Pope: The Lord was sleeping

jimd2

I was surprised that very little has been commented on the statement by the then Pope Benedict that he feared that the Lord was sleeping.

Considering that the Catholic faith believes that the Lord is omnipresent then this could represent a significant chink in the Pope's faith. To me this is quite a significant statement and you would wonder what his thinking on this really is.

If The Lord was sleeping then what is happening to prayers etc that are made during that time?

Perhaps it was just an analogy and maybe those theologians amount you would have a different perspective but I was just a little surprised.

gerbilgranny

I believe he said something like it seemed like the Lord was sleeping.

This has been the experience of many many Christians, while they waited to see an answer to their prayers and/or for goodness to triumph over evil.

lmaopml

23 And when he got into the boat, his disciples followed him. 24 And behold, there arose a great storm on the sea, so that the boat was being swamped by the waves; but he was asleep. 25 And they went and woke him, saying, “Save us, Lord; we are perishing.” 26 And he said to them, “Why are you afraid, O you of little faith?” Then he rose and rebuked the winds and the sea, and there was a great calm. 27 And the men marveled, saying, “What sort of man is this, that even winds and sea obey him?”

The Pope was referring to this piece of Matthews Gospel. The message being that 'even' if it feels like there is a storm, don't fear that Jesus is ever present - have faith and trust in him. The boat is the Church, he's pretty much just saying
that in these times, sometimes it may seem difficult, but persevere with trust that He's in charge, nobody else. It was a message for the faithful.

Levito

I think it's important to emphasize here, never to place too much importance on feelings. They come and go, and are not reliable. I read, that one thing all the saints had in common in their writings, apart from the obvious, is that feelings don't count. I don't think we could have a genuine loving relationship with God if only we were to get something back ie. good feelings.

maguffin

Levito wrote: »

I think it's important to emphasize here, never to place too much importance on feelings. They come and go, and are not reliable. I read, that one thing all the saints had in common in their writings, apart from the obvious, is that feelings don't count. I don't think we could have a genuine loving relationship with God if only we were to get something back ie. good feelings.

Really??? So, when you feel love towards someone, that doesn't count, or if you feel compassion towards a person in need, that also doesn't count....and likewise for all of the other good feelings we have towards people everyday!!! (accepting, of course, that bad/negative feelings, eg Hate, are not desirable).

The pope was just using a 'turn of phrase' which, depending on which language he said it in at the time (latin, italian, german?) may have been mis-interpreted.......it's like saying 'I might as well be talking to the wall' when someone appears to be turning a deaf ear.

Looking for hidden meanings and making them more important than they are is just looking for controversy.

Levito

maguffin wrote: »

Really??? So, when you feel love towards someone, that doesn't count, or if you feel compassion towards a person in need, that also doesn't count....and likewise for all of the other good feelings we have towards people everyday!!! (accepting, of course, that bad/negative feelings, eg Hate, are not desirable).

The pope was just using a 'turn of phrase' which, depending on which language he said it in at the time (latin, italian, german?) may have been mis-interpreted.......it's like saying 'I might as well be talking to the wall' when someone appears to be turning a deaf ear.

Looking for hidden meanings and making them more important than they are is just looking for controversy.

Hi, no you misunderstood me.

I said not to place too much importance on feelings, say, put truth first. To be in a relationship because one want the highest good and perfection of the other, not because of those good feelings one gets back. Surely God wants a genuine loving relationship with us, not one which depends on feelings.

jimd2

Has any previous Pope made a similar comment? It certainly seemed very unusual to me.

C.K Dexter Haven

jimd2 wrote: »

Has any previous Pope made a similar comment? It certainly seemed very unusual to me.

I took it to mean that something very grave was happening within the church. It certainly got my attention when I heard it. I don't think we'll ever know the specifics behind it.