COMPARING SCRIPTURES IN THE CATHOLIC NEW TESTAMENT BIBLE TO TEACHINGS FOUND IN THE CATECHISM OF THE CATHOLIC CHURCH – DEAR CATHOLIC, ARE YOU GOING TO BELIEVE THE WORD OF GOD, OR THE WORD OF MAN? PART 14

SERIES INTRODUCTION

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)

To read PART 1 click HERE

For PART 2 click HERE

For PART 3 click HERE

For PART 4 click HERE

For PART 5 click HERE

For PART 6 click HERE

For PART 7 click HERE

For PART 8 click HERE

For PART 9 click HERE

For PART 10 click HERE

For PART 11 click HERE

For PART 12 click HERE

For PART 13 click HERE

 

INTRODUCTION TO PART 14

[In order to get this entire series finished in a timely manner, from now on I will try 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 certain portions within these posts in order to quickly bring the most important and troubling things to your attention.]

In PART 14 we will be covering pages 385-395 in the Catechism Of The Catholic Church (which will be referred to as CCC from this point on). The focus of this portion of the CCC continues to be on the Eucharist and the Sacrifice of the Mass.

As you read through this post please note the focus on the mysterious and mystical way that they present their teaching regarding communion which they refer to as the Eucharist. Please note also how grace is not taught as it is in God’s Word, which is something that is free and cannot be earned, merited, or lost. In Catholicism, grace can be lost because of sin and then earned back again through their sacramental system which  is where precious Catholics mainly place their trust in instead of trusting in the sufficiency of Jesus Christ’s once for all sacrifice that is to be remembered, not reenacted or re-presented.

Let’s begin:

PARA 1377

Christ is present whole and entire in each of the species and whole and entire in each of their parts, in such a way that the breaking of the bread does not divide Christ.(205 – Cf. Council of Trent: DS 1641.)

PARA 1378

Worship of the Eucharist. In the liturgy of the Mass we express our faith in the real presence of Christ under the species of bread and wine by, among other ways, genuflecting or bowing deeply as a sign of adoration of the Lord. The Catholic Church has always offered and still offers to the sacrament of the Eucharist the cult of adoration, not only during Mass, but also outside of it, reserving the consecrated hosts with the utmost care, exposing them to the solemn veneration of the faithful, and carrying them in procession.” (206 – Pope Paul VI, MF 56.)

PARA 1379

The tabernacle was first intended for the reservation of the Eucharist in a worthy place so that it could be brought to the sick and those absent, outside of Mass. As faith in the real presence of Christ in his Eucharist deepened, the Church became conscious of the meaning of silent adoration of the Lord present under the Eucharistic species. It is for this reason that the tabernacle should be located in an especially worthy place in the church and should be consecrated in such a way that it emphasizes and manifests the truth of the real presence of Christ in the Blessed Sacrament.

PARA 1380

It is highly fitting that Christ should have wanted to remain present to his Church in this unique way. Since Christ was about to take his departure from his own in his visible form, he wanted to give us his sacramental presence; since he was about to offer himself on the cross to save us, he wanted us to have the memorial of the love with which he loved us “to the end,” (207 – Jn. 13:1)even to the giving of his life. In his Eucharistic presence he remains mysteriously in our midst as the one who loved us and gave himself up for us, (208 -Cf. Gal 2:20.) and *he remains under signs that express and communicate this love:

The Church and the world have a great need for Eucharistic worship. Jesus awaits us in this sacrament of love. Let us not refuse the time to go to meet him in adoration, in contemplation full of faith, and open to making amends for the serious offenses and crimes of the world. Let our adoration never cease. (209 – Pope John Paul II Dominicae cenae, 3.)

*[Note: The Word of God says in Matthew 8:12, Matthew 12:39, Matthew 16:4, Luke 11:29, that “a wicked and [spiritually] adulterous generation seeks after a sign.”

