HIS HOLINESS POPE FRANCIS (VICAR OF CHRIST) TO THEOLOGIANS: DON'T DO THEOLOGY AWAY FROM PEOPLE. "A THEOLOGY THAT HELPS EVERY CHRISTIAN PROCLAIM THE SAVING FACE OF GOD IS NECESSARY."
FOR POPE FRANCIS (VICAR OF CHRIST), THE THEOLOGIAN ISN'T JUST A SIMPLE SCHOLAR OF GOD, BUT RATHER MUCH MORE. HE OR SHE IS A SCHOLAR AT THE SERVICE OF A PEOPLE, THE CHURCH, TO WHICH HE OR SHE BELONGS AND IS NURTURED BY. THERE'S NO ROOM FOR INDIVIDUALIST THEOLOGIANS WHO COMPETE AMONGST THEMSELVES TO SEE WHO KNOWS MORE.
HIS HOLINESS POPE FRANCIS (VICAR OF CHRIST),
"A THEOLOGY THAT HELPS EVERY CHRISTIAN PROCLAIM AND SHOW IS NECESSARY; ABOVE ALL, THE SAVING FACE OF GOD OF THE MERCIFUL GOD, ESPECIALLY IN LIGHT OF SOME UNPRECEDENTED CHALLENGES THE HUMAN BEING FACES TODAY."
POPE FRANCIS MET WITH THE ORGANIZATION IN HONOR OF ITS 50TH ANNIVERSARY. THE ASSOCIATION WAS CREATED WITH THE GOAL OF HELPING PEOPLE UNDERSTAND THE SECOND VATICAN COUNCIL. - ROMEREPORTS.COM DECEMBER 29, 2017 -
HENCE, I EARNESTLY AND PROFOUNDLY BELIEVED THAT AS FAR AS SPIRITUALITY IS CONCERN. IT CAN ONLY COME FROM GOD, THE AUTHOR. THUS, THERE IS NO SUCH THING, AS COPYRIGHT, OR IT IS PRODUCED OR WRITTEN BY ME OR IT IS MINE; THE WORD OF GOD, THE SACRED SCRIPTURE/HOLY BIBLE.
I STILL HAVE MANY THINGS TO SAY TO YOU BUT THEY WOULD BE TOO MUCH FOR YOU NOW. BUT WHEN THE SPIRIT OF TRUTH COMES, HE WILL LEAD YOU TO THE COMPLETE TRUTH, SINCE HE WILL NOT BE SPEAKING AS FROM HIMSELF, BUT WILL SAY ONLY WHAT HE HAS LEARNT; AND HE WILL TELL YOU OF THE THINGS TO COME.
HE WILL GLORIFY ME, SINCE ALL HE TELLS YOU WILL BE TAKEN FROM WHAT IS MINE. EVERYTHING THE FATHER HAS IS MINE; THAT IS WHY I SAID: ALL HE TELLS YOU WILL BE TAKEN FROM WHAT IS MINE. - JOHN 16;12-15 -
ALL WRITERS, PERTAINING TO SPIRITUALITY WERE DEFINITELY QUOTED OR TAKE FROM HERE AND THERE, WHICH MAY BE ON AND FROM SOME OTHER WRITERS ARTICLES, BOOKS, BLOGS, OR SITES, ESPECIALLY THE "WORD OF GOD" THE SACRED SCRIPTURE/HOLY BIBLE. BUT IN REALITY, IT IS FIRST USED ALREADY, PERHAPS, LONG, LONG TIME AGO.
THIS DISCIPLE IS THE ONE WHO VOUCHES FOR THESE THINGS AND HAS WRITTEN THEM DOWN, AND WE KNOW THAT HIS TESTIMONY IS TRUE. THERE ARE MANY OTHER THINGS THAT THE LORD JESUS CHRIST DID; IF ALL WERE WRITTEN DOWN, THE WORLD ITSELF, I SUPPOSE, WOULD NOT HOLD ALL THE BOOKS THAT WOULD HAVE TO BE WRITTEN. - JOHN 21:24-25 -
JUST AS GOD ORIGINALLY INSPIRED THE SACRED SCRIPTURE/HOLY BIBLE. GOD HAS USED THIS MEANS TO PRESERVE HIS 'WORD' FOR FUTURE GENERATIONS. BUT BEHIND THE WRITING LAY PERIODS OF TIME WHEN THESE MESSAGES WERE CIRCULATED IN SPOKEN FORM. (ORAL TRADITION) THE STORIES OF THE PATRIARCHS WERE PASSED FROM GENERATION TO GENERATION BY WORD OF MOUTH BEFORE THEY WERE WRITTEN. (WRITTEN TRADITION)
THE MESSAGES OF THE PROPHETS WERE DELIVERED ORALLY BEFORE THEY WERE FIXED IN WRITING. NARRATIVES OF THE LIFE AND MINISTRY OF CHRIST JESUS WERE REPEATED ORALLY FOR TWO OR THREE DECADES BEFORE THEY WERE FIXED IN WRITING.
