Pope Notes Early Church Faced Persecution With Prayer

Zenit News Agency ^ | 4/20/12 | Ann Schneible

[marshmallow]

Wednesday Audience Returns to Theme of Communication With God

ROME, APRIL 20, 2012 (Zenit.org).- As Christians look to the approaching feast of Pentecost, Pope Benedict, in his papal audience this past Wednesday, reflected upon on the integral role of prayer in the life of the nascent Church.

Repeatedly in the accounts given by the writers of the New Testament, such as the time which Mary and the Apostles spent waiting for the descent of the Holy Spirit, it is seen that "an atmosphere of prayer accompanied the Church's first steps."

"Pentecost," the Pope clarified, "is not an isolated episode since the presence and action of the Holy Spirit constantly guide and animate the path of the Christian community." For instance, in the Acts of the Apostles, St. Luke recalls how, after St. Peter and St. John healed a paralytic and were arrested for preaching the Gospel, they returned and recounted their experiences, at which time St. Luke says they “all together lifted their voice to God” (Acts 4:24).

"Here," says the Holy Father, "St. Luke reports the longest of the Church’s prayers that we find in the New Testament, at the end of which, as we have heard, 'the place where they were gathered shook, and they were all filled with the holy Spirit and continued to speak the word of God with boldness' (Acts 4:31)."

The Pontiff noted the significance of community prayer of the early Church. "In the face of danger, difficulty, threats, the first Christian community does not try to conduct an analysis about how to react or seek strategies about how to defend itself, about what measures to adopt, but in the face of trial, they pray."

"The Church," he continued, "must not fear the persecutions that it will undergo in its history but trust always, as.......

[Biggirl]

Or may encounter in the years ahead.

[bunkerhill7]

I hate to be a hypocrite, but...

`Pope Notes Early Church Faced Persecution With Prayer`

Headline should read:

Pope Notes Modern Church`s Leader Faces Persecution With Submachineguns

Viz?

`The Pontiff noted the significance of community prayer of the early Church. “In the face of danger, difficulty, threats, the first Christian community does not try to conduct an analysis about how to react or seek strategies about how to defend itself, about what measures to adopt, but in the face of trial, they pray.”
`
I tend to disagree.

They knew how to defend themselves and took action to do so:

They locked the doors.

``On the evening of that first day of the week, when the disciples were together, with the doors locked for fear of the Jews...``

Also the Pope should know that ``Praise the Lord and pass the ammunition`` is real life practice by the Vatican because the Pope prays and rides in a bullet-proof popemobile surrounded by his 40 Israeli-trained Uzi-armed guards...

Do as I do, Not as I say-

The Pope`s actions are much louder than his words:

Carry a gun or get some bodyguards if you want to survive.

I`ll take Jesus` advice anyday of the week.

`He said to them, “But now if you have a purse, take it, and also a bag; and if you don’t have a sword, sell your cloak and buy one.” `

I`ll just do what the Pope is doing.

That`s good enough for me.

[Campion]

Nothing morally wrong or contrary to Catholic teaching with taking reasonable measures to protect oneself, just as the Pope is doing.

However, while you (and he) can take reasonable measures to protect yourself against a lawless individual, or a few of them, neither you nor he have the measures that can protect against a lawless government wielding a lawless army and a lawless police force.

Or, to use examples from recent history, the Swiss Guard can reasonably try to protect the Pope from another Mehmet Ali Agca. They could not protect the Pope from another Hitler, nor could they have protected Pius XII from the original Hitler, if Hitler had resolved to arrest or kill him.