Here is what God’s Word says in Matthew 12:38-40: 

“Then some teachers of the Law and some Pharisees spoke up. “Teacher,” they said, “we want to see you perform a miracle.” “How evil and godless are the people of this day!” Jesus exclaimed. “You ask me for a miracle? No! The only miracle you will be given is the miracle of the prophet Jonah. In the same way that Jonah spent three days and nights in the belly of the big fish, so will the Son of Man spend three days and nights in the depths of the earth.”) (SHLCNT)

Here is the same passage of Scripture in the Catholic Douay-Rheims Translation:

“Then some of the scribes and Pharisees answered him, saying: Master, we would see a sign from thee. Who answering said to them: An evil and adulterous generation seeketh a sign: and a sign shall not be given it, but the sign of Jonas the prophet. For as Jonas was in the whale’s belly three days and three nights: so shall the Son of man be in the heart of the earth three days and three nights.”

The Word of God shows us that the resurrection of Jesus Christ was the greatest sign that we could ever hope for because it proves to us that God accepted all that Jesus Christ did on our behalf as being sufficient to pay the debt for our sins –in full, and to satisfy the just demands of a completely Holy God.

The Word of God shows us in John 14:15-26 that Jesus would send His Holy Spirit to be with us so that we wouldn’t be alone:

“If you love me, you will obey my commandments. I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Helper, the Spirit of truth, to stay with you forever. The world cannot receive him, because it cannot see him or know him. But you know him, because he remains with you and lives in you. “I will not leave you alone; I will come back to you. In a little while the world will see me no more, but you will see me; and because I live, you also will live. When that day comes, you will know that I am in my Father, and that you are in me, just as I am in you. “Whoever accepts my commandments and obeys them, he is the one who loves me. My Father will love him who loves me; I too will love him and reveal myself to him.” Judas, (not Judas Iscariot) said, “Lord, how can it be that you will reveal yourself to us and not to the world?” Jesus answered him, “Whoever loves me will obey my message. My Father will love him, and my Father and I will come to him and live with him. Whoever does not love me does not obey my words. The message you have heard is not mine, but comes from the Father, who sent me. “I have told you this while I am still with you. 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.” (SHLCNT)

“If you love me, keep my commandments. And I will ask the Father: and he shall give you another Paraclete, that he may abide with you for ever: The spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it seeth him not, nor knoweth him. But you shall know him; because he shall abide with you and shall be in you. “I will not leave you orphans: I will come to you. Yet a little while and the world seeth me no more. But you see me: because I live, and you shall live. In that day you shall know that I am in my Father: and you in me, and I in you. He that hath my commandments and keepeth them; he it is that loveth me. And he that loveth me shall be loved of my Father: and I will love him and will manifest myself to him. Judas saith to him, not the Iscariot: Lord, how is it that thou wilt manifest thyself to us, and not to the world? Jesus answered and said to him: If any one love me, he will keep my word. And my Father will love him and we will come to him and will make our abode with him. He that loveth me not keepeth not my words. And the word which you have heard is not mine; but the Father’s who sent me. These things have I spoken to you, abiding with you. But the *Paraclete, the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he will teach you all things and bring all things to your mind, whatsoever I shall have said to you.” *[Note: Paraclete: along side of; helper.] (Douay-Rheims Catholic Bible)

Let’s continue:

Para 1381

“That in this sacrament are the true Body of Christ and his true Blood is something that cannot be apprehended by the senses,” said St. Thomas, “but only by faith, which relies on divine authority.” For this reason, in a commentary on Luke 22:19 (“This is my body which is given for you.”), St. Cyril says: ‘Do not doubt whether this is true, but rather receive the words of the Savior in faith, for since he is the truth, he cannot lie.'(210 – St. Thomas Aquinas, STh III, 75 1; cf. Pope Paul VI, MF 18; St. Cyril of Alexandria, In Luc. 22, 19: PG 72, 912; cf. Pope Paul VI MF 18.)

VI. THE PASCHAL BANQUET

PARA 1382

To receive communion is to receive Christ himself who has offered himself for us.

