Posted on 10/22/2002 8:50:25 AM PDT by Polycarp
Church's Social Work Is Not Political, John Paul II Says
Gospel Message Must Accompany Aid, He Tells Brazilian Bishops
VATICAN CITY, OCT. 21, 2002 (Zenit.org).- The social work carried out by the Church, especially among the poor, cannot be reduced to simple material or political work, says John Paul II.
When the Pope met Saturday with a group of bishops visiting from northeast Brazil, he reminded them that a bishop's first mission is to proclaim the truth of the Gospel, without which the work of the Church would be meaningless.
"As vicars and legates of Christ, you are called above all to offer a clear and vigorous proclamation of the Gospel," the Holy Father said.
He urged the Brazilian prelates not to have "reservations about associating the word of Christ to charitable activities by a misunderstood sense of respect for others' convictions."
"It is not an act of charity to leave brothers in darkness about truth," John Paul II stressed. "It is not an act of charity to feed the poor or visit the suffering by taking human resources to them but not communicating to them the Word that saves."
The Holy Father described the serious difficulties endured in northeast Brazil -- lack of employment, housing and health care; educational problems, social differences, and the presence of aggressive sects -- but he urged that pastoral action not be reduced "to the temporal and earthly dimension."
"It is not possible, for example, to think, of the challenges of the Church in Brazil by limiting oneself to some important but circumstantial questions, related to social policy, the concentration of land, the question of the environment, and others," he continued.
"To claim for the Church a participatory model of a political character, where decisions are voted on at the 'base,' limited to the poor and outcasts of society, but abstracted from the presence of all the segments of the People of God, would impair the original redemptive meaning proclaimed by Christ," the Pope warned.
On the contrary, "the fundamental mission of the bishop is evangelization, a task that he must carry out not only individually, but as Church," John Paul II stressed.
This mission is summarized in the triple mandate to "teach, sanctify and govern," he added.
The Holy Father acknowledged that the bishops of northeast Brazil must carry out the task of teaching in a cultural environment characterized by a high level of illiteracy, divorce, child violence, malnutrition, and superficiality promoted by some media.
In this ambience, the duty of the bishop is "to invite members of the particular Churches entrusted to him to accept in all its fullness the teaching of the Church in regard to questions of faith and morals," even if it means going against the current of the prevailing mentality, the Pope said.
In particular, this work must be done with young people -- a majority in Brazil's population -- promoting "the formation of a moral conscience, which must be respected as the 'sanctuary' of man alone with God, whose voice resounds in the intimacy of the heart," he added.
At the same time, John Paul II said, "remind your faithful that conscience is an exacting tribunal, whose judgment must always be conformed with the moral norms revealed by God and proposed with authority by the Church."
In this educational work, there must be a "return to the sacrament of reconciliation, unfortunately quite abandoned today, even in Catholic areas of your country," the Pontiff added.
In regard to "sanctification," the second mission of the bishop, John Paul II urged the prelates to highlight the two fundamental sacraments of Christian life: baptism and the Eucharist.
He said the living of the Eucharist, "source and center of the whole of Christian life," has two critical challenges in Brazil: on the one hand, the lack of priests and their unequal distribution, and on the other, the worrying drop in Sunday Mass attendance.
"It is evident that this situation suggests a provisional solution in order not to leave the community abandoned, with the risk of progressive spiritual impoverishment," the Pope emphasized.
"However, the incomplete sacramental character of these liturgical functions, carried out by persons who are not ordained, should induce the whole parish community to pray with greater fervor so that the Lord will send workers for his harvests," he said.
Lastly, the Pope focused on the bishop's mission to "govern." Above all, he must care for the priests, "especially when there is a delay in the fruits of pastoral work, with the possible temptation to discouragement and sadness."
"Many pastors do not have the feeling of working in an evangelical vineyard, but rather in an arid steppe," the Holy Father said. Yet, "the risen Lord walks with you and makes your efforts fruitful."
Hi Mom!
You feelin' OK today? You been checked for dementia? (only kiddin') How's the flame suit? LOL!
