Jesus not found outside the Church, Pope preaches

Catholic News Agency ^ | 04/23/13 | Estefania Aguirre

[Brian Kopp DPM]

Jesus not found outside the Church, Pope preaches :: Catholic News Agency (CNA)

http://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/jesus-not-found-outside-the-church-pope-preaches/

April 23, 2013

Pope Francis celebrates Mass in St. John Lateran on March 29, 2013. Credit: Stephen Driscoll/CNA.

Vatican City, Apr 23, 2013 / 07:39 am (CNA/EWTN News).- Pope Francis said that people cannot be fully united to Jesus outside of the Church during a Mass to commemorate Saint George, the saint he is named after.

“You cannot find Jesus outside the Church,” he said April 23 in the Apostolic Palace’s Pauline Chapel.

“It is the Mother Church who gives us Jesus, who gives us the identity that is not only a seal, it is a belonging,” he declared in his homily.

The pontiff spoke about Christian identity as well as persecution, making it the sixth time in two weeks he has mentioned those who suffer for the faith.

Speaking about the Gospel reading for today from Saint John, Pope Francis underscored that “the missionary expansion of the Church began precisely at a time of persecution.”

“They had this apostolic fervor within them, and that is how the faith spread!” he exclaimed.

It was through the Holy Spirit’s initiative that the Gospel was proclaimed to the Gentiles, the Pope noted, and the Spirit “pushes more and more in this direction of opening the proclamation of the Gospel to all.”

The pontiff also repeated a line from his April 17 homily in St. Martha’s residence, when he emphasized that being a Christian is not like having “an identity card.”

“Christian identity is belonging to the Church, because all of these (the apostles) belonged to the Church, the Mother Church, because finding Jesus outside the Church is impossible,” he said.

“The great Paul VI said it is an absurd dichotomy to want to live with Jesus but without the Church, following Jesus out of the Church, loving Jesus without the Church,” he added.

Pope Francis said that “if we are not sheep of Jesus, faith does not come” and that it is “a rosewater faith and a faith without substance.”

The Pope also commented on Barnabas, who was sent to Antioch and was glad to see that the grace of God had encouraged people there to remain true disciples.

“Let us think of the consolations that Barnabas had, which is the sweet and comforting joy of evangelizing,” he preached.

“Let us ask the Lord for this frankness, this apostolic fervor that impels us to move forward, as brothers, all of us forward,” he remarked.

After the Mass in the papal chapel, the Swiss Guard band offered a brief musical performance in the Courtyard of Saint Damaso for the Pope’s name day.

[MeganC]

The Pope is wrong.

[knarf]

Waaaayyyy wrong.

(signed)
Zacheus

[.45 Long Colt]

Indeed. That’s sick stuff spawned in the pit of Hell.

[svcw]

Wrong.

[FatherofFive]

Well, duh. Of course Christ is in the Church He established!

“Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on an hill cannot be hid. Neither do men light a candle, and put it under a bushel, but on a candlestick; and it giveth light unto all that are in the house. Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.” Mat 5:14-15

So here Christ says His Church will be visible.

“Careful to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. One body and one Spirit: as you are called in one hope of your calling. One Lord, one faith, one baptism.” Eph 4:3-5

The Church is to be one, not many.

“And I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.” Mat 6:18

Here Christ says his Church will not be destroyed.

“I have yet many things to say unto you, but ye cannot bear them now. Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak: and he will shew you things to come.” John 16:12-13

“But if I tarry long, that thou mayest know how thou oughtest to behave thyself in the house of God, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and foundation of the truth.” 1Tim 3:15

Here Christ says, and Paul reaffirms, that the Church will always teach the TRUTH.

Then Jesus came to them and said, "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age."Mat 28:18-20

Again, here Jesus assures us that He is always with us, to the very end.

So Christ says His Church will not be destroyed or fall away from him, that the Holy Spirit will guide the Church to always teach the Truth, and He will always be with us. The Church is much more than a collection of nice people who read a Bible and believe anything they want.

[Just mythoughts]

The Pope is wrong.

Completely clueless, not much holy about him. But hey at least we can all see in writing what he and his flock think about the rest of us.

[BubbaBasher]

Jesus gave himself to us before there was a church. “He who believes in me shall not perish”.

[demshateGod]

Yep. Not the first time though.

[Mercat]

Church = Body of Christ.

[demshateGod]

Speaking of persecution. I don’t imagine any religion as persecuted more Christians than the Catholic “church” has.

[Resolute Conservative]

I don’t believe he is correct on this.

[MeganC]

I remember hearing an old Billy Graham speech where he told a fictional (but plausible) story about a man who ended up alone on an island like in the movie ‘Cast Away’.

The man was an atheist when he washed up but then comes to know and accept Jesus. The man was also going to die alone on that island.

Graham asked if anyone thought that the man would not be saved because he had not been baptized or had not set foot in a church?

He then said that if someone believed that God would reject someone because they were not able to complete a ritual or attend a particular church then, and I quote:

“YOU’RE WORSHIPPING THE WRONG GOD!!!!”

I’m sorry to say it this way, but whoever this Pope worships it isn’t Jesus or His Father.

[FatherofFive]

Jesus gave himself to us before there was a church.

But that is not what Scripture says:

“And I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.” Mat 6:18

Christ established His Church.

And the Church is the 'pillar and foundation of faith'

“But if I tarry long, that thou mayest know how thou oughtest to behave thyself in the house of God, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and foundation of the truth.” 1Tim 3:15

[demshateGod]

Church=A called out assembly. A local body.

[ArrogantBustard]

I’m sorry to say it this way, but whoever this Pope worships it isn’t Jesus or His Father.

I'm glad to see that you're sorry for posting a falsehood. It does seem a bit odd, though, to apologize first and then post a falsehood. Normally, honest folk who find themselves about to utter a falsehood refrain from doing so rather that preceding the offense with an apology.

[FatherofFive]

Completely clueless

Completly following Scripture

[Anitius Severinus Boethius]

As a non-Roman Catholic, I take his words to mean the catholic (small c) church, not the Roman Catholic Church. If that is what he means, then he is 100% correct. Those who seek to follow Jesus by mixing Christian teaching with Buddhism or a neo-Pagan mélange of Christianity and a bunch of other weird beliefs are not going to find Christ and his salvation.

The Church (the body of Christ) is where those who follow Christ dwell. Those who try to fit Jesus into their own mish-mash of beliefs will fail to find Christ there.

[muir_redwoods]

Well, he understands his brand.

[Yashcheritsiy]

I assume he’s talking about the *local* church?

Because there is no universal, big-C “Church,” biblically speaking.