Friday, March 29, AD 2024 10:08am

PopeWatch: Beating the Drum

Well, Holiness. let’s look at what Jesus said about the older brother:

[21] And the son said to him: Father, I have sinned against heaven, and before thee, I am not now worthy to be called thy son. [22] And the father said to his servants: Bring forth quickly the first robe, and put it on him, and put a ring on his hand, and shoes on his feet: [23] And bring hither the fatted calf, and kill it, and let us eat and make merry: [24] Because this my son was dead, and is come to life again: was lost, and is found. And they began to be merry. [25] Now his elder son was in the field, and when he came and drew nigh to the house, he heard music and dancing:

[26] And he called one of the servants, and asked what these things meant. [27] And he said to him: Thy brother is come, and thy father hath killed the fatted calf, because he hath received him safe. [28] And he was angry, and would not go in. His father therefore coming out began to entreat him. [29] And he answering, said to his father: Behold, for so many years do I serve thee, and I have never transgressed thy commandment, and yet thou hast never given me a kid to make merry with my friends: [30] But as soon as this thy son is come, who hath devoured his substance with harlots, thou hast killed for him the fatted calf.

[31] But he said to him: Son, thou art always with me, and all I have is thine. [32] But it was fit that we should make merry and be glad, for this thy brother was dead and is come to life again; he was lost, and is found.

You can search that passage anyway you wish, but it has nothing to do with rigidity or failure to obey God.  What it centers upon is mercy and forgiveness for repentant sinners.  The Younger Son is a symbol of the Gentiles who God was calling, and the Older Son represents the Jews who were obedient to the commands of God.  Imagine looking at this insight into the mind of God and thinking, Yeah I can use this as a stick to beat traditional Catholics!

Behold the Pope we have for our sins and folly!  Heckuva job Conclave of 2013, heckuva job.

 

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David WS
David WS
Tuesday, March 29, AD 2022 4:03am

Pope Frankie as math teacher:
“3 and 7 are prime numbers which means they existed first. (?what). 3 plus 7 is 10. We all have 10 fingers.
Now you think about that!”

Professor Frankie, I know you have a doctorate and sit in the distinguished chair, but I’m going to take a pass on thinking about that.

Don L
Don L
Tuesday, March 29, AD 2022 5:55am

Ironic that this pope only sees other people as “rigid.”

Bob Kurland
Admin
Tuesday, March 29, AD 2022 6:44am

sometimes “rigid” is good, in the face of the Evil One tempting us, and withstanding pressures from the Culture of Death.

Steve Phoenix
Steve Phoenix
Tuesday, March 29, AD 2022 6:56am

Fellows and ladies:

No beer-drinking challenge on every time this pope uses the word “rigid.”

For one thing, the beer supply chain would be exhausted instantly.

Steve Phoenix
Steve Phoenix
Tuesday, March 29, AD 2022 7:11am

By the way, David WS, Pope Frankie never completed his doctorate at Sankt Georgen Theologate in Frankfurt but flunked his comps (comprehensive exams), after which he kind of had a nervous breakdown and was sent back to Argentina where he became a spiritual director (unfortunately) in various ascending roles. He was trying to complete a dissertation on Romano Guardini.

These facts have been carefully obscured in the US and English-speaking press to make Lefty Frankie into a deep-thinking Ingenious Great Mind, but have been well documented by the southern German newspaper, Suddeutsche Zeitung, back at the time of his election in March, 2013, when their reporter went to get a copy of his doctoral dissertation and to interview some of his former teachers. Those facts have been generally hushed up for Pope Sankt-Gallen.

Just for the record.

David WS
David WS
Tuesday, March 29, AD 2022 7:50am

Thanks Steve, Didn’t know that PF doesn’t have a doctorate.

I really like your idea of raising a glass of beer every time PF mentions “rigid”.
I Home Brew, however it would go against my philosophy on pints: “ One is good, two is too many and three is only half enough.”
So “rigid” am I.

Pinky
Pinky
Tuesday, March 29, AD 2022 8:35am

“You can search that passage anyway you wish, but it has nothing to do with rigidity or failure to obey God.”

Not failure to obey God, but Pope Francis didn’t say that. He said, “the older son bases his relationship with his father on the observance of commands”, and he’s right. Probably the older son doesn’t always do that, but he did at that moment, and anyway none of those characters actually existed. The older son lived according to the law (Jesus was talking to those who rigidly followed the law without love), but the father was reacting to the son’s return with love (Jesus was talking to them about sinners following Him). I understand that you don’t like the guy, and the subject of rigidity is definitely his hobby horse, but this is a fair discourse on the older son. I wouldn’t even think of it as controversial.

Dale Price
Dale Price
Tuesday, March 29, AD 2022 9:28am

“Thou art always with me and all I have is thine” = rigid rules guy unconnected to God.

Now, the older brother was wrong to resent the welcome given by the father, but he wasn’t completely out of joint with him. Unlike the guy who demanded his inheritance from his dad while the latter was still alive and then blew it on hookers.

And it’s wrong to argue otherwise. Neither resent nor presume on the Father’s bounty.

It’s not that hard to understand, even if putting it into practice can be a struggle.

Moral of the story: when all you have is a laxist hammer, every problem looks like rigidity.

