Following the wrong person

[debraran]

Our priest gave a sermon last week about following people instead of Christ. Some people parish shop, not that anything is wrong with their parish, but they want a more charismatic priest. He knew of one priest that had a “fan following”, a group that moved with him when transfered and he liked that. He also spoke of a seminarian recently that asked before ordination if he could go to a different diocise, he liked this other bishop very much and his fellow seminarian, a good friend, was going there too. Well, they granted it and 1 year later, the bishop died and 3 years later, the friend he admired, left the priesthood. He wasn’t following Christ, but people.
I know the criisis in the church hit me hard, I know people who said they were dismayed when a priest they knew left or was arrested or when a TV priest like Fr. Francis stepped down. Recently a Father E (name escapes me) has been in the news, rumors flying, and I read one person said, when the news he feels is true “is real” he’s leaving, he’s had it. So many priests have failed him.

My point is how as human beings do we not put so much stock in people but just Christ? How do we overlook the failings of men that are supposed to be standing in for Christ on earth when the failings make you question vocations, truth and grace? Think of how it would be if someone like Fr. Corapi fell, the shock, etc. for some would shake their faith, but should it? Should we listen, be “fans” of anyone really?

What are your thoughts on this?

 

[onebreadonebody]

I think it helps to keep things in perspective. Yes, the Church is the body of Christ, and her members are all partakers of the divine nature. Yes, we are all temples of the Holy Spirit, and we are all called and gifted to be priest, prophet and king. Yes, as last Sunday’s Gospel reading tells us, we are the salt of the earth, the light of the world. Therefore, there’s something to be said about the witness we give being a testimony for others to taste and see.

BUT there are good and bad among us, and within each of us. We have the canonized saints, heroes of the faith, and their lives as powerful testimonies for our edification. We have good priests, deacons, bishops and nuns among us. None of them are fully good, of course, but if we choose to examine everyone rather than just the most sensationalized villains, we’ll see that there’s cause for inspiration as well as cause for reflection. In one of his parables, we are told that the weeds should be left alone for a while in order to avoid destroying the wheat as well. Is weed good for wheat?? Probably not, but being too aggressive about it, before it is time, will cause irreparable harm to the wheat in the process of weeding. So we can’t lose hope. There are wheat among us (and within us), but we should be aware of the weeds as well. They were planted by an enemy, as the parable says, but to give up on the wheat on account of the weeds will be letting the enemy win.

 

[Sum_Fidelis]

Christ did ask us to follow Him,and that is what we as Catholics,along with all other Christian religions,do,at least those who are practicing their faith. That was a good teaching in what may happen if we start following people. We both can and must** look up to some people** but not follow them,unless they follow Christ. Don’t know how it is elsewhere but in Finland we have a few charismatic movements,and that is not good,not good at all. To follow someone who speaks what we want to hear is stupid,I have during my years as a lawyer seen one thing more then others,people want to hear what they hope is true,but the only truth is what the Gospels tells us. Follow Jesus,and You can’t do wrong. God bless You.

 

[JRKH]

This will ever be a problem. Our fallen human nature makes it impossible to entirely eradicate.
I believe it is why Jesus had to ascend into heaven.
I believe it is why Jesus gave “The Church” and not just one individual the authority to bind and loose.
I believe it is why God selects some of the most unlikely people (children, the uneducated, the cloistered) to bring us messages of both hope and warning.

Yet - in spite of all of this, of Christ’s teachings that faith and the law must be writtenon our hearts, Too many get sucked up by charismatic speakers, and beaten down by scandals. Oh we of little faith…

Peace
James

 

[puzzleannie]

this is always going to be a problem as Christ himself foretold when he chose Judas as an apostle, knowing his heart, yet giving him the freedom to convert. That is why he chose Thomas who could doubt and Peter who could vacillate and equivocate. Most of all that is why he sent his Holy Spirit to guide and protect the Church so that in spite of the weakness of those who serve Her–weakness that Paul boasted of so that he could give the glory to Christ alone–she herself is strong, one, and holy and protected from teaching error.
follow Christ
follow Christ
follow Christ
That is precisely why Mary is the doorway to Christ for so many because she says “Do whatever He tells you.”

This situation also refers to the problems of entrenched lay ministries and apostolates wherein the groups and their members become more important than the parish in which they reside, and the activity of the group more important than the sacramental life of the congregation and the welfare of the whole parish. That is also the problem of parishes who resist the bishop’s efforts to close and merge, because they place themselves above the needs of the entire diocese.

 

[JRKH]

When Jesus walked among us He taught and cured but always he would say - “your faith has healed you” and when others could not do as he did, he said, “ye of little faith”…
He said that we could do as He did if we believed and had faith…
Yet the crowds did not go home and believe and have faith in God and in themselves throguh Christ. They continued to follow after Him and pester Him to do for them…Even after He told them they could do for themselves…

So has it been throughout history…The masses follow what they see… They will take from whoever appeals to them and if that person disappoint…The masses quickly depart, just as the disciples did on that Thursday night so long ago.

Christ was wiser than we. He know that, inorder for us to look inward, and to grow spiritually He needed to leave us physically. In this way we would look to ourselves and to the teachers he left us and to His spirit, the Holy spirit, for guidance as a community.

His kingdom lies within us and within The Church that we are…We may NOT have the individual faith strong enough to heal or raise the dead, but collectively we can change the world…

Peace
James

 

[Matt_707]

Just remember… Her majesty, the Church, is made up of human people. Due to original sin humans have natural flaws. Therefore, the Church will never be perfect and there will always be corruption. We must be able to look past that and look to Him who is the perfect example gave it all for us.

God bless!

 

[debraran]

We have that problem puzzleannie, we have 2 churches a mile apart and one is doing better with participants and money, the other not. They “joined” but still one is still floundering and no one wants it to close because it’s their church. I understand that, but an attachment to just the building isn’t always wise. Our priest also said he understood that, his old church of his childhood is a condo now (I know, that’s awful) but his Lord is still everywhere not just in that church.

I know I like watching Fr Groechel,but wouldn’t think ill of the church if he was cranky when I met him or couldn’t be “perfect” all the time.But I have seen many shaken to the core when someone they believed in was 2 different people. You wonder were they called or was it all a game, how could they believe in any of what they teach, if they break all their vows and don’t seem to want to stop. Maybe free will, being “free” will always allow some to pretend to be something they aren’t, but when you vow to be God’s servant, it’s a large commitment.Maybe TV and the Internet make it too easy to turn a man into a celebrity of sorts but that wont be going away, you just have to learn to minimize it.