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#Post#: 3382--------------------------------------------------
Re: Complete Freedom?
By: Kerry Date: November 30, 2015, 6:20 am
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This may amaze you, Brad -- it did me when I found out about it.
Some numbers came out of Germany -- and this news article was
published in February, 2015; but the numbers reported were for
2013. From Catholic Herald in the UK
HTML http://www.catholicherald.co.uk/news/2015/02/19/germanys-richest-diocese-has-greater-assets-than-the-vatican/:
A diocese in Germany has greater assets than the Vatican, it has
been revealed.
Cologne diocese published its 2013 accounts yesterday, the
fourth of Germany’s 27 bishoprics to present an annual financial
balance.
Cologne general-vicar Stefan Hesse presented the figures,
showing that it has assets of €3.35 billion (£2.45 billion),
which compares with Vatican assets of £2 billion.
More than two-thirds of Cologne’s assets are held in
investments, including two housing companies owning 24,000
flats, some for low earners. Fr Hasse also said the income,
mostly from the country’s church tax, was also used to help
refugees and the homeless. The diocese also has real estate,
including schools, seminaries and conference centres, worth
£500m, in an area covering two million Catholics.
The German Church is hugely wealthy because registered Catholics
must pay a share of their income tax towards the Church under a
long-standing agreement dating back to the 19th century. In
2013, the Catholic Church in Germany received almost €5.5
billion (£4.6 billion) via the church tax.
A later article from Deutsche Welle
HTML http://www.dw.com/en/a-church-for-the-poor-or-a-wealthy-corporation/a-18754128<br
/>appeared last October, and it reported:
Pope Francis has said that he champions a more austere Catholic
Church. "How I would like a church that is poor and for the
poor," he told journalists after his election to the papacy in
2013. But now that several dioceses in Germany have made their
finances public, it's hard not to wonder how the wealth they
possess fits in with Francis' wish for austerity.
So far, the list is topped by the diocese of Paderborn in
western Germany. According to their financial report for 2014,
published this week, the diocese has total assets of more than
four billion euros; 279 million euros of that is tangible
assets, most of it in property. Most of it, 3.6 billion euros,
is financial assets such as fixed-interest securities.
Whether the Church owns buildings or stocks, four billion euros
is an incredibly high number. What does the Paderborn diocese do
with so much wealth?
I won't copy and paste the entire article here; but it contains
some interesting tidbits of information. What's interesting is
how each of these two dioceses are richer than the Vatican!
#Post#: 3384--------------------------------------------------
Re: Complete Freedom?
By: bradley Date: November 30, 2015, 9:59 am
---------------------------------------------------------
Yes, I was surprised. But I do like this...
Pope Francis has said that he champions a more austere Catholic
Church. "How I would like a church that is poor and for the
poor," he told journalists after his election to the papacy in
2013. But now that several dioceses in Germany have made their
finances public, it's hard not to wonder how the wealth they
possess fits in with Francis' wish for austerity.
I fully agree with this!! I just recently said that I wish
that every christian had just enough to fill their needs and a
little extra and thats it. Wealth hurts nearly everyone
spiritually, although there are a few, very few, who are not
susceptible to wealth's charms and twisting of the heart away
from the trust in the Lord. I wish the Pope would talk more
like this today and more often.
#Post#: 3387--------------------------------------------------
Re: Complete Freedom?
By: Piper Date: November 30, 2015, 12:34 pm
---------------------------------------------------------
[quote author=bradley link=topic=387.msg3384#msg3384
date=1448899142]
Yes, I was surprised. But I do like this...
Pope Francis has said that he champions a more austere Catholic
Church. "How I would like a church that is poor and for the
poor," he told journalists after his election to the papacy in
2013. But now that several dioceses in Germany have made their
finances public, it's hard not to wonder how the wealth they
possess fits in with Francis' wish for austerity.
I fully agree with this!! I just recently said that I wish
that every christian had just enough to fill their needs and a
little extra and thats it. Wealth hurts nearly everyone
spiritually, although there are a few, very few, who are not
susceptible to wealth's charms and twisting of the heart away
from the trust in the Lord. I wish the Pope would talk more
like this today and more often.
[/quote]
[font=trebuchet ms]Amen, Brad! Amen.[/font]
#Post#: 3391--------------------------------------------------
Re: Complete Freedom?
By: Kerry Date: December 1, 2015, 6:47 am
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An odd thing about humans too is their ability to waffle -- to
try to straddle the fence. After partaking of the fruit of the
tree of knowledge of good and of evil, they say to themselves
most of the time they'll do good if they can and if it doesn't
cause them any problems, but they also reserve the right to do
evil just in case. James calls this being double minded. I
used to call it dualistic. It's like trying to hold opposite
opinions at the same time or trying to go east and west
simultaneously.
James 1:8 A double minded man is unstable in all his ways.
And Elijah demanded people stop trying to straddle the fence:
1 Kings 18:21 And Elijah came unto all the people, and said, How
long halt ye between two opinions? if the Lord be God, follow
him: but if Baal, then follow him. And the people answered him
not a word.
Why were they silent? Rashi's commentary says it's because
they didn't know how to distinguish the two.
So which is it in Genesis? Is it knowledge of good and
knowledge of evil -- or is the "forbidden knowledge" about when
we try to mix good and evil? Or maybe try to talk ourselves
into thinking something evil is good or vice versa?
