You have to take it as a whole, including the second part. I think it’s saying that it’s better to “preach” by actions than by words.
Really? Then how do you convey the concept of the Trinitarian nature of God to JW’s? By Interpretative Dance???
Because many of the hymns (which are not selected by the Church, but by publishing houses) are borderline heretical and often misguided. I’m sure I’ll take some heat for that, but 'tis the truth.
MY own take: we can preach all we want but our actions will speak a whole lot louder. I have hears so many people go on and on about being a Christian, but how they live their lives says something entirely different. And then they wonder why more people don’t convert or believe in God.
You’ll get no heat from me… lots of lame songs out there.
As my spiritual director says, “said no saint ever”
.I dared to ask whether the Music we hear at Mass is appropriate for the Mass on this recent thread
You can’t. It’s a waste of time, they’re brainwashed and fed through a deeply flawed Bible translation, and there’s nothing that the average Catholic can do when they knock on your door, only a trained psychologist or psychiatrist could possibly crack that nut open.Really? Then how do you convey the concept of the Trinitarian nature of God to JW’s? By Interpretative Dance???
I understand what you are saying, my point was a’ tongue in cheek’ (hence the smiley) way of noting that the Truths of our Church are complex in nature, and thus it would be foolish to believe “that it’s better to “preach” by actions than by words”
I think you have to get their foot in the door first before one can preach. That’s where we, as laity, come in. Then there’s RCIA, homilies, etc, where the experts step in to preach and teach with words, when we’ve done our job of preaching by our actions
This. This x1000.
Really? Then how do you convey the concept of the Trinitarian nature of God to JW’s? By Interpretative Dance???
Do we have any volunteers who would like to preach to nonbelievers what the Trinity is, and do it credibly, so that a nonbeliever might be prone to absorb it?
Is even the Pope able to do that? That’s a very difficult task. The Trinity is a mystery, as are many other things theological. The Trinity is also not just a dogma on paper, but a reality.Except St. Francis never actually said thatI think there is a difference between “preaching” and “teaching”. If you come across as preaching a sermon to people, you tend to turn them off. However, by witnessing to the love of Jesus through gentle teaching and interaction, you can help to turn others to Him. In terms of the JW question - again, you don’t preach a sermon about the Trinity; you just gently explain. Ideally, this conversation would result from a behaviour/non-threatening statement of yours that invited the person to open up to you and ask you that question. I love the quote from St. Francis of Assisi: “Preach the Gospel, and when necessary, use words”. There are times when words are indeed necessary, but we are called to invite people to the Church through our lives, not by “standing on a street corner, yipping and hollering” (to quote a friend)
Do we normally sing Catholic hymns at Mass to either preach or teach to unbelievers?? The thread is about a song (“hymn”) published as a Mass song. If the above explanation was the intention, it could have been put forth in a homily rather than in a silly sounding song. I once heard an elderly priest ad lib the Eucharistic Prayer with this innovation (among many others) “make us a caring and sharing people.”Do we have any volunteers who would like to preach to nonbelievers what the Trinity is, and do it credibly, so that a nonbeliever might be prone to absorb it?
We can witness to the realities of our faith by living them. Preaching can obviously be a part of that. But living the faith makes it “real” for someone who does not understand or believe it. Our lives can show others this reality when words cannot fully suffice.
For example, the Trinity is three divine persons in loving relationship. Living in a Christian marriage is a witness to that relationship, a participation in this reality. Others can see this reality at work, even if they don’t explicitly understand it.