We all will have to bend our heads.... Catholics, Protestants, Orthodox, etc. etc. in order to be able to hear only ONE SINGLE VOICE: the one of the HOLY SPIRIT. That is the AIM of JESUS. If we Catholics are convinced that Jesus is Catholic, we should not be afraid, for if Catholicism is the Truth, only the Truth will triumph. All other discussions are in vain. TRUST IN JESUS. When real UNITY will come, there will be no error in that Unity. LEAVE IT TO GOD and PRAY for a TRUE UNITY. Amen. Who knows... that perhaps the WARNING will operate a true unity between Christians....
Pope Francis' maxim may be that of St Fracis de Sales 'a spoonful of honey attracts more flies than a barrelful of vinegar' : St Francis was renowned for winning Calvinists over by his gentleness and holiness. https://www.americancatholic.org/features/saints/saint.aspx?id=1270 Saints win souls over. Food for thought.
Do you see my three beautiful pictures ????????? I also uploaded them, because I never know for sure in this forum that my "copy/paste" of pictures works....
I suppose we have to go back to the meaning of the word, Catholic' .Catholic means, 'Universal'. Which would seem to me that we are the people who give the whole world a hug of love. We haven't been doing this, perhaps like the Holy Father it is time that we did. I came across a nice story on utube last night. A Greek Othordox couple used to have the practice when they were out driving in their car of calling in to one Church they passed everyday , whilst in the car to light a candle and say a prayer. . So one day they pulled into a strange Church said a prayer and were greeted by a monk who was a stranger but whom ,they said had the most beautiful smile. They couldn't get him out of their minds and when they entered a bakery in the next village they saw a photo of the priest on the wall and asked who he was. His name was Abbot Ivaros who had died some years previously and asked where he was buried. Of course nothing would do the husband and wife but to seek out his grace, as she said, 'We would have travelled to the Ends of the Earth to see him. Well as it turned out Fr Ivaros was a bit like Padre Pio in Greece and they are fixing to canonise him . One young monk who met him the day he first entered the monastery said he knew at once he was a saint, 'Because from the first he knew all about me. I will see if I can find the clip and put it up.
Message from Glenn !! (Glenn, I hope you do not mind that I copy it already here .....) : "UNITY OF ALL CHRISTIANS. IMPORTANT REVELATION OF OCTOBER 1, 1961: ( Albecht Weber with Conchita in 1965 ) The conversations between the deceased Father Luis and the visionaries have, it appears to us, always held a very positive ecumenical trait. On the Feast, then, of the Divine Motherhood of Mary, Fr. Luis and Conchita spoke about this extraordinary prophecy already partly revealed by Our Lady on the previous October 1: "Ah, the Churches will be reunited? . . . “Yes, they will be reunited! . . ." Conchita rejoiced over this formidable prophetic news. In November 1965, the visionary, as she had already done many times since October 11, 1961, confirmed the accuracy of that great revelation to the German editor, Albrecht Weber. She also clarified somewhat what the Blessed Virgin had told her concerning the great Church event to come. "She (Our Lady) again told us that the divided (Churches) will reunite. There will be only one 'religion.' A better translation: "The Christian Churches will then be One in the Catholic Church." In the light of such a prophetic revelation, the meaning and scope of the "one, Catholic, apostolic and Roman Church" that the visionaries, in ecstasy, had professed for the first time on August 1, 1961, at the time of the recitation of the Creed, acquired their full significance. [Excerpted from 'Garabandal' Book, page 107] This would simply be the fulfillment of John 10:16: And I have other sheep, that are not of this fold; I must bring them also, and they will heed my voice. So there shall be one flock, one shepherd."
