This is from Pope Francis' Regina Caeli talk this morning. My emphasis in red:
And so,
the image of the shepherd and the sheep indicates the close
relationship that Jesus wants to establish with each one of us. He is
our guide, our teacher, our friend, our model, but above all He is our
Saviour. In fact, the following expressions from the Gospel passage
affirm, ‘I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish, and no
one can take them out of My hand’ (v. 28). Who can say that? Only Jesus,
because the ‘hand’ of Jesus is one single thing with the ‘hand’ of the
Father, and the Father is ‘greater than all’ (v. 29).
These words communicate to us a sense of absolute security and of
immense tenderness. Our life is fully secure in the hands of Jesus and
the Father, which are one single thing: one unique love, a unique mercy,
revealed once for all in the sacrifice of the Cross. To save the lost
sheep which we all are, the Shepherd is made a lamb, and is allowed to
be immolated to take upon Himself and to take away the sin of the world.
In this way He has given us life, life in abundance (cfr. Jn 10:10)!
This mystery is renewed, in an always surprising humility, on the
Eucharistic table. It is there that the sheep are gathered to nourish
themselves; it is there that they become one thing, between themselves
and with the Good Shepherd.
Because of this we are no longer afraid: our life is now saved from
perdition. Nothing and no one can take us from the hands of Jesus,
because nothing and no one can overcome His love. The love of Jesus is
invincible.
The evil one, the great enemy of God and of His creatures,
attempts in many ways to take eternal life from us. But the evil one can
do nothing if we ourselves do not open to him the doors of our hearts,
following his deceitful enticements.
10 comments:
Some say that Hell begins at the final judgment....which could be tonight...or a trillion years from now....that between the time you die and then, one will be abiding in some other place....
Well his allowing everyone to believe that adulterers can receive communion without confession and amendment of life makes Francis culpable to all the sacraligeous communions and adulteress relationships that are being committed because of his scandalous speech and actions. So According to Catholic teaching Francis will in all likely hood really get to understand what Hell is like.
gob, people who say that are in error according to the teachings of the Church. See Benedictus Deus, Pope Benedict XII (1336). "Moreover we define that according to the general disposition of God, the souls of those who die in actual mortal sin go down into hell immediately (mox) after death and there suffer the pain of hell."
So...Anon...you're saying that Pope Francis is going to Hell. Pretty strong stuff...I hope a stone thrower like you has his or her own shi....stuff in order. No glass house or anything...
Marc...Are you sure that a comment by a single Pope in his book can be interpreted as "the teachings of the Church"? It sounds more like just his opinion to me...
"So...Anon...you're saying that Pope Francis is going to Hell. Pretty strong stuff...I hope a stone thrower like you has his or her own shi....stuff in order. No glass house or anything..."
How is speaking the truth stone throwing. Francis IS refusing to say that people in mortal sin cannot receive communion. Have you read the scriptures and what Christ actually said. He NEVER excuses sin or sinful behavior and says that anyone who causes one of the little to go astray should have a millstone about their neck and cast into the sea. Take up your complaint with Jesus, not me. I didn't make the rules. He did. And Francis can't change them.
gob, your point is a good one. In this case, Pope Benedict XII was clarifying the teaching as a result of the heresy that had been taught by his immediate predecessor Pope John XII. When Pope Benedict XII taught the doctrine in Benedictus Deus, therefore, he taught it definitively. So this is an example of the extraordinary magisterium that requires full assent of faith.
Prior to his becoming pope and even for some time while he occupied the Chair of Peter, John XXII argued that those who died in the faith did not see the presence of God until the Last Judgment. He never taught this officially. He eventually changed his position, and accepted that those who died in grace do immediately enjoy the beatific vision.
John XXII is not considered a heretic because the doctrine he had contradicted had not been formally defined by the Church until his successor, Benedict XII, addressed it in the encyclical Benedictus Deus, which formally defined this doctrine as part of Church teaching.
George, Pope John XXII taught the error publicly and attempted to force theologians to teach the error in seminary. Thankfully, he was resisted and counseled to repudiate his error, which he ultimately did before his death. You're right that he never imposed his error on the entire Church and so the principle of papal infallibility is not undone. According to St. Robert Bellarmine, who wrote extensively on the papacy contra the Protestants, John XXII supported an heretical thesis. His idea was heretical because it is contradicted by Scripture and Tradition -- and many people told him that at the time, which is what ultimately led him to recant the error.
So, perhaps we are saying the same thing. I think it is important to take note of the history here -- a pope can teach error in his homilies, for example. That is important to keep in mind in our day. A pope can support an heretical thesis in his writings and directives. Also important to keep in mind in our day. And it is because of people pointing out the error that a pope recanted his error before death so as not to die in error. Again, important to keep in mind in our day.
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