Thursday, March 28, AD 2024 11:49pm

The Pope Never Fails to Disappoint

[1] Therefore, if you be risen with Christ, seek the things that are above; where Christ is sitting at the right hand of God: [2] Mind the things that are above, not the things that are upon the earth. [3] For you are dead; and your life is hid with Christ in God. [4] When Christ shall appear, who is your life, then you also shall appear with him in glory. [5] Mortify therefore your members which are upon the earth; fornication, uncleanness, lust, evil concupiscence, and covetousness, which is the service of idols.

[6] For which things the wrath of God cometh upon the children of unbelief, [7] In which you also walked some time, when you lived in them. [8] But now put you also all away: anger, indignation, malice, blasphemy, filthy speech out of your mouth. [9] Lie not one to another: stripping yourselves of the old man with his deeds, [10] And putting on the new, him who is renewed unto knowledge, according to the image of him that created him.

Colossians 3: 1-10

0 0 votes
Article Rating
30 Comments
Oldest
Newest Most Voted
Inline Feedbacks
View all comments
David WS
David WS
Tuesday, June 29, AD 2021 5:56am

I dare say the Pope is very rigid in his attacks on rigidity.

Dave G.
Dave G.
Tuesday, June 29, AD 2021 6:04am

Not only is there the problem with his own rigidity and the clear ‘do as I say, not as I do’, but is ‘rigidity’, at least in fealty to Catholic teaching, really the big problem facing the Church – or the world – today?

Deacon Edward Peitler
Deacon Edward Peitler
Tuesday, June 29, AD 2021 6:21am

Drain the Swamp!

Nate Winchester
Nate Winchester
Tuesday, June 29, AD 2021 6:35am

I’m protestant and even I find this offensive.

“Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor, serving the Lord.” -Romans 12:11 (NIV)
“It is fine to be zealous, provided the purpose is good, and to be so always, not just when I am with you.” -Galatians 4:18 (NIV)

Forget “is the pope catholic”, next time can you get one who’s Christian?

Trebuchet
Trebuchet
Tuesday, June 29, AD 2021 6:42am

Francis’s agenda is two steps toward marxism, one step back.

David WS
David WS
Tuesday, June 29, AD 2021 7:08am

“Does a bear s… in the woods?
Is the Pope – Catholic?”

Nate, I take solace that we still have the bears….

Nate Winchester
Nate Winchester
Tuesday, June 29, AD 2021 7:09am

@David WS – Elisha did teach us that bears are faithful servants of God’s will.

Dale Price
Dale Price
Tuesday, June 29, AD 2021 7:33am

“White Baby Boomer Whose Worldview was Set in Concrete When Leisure Suits were Popular Continues to Deliver Long-Winded Lectures on Open-Mindedness.”

Dale Price
Dale Price
Tuesday, June 29, AD 2021 7:36am

Speaking only for myself: when you have no expectation that the man will say or do the right thing, you are never disappointed. And I gotta say–it helps.

Don L
Don L
Tuesday, June 29, AD 2021 7:46am

Gee I thought St Paul was famously known for “un-rigidly” giving up his tradition (the old Jewish faith) after meeting God the hard way. Only this pope can have enough self-righteousness to denigrate one of the world’s most beloved and well know saints.
This confused pope confuses pious passion for rigidity. By the way, remember when he tries (for political purposes?) to keep rigidity as an evil, that Christ was rigidly insistent that every word of the prophets would be fulfilled…even to his death.

MrsOpey
MrsOpey
Tuesday, June 29, AD 2021 8:35am

Teaching About the Law.
17
* “Do not think that I have come to abolish the law or the prophets. I have come not to abolish but to fulfill.
18
Amen, I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not the smallest letter or the smallest part of a letter will pass from the law, until all things have taken place.m
19
Therefore, whoever breaks one of the least of these commandments and teaches others to do so will be called least in the kingdom of heaven. But whoever obeys and teaches these commandments will be called greatest in the kingdom of heaven.*
20
I tell you, unless your righteousness surpasses that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will not enter into the kingdom of heaven.

I miss Pope Benedict. :(. He had a way of admonishing and comforting all.

Jason
Jason
Tuesday, June 29, AD 2021 8:59am

The difficulty (at least one of many) with broadly applying sophomoric pop psychology categories is that one quickly winds up in unworkable absurdities. Rigidity as a characteristic is neither an absolute good nor an absolute evil. It’s good for a jellyfish to not have a rigid structure, but it’s bad for a human to not have a more or less rigid skeleton. Similarly, in religion there are things it is necessary to be rigid about (doctrine, morality, etc.) and things to not be as rigid about. St. Paul himself helpfully demonstrates this in exhorting Timothy to uphold and defend doctrine, rebuke those who don’t hold to it, etc., while elsewhere exhorting believers to not put stumbling blocks in the way for others with more scrupulous consciences in regards to things that don’t touch on doctrine or morality (such as his example of meat sacrificed to idols).

The irony I find is that of all the New Testament writers, St. Paul is commonly the one most lambasted for being the apotheosis of the rigid stick-in-the-mud by those who loathe his moral teaching, especially concerning the so-called pelvic issues.

As far as the “sword-wielding in defense of Tradition,” I also enjoy the irony of how St. Paul is traditionally depicted bearing a sword, even, if I’m not mistaken, right outside of St. Peter’s. It feels a bit like a Babylon Bee article.

