I went to NO Mass today and this is from the bulletin.
How much thought did the priest put into writing this gem to his flock ?
How about no thought at all. I know a couple priests in the diocese who actually care enough to sit down and write out a personal message to the flock- this is from JS Paluch Co used by thousands of parishes in the country whose priests cannot be bothered by original thought:
SETTING ASIDE THE WEAPONS OF WAR
Why, we might ask the prophet Zechariah today, would God want to banish chariots and horses?
The answer follows:
Thank you for that nice introduction.
Actually, something typical of JS Paluch Co., THEY'VE ASKED A DECEPTIVE QUESTION.
Therefore, the
correcting answer is as follows: God didn't "want" to banish chariots and horses used as weapons of war (except for movie sets like
The Ten Commandments starring Charlton Heston, where the production was proven to be rather affordable, actually, IOW chariots are
cheap compared to fighter jets and nuclear missiles, that is, objectively speaking).
However, God HAS
allowed them to be banished by modern man (modern man is the one who has "banished" them NOT God), for this reason: In our age, nobody expects to see chariots used in warfare anymore; why? because they've been banished -- by man, that is. Therefore, when God wants to give us a sign that we will universally recognize as something
of which we would be well-advised to sit up straight and take
notice, not just one chariot but many, and not just chariots but chariots of fire, would certainly get our attention. They would get our attention because of the fact that man has banished them as weapons of war.
The title "Chariots of Fire" got the attention of millions of viewers, in case you forgot.
because they are used to violate God’s reign of peace, along with the warrior’s bow. In the days of Zechariah, chariots and horses were high-priced items used only for war-making. They were the aircraft carriers and nuclear missiles of his day. And for his culture, which thought of any king as being a military leader first and foremost, a king riding on a lowly beast of burden to proclaim peace without horses, chariots, and bows would have set his listeners topsy-turvy.
This lowly, beast-riding king of peace, we believe, was fulfilled in Jesus, gentle and humble of heart. In a world torn by military strife often generated by differing religious views, and even in our own lives and homes where we are often at “war” over the tiniest things, we would do well to stop and consider to what degree we are willing to be like that “king” whose way of gentleness and humility is the way for us to find rest for our weary souls.
No thank you- I would rather be like that "King" (stop and wonder for a moment why the author placed the word "King" in quotes ?) Who took the time to fasten a whip and then used it.
Uhhh... Our Lord took the time to FASHION a whip, not "fasten" a whip.
Fashion, in this case, means to make or weave or fabricate by hand.
As for
'why the author placed the word "king" in quotes' - very good eye, crossbro!
And while you're at it, ask if he would have put
this "king" Henry VIII in quotes, or
this "king" James in quotes.
God and Jesus are not love.
That's kind of stupid to say, really.
What I mean is that I am sure the offense is there that God can be subjugated simply to the subjective notion of human emotion. The proper translation in the Bible was not love by the way, it was charity.
You can thank Martin Luther with his concupiscence problem, and
that "king" Henry VIII with his ego (as well as concupiscence) problem, and subsequently
that "king" James, for his "King James Version" of the Bible (which some think may have been drawn up initially by Sir Roger Bacon himself).
Jesus is true man as well as true God- not some beast-riding king of peace. He felt anger and rage and did not hide it behind an agenda of cake and ice cream.
Did they even HAVE cake and ice cream in those days?
And how can
cake and ice cream be an
"agenda?"
God is my King. I am not only willing to die for what I believe in, I am willing to kill for it.
Please don't kill me! Go kill a protestant or a Mohammedan or an atheist instead!
.