If Jesus where here on this site, how and what would He want us to teach each other about HIM? - WWJD
I would think He might teach us something like this:
Always respect the personality of man. Never should a righteous cause be promoted by force; spiritual victories can be won only by spiritual power. This injunction against the employment of material influences refers to psychic force as well as to physical force. Overpowering arguments and mental superiority are not to be employed to coerce men and women into the kingdom. Man's mind is not to be crushed by the mere weight of logic or overawed by shrewd eloquence. While emotion as a factor in human decisions cannot be wholly eliminated, it should not be directly appealed to in the teachings of those who would advance the cause of the kingdom. Make your appeals directly to the divine spirit that dwells within the minds of men. Do not appeal to fear, pity, or mere sentiment. In appealing to men, be fair; exercise self-control and exhibit due restraint; show proper respect for the personalities of your pupils. Remember that I have said: "Behold, I stand at the door and knock, and if any man will open, I will come in.
In bringing men into the kingdom, do not lessen or destroy their self-respect. While overmuch self-respect may destroy proper humility and end in pride, conceit, and arrogance, the loss of self-respect often ends in paralysis of the will. It is the purpose of this gospel to restore self-respect to those who have lost it and to restrain it in those who have it. Make not the mistake of only condemning the wrongs in the lives of your pupils; remember also to accord generous recognition for the most praiseworthy things in their lives. Forget not that I will stop at nothing to restore self-respect to those who have lost it, and who really desire to regain it.
Take care that you do not wound the self-respect of timid and fearful souls. Do not indulge in sarcasm at the expense of my simple-minded brethren. Be not cynical with my fear-ridden children. Idleness is destructive of self-respect; therefore, admonish your brethren ever to keep busy at their chosen tasks, and put forth every effort to secure work for those who find themselves without employment.
Never be guilty of such unworthy tactics as endeavoring to frighten men and women into the kingdom. A loving father does not frighten his children into yielding obedience to his just requirements.
Sometime the children of the kingdom will realize that strong feelings of emotion are not equivalent to the leadings of the divine spirit. To be strongly and strangely impressed to do something or to go to a certain place, does not necessarily mean that such impulses are the leadings of the indwelling spirit.
Forewarn all believers regarding the fringe of conflict which must be traversed by all who pass from the life as it is lived in the flesh to the higher life as it is lived in the spirit. To those who live quite wholly within either realm, there is little conflict or confusion, but all are doomed to experience more or less uncertainty during the times of transition between the two levels of living. In entering the kingdom, you cannot escape its responsibilities or avoid its obligations, but remember: The gospel yoke is easy and the burden of truth is light.
The world is filled with hungry souls who famish in the very presence of the bread of life; men die searching for the very God who lives within them. Men seek for the treasures of the kingdom with yearning hearts and weary feet when they are all within the immediate grasp of living faith. Faith is to religion what sails are to a ship; it is an addition of power, not an added burden of life. There is but one struggle for those who enter the kingdom, and that is to fight the good fight of faith. The believer has only one battle, and that is against doubt--unbelief.
In preaching the gospel of the kingdom, you are simply teaching friendship with God. And this fellowship will appeal alike to men and women in that both will find that which most truly satisfies their characteristic longings and ideals. Tell my children that I am not only tender of their feelings and patient with their frailties, but that I am also ruthless with sin and intolerant of iniquity. I am indeed meek and humble in the presence of my Father, but I am equally and relentlessly inexorable where there is deliberate evildoing and sinful rebellion against the will of my Father in heaven.
You shall not portray your teacher as a man of sorrows. Future generations shall know also the radiance of our joy, the buoyance of our good will, and the inspiration of our good humor. We proclaim a message of good news which is infectious in its transforming power. Our religion is throbbing with new life and new meanings. Those who accept this teaching are filled with joy and in their hearts are constrained to rejoice evermore. Increasing happiness is always the experience of all who are certain about God.
