Wednesday 30 July 2014

Pope Francis's New Beatitudes (Abridged Version)



Courtesy of National Catholic Reporter...

In an interview published Sunday in part in the Argentine weekly Viva, the pope listed his Top 10 tips for bringing greater joy to one's life, my comments, blue, bold.

1. "Live and let live." Everyone should be guided by this principle, he said, which has a similar expression in Rome with the saying, "Move forward and let others do the same." (Unless you are dealing with a serious 'crypto-lefebrevian', or a religious consecrated to the Immaculata, in which case, ignore the above).



2. "Be giving of yourself to others." People need to be open and generous toward others, he said, because "if you withdraw into yourself, you run the risk of becoming egocentric. And stagnant water becomes putrid." ("Look, if the Pope says white is black and black is white, then that's the case, hear me?")
3. "Proceed calmly" in life. The pope, who used to teach high school literature, used an image from an Argentine novel by Ricardo Guiraldes, in which the protagonist -- gaucho Don Segundo Sombra -- looks back on how he lived his life. "He says that in his youth he was a stream full of rocks that he carried with him; as an adult, a rushing river; and in old age, he was still moving, but slowly, like a pool" of water, the pope said. He said he likes this latter image of a pool of water -- to have "the ability to move with kindness and humility, a calmness in life." (But don't let that water become stagnant or putrid! You will run the risk of becoming ego-centric!)
4. "A healthy sense of leisure." The pleasures of art, literature and playing together with children have been lost, he said. "Consumerism has brought us anxiety" and stress, causing people to lose a "healthy culture of leisure." Their time is "swallowed up" so people can't share it with anyone. Even though many parents work long hours, they must set aside time to play with their children; work schedules make it "complicated, but you must do it," he said. Families must also turn off the TV when they sit down to eat because, even though television is useful for keeping up with the news, having it on during mealtime "doesn't let you communicate" with each other, the pope said. (But remember, His Holiness doesn't take holidays. He's too busy working - for your salvation and for mine! Deo gratias!)
5. Sundays should be holidays. Workers should have Sundays off because "Sunday is for family," he said. (And Mass, don't forget to worship God at Mass! After all, we are Catholics!)
6. Find innovative ways to create dignified jobs for young people. "We need to be creative with young people. If they have no opportunities they will get into drugs" and be more vulnerable to suicide, he said. "It's not enough to give them food," he said. "Dignity is given to you when you can bring food home" from one's own labor. (And God. God's important too. After all, St Francis of Assisi didn't have a job. Nor did St Joseph Benedict Labre. But they did have God. They had nothing, but they did have God).
7. Respect and take care of nature. Environmental degradation "is one of the biggest challenges we have," (now that we've moved on from "obsessing" about abortion) he said. "I think a question that we're not asking ourselves is: 'Isn't humanity committing suicide with this indiscriminate and tyrannical use of nature?'" (In other words, "stop euthanasia and assisted suicide now, before humanity commits suicide!" You tell them, Your Holiness!)



8. Stop being negative. "Needing to talk badly about others indicates low self-esteem. That means, 'I feel so low that instead of picking myself up I have to cut others down,'" the pope said. "Letting go of negative things quickly is healthy." ("Did I ever tell you about the self-absorbed neo-promethean pelagian, narcissistic, butterfly, careerist, tycoon priest I met the other day. My! I truly consider him to be a querulous and disillusioned, pessimistic, bat-like Christian the likes of which I have never met before. And I cannot stand old maids!")
9. Don't proselytize; respect others' beliefs. "We can inspire others through witness so that one grows together in communicating. But the worst thing of all is religious proselytism, which paralyzes: 'I am talking with you in order to persuade you,' No. Each person dialogues, starting with his and her own identity. The church grows by attraction, not proselytizing," the pope said. (But do, feel free, also, to 'go and teach all nations, baptising them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit...)
10. Work for peace. "We are living in a time of many wars," he said, and "the call for peace must be shouted. Peace sometimes gives the impression of being quiet, but it is never quiet, peace is always proactive" and dynamic. (So, why the war against, and persecution of, the Order of St Francis of Assisi and St Maximilian Kolbe, under the mantle of Our Blessed Lady?)

Our Blessed Lord mentioned God twice in His Beatitudes and these words were delivered by the Son of God! I haven't read the full interview of Pope Francis's 'top ten tips' to happiness and I am sure that within this new 'self-help' guide there is much to recommend, but why no noticeable mention of God and our need for Him in order to obtain that happiness which is eternal?

