'Earnestly contending for the faith,' (Jude 3 ) as well as sharing encouragement and hope through Scripture (Romans 15:4), and through the poems and posts that I write. One of many voices on the Internet warning Christians of the importance of testing the teachings of men (and women) against the unchanging truth of God's Word. (Acts 17:11) I 'warn you with tears' through much of what I write, to 'be on guard against the savage wolves that will come in among us who will distort the Word of God' as God's Word warns us about in Acts 20:26-31
Hey there! Thanks for dropping by Living4HisGlory! Take a look around and grab the RSS feed to stay updated. See you around!
This post was written as a response to a request that I received from a dear sister-in-Christ who wanted me to write something regarding the Carmelite order of priests and nuns. She had watched a few minutes of a YouTube video and was saddened to see their devotion to “Mary” and how their whole existence is to Mary. She also asked, “How did this Carmelite order ever come to be?”
In answer to your question, dear sister, I came to discover this very troubling information that clearly shows without a doubt that the Catholic church sadly does not believe that Jesus Christ’s once for all sacrifice was sufficient to pay the debt for all of our sins in full. It also shows their emphasis on unbiblical Contemplative, mystical, spirituality. In part, this is what it says in the quick capture above:
“They live an austere life of penance and renunciation to make reparation for the sins of us all and to implore God’s pardon. They ask heaven’s blessing upon our lives, and they continually beg for the salvation of our souls.”
SOURCE – To continue reading the above article, click HERE
RELATED VIDEOS
At the 11:36 minute mark in the video directly above, you will hear:
“As a sign of membership to the carmel, the scapular is also a sign of belonging to Maria [Mary] to express the devotion to this mother and the gathering of the followers to the Carmelite family. It expresses the conviction of the member to live consecrated to Mary and under her protection. It reminds whoever uses it [the scapular] the commitment to live their own Marian dimension that is characterized in a life of similarity with Mary in prayer, humility, and imitation of her riches inviting the intimate union with God and to the generous duty of fellow men and of the church.”
At the12:19 minute mark
“With her maternal love, Mary takes care of her Son’s brothers still pilgrims in the middle of danger and difficulties until they reach their celestial Father. The scapular, so intense, defines for us the maternal spirituality of Mary who protects life, saves during death, and intervenes after death.”
We are only to have our faith and trust in Jesus Christ alone for the assurance of salvation; we are never to place our trust in any object such as the scapular! Precious Catholics need to think for themselves and read their Bibles so that by the power of the Holy Spirit they may come to understand all that Jesus Christ accomplished for us all by His once for all sacrifice when He died in our place on the cross for our sins and satisfied God the Father’s just demands for sins –in full!! What joy filled my heart that day when I read the little Catholic New Testament Bible that I was given and came to understand the true Biblical gospel that I never heard once in the 12 years of Catholic schooling that I had! Neither did I hear it during the thousands upon thousands of masses that I attended during the many years that I was a Catholic. Instead I heard the priest calling Jesus Christ a “Victim” when in actuality He was — and is — the Victor over sin and death!!
In the series that I recently presented here regarding the Catechism Of The Catholic Church, I shared many instances with all of you where their Tradition (man-made teachings in Catholicism that are put on the same level of authority as the Bible itself; Para 82 CCC), clearly distorts, conflicts with, and oftentimes completely contradicts the truth that can be found in God’s Word, the Bible. In the following video that I added to give you more information regarding the religious order of Mount Carmel, you will see another example of how Catholic “Tradition” distorts the very Word of God and oftentimes elevates Mary to a place of prominence that belongs to Jesus Christ alone! At the 1 minute mark it is said that the small cloud that the prophet Elijah saw that arose from the sea is an image of the Madonna (the virgin Mary) who, carrying Jesus in her womb, gave life to the world. This is clearly adding to Scripture, which is something that is strongly warned against!! (Read Deuteronomy 12:32, Proverbs 30:5,6, Revelation 22:18,19).
Please, precious Catholic, begin reading your Bibles and ask God to reveal His love and truth to you! Begin reading through the gospel of John, and I also encourage you to also read through Romans, Ephesians, Galatians, 1,2, and 3 John, and Hebrews. Do not be led astray by the Traditions and teachings of the Catholic church that contradict the truth of God’s Word! Come to Jesus just as you are and place your faith and trust in all that He already did for you through the sinless life that He lived that you and I could never live, His brutal death by crucifixion when He died in your place and mine, taking upon Himself the full wrath of God that was intended for you and I because of all of our sins, His burial, and His glorious resurrection from the dead in bodily form three days later! There is no purgatory; no second chance after death!
Whether you are a Catholic — or whatever your beliefs may be — where you will spend eternity when your life comes to an end depends solely upon what you choose to believe about Jesus Christ. Do you believe that He was just a good teacher or a prophet? Or do you believe as the Bible reveals and declares Him to be, and as Jesus Christ Himself claimed to be: that he was/is God in the flesh?
Hell is real and is a place of eternal torment filled with fire that was created not for mankind but for the devil and his angels (read Matthew 25:41). It will be one’s choice of rejecting Jesus Christ that will be why anyone ends up in hell!
I pray that each of you will seek the truth regarding Jesus Christ because your eternal destiny is truly at stake!!
Thank you very much for stopping by today.
God Bless You
~Mary Dalke – Living4His Glory – Reflecting His Glory Photography And Acrylic Art
UPDATE:
As I mentioned in at least one of my previous posts, the Lord amazingly provided a childcare job for me and I started the first week of January! Due to the fact that I will also be painting and preparing to take part in some art and craft shows here in the northwest suburbs of the Chicago area starting this spring, my free time will now be extremely limited in order to write any more in depth posts. However, if I see the need to write something when time allows, Lord willing, I will do so!
As I was trying to find The Chosen episode regarding The Sermon On The Mount in order to share it with a friend to give her evidence of how unbiblical The Chosen programs are, I came upon the very well documented video above.
A few months ago someone had posted a portion of The Sermon On The Mount episode on Facebook that was featured in an article warning about this series, and I was deeply troubled at how Jesus was portrayed! They showed Him doing sermon prep; practicing to make sure that He didn’t mess up! It appeared to me that they were trying to overemphasize the humanity of Jesus, which completely detracted from and distorted His deity!! What does God’s Word say? Can we find anywhere in Scripture where He practiced before He spoke to the crowds of people? No! On the contrary! Listen to the words of Jesus Christ, Himself:
“Jesus cried and said, He that believeth on me, believeth not on me, but on him that sent me. And he that seeth me seeth him that sent me. I am come a light into the world, that whosoever believeth on me should not abide in darkness. And if any man hear my words, and believe not, I judge him not: for I came not to judge the world, but to save the world. He that rejecteth me, and receiveth not my words, hath one that judgeth him: the word that I have spoken, the same shall judge him in the last day. For I have not spoken of myself; but the Father which sent me, he gave me a commandment, what I should say, and what I should speak. And I know that his commandment is life everlasting: whatsoever I speak therefore, even as the Father said unto me, so I speak.” (John 12: 44-50)
“I have not spoken on My own, but the Father who sent Me has commanded Me what to say and how to say it. And I know that His command leads to eternal life. So I speak exactly what the Father has told Me to say.” (John 12:49,50)
“Jesus answered them and said, My doctrine is not mine, but his that sent me. If any man will do his will, he shall know of the doctrine, whether it be of God, or whether I speak of myself. He that speaketh of himself seeketh of his own glory. But he that seeketh his glory that sent him, the same is true, and no unrighteousness is in him.” (John 7:16)
“I have many things to say and to judge of you: but he that sent me is true; and I speak to the world those things which I have heard of him. They understood not that he spake to them of the Father. Then said Jesus unto them, When ye have lifted up the Son of man, then shall ye know that I am he, and that I do nothing of myself; but as my Father hath taught me, I speak these things. ” (John 8:26-28)
For those of you who watch this series — The Chosen — I pray that you will take the time to watch the above video and pray about continuing to watch this series. Personally I watched just one episode and, unless for documentation purposes, I will never watch any more, especially after doing some research on it and watching the above video!!
We have the very words of God — the Bible — why would anyone want to watch this series in which there are so many compromises with Biblical truth made? Yes, producers, etc., have artistic license, but to present things that are not in Scripture that clearly affect and rob Jesus Christ of his deity is a serious problem!!
Some of the many troubling things that you will see in the above video:
The many ties that Dallas Jenkins has with Mormons, who believe in “another Jesus” and “another gospel.” (2 Corinthians 11:3,4 Galatians 1:6-9)
How the main character who plays Jesus — Jonathan Roumie — is a Catholic who is also a member of the Knights Templar, and strongly promotes Catholicism to his followers on the Internet by his posts and by praying the rosary, praying to Mary and saints, etc.
So much more could be said, but since my time is now very limited, I think you will find more than enough evidence in the above video to clearly show you the serious concerns many have about The Chosen series, especially regarding Mormonism, Dallas Jenkins, who (states that Mormons and Christians “love the same Jesus”) and the main character who plays Jesus Christ –Jonathan Roumie. [Note: Mormons are very kind and loving people who may be very sincere when it comes to their religion, but they are deceived and sincerely wrong regarding their beliefs if you test them against Scripture and in context. Here is just one of their unbiblical beliefs: “As man is, God once was. As God is, man may become.” ~Mormon Apostle LeGrande Richards. This is extremely similar to one of the teachings of Catholicism that can be found in The Catechism of the Catholic Church in Para 460 which states: “For the Son of God became man so that we might become God.”]
RELATED VIDEOS
NOTE: VIDEOS ADDED FOR DOCUMENTATION PURPOSES. I MAY REMOVE THEM AT THE END OF THIS MONTH BECAUSE I DO NOT WANT THESE VIDEOS TO CAUSE ANYONE TO BE LURED INTO CATHOLICISM
UPDATE:
Praise the Lord, I now have a childcare job! I am so very thankful for how God amazingly provided this job for me! This means that my free time is now very limited. However, when I see the need to write something, I will do so when time allows.
Thank you very much for stopping by today.
God Bless You
~Mary Dalke – Living4HisGlory – Reflecting His Glory Fine Arts; Photography And Acrylic Art
As you can tell from the title of this post, we will not only be discussing Marian apparitions, but also UFOs, now known as UAPs –Unidentified Aerial Phenomenon. I would like to make my position regarding UFOs very clear before we go any further: I do believe that they exist, but I do not believe that they are carrying aliens from another planet. I, along with many other Christians, believe that they are demonic manifestations devised by Satan, (who is called the prince of the power of the air in Ephesians 2:2), to try and deceive mankind and will very possibly play a part in end time signs and lying wonders spoken about in God’s Word in 2 Thessalonians 2:1-12. (I will expound on that further on in this post).
Here is that Scripture for you to reflect on:
“Now we beseech you, brethren, by the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, and by our gathering together unto him, That ye be not soon shaken in mind, or be troubled, neither by spirit, nor by word, nor by letter as from us, as that the day of Christ is at hand. Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition; Who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God, or that is worshipped; so that he as God sitteth in the temple of God, shewing himself that he is God. Remember ye not, that, when I was yet with you, I told you these things? And now ye know what withholdeth that he might be revealed in his time. For the mystery of iniquity doth already work: only he who now letteth will let, until he be taken out of the way. And then shall that Wicked be revealed, whom the Lord shall consume with the spirit of his mouth, and shall destroy with the brightness of his coming: Even him, whose coming is after the working of Satan with all power and signs and lying wonders, And with all deceivableness of unrighteousness in them that perish; because they received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved. And for this cause God shall send them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie: That they all might be damned who believed not the truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness.”
God makes it very clear in His Word that He created the earth to be inhabited:
“For thus saith the LORD that created the heavens; God himself that formed the earth and made it; he hath established it, he created it not in vain, he formed it to be inhabited: I am the LORD; and there is none else.” (Isaiah 45:18)
“The highest heavens belong to the LORD, but the earth He has given to mankind.” (Psalm 115:16)
Now let’s begin:
As I had mentioned at the end of PART 2 in this series:
“In PART 3 we will be taking a brief look at a couple of end time scenarios that are being presented these days by a growing number of professing Christians that are causing many Christians to not only take their eyes off of the Lord, but alsoto tread on some spiritually dangerous territory! I will be tying all of that together with the alleged apparitions of the Virgin Mary, as well and sharing some rather controversial things with you in the process. The information that I will be sharing with you is extremely important for you to be aware of since it’s very possible that these things may very well become part of the strong delusion and spiritual deception that we are warned about quite frequently in Scripture concerning what will take place before the return of Jesus Christ to this earth.”
We will actually be looking at mainly just one end time scenario because it sadly has become quite popular. This is regarding Genesis Chapter 6 and the Nephilim –the giants.
Before I begin I would like to lay the groundwork for this post upon Scripture in order to form a solid foundation before getting into many controversial topics. When it comes to spiritual truth, the foundation for any teaching must be rooted in and built upon no one other than Jesus Christ:
“According to the grace of God which is given unto me, as a wise masterbuilder, I have laid the foundation, and another buildeth thereon. But let every man take heed how he buildeth thereupon. For other foundation can no man lay than that is laid, which is Jesus Christ.” (1 Corinthians 3:10,11 – KJV)
“Now therefore ye are no more strangers and foreigners, but fellowcitizens with the saints, and of the household of God; And are built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the chief corner stone; In whom all the building fitly framed together groweth unto an holy temple in the Lord: In whom ye also are builded together for an habitation of God through the Spirit.” (Ephesians 2:19-22 KJV)
“To whom coming, as unto a living stone, disallowed indeed of men, but chosen of God, and precious, Ye also, as lively stones, are built up a spiritual house, an holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices, acceptable to God by Jesus Christ. Wherefore also it is contained in the scripture, Behold, I lay in Sion a chief corner stone, elect, precious: and he that believeth on him shall not be confounded. Unto you therefore which believe he is precious: but unto them which be disobedient, the stone which the builders disallowed, the same is made the head of the corner, And a stone of stumbling, and a rock of offence, even to them which stumble at the word, being disobedient: whereunto also they were appointed.” (1 Peter 2:4-8 – KJV)
We also need to keep in mind the many warnings in God’s Word about spiritual deception in the last days, testing the spirits, false teachers, and the importance of praying for discernment and testing everything against Scripture:
“And as he sat upon the mount of Olives, the disciples came unto him privately, saying, Tell us, when shall these things be? and what shall be the sign of thy coming, and of the end of the world? And Jesus answered and said unto them, Take heed that no man deceive you. For many shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ; and shall deceive many. And ye shall hear of wars and rumours of wars: see that ye be not troubled: for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet. For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and there shall be famines, and pestilences, and earthquakes, in divers places. All these are the beginning of sorrows.” (Matthew 24:3-8 KJV)
“Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God:because many false prophets are gone out into the world.” (1 John 4:1 KJV)
“Now the Bereans were of more noble character than those in Thessalonica, for they received the message with great eagerness andexamined the Scriptures every day to see if what Paul said was true.”(Acts 17:11 NIV)
This will undoubtedly be the most controversial post that I have written so far. I realize that by sharing some of the following information with you I am risking my credibility, and I may even lose some of my subscribers, but the number of subscribers to this blog is not important to me. Regardless of how anyone may react after reading this post, I strongly felt the need to present this information to you in order to sound the alarm to make you all realize the importance of discernment and studying God’s Word so that you will not be deceived by what may possibly be coming in our lifetime.
I will also be sharing a very credible account of a UFO sightinglater on in this post. I consider it to be very credible because this particular UFO was seen by one of my sisters and brothers and some of their friends!
Concerning my conviction that these alleged apparitions of the virgin Mary are demonic deceptions and not genuine, came about by actually reading and listening to many different apparition messages given by this entity claiming to be Mary in the light of Scripture. I also arrived at that conclusion (as many others Christians have, as well), by reflecting upon the truth presented to us in God’s Word regarding Satan, the enemy of our souls:
“And you hath he quickened, who were dead in trespasses and sins; Wherein in time past ye walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air,the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience: Among whom also we all had our conversation in times past in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind; and were by nature the children of wrath, even as others. But God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us, Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved;) And hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus: That in the ages to come he might shew the exceeding riches of his grace in his kindness toward us through Christ Jesus. For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast. For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.” (Ephesians 2:1-10 – KJV)
“Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil,as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour.” (1 Peter 5:8 – KJV)
“For such are false apostles, deceitful workers, transforming themselves into the apostles of Christ. And no marvel; for Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light.Therefore it is no great thing if his ministers also be transformed as the ministers of righteousness; whose end shall be according to their works.” (2 Corinthians 11:13-15 – KJV)
Amidst the beautiful truth presented to us about salvation in Ephesians Chapter 2 above, clearly God is also showing us in His Word that Satan is called the prince of the power of the air. (Keep that in mind as we continue on in this post as well as through this entire short, but important series). Furthermore, God’s Word also shows us in 1 Peter 5:8 that the devil seeks to devour us, and that he can transform himself into an angel of light; a spirit being that is able to appear to be benevolent and from God, and may at times even emanate light, but in him is only darkness.
Although the devil can transform himself into an angel of light, God’s Word associates Satan with darkness:
To open their eyes, and to turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan unto God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins, and inheritance among them which are sanctified by faith that is in me.” (Acts 26:18)
“Who hath delivered us from the power of darkness, and hath translated us into the kingdom of his dear Son “(Colossians 1:13)
This slideshow requires JavaScript.
FATIMA AND OTHER MARIAN APPARITIONS AND THE UFO/UAP CONNECTION
Back in 2017 when I began writing this series about these alleged apparitions of the virgin Mary, I started reading through the little book (pictured above) that is an actual account taken directly from Lucia’s Memoirs regarding the apparitions of Mary that she claimed to have seen. (Note that the contents of this book has been approved by the Catholic church because it received the Imprimatur). This little book was given to me many years ago by my aunt who was a Catholic nun. As I began to read through this little book in order to document the many things that I shared in those previous posts in this series, I came across some things that were unrelated to what I was writing about at the time, but I found them to be equally troubling and very thought provoking regarding what happened on October 13, 1917, namely how this alleged Mary arrived when this apparition began, and how the sun is described by witnesses during what is referred to as the Miracle of the Sun. Keep those two things in mind as you read through the following section. To make it easier for you I highlighted those troubling things in lavender. Please note also how Mary is given the praise, honor, and glory that belongs to God alone:
Page 112 “Our Lady then began to leave. Lucia, pointing towards the East, shouted to the people, If you want to see Our Lady, look that way! They looked eagerly towards the East and many saw the luminous globe now ascending towards Heaven.“
Page 113 “I left, the morning of September the thirteenth, 1917, in a slow carriage drawn by an old horse, to go to the place of the apparitions.” Father Gois chose a spot overlooking the vast amphitheater of the Cova de Iria. From it we could easily see, without coming too close, the place where the little shepherds prayed as they waited for the heavenly apparition. At noontime, silence fell on the crowd, and a low whispering of prayers could be heard.
Page 114 (Continuation).”Suddenly, cries of joy rent the air, many voices praising the Blessed Virgin. Arms were raised to point to something above, ‘Look! don’t you see?’ …’Yes, I see it!’ I, too, raised my eyes to probe the amplitude of the skies, hoping to see what the other more fortunate eyes were seeing before me. There was not a single cloud in the whole blue sky, yet to my great astonishment,I saw clearly and distinctly a luminous globe, coming from the east to the west,gliding slowly and majestically through space.My friend also looked up and had the happiness of enjoying the same unexpected but enchanting apparition. Suddenly, the globe with its extraordinary light, disappeared before our eyes.
There was a little girl near us, dressed like Lucia and about the same age. She was excited with joy and kept saying, ‘I still see her…now she is coming down.’ A few minutes later the child exclaimed again, pointing to the skies, ‘Now she is rising again’ following the globe with her eyes until it disappeared towards the sun.
I asked my friend who was enthusiastic over what we had seen, ‘What do you think of that globe?’Without any hesitation, he replied, ‘That was Our Lady.’ That was also my belief. The three little shepherds had seen the Mother of God herself; to us had been given the grace to see the chariot that had borne her from Heavento the barren and inhospitable hills of Aire.”
Page 133 October 13, 1917 “At one o’clock, the hour of the sun, the rain stopped. O Dia [newspaper] reported. The sky had a certain greyish tint of pearl and a strange clearness filled the gloomy landscape, every moment getting gloomier. The sun seemed to be veiled with transparent gauze to enable us to look at it without difficulty.The greyish tint of mother-of-pearl began changing as if into a shiny silver disc, that was growing slowly until it broke through the clouds. And the silvery sun, still shrouded in the same greyish lightness of gauze, was seen to rotate and wander within the circle of the receded clouds!The people cried [o]ut with one voice, the thousands of the creatures of God whom faith raised up to Heaven, fell to their knees upon themuddy ground.
Page 134 “O Seculo, another newspaper of Lisbon, carried a more detailed account of the extraordinary events. From the height of the road where the people parked their carriages and where many hundreds stood, afraid to bravethe muddy soil, we saw the immense multitude turn towards the sun at its highest, free of all clouds. The sun called to mind a plate of dull silver.It could be stared at without the least effort. It did not burn or blind.“
Page 135-137 Testimony of another witness, Dr. Almeida Garret, Professor at the University of Coimbra “The sun had broken jubilantly through the thick layer of clouds just a few moments before. It was shining clearly and intensely. I turned to this magnet that was drawing all eyes. It looked to me as a luminous and brilliant disc, with a bright well defined rim. It did not hurt the eyes.The comparison (which I heard while still at Fatima) with a disc of dull silver, did not seem right to me. The colour was brighter, far more active and richer than dull silver, with the tinted luster of the orient of a pearl. Nor did it resemble the moon on a clear night. Everyone saw and felt that it was a body with life. It was not spheric like the moon, neither did it have an equal tonality of colour. It looked like a small, brightly polished wheel of irridescent mother-of-pearl.It could not be taken for the sun as though seen through fog. There was no fog at that time. (The rain and the fog had stopped.) The sun was not opaque, veiled or diffused. It gave light and heat and was brightly outlined by a beveled rim.
It was a wonder that all this time it was possible for us to look at the sun, a blaze of light and burning heat without any pain to the eyes or blinding of the retina.This phenomenon must have lasted about ten minutes, except for two interruptions when the sun darted forth its more refulgent, lightening-like rays, that forced us to look away.
It was rotating upon itself with exceedingly great speed. Suddenly, the people broke out with a cry of extreme anguish. The sun, still rotating, had unloosened itself from the skies and came hurtling towards the earth. This huge, fiery millstone threatened to crush us with its weight. It was a dreadful sensation.”
Page 140 “Another witness, the Reverend Manuel da Silva, wrote a letter to a friend the evening of the thirteenth in which he tried to describe the events of the day. He spoke about the morning’s rain, and then <<immediately the sun came out with a well-defined rimand seemed to come down to the height of the clouds. It started to rotateintermittently around itself like a wheel of fireworks, for about eight minutes. Everything became almost dark and the people’s features became yellow. All were kneeling in the mud.>>
Witness, Inacio Lourenco, was a boy nine years old at the time: “The people cried and wept on the street; they were all pointing towards the sun. It was ‘The Miracle’ promised by Our Lady. I feel unable to describe it as I saw it and felt it at the same time. I was gazing at the sun; it looked so pale to me, it did not blind. It was like a ball of snow rotating upon itself. All of a sudden, it seemed to be falling zigzag, threatening the earth. Seized with fear, I hid myself amidst the people. Everyone was crying, waiting for the end of the world. Nearby, there was a godless man who had spent the morning making fun of the simpletons who had gone to Fatima just to see a girl. I looked at him and he was numbed, his eyes riveted on the sun. I saw him tremble from head to foot. Then he raised his hands towards Heaven, as he waskneeling there in the mud, and cried out, ‘Our Lady, Our Lady!’ Everyone was crying and weeping, asking God to forgive them their sins.
During the minutes that the miracle lasted, everything around us reflected all the colours of the rainbow.We looked at each other and one seemed blue, another yellow, red, and so on. It increased the terror of the people. After ten minutes, the sun resumed its place, as pale, and without splendor. When everyone realized the danger was over, there was an outburst of joy. Everyone broke out in a hymn of praise to Our Lady.>>
As the miracle came to its end and the people arose from the muddy ground,another surprise awaited them. A few minutes before, they had been standing in the pouring rain, soaked to the skin. Now they noticed that their clothes were perfectly dry.How kind was Our Lady to her friends who had braved rain and mud, and put on their very best clothes for her visit.
Page 144 <<The children long before set the day and hour at which it was to take place,>> he said. The news spread quickly over the whole of Portugal and although the day was chilly and pouring rain, many thousands of people gathered… They saw the different manifestations of the sun paying homage to the Queen of Heaven and Earth, who is more radiant than the sun in all its splendor. This phenomenon which no astronomical observatory registeredwas not natural.
There is no possibility of error or illusion when close to a hundred thousand people concur in their testimony. God in heaven had called the people of the world to join with the heavens in praying honor and glory to His Blessed Mother, Mary.”
I think we have gone far enough through this account of the alleged apparition of Mary at Fatima. However, I would just like to draw your attention to a few of the troubling things that I highlighted for you above.
Point 1. To have creation, in this case, the sun paying homage to Mary, who is referred to as the Queen of Heaven (and Earth), is taking away from the exclusivity of worship belonging to God alone! Although Mary was chosen to become the mother of Jesus in His humanity, it does not elevate her to receive worship! Nowhere in Scripture does anyone worship Mary! Even though Mary was humble and obedient to submit to God’s will, Scripture never instructs us to worship Mary; we are to worship God alone! I am certain that Mary would agree!
Point 2. Referring to Mary as the Queen of Heaven (and Earth) – This apparition cannot be from God because He would not violate His Word. Nowhere in Scripture is Mary referred to as the Queen of Heaven. God’s Word, however, does speak about a queen of heaven, and God was angry because of the idolatry and wickedness of the people when they chose to burn incense, give offerings, and serve other gods:
“The children gather wood, and the fathers kindle the fire, and the women knead their dough, to make cakes to the queen of heaven, and to pour out drink offerings unto other gods, that they may provoke me to anger.” (Jeremiah 7:18 )
“The word that came to Jeremiah concerning all the Jews which dwell in the land of Egypt, which dwell at Migdol, and at Tahpanhes, and at Noph, and in the country of Pathros, saying, Thus saith the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel; Ye have seen all the evil that I have brought upon Jerusalem, and upon all the cities of Judah; and, behold, this day they are a desolation, and no man dwelleth therein, Because of their wickedness which they have committed to provoke me to anger, in that they went to burn incense, and to serve other gods, whom they knew not, neither they, ye, nor your fathers. Howbeit I sent unto you all my servants the prophets, rising early and sending them, saying, Oh, do not this abominable thing that I hate. But they hearkened not, nor inclined their ear to turn from their wickedness, to burn no incense unto other gods. Wherefore my fury and mine anger was poured forth, and was kindled in the cities of Judah and in the streets of Jerusalem; and they are wasted and desolate, as at this day. Therefore now thus saith the LORD, the God of hosts, the God of Israel; Wherefore commit ye this great evil against your souls, to cut off from you man and woman, child and suckling, out of Judah, to leave you none to remain; In that ye provoke me unto wrath with the works of your hands, burning incense unto other gods in the land of Egypt, whither ye be gone to dwell, that ye might cut yourselves off, and that ye might be a curse and a reproach among all the nations of the earth? Have ye forgotten the wickedness of your fathers, and the wickedness of the kings of Judah, and the wickedness of their wives, and your own wickedness, and the wickedness of your wives, which they have committed in the land of Judah, and in the streets of Jerusalem? They are not humbled even unto this day, neither have they feared, nor walked in my law, nor in my statutes, that I set before you and before your fathers.
Therefore thus saith the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel; Behold, I will set my face against you for evil, and to cut off all Judah. And I will take the remnant of Judah, that have set their faces to go into the land of Egypt to sojourn there, and they shall all be consumed, and fall in the land of Egypt; they shall even be consumed by the sword and by the famine: they shall die, from the least even unto the greatest, by the sword and by the famine: and they shall be an execration, and an astonishment, and a curse, and a reproach. For I will punish them that dwell in the land of Egypt, as I have punished Jerusalem, by the sword, by the famine, and by the pestilence: So that none of the remnant of Judah, which are gone into the land of Egypt to sojourn there, shall escape or remain, that they should return into the land of Judah, to the which they have a desire to return to dwell there: for none shall return but such as shall escape.
Then all the men which knew that their wives had burned incense unto other gods, and all the women that stood by, a great multitude, even all the people that dwelt in the land of Egypt, in Pathros, answered Jeremiah, saying, As for the word that thou hast spoken unto us in the name of the LORD, we will not hearken unto thee. But we will certainly do whatsoever thing goeth forth out of our own mouth, to burn incense unto the queen of heaven, and to pour out drink offerings unto her, as we have done, we, and our fathers, our kings, and our princes, in the cities of Judah, and in the streets of Jerusalem: for then had we plenty of victuals, and were well, and saw no evil. But since we left off to burn incense to the queen of heaven, and to pour out drink offerings unto her, we have wanted all things, and have been consumed by the sword and by the famine. And when we burned incense to the queen of heaven, and poured out drink offerings unto her, did we make her cakes to worship her, and pour out drink offerings unto her, without our men?
Then Jeremiah said unto all the people, to the men, and to the women, and to all the people which had given him that answer, saying, The incense that ye burned in the cities of Judah, and in the streets of Jerusalem, ye, and your fathers, your kings, and your princes, and the people of the land, did not the LORD remember them, and came it not into his mind? So that the LORD could no longer bear, because of the evil of your doings, and because of the abominations which ye have committed; therefore is your land a desolation, and an astonishment, and a curse, without an inhabitant, as at this day. Because ye have burned incense, and because ye have sinned against the LORD, and have not obeyed the voice of the LORD, nor walked in his law, nor in his statutes, nor in his testimonies; therefore this evil is happened unto you, as at this day.
Moreover Jeremiah said unto all the people, and to all the women, Hear the word of the LORD, all Judah that are in the land of Egypt: Thus saith the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel, saying; Ye and your wives have both spoken with your mouths, and fulfilled with your hand, saying, We will surely perform our vows that we have vowed, to burn incense to the queen of heaven, and to pour out drink offerings unto her: ye will surely accomplish your vows, and surely perform your vows. Therefore hear ye the word of the LORD, all Judah that dwell in the land of Egypt; Behold, I have sworn by my great name, saith the LORD, that my name shall no more be named in the mouth of any man of Judah in all the land of Egypt, saying, The Lord GOD liveth. Behold, I will watch over them for evil, and not for good: and all the men of Judah that are in the land of Egypt shall be consumed by the sword and by the famine, until there be an end of them.” (Jeremiah 44:1-27)
Here is a video that makes it very clear regarding how the many messages given during alleged apparitions of Mary are very unbiblical and how the theme in many of the messages talk about unity! Aliens are also briefly mentioned, as well as the Queen of Heaven! Some of the messages that this entity (claiming to Mary) shared with the many visionaries during apparitions are extremely troubling and sent chills up my spine!
Point 3.
God in heaven had called the people of the world to join with the heavens in praying honor and glory to His Blessed Mother, Mary.”
This final section that I highlighted, and added above for you again, is to emphasize the fact that these apparitions are aimed at unifying the people of the world; these apparitions are not just meant for Catholics! They are meant to unify the world in giving worship to Mary! The Mary of the Bible would never want to receive honor and glory that belongs to God alone, and the one true God would never call the people of the world to do such a thing! And, lastly, Mary is not His Blessed Mother;Mary was the mother of Jesus in His humanity, not the mother of God, the Father.
THE UFO/UAP CONNECTION REGARDING FATIMA
As I read the many accounts regarding the description of the sun that were given by the people who were eye witnesses to this supposed miracle of the sun at Fatima, I couldn’t help but wonder if what these people saw was actually a UFO and not the sun at all! If you paid attention to the many descriptions that were given about the sun, then you must realize that they were not describing the characteristics and properties of the sun as we know them to be scientifically. One cannot stare directly at the sun for a long period of time as the thousands of people in Fatima did without causing severe damage to the retinas of our eyes! Also, the sun cannot loosen itself from the sky, rotate like a wheel of fireworks, or plummet down towards the earth! And the actual sun would never be described as a plate of silver or a silver disc having a well defined beveled rim!
In spite of the fact that there have been some reports claiming that not only did the clothing of the people at the apparition site become dry after the alleged miracle of the sun came to an end, but also the muddy ground became dry, the little booklet that I received from my aunt that contains the actual account written by one of the little shepherd children, Lucia De Santos, does not record anything at all about the ground becoming dry after the so-called miracle of the sun came to an end. On Page 140 (see above), it actually states that people had still been kneeling on muddy ground:
“As the miracle came to its end and the people arose from the muddy ground…”
As I mentioned in the beginning of this post, one of the reason why I believe that UFOs/UAPs are real is not because I have personally seen one, but one of my brothers along with one of my sisters and some of their neighborhood friends did! I only became aware of this back in 2010 when we had a family get-together at my nephew’s house! My dear sister agreed to set aside some time to share her detailed account with me of what occurred on that day so many years ago. I took the facts that she shared with me and created this account. With her permission, here it is:
In Chicago, one summer night after sunset (approximately August 1978), my sister and brother were out in front of the house with their friends. All of a sudden they saw a saucer shaped UFO 100 to 200 ft. in the air right by our house! They weren’t sure how long it had been there, but all of a sudden they saw it! My brother remembers it hovering above the trees right by their house. My sister described the saucer shaped UFO as being dark metal, having no windows, and having alternating sections; one section of metal, one white light, etc. She said the lights were not flashing and that the smooth, soft-edged, rectangular metal sections between each light were rotating. She described this saucer shaped UFO as being as big as a football field(!) and said that it was making a humming sound. She also said that it hovered for awhile and then it turned towards their left and headed towards Belmont Ave., between Central and Austin. They remained calm and were not afraid during the time that it was there. Including my sister and brother they remember there being a total of six to eight children who saw it. The craft was moving slowly, so their friends decided to take off after it and they followed it until it disappeared out of sight further down Belmont Ave. My sister said that their encounter with this extremely large UFO lasted no more than two minutes so they didn’t have time to run in the house to tell our Mom and Dad. Shortly after the UFO headed towards Belmont Ave. my sister and brother saw three white lights in the sky near their house and their first thought was that more UFOs were coming!! However, to their relief, this object just turned out to be an airplane!
Further below I have added many videos of credible witnesses to UFOs: pilots, policemen, etc. Here, also, are very credible accounts of children — as well as teachers — who have witnessed UFOs landing in their school yards!
Just as many visionaries who allegedly see apparitions of Mary are young children, so also are many who have encounters with UFOs and aliens. Innocent children are being fascinated by these UFOs and thus many — not all — of them are lured into accepting that UFOs and aliens are amazing and benevolent; they do not see them as being forms of spiritual deception leading them towards the world of the occult!
Let’s continue:
Keeping in mind the Scripture that says that the devil can transform himself into an angel of light (2 Corin. 11:14), here are just a few examples of appearances of Mary in which she is: enveloped in light,arrived and left as a ball of light, appeared in a shiny golden sphere, and at times was seen with streams of light emanating from her:
Apparition – Our Lady of La Salette – Sept. 19, 1846 (For further information, see video further below, entitled, Apparition of Our Lady of La Salette).
Apparition – Our Lady Banneux, Belgium 1933
Below you can read a portion of the quick capture that can be read in its entirety in the last two paragraphs. [NOTE: Emphasis is mine.]
January 18, 1933 – At 7:00 p.m., Marlette ran around to her back yard and fell to her knees in silent prayer. Her father thought this was a strange sight and came out to see what was going on. Marlette saw a bright ball of light increasing in size and passing through the pine trees and finally changed into a woman’s silhouette.
January 19, 1933 – At the same time the next day as Marlette prays the rosary with 17 people around her, The Virgin appears for the third time, When Marlette asks her identity she says, “I am the Virgin of the Poor.” They then went to the spring together. Mary declared: “This spring is reserved for all the nations, to bring comfort to the sick.”Just before leaving in a ball of light, she said: “I will pray for you. Good bye.”
Apparition – Our Lady of Prayer L´ lle Bouchard, France 1947 – It is claimed that she appeared in a shiny golden sphere.
“…the girls knelt by the altar, began to recite the Hail Mary. Suddenly a golden sphere three feet across and shining brightly appeared and it opened and became a curtain of silvery light in front of which the grotto appeared and the blessed virgin Mary and the angel…” (37:11-37:34 minute mark in the following video).
Apparition – Jerusalem, Israel July 25, 1954. “Moslems as well as Christians” allegedly saw Mary, and: “Rays of colored light streamed out from her...”
In the video below you will hear about an alleged apparition of Mary in Zeitoun, Egypt where many people — including Muslims — witnessed these apparitions over a period of two to three years starting on April 2, 1968:
“a witness to the vision pointed to what he believed was a young woman about to commit suicide. …first he saw a ball of light. That light developed to be a young lady on top of that dome…”
UNBIBLICAL MESSAGES FROM THE ENTITY CLAIMING TO BE THE VIRGIN MARY
In PART 2 of this series you will find that I shared many examples of the very unbiblical nature of the messages given in many different apparitions in which Mary allegedly appeared. (When time allows, you may want to read through that post for more important information). For the sake of time, and in order to keep this post from getting too lengthy, I will just share the following example in this post. To learn more, I strongly encourage you to also watch the video that I posted above — Messages From Heaven.
In the following video at the 5:20-5:23 minute mark, it is said that the entity claiming to be the virgin Mary stated the following. By doing so this entity is claiming to be omnipresent like God! The true Biblical Mary would never say these things! It is the Holy Spirit who comes to reside within a true believer in the Biblical Jesus Christ!
“Go and show yourselves as my dear children. I am with you and in you.”
