Think you're really righteous?
Think you're pure at heart
Well I know that I'm a million times
As humble as thou art.
Posted on 02/03/2012 6:31:03 AM PST by NYer
I am married to a Korean national. I mention this not just because it is cool (and it is cool) but I’ve learned quite a few things about my Faith from being close to someone of a very different culture.
Because of my wife’s nationality I know quite a few Koreans by association. They come from education backgrounds that make your humble scribe feel quite inferior, or at least I’d feel that way if they weren’t so humble about it. And one of the core components of this education is learning the English language.
To me they do indeed speak English well. Some can even speak without the hint of a Korean accent. I know firsthand how difficult this is given my own extremely difficult time learning Korean.
(What does this have to do with the Magisterium? Please bear with me).
However despite their best efforts I have come to notice that no matter how fluent they were certain ways they would speak seemed…well..awkward. For example, almost to a man, when one of my wife’s friends say something like they were sick yesterday they would say “My condition was not good.” This was true regardless of how well any of them spoke English. I pointed it out to my wife and she noted that it was more or less a direct translation of the Korean expression for having been sick in the past. Despite the quality of their English, they were still speaking Korean using English words.
Another time my wife was telling me about her college days and describing a particular student and his relationship to the students in her freshman group. There literally is no English word for the particular position that this person held. It is something of a cross between a mentor, a Resident Assistant, and a full blown teacher. The attempt of my wife to explain this concept actually took a bit of time, and my above description is my best attempt to explain this position.
What I’m trying to say is that one’s culture has a powerful effect on one’s exposure to concepts as well as how one is going to express themselves. The ability to communicate with one another is heavily dependent on the concepts being discussed and the modes of expression that the communicants share. The greater the disparity in either, the more communication it takes to attempt to bridge the gap.
At one point this started me thinking about the Bible. The books are written a long time ago by a culture with wildly different concepts and modes of expression than we have in modern English. And the New Testament was a translation of one culture into another, from the Jewish culture and language (Aramaic) to the Common Greek. Not only are these cultures different from ours (the Jewish and the Greek) but both cultures have grown and developed over time.
Just to give one example is the notion of “brother” in Jewish culture. The original Aramaic that Jesus and His followers spoke had no concept of “cousin.” To describe the relationship of one cousin to another they would say something like, “He is the son of my father’s brother.” Given how wordy this is they would simplify it to “he is my brother.”
Now someone might object to this by pointing out that the Common Greek had a word for cousin and if the authors wanted to say “cousin” they would have. But to me this doesn’t fly for two reasons. First, that knowledge of a language does not bestow the modes of expression the language uses. As in my first example, the Korean expressing that they were sick still use the Korean wording of the concept rendered into English. Second, given that Jesus and his people used Aramaic to communicate, it is actually more accurate to have a word for word translation, complete with ambiguity, rather than to impose a meaning on the words by trying to translate the wording into something more friendly to the new language.
These things led me to realize that if the Body of Christ has to go at Faith with a Bible Alone approach we are doomed. The time, culture and language separations are a huge obstacle to getting at the actual meaning of the texts, with all the nuance and subtlety that comes with theological understanding and the development of those concepts. This is readily apparent with our Protestant brethren, who continue to split into numerous sects and sects within sects.
The Bible is a product of the times and cultures that produced it. Despite the fact that it is the inerrant Word of God it still uses human culture and language to communicate to us. And because of the limits of both human language and cultural concepts, the existence of the Magisterium and Sacred Tradition simply make sense.
Our Lord provided us with an authoritative body that can express the Truths of Revelation over time and cultures without error. A body that has the authority to interpret the Sacred Texts and present them to all cultures and times. A body that lives and breathes with the cultures in time but stands above them. That such a body, the Magisterim, exists is not only to my mind beneficial, but necessary for preserving the Word of God and revealing the Word to us using the concepts and modes of communication we use.
My exposure to a foreign culture as different as the Korean one only illustrates the need for the Sacred Tradition, and the need for the authority of the Magisterium to guarantee the transmission of that Tradition. There is more to the Truth of the Word than our cultures and languages can transmit. The Magisterium exists to teach us in the ways we communicate today, and will exist to teach the cultures of the future. Through the Magisterium we overcome the Tower of Babel now and in the future.
Thank You!
It is in the context of his devotional. This time of devotional can be flowery tribute to a Saint with and to God. He is honoring God but also honoring his vessel. When You hear Jesus going thru Mary, he is honoring God's Choice of coming through Mary as a Mother into mankind.
What I see is he is only into the context of a Family( God's Family). Which we as Christians are part of this very Family. But his words are not an absolute. He is showing his opinion on prayer with intercession from Mary but God is in the center of the prayer. So he then goes to explain. "We are going to Jesus as Mediator and Brother, and at the same time humbling ourselves before him who is our God and our Judge."
So many people believe their prayers have been answered. If I have a friend or neighbor who prayers and gets results better than I would alone. I would declare do not pray without my neighbors prayers. Declaring it like a joyful enthusiasm. Which is really an opinion. He is doing the same. Remember it is as a devotional opinion. At Least in my opinion through my own answered prayers.
If I remember this Saint had many miracles because of rosary prayers.
My own Mother prayed and had miracles galore. She was on her knees for one of her sons lost at sea for a daytime hours. The officials were coming back to her with doubt. She knew in the spirit that he was still alive. He was found clinging on a little rubber tube.
My mother also prayed for my other brother who was in the vietnam era not to be killed or have a gun to kill another human being. Or touch soil in the mainland. She did not tell him about the prayers. He came back he wondered why he was stuck on the boat in the south china sea. All his friends from boot camp went to the mainland. He never had to shoot the gun at a person or be shot at in the line of duty.