Mom, you don't understand what the Church means by there is no salvation outside the Church (the anathema associated with this cannot pertain to Mother Teresa because she never said anything of the sort)!
We're talkin' to you because you lack the true meaning of the anathema. Read and reread with an open heart the following...
CONGREGATION FOR THE DOCTRINE OF THE FAITH
DECLARATION
"DOMINUS IESUS"
ON THE UNICITY AND SALVIFIC UNIVERSALITY
OF JESUS CHRIST AND THE CHURCH
Mother Teresa means nothing to me..
She should!! She is the best model of a Christ-like life in modern times that we've had. Would that the world was filled with her type of Christian. But I guess you wouldn't understand any of this because you believe in predestination and no free will and therefore we have no role to play in our personal salvation and relationship to Christ. You don't believe in ANY good works having to do with salvation. We Catholics believe that we are saved by grace, and our faith and works cooperate with it!
PS: The Church has never condemned ANYONE to HELL! It has excommunicated but never condemned to hell. Calvinists may do that! I know from experience! ;^)
Amen!
"I love all religions. ... If people become better Hindus, better Muslims, better Buddhists by our acts of love, then there is something else growing there." (12/4/89)
Excuse me, but"
"I love all religions. ... If people become better Hindus, better Muslims, better Buddhists by our acts of love, then there is something else growing there." (12/4/89)
Does not equal:
"If one is a good Hindu, or of any other faith, and a good believing person in that faith, then that person will go to heaven."
I see nothing about heaven in the former statement.
I must confess, I did ping RnMomof7 to this article.
Obviously, she did not disappoint.
No Christian in their right mind would consign Mother Teresa to Hell. He service and humble witness to the Gospel spoke louder and more eloquently than any sola scriptura preacher who ever walked the earth. To mock Mother Teresa is to mock God Himself. To attack her is to attack the Gospel so evident in her every act and word. Only a fool would dare mock God by consigning one of His greatest witnesses to Hell.
And that speaks volumes about the false interpretations of scripture that lead such a fool into such reckless and unChristian rhetoric.
Like I said, Pavlov would have been proud.
Except Pavlov's dog's at least were trained to simply salivate to the ringing of a bell.
The dogs here bite their own tail to the ringing of the bell of Truth. They're like veritable marionettes.
Thomas I may be nuts ...But I know something very few Catholics (you included it seems) do not know .There is no salvation in works.Mother Teresa will not go to heaven or hell based on her works anymore than you or I will...
The Council of Trent cursed those that were reformers with excommunication..Mother Teresa words put her in that class
I also know Rome does not decide the fate of any soul..that is done by Him that sits on the right hand of the Father..so Rome may call someone a saint that burns in the pit and it will not change their fate...I also know that those they cursed for leaving to follow Him are blessed and safe in the arms of the Father..
Council of Trent
Canon 9. If anyone says that the sinner is justified by faith alone,[114] meaning that nothing else is required to cooperate in order to obtain the grace of justification, and that it is not in any way necessary that he be prepared and disposed by the action of his own will, let him be anathema.
So how many non Catholic Saints are there cannonized...cause she is out or Trent was wrong:>)
Don't you guys have ANYTHING else to do?
GenXFreedomFighter only rouses himself from his torpor to cajole other Warriors to be more interesting - without, of course, ever contributing anything of interest himself. He has limited weaponry at his disposal, but his majestic affectation of boredom provides an effective defense to attacks. When pressed in battle he will announce his intention of moving on to a more stimulating forum, but instead he will generally lurk quietly until the threat passes.
BigMack
You can't go so far out on the faith thing as to completely disregard works, or do you? I think one extreme is as bad as the other.
Thank you for once again judging a Catholic's soul, Momo7.
How's Joseph Smith, by the way? Its you and him that'll stand at God's right hand reporting to God the works and deeds and faith of men, right?
That's why you feel that its your perogative to judge mens' souls. It must be, I certainly can find no scriptural basis for YOU judging MY soul, or Mother Teresa's.
I think we have to also "work" toward becoming like Christ once we have faith. Let's see, what is that parable about the seeds and some that fell into rocks? You know, I am sure! :-) Is that not applicable here?
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