Teach all believers to avoid leaning upon the insecure props of false sympathy. You cannot develop strong characters out of the indulgence of self-pity; honestly endeavor to avoid the deceptive influence of mere fellowship in misery. Extend sympathy to the brave and courageous while you withhold overmuch pity from those cowardly souls who only halfheartedly stand up before the trials of living. Offer not consolation to those who lie down before their troubles without a struggle. Sympathize not with your fellows merely that they may sympathize with you in return.
When my children once become self-conscious of the assurance of the divine presence, such a faith will expand the mind, ennoble the soul, reinforce the personality, augment the happiness, deepen the spirit perception, and enhance the power to love and be loved.
Teach all believers that those who enter the kingdom are not thereby rendered immune to the accidents of time or to the ordinary catastrophes of nature. Believing the gospel will not prevent getting into trouble, but it will insure that you shall be unafraid when trouble does overtake you. If you dare to believe in me and wholeheartedly proceed to follow after me, you shall most certainly by so doing enter upon the sure pathway to trouble. I do not promise to deliver you from the waters of adversity, but I do promise to go with you through all of them.
What do you think He would say?
Hi Kate, What a wonderful
Hi Kate, What a wonderful real life sharing! I think we all may have come across similar circumstances.
IMHO on the spare change. I used to do that or nothing unless I personally bought them food because I didn't want to contribute to them buying alcohol. I don't know how long along but at a certain point I realized that the alms I gave were fulfilling what I felt was my desire to serve God by giving to those asking for alms. What they did with it after I gave it to them was their responsibility, between them and God.
When I finally reach that point of limiting my action to the giving, and left the responsibility of those who receive the gift to them. I found peace in my gift. I prayed for them to find their peace and guidance with God.
The ten bucks I wouldn't do. Or it would depend on my judgment of if they would really buy a meal with it. To some people I have given more without them asking because "I knew" it would be put to good use.
Your neighbor, you must let her know in the most tactful way you can without accusation that if the situation arose where someone ask her for information about you that you would not want her to divulge any information about you.
Always remember to ask God blessing and pray for all! :-)
How did Jesus Teach?
He was never capricious, whimsical, or hysterical. In all his teaching and in everything he did there was always an exquisite discrimination associated with an extraordinary sense of propriety.
The more we discover how much we are Loved by God, the more we want to do God's Will
Those of you who when you
Those of you who when you take the time, either conservative or liberal or of any other label, to express your selves in a manner that is uplifting to all remind of this:
How did Jesus Teach?
The wise and learned endeavored to trip him, but he did not stumble. They sought to embroil him in debate, but his answers were always enlightening, dignified, and final. When he was interrupted in his discourses with multitudinous questions, his answers were always significant and conclusive.
How did Jesus Act?
He lived in the midst of stress and storm, but he never wavered. His enemies continually laid snares for him, but they never entrapped him.
The more we discover how much we are Loved by God, the more we want to do God's Will
Biblical authorsip and
Biblical authorsip and modern authorship do not play by the same rules. When the Gospel says, "Jesus says..." the words in quotes most likely are not Jesus' words. There was no one with a steno pad or tape recorder following him agound to catch exactly what he said. He spoke in Aramaic and the oldest Gospel texts we have are in Greek. Furthermore, the Evangelists took certain "liberties" in adapting Jesus message to the audiences they were addressing. Adding to this the whole process by which four books were accepted into the Canon and we have no way of knowing for sure Jesus actually said what he is said to have said.
However, it is correct to attribute authorship to him because those four books accurately transmit to us the mind and spirit of Jesus' teaching.
We call these books "Gospels" because they tell us the joyful Good News of Jesus Christ and his message.
If the Canon were open and a fifth book was presented for consideration that did not reflect the mind and spirit of Jesus, we would not accept it.
It bothers me that, in some of these posts, I find a message that is not Good News. Is not joyful. It is a message of rejection, anathama, excommunication that does not, at least to me, convey the Good News I find in the Gospel.
How did Jesus Teach? How did Jesus Act? Very, very important questions. If what and how we teach and act is not in harmony with the teachings and actions of Jesus, where did it come from and how are we to view it?
