2/18/13
An event shocked the world this week with many people and news agencies not giving it to much attention, but the results of this decision will have astronomical consequences in the church world and it will be interesting to watch unfold. This election is different from any other papal election in which a standing pope has not passed away but is resigning. Is this just a Catholic issue and the remaining non Catholics ignore the proceedings? I beg you not to ignore them but to embrace them in prayer in order for God to be present at all times during this election and that His will be done.
Last week the entire world received news that the current sitting pope was resigning after the end of February. None of that are alive have heard of this event occurring and it is not even addressed since it just does not happen. In fact it has been almost 600 years since Pope Gregory XII resigned his papacy in order to quell a major problem within the church. And just as it was almost 600 years ago there is another huge issue that has been presented during this time and it is important that all of understand the implications of the upcoming election.
First of all for those of you that do not know me, I am not a Catholic. I never have been and I probably will never be but that does not keep me from understanding the implications of what this papal election could have on the world. And to be honest each of you, whether Catholic or not, are in the same position and should recognize the position that the Catholic Church is currently in because in the long run it will affect all of us in our walks of faith. Am I saying that the world is ending soon? No. What am I saying then? Well, this election could turn the church in such a manner that the new leadership could provide a very different spiritual direction that the flood doors of spiritual neglect could follow on all believers.
Secondly, I believe that the Pope has done an excellent job in completing his duties since his election in 2005. Has he had the answers to every problem that was placed in front of him? No not by any means. And as he leaves his post we also recognize that there are still many unanswered and incomplete issues that are hindering the Catholic Church. Some feel like he is leaving his post and running away from the issues that still reside within the hierarchy of the church and others see his leaving as a process that sets a standard in which they realize he is old and tired and he recognizes that he cannot perform the tasks that are at his hand. Whatever and however you feel about this man, he has continued the pervious pope’s vision in spreading the gospel around the world and orchestrating the Catholic Church back to Biblical instruction and ignoring the temptations to follow worldly advice.
The year was 1415 and the Catholic Church has been placed in a precarious position. There are actually three elected popes that are all claiming to be the leader of one organization. Now, it was a little over 400 years earlier that the Church had undergone a huge split that tore the church into two halves, this tear is still in place today. The Church was bickering enough that it actually created this division in response to many troubling ideas that each section of the western Europe firmly believed that they had the right answers to lead the entire Church. Stop for a minute and think about all of the different beliefs of today and make the comparison.
It is known that during this period of time many people lost their lives due to conflicting beliefs and who they actually believed was the legitimate leader of the church. Many councils, meetings, agreements, broken promises, and hundreds of threats only produced a larger division within the church and its leaders. It was clear that the church could not function properly in this manner and that something had to be done fast or it could mean that the church could suffer more permanent measures of separation and division.
Over time the Great Western Schism was settled and all of the popes and antipopes resigned their positions and an election was completed with one newly elected pope to oversee the Church. Were all of the issues and concerns fixed? No way, but everyone involved understood the importance of the direction of the church and how it needed to be unified in order to function properly. Now, having said that it really did not take too much longer until the status of the church went to hell in a hand basket but at that moment in time the church was once again united in a specific direction. Pope Gregory XII who was considered to be the “real” pope of the church in 1415 agreed to resign his position in order to end the Schism that had plagued the church for such a long time.
Something to keep in mind for the time period of 1415 and that is there were not too many other denominations that were presence around the world. The church had strict rules against other personal and organizational beliefs and treated these people and groups very harshly, not just at that time but in previous times and future times as well. So the options that people had to worship back in 1415 were very limited and even the slightest disagreement with the church provided a world of hurt for those who waivered even the slightest. This is an issue that I am not doing to deal with now, but keep it in mind as you continue to read; however, in some fashion the overall church has kept this attitude towards people which is another reason the world now holds the upper hand when it comes to forgiveness and acceptance.
It was not too much longer in time that more and more denominations began to spring up throughout Europe. People began to take notice of the problems within the church and decided to begin an alternative way of believing and living, and since these same people wished to continue their incorporation within the church they found other ways to separate themselves from the Catholic Church and still consider themselves to be Christians. This process seemed to be advantageous to those that lived during that time but in reality it further divided the church and allowed for deeper divisions between people, groups and eventually cultures and States. We continue to see this division today amongst the denominations with their boundaries strikingly dug into doctrinal commitment which represents not what Jesus preached but for personal sanctity within their associated communities.
Pope Benedict XVI performed this same type of maneuver this last week and really caught everyone by surprise. It is known that he is considered to be an old man now and that he does not get around as fast as he once did. It is also known that some areas of his life he does not function as well in either, both of which are all part of the normal aging process. It is also well known that when he was elected to the papacy in 2005 he had a tall order in filling the shoes of his predecessor with all of these occupational duties of the office he held would take its toll on even the youngest and healthiest person elected for the job. So, when the pope decided to inform the world that he would leave his position at the end of the month, of course there were many rumors that floated around with some people cursing him and others loving him. This was all to be expected from a diverse world community.
Throughout the tenure of the pope he continued to install conservative ideas through the church along with elevating conservative Cardinals in positions that he knew would suit the church for the better. He faced criticism for these moves and some of the widest and loudest criticism came from within the church hierarchy. The pope knew and understood that he would not be pope forever and that not everyone within the confines of the church has the same ideology and philosophy as himself and the College of Cardinals, in fact he knew that not all of the Cardinals share his views either. He also knew that the integrity of the Catholic Church is at stake due to his understanding of the position of the world and the direction that the world is begging everyone institution to follow.
The pope also knows that there is a spiritual power play that is up for grabs as soon as his reign is over. This spiritual power play will come from within the church and not from around the church, which makes the situation more delicate. As I stated in the paragraph above the world is constantly knocking the conservative ideology and is begging the Church to institutionalize some of its thoughts and beliefs that would effectively split the church spiritually. Now while the world would praise this action and claim to have brought the Catholic Church up to the modern times, the stage would be set for more denominations to follow. I take for an example the Anglican Church and their acceptance of some non Biblical ideologies which should not be any surprise to us since the basis of that denomination was formed when a certain king could not divorce his wife and marry another younger woman.
Even though a schism will not take place the implications of a huge spiritual schism occurring is quite alarming. Why am I spending time on a subject that really does not pertain to us Protestants? I am glad you asked that. J Our enemy absolutely hates the church and if he can halt the church’s progress in any way, then he has successfully pushed his kingdom forward. The spiritual implications of the possible outcome of this election will not stop within the Catholic Church. It will cross all denominational lines and infiltrate every corner of the church. This is possible because the Church, you, have become lazy and asleep while the enemy has built up his fortifications within the powers to be. I am not suggesting that the Chuch should rule over the land as it did in the middle ages, but I am suggesting that the true Church, you, get off of your couch and back to your knees and begin the battle against the spiritual forces that have taken over the Church.
This election has major implications that are eternal and if people do not wake up and realize exactly what is transpiring beneath their noses, the Church will be permanently crippled in her power to proclaim the true gospel of Jesus Christ. It is our duty, our spiritual duty to pray fervently against the possible change in spiritual direction that would forever affect the growth of the church. Yes this change will not only affect the Catholic Church but it will affect upon all believers around the world. Would it be the end of the Church, no way but it would be another step towards limiting the Church to function as Jesus commissioned it.
Please pray for the Church and the direction of its future! Did I mention at all that it is time for us to pray for the Church? If I did not have the opportunity to say it before, please pray for the Church.
DLB
No comments:
Post a Comment