Pope: Priests can be blinded by complex theology, ‘bubbly’ spirituality

  • Thread starter Thread starter gilliam
  • Start date Start date
Status
Not open for further replies.
G

gilliam

Guest
VATICAN CITY (CNS) — Priests must identify with people who are excluded and not be blinded by complex theology, an excessively “bubbly” and watered-down spirituality, and worldliness that is more and more accessible in the digital age, Pope Francis said.

Priests can also be oppressed by the allure of a “thousand commercial advertisements” that impede them from going forward “along paths that leads us to love of our brothers and sisters, to the Lord’s flock, to the sheep who wait for the voice of their shepherds,” he said March 24 during the chrism Mass in St. Peter’s Basilica.

However, Jesus comes to redeem and transform them from being poor and blind to ministers of God’s mercy and consolation.

Pope Francis presided over the first of two Holy Thursday liturgies, in which he blessed the oils that will be used in the sacraments of baptism, confirmation, ordination and the anointing of the sick. Later in the day, he was to celebrate the Holy Thursday Mass of the Lord’s Supper at a refugee center in Castelnuovo di Porto, about 15 miles north of Rome.

cnstopstories.com/2016/03/24/pope-priests-can-be-blinded-by-complex-theology-bubbly-spirituality/
 
gilliam said:
VATICAN CITY (CNS) — Priests must identify with people who are excluded and not be blinded by complex theology, an excessively “bubbly” and watered-down spirituality, and worldliness that is more and more accessible in the digital age, Pope Francis said.

Priests can also be oppressed by the allure of a “thousand commercial advertisements” that impede them from going forward “along paths that leads us to love of our brothers and sisters, to the Lord’s flock, to the sheep who wait for the voice of their shepherds,” he said March 24 during the chrism Mass in St. Peter’s Basilica.

However, Jesus comes to redeem and transform them from being poor and blind to ministers of God’s mercy and consolation.

Pope Francis presided over the first of two Holy Thursday liturgies, in which he blessed the oils that will be used in the sacraments of baptism, confirmation, ordination and the anointing of the sick. Later in the day, he was to celebrate the Holy Thursday Mass of the Lord’s Supper at a refugee center in Castelnuovo di Porto, about 15 miles north of Rome.

cnstopstories.com/2016/03/24/pope-priests-can-be-blinded-by-complex-theology-bubbly-spirituality/
Click to expand...
Maybe we should do what the Mormons do - all priests do a year solo or in pairs on the road as missionaries - let them pick the country, can be US. 🙂 Or work at a Protestant ministry as a neutral observer, intern for a year.

Smell like the sheep and read books at the seminary. Mary and Martha.
 
Can anybody here please translate this? Or shall we wait till Cardinal Muller(or somebody at the Vatican) cracks the pope’s code? :o
 
Jvrlns said:
Can anybody here please translate this? Or shall we wait till Cardinal Muller(or somebody at the Vatican) cracks the pope’s code? :o
Click to expand...
This was at a chrism Mass, so it was directed towards priests. The rest of the article shows that the focus of the priest must be an extreme mercy. The priest cannot let his focus on theology prevent this effusive, excess of mercy, or be so focused on the watered-down spirituality so that mercy is even an issue.

That is my take.
 
pnewton said:
This was at a chrism Mass, so it was directed towards priests. The rest of the article shows that the focus of the priest must be an extreme mercy. The priest cannot let his focus on theology prevent this effusive, excess of mercy, or be so focused on the watered-down spirituality so that mercy is even an issue.

That is my take.
Click to expand...
Thanks. I read the article and the first part sounds a bit strange to me, especially this: ‘Priests can also be oppressed by the allure of a “thousand commercial advertisements” that impede them from going forward…’ How can a priest be “opressed by the allure of commercial advertisements”? Unless he’s a compulsive buyer that is 😃 And even if that was the case, how is that related to what follows?
 
Ok, now I understand. I read the sermon in Spanish at news.va and it’s a lot clearer than the confusing paraphrase from CNS.
 
Jvrlns said:
Can anybody here please translate this? Or shall we wait till Cardinal Muller(or somebody at the Vatican) cracks the pope’s code? :o
Click to expand...
As one who spent 20 some years going to an upper-class suburban American parish, I knew instantly what the Pope probably meant by “bubbly” and “watered down”. I pictured our priests walking around the sanctuary at Mass with their microphones like they were hosting a talk show.

I remembered one of our priests, at the funeral of a friend’s father, who hadn’t been to church in 20 years, eulogizing about how the man was now up in heaven eating at his favorite buffet or playing a round of golf (obviously he had talked to the family before).
 
Jvrlns said:
Ok, now I understand. I read the sermon in Spanish at news.va and it’s a lot clearer than the confusing paraphrase from CNS.
Click to expand...
I read it in spanish too. I agree it is more understandable in Spanish. And I don’t even understand a singe word of spanish. :eek:
 
deaconjohnO said:
I read it in spanish too. I agree it is more understandable in Spanish. And I don’t even understand a singe word of spanish. :eek:
Click to expand...
:rotfl::rotfl::rotfl:

Well said. If he means complex theology that twists Church teaching to mean the opposite of what it means, then I would agree. Church teaching is pretty clear, this is right, that is wrong.
 
gilliam said:
VATICAN CITY (CNS) — Priests must identify with people who are excluded and not be blinded by complex theology
Click to expand...
That said, I would still prefer a priest to know his theology so he can “raise me up” after he identifies himself with me.

Just sayin…

Mike
 
zz912 said:
:rotfl::rotfl::rotfl:

Well said. If he means complex theology that twists Church teaching to mean the opposite of what it means, then I would agree. Church teaching is pretty clear, this is right, that is wrong.
Click to expand...
🙂 I found DJ’s comment pretty funny too. the irony is that it was the statement that was fully understandable in English.
 
The Marks of the Church
  1. One
  2. Holy
  3. Catholic
  4. Apostolic
  5. Clarification
 
“Jesus does not fight to build power. If he breaks down walls and challenges our sense of security, he does this to open the floodgates of that mercy which, with the Father and the Holy Spirit, he wants to pour out upon our world,”
I suspect this means something very specific, but I’ll wait a day or two before committing myself.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top