DECEPTIVE END TIMES SCENARIOS
“And it came to pass, when men began to multiply on the face of the earth, and daughters were born unto them,That the sons of God saw the daughters of men that they were fair; and they took them wives of all which they chose. And the LORD said, My spirit shall not always strive with man, for that he also is flesh: yet his days shall be an hundred and twenty years. 4There were giants in the earth in those days; and also after that, when the sons of God came in unto the daughters of men, and they bare children to them, the same became mighty men which were of old, men of renown.
And GOD saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. And it repented the LORD that he had made man on the earth, and it grieved him at his heart. And the LORD said, I will destroy man whom I have created from the face of the earth; both man, and beast, and the creeping thing, and the fowls of the air; for it repenteth me that I have made them.” (Genesis 6:1-7)
One of the end time scenarios that has become very popular is regarding the return of theNephilim. This teaching comes from a distortion of Genesis Chapter 6 that says that the sons of god referred to in this passage are fallen angels who mated with human women and produced giants; the Nephilim. This teaching is based more on mythology and the unbiblical, non-canonical Book of Enoch, which sadly is being endorsed by pastors such as Ken Johnson who also appears at prophecy conferences with other professing Christians who teach this false end times scenario, people such as: Tom Horn, Steve Quayle, L A Marzulli, the late Chuck Missler, and others. Although I will be sharing one of L A Marzulli’s videos for documentational purposes only, I want to make it very clear that I do not endorse any of the above mentioned men!
I do not accept the teaching that some professing Christian teachers and pastors teach regarding the sons of God being (fallen) angels — who are said to have co-mingled with earthly women and produced giants — as being Biblical, mainly because of this Scripture:
“For to which of the angels did God ever say, “You are my Son; today I have become your Father”? Or again, “I will be his Father, and he will be my Son”? (Hebrews 1:5) (Also read Psalm 2:7)
Some go even further and (falsely) teach that the reason God sent the flood was because man’s DNA had been corrupted by the fallen angels intermingling with human women, implying that it was not because of the utter sinfulness of mankind as it states in Genesis Chapter 6!
In this two part video series taught by Pastor Sam Adams of Independence Baptist Church, you will see and hear a comparison between some of the things written in the books of Enoch and Jasher and how they contradict the truth written in God’s Word:
Here is a video series in which Sarah Leslie, Gaylene Goodroad (Christian writers at Herescope), and David James (of Biblical Integrity) explain this false teaching and talk about some of the previous men that I mentioned who promote it:
When I was doing some research on the apparitions of Mary I came across some in which L A Marzulli also makes the connection with UFOs and the supposed miracle of the sun and Fatima. However, I will not be sharing those videos here.
The most troubling thing that I came across regarding L A Marzulli is his appearance at a UFO Conference last year put on by Ozark Mountain Publishing. Here is some information that they have posted on their YouTube Channel:
Below is the video of L A Marzulli’s presentation at this conference. Here are many of the troubling things that he said along with some of the observations that I made as I watched this video, one being that he entitled his message, What Is The Truth, but fails to present the Biblical truth:
“Is it safe to say that some outside agency is manipulating the genome to its own ends; they’re trying to create a hybrid entity. I’ll give you an ancient prophetic text…written 2500 years ago.”
He doesn’t say it’s in Daniel 2:43; I had to look it up and then read it in context. He continues on:
“It says, “Their seed will mingle with the seed of men, but they shall not cleave to them.”
He follows that by saying,
“Sounds like a Nostradamus quatrain.”
Again, he fails to cite Daniel 12:4 as the source of the Scripture that he mentions; he simply refers to what he is about to say as a prophesy:
“…There’s a prophecy which dovetails into that which says, “In the latter days men will run to and fro over the face of the earth and knowledge will increase.”
Sadly, he goes on to quote from and mention the Book of Enoch and ties it into the UFO abduction phenomenon.
At the 1:07:46 minute mark until the 1:10:27 minute mark, L A Marzulli speaks about the elongated Chongo skulls of Peru and claims that it is “another species.” Some refer to these skulls as Nephilim skulls.
Beginning at the 1:18:20 minute mark he jokingly — but IMHO he compromises with the truth as he gives his presentation and blasphemously — refers to the Holy Spirit as his spirit guide:
“…so this is going to be weird for some of you, but I’ll tell you what happened, and it’s not what you think, but I’m going to couch it in terms so that we can all agree that this is what happened, okay? My spirit guide taps me on the shoulder…and he’s not who you think he is, but that’s okay, that’s the subject for another time…and says, “You need to take authority over this right now…”
Towards the very end of his presentation, beginning at the 1:45:46 minute mark, L A says the following:
“Many of the Neo-Darwinists believe all life was seeded here by an advanced race of extraterrestrials –panspermia.
In part, he begins to wrap up his presentation not with any statement in order to plant the seeds of Biblical truth in the minds and hearts of all these people in attendance who are caught up in the world of the occult in order to try and answer the unspoken questions that people have about the meaning and purpose of life, some of the very questions that he poses to those attending this conference and watching via YouTube or wherever else these presentations are available to watch. No, sadly, instead, he chooses to end his presentation with this very troubling, hopeless, Christless, statement:
“…as I said right at the outset, “Who are we? What are we? How did we get here? What is this? Nobody knows. Where is consciousness? Where does it reside? What is language? How do we hear? “…So the Neo-Darwinists are looking for the extraterrestrial.”
“So, we’re being visited, and at some point they will show up.
At the 147:26 minute mark he shows this slide: Note that he simply refers to it as a “2000 year old prophesy” and does not include Luke 21:26 where this Scripture is found in God’s Word.
He does go on to quote and post Revelation 13:16-18 regarding the mark of the beast and how no one will be able to buy or sell without this mark, but instead of giving a Biblical interpretation of this passage in its proper context, he ties it in with aliens by saying all of the following:
“What happens if they come back and they say something like: “Hey. We created all life on this planet, and we have this little, this little implant that we’d like to give you which will extend your lifespan 300 years to 500 years disease free…disease free! It’s yours! All you got to do is take the implant, it’s a DNA upgrade…how many people in this room — raise your hands — would take it?”
Many people in the audience raised their hands, to which L A responded in part by saying:
“This is what I’m afraid of because many people will take it because it will be couched in such a way that will seem…look, I’m not making this stuff up! You guys can call me crazy, I don’t care, okay? All I’m doing is reporting what was written 2000 years ago in an ancient prophetic text, that’s all I’m doing. I’m not sounding religious, I’m not telling you to go do anything, I’m just telling you what was written 2000 years ago and how it totally dovetails, in my opinion, to what we took out of Bill’s leg before with Dr. Roger Leir.” [NOTE: A man named Bill was allegedly abducted by aliens and an implant was said to have been removed from his leg.]
L A goes on to show another slide which is Revelation 14:9-11 as well as Revelation 9:6. He adds that, in his opinion, mankind’s lifespan will be lengthened by the implant. He goes on to say:
“We posit that this thing [implants that have been discovered in so-called alien abductees] actually is changing the host’s DNA.” “I’m not saying, I can’t prove that that implant is in fact the mark of the beast, but that’s where I’m putting my honest money right now…that’s what I think it is because there’s a steady progression of it, it it dovetails in with this ancient prophetic stuff, we’ve seen them, we’ve cut them open.” What happens when you take this thing? If it changes your DNA — and this is the question you each, each person has to ask himself — does it alter your humanity? Does it turn you into something else?
“What’s really going on here? What’s really happening? And all this is surreptitious; it’s always done under the cover of darkness…it’s always cloaked, it’s always hidden, it’s always obfuscated.”
He closes his presentation by quoting Jacques Vallee in which he mainly says that what abductees go through “is reminiscent of medieval tales of encounters with demons.”
His final words in his presentation were:
“What was written will come to pass. What was foretold is unfolding…”
Just to give you an example of some of the presentations that are given at these UFO conferences, here are some of the occultic and troubling things that speaker, Sherry Wilde, (who claims to be in contact with aliens), had to say:
This slideshow requires JavaScript.
LOOKING FOR THAT BLESSED HOPE
We are not to be watching for appearances of Mary, the return of the Nephilim, aliens, or for the anti-Christ to appear. Instead it is made very clear to us in Scripture that we are to be watching for the return of Jesus Christ. Consider these Scriptures:
“But of that day and hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels of heaven, but my Father only. But as the days of Noe were, so shall also the coming of the Son of man be. For as in the days that were before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noe entered into the ark, And knew not until the flood came, and took them all away; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be. Then shall two be in the field; the one shall be taken, and the other left. Two women shall be grinding at the mill; the one shall be taken, and the other left. Watch therefore: for ye know not what hour your Lord doth come. But know this, that if the goodman of the house had known in what watch the thief would come, he would have watched, and would not have suffered his house to be broken up. Therefore be ye also ready: for in such an hour as ye think not the Son of man cometh. Who then is a faithful and wise servant, whom his lord hath made ruler over his household, to give them meat in due season? Blessed is that servant, whom his lord when he cometh shall find so doing. Verily I say unto you, That he shall make him ruler over all his goods. But and if that evil servant shall say in his heart, My lord delayeth his coming; And shall begin to smite his fellowservants, and to eat and drink with the drunken; The lord of that servant shall come in a day when he looketh not for him, and in an hour that he is not aware of, And shall cut him asunder, and appoint him his portion with the hypocrites: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.” (Matthew 24:36-51 – KJV)
[NOTE: I believe that Scripture teaches a pre-tribulation rapture. However, this passage of Scripture is wrongly used by some pastors and teachers to illustrate the rapture. If one takes the time to read the parallel passage in Luke 17:34-37, Jesus tells His disciples where the ones shall be taken –not to heaven, but to destruction:
“I tell you, on that night two people will be in one bed; one will be taken and the other left.Two women will be grinding grain together; one will be taken and the other left.” “Where, Lord?” they asked. He replied, “Where there is a dead body, there the vultures will gather.”]
Continuing on with a few more verses:
“For our conversation [our citizenship] is in heaven; from whence also we look for the Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ; Who shall change our vile body, that it may be fashioned like unto his glorious body, according to the working whereby he is able even to subdue all things unto himself. ” (Philippians 3:20 – KJV)
“But of the times and the seasons, brethren, ye have no need that I write unto you. For yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so cometh as a thief in the night. For when they shall say, Peace and safety; then sudden destruction cometh upon them, as travail upon a woman with child; and they shall not escape. But ye, brethren, are not in darkness, that that day should overtake you as a thief. Ye are all the children of light, and the children of the day: we are not of the night, nor of darkness. Therefore let us not sleep, as do others; but let us watch and be sober. For they that sleep sleep in the night; and they that be drunken are drunken in the night. But let us, who are of the day, be sober, putting on the breastplate of faith and love; and for an helmet, the hope of salvation. For God hath not appointed us to wrath, but to obtain salvation by our Lord Jesus Christ, Who died for us, that, whether we wake or sleep, we should live together with him.” Wherefore comfort yourselves together, and edify one another, even as also ye do.” (1 Thessalonians 5:1-11 – KJV)
“Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ;Who gave himself for us, that he might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works.” (Titus 2:13,14 – KJV)
“Henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, shall give me at that day: and not to me only, but unto all them also that love his appearing.” (2 Timothy 4:8 – KJV)
WITH ALL THAT HAS BEEN HAPPENING IN OUR WORLD LATELY, ARE WE NOW BEING PREPARED FOR WHAT COULD POSSIBLY BE THE STRONG DELUSION?
“Now we beseech you, brethren, by the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, and by our gathering together unto him, That ye be not soon shaken in mind, or be troubled, neither by spirit, nor by word, nor by letter as from us, as that the day of Christ is at hand. Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition; Who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God, or that is worshipped; so that he as God sitteth in the temple of God, shewing himself that he is God. Remember ye not, that, when I was yet with you, I told you these things? And now ye know what withholdeth that he might be revealed in his time. For the mystery of iniquity doth already work: only he who now letteth will let, until he be taken out of the way. And then shall that Wicked be revealed, whom the Lord shall consume with the spirit of his mouth, and shall destroy with the brightness of his coming: Even him, whose coming is after the working of Satan with all power and signs and lying wonders, And with all deceivableness of unrighteousness in them that perish; because they received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved. And for this cause God shall send them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie: That they all might be damned who believed not the truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness.”
Is it just coincidence that the Pentagon released their report at the end of June 2021 regarding all that it (supposedly) knows regarding unidentified flying objects (UFOs), which are now referred to as: Unidentified Aerial Phenomenon –UAPs? Or are we being prepared for what could be the greatest deception that the world has ever seen?! Consider just these few things that have happened since 2020:
A sixth branch of the United States Military was created under the leadership of President Trump. It “…is the newest branch of the Armed Forces, established December 2019 with enactment of the Fiscal Year 2020 National Defense Authorization Act.”SOURCE – ABOUT SPACE FORCE (Also see video below: ‘Trump Unveils Space Force Flag’).
Multiple Pentagon videos have been released that show UFOs/UAPs defying our laws of physics as reported by Navy pilots.
The Pentagon releases a report in June 2021 admitting that UFOs/UAPs are real, but they don’t know what they are or where they are coming from.
While many believe that at least 97% of UFO sightings end up to be natural phenomenon such as satellites, comets, etc., there are many credible witnesses such as police and pilots, people who are well trained observers, who have seen them in very close proximity! Consider watching this short 13:48 minute video to hear about what they observed:
60 MINUTES – BILL WHITAGER INTERVIEWS NAVY PILOTS ABOUT THEIR ENCOUNTERS WITH UFOS AND UAPS
ANOTHER AIR FORCE PILOT GIVES AN IN DEPTH ANALYSIS OF THE MANEUVERS THAT THESE UFO/UAPS ARE CAPABLE OF THAT DEFY OUR LAWS OF PHYSICS
Luis Elizondo, former director of the Advanced Aerospace Threat Identification Program (AATIP), in detail, clearly explains about the capabilities of these unidentified crafts, and also how our country, as well as our adversaries, presently do not have the technology to make such crafts that defy our laws of physics in many ways. He also shares his valid reasons for submitting his resignation to the Department of Defense on October 4, 2017:
Beginning at the 3:45 minute mark to the 7:17 minute mark in the video further below, you will hear the following shocking — as well as revealing — facts regarding UFOs/UAPs:
Luis: “There is historical radar data that we have that goes many decades where these things have been clocked doing 13, 14, 15,000 miles an hour not just by one radar –multiple radars.”
“…I had one — I remember the conversation very well — this is a person I respected tremendously…very, very senior person…he told me, he said, “Lou, I want you to stop –stop doing this.” I said, “Okay, sir, I certainly can, but may I ask why?” He said, “Well, we already know what it is.” Now at that moment I honestly thought maybe it was our own technology I was running up against, some super uber secret sap, and you know they were telling me to stop, and I said, “Okay, sir. So, so it’s ours?” And he said, “No, that’s not what I’m saying.” And he said — he asked me point blank — “Have you read your Bible lately?” and I wasn’t quite sure where it was going. With that I said, “Well, sir. I, I think I know what it says. Where are you going with this?” And he said, “Well, then you would know that these things are demonic, and we should not be pursuing them.” Yeah, and he wasn’t kidding me, but that’s exactly how he felt.”
Host: So this is a Pentagon, Department of Defense official, saying, ‘Stop looking at UFOs because they’re demonic?’
Luis: “Correct.”
Host seemingly mockingly replies: “But if something demonic is flying over our skies, wouldn’t religious people want to fight them?”
In part, Luis replies by saying: “…I’m a religious person, but you know there was a time where the church wouldn’t even look through a telescope of Galileo because it conflicted with their narrative only to, you know, years later them to come out and actually now, you know, use the grandeur of the universe to support their, you know, philosophical and theological belief system. So, I am under the presumption that more data is good, and I don’t think we should ever be fearful of data. And it doesn’t matter if they are, at the end of the day, some super secret for an adversarial technology that’s leapfrogged us, or if it’s little green men from Mars, or if it’s demons. We need to figure it out because its in our airspace. And, by the way, it doesn’t care if what we think because it’s there and it’s interacting, with not even that just our military, but even civilian aircraft and civilians.”
Official in the Department of Defense, who appears to be a Christian, said this to warn Luis Elizondo regarding UFOs/UAPs:
TYING THIS ALL TOGETHER
SOME WHAT IFS TO CONSIDER:
Dear reader. Regarding all of the information that I have added above, here are some real possible scenarios that may happen:
1. What if these alleged apparitions of Mary are being used to bring about the one world religion? We see evidence of this in the messages given during many of these different apparitions. We also see evidence of this when thousands of Muslims (as well as Hindus and Buddhists) are also gathering at these apparition sites. (Read PART 2 to see documentation). Fatima was the name of one of Mohammed’s daughters and the Muslims greatly revere Mary. Also, Mary (known as Maryam to Muslims) is mentioned in the Quran seventy times!
“The coming of the lawless one will be in accordance with the work of Satan displayed in all kinds of counterfeit miracles, signs, and wonders, and in every sort of evil that deceives those who are perishing. They perish because they refused to love the truth and so be saved. For this reason God sends them a powerful delusion so that they will believe the lie and so that all will be condemned who have not believed the truth but have delighted in wickedness.”
2. Keeping the above Scripture in mind, what if this strong delusion spoken of in Scripture is that God will give people over to the lie of evolution because people rejected the truth, not only the truth of creation as recorded in Genesis, but also the rejection of the truth of the Biblical gospel; that we are sinners in need of a Savior, and that God loved us so much that He sent His one and only begotten Son into the world — Jesus Christ — to live the perfect, sinless life that we could never live, so that He would be the perfect Lamb of God who would take upon Himself all of our sins, guilt, and shame, die in our place on the cross at Calvary, be buried, and rise again in bodily form three days later so that we could be forgiven and covered with His righteousness?
To elaborate even further:
What if the day comes when an actual UFO/UAP lands and an alien steps out proclaiming to be the savior of mankind and presents mankind with the lie; a false gospel rooted in evolution that basically says we were seeded here on earth by an alien civilization billions of years ago and that they have come to help us evolve so that we will then be able to realize our own divinity? There have actually been people who claim to have been told this when they have had encounters with aliens.
What if these so-called aliens also promise that by accepting and embracing this new revelation of one’s divinity and spiritual transformation, it will finally bring about worldwide peace?
What if thousands upon thousands of people accept the belief — the lie — that we were seeded by an alien civilization billions of years ago?
IN CLOSING
You may think that I have lost my mind, but there is a real convergence taking place these days between many professing Christians and those who are involved in many New Age/New Spirituality movements. I have mentioned a few of them and gave you an example with L A Marzulli. It is up to you, dear reader, if you are a true follower of Jesus Christ, to test the spirits and test everything that you listen to and read, regardless of how Biblical of a teacher, pastor, or writer one may appear to be! If you are truly a follower of Jesus Christ you will devote yourselves to the reading and studying of God’s Word and not follow after those who promote things that appeal to your fleshly senses. Jesus strongly warned us about deception being the predominant sign that we are living in the end of days by listing that first, There are also warnings in the Book of Acts about how false teachers will arise even from among us and how in the end times people will follow seducing spirits and doctrines of demons and turn their ears away from the truth and turn to fables/myths!
“And as he sat upon the mount of Olives, the disciples came unto him privately, saying, Tell us, when shall these things be? and what shall be the sign of thy coming, and of the end of the world? And Jesus answered and said unto them, Take heed that no man deceive you. For many shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ; and shall deceive many. And ye shall hear of wars and rumours of wars: see that ye be not troubled: for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet. For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and there shall be famines, and pestilences, and earthquakes, in divers places. All these are the beginning of sorrows.” (Matthew 24:3-8 – KJV)
“And now, behold, I know that ye all, among whom I have gone preaching the kingdom of God, shall see my face no more. Wherefore I take you to record this day, that I am pure from the blood of all men. For I have not shunned to declare unto you all the counsel of God. Take heed therefore unto yourselves, and to all the flock, over the which the Holy Ghost hath made you overseers, to feed the church of God, which he hath purchased with his own blood. For I know this, that after my departing shall grievous wolves enter in among you, not sparing the flock. Also of your own selves shall men arise, speaking perverse things, to draw away disciples after them. Therefore watch, and remember, that by the space of three years I ceased not to warn every one night and day with tears.” (Acts 20:25-31 – KJV)
“Now the Spirit speaketh expressly, that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils.” (1 Timothy 4:1 – KJV)
“I charge thee therefore before God, and the Lord Jesus Christ, who shall judge the quick and the dead at his appearing and his kingdom; Preach the word; be instant in season, out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort with all longsuffering and doctrine. For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears; And they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables.” (2 Timothy 4:1-4 – KJV)
Mary indeed was blessed among women to be chosen to be the mother of Jesus Christ in His humanity. She was a humble and obedient woman who clearly placed her faith and trust in God. The true Biblical Mary would never claim to be omnipresent as this entity claiming to be Mary in these apparitions does! Mary would also never ask for shrines and chapels to be built in her honor or ask for devotion to her “immaculate heart,” as this entity requested in some of the messages given in apparitions. She would never ask to be declared Co-redeemer or Co-Mediatrix as this entity also requested in some of the apparitions that have taken place. (Again, please consider reading Part 2 in this series and watching the video, Messages From Heaven). The Scriptures reveal that Mary always pointed people to Jesus; she never drew attention to herself. It is made very clear in Scripture that God does not share His glory with anyone:
“I am the LORD: that is my name: and my glory will I not give to another, neither my praise to graven images.” (Isaiah 42:11)
However, on page 52, in the little booklet that I have of Lucia de Santos’ account of the alleged apparitions of Mary at Fatima, it states the following regarding what Mary allegedly said to Lucia on June 13, 1917. Note how this is to be a worldwide devotion. Note also how this entity claims to promise salvation:
“Jesus wants to use you to make me known and loved. He wants to establish the Devotion to my Immaculate Heart in the World.I promise salvation to those who embrace it…”
Jesus would never send that kind of message. He told His disciples that they were to go into all the world and preach the gospel; He never instructed them to establish devotion to Mary.
Mary is mentioned just a few times in Scripture, and she would never desire our devotion or to be worshiped! Satan, on the other hand, has always desired to be worshiped and he will take it any way that he can, whether it’s through leading thousands of people into deception by lying signs and wonders such as apparitions of Mary, Joseph, angels, and even through encounters with UFOs and aliens who present some people with a false gospel saying things such as: “There is no such thing as sin.” “We came to help you realize your own divinity.” “Jesus came to show us how to reach Christ consciousness.”
Many messages given to visionaries during apparitions of Mary, echo the messages given during many New Age visions of Mary as clearly shown by former Marian devotee, Timothy Kauffman, in his very shocking presentation:
As I finally bring this post to a close, I would like to share three more Scriptures with you:
“I marvel that ye are so soon removed from him that called you into the grace of Christ unto another gospel: Which is not another; but there be some that trouble you, and would pervert the gospel of Christ. But though we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel unto you than that which we have preached unto you, let him be accursed. As we said before, so say I now again, If any man preach any other gospel unto you than that ye have received, let him be accursed.” (Galatians 1:6-9)
“For I am jealous over you with godly jealousy: for I have espoused you to one husband, that I may present you as a chaste virgin to Christ. But I fear, lest by any means, as the serpent beguiled Eve through his subtilty, so your minds should be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ. For if he that cometh preacheth another Jesus, whom we have not preached, or if ye receive another spirit, which ye have not received, or another gospel, which ye have not accepted, ye might well bear with him.” (2 Corinthians 11:2-4)
“Ye are my witnesses, saith the LORD, and my servant whom I have chosen: that ye may know and believe me, and understand that I am he: before me there was no God formed, neither shall there be after me. I, even I, am the LORD; and beside me there is no saviour.” (Isaiah 43:10,11)
“For we have not followed cunningly devised fables, when we made known unto you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but were eyewitnesses of his majesty.” (2 Peter 1:16)
We are definitely living in the last days! I pray that you will seek God in His Word for His truth, wisdom, and discernment so that you will not be deceived by the many different forms of spiritual deception that is enveloping our world, and sadly, entering the Church, as well! Jesus Christ is our only hope and assurance for salvation –not Mary:
“Jesus saith unto him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father but by me.” (John 14:6)
“Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved.” (Acts 4:12)
“For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus.” (1 Timothy 2:5)
“Wherefore he is able also to save them to the uttermost that come unto God by him, seeing he ever liveth to make intercession for them.” (Hebrews 7:25)
“My little children, these things write I unto you, that ye sin not. And if any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous. And he is the propitiation for our sins: and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world.” (1 John 2:1,2)
“If we receive the witness of men, the witness of God is greater: for this is the witness of God which he hath testified of his Son. He that believeth on the Son of God hath the witness in himself: he that believeth not God hath made him a liar; because he believeth not the record that God gave of his Son. And this is the record, that God hath given to us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. He that hath the Son hath life; and he that hath not the Son of God hath not life. These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God; that ye may know that ye have eternal life, and that ye may believe on the name of the Son of God. (1 John 5:9-13)
Thank you very much for stopping by today.
God Bless You
~Mary Dalke – Living4HisGlory
[NOTE: Almost all Scriptures were obtained from BIBLE HUB.]
FURTHER READING
I haven’t read this series yet, but every post on the Herescope blog is always well documented and rooted in Scripture. As always, we still need to test everything against Scripture.
RELATED VIDEOS (I may be adding more at the end of this post in the near future –Lord willing).
[NOTE: These videos (especially the ones from the History Channel), are for sources as well as documentational purposes; I do not agree with everything that the History Channel presents on their site, especially the ones about ancient aliens. Many who share their experiences regarding their sightings of UFOs/UAPs in the following videos are very credible witnesses, such as navy pilots, policemen, etc., people who have been trained to study and to identify aircraft for security purposes.]
Save
HOW THE ACCEPTANCE OF UFOS/UAPS AND ALIEN BEINGS CAN ALTER ONE’S BELIEFS
REGARDING THE ORIGIN OF LIFE, STARTING AT THE 3:29 MINUTE MARK IN THE FOLLOWING VIDEO, FORMER DIRECTOR OF THE VATICAN OBSERVATORY, GEORGE COIN, S.J., STATES THAT WE — AS WELL AS JESUS CHRIST — WERE MADE FROM STAR DUST:
However, in Genesis, God’s Word says that He created man, and he was created from the dust of the earth/ground –not stardust:
“And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth. So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them. And God blessed them, and God said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it: and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth. And God said, Behold, I have given you every herb bearing seed, which is upon the face of all the earth, and every tree, in the which is the fruit of a tree yielding seed; to you it shall be for meat. And to every beast of the earth, and to every fowl of the air, and to every thing that creepeth upon the earth, wherein there is life, I have given every green herb for meat: and it was so. And God saw every thing that he had made, and, behold, it was very good. And the evening and the morning were the sixth day.” (Genesis 1:26-31)
“And the LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul.” (Genesis 2:7)
THE VATICAN AND ALIENS
InTHIS ARTICLE,(which mainly addresses how Pope Francis said that he would baptize Martians if they came here), this is what Argentine Jesuit priest, Jose Fumes, the Vatican’s chief astronomer, had to say regarding the possibility of extraterrestrial life:
“The Vatican’s chief astronomer, Argentine Jesuit father Jose Fumes, explained the possibility of extraterrestrial life in 2008 when he too said that God’s mercy could be offered to aliens if it were needed. He even cited Pope Francis’ namesake to make his point. “This is not in contrast with the faith, because we cannot place limits on the creative freedom of God,” Fumes said. “To use St. Francis’ words, if we consider earthly creatures as ‘brothers’ and ‘sisters,’ why can’t we also speak of an ‘extraterrestrial brother?’”
There are two very important reasons why I felt compelled to write this series of posts, and I’d like to briefly share these reasons with you now before I go any further:
1) Since I am a former Catholic who is very aware of the teachings of the Catholic Church because I attended twelve years of Catholic school, attended Catechism classes, made my First Holy Communion, was Confirmed, and faithfully attended Mass not only every Sunday for many years, but also before school began for three years (as required by the school that I attended at the time), and who came to the knowledge of who Jesus Christ truly is and what He actually accomplished for us by reading a Catholic New Testament Bible exactly like the one pictured above, I decided to write this series with the hope of reaching precious Catholics so that they can not only come to an understanding of who Jesus Christ truly is as His Word, the Bible, declares Him to be, but also so they can see by reading God’s Word that they can have complete forgiveness, lasting joy, true peace, and the assurance of salvation if they choose to believe God’s Word and place their trust in Jesus Christ alone for their salvation. Also, since many Catholics do not realize everything that the Catholic church actually teaches (as I once did not realize until after doing research and reading the CCC), I thought that it was extremely important to share this information to make Catholics aware of many things that are quite disturbing, as you will all soon become aware of as this series continues.
2) This series of posts is also being written with the intention of helping those of you who are born-again, Bible believing followers of Jesus Christ who have no idea of what the teachings of Catholicism are so that you can become aware of their teachings and be prepared to offer hope and assurance of salvation through Jesus Christ to Catholics based solely upon the truth that is recorded in God’s Word.
As we continue on in this series together comparing Scriptures in the Catholic New Testament to teachings found in the Catechism of the Catholic Church, we must keep these important thoughts in mind:
When it comes to our eternal destination — heaven or hell — we must be certain that we place our trust in solid truth and not in speculation or in the traditions of men. The Catholic church claims to be the “one true Church.” Therefore, it stands to reason that their teachings must line up with God’s Word and not contradict it since God does not change (Malachi 3:6, James 1:17, Hebrews 13:8), and His Word stands firm forever. (Psalm 119:89, Isaiah 40:8, 1 Peter 1:24,25) If a contradiction is found it must be rejected because God’s Word is our plumb line by which we must measure (or test) the teachings of every religion to see if it lines up or not. If it is off in one point we can be certain that it will lead us further and further away from Biblical truth and lead us into spiritual deception.
This series will cover many different subjects ranging from what does the Catholic Church teach about the Bible, Jesus Christ, the Virgin Mary, priests, the pope, sin, forgiveness of sins, salvation, prayer, and what must a Catholic believe in order to receive eternal life. Some of these teachings will shock even many Catholics when they learn what their church actually teaches!
Lord willing, I hope to share at least one post every month with you in this new series until I have covered all the most important teachings that need to be brought to your attention. The main goal that I have in writing this series is to present the Word of God to Catholics — and to every person — in order to point everyone to Jesus Christ, who is our only hope and ‘the only name under heaven given among men by which we can be saved.’ (Acts 4:12)
Dear Catholic, please take a minute now to sincerely pray; ask God to open your mind to the Scriptures and to reveal the truth to you –whatever that may be.
Because only God can reveal the truth to you, I will refrain from making any comments unless I find it completely necessary. Since God’s Word is truth I trust that He will not only give you eyes to see the truth, but also I trust that He will give you the courage to respond to His leading. However, each one of you will find yourself having to answer this question when you come to many points that I present to you in these posts after realizing that there are oftentimes extreme differences between what the Word of God says and what Catholicism teaches, and the question that you will have to answer is:
“Are you going to believe the Word of God or the word of man?”
For those of you who are not Catholic, and are taking the time to read these posts in order to learn what Catholicism actually teaches, please keep in mind that every time you see the word “church” spelled with a capital c they are referring to the Catholic church, since they believe that the “Catholic Church” alone is the “one true Church.”All of the information that I will be sharing with you I have obtained from the following sources:
1) CATECHISM OF THE CATHOLIC CHURCH (pictured above) – Imprimi Potest – Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger (who later became Pope Benedict) – Interdicasterial Commission for the Catechism of the Catholic Church
2) THE WORD OF GOD – THE NEW TESTAMENT OF OUR LORD AND SAVIOR IN TODAY’S ENGLISH VERSION – SACRED HEART LEAGUE EDITION – IMPRIMATUR JOHN FRANCIS WHEALON, ARCHBISHOP OF HARTFORD, APRIL 15, 1971 SIGNED AND SEALED BY BISHOP JOSEPH B. BRUNINI, DIOCESE OF JACKSON, MISSISSIPPI
3) Occasionally when I share a Scripture with you from the Sacred Heart League (SHL) Catholic New Testament and notice that it lacks depth and clarity, I will then follow it with the same verse but in the King James Version in order to give you a better understanding of what is being said, and so that you can see what is missing from the SHL translation.
4) Very briefly in this series, when it is necessary to quote from the Old Testament, I will also be quoting from THE CATHOLIC DOUAY RHEIMS VERSION OF THE BIBLE – in which you will find the following statements:
“EXCERPT FROM ENCYCLICAL LETTER OF OUR HOLY FATHER BY DIVINE PROVIDENCE POPE LEO XIII ON THE STUDY OF HOLY SCRIPTURE:
“The God of all Providence, Who in the adorable designs of His love at first elevated the human race to the participation of the Divine nature, and afterwards delivered it from the universal guilt and ruin, restoring it to its primitive dignity, has in consequence bestowed upon man a splendid gift and safeguard–making known to him, by supernatural means, the hidden Mysteries of His divinity, His wisdom, and His mercy. For although in Divine revelations there are contained some things which are not beyond the reach of unassisted reason, and which are made the objects of such revelation in order “that all may come to know them with facility, certainty, and safety from error, yet not on this account can supernatural Revelation be said to be absolutely necessary; it is only necessary because God has ordained man to a supernatural end.” This supernatural revelation according to the belief of the universal Church, is contained both in unwritten Tradition, and in written Books, which are therefore called sacred and canonical because, “being written under the inspiration of the Holy Ghost, they have God for their author, and as such have been delivered to the Church.” (Page ix)
“Wherefore it must be recognised that the sacred writings are wrapt in a certain religious obscurity, and that no one can enter into their interior without a guide; God so disposing, as the Holy Fathers commonly teach, in order that men may investigate them with greater ardour and earnestness, and that what is attained with difficulty may sink more deeply into the mind and heart; and, most of all that they may understand that God has delivered the Holy Scriptures to the Church, and that in reading and making use of His Word, they must follow the Church as their guide and their teacher. St. Irenaeus long since laid down, that where the charismata of God were, there the truth was to be learnt, and that Holy Scripture was safely interpreted by those who had the Apostolic succession. His teaching, and that of other Holy Fathers, is taken up by the Council of the Vatican, which, in the renewing of the decree of Trent, declares its “mind” to be this–that “in things of faith and morals, belonging to the building up of Christian doctrine, that is to be considered the true sense of Holy Scripture which has been held and is held by our Holy Mother the Church whose place it is to judge of the true sense and interpretation of the Scriptures; and therefore that it is permitted to no one to interpret Holy Scripture against such sense or also against the unanimous agreement of the Fathers.” (Page xvii)
“Wherefore the first and dearest object of the Catholic commentator should be to interpret those passages which have received an authentic interpretation either by the sacred writers themselves, under the inspiration of the Holy Ghost (as in many places of the New Testament), or from the Church, under the assistance of the same Holy Spirit, whether by her solemn judgment or her ordinary and universal magisterium –to interpret those passages in that identical sense, and to prove, by all the resources of science that sound hermeneutical laws admit of no other interpretation. In the other passages, the analogy of faith should be followed, and Catholic doctrine, as authoritatively proposed by the Church, should be held as the supreme law; for seeing that the same God is the author both of the Sacred Books and of the doctrine committed to the Church, it is clearly impossible that any teaching can by legitimate means be extracted from the former, which shall in any respect be at variance with the latter. Hence it follows that all interpretation is foolish and false which either makes the sacred writers disagree one with another, or is opposed to the doctrine of the Church.” (Page xviii)
“For although the studies of non-Catholics, used with prudence, may sometimes be of use to the Catholic student, he should nevertheless, bear well in mind–as the Fathers also teach in numerous passages –that the sense of Holy Scripture can nowhere be found incorrupt outside of the Church, and cannot be expected to be found in writers who, being without the true faith, only gnaw the bark of the Sacred Scripture and never attain its pith.” (Page xix)
As I have mentioned in some previous posts in this series, in order to get this entire series finished in a timely manner, I have tried to keep my comments very brief and mainly made them in the introduction and closing sections of these posts, which I also tried to do (for the most part) in this last post, although, as you will soon see, the section which contains my closing comments is extra lengthy because it is a summary of the very troubling contrast between some Catholic teachings that:
• Are based on Scriptures that are taken out of context.
• Are based on Catholic “Tradition” that has been added to Scripture which distorts and even changes the true meaning of the text that God intended to present to us.
• Outright contradict Scripture and the gloriously good news of the Biblical gospel that is so clearly presented in their very own Scriptures, which prevents precious Catholics from ever coming to the knowledge of all that Jesus Christ truly accomplished for us through His sinless life, His death in our place on the cross, His burial, and His glorious resurrection from the dead in bodily form three days later.
Although I tried very hard to limit each post in this series to no more than 5000 words, some of the teachings that I came across in the CCC were so shocking and troubling that it made it rather difficult at times to stick to a limit when these teachings needed to be exposed or further information needed to be added so that you could see the spiritual danger of these teachings in light of God’s freeing and wonderful truth as revealed in His Word. I did, however, continue to keep the main focus on Scripture in this final post, which is where it should be.
For those of you who have busy schedules and do not have the time to read lengthy posts, I have highlighted just some of the many troubling things in turquoise, the extremely troubling things are highlighted in red, where the Catholic church has added to Scripture with their teachings based on Catholic Tradition I have highlighted in amethyst, and some things that are Biblical I have highlighted in blue in order to quickly bring these things to your attention. [NOTE: Emphasis on certain words that I have put in bold print throughout this post is mine.]
INTRODUCTION TO PART 23
In this next section in the Catechism Of The Catholic Church we will be covering the last half of page 701 and we will continue on through until the end of page 756 which will finally bring us to the very end of the book. The focus of this section is a continuation on prayer, mainly on the Hail Mary, a prayer that is prayed by Catholics to Mary, and the Our Father.
