Benedictions: The Pope in America

"What is truth?" Some post-papal thoughts

Monday April 21, 2008

Pontius Pilate famously asked that question and the Gospel of John provides the answer, as did Pope Benedict XVI in recent days, most notably in his talk to young people at St. Joseph's Seminary in Dunwoodie in New York: "In...
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Comments
Sean
April 21, 2008 10:59 PM

The Catholics in the United States now know the feeling associated to the words, "We have a Pope". Pope Benedict XVI was simply amazing.
What joy to be a Catholic. Rest in peace John Paul, the Catholic church is in fine hands and spirit.

Dick
April 22, 2008 2:59 PM

Jesus Christ answered the quextion quite nicely. "I am The Way, The Truth, The Life, no one can come to the Father but through Me.

RelicMM
April 22, 2008 4:19 PM

Dick: Quoting Almighty God at the coronation of Mary: "We wish for nothing to be conceded to man that does not pass through your hands." I am convinced that the best path to Jesus is through the hands of His Mother. My response to Benedict XVI visit is given below'
WHO WILL LISTEN?
When the world is about to run out of rope,
Our Holy Father comes to laud Christ our Hope.
In God we trust our Founders once agreed.
Now licentiousness is becoming the creed.

Killing children is our greatest blight.
It has now become a legal right.
In the image of God, man is conceived.
Secredness of life must then be believed.

World peace is an idealistic goal,
unless prayer becomes everyone's role.
The Church he built is our Lord's bequest.
That all might be one was His request.

Peace is not a United Nations obsession
Discord has long been its obvious profession.
While they ignore basic human rights,
peace cannot be in their target sights.

In our world, peace will never be sustained,
while evil and terrorism are retained.
Life is a test to save our immortal soul.
Benedict XVI extols the acceptable role.

StHilarious
April 24, 2008 2:45 AM

Benny canned the Magisterium and Roman Catholic Cathecism by saying that "In seeking truth, we come to live by belief because ultimately truth is a person: Jesus Christ."

Scott
May 5, 2008 4:52 PM

It would have been wonderful to hear the Pope speak of Jesus Christ the King of Kings more while he was speaking on national television. The point of knowing Jesus Christ and serving Jesus Christ is to profess Jesus Christ as Lord and Saviour over all who believe in him. The message of Jesus Christ is very simple Jesus died and was crucified for our iniquities and our trangressions. For sin which we were born into as a result of Adam and Eve's disobedience toward God. Jesus came to redeem all of mankind back to the Father those of mankind who believe in Jesus Christ and on him for what he did at the cross will be saved. Those who don't will not. It is sad that the Catholic churches highest authority on the very issue of Jesus Christ "supposedly", the Pope does not speak about Jesus Christ, did not profess Jesus Christ on television, did not talk about Jesus Christ on television, did not feed the people listening with the "Words and Wisdom" of Jesus Christ and God the Father but merely spoke of human rights tolerance and many other wordly issues and ungodly traditions as if he was running for president. It would be hard to make an argument that he was talking about God at all. If you do not believe me, I am not the final authority, Jesus Christ Is and he left us the Bible, which is our road map to salvation. In 1 john 2:15 it says, "do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. Vs.16 for all that is in the world-the lust of the flesh, lust of the eyes and the pride of life-is not of the Father, but of the world. Vs.17 and the world is passing away and the lust of it; but he who does the will of God obides forever." It's too bad that our quote unquote religious and spiritual leaders are'nt leading us in spiritual and biblical things at all. They are trying unsucessfully to be just like the world and just like the world, they are lost. The bible speaks of the blind leading the blind and that they together will fall into a ditch. If you don't want to be lost and following lost leaders, then you must study your Bible. You must make God and the Son of God Jesus Christ the very focus of your and center of your life. To be saved from perdition one must only confess Christ as Lord and Saviour. After that one must ask God for revelation and wisdom which the Holy Spirit the very life giving force of God will give to those who ask. The Bible say in Romans 3:10 "As it is written: there is none righteous, no not one; vs.11 there is none who understands, none who seeks after God. vs.12 they have all turned aside; they have togeter become unprofitable; there is none who does good, no, not one. vs.13 there throat is an open tomb; with their tongues they have practiced deceit; the poison of asps is under their lips; vs.14 whose mouth is full of cursing and bitterness. vs.15 there feet are swift to shed blood; vs.16 destruction and misery are in their ways; vs.17 and the way of peace they have not known. vs.18 there is no fear of God before their eyes." These few verses depict God's view of all mankind without the redemption that is in Jesus Christ. For in Romans 3:23 the Bible states clearly "For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God." However, God shows us how we can be redeemed through faith in Jesus Christ who was cursed for all mankind and hung on a cross as a sacrifice for all of us in the world who believe on him for salvation. That he would taste death so that we would not have to. Now I'm just a regular man with a regular life my words are not my words they are the words of God through the Holy Spirit which dwells inside of me. But, if I know what I know by studying and praying to God for wisdom then why doesn't the Pope do the same? That is the issue here. The most important thing for people to understand is that Jesus Christ died for their salvation. not just so they could call upon God like God is a geanie, waiting to make their wishes come true. The Pope is no more important in God's system than anyone else. People just think he is. But, to God he is just another dirty, rotten sinner just like you and me who needs salvation when he dies.
Thank you Jesus for being perfect and obedient to God and for the salvation you bring to those who believe in you. Amen!

RelicMM
May 14, 2008 9:31 AM

Scott: If you think all you have to do for salvation is say you believe in Jesus, you are in for a severe shock. The church Jesus built is the authority over the Bible, and Jesus clearly said that "unless you eat my flesh and drink my blood, you do not have life in you." Only the Catholic Church has the authority to change bread and wine into the actual body and blood of Christ. Outside that Church, salvation is impossible. I do not challenge you or what you may believe, I am only affirming the doctrines of the Catholic Church. If I were you, I would make it a point to study those doctrines well before you decide who to believe. Your salvation depends on it.



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About Benedictions: The Pope in America

The last update to the Benedictions blog was in April 2008. We welcome your comments about the Pope and Catholicism in general in our http://community.beliefnet.com/forums/forumdisplay.php?f=140”>Catholic forums.

David Gibson is an award-winning religion writer who specializes in writing about the Catholic Church, which he joined as a convert at the age of 30. He is the author The Rule of Benedict: Pope Benedict XVI and His Battle with the Modern World. He also wrote The Coming Catholic Church: How the Faithful are Shaping a New American Catholicism. He has written about Catholicism for leading newspapers and magazines, including the New York Times, Newsweek, The Wall Street Journal, New York magazine, Boston magazine, Fortune, Commonweal, and America. Gibson worked in Rome for Vatican Radio for several years and traveled frequently with Pope John Paul II. He later covered religion for The Star-Ledger of New Jersey. He has co-written several recent documentaries on Christianity for CNN. For further information check out his website at dgibson.com.

David's Books:

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