Thoughts of Believers
Interesting links, click to read:
"Those Who Say “This or Nothing” Are Heretics not Catholics....."
Pope Francis in a homily on June 9th, 2016... more to read
“Our faith is the encounter with a person, Jesus Christ, who changes our life and opens a new perspective in our life...Otherwise, we will reduce our faith to an ideology. Ideology will die, but the person of Christ will never die...."
Archbishop Christophe Pierre , the new apostolic nuncio to the United States (June 5, 2016).... more to read
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For the last few months, according to the letter of Bishop Samra of April 18, we were blaming the so called priest Sebastian for everything that happened. How wrong we were!!!
He, Bishop Samra, wants us to blame him… he was behind all the things we were complaining about. But how can we blame him? He is the Bishop.
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People are asking why someone is called “the so called priest”.
The answer is easy and straight forward: “a person whose heart is filled with hate and whose mind is clouded with darkness, cannot and should not be the representative of Jesus and God on earth”
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The Melkite Church did not come to America as a missionary to expand the Melkite faith. Our beloved church came here to look after its children, after us. The Church came here on the demand of our ancestors, because of their thirst to have their church to look after them and to keep their Melkite faith instead of migrating to other churches.
The Melkite Church, like Christianity, has originated in the Middle East. Pushing us into strange beliefs, is like uprooting us from our origin, thus achieving the goals of those who want the Middle East free of Christians. Persons like and including the so called priest, are trying to finish the work that those evil forces have been doing in the Middle East. Our church came here to keep us in faith, to give our diaspora the support and hope it needs to stay connected and to preserve our identity.
Christians in the Middle East are being persecuted, kicked out of their homes, and slaughtered. Our families and loved ones keep suffering. But how does this so called priest know that, since he has no TV.
The migration of our brothers and sisters from those countries is at its peak time. About half of our parishioners have not been in this country for more than a few years. The need for Arabic churches is in dire need at this time, and Sayedna Bishop Samra expressed this point in his speech back in July.
When the author of this came to this country, three decades ago, with his family, they did not have family here. Shortly after the day he found St. Elias church, it became his family, all its parishioners became their family. All those new families felt the same.
We are one family.
If the Melkite church of America will not take us as we are, and will not provide the protection and support we need, we will survive, like we survived the persecution. We will prevail, we will struggle, but we will succeed. Sadly, all this will happen on the outside of our Melkite Church.
One cannot but ask: why have we been ignored and why is this happening?
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Their love and thirst for power is blinding their wisdom
We pray to God to forgive them, although they know what they are doing
Love and affection make a good and successful priest . Ego and arrogance destroy him
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Tyrants and dictators falling around the world. Bad kings and presidents removed. That is inevitable, no matter how long they stay in power. The problem is they do not leave before they have destroyed everything around them. Nero was one among too many and a bad priest is no exception.
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Definition of Petition:
“A written document signed by a large number of people demanding some form of action from a government or other authority or diety.” Dictionary.com
“A written document that many people sign to show that they want a person or organization to do or change something.” Merriam-Webster
It seems that a petition is a very civilized way to ask higher authority for some kind of action.
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Blind obedience is a tradition of the dark ages and Respect is not a one way thing. Respect should be mutual, exchanged and reciprocated.
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I heard people often say: “ego is blinding their wisdom”. I don’t believe that. If you have ego you are not wise, period.
They have authority ego. Period. (G5)
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“If you are a priest and you can’t manage to be merciful, tell your bishop who will give you a job in administration but please don’t go into the confessional box! A priest who is not merciful does a lot of harm in the confessional box! He beats people.” (Pope Francis)
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Can those who lie have communion without confessing? Or can those who lie give communion even if they confessed?
Lots of people are afraid of the truth... Priests and Clergy should not be
How can someone preach about Jesus Christ while not having a shred of love in his heart? (G4)
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Some Bishops and Priests should realize that:
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this is the 21st century.
this is the 21st century.-people are connected by all means and have access to knowledge and truth
people are connected by all means and have access to knowledge and truth-believers are no longer afraid of God. They love him and they worship him
believers are no longer afraid of God. They love him and they worship him-they, Bishops and Priests have to earn the love and respect from their parishioners
they, Bishops and Priests have to earn the love and respect from their parishioners-95% of American parishioners are highly educated and that they, Bishops and Priests stop treating them as peasants. Nothing wrong being an honest peasant. Treating them the way they used to do hundreds of years ago is WRONG (G3)
95% of American parishioners are highly educated and that they, Bishops and Priests stop treating them as peasants. Nothing wrong being an honest peasant. Treating them the way they used to do hundreds of years ago is WRONG (G3).............................................................................................................................................................................................
"The only authority is the authority of service, ..... the only power is the power of the cross" (Pope Francis)
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Jesus came to serve, not to be served.
Some Bishops and Priests should learn from our Lord and do the same. (N1)
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Jesus came and taught love. He united us in faith in him.
In his name, some Bishops and Priests have broken their own churches just to satisfy their thirst for power and authority. They should learn from our Lord and do the same (G1)
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Does God forgive Bishops and Priests for lying, just because they are part of the clergy? Or will they have to go through the purgatory, since they will not confess their sins to each other’s? (G2)
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If you have a thought or a fact please email to justice4stelias@gmail.com. It will be reviewed and approved before being pubished.
June 9, 2016
Community
San Jose and the Bay Area, CA
Mar Elias
Address: Our Heart
