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Enter meme.
Yes it is crazy. I guess the world can also be convinced that the Pope is not a practicing Catholic either. You know by now that the media is making a huge deal of the latest interview from Pope Francis (CLICK HERE FOR FULL INTERVIEW). Sorry, you'll have to read a little (a lot). Its not short. If you want to save some time here is a short bit on what he said.
You should then proceed to read Jimmy Akin's blog about.
Now... I am not about reinventing the wheel. There are many things I can discuss in this blog but I choose not to discuss things if I feel I can just link the reader to a great source. So what I want to do here is quickly talk about the situation in a contemplative sense. What's that you say? Let me bring to you wonderful mind some nuggets to consider in listening to the media and going forward with Pope Francis.
The media is on a honeymoon with Pope Francis. He gives them more firepower with his off the cuff remarks. Francis is not as, lets say precise or considerate of what he says as his predecessor or his predecessor's predecessor. It really speaks to his humility when you think about it. From day one we have witnessed a Pope that doesn't care for a lavish life. The media soaked this up early and soon turned to malign or twist anything and everything he says. Now if a Pope makes a silly comment we need to know the difference between a Magisterial document and an interview. Each week its as if there is new material to spin. It was the "who am I to judge" comment on gays. It was the comment about the Priori. Then it was the scribble of the atheist-being-saved comment. The fact is, our Holy Father isn't as careful to explain in context what he is saying and naturally much of what he says is interpretable.
Where with Blessed JPII and Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI we were in a season of scholarship, we could and should consider the season to have changed to a season of humility and love. In Patrick Madrid's "Envoy for Christ", his other book "Search and Rescue" and still the newest "On a Mission" he re-re-re-re-re, and still more emphasizes LOVE, GENTLENESS, PRAYER, and HUMILITY. In Madrid's eyes, even if you would learn the world over and become a perfect Apologist and were capable of converting Satan himself, if you had not love, you are null, ineffective and all your efforts would be like a cake without icing. It just wouldn't be a cake. You'd have a convert, but not a real convert of the heart. There has to be both.
We are among very few generations who will live to see more than 2 or even 3 Popes. Let us be accepting and understanding of the benefits of that.
Now what about the Catholics who are dissident to the Church? Those "rebels" who are public figures who claim the title of "Catholic" yet pick and choose which parts of the faith fit their lifestyle? For those faithful Catholics, these people at times anger us. But let me offer this to you if you think like that (which we all do from time to time): what about the vineyard workers who worked all day and earned the same as the hand hired in the last hour? Yes, this is a parable about those who are life long religious vexing those who convert in their last hour, but it works the same for those who accept and submit their entire lives to the Magisterium and those who just barely cut the quick. It might be a shame for them and an embarrassment to the Church but it says a great deal about the power of the first principal of the Church - Jesus is Lord and He has saved your life. The Kerygma.
There is so much more to say but I promised a friend I would make these short. You get the point though. There is a change of season. The Pope is not a far-left liberal Catholic. We must challenge wrongful teaching, but do so with humility and love. And finally we must first remember the power of truth and that some will get much of it and some will get little of it. What you must do is pray for them and if the opportunity comes you must love them.