As you read through this last post in this series, please note the unbiblical emphasis that the Catholic church, once again, puts on the virgin Mary in their teachings by how much they focus on her, (especially in this last section of the CCC), and how they add to and twist Scripture and elevate her to positions that the Mary of the Bible never claimed to have. As an important side note, you will, however, hear the entity who claims to be the ‘Virgin Mary’ in all of the alleged apparitions of the Virgin Mary (most of which have been approved by the Catholic church), say these types of things which you will find in Catholic teachings, such as referring to Mary as the: Mother of all Peoples, Mediatrix of all Graces, Co-Redemptrix, Queen of Heaven, etc. (To learn more and when time allows, please consider reading THIS SERIES regarding the alleged apparitions of the Virgin Mary that I hope to finish writing in March or April of this year –Lord willing.
Also, please note the mystical, sometimes sensual, experiential and completely unbiblical language that is sometimes used (divinize, real presence, rhythms of praying, interior prayer, silent love, contemplate God, becoming other Christs, etc.), as well as the emphasis that is placed on Lectio Divina and especially Contemplative Prayer, which are forms of prayer based on Eastern meditation practices that make these types of praying entirely unbiblical and not Christian at all!
Let’s begin:
ARTICLE 2
THE WAY OF PRAYER
Para 2663
“In the living tradition of prayer, each Church proposes to its faithful, according to its historic, social, and cultural context, a language for prayer: words, melodies, gestures, iconography. The Magisterium of the Church(15) has the task of discerning the fidelity of these ways of praying to the tradition of apostolic faith; it is for pastors and catechists to explain their meaning, always in relation to Jesus Christ. (15 – Cf. DV 10).
Prayer to the Father.
Para 2664
There is no other way of Christian prayer than Christ. Whether our prayer is communal or personal, vocal or interior, it has access to the Father only if we pray “in the name” of Jesus. The sacred humanity of Jesus is therefore the way by which the Holy Spirit teaches us to pray to God our Father.
“Come, Holy Spirit”
Para 2670
“No one can say ‘Jesus is Lord’ except by the Holy Spirit.”(21) Every time we begin to pray to Jesus it is the Holy Spirit who draws us on the way of prayer by his prevenient grace. Since he teaches us to pray by recalling Christ, how could we not pray to the Spirit too? That is why the Church invites us to call upon the Holy Spirit every day, especially at the beginning and the end of every important action.
If the Spirit should not be worshiped, how can he divinize me through Baptism? If he should be worshiped, should he not be the object of adoraton?(22) (21 – 1 Cor 12:3). (22 – St. Gregory of Nazianzus, Oratio 31, 28: PG 36, 165).
In communion with the Holy Mother of God
Para 2673
In prayer the Holy Spirit unites us to the person of the only Son, in his glorified humanity, through which and in which our filial prayer unites us in the Church with the Mother of Jesus.(27 – Cf. Acts 1:14)
Para 2674
Mary gave her consent in faith at the Annunciation and maintained it without hesitation at the foot of the Cross. Ever since, her motherhood has extended to the brothers and sisters of her Son, who “still journey on earth surrounded by dangers and difficulties.”(28) Jesus, the only mediator, is the way of our prayer; Mary, his mother and ours, is wholly transparent to him; she “shows the way” (hodigitria), and is herself “the Sign” of the way, according to the traditional iconography of East and West. (28 – LG 62).
Para 2675
Beginning with Mary’s unique cooperation with the working of the Holy Spirit, the Churches developed their prayer to the holy Mother of God, centering it on the person of Christ manifested in his mysteries. In countless hymns and antiphons expressing this prayer, two movements usually alternate with one another: the first “magnifies” the Lord for the “great things” he did for his lowly servant and through her for all human beings;(29) the second entrusts the supplications and praises of the children of God to the Mother of Jesus, because she now knows the humanity which, in her, the Son of God espoused. (Cf. Lk. 1:46-55).
Para 2676
This twofold movement of prayer to Mary has found a privileged expression in the Ave Maria.
Full of grace, the Lord is with thee: These two phrases of the angel’s greeting shed light on one another. Mary is full of grace because the Lord is with her. The grace with which she is filled is the presence of him who is the source of all grace. “Rejoice…O daughter of Jerusalem…the Lord your God is in your midst.”(31) Mary, in whom the Lord himself has just made his dwelling, is the daughter of Zion in person, the ark of the covenant, the place where the glory of the Lord dwells. She is “the dwelling of God…with men.“(32) (31 – Zeph 3:14, 17a). (32 – Rev 21:3).
Blessed art thou among women and blessed is the fruit of thy womb Jesus. After the angel’s greeting, we make Elizabeth’s greeting our own. “Filled with the Holy Spirit,” Elizabeth is the first in the long succession of generations who have called Mary “blessed.”( 33) “Blessed is she who believed…”(34) Mary is “blessed among women” because she believed in the fulfillment of the Lord’s word. Abraham, because of his faith, became a blessing for all the nations of the earth. Mary, because of her faith, became the mother of believers, through whom all nations of the earth receive him who is God’s own blessing: Jesus, the fruit of thy womb.”(33 – Luke 1:41,48) (34 – Luke 1:45)
Para 2677
Holy Mary, Mother of God: With Elizabeth we marvel, “And why is this granted me, that the mother of my Lord should come to me?”(36) Because she gives us Jesus, her son, Mary is Mother of God and our mother; we can trust all our cares and petitions to her: she prays for us as she prayed for herself: “Let it be to me according to your word.”(37) By entrusting ourselves to her prayer, we abandon ourselves to the will of God together with her: “Thy will be done.”(36 – Luke 1:43). (37 – Luke 1:38).
Pray for us sinners,now and at the hour of our death: By asking Mary to pray for us, we acknowledge ourselves to be poor sinners and we address ourselves to the “Mother of Mercy,” the All-Holy One. We give ourselves over to her now, in the Today of our lives, and our trust broadens further, already at the present moment to “surrender the hour of our death” wholly to her care. May she be there as she was at her son’s death on the cross. May she welcome us as our mother at the hour of our passing(38) to lead us to her son, Jesus, in paradise. (38 – Cf. John 19:27)
Para 2679
Mary is the perfect Orans (pray-er), a figure of the Church. When we pray to her, we are adhering with her to the plan of the Father, who sends his Son to save all men. Like the beloved disciple we welcome Jesus’ mother into our homes, for she has become mother of all the living. We can pray with and to her.The prayer of the Church is sustained by the prayer of Mary and united with it in hope.(40 – Cf. LG 68-69).
Para 2682
Because of Mary’s singular cooperation with the action of the Holy Spirit, the Church loves to pray in communion with the Virgin Mary, to magnify with her the great things the Lord has done for her, and to entrust supplications and praises to her.
ARTICLE 3
GUIDES FOR PRAYER
A cloud of witnesses
Para 2683
The witnesses who have preceded us into the kingdom,(41) especially those whom the Church recognizes as saints, share in the living tradition of prayer by the example of their lives, the transmission of their writings, and their prayer today. They contemplate God, praise him and constantly care for those whom they have left on earth. When they entered into the joy of their Master, they were “put in charge of many things.”(42) Their intercession is their most exalted service to God’s plan. We can and should ask them to intercede for us and for the whole world. (41 – Cf. Heb 12:1). (42 – Cf. Mt 25:21).
Servants of prayer
Para 2687
Many religious have consecrated their whole lives to prayer. Hermits, monks, and nuns since the time of the desert fathers have devoted their time to praising God and interceding for his people. The consecrated life cannot be sustained or spread without prayer; it is one of the living sources of contemplation and the spiritual life of the Church.
Para 2690
The Holy Spirit gives to certain of the faithful the gifts of wisdom, faith, and discernment for the sake of this common good which is prayer (spiritual direction). Men and women so endowed are true servants of the living tradition of prayer.
According to St. John of the Cross, the person wishing to advance toward perfection should “take care into whose hands he entrusts himself, for as the master is, so will the disciple be, and as the father is so will be the son.” And further: “In addition to being learned and discreet a director should be experienced…if the spiritual director has no experience of the spiritual life, he will be incapable of leading into it the souls whom God is calling to it, and he will not even understand them.”(47 – St. John of the Cross,The Living Flame of Love, stanza 3, 30, in The Collected Works of St. John of the Cross eds K. Kavanaugh OCD and O. Rodriguez OCD (Washington DC: Institute of Carmelite Studies, 1979), 621.
Places favorable for prayer
Para 2691
The Church, the house of God, is the proper place for the liturgical prayer of the parish community. It is also the privileged place for adoration of the real presence of Christ in the Blessed Sacrament.
–For personal prayer, this can be a “prayer corner” with the Sacred Scriptures and icons, in order to be there, in secret, before our Father.(48 – Cf. Mt 6:6).
CHAPTER THREE
THE LIFE OF PRAYER
Para 2698
The Tradition of the Church proposes to the faithful certain rhythms of praying intended to nourish continual prayer. Some are daily, such as morning and evening prayer, grace before and after meals, the Liturgy of the Hours. Sundays, centered on the Eucharist, and kept holy primarily by prayer. The cycle of the liturgical year and its great feasts are also basic rhythms of the Christian’s life of prayer.
Para 2699
The Lord leads all persons by paths and in ways pleasing to him, and each believer responds according to his heart’s resolve and the personal expressions of his prayer. However, Christian Tradition has retained three major expressions of prayer: vocal, meditative, and contemplative.
ARTICLE 1
EXPRESSIONS OF PRAYER
II. MEDITATION
Para 2705
Meditation is above all a quest. The mind seeks to understand the why and how of the Christian life in order to adhere and respond to what the Lord is asking. The required attentiveness is difficult to sustain. We are usually helped by books, and Christians do not want for them: the Sacred Scriptures, particularly the Gospels, holy icons, liturgical texts of the day or season, writings of the spiritual fathers, works of spirituality, the great book of creation, and that of history–the page on which the “today” of God is written.
Para 2708
Meditation engages thought, imagination, emotion, and desire. This mobilization of faculties is necessary in order to deepen our convictions of faith, prompt the conversation of our heart, and strengthen our will to follow Christ. Christian prayer tries above all to meditate on the mysteries of Christ, as in lectio divina or the rosary. This form of prayerful reflection is of great value, but Christian prayer should go further: to the knowledge of the love of the Lord Jesus, to union with him.
III. CONTEMPLATIVE PRAYER
Para 2709
What is contemplative prayer?St. Teresa answers: “Contemplative prayer [Oración mental] in my opinion is nothing else than a close sharing between friends; it means taking time frequently to be alone with him who we know loves us.”(6)
Contemplative prayer seeks him “whom my soul loves.”(7) It is Jesus, and in him, the Father. We seek him, because to desire him is always the beginning of love, and we seek him in that pure faith which causes us to be born of him and to live in him. In this inner prayer we can still meditate, but our attention is fixed on the Lord himself. (6 – St. Teresa of Jesus, The Book of Her Life, 8, 5 in the Collected Works of St. Teresa of Avila, tr. K. Kavanough, OCD, and O. Rodriguez, OCD (Washington DC Institute of Carmelite Studies, 1976), I. 67. (7 – Song 1:7; cf. 3:1-4).
Para 2710
The choice of the time and duration of the prayer arises from a determined will, revealing the secrets of the heart. One does not undertake contemplative prayer only when one has the time: one makes the time for the Lord, with the firm determination not to give up, no matter what trials and dryness one may encounter. One cannot always meditate, but one can always enter into inner prayer, independently of the conditions of health, work, or emotional stress. The heart is the place of this quest and encounter, in poverty and in faith.
Para 2711
Entering into contemplative prayer is like entering into the Eucharistic liturgy: we “gather up” the heart, recollect our whole being under the prompting of the Holy Spirit, abide in the dwelling place of the Lord which we are, awaken our faith in order to enter into the presence of him who awaits us. We let our masks fall and turn our hearts back to the Lord who loves us, so as to hand ourselves over to him as an offering to be purified and transformed.
Para 2714
Contemplative prayer is also the pre-eminently intense time of prayer. In it the Father strengthens our inner being with power through his Spirit “that Christ may dwell in (our) hearts through faith” and we may be “grounded in love.”(10 – Eph 3:16-17)
Para 2715
Contemplation is a gaze of faith, fixed on Jesus, “I look at him and he looks at me” : this is what a certain peasant of Ars in the time of his holy curé used to say while praying before the tabernacle. This focus on Jesus is a renunciation of self. His gaze purifies our heart; the light of the countenance of Jesus illumines the eyes of our heart and teaches us to see everything in the light of his truth and his compassion for all men. Contemplation also turns its gaze on the mysteries of the life of Christ. Thus it learns the “interior knowledge of our Lord,” the more to love him and follow him.(11 – Cf. St. Ignatius of Loyola, Spiritual Exercises, 104).
Para 2717
Contemplative prayer is silence, the “symbol of the world to come”(12) or “silent love.”(13) Words in this kind of prayer are not speeches; they are like kindling that feeds the fire of love. In this silence, unbearable to the “outer” man, the Father speaks to us his incarnate Word, who suffered, died, and rose; in this silence the Spirit of adoption enables us to share in the prayer of Jesus. (12 – Cf. St. Isaac of Nineveh, Tract myst. 66). (13 – St. John of the Cross, Maxims and Counsels, 53 in The Collected Works of St. John of the Cross, tr. K. Kavanough, OCD, and O. Rodriguez, OCD (Washington DC: Institute of Carmelite Studies, 1979),678.
Para 2718
Contemplative prayer is a union with the prayer of Christ insofar as it makes us participate in his mystery. The mystery of Christ is celebrated by the Church in the Eucharist, and the Holy Spirit makes it come alive in contemplative prayer so that our charity will manifest it in our acts.
ARTICLE 2
THE BATTLE OF PRAYER
Para 2725
Prayer is both a gift of grace and a determined response on our part. It always presupposes effort. The great figures of prayer of the Old Covenant before Christ, as well as the Mother of God, the saints, and he himself, all teach us this: prayer is a battle. Against whom? Against ourselves and against the wiles of the tempter who does all he can to turn man away from prayer, from union with God.
I. OBJECTIONS TO PRAYER
Para 2726
In the battle of prayer, we must face in ourselves and around us, erroneous notions of prayer. Some people view prayer as a simple psychological activity, others as an effort of concentration to reach a mental void. Still others reduce prayer to ritual words and postures. Many Christians unconsciously regard prayer as an occupation that is incompatible with all of the other things they have to do: they “don’t have the time.” Those who seek God by prayer are quickly discouraged because they do not know that prayer comes also from the Holy Spirit and not from themselves alone.
II. HUMBLE VIGILANCE OF HEART
Para 2729
The habitual difficulty in prayer is distraction. It can affect words and their meaning in vocal prayer; it can concern more profoundly, him to whom we are praying, in vocal prayer (liturgical or personal), meditation, and contemplative prayer. To set about hunting down distractions would be to fall into their trap, when all that is necessary is to turn back to our heart; for a distraction reveals to us what we are attached to, and this humble awareness before the Lord should awaken our preferential love for him and lead us resolutely to offer him our heart to be purified. Therein lies the battle, the choice of which master to serve.”(16 – Cf. Mt 6:21, 24).
III. FILIAL TRUST
Para 2736
Are we convinced that “we do not know how to pray as we ought”?(23) Are we asking God for “what is good for us”? Our Father knows what we need before we ask him,(24) but he awaits our petition because the dignity of his children lies in their freedom. We must pray, then, with his Spirit of freedom, to be able truly to know what he wants.(25) (23 – Rom 8:26). (24 – Cf. Mt 6:8). (25 – Cf. Rom 8:27).
Para 2737
“You ask and do not receive, because you ask wrongly, to spend it on your passions.”(26) If we ask with a divided heart, we are “adulterers”;(27) God cannot answer us, for he desires our well being, our life. “Or do you suppose that it is in vain that the scripture says, ‘He yearns jealously over the spirit which he has made to dwell in us?’ “(28) That our God is “jealous” for us is the sign of how true his love is. If we enter into the desire of his Spirit, we shall be heard.
Do not be troubled if you do not immediately receive from God what you ask him; for he desires to do something even greater for you, while you cling to him in prayer.(29)
God wills that our desire should be exercised in prayer, that we may be able to receive what he is prepared to give.(30) (26 – Jas 4:3; cf. the whole context: Jam 4:1-10; 1:5-8; 5:16). (27 – Jas 4:4). (28 – Jas 4:5) (29 – Evagrius Ponticus, De oratione) (30 – St. Augustine, Ep 130, 8, 17: PL 33, 500).
Para 2741
Jesus also prays for us–in our place and on our behalf. All our petitions were gathered up, once for all, in his cry on the Cross and, in his Resurrection, heard by the Father. This is why he never ceases to intercede for us with the Father.(32) If our prayer is resolutely united with that of Jesus, in trust and boldness as children, we obtain all that we ask in his name, even more than any particular thing: the Holy Spirit himself, who contains all gifts. (32 – Cf. Heb 5:7; 7:25; 9:24).
ARTICLE 3
THE PRAYER OF THE HOUR OF JESUS
Para 2749
Jesus fulfilled the work of the Father completely; his prayer, like his sacrifice, extends until the end of time.
SECTION TWO
ARTICLE 1
“THE SUMMARY OF THE WHOLE GOSPEL”
Para 2763
All the Scriptures –the Law, the Prophets, and the Psalms–are fulfilled in Christ.(10) The Gospel is the “Good New.” Its first proclamation is summarized by St. Matthew in the Sermon on the Mount;(11) the prayer to our Father is at the center of this proclamation. It is in this context that each petition bequeathed to us by the Lord is illuminated.(10 – Cf. Lk 24:44). (11 – Cf. Mt 5-7).
ARTICLE 2
“OUR FATHER WHO ART IN HEAVEN”
Para 2782
We can adore the Father because he has caused us to be reborn to his life by adopting us as his children in his only Son: by Baptism, he incorporates us into the Body of his Christ; through the anointing of his Spirit who flows from the head to the members, he makes us other “Christs.”
God, indeed, who has predestined us to adoption as his sons, has conformed us to the glorious Body of Christ. So then you who have become sharers in Christ are appropriately called “Christs.”(34 – St. Cyril of Jerusalem, Catech. myst. 3, 1: PG 33, 1088A).
Para 2783
Thus the Lord’s Prayer reveals us to ourselves at the same time that it reveals the Father to us.(36)
O man, you did not dare to raise your face to heaven, you lowered your eyes to the earth, and suddenly you have received the grace of Christ: all your sins have been forgiven. From being a wicked servant you have become a good son…Then raise your eyes to the Father who has begotten you through Baptism, to the Father who has redeemed you through his Son, and say: “Our Father…” But do not claim any privilege. He is the Father in a special way only of Christ, but he is the common Father of us all, because while he has begotten only Christ, he has created us. Then also say by his grace, “Our Father,” so that you may merit being his son.(37) (36 – Cf. GS 22 § 1) (37 – St. Ambrose, De Sacr. 5, 4, 19: PL 16:450-451).
Para 2791
For this reason, in spite of the divisions among Christians, this prayer to “our” Father remains our common patrimony and an urgent summons for all the baptized. In communion by faith in Christ and by Baptism, they ought to join in Jesus’ prayer for the unity of his disciples.(50 – Cf. UR 8; 22).
Para 2798
We can invoke God as “Father” because the Son of God made man has revealed him to us. In this Son, through Baptism, we are incorporated and adopted as sons of God.
Para 2813
In the waters of Baptism, we have been “washed…sanctified…justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and in the Spirit of our God.”(79).
By whom is God hallowed, since he is the one who hallows? But since he said, “You shall be holy to me; for I the LORD am holy,” we seek and ask that we who were sanctified in Baptism may persevere in what we have begun to be.(81) (79 – 1 Cor 6:11). (81 – St. Cyprian,De Dom,orat. 12: PL 4, 527A; Lev 20:26).
NOTE: In context, let’s take a look at the verse that they cite as their basis for teaching that a person is sanctified in Baptism –1 Corinthians 6:11:
“Surely you know that the wicked shall not receive God’s Kingdom. Do not fool yourselves; people who are immoral, or worship idols, or adulterers, or homosexual perverts, or who rob, or are greedy, or are drunkards, or who slander others, or are thieves–none of these will receive God’s Kingdom. Some of you were like that. But you have been cleansed from sin; you have been dedicated to God; you have been put right with God through the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God.” (1 Corinthians 6:9-11 – Sacred Heart League Catholic New Testament – SHLCNT)
Here is the same passage of Scripture in the Douay-Rheims Catholic Version:
“Know you not that the unjust shall not possess the kingdom of God? Do not err: neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, Nor the effeminate, nor liers with mankind, nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor railers, nor extortioners, shall possess the kingdom of God. And such some of you were; but you are washed, but you are sanctified, but you are justified in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, and the Spirit of our God.” (1 Corinthians 6:9-11 – DRV)
In their proper context we see that there is no mention of baptism or water. The truth in this verse clearly speaks for itself; we are sanctified/cleansed from sin through Jesus Christ, and not by baptism as Catholic Tradition teaches.
Let’s take a look at some verses in the Word of God that clearly show us how we become sanctified. As you read them, please note the completeness and finality of Jesus Christ’s once for all sacrifice:
“First he said, “You neither want nor are you pleased with sacrifices and offerings, or with animals burned on the altar and the sacrifices to take away sins.” He said this even though all these sacrifices are offered according to the Law. Then he said, “Here I am, God, to do what you want me to do.” So God does away with all the old sacrifices and puts the sacrifice of Christ in their place. Because Jesus Christ did what God wanted him to do, we are all made clean (sanctified) from sin by the offering that he made of his own body, once and for all. (Hebrews 10:8-10 – SHLCNT)
Here is the same passage of Scripture in the Douay-Rheims Catholic Version:
“In saying before, Sacrifices, and oblations, and holocausts for sin thou wouldest not, neither are they pleasing to thee, which are offered according to the law. Then said I: Behold, I come to do thy will, O God: he taketh away the first, that he may establish that which followeth. In the which will, we are sanctified by the oblation of the body of Jesus Christ once.” (Hebrews 10:8-10 DRV)
Here is another passage of Scripture that clearly shows it is by the blood of Jesus — by fully placing our trust in His once for all sacrifice — that we become sanctified:
“The Jewish High Priest brings the blood of the animals into the Most Holy Place to offer it as a sacrifice for sins; but the bodies of the animals are burned outside the camp. For this reason Jesus also died outside the city gate in order to cleanse (sanctify) the people from sin with his own blood.” (Hebrews 13:11,12 – SHLCNT)
Here is how the above passage of Scripture reads in the Douay-Rheims Catholic Version:
“For the bodies of those beasts, whose blood is brought into the holies by the high priest for sin, are burned without the camp. Wherefore Jesus also, that he might sanctify the people by his own blood, suffered without the gate.
Let’s continue:
II. THY KINGDOM COME
Para 2820
By a discernment according to the Spirit, Christians have to distinguish between the growth of the Reign of God and the progress of the culture and society in which they are involved. This distinction is not a separation. Man’s vocation to eternal life does not suppress, but actually reinforces, his duty to put into action in this world the energies and means received from the Creator to serve justice and peace.(93 – Cf. GS 22; 32; 39; 45; EN 31).
Para 2821:
This petition is taken up and granted in the prayer of Jesus which is present and effective in the Eucharist; it bears its fruit in the new life in keeping with the Beatitudes.(94 Cf. Jn 17:17-20; Mt 5:13-16; 6:24; 7:12-13).
III. THY WILL BE DONE ON EARTH AS IT IS IN HEAVEN
Para 2824
In Christ, and through his human will, the will of the Father has been perfectly fulfilled once for all. Jesus said on entering into this world, “Lo, I have come to do your will, O God.”(99) Only Jesus can say: “I always do what is pleasing to him.”(100) In the prayer of his agony, he consents totally to this will: “not my will but yours be done.”(101) For this reason Jesus “gave himself for our sins to deliver us from the present evil age, according to the will of our God and Father.(102) And by that will we have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.” (99 – Heb 10:7; Ps 40:7). (100 – Jn 8:29). (101 – Lk 22:42; cf. Jn 4:34; 5:30; 6:38). (102 – Gal 1:4).
NOTE: They may profess that we have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus once for all, but in their continual offering of the sacrificeof the Mass (which they say is truly propitiatory), they completely deny the sufficiency of Jesus Christ’s once for all sacrifice.
Continuing on:
Para 2827
“If anyone is a worshiper of God and does his will, God listens to him.”(110) Such is the power of the Church’s prayer in the name of her Lord, above all in the Eucharist.Her prayer is also a communion of intercession with the all-holy Mother of God(111) and all the saints who have been pleasing to the Lord because they willed his will alone. (110 – Jn 9:31; cf. 1 Jn 5:14). (111 – Cf. Lk 1:38; 49).
Para 2832
As leaven in the dough, the newness of the kingdom should make the earth “rise” by the Spirit of Christ.(119) This must be shown by the establishment of justice in personal and social, economic and economic relations, without ever forgetting that there are no just structures without people who want to be just.” (119 – Cf. AA 5).
Para 2835
There is a famine on earth, “not a famine of bread, nor a thirst for water, but of hearing the words of the Lord.”(124) For this reason the specifically Christian sense of this fourth petition concerns the Bread of Life: The Word of God accepted in faith, the Body of Christ received in the Eucharist.(125) (124 – Amos 8:11) (125 – Cf. Jn 6:26-58)
Para 2837
“Daily” (epiousios) occurs nowhere else in the New Testament. Taken in a temporal sense, this word is a pedagogical repetition of “this day”(128) to confirm us in trust “without reservation.” Taken in the qualitative sense, it signifies what is necessary for life, and more broadly every good thing sufficient for subsistence. (129) Taken literally (epi-ousios: “super essential”), it refers directly to the Bread of Life, the Body of Christ, the “medicine of immortality,” without which we have no life within us.(130) Finally in this connection, its heavenly meaning is evident: “this day” is the Day of the Lord, the day of the feast of the kingdom, anticipated in the Eucharist that is already the foretaste of the kingdom to come. For this reason it is fitting for the Eucharist liturgy to be celebrated each day.
The Eucharist is our daily bread. The power belonging to this divine food makes it a bond of union. Its effect is then understood as unity, so that, gathered into his Body and made members of him, we may become what we receive…This also is our daily bread: the readings you hear each day in church and the hymns you hear and sing. All these things are necessities for our pilgrimage.(131) The Father in heaven urges us, as children of heaven, to ask for the bread of heaven. [Christ] himself is the bread who, sown in the Virgin, raised up in the flesh, kneaded in the Passion, baked in the oven of the tomb, reserved in churches, brought to altars, furnishes the faithful each day with food from heaven.(132) (128 – Cf. Ex 16:19-21) (129 – Cf. 1 Tim 6:8). (130 – St. Ignatius of Antioch Ad Eph. 20, 2: PG 5, 661; Jn 6:53-56) (131 – St. Augustine, Sermo 57, 7: PL 38, 389). (132 – St. Peter Chrysologus, Sermo 67: PL 52, 392; cf. Jn 6:51).
V. “AND FORGIVE US OUR TRESPASSES, AS WE FORGIVE THOSE WHO TRESPASS AGAINST US”
Para 2839
With bold confidence, we began praying to our Father. In begging him that his name be hallowed, we were in fact asking him that we ourselves might be always made more holy. But though we are clothed with the baptismal garment, we do not cease to sin, to turn away from God. Now, in this new petition, we return to him like the prodigal son and, like the tax collector, recognize that we are sinners before him.(133) Our petition begins with a “confession” of our wretchedness and his mercy. Our hope is firm because, in his Son, “we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.”(134) We find the efficacious and undoubted sign of his forgiveness in the sacraments of his Church.(135) (133 – Cf. Lk 15:11-32; 18:13). (134 – Col 1:14; Eph 1:7). (135 – Cf. Mt 26:28; Jn 20:23).
Para 2845
The communion of the Holy Trinity is the source and criterion of truth in every relationship. It is lived out in prayer, above all in the Eucharist.(148 – Cf. Mt 5:23-24; 1 Jn 3:19-24).
VI. AND LEAD US NOT INTO TEMPTATION
Para 2846
This petition goes to the root of the preceding one, for our sins result from our consenting to temptation; we therefore ask our Father not to “lead” us into temptation. It is difficult to translate the Greek verb used by a single English word: the Greek means both “do not allow us to enter into temptation” and “do not let us yield to temptation.”(150) “God cannot be tempted by evil and he himself tempts no one.”;(151) on the contrary, he wants to set us free from evil. We ask him not to allow us to take the way that leads to sin. We are engaged in the battle “between flesh and spirit”; this petition implores the Spirit of discernment and strength.
Para 2852
“A murderer from the beginning…a liar and the father of lies,” Satan is “the deceiver of the whole world.”(165) Through him sin and death entered into the world and by his definitive defeat all creation will be “freed from the corruption of sin and death.”(166) Now “we know that anyone born of God does not sin, but He who was born of God keeps him, and the evil one does not touch him. We know that we are of God, and the whole world is in the power of the evil one.”(167) (165 – Jn 8:44; Rev 12:9). (166 – Roman Missal Eucharistic Prayer IV. 125). (167 – 1 Jn 5:18,19).
Para 2853
Victory over the “prince of this world” was won once for at the Hour when Jesus freely gave himself up to death to give us his life. This is the judgment of this world, and the prince of this world is “cast out.”(170) “He pursued the woman”(171) but had no hold on her: the new Eve, “full of grace” of the Holy Spirit, is preserved from sin and the corruption of death (the Immaculate Conception and the Assumption of the Most Holy Mother of God,Mary, ever virgin). “Then the dragon was angry with the woman, and went off to make war on the rest of her offspring.”(172) Therefore the Spirit and the Church pray: “Come, Lord Jesus,”(173) since his coming will deliver us from the Evil One. (170 – Jn 12:31; Rev 12:10). (171 – Rev 12:13-16). (172 – Rev 12:17). (173 – Rev 22:17,20).
This brings us to the end of the Catechism Of The Catholic Church. Throughout this series I have tried to clearly point out to you how the Catholic church does not place their emphasis on Jesus Christ and the sufficiency of His once for all sacrifice that paid the debt for all sin in full in their teachings.
I have also tried to show you from their own teachings how they twist and distort God’s Word by adding to Scripture instead of basing their teachings on the clear truths presented in Scripture, and how they oftentimes back up their teachings by sharing quotes from Catholic mystics of the past and mystical teachings of monks, known as the desert fathers.
Throughout this series, regarding the Catechism Of The Catholic Church, you have seen how terms such as Contemplative Prayer, Lectio Divina, desert fathers, spiritual director, silent prayer along with “saints”/people such as St. John of the Cross, St. Teresa of Avila, St. Ignatius of Loyola, etc., have been mentioned quite innocently. But as I have tried to document for you throughout this series, these terms and people will lead Catholics and others (who are not aware of the spiritual dangers of Contemplative prayer and what these “saints” and desert fathers believed, taught, and experienced), slowly into the world of the occult!
To refresh your memory, and for those of you who may not have read any previous posts in this series, here is some information on Contemplative Prayer, St. John of the Cross, and St. Teresa of Avila, and more:
INFORMATION ON THE UNBIBLICAL NATURE OF SACRED RHYTHMS AND CO-FOUNDER AND PRESIDENT OT THE TRANSFORMING CENTER, RUTH HALEY BARTON, WHO PROMOTES THIS, AMONG MANY OTHER PROFESSING CHRISTIAN LEADERS:
Below is a quick capture of some information regarding St. John of the Cross in which you can see that he promoted Contemplative Meditation and unionwith God, terms that can both be found in Eastern religions, not Biblical Christianity. His writings, such as, ‘The Ascent Of Mount Carmel’ and ‘Dark Night Of TheSoul,’ promote mysticism.
Very troubling information on mystic, Teresa of Avila, can be seen in the following video starting at the 24:55 minute mark and ending at the 34:14 minute mark. However, the entire video is well worth watching.
Now I’d now like to share some information with you from a tract that was written by a former Roman Catholic priest, Bartholomew F. Brewer, PH.D., regarding the central focus of Catholicism –the Sacrifice of the Mass. Back in 1980, right after I just became a Christian, I sent away for some information from Mission To Catholics International Inc., and this was one of many tracts that I received.
Although the information in this tract is deeply rooted in Scripture, some Catholics who read this may find what he has to say to be rather harsh. However, when your eternal destiny is at stake regarding what you choose to believe and to place your trust in for the forgiveness of your sins, the truth is what’s most important, and he clearly shares the truth based on the Word of God regarding some of the troubling teachings of Catholicism that denies the sufficiency of Jesus Christ’s once for all sacrifice to pay the debt for all sin –in full!
NOTE: The following information has been added for documentational purposes only and is not necessarily an endorsement of Bart Brewer since I am not aware of all his beliefs and whether they all line up with Scripture or not.]
THE ROMAN CATHOLIC SACRIFICE OF THE MASS
The sacrifice of the Mass is the very heart of Roman Catholic faith. It is the most beautiful, the most sacred part of Catholic worship. “It is the secret of her holiness and vitality.” Saint Francis De Sales said it is “the mainspring of devotion.” According to Pope Urban, if the angels could envy man anything, it would be his power to offer the Holy Sacrifice. Cardinal Newman called it “the greatest action that can be on earth.”
OFFICIAL CATHOLIC TEACHING
The Church of Rome teaches –(1) that at the Last Supper, Christ instituted the Mass, a true, visible, sacrifice…; (2) that Christ bequeathed the Mass to His Church…to be of avail for the remission of sins and the punishment due them, and the benefit of the living and the dead; (3) that Christ established a special priesthood for its celebration; (4) that Christ, through the ministry of His priests, offers Himself in the Mass as He offered Himself on the cross; but that, whereas He offered Himself in a bloody manner on the cross, He offers Himself in an unbloody manner in the Mass; (5) that, this difference apart, the sacrifice of the Mass is the same sacrifice as that of the cross, for there is the same Priest, the same Victim and the same Offering. Rome teaches that just as the sacrifice of Calvary was prefigured in the Jewish sacrifices, so it is continued in the Mass in its essentials as a sacrifice. Catholic doctrine teaches that through the sacrifice of the Mass a friend of God receives the appeasement of God’s anger, the extinction of the debt of temporal punishment and the reception of blessings, which include an increase of Sanctifying Grace, Through the Mass, one’s acts of adoration, praise, thanksgiving, atonement, satisfaction and petition receive a new and special efficacy. In the sacrifice of the Mass one is said to receive, more surely that through any other means, the grace of contrition in the hour of need, the grace of more perfect sanctity, and all temporal blessings not in conflict with one’s spiritual well-being.
FIFTH ARTICLE OF THE CREED OF POPE PIUS IV
“I profess likewise that in the Mass there is offered to God a true, proper, and propitiatory sacrifice for the living and the dead. And that in the most holy sacrament of the Eucharist there is truly, really, and substantially the blood, together with the soul and divinity, of our Lord Jesus Christ; and that there is made a conversion of the whole substance of the bread into the body, and of the whole substance of the wine into the blood, which conversion of the Catholic Church calleth Transubstantiation. I also confess that under either kind alone Christ is received whole and entire, and a true sacrament.”
THE COUNCIL OF TRENT
The canons of the Council of Trent on this subject passed in session xxii. cap. ii are as follows:
1. “If any one shall say, that in the Mass there is not offered to God a true and proper sacrifice, or that what is offered is nothing else than Christ given to be eaten, let him be anathema.”
2. “If any one shall say that in those words, This do in remembrance of Me, Christ did not make the apostles priests, or did not ordain that they themselves and other priests should offer His body and blood, let him be anathema.”
3.”If any one shall say that the sacrifice of the Mass is only of praise and thanksgiving, or a bare commemoration of the sacrifice performed on the cross, but not propitiatory; or that it is of benefit only to the person who takes it, and ought not to be offered for the living and the dead for sins, punishments, satisfactions, and other necessities, let him be accursed.”
4. “If any one shall say that a blasphemy is ascribed to the most holy sacrifice of Christ performed on the cross by the sacrifice of the Mass, or the latter derogates from the former, let him be accursed.”
PRONOUNCEMENT FROM VATICAN II
“At the Last Supper…our Saviour instituted the Eucharistic Sacrifice of His Body and Blood. He did this in order to perpetuate the sacrifice of the Cross…” p. 154, The Documents of Vatican II, Walter M. Abbott, S. J.
CATHOLIC PROOF – TEXTS EXPLAINED
Malachi 1:11: “From the rising of the sun even to the going down of the same my name shall be great among the Gentiles; and in every place incense shall be offered unto my name, and a pure offering.”
Roman Catholic authorities claim that this prophecy is fulfilled in the sacrifice of the Mass. However, a close look at the meaning of this verse indicates not a literal, external offering, but a spiritual, internal offering. David declared in Psalm 51:17 that “the sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart.” Peter admonished the people of God to offer up spiritual sacrifices (1 Peter 2:5), praises of Him who hath called you out of darkness into His marvelous light (v. 9). The author of Hebrews speaks of spiritual sacrifices as praise, thanksgiving and alms-giving (13:15,16). The Christians in Rome were admonished to present their bodies (i.e. their whole being) as living sacrifices (Romans 12:1). Catholic authorities say that the Hebrew word for offering (mincha) refers to the unbloody sacrifice of the Mass, but in 1 Samuel 2:17 the word mincha is used in reference to a bloody sacrifice and in Isaiah 66:20 the company of God’s people constitutes the mincha. One cannot, therefore, use this verse to substantiate evidence in favor of the sacrifice of the Mass.
Romans 15:16b: “…that the offering up of the Gentiles might be acceptable, being sanctified by the Holy Ghost…”
Again the offering of the Gentiles was a spiritual, internal sacrifice, that of obedience in word and deed (v. 18).
Genesis 14:18: “And Melchizedek king of Salem brought forth bread and wine: and he was a priest of the most high God.”
One cannot assume that this verse speaks of a sacrifice offered to God. Melchizedek was a priest of God and he brought bread and wine, not for a sacrifice but for the refreshment of Abram and his men returning from battle. Cyprian was the earliest of the post-apostolic fathers to teach that Melchizedek was a sacrificer but there is no Biblical reference of Melchizedek offering sacrifice (see Hebrews 7).