My father had a stroke the Doctor declared it would be for life. My Mother told the doctor he was Not in the office of God. My mother prayed continually. Well My dad was back at work in a month(? maybe two it was a long time ago)
All by Rosary Prayers which we believe honor intercessory from Mary to true Worship centered on God only.
I hope this helps.
It is in the context of his devotional. This time of devotional can be flowery tribute to a Saint with and to God. He is honoring God but also honoring his vessel. When You hear Jesus going thru Mary, he is honoring God's Choice of coming through Mary as a Mother into mankind.
What I see is he is only into the context of a Family( God's Family). Which we as Christians are part of this very Family. But his words are not an absolute. He is showing his opinion on prayer with intercession from Mary but God is in the center of the prayer. So he then goes to explain. "We are going to Jesus as Mediator and Brother, and at the same time humbling ourselves before him who is our God and our Judge."
So many people believe their prayers have been answered. If I have a friend or neighbor who prayers and gets results better than I would alone. I would declare do not pray without my neighbors prayers. Declaring it like a joyful enthusiasm. Which is really an opinion. He is doing the same. Remember it is as a devotional opinion. At Least in my opinion through my own answered prayers.
If I remember this Saint had many miracles because of rosary prayers.
My own Mother prayed and had miracles galore. She was on her knees for one of her sons lost at sea for a daytime hours. The officials were coming back to her with doubt. She knew in the spirit that he was still alive. He was found clinging on a little rubber tube.
My mother also prayed for my other brother who was in the vietnam era not to be killed or have a gun to kill another human being. Or touch soil in the mainland. She did not tell him about the prayers. He came back he wondered why he was stuck on the boat in the south china sea. All his friends from boot camp went to the mainland. He never had to shoot the gun at a person or be shot at in the line of duty.
My father had a stroke the Doctor declared it would be for life. My Mother told the doctor he was Not in the office of God. My mother prayed continually. Well My dad was back at work in a month(? maybe two it was a long time ago)
All by Rosary Prayers which we believe honor intercessory from Mary to true Worship centered on God only.
I hope this helps.
Ok. Thanks - I’ll go read it!
For a half an hour that could not go thru to post. But I hit it hard twice quickly now it is two reply posts. Good Grief! LOL!!
For a half an hour that could not go thru to post. But I hit it hard twice quickly now it is two reply posts. Good Grief! LOL!!
Could be because those of us here who escaped the institution were told we weren't properly catechized. That's code for 'the brainwashing didn't take'.
Think you're really righteous?
Think you're pure at heart
Well I know that I'm a million times
As humble as thou art.
We Christians are very wary of the point of view expressed in your post. We were martyred in the arena by those who later burned books. We are not deceived.
The attacks on Christianity by the heretic, the apostate and the pagan are relentless. The worst is the claim to Christianity by those whose professed beliefs bear little relation to actual Christianity, but who seek to redefine Christianity into whatever it is that they happen to scrape out from under their toenails this morning.
I think not. Not one of those said “through” the church. It says “to” the church. Trying to inject some organization between Jesus and His “called out assembly” has lead to grave error as exhibited by the RCC.
And that is EXACTLY the problem of following men rather than having Scripture be the final authority.
That wouldn’t be anything like the Catholic church burning PEOPLE at the stake, would it?
I agree Quix and what is wonderful is that is spite of all this crap Our Lord Jesus Christ is still King of Kings and Lord of Lords!
Many also look to the Westminister confession as representing their faith, like as even more choose to subscribe to the apostles creed, which evangelicals denoms overall do, and contend against those who deny its core truths.
But as you made a fallible decision to submit to the church of Rome (and disagree with the EOs and others to varying degrees), and interpret the nature and meaning of its declarations, so evangelicals do with past creeds, etc., without ascribing assured infallibility to the organs which gave them.
The church itself began in dissent from those who basically presumed their teaching required the same submission as that of Scripture, and authenticity based on formal decent, while the authenticity of Christ and the apostles was established upon conformity with Scripture and the attestation its provides being given to Truth.
And by which the born gain church of the living God continues to evidence it is such, esp by the gospel of grace which effects manifest regeneration in those who come to God as damned and destitute sinners, and thus trust the Lord Jesus to save them (not their merits or church) by His blood. To God be the glory.
The New Testament: The Epistle of Paul to the Romans
Who do you guys think you are talking to??? You couldn't possibly be more wrong...
The bible defines itself and tells anyone and everyone that the church is a called out assembly of believers...The church is the people in the pews...THEY are the Body of Christ...
Rom 1:7 To all that be in Rome, beloved of God, called to be saints: Grace to you and peace from God our Father, and the Lord Jesus Christ.
1Co 1:2 Unto the church of God which is at Corinth, to them that are sanctified in Christ Jesus, called to be saints, with all that in every place call upon the name of Jesus Christ our Lord, both theirs and ours:
The people in the pews...The local congregation...
Yours is one of the worst perversions of scripture I have seen...
Many Catholics on FR reference this guy for some reason...He's supposed to be a super saint I guess...
From what I've read of the fella, he doesn't have a relationship with Jesus...Simply put, he's not a Christian...
His relationship is with the queen of heaven...
Many of us have read portions of your catechism...And when we have pointed out some of the outright perversions of the scriptures in your catechism, you tell us that not only do we need a Catholic clergy to interpret the scriptures, we need a Catholic clergy to interpret your catechism...
The limits you guys go to to cover your tracks is astounding...So why recommend we read your catechism???
Sorry, did you say that John Calvin burned Michael Servetus at the stake?
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