Why is unity so hard to accept or understand for those who profess to be Christian? Did not Jesus pray that we "all be one Father, as you and I are one"? Is there anyone who has not sinned and deserved death? Have any of the saved not done so through the blood of the cross? Few have gone from the dark into the light as St. Paul did, blinded and spoken directly to from Jesus. Most of us are slowly baked into the furnace of God's love. We receive God's grace and sometimes it takes hold and sometimes we reject it... over and over again. The only thing that separates us from the protestant faithful is where we are at in our acceptance of the fullness of the deposit of faith. So what is better, to be Catholic in name or catholic in practice. As it stands now, I know more protestants acting more Catholic then I do Catholics acting Catholic. What I mean by this is, it is easier to talk to non-Catholics about the depth of the faith than it is trying to find a Catholic who is willing to dialog. At this time, God is not looking for the Catholic in name only, he is looking for the catholic in heart and from what I can tell, he may be more successful in finding them outside the Church. Catholics have received the fullness of the faith and in large part have already rejected it. What can bring them back? Please let me know, as I have family, relatives and friends who could care less about the fullness of the faith and have been educated in it. Maybe it will take protestants, converted to Catholicism to bring them back. Who knows but God?
I think that the Eucumenical Journey is not just for us as individuals but for us as a Church. So like Moses and the Chosen People we are led by the Holy Spirit, a pillar of fire by night and of smoke by day to the Promised Land. We are all of us different and so travel at differing speeds, so let we who like to run turn back to help those of our sisters and brothers who start to limp a little on the long journey and may we be their crutches of love and understanding. Exodus 13:21 The Pillars of Cloud and Fire …20Then they set out from Succoth and camped in Etham on the edge of the wilderness. 21The LORD was going before them in a pillar of cloud by day to lead them on the way, and in a pillar of fire by night to give them light, that they might travel by day and by night. 22He did not take away the pillar of cloud by day, nor the pillar of fire by night, from before the people. View attachment 1739
How many are catholic because they were born into catholic families and likewise how many are not catholic because of the same thing. I was lucky to be born Catholic and also unlucky because I never understood the depth of this faith while growing up Catholic. It took a falling away, a stir in my heart to seek God and then a Baptist friend to bring me back to the Christian faith. If I had never been born Catholic I would be a Baptist right now because I found so much love in this friends faith for The Lord. Luckily I was born Catholic and when I found this love again for The Lord I knew where to fully and completely come home to. The point is we cannot be so quick to label others as heretics because they are not Catholic. They just have not been shown the truth yet or have been fully called home to the truth yet by God. Surely God understands this predicament and will work in our hearts to call us home. As Jesus told Marino Restreppo, we are measured by how much we have loved. That is what matters with God. Sure the one true faith and path is the Catholic Church set up by Jesus but because of this, as Catholics we also have the biggest responsibility to the world to spread love and truth. I feel the majority of the lukewarm Jesus speaks of will come from fellow fallen away Catholics or "cafeteria Catholics" because they know the truth and have chosen to pick and choose and turn away. Just the other day a co worker said that he just started to go back to church but he felt the church needs to get with the times and modern era about homosexuals and women priest etc. I said no it is the modern times that needs to get back with the church. We must pray for these people but I fear that it will be these folks who persecute the true faithful after the warning the most and it will be the new converts from the Protestants and other religions along with the remnant faithful teachers that will lead the church to the new heaven and new earth.
I have always had a suspicion that when the Jews return to the Faith they will take us by the hand and lead us. Including giving us some wonderful Popes. That would delight me, it really would. As to Protestants and Orthodox turning back , well that would be just fire in our blood and a kick up the ass to wake us all up a little.
