GOD, who as at this time didst teach the hearts of thy faithful people, by the sending to them the light of thy Holy Spirit; Grant us by the same Spirit to have a right judgement in all things, and evermore to rejoice in his holy comfort; through the merits of Christ Jesus our Saviour, who liveth and reigneth with thee, in the unity of the same Spirit, one God, world without end. Amen.
Archives For November 30, 1999
People who tend to lean more Republican/Conservative more often than not put more focus on the more dogmatic aspects of Christianity. The dogmatic aspects of Christianity are important because they preserve the structure. People who tend to lean more Liberal/Democratic more often than not put more focus on the more spiritual side of Christianity. The spiritual aspects of Christianity are important because they update the structure. Both are important and play their role.
One aspect of the Republican platform, which by the way I’m not advocating, that does I feel speak to Christian values is the concept of personal responsibility. In the end you will need to give an account to God and nobody will be able to vouch for you on your behalf. Ultimate responsibility for your Christ-like walk and faith lies with you. What you will find by studying the political platforms is that both sides have aspects that are biblical and other aspects where they are not. That’s why there really is no correct answer as to which political side a Christian ought to advocate for and why politics can divide the church.
Reformers recognized that those earlier believers were not inspired, were not inerrant, and, in fact, quite often made errors in their judgments and beliefs, just as people do today. The only infallible rule of faith, they argued, is found in the pages of Holy Writ. The big differences between Catholic and Protestant versions of sola scriptura are that Catholicism believes an authority in the form of the papacy is necessary along with tradition. One of the big ironies about sola scriptura is that the same arguments against Protestantism are used against the Orthodoxy by Catholicism. So between Orthodoxy and Catholicism you have two churches claiming the authority of tradition, and yet their authorities conflict with each other; their traditions conflict with each other. And yet, they laugh at Protestants.
The problem is that human wisdom is fallible, and not a sufficient foundation for believing anything about God. It is not sufficient to assume that when the New Testament speaks of tradition, it means tradition in the sense of the Roman Catholic or Orthodoxy way of understanding tradition. God’s Word needed to be written down to govern His people through all generations. And so it’s not surprising that this written Scripture became the standard for testing.
This is why I can appreciate Bishop Barron’s approach to Catholicism and the Reformation. I too think its better for Protestants and Catholics to find common doctrine to build on rather than create animosity. I do appreciate that he unlike other Catholic thinkers does acknowledge the faults in the Church when dealing with the reformers and not being receptive to the criticisms. I do think however that he does still tend to dance around some of the fundamental issues for the cause of the separation between the churches. Those fundamental issues being: purgatory, the mass, transubstantiation, indulgences, the treasury of merit, penance, the rosary, prayers to Mary, holy water, the papacy, and on and on. What you will find is that biblical exegesis does not support these traditions only a supposed Apostolic Oral Tradition.
I do enjoy the more traditional and liturgical aspects of Catholicism. I studied Latin from an early age and on a stay in Rome I had the pleasure of attending a Benedictine vespers. Very awe inspiring and actually made me want to consider the Catholic faith. However I did not make the switch mainly due to my reservations in the differing theologies.
Interesting take on the differences between Pope Francis and Pope Benedict with a nice twist at the end. I was half expecting the author to eventually side with Francis since he is clearly the more popular of the two particularly among non-Catholic believers. Perhaps that explains why Mr. Schmitz agrees with Pope Benedict’s message enduring long term due to its unpopular but doctrinally sound positions.
https://www.firstthings.com/web-exclusives/2017/05/burying-benedict
GRANT, we beseech thee, Almighty God, that like as we do believe thy only-begotten Son our Lord Jesus Christ to have ascended into the heavens; so we may also in heart and mind thither ascend, and with him continually dwell, who liveth and reigneth with thee and the Holy Ghost, one God, world without end. Amen.
O LORD, from whom all good things do come: Grant to us thy humble servants, that by thy holy inspiration we may think those things that be good, and by thy merciful guiding may perform the same; through our Lord Jesus Christ. Amen.
Father of Jesus
Dawn returns, but without thy light within no outward light can profit;
Give me the saving lamp of thy Spirit that I may see thee, the God of my salvation, the delight of my soul, rejoicing over me in love.
I commend my heart to thy watchful care, for I know its treachery and power;
Guard its every portal from the wily enemy, give me quick discernment of his deadly arts, help me to recognize his bold disguise as an angel of light, and bid him begone.
May my words and works allure others to the highest walks of faith and love!
May loiterers be quickened to greater diligence by my example!
May worldlings be won to delight in acquaintance with thee!
May the timid and irresolute be warned of coming doom by my zeal for Jesus!
Cause me to be a mirror of thy grace, to show others the joy of thy service, may my lips be well tuned cymbals sounding thy praise, let a halo of heavenly-mindedness sparkle around me and a lamp of kindness sunbeam my path.
Teach me the happy art of attending to things temporal with a mind intent on things eternal.
Send me forth to have compassion on the ignorant and miserable.
Help me to walk as Jesus walked, my only Savior and perfect model, his mind my inward guest, his meekness my covering garb.
Let my happy place be amongst the poor in spirit, my delight the gentle ranks of the meek.
Let me always esteem others better than myself, and find in true humility an heirdom to two worlds.
James 1:22-27
BE ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves. For if any be a hearer of the word, and not a doer, he is like unto a man beholding his natural face in a glass. For he beholdeth himself, and goeth his way, and straightway forgetteth what manner of man he was. But whoso looketh into the perfect law of liberty, and continueth therein, he being not a forgetful hearer, but a doer of the work, this man shall be blessed in his deed. If any man among you seem to be religious, and bridleth not his tongue, but deceiveth his own heart, this man’s religion is vain. Pure religion and undefiled before God and the Father is this, To visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction, and to keep himself unspotted from the world.
Iacobus 1:22-27
estote autem factores verbi et non auditores tantum fallentes vosmet ipsos quia si quis auditor est verbi et non factor hic conparabitur viro consideranti vultum nativitatis suae in speculo consideravit enim se et abiit et statim oblitus est qualis fuerit qui autem perspexerit in lege perfecta libertatis et permanserit non auditor obliviosus factus sed factor operis hic beatus in facto suo erit si quis autem putat se religiosum esse non refrenans linguam suam sed seducens cor suum huius vana est religio religio munda et inmaculata apud Deum et Patrem haec est visitare pupillos et viduas in tribulatione eorum inmaculatum se custodire ab hoc saeculo
“Will you deny all ungodliness and worldly lusts, and live soberly, righteously, and godly in this present world; that you may show yourself in all things an example of good works unto others, that the adversary may be ashamed, having nothing to say against you?”
I agree with Hitchens interpretation of great men’s deeds. I think its incredibly foolish to expect for someone to be perfect when we know full well that all men have fallen short in their own way. This is one of the reasons why I admire different things various individuals have done but would never ignore their temptations as well. Nobody is perfect. The article on Mr. Bell was quite interesting and makes me want to learn more about this intelligent and culturally vibrant individual. I agree also that the Anglican church and Episcopalian one are in this day in age laughable because they are content to ascribe to the world’s standards and not God’s.
https://www.firstthings.com/article/2016/11/in-defense-of-george-bell
Acerbity [əˈsɜːbɪtɪ] 