Posted on 01/10/2014 3:41:50 AM PST by markomalley
"If we Christians believe professing the faith, even safeguarding it, if we are custodians of the faith , and entrust ourselves to God , the Lord , we will be victorious Christians. And this is the victory that has overcome the world: our faith". Otherwise we would be "half hearted Christians" those "defeated Christians" of which the Church "is full", said Pope Francis during his homily at Mass this morning at Casa Santa Marta.
Vatican Radio reports the Pope's homily focused on the passage from the First Letter of St. John, in which the apostle , "insists " on "that word which for him is as an expression of Christian life" , " remaining in the Lord" to love God and to love our neighbor . This "remaining in love" of God is the work of the Holy Spirit and our faith and has a concrete effect:
"Whoever remains in God, whoever is begotten by God, whoever remains in love wins the world and the victory is our faith. For our part, faith. For God - for this 'remaining' - the Holy Spirit, which carries out this work of grace. For our part, faith. This is really something! And this is the victory that has won over the world: our faith ! Our faith can do anything! This is victory! And it would be good if we repeated this, even just to ourselves, because we are so often defeated Christians. The Church is full of defeated Christians who do not believe in this, that faith is the victory, who do not live this faith, because if you do not live this faith, then there is only defeat and the prince of the world wins over the world".
The Pope recalled that Jesus praised the very faith of the Woman, the Canaanite, the man born blind and said that those who have faith, like a mustard seed can move mountains . "This faith - he says - requires two attitudes of us: to profess and entrust ourselves". First of all "profess".
"Faith is to profess God, but the God who has revealed Himself to us, from the days of our fathers until now, the God of history. And this is what we recite every day in the Creed. It is one thing to recite the Creed from the heart and another like parrots, no? I believe, I believe in God, I believe in Jesus Christ, I believe ... do I believe in what I say ? Is this profession of faith true or am I reciting it off by heart, because I have to? Or do I only half believe in it? Professing the Faith! All of it, not just a part of it! All of it! And safeguarding the faith in its entirety, as it came to us, on the road of tradition: all of the faith ! And ' how do I know if I profess the faith well? There is a sign: those who profess the faith well, all of the faith, are able to worship, worship God".
"We know how to ask God how to thank God - the Pope said - but to worship God, to praise God is something more! Only those who have this strong faith are capable of worship". And Pope Francis added: "I dare say that the thermometer of the life of the Church is a bit ' low in this: the capacity to worship is somewhat scarce, "we do not have a lot , some , yes ... " . And this "is because we are not convinced or only half convinced in the profession of our faith". So - said the Pope - the first attitude is to profess the faith and safeguard it . The other attitude is "entrusting ourselves".
"The man or woman who has faith entrust themselves to God: they entrust themselves! Paul, in a dark time in his life, said: 'I know well to whom I have entrusted myself'. To God! The Lord Jesus! Entrusting ourselves and this leads us to hope. Just as the profession of faith leads us to the worship and praise of God, trust in God leads us to an attitude of hope. There are many Christians who have a watered down hope, not a very strong one: a faint hope . Why? Because they do not have the strength or the courage to trust in the Lord . But if we Christians believe professing the faith, even safeguarding it, if we are custodians of the faith , and entrust ourselves to God , the Lord , we will be victorious Christians. And this is the victory that has overcome the world: our faith. "
When lighting the Chanukah lights, the entire household should gather so that the miracle which is being commemorated will be publicized. [Pirsum hanes, "publicizing the miracle," is an essential component of Chanukah.]
After lighting the first candle, and while lighting the others, one recites or sings HaNerot Halalu. When the lighting is concluded, Chanukah hymns are sung in accordance with local custom.
For your information, HaNerot Halalu is a Jewish prayer song.
So?
That’s impossible because you won’t admit the falsehood in the first place. You explicitly said, “I made a reference to Apostolic Canon 45”. You never did. Don’t blame your misstatement on me not understanding you.
Is that your way of giving up? Classy!
Giving up what?
1. The Pope was present at the lighting of the Hanukkah candles.
2. The Rabbi said Hanukkah prayers.
3. The cannons of the Church forbid common prayer with the Jews.
So?
Also, my neighbor has a red truck.
Clearer now?
So what do you think of Benedict XVI attending a worship service at a synagogue?
I don't like any such gestures, but that is beside the point.
Moreover, the topic of the thread is not Jewish relations. You guys hijacked the thread to make an anti-papist rant; please get lost.
Again, I don't like it because I don't see how it helps in conversion of the Jews, but I defer to the Roman Pontiff to decide for himself. It is certainly a salutary development that Catholic-Jewish relations warmed up a bit.
That is my last post on this topic on this thread. You can rant on without me.
Actually it is the point.
And “get lost”? Now that wasn’t very charitable, annalex.
Learn to stay on topic and you’ll get my charity.
Um, the lighting of the Chanukah candles was not a secular assembly. It was an interfaith assembly that involved prayers among non-Catholics....Jewish and others. You should check out the youtube videos out there. This wasn’t “just a lighting of a candle” that Bergoglio was involved in. Catholics are forbidden to participate in non-Catholic services (which includes anything non-Catholic).
But you keep on with your invalid ranting about our valid ranting. Eventually you’ll see the errors of yours and many of our clergy’s/popes’ ways.
Ah, another threat. Oh that’s right, “advice”. LOL
I have nothing to add to my earlier posts on this topic.
Freep-mail me to get on or off my pro-life and Catholic List:
Please ping me to note-worthy Pro-Life or Catholic threads, or other threads of general interest.
Of course you don’t have anything to add. You can’t find anything that actually shows we’re wrong about traditional Catholic teaching on Catholics attending and participating in non-Catholic services. The only exceptions are solemn occasions such as funerals and weddings.
Pre-Vatican II Catholics just didn’t do it. Especially Popes. Period.
And as for the charge of off-topic, ebbtide challenged the accuracy of a comment made by another poster in post #8 about Francis’ preaching of the Gospel of Jesus. Since Francis doesn’t make an effort to convert others to the Gospel of Jesus (remember “proselytism is solemn nonsense”), then it was certainly appropriate for him to do so.
As a result, subsequent posts are very much on topic.
Read Jeremiah 31 and then tell me what it says (not what you wish it said).
Why Jeremiah 31 is a clear prophecy of the rise of Christ from the womb of His all-holy mother, conversion of Jews to the Catholic Church and return of converted Israel, which is now the Church, to glory on earth.
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