Please can we ALL STOP dividing the Holy Church?

[englands123]

Regardless if you are Christians, Catholic or Eastern Orthodox… This is a time to come together not SEPARATE or point scoring.

The Lord loves US ALL…

 

[fide]

It is sin that divides - sin in us and among us. As time advances toward the Last Days, we can expect more and more resistance of - denial of - Truth, and a willingness to compromise Truth for the sake of “unity” (that is, “Can’t we all just get along?”). Truth is essential, and enables the Love that is the glorious luminance of Holy Truth.

The 1st Reading in the Mass today is this:

Beloved:
I charge you in the presence of God and of Christ Jesus,
who will judge the living and the dead,
and by his appearing and his kingly power:
proclaim the word;
be persistent whether it is convenient or inconvenient;
convince, reprimand, encourage through all patience and teaching.
For the time will come when people will not tolerate sound doctrine
but, following their own desires and insatiable curiosity,
will accumulate teachers and will stop listening to the truth
and will be diverted to myths.
But you, be self-possessed in all circumstances;
put up with hardship;
perform the work of an evangelist;
fulfill your ministry.
For I am already being poured out like a libation,
and the time of my departure is at hand.
I have competed well;
I have finished the race; I have kept the faith.
From now on the crown of righteousness awaits me,
which the Lord, the just judge,
will award to me on that day, and not only to me,
but to all who have longed for his appearance.
[2 TM 4:1-8]

 

[PatienceAndHumility]

Amen to that. The key to this is respect of authority and obedience. Holy Mother Church is in her Passion. We must fight from within the Church!

 

[fide]

I’m sorry - I don’t understand what you are affirming and what you are rejecting.

 

[PatienceAndHumility]

Obedience to the Church hierarchy is very important. When it is abandoned, often you will find excessive legalism fill the void. This quickly leads to perceived “evil” being used as an excuse for e.g. schism.

Regarding the rest of your post, God judges you on your capacity. I.e. if you’re born into another faith, or ignorant to Truth, you will be judged accordingly. Similarly, those with much knowledge also have much responsibility.

This does not contradict my point regarding obedience to Church hierarchy.

 

[fide]

Amen to that. The key to this is respect of authority and obedience. Holy Mother Church is in her Passion. We must fight from within the Church!

Can you explain please?
key to what?
Church in Passion?
fight what within the Church how?

 

[PatienceAndHumility]

Dear Brother. My reading of OP is that they are calling us to decry schism. In turn, I have said obedience is key. Church is in her Passion is a reference to the suffering Church, from whom we must not flee. We fight from within, not flee in schism. Peace!

 

[AlNg]

To say that the reason of why we christians are separated is sin it is true, but is vague, , we need to identify what is wrong

What is wrong is what happened in 1054 when a Roman Catholic cardinal served a letter excommunicating the head of the Greek Church and effectively separating the Roman and Greek churches. One reason given as to why the Roman Church separated was because the Greek Church allowed married priests.

 

[fide]

Not only sin but the Church Magisterium itself:

Pope Eugenius IV, Concilio de Florencia, “Cantate Domino”, 1441, ex cathedra

“It firmly believes [The Church), professes, and proclaims that those not living within the Catholic Church, not only pagans, but also Jews and heretics and schismatics cannot become participants in eternal life, but will depart “into everlasting fire which was prepared for the devil and his angels” [Matt. 25:41], unless before the end of life the same have been added to the flock;”

Well I can agree with you if that POPE was in sin.

I am confused by this post - do you want to say that this pope was in sin, or do you want to say that this pope was not in sin?

 

[Dolphin]

The Lord loves US ALL…

The Lord also loves all Muslims, Jews, Hindus, Buddhists, Sikhs, Atheists…

Can we stop dividing people by Christian vs non Christian and simply say: Let’s all come together as one group of human beings made in the image and likeness of God and create a world that is more humane, loving, and merciful.

 

[fide]

That is not the point, who cares, what is important is what this POPE said is absolutely WRONG, God does not send to hell people only because they were born Jewish, Muslim or Ortodox, maybe he was not in sin, who knows, but he was Wrong.

This pope did not say what you accuse him of! Did you read this:

Pope Eugenius IV, Concilio de Florencia, “Cantate Domino”, 1441, ex cathedra

“It firmly believes [The Church), professes, and proclaims that those not living within the Catholic Church, not only pagans, but also Jews and heretics and schismatics cannot become participants in eternal life, but will depart “into everlasting fire which was prepared for the devil and his angels” [Matt. 25:41], unless before the end of life the same have been added to the flock;”

I believe we can be confident that they will hear the Gospel in an authentic, clear way - and thus have an opportunity to hear the authentic TRUTH of God for themselves, so that the justice of God may be righteous, as God IS righteous.

Why can we be confident about this? Because the Lord Jesus, according to Scripture, went to the place of the dead to preach the Gospel to those who died before He preached and died and rose from the dead for our salvation. Those innocent righteous were given an opportunity, before Judgment, to be saved. In the Catechism:

Paragraph I. Christ Descended into Hell
632 The frequent New Testament affirmations that Jesus was “raised from the dead” presuppose that the crucified one sojourned in the realm of the dead prior to his resurrection.<Acts 3:15; Rom 8:11; I Cor 15:20; cf. Heb 13:20> … Jesus, like all men, experienced death and in his soul joined the others in the realm of the dead. But he descended there as Saviour, proclaiming the Good News to the spirits imprisoned there.<Cf. I Pt 3:18-19>
637 In his human soul united to his divine person, the dead Christ went down to the realm of the dead. He opened heaven’s gates for the just who had gone before him.

We can be confident that such justice will extend also to all the righteous who, through no fault of their own, did not hear the saving truth before they were to be called to Judgment. They will hear Him, and can thus be saved.

 

[annad347]

Isn’t the fact that Catholic leaders and Lutheran leaders are talking together to help each other understand their difference so they can figure out how we can unite our churches, because the core of all Christian churches is our love for Jesus Christ.

Wasn’t the Joint Declaration on the Doctrine of Justification a start to unite us. Also from my understanding they are also talking about the Eucharist.

God’s plan to stop the divisions in His Holy Church is in the works. I believe one day all of God’s churches will be united, if not on earth then definitely in heaven.