Isaiah 5:20 Woe unto them that call evil good, and good evil;
that put darkness for light, and light for darkness; that put
bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter!
And we read that Isaac had a physical vision problem, but he
also had a spiritual problem showing a preference for Esau. He
was duped by Esau's fake piety, it's said in the Jewish
tradition. Note too that it's Rebekah had the message from
God, and she also was in line with God who preferred Jacob.
Isaac's dualism is also shown by how one type of meat wasn't
enough for him. He wanted a stew with two types of meat. This
translation is not quite accurate:
Genesis 27:3 Now therefore take, I pray thee, thy weapons, thy
quiver and thy bow, and go out to the field, and take me some
venison;
4 And make me savoury meat, such as I love, and bring it to me,
that I may eat; that my soul may bless thee before I die.
Young's has the correct plural:
Genesis 27:3 and now, take up, I pray thee, thy instruments, thy
quiver, and thy bow, and go out to the field, and hunt for me
provision,
4 and make for me tasteful things, [such] as I have loved, and
bring in to me, and I do eat, so that my soul doth bless thee
before I die.'
And what was the purpose of all those laws about mixing things?
Deuteronomy 22:11 Thou shalt not wear a garment of divers sorts,
as of woollen and linen together.
Or about eating a mother bird and its chicks? Or eating meat
and milk together? While they may have other reasons, I believe
these rules were to teach Israel that in life you can't have
everything. Sometimes you have to make a clear choice and not
be happy with it.
If this life, I am convinced people often become their own worst
enemies by altering course so much. When they know what they
want to do is both good and what they genuinely want to do, why
do they consider changing their minds? Why do they allow other
people to change their minds? If they fail at first, why do
they give up? In this, perhaps the bee is more intelligent
than people! Bees often know where they're going and "make a
beeline" for it.
Speaking of bees, the words for bee and "word" in Hebrew are
related. A "word" is "dabar" while a "bee" is "debowrah." Of
course, the name Deborah is related too. From this I gather
that the "Word of God" is "straightforward" and "inalterable"
-- not fluctuating. Certainly there are situations in which
we humans don't have all the facts or even enough to make a firm
decision; but if we wait patiently until we do have enough and
then make the right decision, would we not be undermining
ourselves by changing our minds as circumstances change? Is
that true freedom, or is that being the victim of circumstances?
Ephesians 4:14 That we henceforth be no more children, tossed to
and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the
sleight of men, and cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait
to deceive;
James 1:6 But let him ask in faith, nothing wavering. For he
that wavereth is like a wave of the sea driven with the wind and
tossed.
We all surely seek what is both true and good? Why don't people
admit it, then start pursuing it and refuse to alter course?
Why swallow the lie that we might want something else sometimes?
This may sound simple to do; but in life, it can be a little
more complicated; yet happy is he who can do it.
Strange as it may sound, very few people deliberately choose to
be evil. Very very few. Most of the "evil" in this world is
done by people who mix good and evil in their minds. That is a
choice too. Saying "I'll won't decide now; I'll try to straddle
the fence" is a choice. And it is a choice that leads to
slavery and disappointment. I think it's an error to think
that people deliberately choose to wreck their lives by sin.
We can fall into Satan's traps by refusing to choose God and
good. I believe true freedom consists of deciding what good
you wish to do. If you want a house, that's good -- work for
it, and your freedom then is in deciding what kind of house you
want. True freedom seems to involve creativity of one sort or
another.
#Post#: 3392--------------------------------------------------
Re: Complete Freedom?
By: Kerry Date: December 1, 2015, 6:56 am
---------------------------------------------------------
[quote author=bradley link=topic=387.msg3384#msg3384
date=1448899142]
Yes, I was surprised. But I do like this...
Pope Francis has said that he champions a more austere Catholic
Church. "How I would like a church that is poor and for the
poor," he told journalists after his election to the papacy in
2013. But now that several dioceses in Germany have made their
finances public, it's hard not to wonder how the wealth they
possess fits in with Francis' wish for austerity.
I fully agree with this!! I just recently said that I wish
that every christian had just enough to fill their needs and a
little extra and thats it. Wealth hurts nearly everyone
spiritually, although there are a few, very few, who are not
susceptible to wealth's charms and twisting of the heart away
from the trust in the Lord. I wish the Pope would talk more
like this today and more often.
[/quote]I know he has taken steps against the Mafia. In Italy,
the Mafia often gained influence in towns by making donations to
churches. Of course, the money was welcomed, and priests are
apt to want to keep more money coming in. Here's a link to
an article from July 2014 in the Daily Mail
HTML http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2683193/Church-procession-detours-route-honour-convicted-Mafia-crook-defiance-Pope-Francis-excommunicated-mobsters.html.<br
/> I found this part interesting:
Interior Minister Angelino Alfano on Sunday denounced the
tribute as 'deplorable and disgusting' and praised three
Carabinieri policemen who abandoned the procession in
disapproval.
Carabinieri officer Andrea Marino said he and his fellow officer
walked away from the July 2 procession after the detour and
headed to the church to complain about what happened.
I have a feeling Francis would approve of Marino. Then this:
Oppido Mamertino's bishop, Monsignor Francesco Milito, said he
would take undescribed 'measures' against those exploiting the
church procession to pay homage to the local boss.
I wonder what happened. I'd love to know. But the pressure
seems to be on. I've read other articles about this but don't
have the links right now.
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