Pinky
Pinky
Tuesday, March 29, AD 2022 11:08am

The context of the parable is important. The setting is similar to when Jesus told the parables of the Pharisee and the tax collector, and the two sons. All three of those were addressed to people who considered themselves justified under the law. They are (at least the first two) stories of a soul returning to God, and that’s a good thing. If Jesus were telling those stories to a crowd of sinners and prostitutes we’d emphasize that aspect. But Jesus told them to people who were upset at the sinners and prostitutes, so you can’t write that part of the parable out of the picture.

It’s not a long stretch to see these parables connected. I’ll grant that the son in the first one comes off best. The Pharisee and the son who didn’t do what he said he would are the clear villains of the story. But the brother of the prodigal son isn’t meant to be a hero. Of the three characters, one returns to the father, one rejoices, and one complains about not getting a goat.

Parables have layers. Every parable is about the kingdom of God in some respect. On a personal level, this parable is about God’s willingness to accept the repentant. On a historical level it suggests the gospel being accepted by the Gentiles. I always used to get caught up on the idea that all of the father’s property would go to the older son, so the father was giving away a fatted calf that should have gone to him, but the father symbolizes God who gives limitless joy to all who accept Him. At Mass this past Sunday, the priest said something I’d never thought about before, that the fatted calf symbolized Jesus. There are layers to these things. Like I said, I’m not shocked if Pope Francis discovers something about rigidity in a text, but in this case it’s actually in there.

T. Shaw
T. Shaw
Tuesday, March 29, AD 2022 12:39pm

The point of the parable is the forgiveness of sins [it’s in the Apostle’s Creed]: repentance, contrition, confession, penance, amendment of life and glorification of God through fasting, prayer, good works.

Long ago, I read a web site copy of a holy priest’s sermon on St. Dismas [only Luke 23], the good thief on Calvary. Many good things took place in the very brief exchange between St. Dismas and Jesus. Not the least of which was St. Dismas’ confession and resignation to the justice in his penance/execution. Also, of all present, St. Dismas alone stood up for Jesus’ innocence in His suffering. In short, St. Dismas exhibited love [he defended Jesus to the other thief’s insults], faith [remember me when you come as King] and hope [I promise you will be with me today in Paradise] in Jesus.

guy mcclung
guy mcclung
Tuesday, March 29, AD 2022 1:56pm

Dadvid WS, The math of the man currently wearing papal white: 2 + 2 = 5. Guy, Texas

David WS
David WS
Tuesday, March 29, AD 2022 3:20pm

True. Any fuzzy logic control (FLC) thinks better than this Pope. Even the odd chance that he could be right about something doesn’t persuade me to even consider thinking about a statement he makes. (And that’s his job! His one job!)
It has to be an aversion to “rigid” thinking, otherwise known as principled thinking. Argh.
It’s a mind trap.

CAG
CAG
Tuesday, March 29, AD 2022 6:23pm

Pinky …
The context of the parable is important.
Yeah, it is. And the context is Luke chapter 15:
“The Lost Sheep” …
“The Lost Coin” …
“The Lost Son”!
It’s about rejoicing about things that were lost, and are now found. Things that were gone, and have returned. It’s about repentance and forgiveness and reunion. It’s about the joy of being in communion again.
… It’s really not about rigidity at all, unless you happen to be a fixated ideologue.

David WS
David WS
Tuesday, March 29, AD 2022 7:02pm

A Priest once told us that this Parable is best seen if you’ve lived in life as the obedient son, lost then found son and the loving father. Very true. Even then The Parable is dimensionless, (as the Word is without containment) it can’t be put in a box -that would be rigid, as in saying it’s all about rigidity – IS RIGID. Argh. Such mindless babble.

CAG
CAG
Tuesday, March 29, AD 2022 7:36pm

Parables have layers

The parable is also about God’s love for us, and how we should love one another as He loves us. The folks He was talking to weren’t happy that sinners were repenting, but God was!

“What man among you having a hundred sheep and losing one of them would not leave the ninety-nine in the desert and go after the lost one until he finds it?”

No doubt the Pharisees and scribes hearing this were saying to themselves “What?!? I wouldn’t go! That’s crazy! I’m supposed to abandon 99 sheep, that behaved correctly, alone in the desert to go after one that’s too stupid to stay with the flock? No way! Where’s the cost-benefit analysis in that?”

“… And when she does find it, she calls together her friends and neighbors and says to them, ‘Rejoice with me because I have found the coin that I lost.”

No doubt the Pharisees and scribes hearing this were thinking “Why would I spend a fortune throwing a party for the whole neighborhood because I found a nickel in the couch cushions?!!? That’s crazy!”

… The same kind of crazy as a father who, after his son rejects him and goes off to do the exact opposite of everything the father taught him, spends his days, not accompanying him to bars and brothels, but scanning the horizon for some sign his son is returning.

“In just the same way, I tell you, there will be rejoicing among the angels of God over one sinner who repents.”

… Besides, the older son was just offended because the father was serving veal.

FreemenRtrue
FreemenRtrue
Wednesday, March 30, AD 2022 5:11am

Perhaps PF should rather think about the ‘rigidity’ of German prelates which is quite perverse and leaves the Church in the position of ‘leading from behind’.

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