Re: Catholics: Something I was struggling with last week...

For those who needed a visual: a pic of the red shoes!

Prada Shoes

Re: Catholics: Something I was struggling with last week...

I just wanted to chime in because I went to the mass at Yankee Stadium on Sunday. I was raised Roman Catholic, and was confirmed just a year ago so I could get married in the church.

I did not go to see the Pope because I thought he was Jesus. I wanted to go see him because he is the supreme head of the Catholic church. I liken it to going to see the President of the United States. People go to see him because he runs the country they live in.

Just like another poster said, the Pope was elected for a reason.

I was more in awe of the display of faith and love from the crowd. It was an amazing feeling to be among all these people who have all this love for my faith.

It was a great experience for me, and did depend my faith.

Message edited 4/21/2008 7:12:12 PM.

Re: Catholics: Something I was struggling with last week...

i do not look at the pope as being Jesus i look at him as the leader of my religion the go to guy on all things spiritual i look for his guidance and his opinions even if i don't agree i feel that he is closer to God than me because he has chosen to live such a spiritual life and he was chosen by the cardinals who were guided by the Holy Spirit so i feel that yes God did choose him to be the Pope

I would have loved to have seen him and to have been in his presence because i think he is so holy, it amazes me how some people are so holy and devout

Re: Catholics: Something I was struggling with last week...

Re: Catholics: Something I was struggling with last week...

I was raised Catholic and I had the same questions many of you raised. ....
my faith now is based on the truths laid out in the bible.... I attend a Chrisitan Bible believing church, which guides us to be more like Christ not about traditions.
I have not found a biblical reference o Mary being without sin.

Re: Catholics: Something I was struggling with last week...

Re: Catholics: Something I was struggling with last week...

well, there are 2 parts to your question...
first, people needing a visual representation of their faith....
yeah, despite it technically being against all three western religions, idols and leaders reign supreme.... simply becuase human nature requires idols and leaders to be present. We have the Pope and about a thousand reliquaries just in europe.

Next, why is the Pope 'divine'? Well, the way I look at it, I bet a good portion of fellow Catholics, while realizing the pope is 'voted-in' by his peers, feel there is divine intervention during that electoral process.

After all, it's rather mysterious with the colored smoke and closed door meetings..... it instills a sort of mysticism.

Re: Catholics: Something I was struggling with last week...

Let me preface my response with the following:

I am a product of Catholic Schools, Taught in Catholic schools for 10 years, and I come from a VERY religious family. I have 5 priests, 2 bishops, 1 cardinal, and 7 nuns in my family! LOL...Big Irish Catholic family!

I angered a poster earlier in my response to a second collection at church on Sunday. Although that wasn't my intention it is how I feel.

That being said, the election of the pope is extremely political. My Uncle who is one of the Cardinals was not in favor of this pope. However, that wasn't how the Council of Cardinals felt. The Pope is the leader of the Catholic Church and for many years had a blood-line to that of St. Peter. However, over the last 2000 years that has changed.

People want/need to feel a direct link to God. For many, the Pope is symbol of their faith and the person who will direct the Catholic Church in the right direction. It is an honor to meet him, as it would be any other world leader.

The Pope was at my church (St. Josephs) on Friday. It was insanity around the area of the church. So much money was spent on preparations.

That aside, I have a really big problem with the amount of money that was spent on his stay here. The Archdiocese of NY had no right spending millions on his visit when they are closing schools. That money could have been used to keep some schools open and running. Teachers are getting paid crap and yet, Eagen spends 1.5 million renovating his office. I have BIG problems with that.

I guess I struggle with wealth in the church because Jesus lived a simple life. I think that if he saw the wealth of the church today, he would be disappointed (like that day in the temple) I often think WWJD?

Re: Catholics: Something I was struggling with last week...

Re: Catholics: Something I was struggling with last week...

Re: Catholics: Something I was struggling with last week...

Don, I posted about this on LIW the other day.... so, I will include a little of my thoughts from that post below. But really, when people view the Pope as the closest thing to Christ, they are wrong. The Church teaches that we are all created in God's image and therefore Christ is WITHIN us all. Pope Benedict and all those before him were ordinary men, ordinary priests that were asked to perform an extraordinary job. In fact, JP II was in awe when he was elected to the papacy. He did not feel worthy of the position. I don't think he is above any other man of the cloth persay, as he is an ordinary man asked to do something a little more extraordinary than his other brother priests.

Due to the literal divine intervention in choosing the Pope (see below), we look to the Pope to be the best guide in intrepeting Church teachings and solving the Church's problems. When the Pope says something, it is taken as truth and I think that is why people are in "awe" of him and why he appears to be "above all" other priests, bishops, etc.

As you know, the Church believes in the Holy Trinity, the Father (God), the Son (Christ) and the Holy Spirit. The Pope is special because we believe that the Pope is CHOSEN by the Holy Spirit to lead the Church. When a Pope dies, ALL the cardinals from around the world convene at the Vatican to choose a new pope. This is a time of great amounts of prayer, reflection and solitude as well as discussions about who might be the best pope. The Cardinals vote and it really is by the divine intervention of the Holy Spirit that cardinals are able to come together and agree on the vote. it must be unanimous. Therefore, the Pope is special because through the grace of the Holy Sprit the Cardinals are able to choose him. The Pope is an avareage man expected to do extraorinary things , but the Cardinals choose a man who will best move the Church into the future. I also think that because he was quite literally chosen by the Holy Spirit to lead us, people feel that he is "above" other priests. but then again, i truly believe that God calls ALL priests and religious to be ordained, so really it's the same thing... the Pope however, just got called to be the "leader."

I think that people just like being in his presence for what he represents: the Church and its teachings. Also, regarding people going crazy to see him, but I think it stems from what is so amazing about the Catholic Church and that is that it is the one Christian church all over the world that is constant. The Mass is the SAME no matter where you go, all over the world. Our Catholic traditions know no language barrier, no country border, etc. so to have Mass said by the Holy Father, and to be at other events this past week is a most incredible experience because you feel so connected to the millions of Catholics all over the world as he is our unifying figure.

I was at the Papal Rally on Saturday, and I must tell you, it was a beautiful experience. Although I was crammed on a field with 25,000 other people, but to see so many people, particularly the youth, college students and young seminarians and nuns, there gave me such hope for the faith i love so much. We live in a culture of death and matieral possessions, and a "ME, ME, ME" society... and to see people so faithful, gave me so much hope for the future of the Catholic faith in America, when sometimes I think it is dying. I think Ratzinger's visit did that for a lot of people and at this time in our history with terrorism, poverty, and the recent Church scandal, this was so needed and appreciated.

Sorry if this was too long... just my thoughts.

Re: Catholics: Something I was struggling with last week...