"How did Jesus Teach? How
"How did Jesus Teach? How did Jesus Act? Very, very important questions. If what and how we teach and act is not in harmony with the teachings and actions of Jesus, where did it come from and how are we to view it?"
That's a good question BOB. HOW DO YOU PERSONALLY DETERMINE what is or is not in harmony with the teachings and actions of Jesus?
Thanks in advance for your sharing. God Bless and be with you brother Bob. :-)
The more we discover how much we are Loved by God, the more we want to do God's Will
Joer, The Gospels are as
Joer,
The Gospels are as close as we can get to the historical Jesus, his life and teaching. It is, in my opinion, difficult to approach the Gospels with an open mind. That is without preconceived notions that we seek to find Scurptural basis for as opposed to trying to be open to having the Gospels form our opinion. I think we are always walking no thin ice when we pull a statement out of context and set it up as a standars.
There are themes that repeat themselves over and over again. I think we can begin to get insight into the mind of Jesus as we reflect on these themes and then ask ourselves if our viewpoints are in harmony with them. What did Jesus say about forgiving, judging, loving, leadership, etc.
Jesus promised us, all of us, the Holy Spirit to instruct us. I think we all, and I am not suggesting that you or anyone doesn't, have to constantly read, reread and reflect on the words of the Gospels and humbly pray for the guidance of the Holy Spirit so that we too may have the mind of Christ.
I think it significant that the message of Jesus is called the Gospel, the Good News. It tells us of the great love God has for each and every one of us, no matter how sinful we may be. It is this Good News that we are charged to proclaim. There are many parables about the "seed", the Word Jesus sews. I think we have to keep sewing that seed and leaving its growth to the power of the Holy Spirit. If someone rejects it, that is between that person and God. I can't see what graces anyone has or has not received. I think I have to be sure no one misses the opportunity to receive the seed and have it mature in them because I failed, by word and deed, to sew it or because I pushed them away.
"There are many parables
"There are many parables about the "seed", the Word Jesus sews. I think we have to keep sewing that seed and leaving its growth to the power of the Holy Spirit. If someone rejects it, that is between that person and God. I can't see what graces anyone has or has not received. I think I have to be sure no one misses the opportunity to receive the seed and have it mature in them because I failed, by word and deed, to sew it or because I pushed them away."
I agree Bob! Even unto the rejection of the planter of the "seed" along with the rejection of the "seed".
God Bless you my friend and May Christ and Holy Spirit continue to be with you and guide you. :-)
The more we discover how much we are Loved by God, the more we want to do God's Will
Double post sorry. I hit the
Double post sorry. I hit the wrong button and lost my reply. Now i just found it. Whoops. My bad. :-)
Joer: Are you aware of just
Joer:
Are you aware of just how uninviting your write up is to women? Here are your words:
Always respect the personality of man... In appealing to men, be fair... Do not indulge in sarcasm at the expense of my simple-minded brethren... admonish your brethren ever to keep busy at their chosen tasks...
Need I go on? It's offensive, to be so obviously excluded. This is how a lot a women feel every Sunday, when priests refuse to acknowledge their presence, referring to those present as brethren.
Kate
I'm sorry Kate your right
I'm sorry Kate your right about the political incorrectness of the gender representation. I would ask that you would think of men and women wherever it says man or men or male or anywhere the gender correctness is wrong. Because it is the idea of being kind and respectful to others that I wanted to get across. There is such a lack of consideration of others in our communication. And as we have mentioned in other posts about learned oppression. I made a mistake here and I thank you so much for pointing out how disrespectful that is of women. You are absolutely correct. And thanks to you pointing that out, step by step we heal the oppression, sexism, age discrimination, color discrimination, and other negative expressions that are engrained in our character.
I thank you for allowing this process of correction to occur in such an amiable fashion. Which is exactly what I'm talking about in how we express ourselves towards our brothers AND SISTERS in a fashion that promoted growth. Spiritually, materially, secularly and in just plainly in any manner in which we express ourselves.
"Be thou perfect even as I am Perfect." -Our Lord and God.
