MDDad
Master Eminence Grise
Posts: 6,816
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Post by MDDad on Aug 14, 2019 14:43:38 GMT -8
I don't know how the Holy Spirit runs things, but unless He commanded the church clergy to molest alter boys, the human beings who run the church for Him have a lot more autonomy to make mistakes and do wrong than perhaps you give them credit for.
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Luca
Master Statesman
Posts: 1,317
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Post by Luca on Aug 14, 2019 15:06:41 GMT -8
He runs things like Louis XIV: A divine right monarchy.
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Bick
Administrator 
Posts: 6,901
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Religion
Aug 14, 2019 17:18:49 GMT -8
via mobile
Post by Bick on Aug 14, 2019 17:18:49 GMT -8
I thought that was a pretty expensive cognac
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RSM789
Eminence Grise
Posts: 2,287
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Post by RSM789 on Aug 14, 2019 17:41:31 GMT -8
... If an institution is not subject to taxes then it would seem less imperative to require them to be an "open book" than a company that is being taxed on its income and therefore has an incentive to deceive the tax man.. At any rate, a legitimate religious institution is not a business, hence I think the analogy is flawed from the outset. Religious institutions are a different animal and it is an important enough point that it was emphasized in the Constitution……………………………..Luca It is a different animal, but it is still an animal. A Church is businesslike in that it has products & services (spirituality, mass, etc.) that it offers to its customers (parishioners). It has a different revenue tactic, relying on voluntary giving (in most faiths) as opposed to a set price for each product/service. The people running the church are paid, whether they are the founder or employees. If the church does not fulfill the needs of its customers, it will cease to exist. That is business 101. Churches operate almost exactly like any non-profit. Unlike for profit business's, their reason for existence is supposed to be something beyond making money, they often have mission statements reflecting that. Since they are not taxed, their books are required to be open as far as income & expenses in order to make sure everything is on the up & up. If they were a tax paying business, the normal tax returns would be the reflection of their books. The Constitution talks of religion & the freedom to practice it, which is different than running a church (especially today's mega churches). You don't need money to practice your faith, but when money is involved, the government will want to keep an eye on what is going on. You & five other families want to practice your faith, meeting once a week & taking turns going to each others homes? The government won't bat an eyelash. But if you build a multi-million dollar organization with dozens of employees and large landholdings, your financial dealings will be watched regardless of whether you are selling widgets or salvation. |
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Credo
Master Eminence Grise
Posts: 6,242
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Post by Credo on Aug 14, 2019 21:52:36 GMT -8
Good stuff Credo. If anyone would have a good argument, backed by scripture, it would be you. But doesn't it seem the passage in Matthew and what you posed, are in conflict with each other? I do not believe the two passages are in conflict with each other. In the passage from Matthew 23 you cited, Jesus was admonishing the hypocrisy of the Pharisees, themselves, referring to their lives as the “temples.” Matthew 26 is referring to the woman worshipping (the one true) Christ, as He admonished the Disciples about their complaint over how she spends her money. I was being a bit tongue-in-cheek with my initial comment, which I think davidsf caught on to. The point I was trying to make is that criticizing the Church for spending money on something like a cathedral--which is ultimately to honor God and to be for the benefit of the faithful--because the money could be spent on the poor, is as old as the Gospel, and not a very sound argument. That is not to say that the Church is exempt from legitimate oversight and criticism. But even if it were to sell all its property and donate the proceeds to charity, that would only solve the problem of world poverty for a few weeks at best. Even--and especially--the poor deserve beautiful things that remind them that God is with them in the midst of the trials of this life. |
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Post by ProfessorFate on Aug 14, 2019 22:25:18 GMT -8
The Feast of the Assumption of Mary. Ave Maria!
 Assumption of Mary window small - St. James Catholic Cathedral - Orlando, FL
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Credo
Master Eminence Grise
Posts: 6,242
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Post by Credo on Aug 14, 2019 22:29:42 GMT -8
First school Mass on Thursday for the Feast of the Assumption of Mary.
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Credo
Master Eminence Grise
Posts: 6,242
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Post by Credo on Oct 1, 2019 22:39:57 GMT -8
Today at Servite, the entire student body prayed the Rosary together to mark the beginning of the month of October in which we honor the Blessed Virgin Mary.
Ave Maria, gratia plena, Dominus tecum...
Tuesday is the Feast of the Guardian Angels. See, I am sending an angel before you, to guard you on the way and bring you to the place I have prepared.
Be attentive to him and obey him. (Exodus 23:20)
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tarmac
Senior Statesman
Posts: 860
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Post by tarmac on Oct 2, 2019 9:04:26 GMT -8
And this week in Rome.
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Credo
Master Eminence Grise
Posts: 6,242
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Post by Credo on Oct 2, 2019 20:21:08 GMT -8
Yeah, that Fr. Martin is real cancer. Ignatius of Loyola must be rolling over in his grave over his wayward sons.
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Credo
Master Eminence Grise
Posts: 6,242
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Post by Credo on Oct 27, 2019 21:43:05 GMT -8
I love today's Gospel reading for the 30th Sunday in Ordinary Time and how it connects to the 1st Reading from the Book of Sirach: The Parable of the Pharisee and the Tax Collector. A good reminder for all of us, as we are all subject to the sin of Pride (which, in Dante's Inferno, was considered the worst of the Seven Deadly Sins). Jesus addressed this parable
to those who were convinced of their own righteousness
and despised everyone else.
"Two people went up to the temple area to pray;
one was a Pharisee and the other was a tax collector.
The Pharisee took up his position and spoke this prayer to himself,
'O God, I thank you that I am not like the rest of humanity --
greedy, dishonest, adulterous -- or even like this tax collector.
I fast twice a week, and I pay tithes on my whole income.'
But the tax collector stood off at a distance
and would not even raise his eyes to heaven
but beat his breast and prayed,
'O God, be merciful to me a sinner.'
I tell you, the latter went home justified, not the former;
for whoever exalts himself will be humbled,
and the one who humbles himself will be exalted." (Luke 18:9-14) (For all the lapsed and never-were Catholics: usccb.org/bible/readings/102719.cfm )  ![]() |
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Credo
Master Eminence Grise
Posts: 6,242
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Post by Credo on Oct 29, 2019 17:32:36 GMT -8
Love this return to the timeless beauty of tradition.
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davidsf
Master Eminence Grise
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Post by davidsf on Oct 30, 2019 5:57:09 GMT -8
I didn’t like the Crystal Cathedral when Schiller owned it: Too garish, too ostentatious (in my opinion)... but I don’t recall they asked me.
More’s the pity
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Credo
Master Eminence Grise
Posts: 6,242
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Post by Credo on Jan 8, 2020 23:14:38 GMT -8
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Bick
Administrator
Posts: 6,901
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Post by Bick on Jan 9, 2020 8:00:30 GMT -8
Love this return to the timeless beauty of tradition. I've been to a few churches abroad, and this is my favorite. |
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