During her last illness, St. Therese of Lisieux could not retain food so she could not receive Communion. She told her sisters, "Without a doubt, it's a great grace to receive the sacramehnts; but when God doesn't allow it, it's good just the same; everything is grace." (Last Conversations)
This is a good analysis that highlights the big difference between obedience to the Church and personal opinion. Having been founded by God and assured of its continuing existence through the ages, obedience to the Church involves obedience to her founder. On the other hand, personal opinion is subject to personal will and as the will is more focused on the ego, rather than the divine, the decisions made are more or less fallible and never perfect.
Obedience to the Church traces its roots to the obedience that Jesus constantly displays in doing the Father’s will. Besides our Blessed Mother Mary, the saints are the best example of how to exercise this obedience to the Church.
It can easily be argued that the consequences of deciding to rely on personal opinion, instead of relying on obedience to God, traces its root to the personal decision made by fallen angels not to obey God’s will when tested, and then repeated by Adam and Eve when tempted by the serpent.
Whenever Church critics come up with supposedly “ingenious” ways to question Church authority and that of the pope and the magisterium in full obedience, it’s a reminder of the temptation that our first parents were subjected to. They’re mostly variations of what Frank Sheed calls “nonsense” on the part of the critic when attempting to discredit or undermine a Church or papal decision (cf Theology for Beginners by Frank Sheed, ch 2 and 3).
Before deciding to question any of the pope’s decisions, any person must have a deep understanding of the tremendous difference between obedience and personal opinion. Then have the wisdom to apply it correctly.
But what if a pope taught that there are 4 persons in the Trinity? Or that Jesus was God (but not man)? You would a. cease to believe in Catholicism? Or would you b. say that Vatican I was flawed, and that the pope was in error. A Popes power has limits. He cannot contradict scripture on faith and morals (which is why he can’t declare the DP to be intrinsically evil or sinful), end of story. A pope who contradicts scripture in a pope in error, it’s happened before, numerous times throughout history. Way too much stock is put into the papacy - Catholicism doesn’t hinge on the papacy. Good luck!
During her last illness, St. Therese of Lisieux could not retain food so she could not receive Communion. She told her sisters, "Without a doubt, it's a great grace to receive the sacramehnts; but when God doesn't allow it, it's good just the same; everything is grace." (Last Conversations)
Wait. Did someone immediately post a question about a fourth person of the Trinity. 😂🙄
This is a good analysis that highlights the big difference between obedience to the Church and personal opinion. Having been founded by God and assured of its continuing existence through the ages, obedience to the Church involves obedience to her founder. On the other hand, personal opinion is subject to personal will and as the will is more focused on the ego, rather than the divine, the decisions made are more or less fallible and never perfect.
Obedience to the Church traces its roots to the obedience that Jesus constantly displays in doing the Father’s will. Besides our Blessed Mother Mary, the saints are the best example of how to exercise this obedience to the Church.
It can easily be argued that the consequences of deciding to rely on personal opinion, instead of relying on obedience to God, traces its root to the personal decision made by fallen angels not to obey God’s will when tested, and then repeated by Adam and Eve when tempted by the serpent.
Whenever Church critics come up with supposedly “ingenious” ways to question Church authority and that of the pope and the magisterium in full obedience, it’s a reminder of the temptation that our first parents were subjected to. They’re mostly variations of what Frank Sheed calls “nonsense” on the part of the critic when attempting to discredit or undermine a Church or papal decision (cf Theology for Beginners by Frank Sheed, ch 2 and 3).
Before deciding to question any of the pope’s decisions, any person must have a deep understanding of the tremendous difference between obedience and personal opinion. Then have the wisdom to apply it correctly.
But what if a pope taught that there are 4 persons in the Trinity? Or that Jesus was God (but not man)? You would a. cease to believe in Catholicism? Or would you b. say that Vatican I was flawed, and that the pope was in error. A Popes power has limits. He cannot contradict scripture on faith and morals (which is why he can’t declare the DP to be intrinsically evil or sinful), end of story. A pope who contradicts scripture in a pope in error, it’s happened before, numerous times throughout history. Way too much stock is put into the papacy - Catholicism doesn’t hinge on the papacy. Good luck!