Posted on 08/01/2014 7:01:41 AM PDT by Gamecock
Full Title: Pope Francis Reveals Top 10 Secrets to Happiness; Advises Taking Care of Nature, Honoring Sundays, Respecting Others' Beliefs
Pope Francis has shared his top 10 secrets to a happy life in an interview with an Argentinean newspaper, and advised people to slow down and enjoy a "healthy sense of leisure," to take care of nature, and to respect other people's beliefs, among others.
Catholic News Service posted Pope Francis' list on Tuesday, published in part in the Argentine weekly "Viva."
The list goes as follows:
1. "Live and let live." Everyone should be guided by this principle, he said, which has a similar expression in Rome with the saying, "Move forward and let others do the same." ADVERTISEMENT
2. "Be giving of yourself to others." People need to be open and generous toward others, he said, because "if you withdraw into yourself, you run the risk of becoming egocentric. And stagnant water becomes putrid."
3. "Proceed calmly" in life. The pope, who used to teach high school literature, used an image from an Argentine novel by Ricardo Guiraldes, in which the protagonist gaucho Don Segundo Sombra looks back on how he lived his life.
"He says that in his youth he was a stream full of rocks that he carried with him; as an adult, a rushing river; and in old age, he was still moving, but slowly, like a pool" of water, the pope said. He said he likes this latter image of a pool of water to have "the ability to move with kindness and humility, a calmness in life."
4. "A healthy sense of leisure." The pleasures of art, literature and playing together with children have been lost, he said.
"Consumerism has brought us anxiety" and stress, causing people to lose a "healthy culture of leisure." Their time is "swallowed up" so people can't share it with anyone.
Even though many parents work long hours, they must set aside time to play with their children; work schedules make it "complicated, but you must do it," he said.
Families must also turn off the TV when they sit down to eat because, even though television is useful for keeping up with the news, having it on during mealtime "doesn't let you communicate" with each other, the pope said.
5. Sundays should be holidays. Workers should have Sundays off because "Sunday is for family," he said.
6. Find innovative ways to create dignified jobs for young people. "We need to be creative with young people. If they have no opportunities they will get into drugs" and be more vulnerable to suicide, he said.
"It's not enough to give them food," he said. "Dignity is given to you when you can bring food home" from one's own labor.
7. Respect and take care of nature. Environmental degradation "is one of the biggest challenges we have," he said. "I think a question that we're not asking ourselves is: 'Isn't humanity committing suicide with this indiscriminate and tyrannical use of nature?'"
8. Stop being negative. "Needing to talk badly about others indicates low self-esteem. That means, 'I feel so low that instead of picking myself up I have to cut others down,'" the pope said. "Letting go of negative things quickly is healthy."
9. Don't proselytize; respect others' beliefs. "We can inspire others through witness so that one grows together in communicating. But the worst thing of all is religious proselytism, which paralyzes: 'I am talking with you in order to persuade you,' No. Each person dialogues, starting with his and her own identity. The church grows by attraction, not proselytizing," the pope said.
10. Work for peace. "We are living in a time of many wars," he said, and "the call for peace must be shouted. Peace sometimes gives the impression of being quiet, but it is never quiet, peace is always proactive" and dynamic.
The Roman Catholic Church leader has often preached about finding joy away from material possessions, and on the importance of protecting the environment.
Earlier this week, Francis became the first pope to make an official visit to a Pentecostal church. On Monday he spoke at the Evangelical Church of Reconciliation in the southern city of Caserta, Italy, and apologized for the persecution of Pentecostals that the Catholic Church was involved with in the past.
He added that people should not be surprised to see him visit evangelicals, and called them "his brothers."
What’s that got to do with the topic of the thread, which is the popes *encouragement* which sounds more like Joel Osteen’s power of positive thinking kind of belief system.
And just where is Christ in the pope’s little Joel Osteenism there?
Did he forget to tack Him on as the afterthought He seems to be for most Catholics?