Bob Kurland
Admin
Tuesday, June 29, AD 2021 9:16am

If the cardinals electing a pope feel the inspiration of the Holy Ghost, what is God trying to tell us in the election of Bergoglio to the Papacy?

Dale Price
Dale Price
Tuesday, June 29, AD 2021 9:32am

The Holy Spirit protects papal elections. He does NOT inspire them.
The difference is galactic.

David WS
David WS
Tuesday, June 29, AD 2021 9:48am

Three things…
1. The words “surprise or surprised” do not appear in the Divine Vocabulary.
Peace. He’s in the Boat.
2. Cardinals elect the Pope. It’s the mystery of our free will and God’s.
3. We get the pastors we deserve.

Bob Kurland
Admin
Tuesday, June 29, AD 2021 9:53am

Dale, please enlarge on the difference between “protect” and “inspire.” This brain of little brain doesn’t understand the galactic difference.

Dale Price
Dale Price
Tuesday, June 29, AD 2021 10:08am

I will simply quote Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger speaking on the subject in 1997:

““I would not say so, in the sense that the Holy Spirit picks out the Pope. . . . I would say that the Spirit does not exactly take control of the affair, but rather like a good educator, as it were, leaves us much space, much freedom, without entirely abandoning us. Thus the Spirit’s role should be understood in a much more elastic sense, not that he dictates the candidate for whom one must vote. Probably the only assurance he offers is that the thing cannot be totally ruined. . . . There are too many contrary instances of popes the Holy Spirit obviously would not have picked!”

https://www.catholic.com/magazine/online-edition/does-god-pick-the-pope

Art Deco
Art Deco
Tuesday, June 29, AD 2021 11:21am

If the cardinals electing a pope feel the inspiration of the Holy Ghost, what is God trying to tell us in the election of Bergoglio to the Papacy?

That they’re feeling it and disregarding it. Because feckless institutional apparatchiks.

Lucius Quinctius Cincinnatus
Tuesday, June 29, AD 2021 12:07pm

Maybe this is already posted elsewhere at TAC, but this Pope has given public support to Fr. James Martin’s homo-heresy.

https://twitter.com/JamesMartinSJ/status/1409115351539912704

This Pope is a Marxist Peronist heretical caudillo, and I pray daily that God will depose and anathematize him. We got our King Saul (1st Samuel chapter 8). And that King Saul did get deposed (1st Samuel chapter 31). The process however wasn’t pleasant. Maybe God can be more merciful this time and sequester our sentimental old fool to an isolated monastery on Mount Athos in northeastern Greece for the remainder of his natural life.

GregB
Tuesday, June 29, AD 2021 12:40pm

Pope Francis and his version of mercy appear to take after the Parable of the Dishonest Manager.

Pinky
Pinky
Tuesday, June 29, AD 2021 1:38pm

Like Don said recently, this is his hobby horse. Recent popes have had hobby horses like the theology of the body, the end of communism, and faith and reason. Our current pope likes criticizing rigidity.

Art Deco
Art Deco
Tuesday, June 29, AD 2021 2:47pm

Recent popes have had hobby horses like the theology of the body, the end of communism, and faith and reason. Our current pope likes criticizing rigidity.

Uh, one of these is not like the others.

Ezabelle
Ezabelle
Tuesday, June 29, AD 2021 3:02pm

He throws that term “rigid” around when it suits him. Being “ rigid” is repackaged in the education system has having a “static mindset” or “growth mindset”. Irks me. This reeks of an agenda to move the faithful away from 200 yrs of tradition and adhering to doctrine which has been inspired by Holy Spirit, and once you press the reset button you can re-wire people to whatever agenda you want. Who does the Pope believe converted and chose Paul as one of his greatest defenders of the Faith- the fairies? If Pope Francis has a problem with rigidity he is gonna have a battle on his hands redefining who God the Father.

Bob Kurland
Admin
Tuesday, June 29, AD 2021 3:47pm

Dale, thanks for that very fine quote.

Philip Nachazel
Philip Nachazel
Tuesday, June 29, AD 2021 4:12pm

Please don’t let the opportunity to spread recently acquired plenary indulgences to your deceased loved ones or acquaintances by harboring a legitimate ill feeling of the Pope.

I mention this because it’s easy to miss, especially when your shaking your head about our current predicament.
Pick that indulgence up after your Rosary…for the HOLY intentions of PF then the three prayers.

Holy intentions is paramount here.

Just trying to make lemonade folks.

Susan Graham
Wednesday, June 30, AD 2021 12:41am

By right and duty of our baptisms, join with those from around the world requesting and examination of the evidence; Message in a Bottle w/English subtitles https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yvXsaQcd_VI

Susan Graham
Wednesday, June 30, AD 2021 12:46am

Whoops! That version does not have the English subtitles. This one does. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A30NvrOLLpw&t=868s

CAG
CAG
Wednesday, June 30, AD 2021 10:21am

I think the difference between “picks” and “inspires” is galactic 😉

G. Poulin
G. Poulin
Thursday, July 1, AD 2021 5:01am

The Holy Spirit was saying “No ! No! Anyone but that guy ! You’re not listening !”

Discover more from The American Catholic

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

Continue reading

Scroll to Top