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'Jesus decisively rejects all these temptations and reaffirms [His] firm intention to follow the path established by the Father, without any compromise with sin or with the logic of the world. Note well how Jesus responds: He doesn’t dialogue with Satan, as Eve did in the terrestrial Paradise. Jesus knows well that one can’t dialogue with Satan, because he is so cunning. For this reason, instead of dialoguing, as Eve did, Jesus chooses to take refuge in the Word of God and to respond with the power of this Word.' ~ Pope Francis
These are fine words from His Holiness. There is no doubt that Holy Mother Church is in a time of great temptation. I hope that His Holiness can see this, having been courted by the World's press and greeted with glowing reports in the mass media, mouthpieces of the 'kingdoms of the world'.
Before, during and after the upcoming Synod on the Family, many will be seeking Satan's kingdom rather than God's Kingdom. Even Bishops and Cardinals will likely be among those seeking the overthrow of true doctrine that saves for something false and more comfortable, that will be more palatable to modern man. If you cannot 'dialogue with the Devil', as His Holiness so rightly says, then why encourage dialogue with people within the Church who may just as well be his minions - who propose to the Church a more comfortable, easy manner of life for the Christian which demands no self-sacrifice and the obscuring of the reality of sin?
These are such fine words from the Successor of St Peter. Let us pray to God then that Pope Francis and the College of Cardinals and the Bishops Conferences will emphatically act upon them, firmly reject falsehood, the path of easy popularity with the World, proclaim the truth about the sanctity of marriage, the grave sinfulness of divorce and remarriage, defend the Most Holy Eucharist from sacrilege and defend infallible Church teachings from the wolves both within and without the Church who seek their overthrow. Why, indeed, not do it taking 'refuge in the Word of God' and 'respond with the power of this Word'? May Pope Francis be what Blessed Pope John Paul II was and his Successor was. A champion of Christian marriage and the family!
6 comments:
Well thought out and respectfully submitted, Bones.
If I were to offer some words of Our Saviour to Pope Francis regarding the media it would be:
"Do not give what is holy to dogs, and do not throw your pearls before swine, or they will trample them under their feet, and turn and tear you to pieces." Mt. 7:6
And while the media do not seem to be tearing the Bishop of Rome to pieces, they are trampling the faithful under foot in a slavering rampage and tearing the flock to pieces owing to those pearls of papal wisdom so casually tossed out for over a year now.
agree with Liam.
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it seems Francis has a very broad view of where satan is apparently not trying to 'diagogue', however.
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p.s. a Rosary a day, keeps the devils away. Pray the fear of God descends on all the Bishops in Rome over the synod.
There is an interesting article about Pope Francis at Chiesa:
http://chiesa.espresso.repubblica.it/articolo/1350737?eng=y
It seems to me that what the Pope is insisting upon is how we should evangelise non-Catholics by showing the beauty of Truth rather than castigating them. This is something fundamentally different from the approach that one has to use in respect of those who from within the Church who are dissenting from the teachings of the Church. It is that latter approach of how to deal with dissenters that is the subject of much on Catholic blogs but it gets criticised by those who confuse this latter approach with what Pope Francis is talking about.
@Nicholas Bellord,
The difficulty is, Nicholas, that every man and his Jack Russell thinks they know what Pope Francis 'means' and every one of them has a different understanding of it, some in radical opposition to one another.
Here is one take on presenting the Truth that seems to have born results:
"Hearing this, they were cut to the heart and said to Peter and the other apostles, 'What are we to do, brothers?'
'You must repent,' Peter answered, 'and every one of you must be baptised in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.
The promise that was made is for you and your children, and for all those who are far away, for all those whom the Lord our God is calling to himself.'
He spoke to them for a long time using many other arguments, and he urged them, 'Save yourselves from this perverse generation.'
They accepted what he said and were baptised. That very day about three thousand were added to their number." Acts 2: 37 - 41
I agree Nicholas, but irrespective of whether the Holy Father is at fault or not, the media and large number of people appear to believe that the Church will shortly be accomodating herself to various liberal wish-lists.
Here is the latest headline from the Daily Mail:
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2577366/Pope-Francis-stop-condemning-sex-civil-partnerships-hints-leading-cardinal-step-Catholic-gay-marriage.html
It begins "Pope Francis has suggested that the Vatican could support gay civil unions in the future, according to one of the church’s most senior cardinals. Cardinal Timothy Dolan said that the pontiff wants the Catholic Church to study same-sex unions, ‘rather than condemn them’"
We have certainly come a long way in such a short period of time fro the rock solid pontificates of John Paul II and Benedict XVI.
@Nicolas,
Thanks. I suspect that is what’s in the Holy Father’s mind. It is a reasonable strategy given the extent that the world, not to mention so many “Catholics” have turned away from God in the last 50 years. Something drastic is required.
And here was me thinking I was a narcissistic and authoritarian elitist?
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