Excommunicating Non-voters

[goldenchild17]

[quote name='StThomasMore' post='1185752' date='Feb 5 2007, 08:53 PM']
I have to say you are one of the most liberal sedes I've ever come upon....
[/quote]

okay. Call me whatever you like, titles don't bug me at all. Not that I really take much of your understanding of doctrine too seriously anyways (people who fully accept their church and yet see so many things to complain about and see so many things as evil in their own church is not a philosophy I would consider safe by any means). Honestly doesn't mean much to me. Sorry to disappoint . But if you wish you could certainly share why you think this. I'm sure you have some reason, yet I can't imagine what it might be. And yeah I consider myself quite liberal in certain areas (music choices, tattoos and piercings etc.) but for some reason I don't believe that's what you're referring too.

Edited February 6, 2007 by goldenchild17

[LouisvilleFan]

[quote name='Anomaly' post='1185795' date='Feb 5 2007, 09:18 PM']
What is a good Catholic supposed to do? What principles are 'standards' to validate whatever the regional Bishop desires to espouse. If it's a Bishop in a large populated area in the US, is he more 'valid' than a bishop in the backwaters of Africa?

...

But you Catholics call them the Princes of the Church and should be obeyed. The Catholics in one area will be excluded from Communion (or at least be guilty of a grave sin) if they don't vote, and other Catholics are encouraged to support a US politician that actively promotes and supports abortion because their Bishop equates abortion as morally important as minimum wage.
[/quote]

A good Catholic is to obey the bishop of their diocese as Christ, for the bishop represents the Church and the Church is Christ's Bride. End of story on that. The bishops in America aren't going to excommunicate us for not registering for vote, and apparently not even if we vote for abortion, but that's their pastoral decision to make and it's not my place to judge them for it.

Which brings me to my last post. I need to confess that I've been overly critical of some priests and bishops. It hasn't come out in my posts here much, but it did when I criticized the Archbishop of D.C. for the decision he made to allow Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi to receive the Eucharist. Satan uses the tiniest bit of disobedience, even when it comes from a well-intentioned heart, to gain a foothold. This past weekend I was convicted with the great amount of Pride built up in my heart because of thinking I know what I would do in their shoes, but the fact is I'm just a layperson and God has given me no authority to make these very difficult decisions. Part of our vocation as Catholics is to be fiercely obedient to the men God places as shepherds over us. If they fall asleep while we're praying all night in the garden, so be it. Let's concern ourselves with sharing our joy with the people we are in contact with every day instead of worrying about men we rarely (if ever) meet.

Most of all, let's just be thankful that we share a relationship with Christ and that He is so gracious to forgive our sins in Confession, not just once, but "seven times seventy-seven," and receive the grace and love of God made flesh in the Eucharist. We need to be humbled before our Lord, crying with tears of joy that He loves us more than we can comprehend. God swept our greatest theologian, Thomas Aquinas, right off his feet and left him speechless! And we consider his "straw" to be a work of genius.

Anyway... step down off this soapbox now... I'm on a spiritual high after last weekend's retreat, if ya can't tell ;-) Satan will probably try dragging me down here in a few days, but even if he does, he can do nothing that prayer, Scripture, and five minutes at Confession won't fix.

Edited February 6, 2007 by LouisvilleFan

[LouisvilleFan]

[quote name='LouisvilleFan' post='1185997' date='Feb 5 2007, 11:19 PM']
I criticized the Archbishop of D.C. for the decision he made to allow Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi to receive the Eucharist.
[/quote]

Looking back, I can't even find where I said that... maybe it was another thread or on my blog or something. Wherever it was, I said it and no good fruit comes from uncalled for criticism... just a lot of Pride and Anger. There are proper forums for constructive criticism because every one of us needs it, especially the Pope because of his great responsibility, but Internet message boards definitely are not it.

Edited February 6, 2007 by LouisvilleFan