Tuesday, March 19, AD 2024 6:33am

PopeWatch: Holy Spirit

PopeWatch2-199x300-199x300-199x300

 

More on the recent statement regarding proselytism of that the Pope made while he was addressing a mixed group of Lutherans and Catholics:

Transcript of pope’s remarks

15 year old girl: My friends do not go to Church, still they are my friends. Do I have to reconcile them with going to church or is it enough to remain good friends?

Pope Francis: The first question, the one that was posed in the context of the region having 80% of the population without a creed, is: “Do I have to convince these friends – good ones, who work and who are happy – do I have to convince them of my faith? What must I say to convince them?” Listen, the last thing you must do is to “speak.” You have to live as a Christian, like a Christian: convinced, forgiven, and on a path. It is not licit to convince them of your faith; proselytism is the strongest poison against the ecumenical path. You must give testimony to your Christian life; testimony will unsettle the hearts of those who see you. And from this unsettling grows one question: but why does this man or this woman live like that? And that prepares the ground for the Holy Spirit. Because it is the Holy Spirit that works in the heart. He does what needs to be done: but He needs to speak, not you. Grace is a gift, and the Holy Spirit is the gift of God from whence comes grace and the gift that Jesus has sent us by His passion and resurrection. It will be the Holy Spirit that moves the heart with your testimony – that is way you ask – and regarding that you can tell the “why,” with much thoughtfulness. But without wanting to convince.

Go here to read the rest.  PopeWatch is always suspicious of assurances that the Holy Spirit will do the heavy lifting.  As a Deacon friend of his has opined, what the Holy Spirit is probably usually doing is telling us to get off our dead rumps and get to work!  I hope that the 15 year old girl wasn’t too crushed by the Pope’s reply and will spread the Good News.

0 0 votes
Article Rating
12 Comments
Oldest
Newest Most Voted
Inline Feedbacks
View all comments
Philip
Philip
Friday, October 21, AD 2016 4:04am

Great advice.
I’ve been working and praying in nursing home environments for many years. One Protestant named Kay sat in our Rosary devotion for two years. She would listen to our prayers and ask me questions afterwards. One day Kay asked me what it would take for her to receive the Eucharist. “Entering into Jesus’ Holy Catholic Church,” was my reply. She did! I was granted permission to teach and sponsor Kay for the entrance into Holy Church. The fruits of the Luminous mystery combined with the works of an average Catholic doing his duty, contributed to Kay leaving the Presbyterian Church to come home to the fullness of Truth.

She receives Jesus every Thursday from the priest who visits all Catholics at her nursing home. This is what the Holy Spirit wanted for her. Praise be God forever.

Our witness is so much more powerful than words.

Philip
Philip
Friday, October 21, AD 2016 4:58am

“Preaching and witnessing!”

Agreed.

True as well that you can’t give what you don’t have.

Always good to pray for the Holy Spirit to enter in and guide. The Father Almighty will give his Spirit, but asking with contrite heart is always a great idea. Otherwise what good is clashing a cymbal?

Missy
Missy
Friday, October 21, AD 2016 5:32am

Is there a way to find the original transcript from the original source? This makes me so sad. When John the Baptist walked around yelling, “Repent! The kingdom of God is at hand” or when Jesus sent out His 72 disciples or when the missionaries from the Old World came to the New World, I’m pretty sure it wasn’t the “non-speaking” part that convinced people to convert. I would be very interested to know what Pope Francis would say to John the Baptist, or even Jesus, about their methods of spreading the Good News. “no, no, Jesus, there’s no need to tell people that they have to convert to get to Heaven.” oy vey!

Michael Dowd
Michael Dowd
Friday, October 21, AD 2016 7:08am

It is not the Holy Spirit that is guiding the Pope to say these things but the un-Holy Spirit. Our Pope is an anti-Pope doing the exact opposite of continuing the conversion of mankind to Christ. I wonder if the Pope has given any thought to the idea that life itself is a battleground for conversion. Obviously the devil is trying to get us to things his way. So are liberals and Communists and atheists and Pentecostals and Protestants. Recently, my friends who are Pentecostal are trying to convert me by bringing me literature, CDs, inviting me to their Church, etc.

If someone believes something is good they want others to believe it too. This is called conversion. Sales people do it all the time. Evidently, Pope Francis has no faith in his own product.

David Spaulding
David Spaulding
Friday, October 21, AD 2016 8:40am

His Holiness isn’t even practicing what he preaches.

If his interpretation is correct, what is the role of the Hierarchy and Catechism and the Bishops? Applied to himself, he should stay silent and live simply, offering no comment on the proper relationship between us and the Church and our God. We should look at our priests and bishops and pope and say “gosh, I want to be like them.” Of course, that would present a new problem because we would then go to our priest and say “how can I be like you” and they would reply “I am not supposed to talk about the faith because educating you on the Scriptures or our teachings is a grave sin. Just follow me as best you can and everything should be golden.”

