Who Me? Could I be Wrong?

By -

 

The Conversion of St. Paul yesterday, made me think about those who are causing division in the Church today. So many people are speaking out against Pope Francis, because, in their opinion, he is leading the Church in the wrong direction.

This is similar to Saul in his early days when he persecuted Jesus (the Church), until his eyes were opened and God showed him the error of his ways. When he realized his persecution of the Church was not of God, he had a change of heart and reversed his actions.

There are people today--out of pride or ignorance or whatever--who are attempting to lead people away from the Church by claiming Vatican II was a farce that should be ignored, and that their way to worship is the only way, and that Pope Francis himself is the devil incarnate.

They seriously need a conversion like St. Paul. They think, in their self-righteousness, that they are protecting people, when in fact, they are leading others to sin, and further away from God.

If St. Paul could be turned around, there's hope for us today. To imagine you are serving the good, when in fact you are not, is dangerous. How wonderful that we have in St. Paul a true model of conversion, and an example of what happens when we encounter Jesus.

May we allow humility and awe before God to be our mainstay.  
 
If you are following anyone who thinks the answer is to create more division in the Church, in the name of holiness, or to practice greater rigidity, excluding those who will not "get in line," step carefully, for the true path to Jesus is only paved by love.
 
Janet Cassidy
janetcassidy.com
Follow my Facebook page at:
https://www.facebook.com/reflectionsinfaith/

 


 
 
 

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

SAINT ELIZABETH, MOTHER OF JOHN THE BAPTIST- Feast: November 5

By -
Image
Elizabeth appears in the Gospel of Luke, where she is described as “righteous in the eyes of God, observing all the commandments and ordinances of the Lord blamelessly,”.  I imagine that she was warm, loving and obviously a safe harbour for young Mary, who was not married when she conceived.  When Mary came to visit her, Elizabeth was pregnant with St. John the Baptist and in her sixth month: “Blessed art thou among women and blessed is the fruit of thy womb. And how have I deserved that the mother of my Lord should come to me? For behold, the moment that the sound of thy greeting came to my ears, the babe in my womb leapt for joy. And blessed is she who has believed, because the things promised her by the Lord shall be accomplished.” 
Read more

The Memorare

By Helen Gonsalves -
Image
This popular prayer, a favorite of many Catholics, dates back to the 15th century and takes its name from the first Latin word of the prayer, "memorare," which means "remember." The Memorare is of unknown authorship, although it has been attributed to St. Augustine (354-430), St. John Chrysostom (c. 347-407) and, with more reason, to St. Bernard of Clairvaux (c. 1090-1153). St. Bernard's sermons on Mary were famous, and it was his Cistercian monks in the monastery of Citeaux in the 12th century who popularized the name "Our Lady" for Mary. The Memorare has also been attributed to the French cleric Claude Bernard (1588-1641), known as the "poor priest" of Paris, whose homilies contain passages that echo its words. No matter who wrote this prayer, it was Father Bernard who did much to popularize it, teaching it in hospitals and prisons, where Mary's intercession was effective in working miracles of grace. The first manuscript of the Mem...
Read more

'Greater Love: Richie Fernando SJ', a joy-filled Filipino missionary

By -
Image
 I haven't been able to post for more than a week as I was giving an eight-day directed retreat to eight sisters of the Missionaries of Charity near Manila. While I had some access to the internet it was rather slow. I had intended to make a post here on the murder of Fr Fausto Tentorio PIME , a 59-year-old Italian priest, in the Diocese of Kidapawan, Mindanao, on Monday 17 October. I will save that post for a later date. As I was looking for a video about Father Fausto I came across one about Brother Richard Michael 'Richie' Fernando SJ, a Filipino Jesuit scholastic who died while trying to prevent a troubled and disabled young man in Cambodia from throwing a grenade. That was in 1996 - on 17 October. Father Fausto gave his life exactly 15 years later. I remember the mixture of sorrow and pride I felt when I read of the death of Brother Richie, pride as a missionary in the Philippines that a young Filipino seminarian had given his life so spontaneously in order to sav...
Read more