Father Bob? Naw…Just call me dad

Mar

15

2013

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Mar

15

2013

So what about the new Pope? I like his attitude towards humility. He seems to be a very humble man.  Matthew 23:12 tells us: “And whoever exalts himself shall be humbled; and whoever humbles himself shall be exalted. The new Pope seems to exhibit this attitude and bravo for him.

For one thing he didn’t even want anyone to call him Pope; he wanted to pay his own bill at a hotel; he wanted to carry his own luggage; and he rejected some of the pomp, ceremony, and ritual associated with his coronation.

Jesus was born in the most humble circumstance in a manger. He walked everywhere He went. He washed the feet of His disciples; He rode on a donkey instead of a chariot to enter Jerusalem. He exuded humbleness with His every action. He did not participate in ritual, and in fact said some pretty harsh things about the Pharisees who did engage in it. Somehow I just can’t envision Jesus engaging in the pomp and ceremony of the Vatican, riding in the Pope-mobile, and/or wearing one of those pointed Pope hats.

I’m not a Catholic and admittedly just cannot buy into the entire priest and Pope concept. It always seemed so contrary to the principles that Jesus laid out for us in the Bible. For example I’m uncomfortable calling any man “his holiness”. God is holy – Don’t know about the Pope who is a brother in flesh like all other men.

I don’t like to hear priests being called “father” either. Hey before all you Catholics get mad and send nasty letters, I read the book, “Crossing the Threshold of Hope” by Pope John Paul II and even he indicated that he was troubled by it too, because Jesus commanded in Matthew 23:9 “And don’t address anyone here on earth as ‘Father,’ for only God in heaven is your spiritual Father.” Popes aren’t our earthly fathers, nor are they our spiritual fathers, so why call them “Father”.

I wouldn’t want to be called “Father Bob” by anyone, (but my kids can call me “dad”).

Check out this passage: “But you are not to be called ‘Rabbi,’ for you have one Teacher, and you are all brothers.  And do not call anyone on earth ‘father, for you have one Father, and he is in heaven.  Nor are you to be called instructors, for you have one Instructor, the Messiah.”

I don’t like the concept of going through a priest to pray or confess my sins. I love for others to pray for me mind you, but according to the Bible that I read and love, I’m supposed to pray directly to God and confess my sins directly to Him and not go through anyone else. Matt. 6:6 But when you pray, go away by yourself, shut the door behind you, and pray to your Father in private. Then your Father, who sees everything, will reward you. When Jesus taught his disciples how they ought to pray in verse nine of this same book, He instructed them to pray to “Our Father in heaven”. So it was Jesus Himself, God in flesh, John 1:1 who told us that we should raise our prayers directly to “God the Father”.

Hmmm…Don’t see anywhere we are to pray to Mary, mother of God.

I’m not against the Catholic religion or other denominations. Obviously they have developed their belief system through their study of the Bible. Methodists, Baptists, Assembly of God, etc. all have their understanding of Holy Scripture too.

As for me I don’t get hung up on denominations; I have no need for them. I believe the Bible. I love to read God’s Holy Bible and sit back and listen to God tell me what He means about the things in this life and the next. I’ve read the Bible many, many times, word for word. That doesn’t mean that my understanding is always right. Indeed every time I read a passage it seems that God further explains it or tells me something new about it. The Bible says of itself that it is “living” and I believe it is, and the continual revealing of new meaning of Scripture every time I re-read a passage is part of this phenomenon. So I try to keep an open mind.

At any rate I’m glad to see the Catholic Church get such a fine humble man for a Pope. His humility will be noticed worldwide and that is a good thing. I’m sure Jesus is smiling about that.

Have a great weekend and go to church this Sunday!

Phil. 2:3

Do nothing from rivalry or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others. Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but made himself nothing, taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men…

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