PARA 1383

The altar, around which the Church is gathered in the celebration of the Eucharist, represents the two aspects of the same mystery: the altar of the sacrifice and the table of the Lord. This is all the more so since the Christian altar is the symbol of Christ himself, present in the midst of the assembly of his faithful, both as the victim offered for our reconciliation and as food from heaven who is giving himself to us. “For what is the altar of Christ if not the image of the Body of Christ? (212 – St. Ambrose, De Sacr. 5, 2, 7: PL 16, 447C.) asks St. Ambrose. He says elsewhere, “The altar represents the body [of Christ] and the Body of Christ is on the altar.”(213 – St. Ambrose, De Sacr. 4, 2, 7: PL 16 437D.) The liturgy expresses this unity of sacrifice and communion in many prayers. Thus the Roman Church prays in its anaphora:

We entreat you, almighty God, that by the hands of your holy Angel this offering may be borne to your altar in heaven in the sight of your divine majesty, so that as we receive in communion at this altar the most holy Body and Blood of your Son, we may be filled with every heavenly blessing and grace.(214 – Roman Missal, EP 1 (Roman Canon) 96: Supplices te rogamus, omnipotens Deus: iube haec perferri per manus sancti Angeli tui in sublime altare tuum, in conspectu divinae maiestatis tuae; ut, quotquot ex hac altaris participatione sacrosanctum Filii Corpus et Sanguinem sumpserimus, omni benedictione caelesti et gratia repleamur.)

“Take this and eat it, all of you”: communion

PARA 1384

The Lord addresses an invitation to us, urging us to receive him in the sacrament of the Eucharist: “Truly, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you have no life in you.”(215 – John 6:53)

PARA 1389

The Church obliges the faithful to take part in the Divine Liturgy on Sundays and feast days and, prepared by the sacrament of Reconciliation, to receive the Eucharist at least once a year, if possible during the Easter season.(221) But the Church strongly encourages the faithful to receive the holy Eucharist on Sundays and feast days, or more often still, even daily. (221 – Cf. OE 15; CIC, can. 920.)

PARA 1390

Since Christ is sacramentally present under each of the species, communion under the species of bread alone makes it possible to receive all the fruit of Eucharistic grace.

The fruits of Holy Communion

PARA 1391

Holy Communion augments our union with Christ. The principal fruit of receiving the Eucharist in Holy Communion is an intimate union with Christ Jesus. Indeed, the Lord said, “He who eats my flesh and drinks my blood abides in me, and I in him.”(223 – John 6:56) Life in Christ has its foundation in the Eucharistic banquet.

Para 1392

What material food produces in our bodily life, Holy Communion wonderfully achieves in our spiritual life. Communion with the flesh of the risen Christ, a flesh “given life and giving life through the Holy Spirit,”(226) preserves, increases, and renews the life of grace received at Baptism. This growth in Christian life needs the nourishment of Eucharistic Communion, the bread for our pilgrimage until the moment of death, when it will be given to us as viaticum. (226 – PO 5.) [Note: viaticum is a term used -especially in the Catholic Church- for the Eucharist (also called Holy Communion), administered with or without Anointing of the Sick (also called Extreme Unction), to a person who is dying; viaticum is thus a part of the Last Rites. (SOURCE)

PARA 1394

As bodily nourishment restores lost strength, so the Eucharist strengthens our charity, which tends to be weakened in daily life; and this living charity wipes away venial sins.(228 – Cf. Council of Trent (1551): DS 1638.)

PARA 1400

Ecclesial communities derived from the Reformation and separated from the Catholic Church, “have not preserved the proper reality of the Eucharist mystery in its fullness, especially because of the absence of the sacrament of Holy Orders.”(236) It is for this reason that, for the Catholic Church, Eucharistic intercommunion with these communities is not possible. However, these ecclesial communities, “when they commemorate the Lord’s death and resurrection in the Holy Supper…profess that it signifies life in communion with Christ and await his coming in glory.”(237) (236 – UR 22 S3.) (237 – UR 22 S 3.)

VII. THE EUCHARIST–“PLEDGE OF THE GLORY TO COME”

PARA 1404

The Church knows that the Lord comes even now in his Eucharist and that he is there in our midst. However, his presence is veiled.

PARA 1405

There is no surer pledge or clearer sign of this great hope in the new heavens and new earth “in which righteousness dwells,”(245) than the Eucharist. Every time the mystery is celebrated, “the work of our redemption is carried on” and we “break the one bread that provides the medicine of immortality, the antidote for death, and the food that makes us live for ever in Jesus Christ.” (246 – LG 3; St. Ignatius of Antioch, Ad. Eph. 20, 2: SCh 10, 76.)

