Sun. Oct. 30, 2011 (Charles Paris)

On Reformation Sunday, Dr. Charles Paris (former Roman Catholic priest, theologian and teacher) reflected on ways in which Catholicism has changed during the five centuries following the Reformation. Last month, Pope Benedict XVI did the unthinkable by delivering a major address in the Chapter Hall of Martin Luther's former Augustinian monastery in Erfurt. Not one to mince words, a very frustrated Luther repeatedly called the papacy "asses" in 1531. Were he alive today, one might imagine Luther congratulating the papacy and calling the Pope his brother in Christ, for things have indeed changed, on both sides. Pope Benedict noted that, for Luther, theology was a struggle with God, and this struggle led him to find Christ. Pope Benedict then praised Luther, saying that his whole theology was centered on Christ, and that Luther had pointed out how Catholicism had strayed from the bible. Both the Reformation and Counter Reformation were primarily focused on what divided Christians, but now we are starting to appreciate all that unifies us. [While Pope Benedict praised Luther for his reforms, some at PGIMF praised Charlie for demonstrating another church reform--the 10 minute sermon. We then had ample time for a wonderful 20 minutes of lively discussion. [JEK]

Listen to the sermon audio MP3 recording from Sunday, October 30th, 2011 using your browser's preferred media player.