THEREFORE, SACRED SCRIPTURE/HOLY BIBLE QUOTATION, THAT IS, HOW ANYONE AND I PUT WORD OF GOD INTO SENTENCES OR PUT WORDS INTO SENTENCES. REMEMBER ALWAYS! NO MATTER HOW THE "WORD OF GOD" AND WORDS PUT INTO SENTENCES, IN TRUTH, EVERYONE STARTED AND TOOK IT FROM THE MAIN SOURCE, THAT IS, FROM THE WITNESSES AND FROM THE SACRED SCRIPTURE/HOLY BIBLE; "WORD OF GOD."
WELCOME TO SACRED SCRIPTURE/HOLY BIBLE READER'S COMMUNITY. GOD BLESS!
GOD'S WILLING. THERE ARE WAYS AND PREFERENCES TO COMPREHEND ALL MATTERS.
FIRSTLY, IN A LITERALLY MANNER: THAT IS, USED FOR EMPHASIS OR TO EXPRESS STRONG FEELING WHILE NOT BEING LITERALLY TRUE.
SECONDLY, IN A HUMANLY MANNER: THAT IS, FROM A HUMAN POINT OF VIEW, IN A HUMANLY MANNER, BY HUMAN MEANS; WITHIN ABILITY; WITH HUMAN FEELING OR KINDNESS.
THIRDLY, IN A SPIRITUALLY MANNER: THAT IS, IN A WAY THAT RELATES TO OR AFFECTS THE HUMAN SPIRIT OR, SOUL AS OPPOSED TO MATERIAL OR PHYSICAL THINGS.
FINALLY, IN AN UNSPIRITUAL MANNER: THAT IS, NOT SPIRITUAL. BUT SECULAR AND WORLDLY.
The choice of the Twelve
Now it was about this time that he went out into the hills to pray; and he spent the whole night in prayer to God. When day came he summoned his disciples and picked out twelve of them; he called them "apostles": Simon whom he called Peter, and his brother Andrew; James, John, Philip, Bartholomew, Matthew, Thomas, James son of Alphaeus, Simon called the Zealot, Judas son of James [ Lit. 'Judas of James' which could mean 'brother of James'. Cf. Matt. 10:4+.] and Judas Iscariot who became a traitor.
The crowds follow Jesus
He then came down with them and dropped at a piece of level ground where there was a large gathering of his disciples with a great crowd of people from all parts of Judaea and from Jerusalem and from the coastal region of Tyre and Sidon who had come to hear him and to be cured of their diseases. people tormented by unclean spirits were also cured, and everyone in the crowd was trying to touch him because power came out of him that cured them all.
The inaugural discourse. [ Luke's form is shorter than Matthew's because he had not filled up the discourse as Matthew has done and has ever left out material of a Jewish character which he thought would not interest his readers, cf. Matt. 5:1+.] The Beatitudes. [ Matthew has eight beatitudes. Luke four, and four maledictions. Matthew's beatitudes are a formula for the good life, and they promise heavenly rewards; Luke speaks of material conditions in this life to be reversed in the next, cf. 16:25. In Matthew, Jesus uses the third person, in Luke, he directly addresses his audience.]
Then fixing his eyes on his disciples he said:
'How happy are you who are poor: yours is the kingdom of God.'
'Happy you who are hungry now: you shall be satisfied.'
'Happy you who weep now: you shall laugh.'
'Happy are you when people hate you, drive you out, abuse you, denounce your name as criminal, on account of the Son of Man. Rejoice when that day comes and dance for joy, for then your reward will be great in heaven. This was the way their ancestors treated the prophets.'
The curses
'But alas for you are rich: you are having your consolation now.'