PARA 1407

The Eucharist is the heart and the summit of the Church’s life, for in it Christ associates his Church and all her members with his sacrifice of praise and thanksgiving offered once for all on the cross to his Father; by this sacrifice he pours out the graces of salvation on his Body which is the Church.

PARA 1409

The Eucharist is the memorial of Christ’s Passover, that is, of the work of salvation accomplished by the life, death, and resurrection of Christ, a work made present by the liturgical action.

PARA 1410

It is Christ himself, the eternal high priest of the New Covenant who, acting through the ministry of the priests, offers the Eucharistic sacrifice. And it is the same Christ, really present under the species of bread and wine, who is the offering of the Eucharistic sacrifice.

PARA 1413

Under the consecrated species of bread and wine Christ himself, living and glorious, is present in a true, real, and substantial manner: his Body and his Blood, with his soul and his divinity (cf. Council of Trent DS: 1640, 1651).

PARA 1414

As sacrifice, the Eucharist is also offered as reparation for the sins of the living and the dead and to obtain spiritual or temporal benefits from God.

PARA 1415

Anyone who desires to receive Christ in Eucharistic communion must be in the state of grace. Anyone aware of having sinned mortally must not receive communion without having received absolution in the sacrament of penance.

PARA 1416

Communion with the Body and Blood of Christ increases the communicant’s union with the Lord, forgives his venial sins, and preserves him from grave sins.

PARA 1418

Because Christ himself is present in the sacrament of the altar, he is to be honored with the worship of adoration. “To visit the Blessed Sacrament is…a proof of gratitude, an expression of love, and a duty of adoration toward Christ our Lord” (Pope Paul VI, MF 66)

CLOSING COMMENTS

As depicted above, sadly, Catholicism presents Jesus as being confined and basically imprisoned within the tabernacle hoping for some faithful Catholics to come and visit Him. This makes Jesus Christ look weak and helpless. However, according to the Word of God (Romans 8:34), Jesus Christ now sits at the right hand of God the Father in glory! His work to pay the debt for all our sins has been accomplished; our sins have been paid in full and God’s wrath against sin has been satisfied. God’s Word also says that He is now interceding for us (Hebrews 7:25); for those who have made the choice to place their full trust in His completed work on the cross and see no need for any more sacrifices. To say that these sacrifices must continue is to say that what He has already accomplished was not enough. This is utter blasphemy! This particular teaching was the main reason why I left the Catholic church back in 1980!

I sincerely do not want to offend any of you who may be Catholic because once I also truly believed that the host and the wine really did literally become the body and blood, soul and divinity of Jesus Christ as I was taught. However, after I started to read Scripture it quickly became clear to me that what Jesus truly accomplished for us was and is much more glorious and amazing than these teachings are about the “real presence” which are not based on Scriptures in their proper context, but rather on the misinterpretation of Scriptures (such as in the Gospel of John Chapter 6 verses 25-63 where Jesus is speaking figuratively, and the truth of what He is really saying is found in verse 63), as well as on the teachings of men such as St. Thomas Aquinas, St.Cyril of Alexandria, St. Ignatius of Antioch, etc., as shown above in this particular post. (Para 1381, Para 1405)

Please take time to seriously think about this matter and to seek God for the truth in His Word! It may sound very special and intimate to believe that Jesus would come to us and unite with us in this mystical way, but it is not Biblical; we must look into God’s Word and see what He has already accomplished for us and what He truly did do for us so that we would not be alone. And that one special thing that He did do so that we would not be alone was to send His Holy Spirit to be with us —if we choose to place our full trust in all that He has already accomplished for us.

