Monsignor Pope Ping!
No.
Easy one to answer, no we are not.
Too much to lose. Especially in America, the Church is largely irrelevant because it is not resisting the culture of Sodom. Along with security comes complacency and capitulation.
You only need to read the Bible to see what Paul went through. It was tough;really tougher than probably most any of us can realize or certainly relate to.
Many of the faithful WANT strong preaching, long for strong preaching, would be thrilled at long bloody last to actually HEAR strong preaching. Give us The Truth, and let the chips fall where they may.
We do not seek a fight or to provoke anger, but if we preach the Gospel in season and out of season, anger and fights often find us. Does the persecution on account of the Word described by Paul even remotely resemble anything we face in modern clerical life? And if not, why not?
But there are individuals the Spirit has a hold of. There are many suffering for the Kingdom, but we don’t see them. God always has a remnant.
There is ample warning in the scriptures of Paul however to get and stay away from any religious people who look, act and teach like Catholic priests...And then there this joke:
It makes sense that in a settled Church, the faithful should care for their clergy and set them apart so that the clergy may pray for them, study for them, and do the works that feed and form them spiritually.
Sure, they will study 'for you' so you won't find out what God says about them...
In the 1950's, going to church meant sitting, kneeling and standing at the ring of some pretty chimey bells an alter boy would ring at times that to ME, didn't have any reason ... everything was in Latin and in about an hour we would walk across the street to the parochial Catholic school (we were all public school kids, Catholic school kids never attended children's' mass .... they didn't have to ... they got their indoctrination all week long.)
An hour later after non-stop Catechism class, we were released and walked home.
Every Sunday until I said, "No".
I got saved at the age of thirty three and I started attending a Baptist church because I wanted to be baptized and I thought that was the best place to go.
I HEARD PREACHING FOR THE VERY FIRST TIME IN MY LIFE.
NOW to respond to this thread
The author spent a long time addressing the physical part of what it is to be a Catholic priest and touched on some spiritual mores, but never answered his own question using his own Paul.
In my Baptist church, I listen to about an hours' worth of preaching. A man stands for an hour and talks, expounds on, explains and drills home something from the Word of God that I can sink my teeth into and say "Amen" to.
And my pastor has something new every week because life continues to go on and there is always something new or a little different than last year to preach on, always with the intent of bringing someone who is not born again, into a saving awareness of Jesus and leading that one to Christ.
I never heard preaching in my life while in a Catholic church.
I never heard preaching that was way longer than anything some might call ritual in a Catholic church.
Catholics would do well to get rid of the trappings and just preach.
The authors should have said, "We spend more time on being Catholic and not so much leading people to Jesus for salvation"
Because THAT is the difference
What I say to priests, I say to parents, to elders, and to every Catholic baptized and sharing in the prophetic office of Christ.
Ok, now what does that mean? Answering that question probably requires more Bible reading that most want to devote.
One could read about all the prophets and focus on their common suffering OR one could read all the about the prophets and focus on their COMMON MESSAGE.
Everyone of God’s prophets said keep doing what you are doing and something bad is going to happen to you, (paraphrase) or “Repent and turn to God”
(quote)
You want suffer for the Kingdom, start telling people to repent and turn to God.
I will oppose Satan
All of his works and
All of his pomps
I took it ~25 years ago
Dear Jesus how far have we fallen in our cowardice
The institutional church is incapable of reflecting the Body of Christ. It is a cultural icon. The Body of Christ exists in the lives of His followers who are in and out of the established church. We see Christ at work in the Trump administration. He is much less conspicuous in the swamp.
Roman Catholic priest Monsignor Charles Pope was told earlier this week that he could no longer use his title on his Facebook page.
Paul never saw a NT church “priest” - nor included it as an office of the church in Scripture.
Nor did Peter...
Excellent article.
Pope John Paul I died under very suspicious circumstances and was likely martyred.
Pope John Paul II survived an assassination attempt that should have killed him.
Pope John Paul said repeatedly that he would have died and that he survived only through Divine Intervention.
“30 of the first 33 Popes died as martyrs”
Pope John Paul I was probably martyred.
Pope John Paul II was almost martyred but saved only through Divine intervention.
“The bishops of the Church are typically surrounded by staff, often layers of staff, insulating them from the lay faithful, who have little hope of ever being able to contact or speak with him directly. There are titles, seats of honor, and regal vesture with insignias.”
Most Catholics never see or meet a Bishop or Cardinal in their entire lifetime.
Their only exposure to Bishop’s and Cardinals is a recording or video at mass asking for money.
“Pastors and parish priests, we are often protected by staff as well. We live in rectories that are often well-appointed. Unlike the faithful we serve, we have job security and few personal financial concerns. We are given food, shelter, health insurance, and retirement benefits, and the people of God are enormously generous with us. Staff stand ready to assist in our administrative tasks, and repair and clean our homes and churches. Many of us even have cooks and laundresses.”
This is completely untrue.
Parish priests, almost without exception, have extremely demanding jobs requiring long hours of service and assistance to their parishioners. Of course they have staff to help them. But almost all of the work in the parish and almost all the decisions are made by the volunteer, lay parishioners who work every day at their jobs and caring for their families.
Parish priests and pastors are heroes in a difficult, often anti-Catholic environment. I have heard them say they can not wear their collar in public because insults, abuse and sometimes physical attacks. Most do wear their collar, however, and are proud to proclaim their faith despite the attacks.
The media regularly attacks priests and dishonestly portrays them as pedophiles, bigots and so many other bad things.
“Priests may have become soft on account of the comforts that have been extended to us. Our comfortable lives have made some of us soft and given us the sense that we have too much to lose. Unlike St. Paul, we can hardly bear the slightest critique or scorn.”
That is totally false.
Priests are strong, courageous, caring and doing an extremely valuable job. No one wants them to starve or be homeless. We love and respect them and want to help them.
The answer; of course; is no.
But the REAL question is...
Does Rome still teach the simple truth as St. Paul ETAL did in the beginning?
Nothing could be further from the truth; the faithful are not under obligation to care for their clergy. Would this cleric stop praying, studying, and working for them if he received nothing? What does that say?
Please consider the following verses:
1Th 2:9 For you remember, brothers, our labor and toil: we worked night and day, that we might not be a burden to any of you, while we proclaimed to you the gospel of God.
2Th 3:8 nor did we eat anyone's bread without paying for it, but with toil and labor we worked night and day, that we might not be a burden to any of you.
Whether one becomes wealthy and successful or cast into poverty is based upon God's will and has nothing to do with us.