupt tree bringeth forth evil fruit.
The goats brought forth fruit..but it was not God pleasing work..
Mat 7:18 A good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit, neither [can] a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit.
The goats could never do works pleasing to God no matter what they did
Mat 7:19 Every tree that bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire.
A judgement of works..... but that judgemen actually happened before the works, because they were not good "trees" to begin with (sheep)
Mat 7:20 Wherefore by their fruits ye shall know them.
So the works do not make one good..but they tell us the condition of the the relationship with God
Mat 7:21
Mat 7:22 Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works?
Mat 7:23 And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.
Christ NEVER knew them, they were never saved then lost.. HE NEVER knew them . They pleaded their case on works.. BUT their fruit was rotten to the core, because its roots were not in Christ
What did Christ do for you? What benefit was there in the cross for you?
To love your brother is a part of the message of the gospel. Only some weird sense or distortion can eliminate that message.
Can I ask you what you have faith in?
Christ.
It can not be faith in Christ as your savior
Ahh, resorting to making it personal. Iscool - note that it isn't the Catholic Church involved in this judgment of the heart. Can we count on you quickly flogging this individual with your chastisement about judging people?
Is it faith that your works will be sufficient?
As we've said many times, and as stated in Scripture, it is not works alone. Nor is it faith alone. It is not either/or.
faith that obeying the laws of the church and receiving the sacraments will save you?
Faith in Christ and loving your brother.
Either introduce or conclude your multicolored compost with your disclaimer. It gets confusing when you just throw it out there from time to time.
The correct Latin phrase is reductio ad absurdum.
The Church Fathers believed in Sola Scriptura:
"They [heretics] gather their views from other sources than the Scriptures...We have learned from none others the plan of our salvation than from those through whom the Gospel has come down to us, which they did at one time proclaim in public, and, at a later period, by the will of God, handed down to us in the Scriptures, to be the ground and pillar of our faith" - Irenaeus, Against Heresies, 3.1.1
Notice what the ground and pillar of truth was to Ireanaeus ...THE SCRIPTURES
"I beg of you, my dear brother, to live among these books [scripture], to meditate upon them, to know nothing else, to seek nothing else."
- Jerome (Letter 53:10)
Sola scriptura..
Seems Luther and Calvin had some good ole catholic company
correct your RC cohort first.
I don’t keep track very well of such specialized snooty terms.
True.
I think I agree with all you’ve said.
Perhaps you could elaborate a bit about
” . . . the image of man in the revelation, i.e. that he has a role in it.”
That’s not precisely clear to me.
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