1 Corinthians 11:24b: “This do in remembrance of me.”
Catholics are taught that in this verse Jesus was, in effect, saying, “As I have now offered My body and blood under the appearances of bread and wine as a sacrifice, so must you offer in sacrifice My body and blood in every celebration of this sacrament.” Rome teaches that with these words Jesus made the apostles priests and gave Himself as a perpetual victim whom they were to sacrifice daily. It is estimated that there are more than 200,000 sacrifices offered on Roman altars around the world each day of the week. What a perversion of the common expression “this do” which in this context simply means that God’s people are to partake of the bread and wine as a reminder (not a perpetuation) of Christ’s atonement.
John 19:30: “It is finished.”
According to a Roman Catholic priest, Richard W. Grace, in his book, “The Sacrifice of Christ,” “These words do not declare that His sacrifice was finished, but that He had finished His former, normal, earthly life and was now fixed in the state of a victim…He then began His everlasting career as the perpetual sacrifice of the New Law.”
According to Rome, the sacrifice of Christ was completed on Calvary, but not finished, i.e. He must be perpetually sacrificed in the Mass. However, it is not the blood sacrifice of the Cross that is repeated, but the so-called unbloody sacrifice of the upper room, the sacrifice of His flesh and blood under the appearance of bread and wine. It was the shedding of Jesus’ blood that brought remission of sin. That sacrifice was finished as He said and Hebrews 9:22 later tells us that apart from the shedding of blood there is no remission of sin. Therefore, what took place in the upper room was not a sacrifice but an explanation of the sacrifice that was to take place and since admittedly, there is no blood in the sacrifice of the Mass, it cannot be a sacrifice for sin.
John 6:54-55: “Whoso eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, hath eternal life; and I will raise him up at the last day. For my flesh is meat indeed, and my blood is drink indeed.” Meat is to satisfy hunger and in verse 35 Jesus said “he that cometh to me shall never hunger.”
Therefore, to come to Him is to eat. To drink is to satisfy thirst and again in verse 35 Jesus said “he that believeth on me shall never thirst.” Therefore, to believe is to drink. No one can say that here Jesus was establishing the eating and drinking of a sacrifice for sin, especially not after what he said in verse 63: “the words that I speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are life.” In Levitical law, not only was the blood never eaten, but the sin offering was never to be eaten. Yet Catholics believe that they really eat Christ’s body and drink His blood in their communion. If they insist on a literal meaning in this verse, then they must take literally the whole statement and also believe that all who receive their communion are saved (will live forever) and they do not believe that. Without doubt, to consistently literalize this passage involves some impossible interpretation for the Catholic.
Matthew 26: 26 and 28: “This is my body…this is my blood.”
No one can deny that here we have figurative language. Jesus did not say, touto gignetai (this has become or is turned into) but touto esti (this signifies, represents or stands for). In another passage he said “this cup is the new testament.” For one thing, “the cup” refers to its contents and certainly neither the cup nor its contents constitutes the new covenant, but symbolizes it. Throughout Scripture we find similar metaphorical language: Jesus referred to Himself as “the door,” “the vine,” “the light,” “the root,” “the rock,” “the bright and morning star” as well as “the bread.” If I were to show someone a photograph of my son and say, “this is my son,” they would not take these words literally. The Scripture is written with such common language that it is obvious to any observant reader that the Lord’s Supper was intended primarily as a memorial and in no sense a literal sacrifice. In taking Biblical statements literally, we must be sure that doing so is consistent with the context and not in contradiction to other clear teaching.
THE FINALITY OF CHRIST’S SACRIFICE
The Bible teaches that the priesthood of Jesus Christ is unique:
“Thou art a priest for ever after the order of Melchizedek” (Psalm 110:4 and Hebrews 7:17); “but this man, because he continueth ever hath an unchangeable priesthood (i.e. it cannot be transferred to another)” (Hebrews 7:3b and 24); “there is…one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus” (1 Timothy 2:5).
There is an obvious superiority in Jesus Christ, the one who is approachable and can be touched with the feeling of our infirmities (Hebrews 4:15). The human sacrificing priesthood was weak and unprofitable being made up of “many priests” and men of infirmity, but Christ was holy, undefiled and separate from sinners (Hebrews 7:23 and 28). Roman Catholicism teaches that her priests discharge the priesthood of Jesus Christ, that they are other Christs (Alter Christus). This explains the extravagant adulation and exaltation heaped upon the Roman priest. The French Catholic saint, J. B. M. Vianney said that
“Where there is no priest there is no sacrifice, and where there is no sacrifice there is no religion…Without the priest the death and passion of our Lord would be of no avail to us…See the power of the priest!” By one word from his lips, he changes a piece of bread into a God! A greater feat than the creation of a world.”
He also said:
“If I were to meet a priest and an angel, I would salute the priest before saluting the angel. The angel is a friend of God, but the priest holds the place of God…Next to God Himself, the priest is everything!”
What humiliation for Jesus Christ (the one who is to have preeminence in all things). All mankind must say with John the Baptist:
“He must increase, but I must decrease.”
The epistle to the Hebrews speaks of the once for all sacrifice of Christ on the cross, not a daily sacrifice on altars. It cannot be argued exegetically that the Mass is a real and true sacrifice of reconciliation and that Christ still sacrifices Himself daily by the hands of the priest (Council of Trent) as the Bible repeatedly affirms in the clearest and most positive terms that Christ’s sacrifice on Calvary was complete in that one offering. And that it was never to be repeated is set forth in Hebrews, chapter 7, 9, and 10. There we read:
“Who needeth not daily, as those high priests, to offer up sacrifice, first for his own sins, and then for the peoples: for this he did once, when he offered up himself (7:27).
“…by his own blood he entered in once, into the holy place, having obtained eternal redemption for us” (9:12).
“…and without shedding of blood is no remission…Nor yet that he should offer himself often, as the high priest entereth into the holy place every year with blood of others; for then must he often have suffered since the foundation of the world; but now once in the end of the world hath he appeared to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself…So Christ was once offered to bear the sins of many; and unto them that look for him shall he appear the second time without sin unto salvation” (9:22-28).
“By the which will we are sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all. And every high priest standeth daily ministering and offering oftentimes the same sacrifices, which can never take away sin: But this man, after he had offered onesacrifice for sins forever, sat down on the right hand of God; from henceforth expecting till his enemies be made his footstool. For by one offering he hath perfected forever them that are sanctified” (10:10-14).
Dr. Loraine Boettner, in his classic book “Roman Catholicism,” asks the reader to:
“Notice that throughout these verses occurs the statement ‘once for all,’ which has in it the idea of completeness, or finality, and which precludes repetition. Christ’s work on the cross was perfect and decisive. It constituted one historic event which need never repeated and which in fact cannot be repeated. The language is perfectly clear: ‘He offered one sacrifice for sins forever’ (Hebrews 10:12). Paul says that ‘Christ being raised from the dead dieth no more’ (Romans 6:9); and the writer of the Epistle to the Hebrews says that ‘By one offering he hath perfected for ever them that are sanctified’ (10:14)…We are told that Christ has sat down as token that His work is finished. Depend upon it. He never descends from that exalted place to be a further sacrifice upon Rome’s altars or on any other; for of such sacrifice there is no need. …Thank God that we can look back to what our Lord did on Calvary and know that He completed the sacrifice for sins once for all, and that our salvation is not dependent on the whim or arbitrary decree of any priest or church. Any pretense at a continuous offering for sin is worse than vain, for it is a denial of the efficacy of the atoning sacrifice of Christ on Calvary.”
PAGAN ORIGIN
It is shocking for Roman Catholics to learn that the proposal of the Lord’s Supper as a sacrifice was first made by a Benedictine monk, Radbertus, in the ninth century and was the subject of many fierce verbal battles by the bishops until Pope Innocent III declared it an official Roman doctrine in 1215 A.D. The very principles found in the bloodless sacrifice of the Mass as it is in the church of Rome today can be traced back through the labyrinth of paganism to the fountain of idolatry, ancient Babylon. Rome’s most blasphemous and massive religious fraud originated in Chaldean idol worship and will continue until the time of the end when, according to Revelation 17 and 18, amid the wonder and admiration of the world, Rome will be judged with violence and be thrown down and shall be found no more at all, for strong is the Lord God who judgeth her.
HAS THE MASS REALLY CHANGED?
Today many are expressing hope that Rome is turning toward Scriptural Christianity. Many are thrilled with her changes while failing to realize that they are only superficial. For example, the Church of Rome will never reject the sacrifice of the Mass–just streamline it enough to fool the unlearned in the Scriptures (the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth). Pope John XXIII made it clear that his church is bound “to all the teachings of the Church in its entirety and preciseness, as it still shines forth in the Acts of the Council of Trent and First Vatican Council…” (The Documents of Vatican II, Abbott, S.J.)
CONCLUSION
Based on the authority of the Bible, we must conclude that the Roman Catholic sacrifice of the Mass is a mockery, a deception, a fraud, an abomination before God. As we have shown, it is not the same sacrifice as that of Calvary, regardless of what the priests may say. Yet, under the threat of eternal condemnation, Catholics are, forced to believe what their church teaches, even though it contradicts the Scriptures and reason. The Bible says to “come now, let us reason together,” but Rome demands that her people accept as true that which they know to be false and practice traditions of men which can never bring them to salvation.
Because there are thousands of nominal Roman Catholics who do not believe all that their church requires, we are pleased to announce that they are not Roman Catholics at all, for according to Pope Paul VI, no one may claim to be a member of the Roman Catholic church if he does not maintain fidelity to the churches’ magisterium (teaching authority). On August 24, 1977 he said:
“People who say they are part of the Church and yet are not faithful remain outside.”
Our earnest prayer and expectation is that our beloved Roman Catholic friends will study the Scriptures with an honest desire to know and obey God’s Word to us. The Holy Spirit will then convict them with truth and give them the courage and integrity to separate from false teaching (John 12:46, 1 Timothy 6:3-5, II Timothy 3:5, II Corinthians 6:14-17, Ephesians 5:11, II John 10, Revelation 18:4) and join fellowship with the truly born-again believers in Bible teaching, Christ honoring churches where they can grow in grace and in the knowledge of our wonderful Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. [End of tract.]
HERE IS A LIST OF SOME CATHOLIC TEACHINGS BASED ON TRADITION, NOT ON SCRIPTURE
• Transubstantiation (the teaching that the priest was given the power by Jesus Christ to transform the bread and the wine into the literal body, blood, soul, and divinity of Jesus Christ) was first made an official doctrine of the Catholic church at the Fourth Lateran Council in 1215 A.D.
• Purgatory was made an official doctrine of the Catholic church in 1274 A.D.
• Immaculate Conception (Mary proclaimed to be sinless) – 1854 A.D.
• Papal Infallibility (In matters of faith and morals) – 1870 A.D.
• The Assumption of Mary – (Mary taken body and soul into heaven) – 1950 A.D.
BRIEF LIST OF SOME MAIN TEACHINGS OF THE CATHOLIC CHURCH REFUTED BY THE TRUTH CLEARLY REVEALED IN THE WORD OF GOD
PURGATORY (PARA 1472 CCC) REFUTED
“Who being the brightness of his glory, and the figure of his substance, and upholding all things by the word of his power, making purgation of sins, sitteth on the right hand of the majesty on high.” (Hebrews 1:3 – DRV)
“And you, employing all care, minister in your faith, virtue; and in virtue, knowledge; And in knowledge, abstinence; and in abstinence, patience; and in patience, godliness; And in godliness, love of brotherhood; and in love of brotherhood, charity. For if these things be with you and abound, they will make you to be neither empty nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. For he that hath not these things with him, is blind, and groping, having forgotten that he was purged from his old sins.” (2 Peter 1:5-9 – DRV)
THE SUFFICIENCY OF JESUS CHRIST’S ONCE FOR ALL SACRIFICE
“And so he is able, now and always. to save those who come to God through him, because he lives forever to plead with God for them. Jesus, then, is the High Priest that meets our needs. He is holy; he has no fault or sin in him; he has been set apart from sinful men and raised above the heavens. He is not like other high priests; he does not need to offer sacrifices every day for his own sins first, and then for the sins of the people. He offered one sacrifice, once and for all,when he offered himself.” (Hebrews 7:25-27 – SHLCNT)
“When Christ went through the tent and entered once and for all into the Most Holy Place, he did not take the blood of goats and calves to offer as sacrifice; rather he took his own blood and obtained eternal salvation for us. The blood of goats and bulls and the ashes of the burnt calf are sprinkled on the people who are ritually unclean, and make them clean by taking away their ritual impurity. Since this is true, how much more is accomplished by the blood of Christ! Through the eternal Spirit he offered himself as a perfect sacrifice to God. His blood will make our consciences clean from useless works, so that we may serve the living God.” (Hebrews 9:12-14- SHLCNT)
“Everyone must die once, and after that be judged by God. In the same manner, Christ also was offered in sacrifice once to take away the sins of many. He will appear a second time, not to deal with sin, but to save those who are waiting for him.” (Hebrews 9:27,28 – SHLCNT)
“Every Jewish priest stands and performs his services every day and offers the same sacrifices many times. But these sacrifices can never take away sins. Christ, however, offered one sacrifice for sins, an offering that is good forever, and then sat down at the right side of God. There he now waits until God puts his enemies as a footstool under his feet. With one sacrifice, then, he has made perfect forever those who are clean from sin. And the Holy Spirit also gives us his witness. First he says, “This is the covenant that I will make with them in the days to come,”says the Lord: I will put my laws in their hearts, and write them on their minds.” And then he says, “I will not remember their sins and wicked deeds any longer.” So when these have been forgiven, an offering to take away sins is no longer needed. We have, then, brothers, complete freedom to go into the Most Holy Place by means of the death of Jesus. He opened for us a new way, a living way, through the curtain–that is, through his own body. We have a great priest in charge of the house of God. Let us come near to God, then, with a sincere heart and a sure faith, with hearts that have been made clean from a guilty conscience, and bodies washed with pure water.” (Hebrews 10:11-22- SHLCNT)
The same verse as above in the Douay-Rheims Bible:
“And every priest indeed standeth daily ministering, and often offering the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins. But this man offering one sacrifice for sins, for ever sitteth on the right hand of God, From henceforth expecting, until his enemies be made his footstool. For by one oblation he hath perfected for ever them that are sanctified. And the Holy Ghost also doth testify this to us. For after that he said:
And this is the testament which I will make unto them after those days, saith the Lord. I will give my laws in their hearts, and on their minds will I write them:
And their sins and iniquities I will remember no more.
Now where there is a remission of these, there is no more an oblation for sin. Having therefore, brethren, a confidence in the entering into the holies by the blood of Christ; A new and living way which he hath dedicated for us through the veil, that is to say, his flesh, And a high priest over the house of God: Let us draw near with a true heart in fulness of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience, and our bodies washed with clean water.” (Hebrews 10: 11-22 – DRV)
One more verse for you regarding the sufficiency of Jesus Christ’s once for all sacrifice:
For Christ himself died for you; once and for all he died for sins, a good man for bad men, in order to lead you to God.” (1 Peter 3:18 – SHLCNT)
Here is how the same verse above is presented in the Douay-Rheims Catholic Version which strengthens, emphasizes, and clarifies the contrast between Jesus Christ (the just) and sinful humanity (the unjust):
“Because Christ also died once for our sins, the just for the unjust: that he might offer us to God, being put to death indeed in the flesh, but enlivened in the spirit.” (1 Peter 3:18 DRV)
THE SUFFICIENCY OF JESUS CHRIST’S ONE SACRIFICE TO EVEN CLEANSE OUR CONSCIENCES
“But Christ, being come an high priest of the good things to come, by a greater and more perfect tabernacle not made with hand, that is, not of this creation: Neither by the blood of goats, or of calves, but by his own blood, entered once into the holies, having obtained eternal redemption. For if the blood of goats and of oxen, and the ashes of an heifer being sprinkled, sanctify such as are defiled, to the cleansing of the flesh: How much more shall the blood of Christ, who by the Holy Ghost offered himself unspotted unto God, cleanse our conscience from dead works, to serve the living God? (Hebrews 9:11-14 – DRV)
MARY AS OUR MEDIATRIX (MEDIATOR) REFUTED
“For there is one God, and one mediator of God and men, the man Christ Jesus. Who gave himself a redemption for all, a testimony in due time.” (1 Timothy 2:5,6 – DRV)
SACRIFICE OF THE MASS REFUTED
“For Jesus is not entered into the holies made with hands, the patterns of the true: but into heaven itself, that he may appear now in the presence of God for us. Nor yet that he should offer himself often, as the high priest entereth into the holies, every year with the blood of others: For then he ought to have suffered often from the beginning of the world: but now once at the end of ages, he hath appeared for the destruction of sin, by the sacrifice of himself. And as it is appointed unto men once to die, and after this the judgment: So also Christ was offered once to exhaust the sins of many; the second time he shall appear without sin to them that expect him unto salvation.” (Hebrews 9:24-28 – DRV)
Here are just a few thoughts that I’d like to share with you regarding what I have learned as I reflect back to the time when I was a Catholic in light of the joyous thoughts and deep appreciation that I now have after coming to the knowledge of the true Biblical gospel and understanding all that Jesus Christ accomplished for each one of us after I started reading the little Catholic New Testament Bible that was given to me back in the spring of 1980:
Catholicism plays upon the emotions and senses of its people with its rich traditions: the ringing of bells, the incense, images and icons, the mystical idea of the bread and wine literally becoming Jesus’ body, blood, soul, and divinity, the worship of the wafer known as Eucharistic Adoration, processions in which a statue of Mary, the mother of Jesus, is carried into Catholic churches and crowned with a wreath made of flowers, etc., etc. The beauty and amazing truth of the Biblical gospel is veiled by their Catholic Traditions and it is never prominent in their teachings; all that Jesus Christ accomplished for us through His sinless life, His death on the cross in our place, His glorious resurrection from the dead in bodily form three days later showing that God accepted His death as completely satisfying God’s full wrath that He has towards us because of our sins, is never clearly taught. Instead, He is depicted as still hanging on the cross (in most Catholic churches) and He is continually being sacrificed over and over again during every mass, at every altar, in every Catholic church throughout the world! The way to God the Father is never revealed as being coming to Him through Jesus Christ alone as God’s Word says (John 14:6, 1 Timothy 2:5). Instead, precious Catholics are also taught to pray to Mary or one of many different saints telling them that they will intercede before God for their needs; in one breath they speak the truth declared in God’s Holy Word, and in the next they contradict it!
Yes, the Catholic church does indeed teach many Biblical things such as Jesus Christ was God in the flesh, born of a virgin, fully God and fully Man, came to die on the cross for our sins, arose from the dead three days later, the triunity of God (the Biblical concept of the Trinity), but what they add to their teachings and leave out of their teachings causes most, if not all, precious Catholics to place their trust in the Catholic Church to save them instead of Jesus Christ alone, as the Word of God clearly declares; it leads them to wrongly trust in the Catholic Church’s sacramental system and their good works to make them righteous in the sight of a thrice Holy God, which is completely impossible! (Titus 3:4,5, Galatians 2:21, Isaiah 64:6)
Dear reader, no matter what religion or spiritual beliefs you have chosen to adhere to, what truly matters — if one desires to follow the one and only true God, the God of the Bible — are these important questions that I urge you to prayerfully reflect upon and answer:
• Can you honestly say that everything you have been taught can be backed up with Scripture without adding to Scripture or Scripture being taken out of context?
• Have you ever had doubts about something that you have been taught because God’s Word says something completely different, but you choose to push your doubts aside and accept your church’s interpretation of a certain passage of Scripture?
• Do you merely accept everything that you are taught without questioning anything?
• Have you been taught anything that has no Scriptural support whatsoever, but merely based on tradition or supposed new revelations?
These are very important questions to ponder because if you are prone to simply believe whatever you are taught and don’t stop to question things or test things against the truth of God’s Word, you will most likely be deceived and will never come to the knowledge of the truth. A very frightening thought that could be your reality if you ignore this warning.
When people come to faith in Jesus Christ many think that everyone in Christian leadership can be trusted and that everything they say can be believed. However, God’s Word is filled with warnings about spiritual deception in the last days, warnings about false teachers, some even rising from among us (Acts 20:26-31), mysticism, and doctrines of demons. God’s Word also warns us of the fact that the traditions of men nullify God’s Word. (Mark 7:13). Therefore we should always be on guard against false teachings that attempt to distort God’s Word and the Biblical gospel in order to defend their false beliefs.
Please begin to use your critical thinking skills, and, above all, please ask God for discernment and test everything that you are being taught against the truth of the Word of God. I pray that by the power of God’s Holy Spirit the eyes of many precious Catholics, as well as other precious people who truly think that what they believe is true, will have the blinders removed from their eyes as they seek God in His Word — not in the teachings of any religion — and see the gloriously good news of the Biblical gospel regarding everything that Jesus Christ has already done for each one of us, and I pray that many will choose to place their trust in Him alone for the forgiveness of their sins –every last one of them, no matter how horrific of a sin that it may be!
Now that we have finally come to the end of this series, I ask you to please prayerfully reflect on what’s most important –the truth of the Word of God. The reason being that on the day when you find yourself standing before the Lord, the only thing that will truly matter is if you placed your trust in the only way that God has provided for us to be reconciled to Himself, and that is by placing your complete trust in the once for all sacrifice that Jesus Christ willingly offered in our place on the cross of Calvary. Jesus lived the sinless, perfect life that we could never live to become the perfect sacrifice; Jesus took upon Himself the full wrath of God, His Father, that was intended for us because of our sins, and He died in our place. He was buried, and three days later He gloriously arose from the dead in bodily form showing that God, His Father, indeed accepted His death as paying the debt for every one of our sins — in full! No more sacrifices or punishment is required or needed! Now that is the good news of the Biblical gospel!! In contrast, the gospel of Catholicism teaches that more sacrifices for sin is required (Sacrifice of the Mass) and temporal punishment for sins is still due which requires being sent into the purifying fires of a place that the Roman Catholic church calls purgatory where it is taught that one remains there after death to suffer and to be purged from sin for an undetermined amount of time until they are made acceptable to enter heaven. However, remember as I shared with you earlier, the Word of God says in Hebrews 1:3 and 2 Peter 1:5-9 that Jesus purged us from our sins.
If a person ceases from trusting in their good works as the means to obtain God’s forgiveness and chooses instead to place their full trust in the finished work of Jesus Christ’s once for all sacrifice, their sins will be washed away, and will be as far as the east is from the west (Psalm 103:12), cast into the depths of the sea (Micah 7:18,19), never to be remembered again (Romans 4:7,8, Hebrews 8:12, 10:17), and they will be clothed in the righteousness of Jesus Christ. (Isaiah 61:10)
Dear Catholic, for the last time I present the following question to you:
“Are you going to believe the Word of God (Scripture), or the word of man (Catholic Tradition)?
Your response will truly reveal where you have placed your trust for the forgiveness of your sins and will most certainly have eternal consequences. I pray that you will get a Bible and spend time reading it and comparing the teachings of the Catholic church to your own Bible. If you do, you will see for yourself the gloriously good news of the Biblical gospel regarding all that Jesus Christ truly accomplished for us! Jesus Christ has the power to set you free and to fill you with true peace and joy –if you choose to believe it and to fully place your trust in the once for all sacrifice of Jesus Christ as being completely sufficient to pay the debt for every one of your sins in full!
Thank you very much for stopping by today.
God Bless You
Mary Dalke – Living4HisGlory
NOTE: All Scriptures from the Douay-Rheims Catholic Bible were found on: https://biblehub.com/
PLEASE KEEP IN MIND THAT, AS I HAVE STATED IN MY ‘COMMENT POLICY,’ COMMENTS ON ALL POSTS CLOSE ONE MONTH AFTER THEY ARE PUBLISHED. THANK YOU.
RELATED VIDEOS
NOTE: The Counterfeit Christianity videos that I added above are for informational purposes only, and not an endorsement of all the speakers. As always, be sure to test everything you hear or read against Scripture as we are shown to do in Acts 17:11.
NOTE: This post was updated on Feb. 27th at 10:30 A.M.
UPDATE:
I will be taking some time off to try and start an online business with my photography because I need to try something to bring in some extra money, and I do not want to monetize this site. Your prayers would truly be appreciated at this time! Thank you.
There are two very important reasons why I felt compelled to write this series of posts, and I’d like to briefly share these reasons with you now before I go any further:
1) Since I am a former Catholic who is very aware of the teachings of the Catholic Church because I attended twelve years of Catholic school, attended Catechism classes, made my First Holy Communion, was Confirmed, and faithfully attended Mass not only every Sunday for many years, but also before school began for three years (as required by the school that I attended at the time), and who came to the knowledge of who Jesus Christ truly is and what He actually accomplished for us by reading a Catholic New Testament Bible exactly like the one pictured above, I decided to write this series with the hope of reaching precious Catholics so that they can not only come to an understanding of who Jesus Christ truly is as His Word, the Bible, declares Him to be, but also so they can see by reading God’s Word that they can have complete forgiveness, lasting joy, true peace, and the assurance of salvation if they choose to believe God’s Word and place their trust in Jesus Christ alone for their salvation. Also, since many Catholics do not realize everything that the Catholic church actually teaches (as I once did not realize until after doing research and reading the CCC), I thought that it was extremely important to share this information to make Catholics aware of many things that are quite disturbing, as you will all soon become aware of as this series continues.
2) This series of posts is also being written with the intention of helping those of you who are born-again, Bible believing followers of Jesus Christ who have no idea of what the teachings of Catholicism are so that you can become aware of their teachings and be prepared to offer hope and assurance of salvation through Jesus Christ to Catholics based solely upon the truth that is recorded in God’s Word.
As we continue on in this series together comparing Scriptures in the Catholic New Testament to teachings found in the Catechism of the Catholic Church, we must keep these important thoughts in mind:
When it comes to our eternal destination — heaven or hell — we must be certain that we place our trust in solid truth and not in speculation or in the traditions of men. The Catholic church claims to be the “one true Church.” Therefore, it stands to reason that their teachings must line up with God’s Word and not contradict it since God does not change (Malachi 3:6, James 1:17, Hebrews 13:8), and His Word stands firm forever. (Psalm 119:89, Isaiah 40:8, 1 Peter 1:24,25) If a contradiction is found it must be rejected because God’s Word is our plumb line by which we must measure (or test) the teachings of every religion to see if it lines up or not. If it is off in one point we can be certain that it will lead us further and further away from Biblical truth and lead us into spiritual deception.
This series will cover many different subjects ranging from what does the Catholic Church teach about the Bible, Jesus Christ, the Virgin Mary, priests, the pope, sin, forgiveness of sins, salvation, prayer, and what must a Catholic believe in order to receive eternal life. Some of these teachings will shock even many Catholics when they learn what their church actually teaches!
Lord willing, I hope to share at least one post every month with you in this new series until I have covered all the most important teachings that need to be brought to your attention. The main goal that I have in writing this series is to present the Word of God to Catholics — and to every person — in order to point everyone to Jesus Christ, who is our only hope and ‘the only name under heaven given among men by which we can be saved.’ (Acts 4:12)
Dear Catholic, please take a minute now to sincerely pray; ask God to open your mind to the Scriptures and to reveal the truth to you –whatever that may be.
Because only God can reveal the truth to you, I will refrain from making any comments unless I find it completely necessary. Since God’s Word is truth I trust that He will not only give you eyes to see the truth, but also I trust that He will give you the courage to respond to His leading. However, each one of you will find yourself having to answer this question when you come to many points that I present to you in these posts after realizing that there are oftentimes extreme differences between what the Word of God says and what Catholicism teaches, and the question that you will have to answer is:
“Are you going to believe the Word of God or the word of man?”
For those of you who are not Catholic, and are taking the time to read these posts in order to learn what Catholicism actually teaches, please keep in mind that every time you see the word “church” spelled with a capital c they are referring to the Catholic church, since they believe that the “Catholic Church” alone is the “one true Church.”All of the information that I will be sharing with you I have obtained from the following sources:
1) CATECHISM OF THE CATHOLIC CHURCH (pictured above) – Imprimi Potest – Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger (who later became Pope Benedict) – Interdicasterial Commission for the Catechism of the Catholic Church
2) THE WORD OF GOD – THE NEW TESTAMENT OF OUR LORD AND SAVIOR IN TODAY’S ENGLISH VERSION – SACRED HEART LEAGUE EDITION – IMPRIMATUR JOHN FRANCIS WHEALON, ARCHBISHOP OF HARTFORD, APRIL 15, 1971 SIGNED AND SEALED BY BISHOP JOSEPH B. BRUNINI, DIOCESE OF JACKSON, MISSISSIPPI
3) Occasionally when I share a Scripture with you from the Sacred Heart League (SHL) Catholic New Testament and notice that it lacks depth and clarity, I will then follow it with the same verse but in the King James Version in order to give you a better understanding of what is being said, and so that you can see what is missing from the SHL translation.
4) Very briefly in this series, when it is necessary to quote from the Old Testament, I will also be quoting from THE CATHOLIC DOUAY RHEIMS VERSION OF THE BIBLE – in which you will find the following statements:
“EXCERPT FROM ENCYCLICAL LETTER OF OUR HOLY FATHER BY DIVINE PROVIDENCE POPE LEO XIII ON THE STUDY OF HOLY SCRIPTURE:
“The God of all Providence, Who in the adorable designs of His love at first elevated the human race to the participation of the Divine nature, and afterwards delivered it from the universal guilt and ruin, restoring it to its primitive dignity, has in consequence bestowed upon man a splendid gift and safeguard–making known to him, by supernatural means, the hidden Mysteries of His divinity, His wisdom, and His mercy. For although in Divine revelations there are contained some things which are not beyond the reach of unassisted reason, and which are made the objects of such revelation in order “that all may come to know them with facility, certainty, and safety from error, yet not on this account can supernatural Revelation be said to be absolutely necessary; it is only necessary because God has ordained man to a supernatural end.” This supernatural revelation according to the belief of the universal Church, is contained both in unwritten Tradition, and in written Books, which are therefore called sacred and canonical because, “being written under the inspiration of the Holy Ghost, they have God for their author, and as such have been delivered to the Church.” (Page ix)
“Wherefore it must be recognised that the sacred writings are wrapt in a certain religious obscurity, and that no one can enter into their interior without a guide; God so disposing, as the Holy Fathers commonly teach, in order that men may investigate them with greater ardour and earnestness, and that what is attained with difficulty may sink more deeply into the mind and heart; and, most of all that they may understand that God has delivered the Holy Scriptures to the Church, and that in reading and making use of His Word, they must follow the Church as their guide and their teacher. St. Irenaeus long since laid down, that where the charismata of God were, there the truth was to be learnt, and that Holy Scripture was safely interpreted by those who had the Apostolic succession. His teaching, and that of other Holy Fathers, is taken up by the Council of the Vatican, which, in the renewing of the decree of Trent, declares its “mind” to be this–that “in things of faith and morals, belonging to the building up of Christian doctrine, that is to be considered the true sense of Holy Scripture which has been held and is held by our Holy Mother the Church whose place it is to judge of the true sense and interpretation of the Scriptures; and therefore that it is permitted to no one to interpret Holy Scripture against such sense or also against the unanimous agreement of the Fathers.” (Page xvii)
“Wherefore the first and dearest object of the Catholic commentator should be to interpret those passages which have received an authentic interpretation either by the sacred writers themselves, under the inspiration of the Holy Ghost (as in many places of the New Testament), or from the Church, under the assistance of the same Holy Spirit, whether by her solemn judgment or her ordinary and universal magisterium –to interpret those passages in that identical sense, and to prove, by all the resources of science that sound hermeneutical laws admit of no other interpretation. In the other passages, the analogy of faith should be followed, and Catholic doctrine, as authoritatively proposed by the Church, should be held as the supreme law; for seeing that the same God is the author both of the Sacred Books and of the doctrine committed to the Church, it is clearly impossible that any teaching can by legitimate means be extracted from the former, which shall in any respect be at variance with the latter. Hence it follows that all interpretation is foolish and false which either makes the sacred writers disagree one with another, or is opposed to the doctrine of the Church.” (Page xviii)
“For although the studies of non-Catholics, used with prudence, may sometimes be of use to the Catholic student, he should nevertheless, bear well in mind–as the Fathers also teach in numerous passages –that the sense of Holy Scripture can nowhere be found incorrupt outside of the Church, and cannot be expected to be found in writers who, being without the true faith, only gnaw the bark of the Sacred Scripture and never attain its pith.” (Page xix)
[As I have mentioned in some previous posts in this series, in order to get this entire series finished in a timely manner, from now on I will be trying to keep my comments very brief and will mainly be making them in the introduction and closing sections of these posts. I will, however, continue to keep the focus on Scripture which is where it should be. I am also trying very hard (but not succeeding) to limit these posts to no more than 5000 words which makes it rather difficult sometimes. For those of you who have busy schedules and do not have the time to read lengthy posts, I will continue to highlight just some of the many troubling things in turquoise, the extremely troubling things I will highlight in red, where the Catholic church has added to Scripture with their teachings I will highlight in amethyst, and some things that are Biblical I will highlight in blue in order to quickly bring these things to your attention. Emphasis on certain words that I have put in bold print throughout this post is mine.]
INTRODUCTION TO PART 21
In PART 21 of this series we will be covering the second half of page 625 to the end of page 672 of the Catechism Of The Catholic Church (CCC). This portion of the CCC focuses more on the Sixth Commandment as well as on the remainder of the Ten Commandments.
Once again, here is a chart that compares the ten commandments as they are presented in Catholicism compared to how they are presented to us in Scripture. Note the changes that have been made by the Catholic church (it has been said that this was done by Augustine), and which commandment was omitted (#2), and how the tenth commandment was split in two to form the 9th and the 10th commandments of the Catholic church:
Among some of the things that are discussed in this next section of the CCC are as follows: Chastity, homosexuality, fidelity, adultery, divorce, sexual abuse, theft, gambling, respect for creation, more regarding the social doctrineof the [Catholic] Church (social justice), bearing witness to the truth, bearing false witness, lies, sacred art, and coveting someone’s goods or someone’s spouse. Since most of their teachings in this particular section of the CCC line up with Scripture I will just be highlighting some of the troubling things as well as where the Catholic church have added their teachings (based on “Tradition”) to Scripture, thus distorting — and even *nullifying *(read Mark 7:6-8,13) — the truth of God’s Word and leading precious Catholics away from Jesus instead of to Him.
Let’s begin:
Chastity and homosexuality
Para 2357
“Homosexuality refers to relations between men or between women who experience an exclusive or predominant sexual attraction towards persons of the same sex. It has taken a great variety of forms throughout the centuries and in different cultures. Its psychological genesis remains largely unexplained. Basing itself on Sacred Scripture, which presents homosexual acts as acts of grave “depravity,”(140) tradition has always declared that homosexual acts are intrinsically disordered.”(141) They are contrary to the natural law. They close the sexual act to the gift of life. They do not proceed from a genuine affective and sexual complementarity. Under no circumstances can they be approved. (140 – Cf. Gen 19:1-29; Rom 1:24-27; 1 Cor 6:10; 1 Tim 1:10)(141 – CDF, Persona humana 8).
III. THE LOVE OF HUSBAND AND WIFE
Para 2360
Sexuality is ordered to the conjugal love of man and woman. In marriage the physical intimacy of the spouses becomes a sign and pledge of spiritual communion.
IV. OFFENSES AGAINST THE DIGNITY OF MARRIAGE
Adultery
Para 2380
Adultery refers to marital infidelity. When two partners, of whom at least one is married to another party, have sexual relations–even transient ones–they commit adultery. Christ condemns even adultery of mere desire.(170) The sixth commandment and the New Testament forbid adultery absolutely.(171) The prophets denounce the gravity of adultery; they see it as an image of the sin of idolatry.(172) (170 – Cf. Mt 5:27-28). (171 – Cf. Mt 5:32; 19:6; Mk 10:11; 1Cor 6:9-10). (172 – Cf. Hos 2:7; Jer 5:7; 13:27)
Para 2381
Adultery is an injustice. He who commits adultery fails in his commitment. He does injury to the sign of the covenant which the marriage bond is, transgresses the rights of the other spouse, and undermines the institution of marriage by breaking the contract on which it is based. He compromises the good of human generation and the welfare of children who need their parent’s stable union.
Divorce
Para 2382
The Lord Jesus insisted on the original intention of the Creator who willed that marriage be indissoluble.(173) He abrogates the accommodations that had slipped into the old Law.(174) (173 – Mt)(174 – Cf. Mt 19:7-9)
Para 2384
Divorce is a grave offense against the natural law. It claims to break the contract, to which the spouses freely consented, to live with each other till death. Divorce does injury to the covenant of salvation, of which sacramental marriage is the sign. Contracting a new union, even if it is recognized by civil law, adds to the gravity of the rupture; the remarried spouse is then in a situation of public and permanent adultery:
If a husband, separated from his wife, approaches another woman, he is an adulterer because he makes that woman commit adultery; and the woman who lives with him is an adulteress, because she has drawn another’s husband to herself.(177 – St. Basil, Moralia 73, 1: PG 31, 849-852).
Other offenses against the dignity of marriage
Para 2388
Incest designates intimate relations between relatives or in-laws within a degree that prohibits marriage between them.(180) St. Paul stigmatizes this especially grave offense: “It is actually reported that there is immorality among you…for a man is living with his father’s wife…In the name of the Lord Jesus…you are to deliver this man to Satan for the destruction of the flesh…”(181) Incest corrupts family relationships and marks a regression toward animality. (180 – Cf. Lev 18:7-20). (181 – 1Cor 5:1, 4-5)
Para 2389
Connected to incest is any sexual abuse perpetrated by adults on children or adolescents entrusted to their care. The offense is compounded by the scandalous harm done to the physical and moral integrity of the young, who will remain scarred by it all their lives, and the violation of responsibility for their upbringing.