Something about this bothers me and I think I know what it is... "It is ok to express hatred towards CatholicISM on open Religion Forum threads. It is never ok to express hatred towards Catholics because some Freepers are Catholic."
Catholicism isn't being attacked there, Catholics are. I've seen a lot of this kind of phrasing and while I usually consider it a way of gaming the system it occurs to me that it violates at least the spirit of the rule. ALTHOUGH, the RM has always (or at least to my knowledge) let that kind of thing go... nevertheless, there it is.
Now that I've mentioned him I suppose I have to ping him (or her).
My argument is that there are "expressions" of hatred being made against Freepers, not merely the beliefs of Freepers. Surely the rule is applicable to more than just a blatant statement of "I hate Catholics" or "I hate Protestants".
"Catholicism is a dirty religion" is an expression of hatred against a belief system while "Catholics are dirty people" is directed against the people themselves, yes? So the original quotation of this post would be ok if it read "Did he forget to tack Him on as the afterthought He seems to be in Catholicism?"
Hate is defined:
1. to dislike intensely or passionately; feel extreme aversion for or extreme hostility toward; detest:
From where I'm sitting the quoted post expresses hatred toward Catholics rather than Catholicism. At least that's the way it READS.
...and for those who extrapolate the Bible...
Let's try some easy math:
There are approximately 1.2 billion Catholics world wide;
If merely 1% of them 'ask' Mary for help just once each day;
that means that 12 million separate prayers are headed Mary's direction every day.
Given that there are 86,400 seconds per day... (24 hours times 60 minutes times 60 seconds)
...that means that Mary has to handle approximately 139 'requests' per second!
Purty good fer someone NOT 'devine'!
Don't worry; for the spirit of FR is balanced.
Everything you state in this reply is done equally well by CATHOLICS about PROTESTANTS.
But WHY would the pope attack Catholics?
I agree and I think everyone needs to knock it off.
And *all who misquote the Bible* is what exactly?
Directed towards Catholics?
I don’t think so.
It’s working on the presumption of guilt by those who whom it was directed.
Tell me that could not be interpreted as *hate*.
The sword cuts both ways.
Fifteen years ago I couldn't come up with a coherent argument against the SSPX that went much beyond "because I said so". Today I find myself standing against sedevacantism with the same caliber of argument. I believe Francis is the valid bishop of Rome but he's making it very difficult for me to mount a spirited defense on his behalf.
It's new address is...
Opinions can be expressed about a specific group of people.
Especially when it is a quote from the Bible? Baptize all nations?
Not my opinion....I was quoting Jesus’ words.
Is the argument, then , with Jesus?
Please clear up my inability to read common written English.
"It is never ok to express hatred towards Catholics because some Freepers are Catholic." How does that work with "Opinions can be expressed about a specific group of people"?
I provided a dictionary definition of hate "to dislike intensely or passionately; feel extreme aversion for or extreme hostility toward; detest" and I quoted metmom "Did he forget to tack Him on as the afterthought He seems to be for most Catholics?" That is an opinion being expressed about a specific group of people which you say is allowed.
With full apologies to metmom, how is it not, at the same time, an hateful expression toward Catholics? She rightly points out that it happens by "both" "sides". I think it needs to stop. How does the rule have any effect if it's glossed over to allow exactly what it appears to prohibit.
I'm not trying to cause trouble, really I'm not.
All Catholics cannot be put into one bucket.
Likewise, all Baptists or Methodists or Lutherans can be put into one bucket.
We are all individuals, and God will judge us in a likewise just manner.
I feel like I’ve entered the Twilight Zone, what does your post have to do with mine? Please clarify.
Opinions can be expressed about a specific group of people.
??
Or was it the Religion Moderator who said it?
I see a mistake here too.....Likewise, all Baptists or Methodists or Lutherans can can't be put into one bucket.
Your statements do not relate to the post you are replying to.
Should have been to another one.
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/religion/3187706/posts?page=81#81
What the Pope says encompasses all peoples. That was the part I was trying to tie into with “Go forth and baptize all nations.”
My mistake for not responding to the right person/post.
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