The more we discover how much we are Loved by God, the more we want to do God's Will
Joer: Believe it or not,
Joer:
Believe it or not, most of the time, I automatically plug in "and women" as I listen or read. Somehow, as I've gotten older, I've become more sensitive. I certainly don't mean to imply that you alone are responsible for the problem. It runs rampant in society, in the church, in the workplace, etc.
I appreciate your kind reply. It was very thoughtful of you to frame it so carefully. If I overreacted ( and I will trust your opinion on that), I sincerely apologize. I sprained my ankle last week and some days the only human interaction I get is on the site. Please forgive me.
Humbly in Christ,
Kate
What Jesus might say: If I
What Jesus might say:
If I may quote a well known atheist, lets try:, "love, peace, fidelity, prudence, politeness, temperance, courage, justice, generosity, compassion, mercy, gratitude, humility, simplicity, tolerance, purity, gentleness, good faith and humor" ....and relegate Dogma to chat rooms.
In this world of ours, there
In this world of ours, there are many who believe in God and many who don't. Among believers there are many, many religions. Among religions there are many points of view. Seems the one thing all have in common is the absolute conviction that, "I am right!" I am talking about good, honest, sincere people who are really seeking truth. The problem is that, if I am right, you must either agree with me or be wrong.
I believe truth is objective and that there is ultimate truth -- I just don't know who knows it or to what extent it is known. Therefore, no matter how convinced I am right, I could (God forbid) be wrong.
Christ did not say all will know you to be my disciples by your correctness, but by your love.
In these posts, as we read others opinions, our first concern is to love and respect each other. There is much pain on these pages. We should try to heal it.
So, I, for my part, as I am the only one over whom God gave me control, will always attempt to love and respect you -- even if I am sure you are wrong.
Amen Brother Bob! Well said.
Amen Brother Bob! Well said. :-)
The more we discover how much we are Loved by God, the more we want to do God's Will
The more sure we are of
The more sure we are of God's love, the more like Jesus we want to be: the more willing we are speak truth even in the face of denial by one the largest organizations in the history of the world.
Catholicism is a marvel and a mystery. But it has problems. I'm developing empathy for how Jesus must have felt during his life: a devout Jew who just didn't fit in becasue he kept talking about the stuff others didn't care to see/hear.
I worry about too much coziness on these sites. We should be challenging ourselves, not congratulating ourselves.
Kate
Please define:cozy. I see a
Please define:cozy. I see a lot of irascibility that really gets my goat.
Frannie: I'm not just
Frannie:
I'm not just responding to what I've seen and read in this chat room.
By coziness I mean something like this: the posts that try to gather up part of the posting community, those who follow the "rules", and swadle them in an afghan. Those swadled do not include people who: propose women priests in the RC church; people who take any position at all on abortion; or take any other contraversial view.
It's like high school. Who's in who's out, you can figure that out pretty quickly.
Star, what do you think about this? (I'm not sure she's posting these days. She had a very bad experience with one of the posters.)
Kate
Thanks, Kate, for
Thanks, Kate, for responding. I have certainly noticed the big difference between the conservatives and liberals. But most of the time, it seems to me, people react honestly and fairly to one another. That has certainly been my experience. I can't say that about the ratings though. Sometimes they seem both personal ands mean. If I may get personal, there are two posters whose exchanges I really enjoy. They're like puppies pulling at an old sock. But they're both very bright and very learned. I'm sure either one would be heartbroken if the other withdrew from the field. I'm sorry about Star. I'd also ask her to come back. This is like a laboratory for inquiry. If we can't do it here with grace, how are we ever going to do it in the real world?
Frannie: Thanks for getting
Frannie:
Thanks for getting back to me.
I think the whole thing goes through cycles. Depends who's posting and what the group dynamics are like. At times, it seems to be nothing by Opus Dei folk and that can really get me down. It's supposed to be, as I understand it, about our opinions, not just a regurgitation of rules. It's possible that my negative view is influenced by a sprained ankle and enforced cabin fever. Sorry for any undue negativity.
It's nice to correspond with you.