Mac, after watching the Pope's video in this link and reading your message, I will say this much. I use to think the way you have said. After my 'awakening' from my teenage days and early 20's, I thought that if I could study, learn and teach my 11 kids the fullness of the faith they would not question, loose or set aside their faith as I did for a brief period. I thought in praying the rosary with them, taking them to weekly Mass and training them in the doctrines of the faith they would not leave the truth. Wrong! It was not until one of my daughters left for college and 5 years later left the faith to marry her man out of the Church that I realized it was not about what I could do for my children. I found out that I tried to do it all without God's help. I thought that my efforts along with a modest prayer life was enough. I wish I had read St. Monica's famous line early on, to "speak less to your children about God and speak to God more about your children". What you say in your statement above reminds me of my great error. I did not put my faith in prayer talking with God throughout my day for them. I thought the truth I taught to them would suffice. You see, you are making the same mistake I made. I did not let God do the work. We can only plant the seed of truth, but we must let God do his part by changing the heart. I underlined the word I, because it is not about me. Now I have reserved my self to prayer to allow God to do what only he can do. Only he can unify. Only he can water the seed that we, his poor faithful, plant. I believe that this is what Pope Francis knows and is working towards. We must cooperate with the spirit as our dogmatic faith alone will not affect hearts. It is only head knowledge, and although truth, it cannot stand alone. I believe this mindset to be of the self righteous. If God changes their hearts then they will be led to Rome. They will not stay in Rome or come to the Church of Rome with head knowledge, but with purified hearts that God will create, not us. We have to do our part and pray and do penance for this.
Pope Francis: No to divisions between Christians http://www.news.va/en/news/pope-francis-no-to-divisions-between-christians
One thing I don't do on here is to question an individual's spiritual state. We are all practicing Catholics and I really cannot know enough to start judging and don't believe that anyone can judge my spiritual state here. Some may not like my attitude about certain things but to say, if you don't agree with my 'take' then you are in spiritual trouble is presuming a great deal. I am married to an Anglican so I certainly don't hate non-Catholics or go around calling them heretics and I CERTAINLY pray for them and not only those in my family. I know some non-Catholic Christians who are far better people than I am but objectively, from the Church's official position, they ARE heretics. I cannot change that, you can't and the Pope can't it is an objective truth.
In listening to 'Bishop' Tony Palmer's message there is a few things that needs corrected. There is not "three churches or rather three denominations, the Catholic, the Orthodox and the Lutheran churches in the first 1500 years", as he contends. Actually, there is but one true Church in the first 1500 years of Christianity and it is the Catholic Church founded by Jesus Christ on Pentecost Sunday in 33 ad. All others are 'denominations' of the one, holy, catholic and apostolic church, which Christ instituted. The Orthodox being in unity with the Catholic Church and the 50,000 Protestants denominations yet to be unified. The second point of his messages I have issue with is Tony's comment that "doctrines do not matter" and that "God will sort the doctrines out in heaven". He contends that it is the "glory of the Lord" that unifies all Christians, not doctrines and all that matters is if you believe you have the glory of the Lord in you (this is the heresy of Relativism). My question is, why does everything always have to be an 'either/or' argument... faith or works, Jesus or Mary, faith or reason etc... God is not limited to an either/or argument, he teaches both can and do co-exist. Perhaps what Pope Francis is hoping for is some type of unity prior to the Great Warning, where Jesus will make known to the whole world that he is God and the His Church is the one, holy, catholic and apostolic faith. Granted, if one was to express this to the Pentecostals at this point they would drop you like a hot potato. So it seems we must bite out tongue on this type of talk as it is not ecumenical.
There is only One, Holy, Catholic, and Apostolic Church. Within her bosom are both saints and sinners, wheat and weeds, the humble and the arrogant. The Lord alone knows the heart of each one of us! Outside her are communities of Christians who share our common baptism, but who have rejected various truths within the Deposit of Faith. Geralyn and I have raised six children, whom we've taught the Faith, from the unity of God to the four Last Things. In this I agree wholeheartedly with Mac. We also have non-Catholic friends, some who live out their love of Jesus better than I. So, how are we to relate with our separated brethren: with both love and truthfulness. Rejoice where we agree, clarify where we disagree, and never compromise. Why? Because I love them. The truths the Church proclaims are not an end in themselves, but are the sure defense of the multitude of graces the Holy Spirit makes available to God's children. Reject a particular truth (ex. the Real Presence) and one loses a precious grace (i.e. the Eucharist). So if I desire unity with my separated brethren, then I must reach out to them with love as Pope Francis does, but only in order to create a space where the graces they lack may be taught in the light of truth. Pray that I always carry through, for the task of clarifying what they lack is the most challenging step of all. But love demands it! Safe in the Barque of Peter!
