Is the Pope denying that Christ worked miracles?
The atheist Engenio Scalfari reported [Link]
that the pope had told him that once he has become incarnate, Jesus
ceases to be a God and becomes a man up until his death on the
cross. He quotes Pope Francis as saying: ". . . Jesus of Nazareth, once he
became man, was simply a man of exceptional virtue, he was not quite
a God." Of course the Vatican denies that these were
accurate recollections of what the pope "actually" said.
Personally, I tend to believe Scalfari's report. Francis'
off-the-cuff interviews reveal what he really thinks, as opposed to
the official speeches he gives, which are most likely written by
others.
If, and I emphasize the “if,” the pope thinks
that Jesus did not operate as God in his earthly life, then he is
implicitly denying that Jesus wrought true miracles, since miracles
are of God. Does he think that the multiplication of the loaves
was that silly canard of people sharing their fish sandwiches, does
he think that he did not walk on the water because the lake was
beginning to ice up, or that those raised from the dead were simply
recalled from near-death experiences they were undergoing?
Yet Our Lord himself said that if you do not
believe in him, believe in the works that he does. By this he affirms
that his works are miraculous. "Do you not believe, that I
am in the Father, and the Father in me? The words that I speak to
you, I speak not of myself. But the Father who abideth in me, he doth
the works. Believe you not that I am in the Father, and the
Father in me? Otherwise believe for the very works' sake. Amen,
amen I say to you, he that believeth in me, the works that I do, he
also shall do; and greater than these shall he do." [John,
14:10-12, Douay-Rheims. ]
Regardless of how "progressive,"
preposterous, or outrageous this pope is, it is important to still
accept his presence as pope, since the Church can only be rebuilt
from within. All that is not Catholic of the Vatican II cult must be
rejected. And that includes the veneration of pagan statuary.
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| (Credit: CNS.) |
Great post, Frank. Inspired wisdom and wonderfully written. Yes, all that is inherited from Vatican II, but which is not of the One True Faith must be removed, and we must refuse to assent our will to the practice of giving homage to pagan statuary.
ReplyDeleteI, too, believe Scalfari's reports. When I am asked why I trust Scalfari, I answer that I trust him because Pope Francis trusts him.
Not to mention that Jesus Christ instituted the sacraments while walkng the earth, and our faith is based on everything He did and said -- The Word of God and not of a virtuous man. I keep hoping for a definitive correction from the pope, other than what the Vatican has given out. The pope, knowing this alleged quote of his has sent a tsunami down the spine of Catholics, surely should utter a word about 'that's not what I actually said' etc. Surprisingly --or maybe not so surprising in our world today-- some practicing Catholics I spoke with did not fully understand the Trinity or the Triune God. They thought that Jesus was the son of God only, period. Not God. As the Church has been asking us, each in his way, we need to evangelize the basics.
ReplyDeleteSorry--I left out the full quote in my post above. The sentence should read:
ReplyDeleteand not "simply a man of exceptional virtue."