Kate
I've only been here for
I've only been here for about 2 weeks, so I'm still figuring out who is who. I am so sorry about your ankle. Please don't apologize. I love your stuff. I have a niece named Kate, so I'm always on the lookout for your postings. Feel better.
Frannie
You seem to be a wise woman,
You seem to be a wise woman, perhaps you're a judge.
Thank you but not even
Thank you but not even close. I answer to old crone and retired school teacher.
Frannie
Frannie, tell me you didn't
Frannie, tell me you didn't spend most of your life judging children and their various intellects and behaviors. Teachers are very often place in situations judges would rather send to a higher court. For that matter, so are parents. Personally, what little teaching I have been called on to do, I loved.
I loved it too. for 32
I loved it too. for 32 years. I always told my kids they were la creme de la creme: those in advanced placement and those in remedial classes. I found most often they lived up to the label. Yes, I have to admit I judged behavior. I saw that as part of my job. But I tried always to do it with love and kindness. And most kids responded to that as well. It has been a delicious life. I would not today trade it for another. But I admit I still don't know what I want to be when I grow up. And to this day I would rather be called teeeeeCHA than the Empress of Upper and Lower Egypt.
Amen to that. Teachers make
Amen to that. Teachers make our lives a whole lot more desirable. What do say we give them a raise?
We Must Not Confuse What Is Essential In The Church With That Which Is Mutable, No Matter How Ancient It May Be
Great post joer. What I
Great post joer. What I found most illuminating was the following:
"It is the purpose of this gospel to restore self-respect to those who have lost it and to restrain it in those who have it. Make not the mistake of only condemning the wrongs in the lives of your pupils; remember also to accord generous recognition for the most praiseworthy things in their lives. Forget not that I will stop at nothing to restore self-respect to those who have lost it, and who really desire to regain it."
Thanks Col! It does help
Thanks Col! It does help remind me to be civil. And it's consistant with jesus' teaching of Loving your enemies, love your neighbor, and loving your brothers and sisters as Jesus Loves Us.
God Bless you Col and all at this site! Amen.
The more we discover how much we are Loved by God, the more we want to do God's Will
accidently double posted.
accidently double posted.
Excellent. It gives much
Excellent. It gives much food for thought. Thanks
Thank You Bob! I really like
Thank You Bob! I really like the positive tones in your posts. I believe you are an example of what is talked about in sharing and "living" the gospel of Jesus as referred to in this post.
God Bless you Bob and thank you for your example. :-)
The more we discover how much we are Loved by God, the more we want to do God's Will
I think Jesus would say,
I think Jesus would say, "Love the Lord God with your whole mind, your whole heart, and your whole soul. Love your neighbors as yourself. The rest is detail."
poetaj
--------
Power at its best is love implementing the demands of justice. Justice at its best is love opposing everything that stands against love. - Martin Luther King, Jr.
God Bless our Holy Father
God Bless our Holy Father Pope Benedict XVI.
Amen, poetaj! Lord, help us to follow your teachings with singleness of purpose and firm resolve even unto death.
Peace and Good,
Your Brother in Christ (Franciscan Tertiary of Mary, Mother of the Most Holy Eucharist)
That is Good! Thank You
That is Good! Thank You poetaj! God Bless you!
The more we discover how much we are Loved by God, the more we want to do God's Will
Hi, Everybody: I've been
Hi, Everybody:
I've been thinking about loving my neighbor. The more I think about it, the foggier I get. I recognize the obvious instances, but then there are all the other instances: the homeless woman asking for money who I turn down because I forgot to put change in my pockets and I have a rule not to take out my wallet on the street; then there's the homeless guy who comes up and wants $10, I think for a meal. Then there's the neighnor who is asking a friend of mine for personal information about me, which really pisses me off so that now every time I see her I just feel angry.
All of this gives me pause. What exactly did Jesus mean by love your neighbor? If I decide to tell Candace that me life is none of her business, does that qualify? Is it really charity to confine my material donation to change instead of a greater amount of money to the homeless? I have no idea. But I'd love to hear your thoughts.
Bless you all.
Kate