Para 2393
By creating the human being man and woman, God gives personal dignity equally to the one and the other. Each of them, man and woman, should acknowledge and accept his sexual identity.
Para 2400
Adultery, divorce, polygamy, and free union are grave offenses against the dignity of marriage.
III. THE SOCIAL DOCTRINE OF THE CHURCH
Para 2420
The Church makes a moral judgment about economics and social matters “when the fundamental rights of the person or the salvation of souls requires it.”(199 – GS 76 § 5).
ARTICLE 7
THE SEVENTH COMMANDMENT
Para 2427
Human work proceeds directly from persons created in the image of God and called to prolong the work of creation by subduing the earth, both with and for one another.(209) Hence work is a duty: “If any one will not work, let him not eat.”(210) Word honors the Creator’s gifts and talents received from him. It can also be redemptive. By enduring the hardship of work in union with Jesus, the carpenter of Nazareth and the one crucified on Calvary, man collaborates in a certain fashion with the Son of God in his redemptive work. He shows himself to be a disciple of Christ by carrying the cross, daily, in the work he is called to accomplish.” (211) (209 – Cf. Gen 1:28; GS 34; CA 31). (210 – 2 Thess 3:10; cf. 1 Thess 4:11). (211 – Cf. Gen 3:14-19).
Para 2442
The Church’s social teaching comprises a body of doctrine, which is articulated as the Church interprets events in the course of history, with the assistance of the Holy Spirit, in the light of the whole of what has been revealed by Jesus Christ.(201) This teaching can be more easily accepted by men of good will, the more the faithful let themselves be guided by it. (201 – Cf. SRS 1; 41).
[MY NOTE: The Word of God and the Holy Spirit are sufficient to guide us into all truth; we do not need any new teachings; the canon is closed!
“All Scripture is inspired by God and is useful for teaching the truth, rebuking error, correcting faults, and giving instruction for right living, so that the man who serves God may be fully qualified and equipped to do every kind of good work.”(2 Timothy 3:16,17 – SHLCNT)
“The Helper, the Holy Spirit whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you everything and make you remember all that I have told you.” (John 14:26)]
VI. LOVE FOR THE POOR
Para 2446
St. John Chrysostom vigorously recalls this:
“Not to enable the poor to share in our goods is to steal from them and deprive them of life. The goods we possess are not ours, but theirs.”(238) The demands of justice must be satisfied first of all; that which is already due in justice is not to be offered as a gift of charity.”(239) (238 – St. John Chrysostom, Hom.in Lazaro 2, 5: PG 48, 992). (239 – AA 8 § 5)
Para 2460
The primordial value of labor stems from man himself, its author and beneficiary. By means of his labor man participates in the work of creation. Work united to Christ can be redemptive.
ARTICLE 8
THE EIGHTH COMMANDMENT
Para 2464
The eighth commandment forbids misrepresenting the truth in our relations with others. This moral prescription flows from the vocation of the holy people to bear witness to their God who is the truth and wills the truth. Offenses against the truth express by word or deed a refusal to commit oneself to moral uprightness: they are fundamental infidelities to God and, in this sense, they undermine the foundation of the covenant.
I. LIVING IN THE TRUTH
Para 2465
The Old Testament attests that God is the source of all truth. His Word is truth. His Law is truth. His “faithfulness endures to all generations.”(254) Since God is “true,” the members of his people are called to live in the truth.(255) (254 – Ps 119:90; cf. Prov 8:7; 2 Sam 7:28; Ps 119:142; Lk 1:50). (255 – Rom 3:4; cf. Ps 119:30).
II. TO BEAR WITNESS TO THE TRUTH
Para 2471
Before Pilate, Christ proclaims that he “has come into the world, to bear witness to the truth.”(265) The Christian is not to “be ashamed then of testifying to our Lord.”(266) (265 – Jn 18:37). (266 – 2 Tim 1:8).
III. OFFENSES AGAINST TRUTH
Para 2476
False witness and perjury. When it is made publicly, a statement contrary to the truth takes on a particular gravity. In court it becomes false witness.(275) When it is under oath, it is perjury. Acts such as these contribute to condemnation of the innocent, exoneration of the guilty, or the increased punishment of the accused.(276) They gravely compromise the exercise of justice and the fairness of judicial decisions. (275 – Cf. Prov 19:9). (276 – Cf. Prov 18:5).
Para 2484
The gravity of a lie is measured against the nature of the truth it deforms, the circumstances, the intentions of the one who lies, and the harm suffered by its victims. If a lie in itself only constitutes a venial sin, it becomes mortal when it does grave injury to the virtues of justice and charity.
Para 2486
Since it violates the virtue of truthfulness, a lie does real violence to another. It affects his ability to know, which is a condition of every judgment and decision. It contains the seed of discord and all consequent evils. Lying is destructive of society; it undermines trust among men and tears apart the fabric of social relationships.
VI. TRUTH, BEAUTY, AND SACRED ART
Para 2500
The practice of goodness is accompanied by spontaneous spiritual joy and moral beauty. Likewise, truth carries with it the joy and splendor of spiritual beauty. Truth is beautiful in itself. Truth in words, the rational expression of the knowledge of created and uncreated reality, is necessary to man, who is endowed with intellect. But truth can also find other complementary forms of human expression, above all when it is a matter of evoking what is beyond words: the depths of the human heart, the exaltation of the soul, the mystery of God. Even before revealing himself to man in words of truth, God reveals himself to him through the universal language of creation, the work of his Word, of his wisdom: the order and harmony of the cosmos–which both the child and the scientist discover–“from the greatness and beauty of created things comes a corresponding perception of their Creator, “for the author of beauty created them.”(289) (289 – Wisdom 13:3,5).
Para 2502
Sacred art is true and beautiful when its form corresponds to its particular vocation: evoking and glorifying, in faith and adoration, the transcendent mystery of God–the surpassing invisible beauty of truth and love visible in Christ who “reflects the glory of God and bears the very stamp of his nature,” in whom “the whole fullness of deity dwells bodily.”(296) This spiritual beauty of God is reflected in the most holy Virgin Mother of God, the angels, and saints.Genuine sacred art draws man to adoration, to prayer, and to the love of God, Creator and Savior, the Holy One and Sanctifier. (296 – Heb 1:3; Col 2:9).
NOTE: When we turn to art and images in order to experience God through our emotions, this leads to desiring unbiblical, mystical, spiritual experiences as ways to come to know God and will lead us astray! (Lord willing, I will be writing some posts in 2021 regarding the focus on mysticism in Catholic teachings). God has given us His very Word in which He has revealed Himself to us, and He also gave us His only begotten Son through whom He revealed Himself to us! We have been given all that we need in order to come to know Him! We just need to set aside some time to study His Word in order to know Him and His Word better so that we will not be deceived by the many false teachings that have permeated so many churches these days!
ARTICLE 9
THE NINTH COMMANDMENT
You shall not covet your neighbor’s house; you shall not covet your neighbor’s wife, or his manservant or his maidservant, or his ox, or his ass, or anything that is your neighbor’s.(298)
Every one who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart.”(299) (298 – Ex 20:17). (299 – Mt 5:28).
Para 2514
St. John distinguishes three kinds of covetousness or concupiscence: lust of the flesh, lust of the eyes, and pride of life.”(300) In the Catholic catechetical tradition, the ninth commandment forbids carnal concupiscence; the tenth forbids coveting another’s goods. (300 – Cf. 1 Jn 2:16).
I. PURIFICATION OF THE HEART
Para 2517
The heart is the seat of moral personality: “Out of the heart comes evil thoughts, murder, adultery, fornication…”(304) (304 – Mt 15:19).
II. THE BATTLE FOR PURITY
Para 2520
Baptism confers on its recipient the grace of purification from all sins. But the baptized must continue to struggle against concupiscence of the flesh and disordered desires. With God’s grace he will prevail.
NOTE: The Catholic church may teach that baptism gives grace to purify one from sin, but the Word of God clearly says that it is the blood of Jesus Christ alone that purifies us from sin and provides salvation for us:
“When Christ went through the tent and entered once and for all into the Most Holy Place, he did not take the blood of goats and calves to offer as sacrifice, rather, he took his own blood and obtained eternal salvation for us. The blood of goats and bulls and the ashes of the burnt calf are sprinkled on the people who are ritually unclean, and makes them clean by taking away their ritual impurity. Since this is true, how much more is accomplished by the blood of Christ! Through the eternal Spirit he offered himself as a perfect sacrifice to God. His blood will make our consciences clean from useless works, so that we may serve the living God.” (Hebrews 9:12-14)
“Indeed, according to the Law, almost everything is made clean by blood; and sins are forgiven only if blood is poured out.” (Hebrews 9:22 – SHLCNT)
“Now this is the message that we have heard from his Son and announce to you: God is light and there is no darkness at all in him. If, then, we say that we have fellowship with him, yet at the same time live in the darkness, we are lying both in our words and in our actions. But if we live in the light–just as he is in the light–then we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, makes us clean from every sin.” (1 John 1:7)
Let’s continue on:
Para 2527
The Good News of Christ continually renews the life and culture of fallen man; it combats and removes the error and evil which flows from the ever-present attraction of sin. It never ceases to purify and elevate the morality of peoples. It takes the spiritual qualities and endowments of every age and nation, and with supernatural riches it causes them to blossom, as it were, from within; it fortifies, completes, and restores them in Christ.”(315) (315 – GS 58 § 4).
ARTICLE 10
THE TENTH COMMANDMENT
Para 2534
The tenth commandment unfolds and completes the ninth, which is concerned with concupiscence of the flesh. It forbids coveting the goods of another, as the root of theft, robbery, and fraud, which the seventh commandment forbids. “Lust of the eyes” leads to the violence and injustice forbidden by the fifth commandment.(318) Avarice, like fornication, originates in the idolatry prohibited by the first three prescriptions of the Law.(319) The tenth commandment concerns the intentions of the heart; with the ninth, it summarizes all the precepts of the Law. (318 – Cf. 1 Jn 2:16; Mic 2:2). (319 – Cf. Wisdom 14:12)
Para 2538
The tenth commandment requires that envy be banished from the human heart. When the prophet Nathan wanted to spur King David to repentance, he told him a story about the poor man who had only one ewe lamb that he treated like his own daughter and the rich man who, despite the great number of his flocks, envied the poor man and ended by stealing his lamb. Envy can lead to the worst crimes.(323) “Through the devil’s envy death entered the world.” (324) (323 – Cf. Gen 4:3-7; 1 Kings 21:1-29). (324 – Wisdom 2:24)
III. POVERTY OF HEART
Para 2544
Jesus enjoins his disciples to prefer him to everything and everyone, and bids them “renounce all that [they have]” for his sake and that of the Gospel.(334) Shortly before his passion he gave them the example of the poor widow of Jerusalem who, out of her poverty, gave all that she had to live on.(335) The precept of detachment from riches is obligatory for entrance into the Kingdom of heaven. (334 – Lk 14:33; cf. Mk 8:35). (335 – Lk 21:4).
IV. “I WANT TO SEE GOD”
Para 2550
On this way of perfection, the Spirit and the Bride call whoever hears them” to perfect communion with God:
There will true glory be, where no one will be praised by mistake or flattery, true honor will not be refused to the worthy, nor granted to the unworthy; likewise, no one unworthy will pretend to be worthy, where only those who are worthy will be admitted. There true peace will reign, where no one will experience opposition either from self or others. God himself will be virtue’s reward; he gives virtue and has promised to give himself as the best and greatest reward that could exist… “I shall be their God and they will be my people…” This is also the meaning of the Apostle’s words: “So that God may be all in all.” God himself will be the goal of our desires, we shall contemplate him without end, love him without surfeit, praise him without weariness. This gift, this state, this act, like eternal life itself, will assuredly be common to all.”(345 – St. Augustine, De civ. Dei 22, 30: PL 41, 801-802; cf. Lev 26:12; cf. 1 Cor 15:28).
Para 2556
Detachment from riches is necessary for entering the Kingdom of heaven. “Blessed are the poor in spirit.”
CLOSING COMMENTS
Once again, if you read through this entire post you will probably agree with me when I say: Yes, Catholicism does indeed teach many moral and Biblical things. However, I hope that by now you are beginning to realize that it’s when they add their own teachings to Scripture that are derived from Tradition and the supposed infallible teachings of popes in matters of faith and morals when they speak “ex cathedra” (from the chair ), do they begin to deviate from the Biblical gospel and render it powerless to save! Any teaching that does not line up with the truth of God’s Word should be rejected! Catholics are taught to place their trust in the Catholic church and the sacramental system of the Catholic church — especially the Sacrifice of the Mass — to save them. However, our only hope for the forgiveness of sins and an eternity spent in heaven and not in the fires of hell, is found in placing one’s trust in:
Jesus Christ’s sinless life that He lived in our place, His willingness to die on the cross in our place taking upon Himself the full wrath of God that we deserve for our sins, His burial, and His glorious resurrection from the dead in bodily form three days later, as being completely sufficient to save us! Anything else is “another gospel” that has no power whatsoever to save us from sin and from the wrath of God.
So, dear Catholic, once again I must present you with this extremely important question that you must answer before God:
“Are you going to believe the Word of God (His infallible Word, the Bible) or the word of man?” (Tradition and teachings of the Catholic church, many of which do not line up with Scripture).
Dear reader, whether you are a Catholic, a Mormon, one of many Jehovah’s Witnesses — or whatever religion or spiritual belief you may have — I strongly urge you to test what you are being taught against what the Word of God has to say to see if what you are being taught is true or not, because your eternal destiny truly does depend upon in whom and in what you place your trust in.
RELATED SCRIPTURES
“You shall not add to the word that I speak to you, neither shall you take away from it: keep the commandments of the Lord your God which I command you. “(Deuteronomy 4:2 – Douay-Rheims Catholic Bible)
“What I command thee, that only do thou to the Lord: neither add any thing, nor diminish.” (Deuteronomy 12:32 – Douay-Rheims Catholic Bible)
“I solemnly urge you in the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who will judge all men, living and dead: because of his coming and of his Kingdom, I command you to preach the message, to insist upon telling it, whether the time is right or not; to convince, reproach, and encourage, teaching with all patience. The time will come when men will not listen to the true teaching, but will follow their own desires, and will collect for themselves more and more teachers who will tell them what they are itching to hear. They will turn away from listening to the truth and give their attention to legends.”(2 Timothy 4:1-4)
“I am jealous for you just as God is; you are like a pure virgin whom I have promised in marriage to one man only, who is Christ. I am afraid that your minds will be corrupted and that you will abandon your full and pure devotion to Christ–in the same way that Eve was deceived by the snake’s clever lies. For you gladly tolerate anyone who comes to you and preaches a different Jesus, not the one we preached; and you accept a spirit and a gospel completely different from the Spirit and the gospel you received from us!” (2 Corinthians 11:2-4 – SHLCNT)
“I am surprised at you! In no time at all you are deserting the one who called you by the grace of Christ, and are going to another gospel. Actually there is no “other gospel,” but I say it because there are some people who are upsetting you and trying to change the gospel of Christ. But even if we, or an angel from heaven, should preach to you a gospel that is different from the one we preached to you, may he be condemned to hell! We have said it before, and now I say it again: if anyone preaches to you a gospel that is different from the one you accepted, may he be condemned to hell!” (Galatians 1:6-9)
“He that believeth in the Son, hath life everlasting; but he that believeth not the Son, shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth on him “(John 3:36 – Douay-Rheims Catholic Bible)
NOTE: Please keep in mind that the Word of God also says that the demons believe and they know who Jesus is, and they tremble, but they will not be saved! (Read James 2:19, Matthew 8:28,29, Mark 1:24, Luke 4:34, ) True Biblical belief means: to commit to; to rely upon; to trust in completely.(Read John 6:28,29, Acts 16:31, )
Let’s continue on with more related Scriptures:
“I, John, solemnly warn everyone who hears the prophetic words of this book: if anyone adds anything to them, God will add to his punishment the plagues described in this book. And if anyone takes away anything from the prophetic words of this book, God will take away from his share of the fruit of the tree of life, and his share of the Holy City, which are described in this book.”(Revelation 22:18,19 – SHLCNT)
“For I testify to every one that heareth the words of the prophecy of this book: If any man shall add to these things, God shall add unto him the plagues written in this book. And if any man shall take away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God shall take away his part out of the book of life, and out of the holy city, and from these things that are written in this book.” (Revelation 22:18,19 Douay-Rheims Catholic Version)
[NOTE 1: I added the Douay-Rheims translation of this verse, as well, because I found it troubling that the Sacred Heart League Catholic version had changed the words book of life to the tree of life, and wanted to bring that to your attention.]
[NOTE 2: Although this very strong warning is specifically written regarding adding to or taking away from God’s Word in the Book of Revelation, it should still fill anyone who is even considering the idea of adding to or taking away from any part of God’s Word with a deep and healthy fear of God and fear for their eternal destination!]
I will end with these final Bible verses that show the exclusivity of Christianity and Jesus Christ as being our only Savior and Mediator between God and mankind, and only name that we can call upon (not the virgin Mary, not any saint, not any pope, not any church or religious organization), and how He is our only hope in order to presently have complete assurance of salvation because these teachings come from the infallible Word of God:
“Jesus answered him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life; no one goes to the Father except by me.” (John 14:6)
“Salvation is to be found through him alone; for there is no one else in all the world, whose name God has given to men, by whom we can be saved.” (Acts 4:12 – SHLCNT)
“For there is one God, and one who brings God and men together, the man Christ Jesus, who gave himself to redeem all men.”(1 Timothy 2:5,6 – SHLCNT)
“He that believeth in the Son, hath life everlasting; but he that believeth not the Son, shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth on him.” (John 3:36 – Douay-Rheims Catholic Bible)
“We believe the witness that men give; the witness that God gives is much stronger, and this is the witness that God has given about his Son. So whoever believes in the Son of God has this witness in his heart; but whoever does not believe God has made a liar out of him, because he has not believed what God has said as a witness about his Son. This, then, is the witness: God has given us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. Whoever has the Son has this life; whoever does not have the Son of God does not have life. I write you this so that you may know that you have eternal life–you that believe in the name of the Son of God.” (1 John 5:9-13 – SHLCNT)
There are two very important reasons why I felt compelled to write this series of posts, and I’d like to briefly share these reasons with you now before I go any further:
1) Since I am a former Catholic who is very aware of the teachings of the Catholic Church because I attended twelve years of Catholic school, attended Catechism classes, made my First Holy Communion, was Confirmed, and faithfully attended Mass not only every Sunday for many years, but also before school began for three years (as required by the school that I attended at the time), and who came to the knowledge of who Jesus Christ truly is and what He actually accomplished for us by reading a Catholic New Testament Bible exactly like the one pictured above, I decided to write this series with the hope of reaching precious Catholics so that they can not only come to an understanding of who Jesus Christ truly is as His Word, the Bible, declares Him to be, but also so they can see by reading God’s Word that they can have complete forgiveness, lasting joy, true peace, and the assurance of salvation if they choose to believe God’s Word and place their trust in Jesus Christ alone for their salvation. Also, since many Catholics do not realize everything that the Catholic church actually teaches (as I once did not realize until after doing research and reading the CCC), I thought that it was extremely important to share this information to make Catholics aware of many things that are quite disturbing, as you will all soon become aware of as this series continues.
2) This series of posts is also being written with the intention of helping those of you who are born-again, Bible believing followers of Jesus Christ who have no idea of what the teachings of Catholicism are so that you can become aware of their teachings and be prepared to offer hope and assurance of salvation through Jesus Christ to Catholics based solely upon the truth that is recorded in God’s Word.
As we continue on in this series together comparing Scriptures in the Catholic New Testament to teachings found in the Catechism of the Catholic Church, we must keep these important thoughts in mind:
When it comes to our eternal destination — heaven or hell — we must be certain that we place our trust in solid truth and not in speculation or in the traditions of men. The Catholic church claims to be the “one true Church.” Therefore, it stands to reason that their teachings must line up with God’s Word and not contradict it since God does not change (Malachi 3:6, James 1:17, Hebrews 13:8), and His Word stands firm forever. (Psalm 119:89, Isaiah 40:8, 1 Peter 1:24,25) If a contradiction is found it must be rejected because God’s Word is our plumb line by which we must measure (or test) the teachings of every religion to see if it lines up or not. If it is off in one point we can be certain that it will lead us further and further away from Biblical truth and lead us into spiritual deception.
This series will cover many different subjects ranging from what does the Catholic Church teach about the Bible, Jesus Christ, the Virgin Mary, priests, the pope, sin, forgiveness of sins, salvation, prayer, and what must a Catholic believe in order to receive eternal life. Some of these teachings will shock even many Catholics when they learn what their church actually teaches!
Lord willing, I hope to share at least one post every month with you in this new series until I have covered all the most important teachings that need to be brought to your attention. The main goal that I have in writing this series is to present the Word of God to Catholics — and to every person — in order to point everyone to Jesus Christ, who is our only hope and ‘the only name under heaven given among men by which we can be saved.’ (Acts 4:12)
Dear Catholic, please take a minute now to sincerely pray; ask God to open your mind to the Scriptures and to reveal the truth to you –whatever that may be.
Because only God can reveal the truth to you, I will refrain from making any comments unless I find it completely necessary. Since God’s Word is truth I trust that He will not only give you eyes to see the truth, but also I trust that He will give you the courage to respond to His leading. However, each one of you will find yourself having to answer this question when you come to many points that I present to you in these posts after realizing that there are oftentimes extreme differences between what the Word of God says and what Catholicism teaches, and the question that you will have to answer is:
“Are you going to believe the Word of God or the word of man?”
For those of you who are not Catholic, and are taking the time to read these posts in order to learn what Catholicism actually teaches, please keep in mind that every time you see the word “church” spelled with a capital c they are referring to the Catholic church, since they believe that the “Catholic Church” alone is the “one true Church.”All of the information that I will be sharing with you I have obtained from the following sources:
1) CATECHISM OF THE CATHOLIC CHURCH (pictured above) – Imprimi Potest – Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger (who later became Pope Benedict) – Interdicasterial Commission for the Catechism of the Catholic Church
2) THE WORD OF GOD – THE NEW TESTAMENT OF OUR LORD AND SAVIOR IN TODAY’S ENGLISH VERSION – SACRED HEART LEAGUE EDITION – IMPRIMATUR JOHN FRANCIS WHEALON, ARCHBISHOP OF HARTFORD, APRIL 15, 1971 SIGNED AND SEALED BY BISHOP JOSEPH B. BRUNINI, DIOCESE OF JACKSON, MISSISSIPPI
3) Occasionally when I share a Scripture with you from the Sacred Heart League (SHL) Catholic New Testament and notice that it lacks depth and clarity, I will then follow it with the same verse but in the King James Version in order to give you a better understanding of what is being said, and so that you can see what is missing from the SHL translation.
4) Very briefly in this series, when it is necessary to quote from the Old Testament, I will also be quoting from THE CATHOLIC DOUAY RHEIMS VERSION OF THE BIBLE – in which you will find the following statements:
“EXCERPT FROM ENCYCLICAL LETTER OF OUR HOLY FATHER BY DIVINE PROVIDENCE POPE LEO XIII ON THE STUDY OF HOLY SCRIPTURE:
“The God of all Providence, Who in the adorable designs of His love at first elevated the human race to the participation of the Divine nature, and afterwards delivered it from the universal guilt and ruin, restoring it to its primitive dignity, has in consequence bestowed upon man a splendid gift and safeguard–making known to him, by supernatural means, the hidden Mysteries of His divinity, His wisdom, and His mercy. For although in Divine revelations there are contained some things which are not beyond the reach of unassisted reason, and which are made the objects of such revelation in order “that all may come to know them with facility, certainty, and safety from error, yet not on this account can supernatural Revelation be said to be absolutely necessary; it is only necessary because God has ordained man to a supernatural end.” This supernatural revelation according to the belief of the universal Church, is contained both in unwritten Tradition, and in written Books, which are therefore called sacred and canonical because, “being written under the inspiration of the Holy Ghost, they have God for their author, and as such have been delivered to the Church.” (Page ix)
“Wherefore it must be recognised that the sacred writings are wrapt in a certain religious obscurity, and that no one can enter into their interior without a guide; God so disposing, as the Holy Fathers commonly teach, in order that men may investigate them with greater ardour and earnestness, and that what is attained with difficulty may sink more deeply into the mind and heart; and, most of all that they may understand that God has delivered the Holy Scriptures to the Church, and that in reading and making use of His Word, they must follow the Church as their guide and their teacher. St. Irenaeus long since laid down, that where the charismata of God were, there the truth was to be learnt, and that Holy Scripture was safely interpreted by those who had the Apostolic succession. His teaching, and that of other Holy Fathers, is taken up by the Council of the Vatican, which, in the renewing of the decree of Trent, declares its “mind” to be this–that “in things of faith and morals, belonging to the building up of Christian doctrine, that is to be considered the true sense of Holy Scripture which has been held and is held by our Holy Mother the Church whose place it is to judge of the true sense and interpretation of the Scriptures; and therefore that it is permitted to no one to interpret Holy Scripture against such sense or also against the unanimous agreement of the Fathers.” (Page xvii)
“Wherefore the first and dearest object of the Catholic commentator should be to interpret those passages which have received an authentic interpretation either by the sacred writers themselves, under the inspiration of the Holy Ghost (as in many places of the New Testament), or from the Church, under the assistance of the same Holy Spirit, whether by her solemn judgment or her ordinary and universal magisterium –to interpret those passages in that identical sense, and to prove, by all the resources of science that sound hermeneutical laws admit of no other interpretation. In the other passages, the analogy of faith should be followed, and Catholic doctrine, as authoritatively proposed by the Church, should be held as the supreme law; for seeing that the same God is the author both of the Sacred Books and of the doctrine committed to the Church, it is clearly impossible that any teaching can by legitimate means be extracted from the former, which shall in any respect be at variance with the latter. Hence it follows that all interpretation is foolish and false which either makes the sacred writers disagree one with another, or is opposed to the doctrine of the Church.” (Page xviii)
“For although the studies of non-Catholics, used with prudence, may sometimes be of use to the Catholic student, he should nevertheless, bear well in mind–as the Fathers also teach in numerous passages –that the sense of Holy Scripture can nowhere be found incorrupt outside of the Church, and cannot be expected to be found in writers who, being without the true faith, only gnaw the bark of the Sacred Scripture and never attain its pith.” (Page xix)
[As I have mentioned in some previous posts in this series, in order to get this entire series finished in a timely manner, from now on I will be trying to keep my comments very brief and will mainly be making them in the introduction and closing sections of these posts. I will, however, continue to keep the focus on Scripture which is where it should be. I am also trying very hard (but not succeeding) to limit these posts to no more than 5000 words which makes it rather difficult sometimes. For those of you who have busy schedules and do not have the time to read lengthy posts, I will continue to highlight just some of the many troubling things in turquoise, the extremely troubling things I will highlight in red, where the Catholic church has added to Scripture with their teachings I will highlight in amethyst, and some things that are Biblical I will highlight in blue in order to quickly bring these things to your attention. Emphasis on certain words that I have put in bold print throughout this post is mine.]
INTRODUCTION TO PART 20
In PART 20 of this series we will be covering pages 575 to the first half of page 625 of the Catechism Of The Catholic Church (CCC). This portion of the CCC focuses on the Second through the Sixth Commandments.
Here is a chart that compares the ten commandments as they are presented in Catholicism compared to how they are presented to us in Scripture. Note the changes that have been made by the Catholic church (it has been said that this was done by Augustine), and which commandment was omitted (#2), and how the tenth commandment was split in two to form the 9th and the 10th commandments of the Catholic church:
Some of the topics that are covered in this section are as follows:
Honoring the Lord’s name, the Sabbath Day, loving your neighbor, the family and society, respect for human life, and sexual purity.
As you will see in this portion of the CCC most of the teachings do line up with Scripture. Therefore I will mainly be highlighting the troubling things (in turquoise) as well as highlighting (in amethyst) where the Catholic church has added to Scripture thereby not only oftentimes taking the glory from Jesus Christ that is due to Him alone in one way or another, but also when they add to Scripture it obscures the truth from precious Catholics regarding the sufficiency of Jesus Christ’s oncefor all sacrifice when He willingly died in your place and in mine taking upon Himself God’s full wrath that He has towards us because of our sin and paid our debt in full; no temporal punishment due for sin remains!
Let’s begin:
I. THE NAME OF THE LORD IS HOLY
Para 2142
The second command prescribes respect for the Lord’s name. Like the first commandment, it belongs to the virtue of religion and more particularly it governs our use of speech in sacred matters.
Para 2146
The second commandment forbids the abuse of God’s name, i.e., every improper use of the names of God, Jesus Christ, but also of the Virgin Mary and all the saints.
Para 2162
The second commandment forbids every improper use of God’s name. Blasphemy is the use of the name of God, of Jesus Christ, of the Virgin Mary, and of the saints in an offensive way.
ARTICLE 3
THE THIRD COMMANDMENT
Para 2173
The Gospel reports many instances where Jesus was accused of violating the sabbath law. But Jesus never fails to respect the holiness of this day.(98) He gives this law its authentic and authoritative interpretation: “The sabbath was made for man, not man for the sabbath.”(99) With compassion Christ declares the sabbath for doing good rather than harm, for saving life rather than killing.(100) The sabbath is the day of the Lord of mercies and a day to honor God.(101) “The Son of Man is lord even of the sabbath.”(102) (98 – CF Mk 1:21; Jn 9:16). (99 – Mk 2:27). (100 – Cf. Mk) (101 – Cf. Mt 12:5; Jn 7:23). (102 – Mk 2:28).
The Sunday Eucharist
Para 2177
The Sunday celebration of the Lord’s Day and his Eucharist is at the heart of the Church’s life. “Sunday is the day on which the paschal mystery is celebrated in light of the apostolic tradition and is to be observed as the foremost holy day of obligation in the universal Church.”(110 – CIC can. 1246 § 1).
“Also to be observed are the day of the Nativity of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Epiphany, the Ascension of Christ, the feast of the Body and Blood of Christ, the feast of Mary the Mother of God, her Immaculate Conception, her Assumption, the feast of Saint Joseph, the feast of the Apostles Saints Peter and Paul, and the feast of All Saints.”(111 CIC, can. 1246 § 2: “The conference of bishops can abolish certain holy days of obligation or transfer them to a Sunday with prior approval of the Apostolic See.”)
The Sunday obligation
Para 2180
The precept of the Church specifies the law of the Lord more precisely: “On Sundays and other holy days of obligation the faithful are bound to participation in the Mass.”(117) The precept of participating in the Mass is satisfied by assistance at a Mass which is celebrated anywhere in a Catholic rite either on a holy day or on the evening of the preceding day.”(118) (117 – CIC, can. 1247). (118 – CIC, can. 1248 § 1).
Para 2181
The Sunday Eucharist is the foundation and confirmation of all Christian practice. For this reason the faithful are obliged to participate in the Eucharist on days of obligation, unless excused for a serious reason (for example, illness, the care of infants) or dispensed by their own pastor.(119) Those who deliberately fail in this obligation commit a grave sin.(119 – Cf. CIC, can. 1245).
Para 2186
Sunday is a time for reflection, silence, cultivation of the mind, and meditation which furthers the growth of the Christian interior life.
Para 2192
“Sunday…is to be observed as the foremost holy day of obligation in the universal Church” (CIC, can. 1246 § 1). “On Sundays and other holy days of obligation the faithful are bound to participate in the Mass.” (CIC, can. 1246)
CHAPTER 2
YOU SHALL LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR AS YOURSELF
Article 4
THE FOURTH COMMANDMENT
Para 2197
The fourth commandment opens the second table of the Decalogue. It shows us the order of charity. God has willed that, after him, we should honor our parents to whom we owe life and who have handed on to us the knowledge of God. We are obliged to honor and respect all those whom God, for our good, has vested with his authority.
Para 2198
This commandment is expressed in positive terms of duties to be fulfilled. It introduces the subsequent commandments which are concerned with particular respect for life, marriage, earthly goods, and speech. It constitutes one of the foundations of the social doctrine of the Church.
THE FAMILY IN GOD’S PLAN
The nature of the family
Para 2202
A man and a woman united in marriage, together with their children, form a family. This institution is prior to any recognition by public authority, which has an obligation to recognize it. It should be considered the normal reference point by which the different forms of family relationships are to be evaluated.
MY NOTE: I highlighted the above portion of Para 2202 to point out what the Catholic church has always taught in order to contrast that with what Pope Francis has recently come out and declared which not only completely goes against what God has to say about homosexuality in His Word, but also what Pope Francis has said has caused many Catholics to strongly disagree with him, which is a good thing.
Pope Francis is the very first pope to endorse civil unions for homosexual couples, and is referred to by some as the modernizing pope. Yes, we are to be loving to all homosexual people, but it is not love to accept them in their sin without lovingly telling them what God has to say in His Word about homosexuality and that it is a sin which is an “abomination” and is detestable in God’s sight.
“Thou shalt not lie with mankind as with womankind, because it is an abomination.” (Leviticus 18:22 Douay-Rheims Catholic Version)
“If any one lie with a man se with a woman, both have committed an abomination, let them be put to death: their blood be upon them.” (Leviticus 20:13)
Those who continue in the sin of homosexuality will not inherit the Kingdom of heaven, but there is forgiveness and cleansing from this sin — and every other sin — if one comes to place their trust in Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of their sins. (Read 1 Corin. 6:9-11 further below).
Let’s continue:
II. THE FAMILY AND SOCIETY
Para 2212
The fourth commandment illuminates other relationships in society. In our brothers and sisters we see the children of our parents; in our cousins, the descendants of our ancestors, in our fellow citizens, the children of our country; in the baptized, the children of our mother the Church; in every human person, a son or daughter of the One who wants to be called “our Father.” In this way our relationships with our neighbors are recognized as personal in character. The neighbor is not a “unit” in the human collective; he is someone who by his known origins deserves particular attention and respect.
III. THE DUTIES OF FAMILY MEMBERS
Para 2215
Respect for parents (filial piety) derives from gratitude toward those who, by the gift of life, their love, and their work, have brought their children into the world and enabled them to grow in stature, wisdom, and grace.
Para 2217
As long as a child lives at home with his parents, the child should obey his parents in all that they ask of him when it is for his good or that of the family. “Children obey your parents in everything, for this pleases the Lord.”(22) Children should also obey the reasonable directions of their teachers and all to whom their parents have entrusted them. But if a child is convinced in conscience that it would be morally wrong to obey a particular order, he must not do so. (22 –Col 3:20;cf. Eph 6:1)
V. THE AUTHORITIES IN CIVIL SOCIETIES
The duties of citizens.
Para 2242
The citizen is obliged in conscience not to follow the directives of civil authorities when they are contrary to the demands of the moral order, to the fundamental rights of persons or the teachings of the Gospel. Refusing obedience to civil authorities, when their demands are contrary to those of an upright conscience, finds its justification in the distinction between serving God and serving the political community. “Render therefore to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s.”(48 – Mt 22:21) “We must obey God rather than men.”(49 – Acts 5:29)
Para 2257
Every society’s judgments and conduct reflect a vision of man and his destiny. Without the light the Gospel sheds on God and man, societies easily become totalitarian.
ARTICLE 5
THE FIFTH COMMANDMENT
“You shall not kill.”
Para 2258
Human life is sacred because from its beginning it involves the creative action of God and it remains for ever in a special relationship with the Creator, who is its sole end. God alone is the Lord of life from its beginning until its end: no one can under any circumstance claim for himself the right directly to destroy an innocent human being.”(56 – CDF, instruction Donum vitae, intro 5).
I. RESPECT FOR HUMAN LIFE
The witness of sacred history
Para 2260
The covenant between God and mankind is interwoven with reminders of God’s gift of human life and man’s murderous violence:
“For your lifeblood I will surely require a reckoning…Whoever sheds the blood of man, by man shall his blood be shed; for God made man in his own image.”(59 – Gen 9:5-6).
Para 2261
Scripture specifies the prohibition contained in the fifth commandment: “Do not slay the innocent and the righteous.”(61) The deliberate murder of an innocent person is gravely contrary to the dignity of the human being, to the golden rule, and to the holiness of the Creator. The law forbidding it is universally valid: it obliges each and everyone, always and everywhere. (61 – Ex 23:7)
Para 2265
Legitimate defense can be not only a right but a grave duty for one who is responsible for the lives of others.
Para 2267
Assuming that the guilty party’s identity and responsibility have been fully determined, the traditional teaching of the Church does not exclude recourse to the death penalty, if this is the only possible way of effectively defending human lives against the unjust aggressor.
If, however, non-lethal means are sufficient to defend and protect people’s safety from the aggressor, authority will limit itself to such means, as these are more in keeping with the concrete conditions of the common good and more in conformity with the dignity of the human person.
Intentional homicide
Para 2268
The fifth commandment forbids direct and intentional killing as gravely sinful. The murderer and those who cooperate voluntarily in murder commit a sin that cries out to heaven for vengeance.(68 – Cf. Gen 4:10).
Infanticide, fratricide, parricide, and the murder of a spouse are especially grave crimes by reason of the natural bonds which they break. Concern for eugenics or public health cannot justify any murder, even if commanded by public authority.
Abortion
Para 2270
Human life must be respected and protected absolutely from the moment of conception. From the first moment of its existence, a human being must be recognized as having the rights of a person–among which is the inviolable right of every innocent being to life.(71 – Cf. CDF, Donum vitae I, 1).
Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, and before you were born I consecrated you.(72 – Jer 1:5; cf. Job 10:8-12; Ps 22:10-11).
