Posted on 09/07/2013 5:48:38 AM PDT by markomalley
Christians must never forget that the centre of their life is Jesus Christ. That was the message of Pope Francis at Mass this morning at the Casa Santa Marta. The Pope emphasised that we must overcome the temptation to be “Christians without Jesus” or Christians that seek only devotions, without Jesus.
Pope Francis dedicated his whole homily to the centrality of Jesus in the life of the Christian. “Jesus,” he said, “is the centre. Jesus is the Lord. And yet, he maintained, this is not always understood well, “it is not easily understood.” Jesus is not a lord of this or that, but is “the Lord, the only Lord.” He is the centre that “regenerates us, grounds us”: this is the Lord, “the centre.” The Pharisees of today’s Gospel, Pope Francis noted, “make so many commandments the centre of their religiosity.” Even today, “if Jesus is not at the centre, there will be many other things,” so that “we meet many Christians without Christ, without Jesus:
“For example, those who have the sickness of the Pharisees and are Christians that put their faith, their religiosity in so many commandments, so many. ‘Ah, I have to do this, I have to do this, I have to do this. Christians of this attitude . . . ‘But why do you do this?’ – ‘No, it must be done!’ – ‘But why?’ – ‘Ah, I don’t know, but it must be done.’ And Jesus – where is He? A commandment is valid if it comes from Jesus: I do this because the Lord wants me to do this. But if I am a Christian without Christ, I do this and I don’t know why I have to do it.”
There are, he added, “other Christians without Christ: those who only seek devotions . . . But Jesus is not there. If your devotions bring you to Christ, that works. But if you remain there, something’s wrong.” There’s another kind of Christian without Christ, he continued, “those who seek things that are a little uncommon, a little special, that go back to private revelations,” while the Revelation concluded with the New Testament. Pope Francis warned about the desire of these Christians to go to “a spectacle of revelation, to hear new things.” But, the Pope exhorted them, “take the Gospel!”:
“‘But Father, what is the rule for being a Christian with Christ, and not becoming a Christian without Christ. What is the sign of a person that is a Christian with Christ?’ The rule is simple: only that which brings you to Jesus is valid, and only that is valid that comes from Jesus. Jesus is the centre, the Lord, as He Himself says. Does this bring you to Jesus? Go ahead. Does this commandment, this attitude, come from Jesus? Go ahead. But if it doesn’t bring you to Jesus, and if it doesn’t come from Jesus, but . . . if you don’t know, it’s a bit dangerous.”
And again the Pope asks, “What is the sign that I am a Christian with Jesus?” The sign, he said, is simple. It is the sign of the one born blind that prostrated himself before Jesus to adore Him:
“But if you aren’t able to adore Jesus, you’re missing something. A rule, a sign. The sign is: I am a good Christian, I am on the path of a good Christian if I do that which comes from Jesus and if I do that which leads me to Jesus, because he is the centre. The sign is: I am capable of adoring, the adoration. This prayer of adoration of Jesus. The Lord makes us understand that He alone is the Lord, the unique Lord. And He gives us, too, the grace of loving Him so much, of following Him, of going along the path that He has shown us.”
This is sarcasm I hope.
You can not include those 'Christians' who do not have Jesus...
So your god is a book. Got it.
Give them a break. They have so many catechisms, special prayers, novenas and a semi-truckload of centuries of traditions to lug around and remembering Jesus can sort of get lost in the shuffle. We’re talking about a legalistic tradition laden religion. This stuff ain’t easy (one of them actually told me that). So they’re bearing a heavy burden and I’m not sure where remembering Jesus is on their list.
So your god is your church. Got it.
Uh uh. The tomb is empty.
“what an idiot. if you are “without Jesus” you are NOT Christian”
True but the message is to those who DON’T REALIZE they are not truly Christian. People who have joined the ‘Social Club’ so they call themselves a ‘Christian’ but do not truly have or know Jesus. Like the two who came to Jesus and said “Lord Lord” and Jesus cut them off and said “Why do you call me Lord yet you don’t do what I say?”
Jesus spoke of those who would stand before Him on judgement and say “Did I not (do all these things)in YOUR name?” and Jesus said “I will tell him, depart from me you worker of iniquity I do not know you”
It’s all through the Gospels where Jesus told people that they were not his followers even know they CLAIMED and believed they were his followers (Christians).
This is a message that is good, and right. Too many think they have Jesus just because they are part of the ‘Social Club’ but the ‘Social Club’ called Christianity - and being a real follower of Jesus are quite different.
Nope...But my God wrote a book and it contains the words of God...If I want to know what God says or wrote, I go to the book, just as God suggested...
Praise Jesus. He lives.
Those Christians DO go back to the days of Jesus and the apostles.
The Pope is addressing those who claim the title of Christian but live without Christ. Anyone who is not filled with anti-Catholic prejudice would understand that he is condemning this.
You forgot that we Christians also accept the teaching of the same God -inspired Holy Bible the words from Paul “one Lord, one faith, one baptism.”
This is sarcasm I hope.
Neither is she a demigoddess or worshipped in the Catholic faith. Her title as Queen of Heaven is as the queen mother of her son Jesus Christ who is king, not as a co-regent.
A true Christian would not need to resort to false witness.
That's not what your pope said to them...And your pope said nothing to let them know they are not Christians...But heh, they are Catholics so they must be Christians...They are just Christians without Jesus...
And ya, it's better to be Christians with Jesus than without him... The rule is simple: only that which brings you to Jesus is valid, and only that is valid that comes from Jesus.
“But if you aren’t able to adore Jesus, you’re missing something. A rule, a sign. The sign is: I am a good Christian, I am on the path of a good Christian if I do that which comes from Jesus and if I do that which leads me to Jesus, because he is the centre.
I realize the following is overused scripture but it is custom made for the instructions of your pope...
Mat 7:21 Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven.
Mat 7:22 Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works?
Mat 7:23 And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.
Does any Catholic know the will of the Father???
Without a body? Then where is it?
Problem is, he failed to inform them that are not Christians...He did not delineate between Christians without Jesus and those with Jesus in the truth that while one is destined for heaven, the other is destined for hell...
Course that wouldn't be PC for the pope to tell some baptized Catholic Christians that they are on the road to hell...
You really don't know the Catholic faith, do you?
Where in the Bible is she accorded this title? Or the other blasphemous title Catholics refer her to as "Mother of God"?
Neither is she a demigoddess or worshipped in the Catholic faith.
You pray to her do you not? We are to pray to God. We are not to replace God with anyone or anything.
God is Spirit. You do read the Bible, don’t you?
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