Posted on 04/17/2015 12:12:16 PM PDT by RnMomof7
I’ve mentioned that Roman Catholicism is so onerous because it puts its hooks in you at various times in your life – from baptism as a child, to “first confession” and “first holy communion”, then Confirmation as an early teen, then marriage, baptism of your own children, etc. It’s a programmatic cycle.
There is another point at which Rome is prominent, and that is at death. As the “Baby Boom” generation continues to age and die, people will continue to be focused on this phase of life, either as people focused on the end of their own lives, or that of their aging parents.
Paul Moses, a journalism professor at Brooklyn College/CUNY”, has written a piece for the Wall Street Journal this morning entitled “A Liberal Catholic and Staying Put”, which puts this in view.
Beginning the article with some comments from the atheistic “Freedom From Religion Foundation”, which urged discontented, liberal-minded Catholics to “Summon your fortitude, and just go”, he rejects this notion with the following comments:
To me, these invitations reflect a shallow view of the Catholic Church that reduces its complex journey to the points where it intersects with the liberal social agenda. Pope Francis’ pastoral approach has shown a more merciful, less judgmental face of the church—one that always existed but needed to be more prominent in the public arena.
After my father died last year, I realized that my instinctive resistance to these “just go” arguments—from the atheists, the secularists, the orthodox, the heterodox or anyone else—runs deep. It began when I observed how impressively the church was there for me in a moment of need (emphasis added).
Early on the morning after he died, I went to my father's parish, St. Peter's in lower Manhattan, to find out what to do to bury him. I found one of the priests in the sacristy after the early Mass. The Rev. Alex Joseph took my hands in his, spoke a beautiful prayer, told me of his own father's death years earlier and added, "Our fathers are always with us." I was much moved.
We decided to have my father's funeral in the Staten Island parish where he had worshiped for 25 years … Bernard L. Moses, who died at 88, had loved Father Madigan’s homilies, and to hear [Father Madigan] speak at the funeral Mass was to understand why. My father had advanced up the ranks of the New York City Housing Authority to director of management. Citing his concern for tenants, Father Madigan used the traditional Catholic term “corporal work of mercy” to describe what my father did. It explained for me, in those difficult moments, why my father, who was well-schooled in Catholic social teachings, had passed up the opportunity for a more pleasant career in academia, or a more lucrative one managing private housing, to work in housing projects instead.
Few of us, I think, live daily on the edge of eternity in the conscious way that the Puritans did, and we lose out as a result. For the extraordinary vivacity, even hilarity (yes, hilarity; you will find it in the sources), with which the Puritans lived stemmed directly, I believe, from the unflinching, matter-of-fact realism with which they prepared themselves for death, so as always to be found, as it were, packed up and ready to go (emphasis added). Reckoning with death brought appreciation of each day’s continued life, and the knowledge that God would eventually decide, without consulting them, when their work on earth was done brought energy for the work itself while they were still being given time to get on with it (pg 14).
I was raised in a Church Of Christ. Rejected Him to become a “orthodox hedonist”. Attended my 1st Mass out of pure curiosity (I thought) & from there I was led out of darkness.
Peace :)
Thank you.
....”The Veneration of Relics and Honoring Deceased Saints goes back to the earliest part of the post Apostolic Church”....
So do pagan practices (within the Church)....which is where these were copied and or incorporated into the church to satisfy the heathen members who were brought into the fold....rather than correcting them as Paul clearly did for their foolish practices... the early church leadership included these practices.....and many others since then continue to be added or changed to something else within the catholic faith.
I remember reading more than a few articles about the robes and finery they brought into the church....boy they were power hungry and a jealous bunch! They soooo wanted to be Rome!
The Color of Vestments [Catholic/Orthodox Caucus]
Liturgical Vestments [Catholic/Orthodox Caucus]
Vestments (Tridentine Community News)
BLUE LITURGICAL VESTMENTS (how, when and where) And on Paschal Candles
Blue Liturgical Vestments (and more on Paschal Candles)
Liturgical Vestments (and prayers the priest says while vesting for Mass)
Vestments… Tools of the Liturgical Trade! [Ecumenical]
Well these catholic guys wear what is called a 'nazareno' or robe consisting of a tunic and a pointed hood... 'to hide their identities'... as they repent of their sins. They catholics claim the robes were 'maliciously co-opted' in the U.S. by the Ku Klux Klan.
http://img.timeinc.net/time/photoessays/2009/holy_week/holy_week_01.jpg
Ok, np that is not what I was commenting upon.
I was mentioning that when a Catholic complained about hate on threads, the FIRST response to her was a poster posting hate by broadbrushing some posters as KKK members. Quite an over reaction.
But it makes them feel good to say things like that, it fixes their misunderstanding of Christianity firmly in their minds. Sad oh well.
Yeah, I wander in here once in a while...
Grace and Justification, Catechism of the Catholic Church
“If he won’t listen to the church, treat him as a pagan or tax collector.” —Jesus
______________________________________
Taking the words of Jesus out of context is never a good idea, nor safe for your resurrected body.
caw:
Yes, without God, the body will not rise from the dead, it is only in communion with Christ Death and Resurrection will humans be raised. But the Resurrection of the Dead refers to Persons being raised, both Soul and Body. So lets be clear as to what we mean by “Resurrection of the Dead”
So if that is what you mean, Yes, I don’t disagree. Interestingly the rest of hat passage reads, so faith apart from works is dead.
metmom:
Kneeling is a posture of prayer, the prayer is directed to God in communion with saints. Nobody worships Saints or Icons. Saints are honored or venerated.
No, the problem is the entire commandment is rooted in worshiping false Gods, kneeling is just a prayer posture, If someone kneels before a Crucifix in a Catholic Church, they are not worshiping the Crucifix, the they are worshiping Christ. In other words, Icons and sacred images draw the mind and heart to worship invisible realities with the visible Icon only represents.
Again, we have a fundamental difference on the Iconoclastic controversies of the 8th century. I accept the conciliar doctrinal statements of the 2nd Council of Nicea on these questions, you take Calvin and Zwingli’s. On this point we will not agree.
Actually, the most common practices among pagans before the time of Christ were Burning the dead or Cremation. By 100-150 AD, the early Church, as the Doctrine of the Resurrection of the Body/Dead became more formally taught in contrast to the Gnostic doctrine on the body, the veneration of Relics and honoring saints was actually contrary to pagan practices.
I’m not sure what you mean when you say “only in communion” ....that’s not the Gospel message....which isn’t dependent on ‘communion’ as communion is understood.
Perhaps you would clarify what you mean by communion?
What I wrote was the Bible tells us what death is........”The body without the spirit is dead”....is defining death...would you agree?
syncro:
I said probably and in fact, the KKK is in fact an American Protestant creation and was very active against Catholic priests pretty much throughout the 20th century up until the 1970’s, etc. I am old enough to remember it.
communion is a theological Catholic word, means in union with. So dying in union with Christ is the way I expressed it.
Death is the consequence of original sin. At death the spiritual dimension of the human person assumes a different relation to the persons body. That happens to all humans. The context of the passage, at least as Catholic Doctrine sees it is that Saint James is making a point by pointing out that when a Person dies, the Soul and Spirit leaves the body, which I noted above, and then faith dies apart from works is dead, and works in this context is understood faith rooted in the other theological virtues’ of Hope and Love.
Resettozero:
Well this Catholic does pass gas and the next time I do, the odor will remind me of you.
Given that pagan, and especially heathen are, in essence, other words for Gentile, I find the use of them somewhat ironic, and amusing.
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