After all, God alone has the grace to give to make us blessed, or happy, in this life and blessed forever in the next. I suppose that, ultimately, Christianity can sound like Buddhism or self-help if we don't mention our need for Christ. The question is, is that Christianity? I don't know how a Pope has managed to make a ten point plan for happiness without mentioning God but with His Holiness all things, it seems, are possible, for one could be forgiven for thinking that this interview suggests we can find happiness without Him. Whatever has possessed him?

27 comments:

Celia said...

I'm tempted to send him my phone number and invite him to our parish SVP. Every week we have a 'spiritual reading' selected by a member and while some choose perfectly orthodox material there are several who read us something along this sort of 'I'm OK You're OK' (unless you're a neo-pelagian bat)stuff. He'd fit right in.
But then that's the point isn't it? He's the Pope of the Church of Nice.

Православный физик said...

God help us all....or get Pope Francis a muzzle...*shakes head in frustration*

Jacobi said...

What worries me about this list,and I confess I haven't followed it throught to the original sources, is that these points could have been made by any nice atheist or agnostic, for such do exist.

In fact I'm sure if I repeated them in the pub tonight no one would disagree, or give them any further thought for that matter, although I would be told to stop drifting off into my usual drivel and get back to dicussing real things such the the .....s having lost yet another match.

But when is the Holy Father going to preach the Truth of the One Holy Catholic and Apostolic Church instituted by Christ for the Salvation of Mankind, which no well meaning atheist or agnostic or protestant could teach?

Our Lady of Good Success-pray for us. said...

An anti-papal anti-church anti-Christ's-mission jesuit employed by a bunch of similarly minded lunatic liberal cardinals on the pew-punter's pence - does he or they have any concerns for the perfecting of the souls of Christ's own? Or ensuring that as many souls as possible join that flock? Or does he and his electors simply live in an otherworld, not populated by immortal souls in neglected bodily temples, but populated by like-minded ideologues, hell-bent on a materialistic utopia disavowing Truth and HIs Tradition, even while dystopia continues to pour out from their own words and deeds. I guess as the gospel of feeling-good-at-any-cost continues to be preached by the New Ecclesiologists there is the hope that the light of Tradition might shine that much brighter amidst their fog of falsehood.


Our Lady of Good Success-pray for us. said...


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gh4BmYwL5c4

EuropeanCatholic said...

I think it is his most bizarre interview yet.

What also occurred to me is how boring I found it.

Liam Ronan said...

I can't remember a time when I'd last heard about the 8 woes mentioned by Jesus at Matthew 23:13-29.

Long-Skirts said...

"Blessed are they who mourn, for they shall receive comfort"

Please...after this Pope's latest speech, make mine, Southern!!

Felix said...

And don't worry about profits, expenses, and things like that when thinking about jobs for young people. His Holiness doesn't believe in economics or finance - just be creative. It's the Peronist approach!

gracem said...

oh dear, when, oh when will he shut up?

gracem said...

please, someone, tell him to shut up!!!!

M. Prodigal said...

Long Skirts, you crack me up!

Thank you for keeping the plight of the FFI in your writings.

The persecution of the FFI gets stranger all the time. Certainly the smoke of satan entered in. But time will pass and holiness will be exonerated.

We have had 3 men claiming to be pope at one time. We have had popes who had mistresses and children. We have had popes who were all about secular power. Not every man under the white skull cap is a saint although all from VII seem to be being canonized.

This list without mentioning Our Precious Lord is a travesty. Relativism has come to the see of Peter. Lord, help us!

And this on the FFI:
http://www.creativeminorityreport.com/2014/07/the-thug-now-in-charge-of-ffi.html

http://veneremurcernui.wordpress.com/2014/07/29/franciscans-of-the-immaculate-case-takes-a-strange-and-disconcerting-turn/

http://eponymousflower.blogspot.com/2014/07/troika-over-franciscans-of-immaculate.html

http://rorate-caeli.blogspot.com/2014/07/la-stampa-police-now-used-to-intimidate.html

Православный физик said...

Long Skirts--make that a double, LOL!

Connecticut Catholic Corner said...

Praying Pope Francis takes a vow of silence.

:(

Bemused said...

Hmmm. From Monty Python's "The Meaning of Life":

"Well, that's the End of the Film, now here's the Meaning of Life.
[An envelope is handed to her. She opens it in a business-like way.]
Thank you Brigitte. ... Well, it's nothing special. Try and be nice to people, avoid eating fat, read a good book every now and then, get some walking in and try and live together in peace and harmony with people of all creeds and nations."

