A moment please,
The Roman Catholic Church is more than 2,000 years old, is based in Rome and is well known around the world.
The not so well known church of my faith consists of the people I study scriptures each week, the people who attend Mass, religious and most importantly, the people who never attend Mass, do not think about their faith and think that their lives are complete. If people only knew how much God loves them, they would realize how incomplete their lives really are.
Some have called me a "conversational terrorist", for the passion I have for speaking with people. Today I think this quality is an important part of my faith journey.
Having said all of this, my wish for today is for people to differentiate the Catholic Church and its churches from the people who form the heart of the church. Hear a small voice in a quiet moment. (More to come)
I am currently reading a book that touches on the two dimensions of church mentioned in your post. The book notes that “traditionally, there have been two meanings subsumed under the single term ‘church. ’ On the one hand, the Church is the submissive recipient of God’s grace and His Revelation…obedient to His law, and subject to the message of Scripture. On the other hand, it is the authoritative administrator of God’s will and His law…dispensing justice through church discipline; the authorized teacher and interpreter of His revealed will and guardian of the meaning of Scripture.” The Catholic Church’s teaching magisterium fits the latter classification, but the spiritual “heart” of the church, its unique members, is captured in the former meaning. Our Scripture study group is so special, and you and Kathy are clearly two of the vital chambers that make up the beating “heart” of our group. As we enjoy a weekend that includes the celebrations of the Sacred Heart of Jesus and the Immaculate Heart of Mary, I give thanks with all my heart for the gift of our Scripture group and the gift of your friendship.
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