Jesuits style themselves intellectuals. Nothing in this pope’s words suggest to me that there is anything going on upstairs at all. He comes off as utterly muddled. Heck, he is Trumpesque in his capacity to oversimplify an confuse even his most ardent supporters.

“Your Holiness… I mean this with all charity, could you please take your own advice and be silent?”

Mary De Voe
Friday, October 21, AD 2016 11:32am

The God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob spoke to Moses: “I AM WHO I AM”. The heavens opened up and God said: “This is my Beloved Son, in Whom I am well pleased.” God in heaven speaks. God, the Father, God, the Son, God, the Holy Spirit may only be addressed as “WHO”. The three sovereign Persons in the Blessed Trinity are WHO the Supreme Sovereign Being is.

Michael Paterson-Seymour
Michael Paterson-Seymour
Sunday, October 23, AD 2016 6:12am

David Spaulding wrote, “Jesuits style themselves intellectuals…”

And received a crushing retort from Pascal: “John 6:30. Quod ergo tu facis signum ut videamus et credamus tibi? (Non dicunt: Quam doctrinam praedicas?)” [What sign do you show, then, that we may see, and believe you? (They do not say: What doctrine do you preach?)]”
It was following the cure of his niece, Marguerite Perier, by the “Miracle of the Holy Thorn,” on 24 March 1656 at the convent on Port-Royal that he had a seal made, the device of which was a crown of thorns, from which emanated rays of light. Underneath was this motto : “Scio cui credidi.” (II Tim. 1:12) “I know in whom I have believed.”

FMShyanguya
Sunday, October 23, AD 2016 3:52pm

I continue to be amazed that as Pope Francis’ wrecking job continues, God continues to instruct and take care of his children [and at the same time convicting those in error] via very apt readings on or about Pope Francis’ erroneous works and words:

[…] 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. – Second Reading, Twenty-ninth Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year C, St. Paul | Apostle to St. Timothy, Bishop

(My emphasis)

David Spaulding
David Spaulding
Monday, October 24, AD 2016 11:08am

I am sorry, Michael Paterson-Seymour but I do not understand you.

Are you challenging me on my assertion that Jesuits style themselves intellectuals?

If so, I am willing to learn that I am wrong. I stated only my experience as a 46 year old Catholic who has encountered Jesuits a number of times in my life. I am not one and have never been trained by one so I acknowledge I may be wrong in my assessment.

I really do prayerfully struggle with His Holiness’ public statements. I do not reject them out of hand and go back to the Catechism, the Vatican Website, and Scripture to try to put these things into perspective. That is one of the things that concerns me: if a normal, average intelligence Catholic,motivated to try to understand, struggles, how much more so the many smarter, more secularized of my sisters and brothers who do not energetically apply themselves to the task?

Forgive me if it sounds defensive, for I do not intend it to be. I just want to understand whether I have slandered the order and, if so, in what way I should amend my view.

Michael Paterson-Seymour
Michael Paterson-Seymour
Tuesday, October 25, AD 2016 10:36am

David Spaulding wrote, “Are you challenging me on my assertion that Jesuits style themselves intellectuals?”
By no means; neither was Pascal. What he was pointing out was that they could point to no “signs” in support of their claims, such as the Miracle of the Holy Thorn that their opponents could point to.
This is how Pascal sums up the policy of of the Jesuits in Les Provinciales, “Know then that their object is not the corruption of manners — that is not their design. But as little is it their sole aim to reform them — that would be bad policy. Their idea is briefly this: They have such a good opinion of themselves as to believe that it is useful, and in some sort essentially necessary to the good of religion, that their influence should extend everywhere, and that they should govern all consciences. And the Evangelical or severe maxims being best fitted for managing some sorts of people, they avail themselves of these when they find them favourable to their purpose. But as these maxims do not suit the views of the great bulk of the people, they waive them in the case of such persons, in order to keep on good terms with all the world. Accordingly, having to deal with persons of all classes and of all different nations, they find it necessary to have casuists assorted to match this diversity.
“On this principle, you will easily see that, if they had none but the looser sort of casuists, they would defeat their main design, which is to embrace all; for those that are truly pious are fond of a stricter discipline. But as there are not many of that stamp, they do not require many severe directors to guide them. They have a few for the select few; while whole multitudes of lax casuists are provided for the multitudes that prefer laxity.”

David Spaulding
David Spaulding
Tuesday, October 25, AD 2016 11:47am

Wow! That sums the situation up nicely.

Thank you.

Discover more from The American Catholic

Subscribe now to keep reading and get access to the full archive.

Continue reading

Scroll to Top