Lepanto said...

What a pathetic, bland, Godless manifesto. The man is an intellectual pygmy and a spiritual wrecking ball. Read what St. Faustina wrote in her diary on the day that this man was born. She knew that something very unpleasant had occurred that would affect the priesthood. Also read what St. Bridget of Sweden wrote about the Pope who would change the rules on celibacy (not a good eternal outcome for that Pope).

Anonymous said...

This is the blueprint for the Church of Man, founded by Pope Francis. It's no oversight that God is not mentioned in his list for happiness.

TLM33 said...

Wonder why my posts aren't showing up? I've not said anything offensive to anyone, and am not signing anything 'anonymous'. ?

Lynda said...

The new 10 commandments are diabolical relativist materialist socialist amoral New Age lies - and in opposition to the Catholic Faith and the Divine Law. How much more evil will the cardinals and bishops acquiesce to by their silence? Robert de Mattei said in respect of the corruption of the Church - Motus Fine in Velocior. I could never have imagined just how fast . . .

Ben said...

Hey Lepanto,

I'm interested in what St. Bridget said about celibacy and the Pope. Could you post a link?

God bless,

Ben

Our Lady of Good Success-pray for us. said...

@gracem - when he unplugs himself from his satan socket he might shutup.
@Liam - excellent point. Here's a version of them with a few updates in the spirit of Aggiornamento:

"But woe to you scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites; because you shut the kingdom of heaven against men, for you yourselves do not enter in; and those that are going in, you suffer not to enter....Woe to you scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites: because you devour the houses of widows [and Fransicans of the Immaculate], [giving] long [perfidious interviews]. For this you shall receive the greater judgment...Ye foolish and blind; for whether is greater, the gold, or the temple that sanctifieth the gold? [according to Bergoglio INC. neither the gold nor the temple are great or good.] Woe to you scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites...you have left the weightier things of the law; judgment, and mercy, and faith...undone...Blind guides, who strain out a gnat, and swallow a camel...Woe to you scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites; because you make clean the outside of the cup and of the dish, but within you are full of rapine and uncleanness...Woe to you scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites; because you are like to whited sepulchres, which outwardly appear to men beautiful, but within are full of dead men's bones, and of all filthiness, So you also outwardly indeed appear to men just [loved by the world]; but inwardly you are full of hypocrisy and iniquity...Woe to you scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites; that build the sepulchres of the prophets [of vatican II]."

here's haydocks commentary on the 'woe to you scribes, pharisees - hypocrites':

http://stjoeofoblog.wordpress.com/2013/08/25/haydock-bible-commentary-on-matthew-2313-22/

the exegesis of the first woe is a nail right on the New Ecumenism's head:

"You shut the kingdom of heaven. This is here taken for eternal happiness, which can be obtained only by faith in Christ, since he calls himself the gate. S. John c. 10.—Now the Pharisees, by refusing to believe in him, and conspiring against him, deterred those, who would otherwise have believed in Christ, from professing his name and following his doctrines, and thus shut the gate of heaven against them. Nic. de Lyra.—In all these reprehensions, it is to be noted, for the honour of the priesthood, Jesus Christ never reprehendeth priests by that name. S. Cyp. ep. lxv."

Unknown said...

Pope Francis drinking game is on, folks! He said a lot of stupid stuff so: everybody throwback 3 shots then turn in a circle 3 times and walk across the room. If you fall down please let us know with a post.

If you're out of booze see Longskirts for some Southern Comfort.

Seattle Kimmy

Kristi Bell said...

Move about it charity brothers and sisters. The same offenses that you acuse the Vicar of Christ of, you may be responsible for too.

The ugly comments are no good for the church, and make Traditionalists look like fools, at best

Kristi Bell

Anonymous said...

I agree with Kristi Bell. Humour and satire can be used in another way not with personal insults.
We love the Papacy no?

Barbara

Lepanto said...

Link for Ben:
https://archive.org/details/RevelationsOfSaintBridget

Book 7 Chapter 10

rosaMaria said...

"What Lynda said", she nailed-it. It's only too true and so sad it is or has happened so quickly. "Jesus, Mary and Jesus, I love you, Save souls"!! amen.

gracem said...

i think he has senile dementia!!!!

The Pope Who Won't Be Buried

It has been a long time since I have put finger to keyboard to write about our holy Catholic Faith, something I regret, but which I put larg...