My frame was not hidden from you, when I was being made in secret, intricately wrought in the depths of the earth.(73 – Ps 139:15).
Para 2274
Since it must be treated from conception as a person, the embryo must be defended in its integrity, cared for, and healed, as far as possible, like any other human being.
Euthanasia
Para 2276
Those whose lives are diminished or weakened deserve special respect. Sick or handicapped persons should be helped to lead lives as normal as possible.
Para 2277
Whatever its motives and means, direct euthanasia consists in putting an end to the lives of handicapped, sick, or dying persons. It is morally unacceptable. Thus an act or omission which, of itself or by intention, causes death in order to eliminate suffering constitutes a murder gravely contrary to the dignity of the human person and to the respect due to the living God, his Creator. The error of judgment into which one can fall in good faith does not change the nature of this murderous act, which must always be forbidden and excluded.
Para 2278
Discontinuing medical procedures that are burdensome, dangerous, extraordinary, or disproportionate to the expected outcome can be legitimate; it is the refusal of “over-zealous” treatment. Here one does not will to cause death; one’s inability to impede it is merely accepted. The decisions should be made by the patient if he is competent and able or, if not, by those legally entitled to act for the patient, whose reasonable will and legitimate interests must always be respected.
Suicide
Para 2280
Everyone is responsible for his life before God who has given it to him. It is God who remains the sovereign Master of life. We are obliged to accept life gratefully and preserve it for his honor and the salvation of our souls. We are stewards, not owners, of the life God has entrusted to us. It is not ours to dispose of.
II. RESPECT FOR THE DIGNITY OF PERSONS
Para 2296
Organ transplants are in conformity with the moral law if the physical and psychological dangers and risks to the donor are proportionate to the good that is sought for the recipient. Organ donation after death is a noble and meritorious act and is to be encouraged as an expression of generous solidarity. It is not morally acceptable if the donor or his proxy has not given explicit consent. Moreover, it is not morally admissible directly to bring about the disabling mutilation or death of a human being, even in order to delay the death of other persons.
Respect for bodily integrity
Para 2297
Kidnapping and hostage taking bring on a reign of terror; by means of threats they subject their victims to intolerable pressures. They are morally wrong. Terrorism threatens, wounds, and kills indiscriminately is gravely against justice and charity. Torture which uses physical or moral violence to extract confessions, punish the guilty, frighten opponents, or satisfy hatred is contrary to respect for the person and for human dignity. Except when performed for strictly therapeutic medical reasons, directly intended amputations, mutilations, and sterilizations performed on innocent persons are against the moral law.(90 – Cf. DS 3722).
Para 2298
In times past, cruel practices were commonly used by legitimate governments to maintain law and order, often without protest from the Pastors of the Church, who themselves adopted in their own tribunals the prescriptions of Roman law concerning torture. Regrettable as these facts are, the Church always taught the duty of clemency and mercy. She forbade clerics to shed blood. In recent times it has become evident that these cruel practices were neither necessary for public order, nor in conformity with the legitimate rights of the human person. On the contrary, these practices let to ones even more degrading. It is necessary to work for their abolition. We must pray for the victims and their tormentors.
[Note: Although the Catechism Of The Catholic Church may say that they are against torture and speak about mercy, history clearly shows otherwise. Many Christians were brutally tortured and killed because they refused to compromise their faith by accepting some of the blasphemous teachings of the Roman Catholic Church such as the Sacrifice of the Mass and purgatory, both of which deny the sufficiency of Jesus Christ’s once for all sacrifice on the cross that paid the debt for all sin –in full; no more sacrifices for sins are needed! Read Hebrews 10:10-19.]
[NOTE: This is not to be considered as an endorsement of Richard Bennett. I have, however, always had a deep respect for Richard Bennett and his ministry to reach precious Catholics, but I reject the Calvinism and Reformed Theology that he embraced. This video is solely for informational purposes.]
Respect for the dead
Para 2301
Autopsies can be morally permitted for legal inquests or scientific research. The free gift of organs after death is legitimate and can be meritorious.
Para 2318
In [God’s] hand is the life of every living thing and the breath of all mankind.” (Job 12:10)
Para 2319
Every human life from the moment of conception until death, is sacred because the human person has been willed for its own sake in the image and likeness of the living and holy God.
Para 2320
The murder of a human being is gravely contrary to the dignity of the person and the holiness of the Creator.
Para 2323
Because it should be treated as a person from conception, the embryo must be defended in its integrity, cared for, and healed, like every other human being.
ARTICLE 6
THE SIXTH COMMANDMENT
I. “MALE AND FEMALE HE CREATED THEM…”
Para 2331
“God is love and in himself he lives a mystery of personal loving communion. Creating the human race in his own image…, God inscribed in the humanity of man and woman the vocation, and thus the capacity and responsibility of love and communion.”(114)
“God created man in his own image…male and female he created them.”;(115) He blessed them and said, “Be fruitful and multiply”;(116)”When God created man, he made him in the likeness of God. Male and female he created them, and he blessed them and named them Man when they were created.”(117 )(114 – FC 11). (115 – Gen 1:27). (116 – Gen 1:28). (117 – Genesis 5:1,2).
Para 2333
Everyone, man and woman, should acknowledge and accept his sexual identity. Physical, moral, and spiritual differences and complimentarity are oriented toward the goods of marriage and the flourishing of the family life. The harmony of the couple and of society depends in part on the way in which the complimentarity, needs, and mutual support between the sexes are lived out.
MY NOTE: In light of transgenderism and the growing acceptance of it by the Catholic church (and society), I thought it was important to highlight what the CCC teaches above in Para 2333 regarding the sexuality of all whom God has created.
Let’s continue:
Para 2334
“In creating men ‘male and female,’ God gives man and woman an equal personal dignity.”(118) Man is a person, man and woman equally so, since both were created in the image and likeness of the personal God.”(119) (118 – FC 22; cf. GS 49 § 2). (119 – MD 6).
II. THE VOCATION TO CHASTITY
Para 2345
Chastity is a moral virtue. It is also a gift from God, a grace, a fruit of spiritual effort. (131) The Holy Spirit enables one whom the water of Baptism has regenerated to imitate the purity of Christ.(132) (131 – Cf. Gal 5:22). (132 – Cf. 1 Jn 3:3)
Para 2353
Fornication is carnal union between an unmarried man and an unmarried woman. It is gravely contrary to the dignity of persons and of human sexuality which is naturally ordered to the good of spouses and the generation and education of children. Moreover, it is a grave scandal when there is corruption of the young.
Para 2354
Pornography consists in removing real or simulated sexual acts from the intimacy of the partners, in order to display them deliberately to third parties. It offends against chastity because it perverts the conjugal act, the intimate giving of spouses to each other. It does grave injury to the dignity of its participants (actors,vendors, the public), since each one becomes an object of base pleasure and illicit profit for others. It immerses all who are involved in the illusion of a fantasy world. It is a grave offense. Civil authorities should prevent the production and distribution of pornographic materials.
Para 2356
Rape is the forcible violation of the sexual intimacy of another person. It does injury to justice and charity. Rape deeply wounds the respect, freedom, and physical and moral integrity to which every person has a right. It causes grave damage that can mark the victim for life. It is always an intrinsically evil act. Graver still is the rape of children committed by parents (incest) or those responsible for the education of the children entrusted to them.
CLOSING COMMENTS
If you took the time to read through this entire post I am sure that you now realize that the Catholic church does indeed take a strong stand for many things: the sanctity of human life from the womb until death, marriage, the family, and many other important Biblical things. You have also seen the areas in which they have added to Scripture as well as where they are presently compromising not only with the Word of God but also with their very own teachings!
Jesus is the same yesterday, today, and forever. (Heb. 13:8) The truth that God has preserved in His Word stands forever (Isaiah 40:8, 1 Peter 1:25, Psalm 199:89) and is not up for debate. It should never be added to with the traditions of men and any part of truth set forth for us in His Word should never be changed or extracted from (Deut. 4:2, 12:32) in order to appear more palatable for today’s culture and society. To do so is to bring the judgment of God upon those who do. (Read Revelation 22:18,19 for an example). There is nothing that we can do to earn or to merit our salvation. (Read Titus 3:4-7, Ephesians 2:8,9, Romans 3:10-28, Galatians 2:19-21).
Dear Catholic, once again I present you with this important question that you need to answer because what you choose to believe as truth and in what and in whom you choose to place your trust in will determine where you will spend eternity –in heaven or in hell, for there is no second chance after death as Catholicism teaches.
“Are you going to believe the Word of God (the Bible), or the word of man (Catholic “Tradition”)?”
I truly pray that you will seek the Lord in His Word for the truth regarding how one obtains the forgiveness of sins because your eternal destiny truly is at stake.
RELATED SCRIPTURES
“You shall not add to the word that I speak to you, neither shall you take away from it: keep the commandments of the Lord your God which I command you.” (Deuteronomy 4:2)
“What I command thee, that only do thou to the Lord: neither add any thing, nor diminish.” (Deuteronomy 12:32)
“God’s wrath is revealed coming down from heaven upon all the sin and evil of men whose evil ways prevent the truth from being known. God punishes them, because what men can know about God is plain to them. God himself made it plain to them. Ever since God created the world, his invisible qualities, both his eternal power and his divine nature, have been clearly seen. Men can perceive them in the things that God has made. So they have no excuse at all! They know God, but they do not give him the honor that belongs to him, nor do they thank him. Instead, their thoughts have become complete nonsense and their empty minds are filled with darkness. They say that they are wise, but they are fools; instead of worshiping the immortal God, they worship images made to look like mortal man or birds or animals or reptiles. Because men are such fools, God has given them over to do the filthy things their hearts desire, and they do shameful things with each other. They exchange the truth about God for a lie; they worship and serve what God has created instead of the Creator himself, who is to be praised forever! Amen.
Because men do this, God has given them over to shameful passions. Even the women pervert the natural use of their sex by unnatural acts. In the same way the men give up natural sexual relations with women and burn with passion for each other. Men do shameful things with each other, and as a result they themselves are punished as they deserve for their wrongdoing. Because men refuse to keep in mind the true knowledge about God, he has give them over to corrupted minds, so that they do the things that they should not.”(Romans 1:18-28)
“Surely you know that the wicked will not receive God’s Kingdom. Do not fool yourselves; people who are immoral, or worship idols, or are adulterers, or homosexual perverts, or who rob, or are greedy, or are drunkards, or who slander others, or are thieves–none of these will receive God’s Kingdom. Some of you were like that. But you have been cleansed from sin; you have been dedicated to God; you have been put right with God through the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God.” (1 Corinthians 6:9-11)
“I, John, solemnly warn everyone who hears the prophetic words of this book: If anyone adds anything to them, God will add to his punishment the plagues described in this book. And if anyone takes away anything from the prophetic words of this book, God will take away from him his share of the fruit of the tree of life, and his share of the Holy City, which are described in this book. ” (Revelation 22:18,19)
RELATED VIDEOS
VIDEO POSTED BY A CATHOLIC SOURCE – FOR DOCUMENTATIONAL PURPOSES ONLY
There are two very important reasons why I felt compelled to write this series of posts, and I’d like to briefly share these reasons with you now before I go any further:
1) Since I am a former Catholic who is very aware of the teachings of the Catholic Church because I attended twelve years of Catholic school, attended Catechism classes, made my First Holy Communion, was Confirmed, and faithfully attended Mass not only every Sunday for many years, but also before school began for three years (as required by the school that I attended at the time), and who came to the knowledge of who Jesus Christ truly is and what He actually accomplished for us by reading a Catholic New Testament Bible exactly like the one pictured above, I decided to write this series with the hope of reaching precious Catholics so that they can not only come to an understanding of who Jesus Christ truly is as His Word, the Bible, declares Him to be, but also so they can see by reading God’s Word that they can have complete forgiveness, lasting joy, true peace, and the assurance of salvation if they choose to believe God’s Word and place their trust in Jesus Christ alone for their salvation. Also, since many Catholics do not realize everything that the Catholic church actually teaches (as I once did not realize until after doing research and reading the CCC), I thought that it was extremely important to share this information to make Catholics aware of many things that are quite disturbing, as you will all soon become aware of as this series continues.
2) This series of posts is also being written with the intention of helping those of you who are born-again, Bible believing followers of Jesus Christ who have no idea of what the teachings of Catholicism are so that you can become aware of their teachings and be prepared to offer hope and assurance of salvation through Jesus Christ to Catholics based solely upon the truth that is recorded in God’s Word.
As we continue on in this series together comparing Scriptures in the Catholic New Testament to teachings found in the Catechism of the Catholic Church, we must keep these important thoughts in mind:
When it comes to our eternal destination — heaven or hell — we must be certain that we place our trust in solid truth and not in speculation or in the traditions of men. The Catholic church claims to be the “one true Church.” Therefore, it stands to reason that their teachings must line up with God’s Word and not contradict it since God does not change (Malachi 3:6, James 1:17, Hebrews 13:8), and His Word stands firm forever. (Psalm 119:89, Isaiah 40:8, 1 Peter 1:24,25) If a contradiction is found it must be rejected because God’s Word is our plumb line by which we must measure (or test) the teachings of every religion to see if it lines up or not. If it is off in one point we can be certain that it will lead us further and further away from Biblical truth and lead us into spiritual deception.
This series will cover many different subjects ranging from what does the Catholic Church teach about the Bible, Jesus Christ, the Virgin Mary, priests, the pope, sin, forgiveness of sins, salvation, prayer, and what must a Catholic believe in order to receive eternal life. Some of these teachings will shock even many Catholics when they learn what their church actually teaches!
Lord willing, I hope to share at least one post every month with you in this new series until I have covered all the most important teachings that need to be brought to your attention. The main goal that I have in writing this series is to present the Word of God to Catholics — and to every person — in order to point everyone to Jesus Christ, who is our only hope and ‘the only name under heaven given among men by which we can be saved.’ (Acts 4:12)
Dear Catholic, please take a minute now to sincerely pray; ask God to open your mind to the Scriptures and to reveal the truth to you –whatever that may be.
Because only God can reveal the truth to you, I will refrain from making any comments unless I find it completely necessary. Since God’s Word is truth I trust that He will not only give you eyes to see the truth, but also I trust that He will give you the courage to respond to His leading. However, each one of you will find yourself having to answer this question when you come to many points that I present to you in these posts after realizing that there are oftentimes extreme differences between what the Word of God says and what Catholicism teaches, and the question that you will have to answer is:
“Are you going to believe the Word of God or the word of man?”
For those of you who are not Catholic, and are taking the time to read these posts in order to learn what Catholicism actually teaches, please keep in mind that every time you see the word “church” spelled with a capital c they are referring to the Catholic church, since they believe that the “Catholic Church” alone is the “one true Church.”All of the information that I will be sharing with you I have obtained from the following sources:
1) CATECHISM OF THE CATHOLIC CHURCH (pictured above) – Imprimi Potest – Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger (who later became Pope Benedict) – Interdicasterial Commission for the Catechism of the Catholic Church
2) THE WORD OF GOD – THE NEW TESTAMENT OF OUR LORD AND SAVIOR IN TODAY’S ENGLISH VERSION – SACRED HEART LEAGUE EDITION – IMPRIMATUR JOHN FRANCIS WHEALON, ARCHBISHOP OF HARTFORD, APRIL 15, 1971 SIGNED AND SEALED BY BISHOP JOSEPH B. BRUNINI, DIOCESE OF JACKSON, MISSISSIPPI
3) Occasionally when I share a Scripture with you from the Sacred Heart League (SHL) Catholic New Testament and notice that it lacks depth and clarity, I will then follow it with the same verse but in the King James Version in order to give you a better understanding of what is being said, and so that you can see what is missing from the SHL translation.
4) Very briefly in this series, when it is necessary to quote from the Old Testament, I will also be quoting from THE CATHOLIC DOUAY RHEIMS VERSION OF THE BIBLE – in which you will find the following statements:
“EXCERPT FROM ENCYCLICAL LETTER OF OUR HOLY FATHER BY DIVINE PROVIDENCE POPE LEO XIII ON THE STUDY OF HOLY SCRIPTURE:
“The God of all Providence, Who in the adorable designs of His love at first elevated the human race to the participation of the Divine nature, and afterwards delivered it from the universal guilt and ruin, restoring it to its primitive dignity, has in consequence bestowed upon man a splendid gift and safeguard–making known to him, by supernatural means, the hidden Mysteries of His divinity, His wisdom, and His mercy. For although in Divine revelations there are contained some things which are not beyond the reach of unassisted reason, and which are made the objects of such revelation in order “that all may come to know them with facility, certainty, and safety from error, yet not on this account can supernatural Revelation be said to be absolutely necessary; it is only necessary because God has ordained man to a supernatural end.” This supernatural revelation according to the belief of the universal Church, is contained both in unwritten Tradition, and in written Books, which are therefore called sacred and canonical because, “being written under the inspiration of the Holy Ghost, they have God for their author, and as such have been delivered to the Church.” (Page ix)
“Wherefore it must be recognised that the sacred writings are wrapt in a certain religious obscurity, and that no one can enter into their interior without a guide; God so disposing, as the Holy Fathers commonly teach, in order that men may investigate them with greater ardour and earnestness, and that what is attained with difficulty may sink more deeply into the mind and heart; and, most of all that they may understand that God has delivered the Holy Scriptures to the Church, and that in reading and making use of His Word, they must follow the Church as their guide and their teacher. St. Irenaeus long since laid down, that where the charismata of God were, there the truth was to be learnt, and that Holy Scripture was safely interpreted by those who had the Apostolic succession. His teaching, and that of other Holy Fathers, is taken up by the Council of the Vatican, which, in the renewing of the decree of Trent, declares its “mind” to be this–that “in things of faith and morals, belonging to the building up of Christian doctrine, that is to be considered the true sense of Holy Scripture which has been held and is held by our Holy Mother the Church whose place it is to judge of the true sense and interpretation of the Scriptures; and therefore that it is permitted to no one to interpret Holy Scripture against such sense or also against the unanimous agreement of the Fathers.” (Page xvii)
“Wherefore the first and dearest object of the Catholic commentator should be to interpret those passages which have received an authentic interpretation either by the sacred writers themselves, under the inspiration of the Holy Ghost (as in many places of the New Testament), or from the Church, under the assistance of the same Holy Spirit, whether by her solemn judgment or her ordinary and universal magisterium –to interpret those passages in that identical sense, and to prove, by all the resources of science that sound hermeneutical laws admit of no other interpretation. In the other passages, the analogy of faith should be followed, and Catholic doctrine, as authoritatively proposed by the Church, should be held as the supreme law; for seeing that the same God is the author both of the Sacred Books and of the doctrine committed to the Church, it is clearly impossible that any teaching can by legitimate means be extracted from the former, which shall in any respect be at variance with the latter. Hence it follows that all interpretation is foolish and false which either makes the sacred writers disagree one with another, or is opposed to the doctrine of the Church.” (Page xviii)
“For although the studies of non-Catholics, used with prudence, may sometimes be of use to the Catholic student, he should nevertheless, bear well in mind–as the Fathers also teach in numerous passages –that the sense of Holy Scripture can nowhere be found incorrupt outside of the Church, and cannot be expected to be found in writers who, being without the true faith, only gnaw the bark of the Sacred Scripture and never attain its pith.” (Page xix)
[As I have mentioned in some previous posts in this series, in order to get this entire series finished in a timely manner, from now on I will be trying to keep my comments very brief and will mainly be making them in the introduction and closing sections of these posts. I will, however, continue to keep the focus on Scripture which is where it should be. I am also trying very hard (but not succeeding) to limit these posts to no more than 5000 words which makes it rather difficult sometimes. For those of you who have busy schedules and do not have the time to read lengthy posts, I will continue to highlight just some of the many troubling things in turquoise, the extremely troubling things I will highlight in red, and some things that are Biblical I will highlight in blue in order to quickly bring these things to your attention. Emphasis on certain words that I have put in bold print throughout this post is mine.]
INTRODUCTION TO PART 18
In Part 18 of this series we will begin PART 3 in the Catechism Of The Catholic Church book, which is entitled, Life In Christ. We will begin on page 471 and continue on until page 525. In this particular section many Biblical things are presented, such as:
Man’s freedom to choose; man was created with a free will
Man has a conscience
A person is culpable for the evil they commit
Human virtue; faith, hope, charity
Gifts of the Spirit
However, serious problems begin to arise when the topic of sin is presented (Pages 504-510 CCC) as you will soon see.
What I also found to be extremely troubling is their section regarding human society in which socialism is gently woven into their teachings as you will also see. (Pages 511-525 CCC)
I have included additional information for you below to clearly document this for you, as well as a first hand account of what happened to me and my family when I was a little girl and attended the Catholic school across the alley (as we would say in the city). (Also, be sure to watch video of former Dominican priest of 22 years, Richard Bennett, who presents some documented evidence on this at the end of this post).
Let’s begin:
PART THREE
LIFE IN CHRIST
Para 1692
“Coming to see in the faith their new dignity, Christians are called to lead henceforth a life “worthy of the gospel of Christ.” (4 – Philippians 1:7) They are made capable of doing so by the grace of Christ and the gifts of his Spirit, which they receive through the sacraments and through prayer.”
Para 1696
The way of Christ “leads to life”; a contrary way “leads to destruction.” The Gospel parable of the “two ways,” remains ever present in the catechesis of the Church; it shows the importance of moral decisions for our salvation: “There are two ways, the one of life, the other of death; but between the two, there is a great difference.”(21 – Didache 1, 1:SCh 248,140.)
ARTICLE 3
MAN’S FREEDOM
Para 1730
God created man a rational being, conferring on him the dignity of a person who can initiate and control his own actions. “God willed that man should be left in the hand of his own counsel,” so that he might of his own accord seek his Creator and freely attain his full and blessed perfection by cleaving to him.”(26 – GS 17; Sir 15:14).
“Man is rational and therefore like God: he is created with free will and is master over his acts.”(27 – St. Irenaeus, Adv. haeres. 4, 4, 3:PG 7/1, 983).
Para 1734
Freedom makes man responsible for his acts to the extent that they are voluntary.
Para 1738
Freedom is exercised in relationships between human beings. Every human person, created in the image of God, has the natural right to be recognized as a free and responsible being. All owe the duty to each other the duty of respect. The right to the exercise of freedom, especially in moral and religious matters, is an inalienable requirement of the dignity of the human person. This right must be recognized and protected by civil authority within the limits of the common good and public order.(32 – Cf. DH 2 §7 )
II. HUMAN FREEDOM IN THE ECONOMY OF SALVATION
Para 1739
Freedom and sin.Man’s freedom is limited and fallible. In fact, man failed. He freely sinned. By refusing God’s plan of love, he deceived himself and became a slave to sin.
Para 1740
By deviating from the moral law man violates his own freedom, becomes imprisoned within himself, disrupts neighborly fellowship, and rebels against divine truth.
Para 1741
Liberation and salvation. By his glorious Cross Christ has won salvation for all men. He redeemed them from the sin that held them in bondage.
Para 1745
Freedom characterizes properly human acts. It makes the human being responsible for acts of which he is the voluntary agent. His deliberate acts properly belong to him.
ARTICLE 6
MORAL CONSCIENCE
I. THE JUDGMENT OF CONSCIENCE
Para 1777
When he listens to his conscience, the prudent man can hear God speaking.
Para 1778
Conscience is a judgment of reason whereby the human person recognizes the moral quality of a concrete act that he is going to perform, is in the process of performing, or has already completed. In all he says and does, man is obliged to follow faithfully what he knows to be just and right. It is by the judgment of his conscience that man perceives and recognizes the prescription of the divine law.
Para 1781
Conscience enables one to assume responsibility for the acts performed.
Para 1782
Man has the right to act in conscience and in freedom so as personally to make moral decisions. “He must not be forced to act contrary to his conscience. Nor must he be prevented from acting according to his conscience, especially in religious matters.” (53 – DH 3 § 2).
II. THE FORMATION OF CONSCIENCE
Para 1785
In the formation of conscience the Word of God is the light for our path,” we must assimilate it in faith and prayer and put it into practice. We must also examine our conscience before the Lord’s Cross. We are assisted by the gifts of the Holy Spirit, aided by the witness or advise of others, and guided by the authoritative teaching of the Church.
IV. ERRONEOUS JUDGMENT
Para 1790
A human being must always obey the certain judgment of his conscience. If he were to deliberately act against it, he would condemn himself. Yet it can happen that moral conscience remains in ignorance and makes erroneous judgments about acts to be performed or already committed.
Para 1791
This ignorance can often be imputed to personal responsibility. This is the case when a man “takes little trouble to find out what is true and good, or when conscience is by degrees almost blinded through the habit of committing sin.” (59 – GS 16). In such cases the person is culpable for the evil he commits.
ARTICLE 7
THE VIRTUES
I. THE HUMAN VIRTUES
Para 1807
Justice is the moral virtue that consists in the constant and firm will to give their due to God and neighbor. Justice toward God is called the “virtue of religion.” Justice toward men disposes one to respect the rights of each and to establish in human relationships the harmony that promotes equity with regard to persons and to the common good.
The virtues and grace
Para 1811
Christ’s gift of salvation offers us the grace necessary to persevere in the pursuit of the virtues. Everyone should always ask for this grace of light and strength, frequent the sacraments, cooperate with the Holy Spirit, and follow his calls to love what is good and shun evil.
II. THE THEOLOGICAL VIRTUES
Faith
Para 1814
Faith is the theological virtue by which we believe in God and believe all that he has said and revealed to us, and that Holy Church proposes for our belief, because he is truth itself.
Para 1815
The gift of faith remains in one who has not sinned against it.(80 – Cf. Council of Trent (1547); DS 1545).
Para 1816
Service of and witness to the faith are necessary for salvation.
Para 1821
We can therefore hope in the glory of heaven promised by God to those who love him and do his will. In every circumstance, each one of us should hope, with the grace of God, to persevere “to the end”(93 – Mt. 10:22; cf. Council of Trent: DS 1541) and to obtain the joy of heaven, as God’s eternal reward for the good works accomplished with the grace of Christ.
ARTICLE 8
SIN
I. MERCY AND SIN
Para 1846
The Gospel is the revelation in Jesus Christ of God’s mercy to sinners.(113) The angel announced to Joseph: “You shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.” (114) The same is true of the Eucharist, the sacrament of redemption: “This is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins.”(115) (113 – Cf. Luke 15) (114 – Mt.1:21) (115 – Mt. 26:28)
Para 1848
Conversion requires convincing of sin; it includes the interior judgment of conscience, and this, being a proof of the action of the Spirit of truth in man’s inmost being, becomes at the same time the start of a new grant of grace and love: “Receive the Holy Spirit.” Thus in this “convincing concerning sin” we discover a double gift: the gift of the truth of conscience and the gift of certainty of redemption. The Spirit of truth is the Consoler.(120 – Pope John Paul II, DeV 31 § 2).
[MY NOTE: If conversion requires “convincing of sin” as stated above, then it is impossible for a baby to be born again by the sacrament of Baptism as Catholic doctrine teaches since they are unable to yet sin or be convinced of sin.]
II. THE DEFINITION OF SIN
Para 1849
Sin is an offence against reason, truth, and right conscience; it is failure in genuine love for God and neighbor caused by a perverse attachment to certain goods. It wounds the nature of man and injures human solidarity. It has been defined as “an utterance, a deed, or a desire contrary to the eternal law.”(121 – St. Augustine, Contra Faustum 22: PL 42, 418; St. Thomas Aquinas, StH I-II, 41, 436).
Para 1850
Sin is an offence against God: “Against you, you alone, have I sinned, and done that which is evil in your sight.” (122) Sin sets itself against God’s love for us and turns our hearts away from it. (122 – Psalm 51:4)
IV. THE GRAVITY OF SIN: MORTAL AND VENIAL SIN
Para 1862
One commits venial sin when, in a less serious matter, he does not observe the standard prescribed by the moral law, or when he disobeys the moral law in a grave matter, but without full knowledge or without complete consent.
Para 1863
Venial sin weakens charity; it manifests a disordered affection for created goods; it impedes the soul’s progress in the exercise of the virtues and the practice of the moral good; it merits temporal punishment. Deliberate and unrepented venial sin disposes us little by little to commit mortal sin. However venial sin does not break the covenant with God. With God’s grace it is humanly reparable. “Venial sin does not deprive the sinner of sanctifying grace, friendship with God, charity, and consequently eternal happiness.”(134 – Pope John Paul II RP 17 § 9).
NOTE: It is extremely important to stop right now and point out to you what the Word of God has to say regarding sin. All sin separates us from God –no matter what it may be; minor or extremely serious! Only by placing one’s faith and trust in the finished work of Jesus Christ — the sinless life that he led, the price that He paid when He died in your place and in mine on the cross to satisfy God’s just demands for sin, and His glorious resurrection from the dead in bodily form — can one have “friendship with God” and “eternal happiness” in heaven.
“All we like sheep have gone astray, every one hath turned aside into his own way: and the Lord hath laid on him the iniquity of us all.” (Isaiah 53:6 – Doua-Rheims Catholic Bible)
“But your iniquities have divided between you and your God, and your sins have hid his face from you that he should not hear.” (Isaiah 59:2 – Douay-Rheims Catholic Bible)
“But now God’s way of putting men right with himself has been revealed, and it has nothing to do with law. The Law and the prophets gave their witness to it: God puts men right through their faith in Jesus Christ. God does this to all who believe in Christ, because there is no difference at all: all men have sinned and are far away from God’s saving presence. But by the free gift of God’s grace they are all put right with him through Christ Jesus, who sets them free. God offered him so that by his death he should become the means by which men’s sins are forgiven, through their faith in him. God did this in order to demonstrate his righteousness.” (Romans 3:21-25a SHLCNT)
“Sin came into the world through one man, and his sin brought death with it. As a result, death spread to the whole human race, because all men sinned. There was sin in the world before the Law was given; but where there is no law, no account is kept of sins. But from the time of Adam to the time of Moses death ruled over all men, even over those who did not sin as Adam did by disobeying God’s command. Adam was a figure of the one who was to come. But the two are not the same, because God’s free gift is not like Adam’s sin. It is true that many men died because of the sin of that one man. But God’s grace is much greater, and so is his free gift to so many men through the grace of the one man, Jesus Christ. And there is a difference between God’s gift and the sin of one man. After the one sin came the judgment of “Guilty”; but after so many sins comes the undeserved gift of “Not guilty!” It is true that through the sin of one man death began to rule, because of that one man. But how much greater is the result of what was done by the one man, Jesus Christ! All who receive God’s abundant grace and the free gift of his righteousness will rule in life through Christ. So then, as the one sin condemned all men, in the same way the one righteous act sets all men free and gives them life. And just as many men were made sinners as the result of the disobedience of one man, in the same way many will be put right with God as the result of the obedience of the one man. Law was introduced in order to increase wrongdoing, but where sin increased, God’s grace increased much more. So then, just as sin ruled by means of death, so also God’s grace rules by means of righteousness, leading us to eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.” (Romans 5:12-21 – SHLCNT)
“For sin pays its wage–death; but God’s free gift is eternal life in union with Christ Jesus our Lord.” (Romans 6:23 – SHLCNT)
“What human nature does is quite plain. It shows itself in immoral, filthy, and indecent actions; in worship of idols and witchcraft. People become enemies, they fight, become jealous, angry and ambitious. They separate into parties and groups; they are envious, get drunk, have orgies, and do other things like this. I warn you now as I have before: those who do these things will not receive the Kingdom of God.” (Galatians 5:19-21 – SHLCNT)
As I had previously stated, the Catholic church classifies sin into two categories; venial sin and mortal sin. I was taught that venial sins are things such as lying and disobeying one’s parents, whereas mortal sins are grave sins, such as murder. However, if precious Catholics believe this particular teaching about venial sins and place their trust in all that they have been taught in the Catholic church for their salvation they will find out how wrong they were when it’s too late. I say this because the Word of God classifies all liars along with murderers and other sinners:
“But the cowards, the traitors, and the perverts, the murderers and the immoral, those who practice magic and worship idols, and all liars–the place for them is the lake burning with fire and sulfur, which is the second death.” (Revelation 21:8)
” I did not see a temple in the city, because its temple is the Lord God, the Almighty, and the Lamb. The city has no need of the sun or the moon to shine on it, because the glory of God shines on it, and the Lamb is its lamp. The peoples of the world will walk by its light, and the kings of the earth will bring their wealth into it. The gates of the city will stand open all day; they will never be closed, because there will be no night there. The greatness and the wealth of the nations will be brought into the city. But nothing that is impure will enter the city, nor anyone who does shameful things or tells lies. Only those whose names are written in the Lamb’s book of the living will enter the city.” (Revelation 21:22-27)
This is what the Word of God has to say about those who put their complete trust in the finished work of Jesus Christ’s once for all sacrifice on the cross as full payment for their sins –no matter how sinful they may have been in the past:
“Surely you know that the wicked will not receive God’s Kingdom. Do not fool yourselves; people who are immoral, or worship idols, or are adulterers, or homosexual perverts, or who rob, or are greedy, or are drunkards, or who slander others, or are thieves–none of these will receive God’s Kingdom. Some of you were like that. But you have been cleansed from sin; you have been dedicated to God; you have been put right with God through the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God.” (1 Corinthians 6:9-11 – SHLCNT)
Let’s continue on:
ARTICLE 2
PARTICIPATION IN SOCIAL LIFE
Para 1902
Authority does not derive its moral legitimacy from itself. It must not behave in a despotic manner, but must act for the common good as a “moral force based on freedom and a sense of responsibility.”(21 – GS 74 § 2).
Para 1903
Authority is exercised legitimately only when it seeks the common good of the group concerned and if it employs morally licit means to attain it.
II. THE COMMON GOOD
Para 1908
Second, the common good requires the social well-being and development of the group itself.
III. RESPONSIBILITY AND PARTICIPATION
Para 1917
Participation begins with education and culture.
Para 1925
The common good consists of three essential elements: respect for and promotion of the fundamental rights of the person; prosperity or the development of the spiritual and temporal goods of society; the peace and security of the group and its members.
Para 1927
It is the role of the state to defend and promote the common good of civil society. The common good of the whole human family calls for an organization of society on the international level.
ARTICLE 3
SOCIAL JUSTICE
Para 1928
Society ensures social justice when it provides the conditions that allows associations or individuals to obtain what is their due, according to their nature and their vocation. Social justice is linked to the common good and the exercise of authority.
II. EQUALITY AND DIFFERENCES AMONG MEN
Para 1934
Created in the image of the one God and equally endowed with rational souls, all men have the same nature and the same origin. Redeemed by the sacrifice of Christ, all are called to participate in the same divine beatitude: all therefore enjoy an equal dignity.
Para 1936
On coming into the world, man is not equipped with everything he needs for developing his bodily and spiritual life. He needs others. Differences appear tied to age, physical abilities, intellectual or moral aptitudes, the benefits derived from social commerce, and the distribution of wealth.” (41 Cf. GS 29 § 2).
Para 1937
These differences belong to God’s plan, who wills that each receive what he needs from others, and that those endowed with particular “talents” share the benefits with those who need them. These differences encourage and often oblige persons to practice generosity, kindness, and sharing of goods; they foster the mutual enrichment of cultures:
I distribute the virtues quite diversely; I do not give all of them to each person, but some to one, some to others…I shall give principally charity to one; justice to another; humility to this one, a living faith to that one…And so I have given many gifts and graces, both spiritual and temporal, with such diversity that I have not given everything to one single person, so that you may be constrained to practice charity towards one another…I have willed that one should need another and that all should be my ministers in distributing the graces and gifts they have received from me.”(43 – St. Catherine of Sienna, Dial. I 7).
[My Note: The quote above, as stated, was given by “Saint Catherine of Sienna. It is said that she had a dialogue with God the Father and when she was in a state of ecstasy she dictated what she was allegedly told and her secretaries wrote it down. Therefore these teachings that the Catholic church is presenting are clearly unbiblical because they go beyond what is recorded in Scripture. The canon is closed; no other words are necessary. Jesus Christ was God’s final Word. (Hebrews 1:1 – See further below for this Scripture in context.]
Here is a quick capture of some information on Catherine of Sienna, who claims to have had a mystical marriage with Jesus Christ:
What I found to be the most troubling was the portion that says the following:
“The Catholic Encyclopedia notes that such a wedding ceremony “is but the accompaniment and symbol of a purely spiritual grace,” and that “as a wife should share in the life of her husband, and as Christ suffered for the redemption of mankind,the mystical spouse enters into a more intimate participation in his sufferings.”
It has also been said that during this alleged mystical marriage with Jesus, the ring he gave her was made from “the foreskin from his circumcision.”
Upon doing some further research I discovered that mystic, Catherine of Sienna, reportedly received the stigmata; the wounds upon her body that Jesus Christ had when He was brutally crucified on the cross to pay the debt for all of our sins –in full. This may be what is referred to in the highlighted portion of the quick capture above where it states that “the mystical spouse enters into a more intimate participation in his sufferings.”
As disturbing as all of this is to share with all of you, my intention in doing so was to show you more examples of how Catholicism focuses on mysticism. (Many more examples will be given to document my claim in future posts). The most troubling thing, though, is the implication that Catherine of Siena participated in Jesus Christ’s sufferings! This is adding to Scripture and denying that Jesus Christ alone suffered for our sins and paid the debt in full!
