Ignore most accounts in the media, which for the most part put a completely different spin on what Pope Francis is saying, and go read the actual interview...
The painting above is especially fitting that the Gospel today (although not from Matthew) was Luke 16: 1-13 "No servant can serve two masters. He will either hate one and love the other, or be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon."
The Anchoress is pondering this interview. And she notes the puzzlement of the press when the Pope does what a Pope does.
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| A big heart, open to God... |
I ask Pope Francis: “What does the church need most at this historic moment? Do we need reforms? What are your wishes for the church in the coming years? What kind of church do you dream of?”
Pope Francis begins by showing great affection and immense respect for his predecessor: “Pope Benedict has done an act of holiness, greatness, humility. He is a man of God.the thing the church needs most today is the ability to heal wounds and to warm the hearts of the faithful; it needs nearness, proximity. I see the church as a field hospital after battle.“I see clearly,” the pope continues, “that the thing the church needs most today is the ability to heal wounds and to warm the hearts of the faithful; it needs nearness, proximity. I see the church as a field hospital after battle. It is useless to ask a seriously injured person if he has high cholesterol and about the level of his blood sugars! You have to heal his wounds. Then we can talk about everything else. Heal the wounds, heal the wounds.... And you have to start from the ground up.
“The church sometimes has locked itself up in small things, in small-minded rules. The most important thing is the first proclamation: Jesus Christ has saved you. And the ministers of the church must be ministers of mercy above all. The confessor, for example, is always in danger of being either too much of a rigorist or too lax. Neither is merciful, because neither of them really takes responsibility for the person. The rigorist washes his hands so that he leaves it to the commandment. The loose minister washes his hands by simply saying, ‘This is not a sin’ or something like that. In pastoral ministry we must accompany people, and we must heal their wounds.
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| The Calling of St. Matthew, Caravaggio 1599-1600 |
The painting above is especially fitting that the Gospel today (although not from Matthew) was Luke 16: 1-13 "No servant can serve two masters. He will either hate one and love the other, or be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon."
The Anchoress is pondering this interview. And she notes the puzzlement of the press when the Pope does what a Pope does.
Have you read Ann Barnhardt's opinion on Frances? It's not kind.
ReplyDeleteFirst of all it is Pope Francis.
DeleteOkay. I never heard of Ann Barnhardt before you mentioned her. But in prompt by your post I googled her. And from what little I see now, I am not surprised I have not heard of her before. I am not sure what point you are trying to make.
I am not Catholic so I don't have a dog in this race. She is very devout but she claims the Vatican infiltrated by communists and sodomites. And that Francis is God's judgement on the church. Much like Obama is a Judgement on America for its wickedness. I like her politics but not being Catholic myself I don't really get a lot of her comments on some of the Catholic rituals and traditions. I do agree that Obama is a Judgement on the former United States of America. Read her blog. You would probably understand the Catholic stuff better than me. And my point? Not to stir trouble or be a troll. Just to make conversation on the topic.. I enjoy your blog.
DeleteC.J.
If you are not trying to be a troll C.J., I will give you the benefit of doubt.
DeleteObama is a weak pathetic president. The United States is not about to be ruined by him, anymore than it was ruined by Jimmy Carter. We will get through this period of malaise. So, I disagree that Obama is some judgment upon us.
As for Ann Barnhardt, I read the post linked and I was not impressed. She may be sincere, but she is wrong.
Believe it or not, the US was ruined by people like Jimmy Carter. We were just able to put people like Reagan into office and pave over the crap. We are stuck with their policies, we are stuck with their laws, we are stuck the consequences and year after year you never see a repeal, you never see a take back. It's just stacking the bricks of shit one on top of the other until you've built up a legal shit mountain that cannot stand if it continues to pile up. Obama has basically taken that entire shit mountain and brought his own to dump on to of it. All by himself. This isn't malaise, this is an outright attempt at usurpation, right out in front of us in our faces.
DeleteAnd I do agree with Barnhardt to a certain degree that the church has been infiltrated by leftists and homosexuals and I believe that Francis is a leftist. His slavishness to the poor is a demonstration of it. His liturgy on non-salvation salvation via conscious do-gooderness without regard to the requirement of a christ based salvation is a clear demonstration of it. He's effectively killed catholicism on that alone and the sheep say nothing.
My mistake. She actually used the word chastisment not judgement.
ReplyDeleteSorry, but Ann Barnhardt is a someone I do not place a lot of credit in.
DeleteThe Lefties are so in love with themselves, they can't believe anybody with a brain doesn't see everything their way.
ReplyDelete