'Alas for you have your fill now: you shall go hungry.'
'Alas for you who laugh now: you shall mourn and weep.'
'Alas for you when the world speaks well of you! This was the way their ancestors treated the false prophets.' - Luke 6:12-26 -
Love of enemies
'But I say this to you who are listening: Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who treat you badly.' To the man who slaps you on one cheek, present the other cheek too; to the man who takes your cloak from you, do not refuse your tunic. Give to everyone who asks you, and do not ask for your property back from the man who robs you.
Treat others as you would like then to treat you. If you love those who love you, what thanks can you expect? Even sinners love those who love them. And if you do good to those who do good to you, what thanks can you expect? For even sinners do that much. And if you lend to those from whom you hope to receive, what thanks can you expect? Even sinners lend to sinners to get back the same amount.
Instead, love your enemies and do good, and lend without any hope of return. [ The text is difficult and the translation conjugation or conjunction. Var. 'driving no one to despair' or 'despairing of no one' or 'not at all despairing.'] You will have a great reward, and you will be sons of the Most High, for he himself is kind to the ungrateful and the wicked.
Compassion and generosity
'Be compassionate as your Father is compassionate. Do not judge and you will not be judges yourselves; do not condemn, and you will not be condemned yourselves; grant pardon, and you will be pardoned. Give, and there will be gifts for you: a full measure, pressed down, shaken together, and running over, will be poured into your lap; [ Fold in tunic or cloak were used as a pocket or as a bag for provisions.] because the amount you measure out is the amount you will be given back.'
Integrity
He also told a parable to them, 'Can one blind man guide another? Surely both will fall into a pit? [ Addressed, in Luke to the disciples: in Matt. 15:14, to the Pharisees. The same applies to vv. 43-45.] The disciple is not superior to his teacher; the fully trained disciple will always be like his teacher. Why do you observe the splinter in your brother's eye and never notice the plank in your own? How can you say to your brother, "Brother, let me take out the splinter that in your eye", when you cannot see the plank in your own? Hypocrite! Take the plank out of your own eye first, and then you will see clearly enough to take [ Or 'and then you will see how to take.'] out the splinter that is in your brother's eye.
There is no sound tree that produces rotten fruit, nor again a rotten tree that produces sound fruit. For every tree can be told by its own fruit: people do not pick figs thorns, nor gather grapes from brambles. A good man draws what is good from the store of goodness in his heart; a bad man draws what is bad from the store of badness. For man's words flow out of what fills his heart. - Luke 6:27-45 -
The true disciple
Why do you call me, "Lord, Lord" and not do what I say?
'Everyone who comes to me [ A Johannine expression, cf. John 6:35.] and listens to my words and acts on them - I will show you what he is like. He is like the man who when he built his house dug, and dug deep, and laid the foundation on rock; when the river was in flood it bore down on that house but could not shake it, it was so well built. But the one who listens and does nothing is like the man who built his house on soil, with no foundations: as soon as the river bore down on it, it collapsed; and what a ruin that house became!' - Luke 6:46-49 -
Cure of the centurion's servant
Page 13
Faith . Hope . Love - Welcome donation. Thank You. God bless.
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Name: Alex Chan Kok Wah
Bank: Public Bank Berhad account no: 4076577113
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Sunday, May 24, 2009
I have through years of reading, pondering, reflecting and contemplating, the 3 things that last; FAITH . HOPE . LOVE and I would like to made available my sharing from the many thinkers, authors, scholars and theologians whose ideas and thoughts I have borrowed. God be with them always. Amen!
I STILL HAVE MANY THINGS TO SAY TO YOU BUT THEY WOULD BE TOO MUCH FOR YOU NOW. BUT WHEN THE SPIRIT OF TRUTH COMES, HE WILL LEAD YOU TO THE COMPLETE TRUTH, SINCE HE WILL NOT BE SPEAKING AS FROM HIMSELF, BUT WILL SAY ONLY WHAT HE HAS LEARNT; AND HE WILL TELL YOU OF THE THINGS TO COME.
HE WILL GLORIFY ME, SINCE ALL HE TELLS YOU WILL BE TAKEN FROM WHAT IS MINE. EVERYTHING THE FATHER HAS IS MINE; THAT IS WHY I SAID: ALL HE TELLS YOU WILL BE TAKEN FROM WHAT IS MINE. - JOHN 16:12-15 -
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