The Word of God says the following:
“In the past God spoke to our ancestors many times and in many ways through the prophets, but in these last days he has spoken to us through his Son. He is the one through whom God created the universe, the one whom God has chosen to possess all things at the end. He shines with the brightness of God’s glory; he is the exact likeness of God’s own being, and sustains the universe with his powerful word. After he had made men clean from their sins, he sat down in heaven at the right side of God, the Supreme Power.” (Hebrews 1:1-3 Sacred Heart League Catholic New Testament – SHLCNT)
Here is this passage of Scripture in the King James Version which uses emphatic language showing that Jesus Christ alone purged us from our sins:
“God, who at sundry times and in divers manners spake in time past unto the fathers by the prophets, Hath in these last days spoken unto us by his Son, whom he hath appointed heir of all things, by whom also he made the worlds; Who being the brightness of his glory, and the express image of his person, and upholding all things by the word of his power, when he had by himself purged our sins, sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high;” (Hebrews 1:1-3 KJV)
Let’s continue:
III. HUMAN SOLIDARITY
Para 1940
Solidarity is manifested in the first place by the distribution of goods and remuneration for work.
Para 1941
Socio-economic problems can be resolved only with the help of all the forms of solidarity: solidarity of the poor among themselves, between rich and poor, of workers among themselves, between employers and employees in a business, solidarity among nations and peoples. International solidarity is a requirement of the moral order; world peace depends in part upon this.
Para 1947
The equal dignity of human persons requires the effort to reduce excessive social and economic inequalities. It gives urgency to the elimination of sinful inequalities.
CLOSING COMMENTS AND SOME MORE ADDED INFORMATION
The basis for our faith must be built upon the truth of God’s Word and not on traditions of men and mystical experiences. When a teaching cannot be validated with Scripture but instead contradicts it, then it must be completely rejected.
As I had mentioned in the INTRODUCTION to this post, I have a personal experience that I would like to share with you regarding what happened to me and my family many years ago and how it relates to socialism and the common good spoken of quite frequently in this section of the Catechism Of The Catholic Church. My dear Mom shared the detailed account with me a year or so before she died to refresh my mind regarding all that had happened when this topic came up one evening during our nightly phone conversations. Wanting to make sure that I would present the facts accurately I took notes knowing that it was something important that needed to be presented at some point in this series in order to show the unscrupulous tactics that the Catholic church sometimes uses to get what they want. Here now is that account:
My family owned an apartment building that was located in the city of Chicago directly across the street from the Catholic school that we were attending and in between the rectory (the building where the Catholic priests lived) and the convent (the building where the Catholic nuns lived). One day when my Dad was out in front of our building doing some painting, a man approached him and asked if he would be interested in selling the building. My Dad paused for a moment and then told the man that he would consider selling it to the church before he would consider selling it to anyone else. Well, a short time later (maybe a month or so), my parents received a letter in the mail informing them that our property, (along with a few other apartments surrounding us), was going to be purchased by the church in order to build their new school building. It was at this point that my parents realized who that man was that approached our Dad that day asking if he would consider selling our apartment building. Although cities buy up property all the time in order to create highways or to make other changes, in my humble opinion that was not a very honest or Christ-like way for leaders of a church to go about demanding requesting to purchase someone’s home.
We were given approximately nine months to vacate the premises which wasn’t very much time at all considering that we not only had to find a place to live but also we had to pack up all of our belongings! When the time was up we were forced to leave even though we still had some of our things inside. It was mid November. My parents, along with my three sisters, one brother and I, stood across the street and watched as the wrecking ball came crashing through the walls. I remember my dear Mom, four months pregnant at the time with number six, looking on and expressing the deep sorrow that was within her heart. Thankfully we had already found a new place to live, but the church did not pay us near the amount of money that our apartment building was worth. For a church to force out families from their homes in order to build an extravagant new school — complete with wall to wall carpeting and central air — was not done for the common good of all concerned, but only for the good of those who ran this particular Catholic church and the people who were a part of this parish. None of us became bitter from what we experienced, because we never would have met the wonderful people that came into our lives after moving from that area if we had stayed there.
In the following video, former Roman Catholic priest of twenty-two years, the late Richard Bennett, presents God’s view of wealth and human responsibility and the Roman Catholic’s view on economics. He also shares some of Pope Francis’ teachings on wealth that can be found in the Vatican’s official documents.
Below you will see a few quick captures of some quotes from the following video. I have highlighted the most troubling things in turquoise. which shockingly includes the approval of stealing to meet one’s needs and denying that it is thievery/robbery:
“Christian tradition has never recognized the right to private property as absolute and untouchable: On the contrary, it has always understood this right within the broader context of the right common to all to use the goods of the whole creation: the right to private property is subordinated to the right to common use, to the fact that goods are meant for everyone.” -Compendium Of The Social Doctrine Of The Church, Section 177
“In cases of need, all things are common property, so that there would seem to be no sin in taking another’s property, for need has made it common. …it is lawful for a man to succor his own need by means of another’s property by taking it either openly or secretly, nor is this, properly speaking, theft and robbery…” Thomas Aquinas, The Suma Theologica, 11-11, 7th article
This slideshow requires JavaScript.
RICHARD BENNETT – WORSE THAN MARX – POPE FRANCIS’ DOGMA ON ECONOMICS
NOTE: This is neither an endorsement of Paul Flynn of Megiddo Radio nor is it an endorsement of Richard Bennett. I have always had a deep respect for Richard Bennett and his ministry to reach precious Catholics, but I reject the Calvinism and Reformed Theology that he embraced. This video is solely for documentation purposes.
The teachings of the Catholic church may deny the right to private property, attempt to justify stealing, and emphasize mystical experiences, but the Word of God has this to say about these things, which includes the fact that although God does desire for us to help those who are in need, He is not against people owning property/private possessions:
“But there was a man names Ananias, whose wife was named Sapphira. He sold some property that belonged to them, but kept part of the money for himself, as his wife knew, and turned the rest over to the apostles. Peter said to him, “Ananias, why did you let Satan take control of your heart and make you lie to the Holy Spirit by keeping part of the money you received for the property? Before you sold the property it belonged to you, and after you sold it the money was yours. Why, then, did you decide in your heart that you would do such a thing? You have not lied to men–you have lied to God!” (Acts 5:1-4 – SHLCNT)
“Remember how it was with you in the past. In those days, after God’s light had shone on you, you suffered many things, yet were not defeated by the struggle. You were at times publicly insulted and mistreated, and at other times you were ready to join those who were being treated in this way. You shared the sufferings of prisoners, and when all your belongings were seized you endured your loss gladly, because you knew that you still had for yourselves something much better, which would last forever.” (Hebrews 10:32-34 – SHLCNT)
Jesus Christ, Himself, said,
“The poor you will always have with you.” (Matthew 26:11, Mark 14:7)
From this verse alone we can see that the responsibility of Christians is not to eradicate poverty as the social gospel teaches. Instead we are to preach the good news of the Biblical gospel and urge people to be reconciled to God. (Matthew 28:19, Mark 16:15 2 Corinthians 5:19,20)
No matter what the Catholic church may say, to take something that belongs to someone else — even if one is in need — is called stealing, and it is clearly a sin.
“Thou shalt not steal. Thou shalt not covet thy neighbour’s house: neither shalt thou desire his wife, nor his servant, nor his handmaid, nor his ox, nor his ass, nor any thing that is his.” (Exodus 20:15, 17 – Douay-Rheims Catholic Bible Version)
“Thou shalt not covet thy neighbour’s wife: nor his house, nor his field, nor his manservant, nor his maidservant, nor his ox, nor his ass, nor any thing that is his.” (Deuteronomy 5:21 – Douay-Rheims Catholic Bible Version)
“They see vain things, and they foretell lies, saying: The Lord saith: whereas the Lord hath not sent them: and they have persisted to confirm what they have said.” (Ezekiel 13:6 – Douay-Rheims Catholic Bible Version)
“The Spirit says clearly that some men will abandon the faith in later times; they will obey lying spirits and follow the teachings of demons.” (1 Timothy 4:1 – SHLCNT)
“I have to boast, even though it doesn’t do any good . But I will now talk about visions and revelations given me by the Lord I know a certain Christian man who fourteen years ago was snatched up to the highest heaven (I do not know whether this actually happened, or whether he had a vision–only God knows). I repeat, I know that this man was snatched to Paradise (again, I do not know whether this actually happened, or whether it was a vision–only God knows), and there he heard things which cannot be put into words, things that human lips may not speak.” (2 Corinthians 12:1-4 – SHLCNT)
“The Spirit says clearly that some men will abandon the faith in later times; they will obey lying spirits and follow the teachings of demons. These teachings come from the deceit of men who are liars, and whose consciences are dead, as if burnt with a hot iron.”(1 Timothy 4:1,2 – SHLCNT)
“My dear friends: do not believe all who claim to have the Spirit, but test them to find out if the spirit they have comes from God. For many false prophets have gone out everywhere.” (1 John 4:1 – SHLCNT)
“This is how you disregard God’s Word to follow your own teaching. You hypocrites! How right Isaiah was when he prophesied about you! “These people, says God, honor me with their words, but their heart is really far away from me. It is no use for them to worship me, because they teach man-made commandments as though they were God’s rules.” (Matthew 15:7-9 – SHLCNT)
“See to it, then, that no one makes a captive of you with the worthless deceit of human wisdom, which comes from the teachings handed down by men, and from the ruling spirits of the universe, and not from Christ.” (Colossians 2:8 – SHLCNT)
Dear Catholic, once again I present you with this question that ultimately you must give an answer to which will affect your eternal destination depending upon if you place your trust in Jesus Christ or in the Catholic church for the forgiveness of your sins:
Are you going to believe the Word of God –the Bible– or the word of man – Traditions of the Catholic church?”
Dear reader — no matter what your beliefs may be — I pray that you will realize the seriousness of this matter and seek God in His Word for the truth while there is still time for you to do so.
Thank you very much for stopping by today.
God Bless You
~Mary Dalke – Living4HisGlory
RELATED VIDEOS
RELATED ARTICLES
Below is a quick capture from Channel ABC 7 News article that follows. I just came across this article on Facebook that was published on Sunday, October 4, 2020 which clearly shows you a present day push towards socialism.
Lord willing, I am hoping to complete this series by the end of this year, or early January 2021. After taking time to divide up the remaining pages of the CCC that still need to be covered, it appears that there will only be five more sections to go through. With God’s help, and if time permits, this can be accomplished! When this series is finally finished, Lord willing, I hope to then be able to complete the series, Apparitions Of The Virgin Mary Or Demons In Disguise – Examining The Evidence In Light Of Scripture.
There are two very important reasons why I felt compelled to write this series of posts, and I’d like to briefly share these reasons with you now before I go any further:
1) Since I am a former Catholic who is very aware of the teachings of the Catholic Church because I attended twelve years of Catholic school, attended Catechism classes, made my First Holy Communion, was Confirmed, and faithfully attended Mass not only every Sunday for many years, but also before school began for three years (as required by the school that I attended at the time), and who came to the knowledge of who Jesus Christ truly is and what He actually accomplished for us by reading a Catholic New Testament Bible exactly like the one pictured above, I decided to write this series with the hope of reaching precious Catholics so that they can not only come to an understanding of who Jesus Christ truly is as His Word, the Bible, declares Him to be, but also so they can see by reading God’s Word that they can have complete forgiveness, lasting joy, true peace, and the assurance of salvation if they choose to believe God’s Word and place their trust in Jesus Christ alone for their salvation. Also, since many Catholics do not realize everything that the Catholic church actually teaches (as I once did not realize until after doing research and reading the CCC), I thought that it was extremely important to share this information to make Catholics aware of many things that are quite disturbing, as you will all soon become aware of as this series continues.
2) This series of posts is also being written with the intention of helping those of you who are born-again, Bible believing followers of Jesus Christ who have no idea of what the teachings of Catholicism are so that you can become aware of their teachings and be prepared to offer hope and assurance of salvation through Jesus Christ to Catholics based solely upon the truth that is recorded in God’s Word.
As we continue on in this series together comparing Scriptures in the Catholic New Testament to teachings found in the Catechism of the Catholic Church, we must keep these important thoughts in mind:
When it comes to our eternal destination — heaven or hell — we must be certain that we place our trust in solid truth and not in speculation or in the traditions of men. The Catholic church claims to be the “one true Church.” Therefore, it stands to reason that their teachings must line up with God’s Word and not contradict it since God does not change (Malachi 3:6, James 1:17, Hebrews 13:8), and His Word stands firm forever. (Psalm 119:89, Isaiah 40:8, 1 Peter 1:24,25) If a contradiction is found it must be rejected because God’s Word is our plumb line by which we must measure (or test) the teachings of every religion to see if it lines up or not. If it is off in one point we can be certain that it will lead us further and further away from Biblical truth and lead us into spiritual deception.
This series will cover many different subjects ranging from what does the Catholic Church teach about the Bible, Jesus Christ, the Virgin Mary, priests, the pope, sin, forgiveness of sins, salvation, prayer, and what must a Catholic believe in order to receive eternal life. Some of these teachings will shock even many Catholics when they learn what their church actually teaches!
Lord willing, I hope to share at least one post every month with you in this new series until I have covered all the most important teachings that need to be brought to your attention. The main goal that I have in writing this series is to present the Word of God to Catholics — and to every person — in order to point everyone to Jesus Christ, who is our only hope and ‘the only name under heaven given among men by which we can be saved.’ (Acts 4:12)
Dear Catholic, please take a minute now to sincerely pray; ask God to open your mind to the Scriptures and to reveal the truth to you –whatever that may be.
Because only God can reveal the truth to you, I will refrain from making any comments unless I find it completely necessary. Since God’s Word is truth I trust that He will not only give you eyes to see the truth, but also I trust that He will give you the courage to respond to His leading. However, each one of you will find yourself having to answer this question when you come to many points that I present to you in these posts after realizing that there are oftentimes extreme differences between what the Word of God says and what Catholicism teaches, and the question that you will have to answer is:
“Are you going to believe the Word of God, or the word of man?”
For those of you who are not Catholic, and are taking the time to read these posts in order to learn what Catholicism actually teaches, please keep in mind that every time you see the word “church” spelled with a capital c they are referring to the Catholic church, since they believe that the “Catholic Church” alone is the “one true Church.”All of the information that I will be sharing with you I have obtained from the following sources:
1) CATECHISM OF THE CATHOLIC CHURCH (pictured above) – Imprimi Potest – Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger (who later became Pope Benedict) – Interdicasterial Commission for the Catechism of the Catholic Church
2) THE WORD OF GOD – THE NEW TESTAMENT OF OUR LORD AND SAVIOR IN TODAY’S ENGLISH VERSION – SACRED HEART LEAGUE EDITION – IMPRIMATUR JOHN FRANCIS WHEALON, ARCHBISHOP OF HARTFORD, APRIL 15, 1971 SIGNED AND SEALED BY BISHOP JOSEPH B. BRUNINI, DIOCESE OF JACKSON, MISSISSIPPI
3) Occasionally when I share a Scripture with you from the Sacred Heart League (SHL) Catholic New Testament and notice that it lacks depth and clarity, I will then follow it with the same verse but in the King James Version in order to give you a better understanding of what is being said, and so that you can see what is missing from the SHL translation.
4) Very briefly in this series, when it is necessary to quote from the Old Testament, I will also be quoting from THE CATHOLIC DOUAY RHEIMS VERSION OF THE BIBLE – in which you will find the following statements:
“EXCERPT FROM ENCYCLICAL LETTER OF OUR HOLY FATHER BY DIVINE PROVIDENCE POPE LEO XIII ON THE STUDY OF HOLY SCRIPTURE:
“The God of all Providence, Who in the adorable designs of His love at first elevated the human race to the participation of the Divine nature, and afterwards delivered it from the universal guilt and ruin, restoring it to its primitive dignity, has in consequence bestowed upon man a splendid gift and safeguard–making known to him, by supernatural means, the hidden Mysteries of His divinity, His wisdom, and His mercy. For although in Divine revelations there are contained some things which are not beyond the reach of unassisted reason, and which are made the objects of such revelation in order “that all may come to know them with facility, certainty, and safety from error, yet not on this account can supernatural Revelation be said to be absolutely necessary; it is only necessary because God has ordained man to a supernatural end.” This supernatural revelation according to the belief of the universal Church, is contained both in unwritten Tradition, and in written Books, which are therefore called sacred and canonical because, “being written under the inspiration of the Holy Ghost, they have God for their author, and as such have been delivered to the Church.” (Page ix)
“Wherefore it must be recognised that the sacred writings are wrapt in a certain religious obscurity, and that no one can enter into their interior without a guide; God so disposing, as the Holy Fathers commonly teach, in order that men may investigate them with greater ardour and earnestness, and that what is attained with difficulty may sink more deeply into the mind and heart; and, most of all that they may understand that God has delivered the Holy Scriptures to the Church, and that in reading and making use of His Word, they must follow the Church as their guide and their teacher. St. Irenaeus long since laid down, that where the charismata of God were, there the truth was to be learnt, and that Holy Scripture was safely interpreted by those who had the Apostolic succession. His teaching, and that of other Holy Fathers, is taken up by the Council of the Vatican, which, in the renewing of the decree of Trent, declares its “mind” to be this–that “in things of faith and morals, belonging to the building up of Christian doctrine, that is to be considered the true sense of Holy Scripture which has been held and is held by our Holy Mother the Church whose place it is to judge of the true sense and interpretation of the Scriptures; and therefore that it is permitted to no one to interpret Holy Scripture against such sense or also against the unanimous agreement of the Fathers.” (Page xvii)
“Wherefore the first and dearest object of the Catholic commentator should be to interpret those passages which have received an authentic interpretation either by the sacred writers themselves, under the inspiration of the Holy Ghost (as in many places of the New Testament), or from the Church, under the assistance of the same Holy Spirit, whether by her solemn judgment or her ordinary and universal magisterium –to interpret those passages in that identical sense, and to prove, by all the resources of science that sound hermeneutical laws admit of no other interpretation. In the other passages, the analogy of faith should be followed, and Catholic doctrine, as authoritatively proposed by the Church, should be held as the supreme law; for seeing that the same God is the author both of the Sacred Books and of the doctrine committed to the Church, it is clearly impossible that any teaching can by legitimate means be extracted from the former, which shall in any respect be at variance with the latter. Hence it follows that all interpretation is foolish and false which either makes the sacred writers disagree one with another, or is opposed to the doctrine of the Church.” (Page xviii)
“For although the studies of non-Catholics, used with prudence, may sometimes be of use to the Catholic student, he should nevertheless, bear well in mind–as the Fathers also teach in numerous passages –that the sense of Holy Scripture can nowhere be found incorrupt outside of the Church, and cannot be expected to be found in writers who, being without the true faith, only gnaw the bark of the Sacred Scripture and never attain its pith.” (Page xix)
[As I have mentioned in some previous posts in this series, in order to get this entire series finished in a timely manner, from now on I will be trying to keep my comments very brief and will mainly be making them in the introduction and closing sections of these posts. I will, however, continue to keep the focus on Scripture which is where it should be. I am also trying very hard (but not succeeding) to limit these posts to no more than 5000 words which makes it rather difficult sometimes. For those of you who have busy schedules and do not have the time to read lengthy posts, I will continue to highlight just some of the many troubling things in turquoise, the extremely troubling things I will highlight in red, and anything that is Biblical I will highlight in blue in order to quickly bring these things to your attention.]
INTRODUCTION TO PART 16
Part 16 will focus on The Sacrament of Extreme Unction/Anointing of the Sick as well as the Sacrament of Holy Orders/Priesthood. We will begin on page 417 and go all the way through until the first half of page 446 of the Catechism Of The Catholic Church.
Again, I want to remind you that grace, as taught by the Catholic Church, is something that can be received through their sacramental system and lost as a result of sin. Grace, according to the Bible, however, is unmerited favor; something given freely and not earned. It’s like the grace period extended to someone in certain business transactions, or the grace period given to someone who didn’t return their library book by the date that it was due, but returned it within the time allowed before a fine was required to be paid.
Let’s begin with some Scriptures so that you can keep the truth of God’s Word in your mind (especially regarding what God has to say in the New Testament about priests and sacrifices and how because of what Jesus Christ has already accomplished for us through His once for all sacrifice we can now come directly before God the Father through Jesus Christ, the Son) while you are reading through Part 16 of this series in which we are comparing Scriptures in a Catholic New Testament to many teachings that can be found in the Catechism of the Catholic Church.
These Scriptures are taken from:
THE WORD OF GOD THE NEW TESTAMENT OF OUR LORD AND SAVIOR IN TODAY’S ENGLISH VERSION – SACRED HEART LEAGUE EDITION
Imprimatur: John Francis Whealon, S.T.L., S.S.L
Archbishop of Hartford
April 15, 1971
“So then, my brothers, because of God’s great mercy to us, I make this appeal to you: Offer yourselves as a living sacrifice to God, dedicated to his service and pleasing to him. This is the true worship that you should offer.” (Romans 12:1)
“When anyone is joined to Christ he is a new being; the old is gone, the new has come. All this is done by God, who through Christ changed us from enemies into his friends, and gave us the task of making others his friends also. Our message is that God was making friends of all men through Christ. God did not keep an account of their sins against them, and he has given us the message of how he makes them his friends. Here we are, then, speaking for Christ, as though God himself were appealing to you through us: on Christ’s behalf, we beg you, let God change you from enemies to friends” (2 Corinthians 5:17-20)
“Come to the Lord, the living stone, rejected as worthless by men, but chosen as valuable by God. Come as living stones, and let yourselves be used in building the spiritual temple, where you will serve as holy priests to offer spiritual and acceptable sacrifices to God through Jesus Christ. For the Scripture says,
“I chose a valuable stone, which now I place for the cornerstone in Zion; and whoever believes in him will never be disappointed.”
This stone is of great value for you that believe, but for those who do not believe:
The very stone which the builders rejected turned out to be the most important stone.”(1 Peter 2:4-7)
“But you are the chosen race, the King’s priests, the holy nation, God’s own people, chosen to proclaim the wonderful acts of God, who called you from the darkness into his own marvelous light.” (1 Peter 2:9)
“In union with him, and through our faith in him, we have the freedom to enter into God’s presence with all confidence.” (Ephesians 3:12)
“Here, then, is my receipt for everything you have given me–and it has been more than enough! I have all I need, now that Epaphroditus has brought me all your gifts. These are like a sweet smelling offering to God, a sacrifice which is acceptable and pleasing to him.”(Philippians 4:18)
“See to it, then, that no one makes a captive of you with the worthless deceit of human wisdom, which comes from the teachings handed down by men, and from the ruling spirits of the universe, and not from Christ. For the full content of divine nature lives in Christ, in his humanity, and you have been given full life in union with him. He is supreme over every spiritual ruler and authority. In union with him you were circumcised, not with the circumcision that is made by men, but with Christ’s own circumcision, which consists of being freed from the power of this sinful body. For when you were baptized, you were buried with Christ, and in baptism you were also raised with Christ through your faith in the active power of God, who raised him from death. You were at one time spiritually dead because of your sins, and because you were Gentiles without the Law. But God has now brought you to life with Christ; God forgave us all our sins. He cancelled the unfavorable record of our debts, with its binding rules, and did away with it completely by nailing it to the cross. And on that cross Christ freed himself from the power of the spiritual rulers and authorities; he made a public spectacle of them by leading them as captives in his victory procession. ” (Colossians 2:8-15)
“Let us, then, hold firmly to the faith we profess. For we have a great high priest who has gone into the very presence of God–Jesus, the Son of God. Our high priest is not one who cannot feel sympathy with our weaknesses. On the contrary, we have a high priest who was tempted in every way that we are, but did not sin. Let us be brave, then, and come forward to God’s throne, where there is grace. There we will receive mercy and find grace to help us just when we need it.” (Hebrews 4:14-16)
Now let’s begin Part 16:
ARTICLE 5.
THE ANOINTING OF THE SICK
I. ITS FOUNDATION IN THE ECONOMY OF SALVATION
Heal the sick…”
Para 1505
On the cross Christ took upon himself the whole weight of evil and took away the “sin of the world,”(112) of which illness is only a consequence. By his passion and death on the cross, Christ has given a new meaning to suffering: it can henceforth configure us to him and unite us with his redemptive Passion.
Para 1509
“Heal the sick!”(120) The Church has received this charge from the Lord and strives to carry it out by taking care of the sick as well as by accompanying them with her prayer of intercession. She believes in the life-giving presence of Christ, the physician of souls and bodies. This presence is particularly active through the sacraments, and in an all together special way through the Eucharist, the bread that gives eternal life and that St. Paul suggests is connected with bodily health. (120 – Mt. 10:8) (121 – Cf. Jn. 6:, 58, 1 Cor. 11:30.)
IV. THE EFFECTS OF THE CELEBRATION OF THIS SACRAMENT
Para 1521
Union with the passion of Christ. By the grace of this sacrament the sick person receives the strength and the gift of uniting himself more closely to Christ’s Passion: in a certain way he is consecrated to bear fruit by configuration to the Savior’s redemptive Passion. Suffering, a consequence of original sin, acquires a new meaning; it becomes a participation in the saving work of Jesus.
Para 1522
An ecclesial grace. The sick who receive this sacrament “by freely uniting themselves to the passion and death of Christ” “contribute to the good of the People of God.” (137) By celebrating this sacrament the Church, in the communion of saints, intercedes for the benefit of the person, and he, for his part, through the grace of this sacrament, contributes to the sanctification of the Church and to the good of all men for whom the Church suffers and offers herself through Christ to God the Father. (137 – LG 11 § 2)
Para 1523
A preparation for the final journey The anointing of the sick completes our conformity to the death and Resurrection of Christ, just as Baptism began it. It completes the holy anointings that mark the whole Christian life: that of Baptism which sealed the new life in us, and that of Confirmation which strengthened us for the combat of this life. This last anointing fortifies the end of our earthly life like a solid rampart for the final struggles before entering the Father’s house. (139 – Council of Trent (1551): DS 1694.)
V. VIATICUM, THE LAST SACRAMENT OF THE CHRISTIAN
Para 1524
In addition to the Anointing of the Sick, the Church offers those who are about to leave this life the Eucharist as viaticum. [Note: Viaticum – Last Communion received near death, the literal meaning of the word “travel.” Source – Wiki
ARTICLE 6
THE SACRAMENT OF HOLY ORDERS
Para 1536
Holy Orders is the sacrament through which the mission entrusted by Christ to his apostles continues to be exercised in the Church until the end of time: thus it is the sacrament of apostolic ministry.
II. THE SACRAMENT OF HOLY ORDERS IN THE ECONOMY OF SALVATION
The priesthood of the Old Covenant
Para 1539
A special rite consecrated the beginnings of the priesthood of the Old Covenant. The priests “are appointed to act on behalf of men in relation to God, to offer gifts and sacrifices for sins.”(8 – Heb. 5:1; cf. Ex 29:1-30; Lev 8.)
Para 1545
The redemptive sacrifice of Christ is unique, accomplished once for all;yet it is made present in the Eucharistic sacrifice of the Church. The same is true of the one priesthood of Christ; it is made present through the ministerial priesthood without diminishing the uniqueness of Christ’s priesthood: “Only Christ is the true priest, the others being only his ministers.”(19 – St. Thomas Aquinas, Hebrews 8, 4.)
In the person of Christ the head
Para 1548
In the ecclesial service of the ordained minister, it is Christ himself who is present to his Church as Head of his Body, Shepherd of his flock, high priest of the redemptive sacrifice, Teacher of Truth. This is what the Church means by saying that the priest, by virtue of the sacrament of Holy Orders, acts in persona Christi Capitis:(23 – Cf. LG 10; 28; SC 33 CD 11; PO 2; 6)
It is the same priest, Christ Jesus, whose sacred person his minister truly represents. Now the minister, by reason of the sacerdotal consecration which he has received, is truly made like to the high priest and possesses the authority to act in the power and place of the person of Christ himself (virtute ac persona ipsius Christi).(24 – Pope Pius XII, encyclical Mediator Dei: AAS, 39 (1947) 548.)
Christ is the source of all priesthood: the priest of the old law was a figure of Christ, and the priest of the new law acts in the person of Christ.(25 – St. Thomas Aquinas STh III. 22, 4c.)
Para 1549
In the beautiful expression of St. Ignatius of Antioch, the bishop is typos tou Patros:he is like the living image of God the Father. (27 – St. Ignatius of Antioch, Ad. Trall. 3, 1: SCh 10, 96; cf. Ad Magn. 6, 1: SCh 10, 82-84.)
Para 1550
This presence of Christ in the minister is not to be understood as if the the latter were preserved from all human weaknesses, the spirit of domination, error, even sin.
III. THE THREE DEGREES OF THE SACRAMENT OF HOLY ORDERS
Para 1554
Let everyone revere the deacons as Jesus Christ, the bishop as the image of the Father, and the presbyters as the senate of God and the assembly of the apostles. For without them one cannot speak of the Church.(33 – St. Ignatius of Antioch, Ad Trall 3, 1: SCh 10, 96.)
Para 1566
“It is the Eucharist cult or in the Eucharistic assembly of the faithful (synaxis) that they exercise in a supreme degree their sacred office; there, acting in the person of Christ and proclaiming his mystery, they unite the votive offerings of the faithful to the sacrifice of Christ their head, and in the sacrifice of the Mass they make present again and apply, until the coming of the Lord, the unique sacrifice of the New Testament, that namely of Christ offering himself once for all a spotless victim to the Father.”(49) From this unique sacrifice their whole priestly ministry draws its strength.(50) (49 – LG 28; cf. 1 Cor. 11:26.) (50 – Cf. PO 2.)
Para 1567
The promise of obedience they make to the bishop at the moment of ordination and the kiss of peace from him at the end of the ordination liturgy means that the bishop considers them his co-workers, his sons, his brothers and his friends, and that they in return owe him love and obedience.
VII. THE EFFECTS OF THE SACRAMENT OF HOLY ORDERS
The grace of the Holy Spirit
Para 1588
With regard to deacons, “strengthened by sacramental grace, they are dedicated to the People of God, in conjunction with the bishop and his body of priests, in the service of the liturgy, of the Gospel, and of works of charity.”(81 – LG 29.)
Para 1589
[Who then is the priest? He is] the defender of truth, who stands with angels, gives glory with archangels, causes sacrifices to rise to the al-tar on high, shares Christ’s priesthood, refashions creation, restores it in God’s image, recreates it for the world on high and, even greater, is divinized and divinizes. (82) And the holy Curé of Ars: “The priest continues the work of redemption on earth…If we really understood the priest on earth, we would die not of fright but of love…The Priesthood is the love of the heart of Jesus.” (83) (82 -St. Gregory of Nazianzus, Oratio 2, 71, 74, 73: PG 35, 480-481.) (83 – St. John Vianney, quoted in B. Nodet, Jean-Marie Vianney, Curé de’ Ars, 100.)
CLOSING COMMENTS:
Regarding the sacrament of Extreme Unction/Anointing of the Sick:
Yes, God’s Word does tell us in James 5:14:
“Is there anyone who is sick? He should call the church elders, who will pray for him and rub oil on him in the name of the Lord.” (SHLCNT)
However, it is completely blasphemous for the Catholic Church to say that our physical suffering:
“…becomes a participation in the saving work of Jesus.” (CCC Para 1521 – See further above for full context).
This is adding to the already completely sufficient work of Jesus Christ’s once for all sacrifice and thus presenting a false gospel and robbing Jesus Christ of the glory due to Him and to Him alone for all that He accomplished to pay the debt for every single one of our sins!
Regarding priests:
Dear Catholic, priests were needed in the Old Testament in order to offer sacrifices for their own sins and for the sins of the people. (Please read through the Book of Hebrews). They would mediate between a holy God and sinful mankind. However, if you took the time to read the Scriptures that we opened up this post with, then you should now realize that those who choose to put their faith and trust in the once for all sacrifice of Jesus Christ (when He willingly went to the cross and bore the full wrath of God, His Father, that we deserve for our sins, died in our place, was buried, and arose from the dead three days later), are now considered to be priests.
The wall of sin that separated us from a thrice holy God was removed and we can now enter in before His very throne; there is no need for any more sacrifices, thus no need for priests! The only sacrifices that are spoken of in the New Testament are spiritual sacrifices and the sacrifice of praise that we offer to God who is so worthy to be praised!! (Hebrews 13:15) If this truth becomes as clear to you as it became to me, then the need for the Sacrifice of the Mass as well as the sacramental system of the Catholic church should crumble before your very eyes as you come to realize all that Jesus Christ accomplished for you and for me to provide for our salvation!
Jesus Christ is neither a babe in the arms of Mary as He is often depicted in Catholic art, nor is He a victim as the Catholic Church refers to Him during the Sacrifice of the Mass and in the Catechism of the Catholic Church! He is in fact the Victor over sin and death and He is seated at the right hand of God, the Father, in heaven and He also intercedes for us! (Mark 16:19, Acts 2:33, Colossians 3:1, 1 Peter 3:22, Romans 8:34). To say that the bread and wine literally becomes the body, blood, soul, and divinity of Jesus Christ (CCC Para 1374) as the priest says the words over the host, and that the Eucharist is an actual sacrifice (Para 1365, Para 1366) that is truly propitiatory (CCC Para 1367), is to deny the sufficiency of His once for all sacrifice! Dear Catholic, once again I pose this question to you that you must answer before God:
“Are you going to believe the Word of God (The Bible), or the word of man (Catholic Tradition)?”
Your eternal destination truly does depend upon whom you place your trust in; will you place your trust in Jesus Christ alone for the forgiveness of your sins? Or will you choose to reject the truth that is so clearly revealed in Scripture and continue to cling to those teachings of the Catholic Church that contradict the truth of God’s Word? The choice is yours to make. I pray that you will choose to place your trust in Jesus Christ and that you will take the time to not only read and study His Word, but I pray that you will also take the time to test everything that you have ever been taught (during the many years that you have been a Catholic) against the truth of God’s Word and seek God for the truth! If you choose to place your trust in Jesus Christ alone, by the truth revealed in God’s Word I promise you that you will find true forgiveness and assurance of heaven as well as His joy, peace, and strength to help you face whatever heartache or trial that may come your way as you walk down this road called life.
There are two very important reasons why I felt compelled to write this series of posts, and I’d like to briefly share these reasons with you now before I go any further:
1) Since I am a former Catholic who is very aware of the teachings of the Catholic Church because I attended twelve years of Catholic school, attended Catechism classes, made my First Holy Communion, was Confirmed, and faithfully attended Mass not only every Sunday for many years, but also before school began for three years (as required by the school that I attended at the time), and who came to the knowledge of who Jesus Christ truly is and what He actually accomplished for us by reading a Catholic New Testament Bible exactly like the one pictured above, I decided to write this series with the hope of reaching precious Catholics so that they can not only come to an understanding of who Jesus Christ truly is as His Word, the Bible, declares Him to be, but also so they can see by reading God’s Word that they can have complete forgiveness, lasting joy, true peace, and the assurance of salvation if they choose to believe God’s Word and place their trust in Jesus Christ alone for their salvation. Also, since many Catholics do not realize everything that the Catholic church actually teaches (as I once did not realize until after doing research and reading the CCC), I thought that it was extremely important to share this information to make Catholics aware of many things that are quite disturbing, as you will all soon become aware of as this series continues.
2) This series of posts is also being written with the intention of helping those of you who are born-again, Bible believing followers of Jesus Christ who have no idea of what the teachings of Catholicism are so that you can become aware of their teachings and be prepared to offer hope and assurance of salvation through Jesus Christ to Catholics based solely upon the truth that is recorded in God’s Word.
As we continue on in this series together comparing Scriptures in the Catholic New Testament to teachings found in the Catechism of the Catholic Church, we must keep these important thoughts in mind:
When it comes to our eternal destination — heaven or hell — we must be certain that we place our trust in solid truth and not in speculation or in the traditions of men. The Catholic church claims to be the “one true Church.” Therefore, it stands to reason that their teachings must line up with God’s Word and not contradict it since God does not change (Malachi 3:6, James 1:17, Hebrews 13:8), and His Word stands firm forever. (Psalm 119:89, Isaiah 40:8, 1 Peter 1:24,25) If a contradiction is found it must be rejected because God’s Word is our plumb line by which we must measure (or test) the teachings of every religion to see if it lines up or not. If it is off in one point we can be certain that it will lead us further and further away from Biblical truth and lead us into spiritual deception.
This series will cover many different subjects ranging from what does the Catholic Church teach about the Bible, Jesus Christ, the Virgin Mary, priests, the pope, sin, forgiveness of sins, salvation, prayer, and what must a Catholic believe in order to receive eternal life. Some of these teachings will shock even many Catholics when they learn what their church actually teaches!
Lord willing, I hope to share at least one post every month with you in this new series until I have covered all the most important teachings that need to be brought to your attention. The main goal that I have in writing this series is to present the Word of God to Catholics — and to every person — in order to point everyone to Jesus Christ, who is our only hope and ‘the only name under heaven given among men by which we can be saved.’ (Acts 4:12)
Dear Catholic, please take a minute now to sincerely pray; ask God to open your mind to the Scriptures and to reveal the truth to you –whatever that may be.
Because only God can reveal the truth to you, I will refrain from making any comments unless I find it completely necessary. Since God’s Word is truth I trust that He will not only give you eyes to see the truth, but also I trust that He will give you the courage to respond to His leading. However, each one of you will find yourself having to answer this question when you come to many points that I present to you in these posts after realizing that there are oftentimes extreme differences between what the Word of God says and what Catholicism teaches, and the question that you will have to answer is:
“Are you going to believe the Word of God, or the word of man?”
For those of you who are not Catholic, and are taking the time to read these posts in order to learn what Catholicism actually teaches, please keep in mind that every time you see the word “church” spelled with a capital c they are referring to the Catholic church, since they believe that the “Catholic Church” alone is the “one true Church.”All of the information that I will be sharing with you I have obtained from the following sources:
1) CATECHISM OF THE CATHOLIC CHURCH (pictured above) – Imprimi Potest – Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger (who later became Pope Benedict) – Interdicasterial Commission for the Catechism of the Catholic Church
2) THE WORD OF GOD – THE NEW TESTAMENT OF OUR LORD AND SAVIOR IN TODAY’S ENGLISH VERSION – SACRED HEART LEAGUE EDITION – IMPRIMATUR JOHN FRANCIS WHEALON, ARCHBISHOP OF HARTFORD, APRIL 15, 1971 SIGNED AND SEALED BY BISHOP JOSEPH B. BRUNINI, DIOCESE OF JACKSON, MISSISSIPPI
3) Occasionally when I share a Scripture with you from the Sacred Heart League (SHL) Catholic New Testament and notice that it lacks depth and clarity, I will then follow it with the same verse but in the King James Version in order to give you a better understanding of what is being said, and so that you can see what is missing from the SHL translation.
