markdohle

Central point I believe, but a very good post. I am going to copy it and reread. Seekng mercy, trust in the Lord's mercy is truly based on a childlike faith and trust in God.....who is greater than our hearts. Without self-knowledge we can only see the splinter in the others eye. Peace mark

My point is this.....until he was put in the canon, his writings were not scripture....that came in the 4th century. I love St. Paul, read him all the time. Peace Mark

Well no they don't LOL. Women are not allowed to be deacons or priest in the catholic Church, or even allowed to give homilies on the Gospel. Peace Mark

The reason for the creation of the Canon was because there were so many books being written that they were causing confusion. Also, the Gnostic's were using Christian themes to put forth their teaching, hence the need for a canon. However, the canon was not put together to be used the way it is today. Tradition is also part of the church's history and when that is not understood you get what happens today. Not all of the developments in the church were a part of the books in the canon since they dealt with the experiences of the early Church with the Risen Lord. Lots of sects who each pound the bible to their own beat and believe they are following the truth. Each goes his or her own way and believes they have the right to condemn anyone who disagrees. A scandal to the world.

This does get kind of silly. Paul was writing in a certain time and dealing with specific problems, I doubt he thought that 2000 years after he wrote his letter that people would be viewing it as "The Word of God". Lady Kay I am with you on this.......I wonder if Paul thought he was writing scripture when he was dealing with the different issues. Lady pastors, or not, is not a doctrine, it was based on a culture where women had few rights. Peace mark

I was joking my friend, I got you point.

An interesting encounter with Jesus Christ at Decatur Waffle-House I took my brother to the Veteran’s Hospital in Atlanta for some medical procedures. Luckily he had an early appointment and we were able to get there in time to find some parking. One time I spent 45 minutes looking for a place, until, finally, fortune shined down upon me and found a spot. After his appointment, we needed something to eat. He wanted eggs. So on the way home we stopped off at a Waffle House in Decatur on Covington Hwy. In fact, the Waffle House we went to was just down the street from the original one that is now a Waffle House museum. In Georgia, there are Waffle Houses everywhere. In Conyers, near the Monastery of the Holy Spirit, we have four that I know of, but I don’t go there often. While my brother had his eggs along with biscuits and gravy, I had a grilled chicken sandwich, which was delicious, and the coffee was black and strong. I love the ambience of Waffle House. It’s a piece of a Southern culture that I love. I like to watch the short order cooks do their job, some of them are masters at taking in the constant barrage of orders and keeping everything straight. Orders are written down by the waitresses, shouted to the cook, then penned next to his large cooking area. The waitresses are down-t0-earth types, always friendly and attentive. I’m not saying the food is the best, or even good for you, but from time to time it’s a welcoming and familiar place to go. As we left, there was a man in front of the restaurant on a bicycle. He was asking for money from two men who were coming in. They gave him something. He was walking past me, and I noticed that he had on a prosthetic leg from the knee down. I said “Hello” and we talked for a bit. He seemed rough, but not hardened, a man who was having a very hard time and just trying to survive. I asked him if I could also give him some money. He seemed surprised at that and said, “Yes.” I gave him something and he thanked me profusely. So we talked a bit more. He lost his leg about five years ago due to diabetes and being homeless. He had lived at home but did not get along with his father, and moved out. His father must had been elderly, for the man seemed to be in his 50s. He told me that he did not drink or do drugs, and to tell you the truth, even though he looked haggard, he did not have the look of one who was a drinker or a drug addict. Before we left, he asked me if I go to church, and I said, “Yes.” He gave me an exhortation to continue going to church and took off on his bike. I couldn’t help but think what life might be like for him. He did not seem overwhelmed, but was just getting through the day the way all of us do. As my brother and I continued down Covington Hwy, I noticed him riding down the sidewalk at a good clip, so he must have been in pretty good shape. When I first saw him, my impulse was to label him: ‘Drunk’ and ‘drug addict’ came to mind. But I caught myself and tried to encounter him as a simple human being, the same as me. Labels protect us from the messy humanity of others. Labels allow the labeler to box the person before them in a neat little package, and then after reducing their humanity to a mere stereotype we forget them. Yet this man was human, struggling, and a true child of God. If the Gospels are to be taken seriously, then when that man looked at me, his eyes were the eyes of Christ Jesus. If I labeled him, reduced him to a ‘thing’ then I was also doing it to Jesus Christ. The world is full of people who are considered below contempt because they are poor, mentally ill, or just down on their luck. There are shysters who spend their days lying to those who offer help, taking advantage of their generosity and caring; thus, making it harder for those in true need to get the temporary help that they need. Yet I will not allow those cheaters to keep me from helping others. If I did, the scoundrels of the world would win, and I would have to shut off my heart from those whom I can help. It’s a struggle to love and accept others, and I often fail in that endeavor more often that I would like to admit. If I should start to label segments of mankind as unworthy, it would only be a matter of time until that they would become a multitude, each person looking at me with the eyes of Christ Jesus. God’s love and mercy, as shown us through Jesus Christ, is taking my entire lifetime for me to understand, and I am still learning, even at a humble Waffle House.

