CARDINALS IN ROME: TALK TO HOLY SPIRIT, NOT TO MEDIA
J. Grant Swank, Jr.
Watching this evening’s news, I was disturbed somewhat by the telecasts revealing Roman Catholic Cardinals speaking to media about the next Pope.
Some Cardinals were quite deliberate in their speculations. There they were in front of microphones, cameras recording their gestures, but particularly their statements.
Who would be a likely choice for the papal position? What part of the world would he no doubt come from? Which segment of Catholicism stood a good chance of having a Cardinal elected to the papacy.
Every time a Cardinal spoke to the media, I cringed. I noted several Cardinals lifting their hands in the air kindly, gesturing to reporters to back off. In other words, they were not going to say anything. They were simply going to keep walking. No comment.
I thought, "Now those Cardinals know why they are in Rome."
The Cardinals are in Rome to pray — primarily. Even though the newscasters in the last couple of days have used the term "politicking" when referring to Cardinals discovering the next Pope, that term should not fit in this situation at all. Not at all. There should be no politicking.
However, having been in ministry for several decades, I am not naïve enough to believe that politicking does not take place among the clergy. Sometimes politicking kills the work of God in the church. Sometimes it works the work of the devil. That may sound extreme, but it really isn’t. And that truth is known to those who have been on the job for awhile.
Nevertheless, the term should not be used by telecasters. It should never come from the Cardinals’ lips. And as much as possible, it should not take place at all.
Why are the Cardinals in Rome? To politick for their favorite man, their favorite geography, their favorite ethnic? Not at all.
They are primarily in Rome to pray to the Holy Spirit for divine guidance concerning the next Pope. That’s why they have flown from all over the world to the Vatican. It is to intercede. It is to petition. It is to seek the guidance of the Third Person of the Trinity. It is to beseech heaven’s guiding hand in what takes place.
Prayer is work. It is hard work. It takes time. It takes concentration. It takes soul energy. It takes fighting off carnal temptations and surrendering to the pure heart of God. That does not just happen. And it certainly does not happen by talking to the media.
For more: http://conservativeposts.us/ <http://conservativeposts.us/>
Watching this evening’s news, I was disturbed somewhat by the telecasts revealing Roman Catholic Cardinals speaking to media about the next Pope.
Some Cardinals were quite deliberate in their speculations. There they were in front of microphones, cameras recording their gestures, but particularly their statements.
Who would be a likely choice for the papal position? What part of the world would he no doubt come from? Which segment of Catholicism stood a good chance of having a Cardinal elected to the papacy.
Every time a Cardinal spoke to the media, I cringed. I noted several Cardinals lifting their hands in the air kindly, gesturing to reporters to back off. In other words, they were not going to say anything. They were simply going to keep walking. No comment.
I thought, "Now those Cardinals know why they are in Rome."
The Cardinals are in Rome to pray — primarily. Even though the newscasters in the last couple of days have used the term "politicking" when referring to Cardinals discovering the next Pope, that term should not fit in this situation at all. Not at all. There should be no politicking.
However, having been in ministry for several decades, I am not naïve enough to believe that politicking does not take place among the clergy. Sometimes politicking kills the work of God in the church. Sometimes it works the work of the devil. That may sound extreme, but it really isn’t. And that truth is known to those who have been on the job for awhile.
Nevertheless, the term should not be used by telecasters. It should never come from the Cardinals’ lips. And as much as possible, it should not take place at all.
Why are the Cardinals in Rome? To politick for their favorite man, their favorite geography, their favorite ethnic? Not at all.
They are primarily in Rome to pray to the Holy Spirit for divine guidance concerning the next Pope. That’s why they have flown from all over the world to the Vatican. It is to intercede. It is to petition. It is to seek the guidance of the Third Person of the Trinity. It is to beseech heaven’s guiding hand in what takes place.
Prayer is work. It is hard work. It takes time. It takes concentration. It takes soul energy. It takes fighting off carnal temptations and surrendering to the pure heart of God. That does not just happen. And it certainly does not happen by talking to the media.
For more: http://conservativeposts.us/ <http://conservativeposts.us/>
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