4) Very briefly in this series, I will also be quoting from THE CATHOLIC DOUAY RHEIMS VERSION OF THE BIBLE – in which you will find the following statements:
“EXCERPT FROM ENCYCLICAL LETTER OF OUR HOLY FATHER BY DIVINE PROVIDENCE POPE LEO XIII ON THE STUDY OF HOLY SCRIPTURE:
“The God of all Providence, Who in the adorable designs of His love at first elevated the human race to the participation of the Divine nature, and afterwards delivered it from the universal guilt and ruin, restoring it to its primitive dignity, has in consequence bestowed upon man a splendid gift and safeguard–making known to him, by supernatural means, the hidden Mysteries of His divinity, His wisdom, and His mercy. For although in Divine revelations there are contained some things which are not beyond the reach of unassisted reason, and which are made the objects of such revelation in order “that all may come to know them with facility, certainty, and safety from error, yet not on this account can supernatural Revelation be said to be absolutely necessary; it is only necessary because God has ordained man to a supernatural end.” This supernatural revelation according to the belief of the universal Church, is contained both in unwritten Tradition, and in written Books, which are therefore called sacred and canonical because, “being written under the inspiration of the Holy Ghost, they have God for their author, and as such have been delivered to the Church.” (Page ix)
“Wherefore it must be recognised that the sacred writings are wrapt in a certain religious obscurity, and that no one can enter into their interior without a guide; God so disposing, as the Holy Fathers commonly teach, in order that men may investigate them with greater ardour and earnestness, and that what is attained with difficulty may sink more deeply into the mind and heart; and, most of all that they may understand that God has delivered the Holy Scriptures to the Church, and that in reading and making use of His Word, they must follow the Church as their guide and their teacher. St. Irenaeus long since laid down, that where the charismata of God were, there the truth was to be learnt, and that Holy Scripture was safely interpreted by those who had the Apostolic succession. His teaching, and that of other Holy Fathers, is taken up by the Council of the Vatican, which, in the renewing of the decree of Trent, declares its “mind” to be this–that “in things of faith and morals, belonging to the building up of Christian doctrine, that is to be considered the true sense of Holy Scripture which has been held and is held by our Holy Mother the Church whose place it is to judge of the true sense and interpretation of the Scriptures; and therefore that it is permitted to no one to interpret Holy Scripture against such sense or also against the unanimous agreement of the Fathers.” (Page xvii)
“Wherefore the first and dearest object of the Catholic commentator should be to interpret those passages which have received an authentic interpretation either by the sacred writers themselves, under the inspiration of the Holy Ghost (as in many places of the New Testament), or from the Church, under the assistance of the same Holy Spirit, whether by her solemn judgment or her ordinary and universal magisterium –to interpret those passages in that identical sense, and to prove, by all the resources of science that sound hermeneutical laws admit of no other interpretation. In the other passages, the analogy of faith should be followed, and Catholic doctrine, as authoritatively proposed by the Church, should be held as the supreme law; for seeing that the same God is the author both of the Sacred Books and of the doctrine committed to the Church, it is clearly impossible that any teaching can by legitimate means be extracted from the former, which shall in any respect be at variance with the latter. Hence it follows that all interpretation is foolish and false which either makes the sacred writers disagree one with another, or is opposed to the doctrine of the Church.” (Page xviii)
“For although the studies of non-Catholics, used with prudence, may sometimes be of use to the Catholic student, he should nevertheless, bear well in mind–as the Fathers also teach in numerous passages –that the sense of Holy Scripture can nowhere be found incorrupt outside of the Church, and cannot be expected to be found in writers who, being without the true faith, only gnaw the bark of the Sacred Scripture and never attain its pith.” (Page xix)
[As I have mentioned in some previous posts in this series, in order to get this entire series finished in a timely manner, from now on I will be trying to keep my comments very brief and will mainly be making them in the introduction and closing sections of these posts. I will, however, continue to keep the focus on Scripture which is where it should be. I am also trying very hard (but not succeeding) to limit these posts to no more than 5000 words which makes it rather difficult sometimes. For those of you who have busy schedules and do not have the time to read lengthy posts, I will continue to highlight just some of the many troubling things in turquoise, and anything that is Biblical I will highlight in blue in order to quickly bring these things to your attention.]
Part 15 will focus on The Sacrament of Penance and Reconciliation and cover pages 396 to the beginning portion of page 417.
First I would like to begin this post by sharing many Scriptures with you in order to make it very clear to you that on the basis of the truth of God’s Word we can have complete assurance of the forgiveness of sins because of everything that Jesus Christ has already done for us. There is no need for us to confess our sins to a priest or to anyone other than to God and God alone. If a person accepts the free gift of salvation paid with the precious blood of Jesus Christ, there is no punishment for sin that remains; Jesus Christ’s “once for all sacrifice” completely satisfied the just demands of a fully Holy God.
Even though the Catholic church does teach that Christ alone expiated our sins once for all (See below – Para 1460 in the CCC), their teachings of “purgatory,” “indulgences,” and “the Sacrifice of the Mass” nullify the truth of God’s Word by these “Traditions” (Matthew 15:3-9) of men that they put on the same level as Scripture. Sadly, many of the teachings that the Catholic church presents to precious Catholics do not allow them to discover the sufficiency of Jesus Christ’s “once for all” sacrifice. Instead they add man-made teachings to the truth of God’s Word, and the simplicity and joyously good news of the Biblical gospel remains hidden from them.
Keep the truth of the following Scriptures in mind as you take the time to read through Part 15 of this series in which we are continuing to compare Scriptures in a Catholic New Testament Bible to many teachings that can be found in the Catechism Of The Catholic Church not only to show precious Catholics the importance of testing what they are being taught in the Catholic church against the truth of God’s Holy Word, but also to inform Bible believing Christians what their precious Catholic friends believe because of what they are being taught:
“I am, I am he that blot out thy iniquities for my own sake, and I will not remember thy sins.” (Isaiah 43:25)
“I have blotted out thy iniquities as a cloud, and thy sins as a mist: return to me, for I have redeemed thee.” (Isaiah 44:22)
“You must not be called ‘Teacher,’ because you are all brothers of one another and have only one Teacher. And you must not call anyone here on earth ‘Father’ because you have only the one Father in heaven.” (Matthew 23:8,9)
“Jesus was preaching the message to them, when a paralyzed man, carried by four men, was brought to him. Because of the crowd, however, they could not get the man to Jesus. So they made a hole in the roof right above the place where Jesus was. When they had made an opening, they let the man down, lying on his mat. Jesus saw how much faith they had, and said to the paralyzed man, “My son, your sins are forgiven.” Some teachers of the Law who were sitting there, thought to themselves, “How does he dare talk against God like this? No man can forgive sins; only God can!” (Mark 2:2b-7, Luke 5:17-24 )
“Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life; whoever disobeys the Son will never have life, but God’s wrath will remain on him forever.” (John 3:36 – SHLCNT)
Now look at how the same verse above reads in the Catholic Douay-Rheims Version below. Note the troubling difference between the two translations, the SHLCNT version above translates it as “whoever disobeys the Son will never have life, whereas the Douay-Rheims version (along with many other versions), shows that if anyone chooses not to believe in the Son they do not have life, and God’s wrath remains upon them:
“He that believeth in the Son, hath life everlasting; but he that believeth not the Son, shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth on him.”
Continuing on with a few more verses that reveal God’s truth to us on these important eternal matters:
“A man who works is paid; his wages are not regarded as a gift, but as something that he has earned. But the man who has faith, not works, who believes in the God who declares the guilty to be innocent, it is his faith that God takes into account in order to put him right with himself. This is what David meant when he spoke of the happiness of the man whom God accepts as righteous, apart from any works:
“Happy are those whose wrongs God has forgiven, whose sins he has covered over! Happy is the man whose sins the Lord will not keep account of!” (Romans 4:4-8 – SHLCNT)
“He was given over to die because of our sins, and was raised to life to put us right with God.” (Romans 4:25 – SHLCNT)
“For when we were still helpless, Christ died for the wicked, at the time that God chose. It is a difficult thing for someone to die for a righteous person. It may be that someone might dare to die for a good person. But God has shown us how much he loves us; it was while we were still sinners that Christ died for us! By his death we are now put right with God; how much more, then, will we be saved by him from God’s wrath. We were God’s enemies, but he made us his friends through the death of his Son. Now that we are God’s friends, how much more will we be saved by Christ’s life! But that is not all; we rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, who has now made us God’s friends.” (Romans 5:6-11 – SHLCNT)
“And there is a difference between God’s gift and the sin of one man. After the one sin came the judgment of “Guilty”; but after so many sins comes the undeserved gift of “Not guilty!” It is true that through the sin of one man death began to rule, because of that one man. But how much greater is the result of what was done by the one man, Jesus Christ! All who receive God’s abundant grace and the free gift of his righteousness will rule in life through Christ. So then, as the one sin condemned all men, in the same way the one righteous act sets all men free and gives them life.”(Romans 5:16-18 – SHLCNT)
“Surely you know that the wicked will not receive God’s Kingdom. Do not fool yourselves; people who are immoral, or worship idols, or are adulterers, or homosexual perverts, or who rob, or are greedy, or are drunkards, or who slander others, or are thieves–none of these will receive God’s Kingdom. Some of you were like that. But you have been cleansed from sin; you have been dedicated to God; you have been put right with God through the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God.” (1 Corinthians 6:9-11 – SHLCNT)
“When anyone is joined to Christ he is a new being; the old has gone, the new has come. All this is done by God, who through Christ changed us from enemies into his friends, and gave us the task of making others his friends also. Our message is that God was making friends of all men through Christ. God did not keep an account of their sins against them, and he has given us the message of how he makes them his friends. Here we are, then, speaking for Christ, as though God himself were appealing to you through us: on Christ’s behalf, we beg you, let God change you from enemies into friends.”(2 Corinthians 5:17-20 – SHLCNT)
“God had already decided that through Jesus Christ he would bring us to himself as his sons–this was his pleasure and purpose. Let us praise God for his glorious grace, for the free gift he gave us in his dear Son! For by the death of Christ we are set free, that is, our sins are forgiven. How great is the grace of God, which he gave to us in such large measure!” (Ephesians 1:5-8a – SHLCNT)
“For there is one God, and there is one who brings God and men together, the man Christ Jesus, who gave himself to redeem all men.” (1 Timothy 2:5,6 – SHLCNT)
“For there is one God, and one mediator of God and men, the man Christ Jesus: Who gave himself a redemption for all, a testimony in due times. ” (1 Timothy 2:5,6 – Douay-Rheims)
“I write you this, my children, so that you will not sin; but if anyone does sin, we have Jesus Christ, the righteous, who pleads for us with the Father. And Christ himself is the means by which our sins are forgiven, and not our sins only, but also the sins of all men.” (1 John 2:1,2 – SHLCNT)
Now let‘s begin Part 15.
Please take a moment to pray, asking God for discernment before you begin reading:
CHAPTER TWO
THE SACRAMENTS OF HEALING
Para 1421
The Lord Jesus Christ, physician of our souls and bodies, who forgave the sins of the paralytic and restored him to bodily health,(3 – Cf. Mk 2:1-12) has willed that his Church continue, in the power of the Holy Spirit, his work of healing and salvation, even among her own members. This is the purpose of the two sacraments of healing: the sacrament of Penance and the sacrament of Anointing of the Sick.
ARTICLE 4
THE SACRAMENT OF PENANCE AND RECONCILIATION
Para 1422
Those who approach the sacrament of Penance obtain pardon from God’s mercy for the offense committed against him, and are, at the same time reconciled with the Church which they have wounded by their sins, and which by charity, by example, and by prayer labors for their conversion.” (4 – LG 11 § 2).
I. WHAT IS THE SACRAMENT CALLED?
Para 1424
It is called the sacrament of confession since the disclosure or confession of sins to a priest is an essential element of this sacrament.
It is called the sacrament of forgiveness, since by the priest’s sacramental absolution God grants the penitent “pardon and peace.”
V. THE MANY FORMS OF PENANCE IN CHRISTIAN LIFE
Para 1435
Conversion is accomplished in daily life by gestures of reconciliation, concern for the poor, the exercise and defense of justice and right, by the admission of faults to one’s brethren, fraternal correction, revision of life, examination of conscience, spiritual direction, acceptance of suffering, endurance of persecution for the sake of righteousness. Taking up one’s cross each day and following Jesus is the surest way of penance. (34 – Cf. Luke 9:23).
Para 1436
Eucharist and Penance.Daily conversion and penance find their source and nourishment in the Eucharist, for in it is made present the sacrifice of Christ which has reconciled us with God.Through the Eucharist those who live from the life of Christ are fed and strengthened. “It is a remedy to free us from our daily faults and preserve us from mortal sins.” (35 – Council of Trent (1551): DS 1638).
Para 1437
Reading Sacred Scriptures, praying the Liturgy of the Hours, and the Our Father–every sincere act of worship or devotion revives the spirit of conversion and repentance within us and contributes to the forgiveness of our sins.
VI. THE SACRAMENT OF PENANCE AND RECONCILIATION
Para 1440
Sin is before all else an offense against God, a rupture of communion with him. At the same time it damages communion with the Church. For this reason conversion entails both God’s forgiveness and reconciliation with the Church, which are expressed and accomplished liturgically by the sacrament of Penance and Reconciliation.(38 – Cf. LG 11).
Para 1445
Reconciliation with the Church is inseparable from reconciliation with God.
The sacrament of forgiveness
Para 1446
Christ instituted the sacrament of Penance for all sinful members of his Church: above all for those who, since Baptism, have fallen into grave sin, and have thus lost their baptismal grace and wounded ecclesial communion. It is to them that the sacrament of Penance offers a new possibility to convert and to recover the grace of justification. The Fathers of the Church present this sacrament as “the second plank [of salvation] after the shipwreck which is the loss of grace.”(47 – Terrtullian, De Paenit. 4, 2: PL 1, 1343; cf. Council of Trent (1547): DS 1542).
Para 1447
During the seventh century Irish missionaries, inspired by the Eastern monastic tradition, took to continental Europe the “private” practice of penance, which does not require public and prolonged completion of penitential works before reconciliation with the Church.
Para 1448
Beneath the changes in discipline and celebration that this sacrament has undergone over the centuries, the same fundamental structures is to be discerned. It comprises two equally essential elements; on the one hand, the acts of the man who undergoes conversion through the action of the Holy Spirit: namely, contrition, confession, and satisfaction; on the other, God’s action through the intervention of the Church. The Church, who through the bishop and his priests forgive sins in the name of Jesus Christ and determines the manner of satisfaction, also prays for the sinner and does penance with him. Thus the sinner is healed and re-established in ecclesial communion.
VII. THE ACTS OF THE PENITENT
Contrition
Para 1452
When it arises from a love by which God is loved above all else, contrition is called “perfect” (contrition of charity). Such contrition remits venial sin; it also obtains forgiveness of mortal sins if it includes the firm resolution to have recourse to sacramental confession as soon as possible. (51 – Cf. Council of Trent (1551): DS 1677).
The confession of sins
Para 1456
Confession to a priest is an essential part of the sacrament of Penance.
Para 1458
Without being strictly necessary, confession of every day faults (venial sins) is nevertheless is strongly recommended by the Church. (59 – Cf. Council of Trent: DS 1680; CIC, can. 988 § 2).
Satisfaction
Para 1459
But sin also injures and weakens the sinner himself, as well as his relationship with God and neighbor. Absolution takes away sin, but it does not remedy all the disorders sin has caused. (62) Raised up from sin, the sinner must still recover his full spiritual health by doing something more to make amends for the sin: he must “make satisfaction for” or “expiate” his sins. This satisfaction is also called “penance.” (62 – Cf. Council of Trent (1551): DS 1712).
Para 1460
It can consist of prayers, an offering, works of mercy, service of neighbors, voluntary self-denial, sacrifices, and above all the patient acceptance of the cross we must bear. Such penances help configure us to Christ, who alone expiated our sins once for all. They allow us to become co-heirs with the risen Christ, “provided we suffer with him.” (63 – Romans 8:17; Romans 3:25; 1 John 2:1-2; cf. Council of Trent (1551): DS 1690).
VIII. THE MINISTER OF THIS SACRAMENT
Para 1462
Forgiveness of sins brings reconciliation with God, but also with the [Catholic] Church. (67 – Cf. CIC, cann. 844; 967-969; 972; CCEO, can. 722 §§ 3-4). [NOTE: The word Catholic was inserted by me for clarification and to remind you that every time you see the word church used with a capital C, they are referring to the Catholic Church.]
IX. THE EFFECTS OF THIS SACRAMENT
Para 1468
“The whole power of the sacrament of Penance consists in restoring us to God’s grace and joining us with him in an intimate friendship.”(73 – Roman Catechism, II, V, 18).
Para 1469
This sacrament reconciles us with the Church.
Para 1470
In this sacrament, the sinner, placing himself before the merciful judgment of God, anticipates in a certain way the judgement to which he will be subjected at the end of his earthly life. For it is now, in this life, that we are offered the choice between life and death, and it is only by the road of conversion that we can enter the kingdom, from which one is excluded by grave sin. (79 – Cf. 1 Corin. 5:11; Gal 5:19-21; Rev 22:15). In converting to Christ through penance and faith, the sinner passes from death to life and “does not come under judgment.”(80 – Jn. 5:24).
X. INDULGENCES
Para 1471
The doctrine and practice of indulgences in the Church are closely linked to the effects of the sacrament of Penance.
What is an indulgence?
An indulgence is partial or plenary according as it removes either part or all of the temporal punishment due to sin.(82) The faithful can gain indulgences for themselves or apply them to the dead.* *(82 – CIC, can. 944.)
The punishment of sin
Para 1472
To understand this doctrine and practice of the Church, it is necessary to understand that sin has a double consequence. Grave sin deprives of communion with God and therefore makes us incapable of eternal life, the privation of which is called the “eternal punishment” of sin. On the other hand every sin, even venial entails an unhealthy attachment to creatures, which must be purified either here on earth, or after death in the state called Purgatory. This purification frees one from what is called the “temporal punishment” of sin. These two punishments must not be conceived of as a kind of vengeance inflicted by God from without, but as following from the very nature of sin. A conversion which proceeds from a fervent charity can attain the complete purification of the sinner in such a way that no punishment would remain.”(83 – Cf. Council of Trent (1551): DS 1712-1713; (1563): 1820).
Para 1473
The forgiveness of sin and restoration of communion with God entail the remission of the eternal punishment of sin, but temporal punishment of sin remains. While patiently bearing sufferings and trials of all kinds and, when the day comes, serenely facing death, the Christian must strive to accept this temporal punishment of sin as a grace. He should strive by works of mercy and charity, as well as by prayer and the various practices of penance, to put off completely the “old man” and to put on the “new man.” (84 – Eph. 4:22,24)
In the Communion of Saints
Para 1475
In the communion of saints “a perennial link of charity exists between the faithful who have already reached their heavenly home, those who are expiating their sins in purgatory and those who are still pilgrims on earth. Between them there is, too, an abundant exchange of all good things.” (86 – Indulgentiarum doctrina, 5). In this wonderful exchange, the holiness of one profits others, well beyond the harm that the sin of one could cause others. Thus recourse to the communion of saints lets the contrite sinner be more promptly and efficaciously purified of the punishment for sin.
Para 1476
We also call these spiritual goods of the communion of saints the Church’s treasury, which is not the sum total of the material goods which have accumulated during the course of the centuries. On the contrary the ‘treasury of the Church’ is the infinite value, which can never be exhausted , which Christ’s merits have before God. They were offered so that the whole of mankind could be set free from sin and attain communion with the Father. In Christ, the Redeemer himself, the satisfactions and merits of his Redemption exist and find their efficacy.” (87 – Indulgentiarum doctrina, 5).
Para 1477
“This treasury includes as well the prayers and good works of the Blessed Virgin Mary. They are truly immense, unfathomable, and even pristine in their value before God. In the treasure, too, are the prayers and good works of all the saints, all those who have followed in the footsteps of Christ the Lord and by his grace have made their lives holy and carried out the mission the Father entrusted to them. In this way they attained their own salvation and at the same time cooperated in saving their brothers in the unity of the Mystical Body.”(88 – Indulgentiarum doctrina, 5.)
Obtaining indulgence from God through the Church
Para 1478
An indulgence is obtained through the Church who, by virtue of the power of binding and loosing granted her by Christ Jesus, intervenes in favor of individual Christians and opens for them the treasury of the merits of Christ and the saints to obtain from the Father of mercies the remission of the temporal punishment due for their sins. Thus the Church does not want simply to come to the aid of these Christians, but also to spur them to works of devotion, penance, and charity. (89 – Cf. Indulgentiarum doctrina, 5).
Para 1479
Since the faithful departed now being purified are also members of the same communion of saints, one way we can help them is to obtain indulgences for them, so that the temporal punishment due for their sins may be remitted.
XI. THE CELEBRATION OF THE SACRAMENT OF PENANCE
Para 1480
Like all the sacraments, Penance is a liturgical action. The elements of the celebration are ordinarily these: a greeting and blessing from the priest, reading the word of God to illuminate the conscience and elicit contrition, and an exhortation to repentance; the confession, which acknowledges sins and makes them known to the priest; the imposition and acceptance of a penance; the priest’s absolution; a prayer of thanksgiving and praise and dismissal with the blessing of the priest.
Para 1491
The sacrament of Penance is a whole consisting in three actions of the penitent and the priest’s absolution. The penitent’s acts are repentance, confession or disclosure of sins to the priest, and the intention to make reparation and do works of reparation.
Para 1493
One who desires to obtain reconciliation with God and with the Church, must confess to a priest all the unconfessed grave sins he remembers after having carefully examined his conscience. The confession of venial faults, without being necessary in itself, is nevertheless strongly recommended by the Church.
Para 1495
Only priests who have received the faculty of absolving from the authority of the Church can forgive sins in the name of Christ.
Para 1496
The spiritual effects of the sacrament of Penance are:
–reconciliation with God by which the penitent recovers grace;
–reconciliation with the Church;
–remission of the eternal punishment incurred by mortal sins;
–remission, at least in part, of temporal punishments resulting from sin;
–peace and serenity of conscience, and spiritual consolation;
–an increase of spiritual strength for the Christian battle
Para 1497
Individual and integral confession of grave sins followed by absolution remains the only ordinary means of reconciliation with God and with the Church.
Para 1498
Through indulgences the faithful can obtain the remission of temporal punishment resulting from sin for themselves and also for the souls in Purgatory.
RELATED VIDEOS ALONG WITH A FEW MORE THOUGHTS
RICHARD BENNETT, FORMER CATHOLIC PRIEST
WALTER MARTIN, FORMER BAPTIST PASTOR AND FOUNDER OF THE ‘BIBLE ANSWER MAN’ RADIO PROGRAM
MORTAL AND VENIAL SIN
In Catholicism, sin is classified into two categories; mortal sin and venial sin. (You will hear a Catholic priest explain this in the video further below). As a young child I was taught that mortal sins are serious sins, such as murder, and venial sins are lesser sins, like fighting with your brothers and sisters, disobeying your parents, and lying. However, God’s Word makes it abundantly clear that all sin is mortal; the wages of sin is death (Romans 6:23). God’s Word also says that all liars will be thrown into the lake of fire –hell. (Revelation 21:8)
“Then the one who sits on the throne said, “And now I make all things new!” He also said to me, “Write this, because these words are true and can be trusted.” And he said, “It is done! I am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end. To anyone who is thirsty I will give a free drink of water from the spring of the water of life. Whoever wins the victory will receive this from me. I will be his God, and he will be my son. But the cowards, the traitors, and the perverts, the murderers, and the immoral, those who practice magic and those who worship idols, and all liars–the place for them is the lake burning with fire and sulfur, which is the second death.” (Revelation 21:5-8 – SHLCNT)
Regardless of how minor the sin may appear to us, or how horrific the sin may be, all sin separates us from a completely Holy God and all sin can be forgiven. There is no other way for any of us (Catholic, Protestant, Buddhist, Hindu, Jehovah Witness, Mormon, Muslim, etc., etc.), to be forgiven for our sins and to be reconciled with God except by coming to God the Father through Jesus Christ the Son — the second Person of the Trinity and only Mediator between sinful man and a thrice Holy God — and by receiving the free gift of eternal life by placing our full trust in all that Jesus Christ has already done for us. This is the only way that God has provided for us to be forgiven and to have a relationship with Him. We can neither receive forgiveness for sin by trusting in a sacramental system that is said to impart grace that can be lost again by committing more sin, nor can we receive or earn God’s forgiveness by doing good works or by going to Mass (or any church service). Only by choosing to place our full trust in the “once for all” sacrifice that Jesus Christ offered to God His Father when He willingly took upon Himself God’s full wrath that He has towards us because of our sins after He was nailed to the cross, died in our place, and arose from the dead in bodily form three days later, can we receive His forgiveness. Jesus Christ lived the perfect, sinless life that we could never live; He was the perfect, spotless Lamb of God who came to take away the sins of the world.
In the following video, this is some of what the priest has to say:
“Venial sin wounds our friendship with God. Mortal sins, as the name implies, deals to our souls a mortal wound. That is to say it destroys the life of grace in us. It ruptures our friendship with God, and, if we have the misfortune to die in a state of mortal sin, why then, we suffer eternal death in hell. Mortal sin is something we can’t simply stumble into by accident…”
‘Hey Father! What is the difference between venial and mortal sin?’
In the following video, Pastor Dan Carpenter answers a caller’s question. He addresses apostolic succession, do priests have the power to forgivesins (as the Catholic church teaches based on John 20:23), and is there any other mediator besides Jesus Christ:
In the following video this pastor makes an excellent point regarding John 20:23 by basically saying that if Jesus truly was giving the apostles the power to forgive sins, the context of this passage of Scripture clearly shows that the apostle Thomas wasn’t present that day, and Jesus certainly wouldn’t have done something so important as that when the apostles weren’t all together.
IN CLOSING:
So much more could be said, and I could share so many more Scriptures with you, but this post is now much longer than I had intended for it to be and I must bring it to a close. I can think of no better way to end this particular post than by sharing this powerful and encouraging Scripture with you that God brought to my attention in the spring of 1980. I was at the point where I was struggling between believing the joyously good news of the Biblical gospel that I discovered as I read that little Catholic New Testament, and what I believed regarding all that I had been taught as a Catholic. As I held my little Catholic New Testament, I cried out to God and asked Him to confirm to me in His Word that what I was reading was really true. To think that Jesus Christ actually paid the debt for all of my sins — in full — and that I didn’t have to burn in purgatory for “temporal punishment still due for sins” as I was taught, just seemed too amazingly good to be true! I opened my little Catholic New Testament and saw this verse in 1 John for the very first time:
“We believe the witness that men give; the witness that God gives is much stronger, and this is the witness that God has given about His Son. So whoever believes in the Son of God has this witness in his heart; but whoever does not believe God has made a liar out of him, because he has not believed what God has said as a witness about his Son. This, then is the witness: God has given us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. Whoever has the Son has life; whoever does not have the Son of God does not have life. I write you this so that you may know that you have eternal life–you that believe in the name of the Son of God.” (1 John 5:9-13) [NOTE: Emphasis is mine.]
When I first read that verse, the truth about the power and splendor of who Jesus Christ really was — and is — and the reality of all that He truly accomplished for us by His once for all sacrifice on the cross (which led to His death, burial, and glorious resurrection from the dead) became crystal clear to me! I no longer had the fear of death or any doubt remaining about the sufficiency of Jesus’ once for all sacrifice because God’s Word clearly shows us that we can have the assurance of salvation now, as long as our faith and trust are only in all that Jesus Christ already did for us. I pray that your eyes will also be opened to see this amazing truth that can be found in God’s Word and that you also will choose to believe it.
Dear Catholic, (and dear reader, whoever you may be), once again I present you with this important question that I had to answer back in 1980:
Are you going to believe the Word of God (Scripture), or the word of man (Tradition)?
As a former Catholic who also went to twelve years of Catholic school, I have a deep desire to see Catholics come to know the truly good news of the Biblical gospel. If precious Catholics would only test what their church teaches against their own Scriptures they would come to realize (as I did, and as many other former Catholics did) that many of the teachings of Catholicism contradict God’s Word. If they would also do some research they would come to realize that there is no historical evidence to back up the Catholic church’s claim of “apostolic succession.”
Below is a quote taken from Walter Martin’s book that is the focus of the videos below. Walter Martin was a Baptist minister and the former host of The Bible Answer Man radio show:
“The whole foundation of Roman Catholicism admittedly rests upon Peter as the Rock. Once you have shown that Christ is the Rock there is no apostolic succession. There is no authority for the claim of the Roman Catholic Church and there is no basis to their claim that they are the “only true Church of Christ.”
Dear Catholic, (and any Bible believing Christian who desires to reach precious Catholics with the good news of the Biblical gospel), when time allows please consider listening to the following two videos and seek God regarding what His Word truly says in light of what you have been taught during your many years in the Catholic church.
Your eternal destination depends upon the choice you make regarding where you will choose to place your trust for the forgiveness of your sins. If you choose to trust in Jesus Christ alone for your salvation, then you will spend eternity with Him in heaven. If you reject the truth that can be found in your own Scriptures and choose to trust in your good works and the Catholic church’s “sacramental system” to save you, sadly, you will find out when it’s too late that there is no such place as “purgatory” which means there is no second chance.
God already did everything necessary to provide a way for you — and for all of us — to be cleansed from all of our sins and guilt so that we could have a relationship with Him, which is by coming to Him through Jesus Christ alone! Please take the time to search these things out for yourselves! If so, you will discover the joyously good news of the depth of the love that God has for us all!
While we were yet sinners He sent His one and only Son into our sin-filled world; Jesus Christ, the second Person in the Trinity, willingly came and lived the perfect, sinless life that we could never live, became the spotless Lamb of God who was nailed to the cross, took upon Himself God’s full wrath that was intended for you — and for me — because of our sins, died in our place, was buried, and arose from the dead in bodily form three days later. Yes, the Catholic church teaches most of these things, but their teachings that are based on the “traditions of men” such as purgatory, the Sacrificeof the Mass, apostolic succession, the sacraments, etc., have hindered you from seeing the truly good news of the Biblical gospel! Please start thinking for yourselves and begin reading God’s Word, the Bible! Ask God to show you the truth, and He will! It will then be up to you to decide if you are going to choose to believe the Word of God — the Bible, or the word of man — traditions/teachings of your church that do not line up with the truth of God’s Word. The first choice will lead you to experience God’s joy and peace now, the latter will lead you to deep regret and eternal torment in the fires of hell. That may sound harsh, but it’s the truth.
“Being justified therefore by faith, let us have peace with God, through our Lord Jesus Christ: By whom also we have access through faith into this grace wherein we stand: and glory in the hope of the glory of the sons of God. And not only so: but we glory also in tribulation, knowing that tribulation worketh patience; And patience trial; and trial hope; And hope confoundeth not: because the charity [love] of God is poured forth in our hearts, by the Holy Ghost who is given to us. For why did Christ, when as yet we were weak, according to the time, die for the ungodly? For scarce for a just man will one die: yet perhaps for a good man some one would dare to die. But God commendeth his charity [love] towards us: because when as yet we were sinners according to the time. Christ died for us. Much more therefore, being now justified by his blood, shall we be saved from wrath through him. For if, when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son: much more, being reconciled, shall we be saved by his life. And not only so: but also we glory in God, through our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom we have now received reconciliation.” (Romans 5:1-11 – Catholic Douay-Rheims Bible)
“By this hath the charity [love] of God appeared towards us, because God hath sent his only begotten Son into the world, that we may live by him. In this is charity [love]: not as though we had loved God, but because he hath first loved us, and sent his Son to be a propitiation for our sins.” (1 John 4:9,10 – Catholic Douay-Rheims Bible)
“Jesus saith to him: I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No man cometh to the Father, but by me.” (John 14:6 – Catholic Douay-Rheims Bible)
“Be it known to you all and to all the people of Israel, that by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom you crucified, whom God hath raised from the dead, even by him, this man standeth here before you, whole. This is the stone which was rejected by you the builders, which is become the head of the corner. Neither is there salvation in any other. For there is no other name under heaven given to men, whereby we must be saved.” (Acts 4:10-12 – Catholic Douay-Rheims Bible)
“For there is one God: and one mediator of God and men, the man Christ Jesus: Who gave himself a redemption for all, a testimony in due times.” (1 Timothy 2:5,6 – Catholic Douay-Rheims Bible)
“If we receive the testimony of men, the testimony of God is greater. For this is the testimony of God, which is greater, because he hath testified of his Son. 10He that believeth in the Son of God hath the testimony of God in himself. He that believeth not the Son maketh him a liar: because he believeth not in the testimony which God hath testified of his Son. And this is the testimony that God hath given to us eternal life. And this life is in his Son. He that hath the Son hath life. He that hath not the Son hath not life.These things I write to you that you may know that you have eternal life: you who believe in the name of the Son of God.” (1 John 5:9-13 – Catholic Douay-Rheims Bible)
“He that believeth in the Son hath life everlasting: but he that believeth not the Son shall not see life: but the wrath of God abideth on him.” (John 3:36 – Catholic Douay-Rheims Bible)
Thank you very much for stopping by today.
God Bless You
~Mary Dalke – Living4HisGlory – Reflections Of His Glory Photography
UPDATE:
Now that my central air problem has been repaired I can finally get back to writing and finishing my next post in the series in which we are comparing many of the teachings that can be found in the Catechism Of The Catholic Church to Scriptures in a Catholic New Testament Bible out of my desire to show precious Catholics that Jesus Christ’s “once for all” sacrifice was completely sufficient to pay the debt for all of our sins — in full ! I pray that many Catholics will take the time to read the posts in this series so that they will come to realize, (by reading the truth of God’s Word that I share in these posts), that they can have the assurance of entering heaven as soon as they die —ifthey will choose to place their full trust only in what Jesus Christ has already accomplished and not try to earn their way to heaven by their good works, church attendance, receiving the sacraments, etc. As much as I wanted to finish writing the next post in this series, it was just too hard to sit and write for that many hours when the temperature in my home was oftentimes in the high 80s and low 90s! 😦
Desiring for God to use all that I have been through in life, I decided to start my first blog, living4hisglory.wordpress.com, in order to write poems about some of those experiences to bring glory to God, as well as to share them with others with the hope of encouraging those of you who have been broken and shattered by life's circumstances and hurt by those who were supposed to have loved you rather than abuse you in some way.
Also, because of some pastors and teachers today who seem to be abandoning Biblical Christianity and instead seem to be either seeking to build their own empires and promoting their own agendas, and at times even leading the people in their churches into unbiblical, 'mystical practices' without some people even realizing it, I saw the importance and necessity to begin writing poems and posts in order to inform Christians, as well as to make Christians realize the extreme importance of testing what people say (who claim to speak for God) against the truth of God's Word, (Acts 17:11) so that they will not be deceived. It has never been -- nor shall it ever be -- my intention to bash any particular pastor or teacher; my sole purpose in bringing attention to false teachings is to make Christians realize that we are to be followers of Jesus Christ, and not to be followers of any man (or woman) and his (or her) ministry. I hope that you will be blessed -- as well as challenged -- by the things that I write.
NOTE: COMMENTS ON ALL POSTS CLOSE ONE MONTH AFTER THEY ARE PUBLISHED.
Thank you for stopping by and taking time to read some of my posts and poems.
God Bless You
~Mary - Living4HisGlory
Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this blog's author and/or owner is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to Mary K. Dalke and Living4HisGlory Blog with appropriate and specific direction to the original content.
NOTE: Any adds that may be displayed on my blog have not been chosen or approved by me; I can't even see any adds that WordPress chooses to post here.
Desiring for God to use all that I have been through in life, I decided to start my first blog, living4hisglory.wordpress.com, in order to write poems about some of those experiences to bring glory to God, as well as to share them with others with the hope of encouraging those of you who have been broken and shattered by life's circumstances and hurt by those who were supposed to have loved you rather than abuse you in some way.
Also, because of some pastors and teachers today who seem to be abandoning Biblical Christianity and instead seem to be either seeking to build their own empires and promoting their own agendas, and at times even leading the people in their churches into unbiblical, 'mystical practices' without some people even realizing it, I saw the importance and necessity to begin writing poems and posts in order to inform Christians, as well as to make Christians realize the extreme importance of testing what people say (who claim to speak for God) against the truth of God's Word, (Acts 17:11) so that they will not be deceived. It has never been -- nor shall it ever be -- my intention to bash any particular pastor or teacher; my sole purpose in bringing attention to false teachings is to make Christians realize that we are to be followers of Jesus Christ, and not to be followers of any man (or woman) and his (or her) ministry. I hope that you will be blessed -- as well as challenged -- by the things that I write.
NOTE: COMMENTS ON ALL POSTS CLOSE ONE MONTH AFTER THEY ARE PUBLISHED.
Thank you for stopping by and taking time to read some of my posts and poems.
God Bless You
~Mary - Living4HisGlory
Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this blog's author and/or owner is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to Mary K. Dalke and Living4HisGlory Blog with appropriate and specific direction to the original content.
NOTE: Any adds that may be displayed on my blog have not been chosen or approved by me; I can't even see any adds that WordPress chooses to post here.
(SOURCE)
Mary Dalke - Living4HisGlory
Living4HisGlory 