Wow, what a powerful witness.....

LOL, mocking God? Was not

OMG!!!!! You are consorting with the DEAD!!!!!!!! Show me in the NT where that is ALLOWED!!!!!!!!!!!! Are you one of those Catholics

Sorry, we will disagree. You did not answer my question.

He was speaking as a rabbi in a parable, so no, you are wrong. So I did give justification, even if you don't accept it my friend ;-). Besides, it was a development in the early church and this custom was in use before the canon was put together in the 4th century. In the West there is ample evidence of the custom of praying for the dead in the inscriptions of the catacombs with their constant prayers for the peace and refreshment of the souls of the departed and in the early liturgies, which commonly contain commemorations of the dead; and Tertullian, Cyprian and other early Western Fathers witness to the regular practice of praying for the dead among the early Christians Where in the New Testament does it say that anything outside of the books of the New Testament is not to be taken into account? Peace Mark

In Matthew 5:26 and Luke 12:59 Christ is condemning sin and speaks of liberation only after expiation. “Amen, I say to you, you will not be released until you have paid the last penny.” Now we know that no last penny needs to be paid in Heaven and from Hell there is no liberation at all; hence the reference must apply to a third place. Remember, purgatory is not a second chance for conversion; those in purgation are already justified. Since Martin Luther threw both books of Maccabees out of his Protestant Bible during the sixteenth century Reformation, most Protestants today don’t recognize Maccabees as scripture. However, both 1 and 2 Maccabees are in the Gutenberg Bible, published a century before Luther was born, which proves that the Catholic Church didn't add them at the Council of Trent after the Reformation; they were taken out by Luther during the Reformation. St. Paul talks about this in 1 Corinthians 3:13 when he says, " The work of each will come to light, for the Day will disclose it. It will be revealed with fire, and the fire (itself) will test the quality of each one's work. If the work stands that someone built upon the foundation, that person will receive a wage. But if someone's work is burned up, that one will suffer loss; the person will be saved, but only as through fire. "

Of course. How else can God heal them? Sin wounds us deeply. It is like a man who turns his life around, he will still have to deal with the aftermath of the effects of sin on his soul. Habits etc, that take a death to self to overcome, with God's grace. Paul talks about running the race, which implies effort and responding to grace. It is the sufficiency of Christ's death and resurrection that allows that to happen. How that happens I am not sure, but again, we will all be judged and what is stubble will be burned away by the Fire of God's love. Peace Mark

My friend, it is hard to truly listen, for we each have our own 'slant', or perspective and also personal history. All churches because they are made up of people, have a dark past, the older, the more there will be to point at. Many people are deeply wounded by Christians from different churches, so yes what she says is true, but it not all encompassing. Peace mark

Thanks for bringing this to my attention my friend. I misread your other post. Should have known better, sorry about that. We don't agree, but I sense you try to be very fair. Peace mark

Of course, healing and purification are part of the sanctification that is part of the Christian journey. Peace mark

You go girl (or guy or whatever)

Look forget it, your miss the point, but that is OK. Of course I believe the above and it is out bible. Peace Mark

Religion can be harsh, hard, cruel and crazy......just like politics ;-).......well said, thank you. peace mark

Well said my friend. Peace mark

Eternal assurance is not scriptural, as can be seen even among non-catholics here who trade many scriptural verses covering pro and cons. Salvation is a gift, we receive, we do not presume.....

You are missing the point. Those in purgation, or healing, or saved......those who freely reject God can't be healed, would not want it if offered. Mercy and healing have to be received. Peace Mark

God's mercy and love is infinite, yet life happens to us all. To be forgiven does not mean that in this world we do not have to make some sort of restitution towards those that we hurt etc. You can't turn God's "Yes" to you as shown to us in Christ Jesus into a 'no'......it is we who facilitate, the love of God never. I will pray for you my friend. Never lose hope and trust. To trust can be hard, but the more we make acts of trust, the deeper we go in experiencing the healing love of Jesus Christ. Peace Mark

The truth should be told gently, if harsh there are, or could be underlying issues of control and anger I believe. To be gentle but honest shows respect and love for the one being talked to and not a rash or harsh judgment which is seldom true when done in anger. However public scandal may be a different matter. Jesus knew who he could 'scold' in vary degrees, but it was based I believe on what was needed to reach the one being convicted. Public sinners know they are sinners, it was the Pharisees with whom he was hardest on, and it seemed to work, for many of the early Christians came from the educated class.