I pray that you are now beginning to see that Catholicism presents many teachings that are rooted in mysticism –not in Biblical truth. (Lord willing, at some point I will be writing a few posts that will focus in great detail on mysticism in the Catholic church). Adding to — or taking away from — God’s Word is warned against and is strictly forbidden! To do so one pays the highest of prices –their name will not be found in the Book of Life. Instead they will be separated from God and cast into the lake of fire for all eternity:

“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)

“Every word of God is fire tried: he is a buckler to them that hope in him. Add not any thing to his words, lest thou be reproved and found a liar.”(Proverbs 30:5,6 – Douay-Rheims Catholic Bible)

“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 Bible) [NOTE: Although this Scripture pertains specifically about adding to or taking away from the words in the Book of Revelation, it should be a frightening warning to alert us to just how serious God takes protecting and guarding His Holy Word from being corrupted in any way!]

Once again, dear Catholic, I must ask you this question:

Are you going to believe the Word of God (the Bible) or the word of man (Catholic Tradition and the teachings of the Catholic church?

If you would seek God and ask Him to show you the truth as you take the time to read His Word, you will discover that the truth of God’s Word is very clear. Even though there is a lot of truth in Catholicism (the virgin birth, the deity of Jesus Christ, acknowledgement of the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ), many of the Traditions and teachings of the Catholic Church  completely contradict God’s Word and nullifies the truth set forth in Scripture! Please take some time to think about these things and to seek God for the truth regarding what is truly only necessary for the forgiveness of sins and to  have assurance of entering heaven one day before it’s too late!

 

Thank you very much for stopping by today.

God Bless You

~Mary Dalke – Living4HisGlory

COMPARING SCRIPTURES IN THE CATHOLIC NEW TESTAMENT BIBLE TO TEACHINGS FOUND IN THE CATECHISM OF THE CATHOLIC CHURCH – DEAR CATHOLIC, ARE YOU GOING TO BELIEVE THE WORD OF GOD, OR THE WORD OF MAN? PART 13

SERIES INTRODUCTION

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)

To read PART 1 click HERE

For PART 2 click HERE

For PART 3 click HERE

For PART 4 click HERE

For PART 5 click HERE

For PART 6 click HERE

For PART 7 click HERE

For PART 8 click HERE

For PART 9 click HERE

For PART 10 click HERE

For PART 11 click HERE

For PART 12 click HERE

 

INTRODUCTION TO PART 13

[In order to get this entire series finished in a timely manner, from now on I will try 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 to limit these posts to no more than 5000 words which makes it rather difficult sometimes. ]

In PART 13 we will be covering pages 368-384 in the Catechism Of The Catholic Church (which will be referred to as CCC from this point on). The focus of this portion of the CCC is on the Eucharist and the Sacrifice of the Mass which are considered Dogma/the main essential teachings in Catholicism that one must believe if they claim to be Catholic.

For those of you who have very busy schedules and thus very little time to read long articles such as these, I have highlighted some of the many statements that I found to be quite troubling in turquoise in order to quickly draw your attention to them with the hope of also saving you some time. I have also highlighted portions of certain Scriptures in blue to emphasize the Biblical truth that is presented in these verses in order to expose the unbiblical things that are taught in Catholicism.

Let’s begin:

ARTICLE 3

THE SACRAMENT OF THE EUCHARIST

Para 1323

“At the Last Supper, on the night he was betrayed, our Savior instituted the Eucharistic sacrifice of his body and blood. This he did in order to *perpetuate the sacrifice of the cross throughout the ages until he should come again, and so to entrust to his beloved Spouse, the Church, a memorial of his death and resurrection: a sacrament of love, a sign of unity, a bond of charity, a Paschal banquet ‘in which Christ is consumed, the mind is filled with grace, and a pledge of future glory is given to us.’ (133 – SC 47.) *(perpetuate – to continue indefinitely).

I. THE EUCHARIST–SOURCE AND SUMMIT OF ECCLESIAL LIFE

Para 1324

The Eucharist is “the source and summit of the Christian life.” (134 – LG 11) The other sacraments, and indeed all ecclesiastical ministries and works of the apostolate, are bound up with the Eucharist and are oriented toward it. For in the blessed Eucharist is contained the whole spiritual good of the Church, namely Christ himself, our Pasch.” (135- PO 5)

Para 1325

“The Eucharist is the efficacious sign and sublime cause of that communion in the divine life and that unity of the People of God by which the Church is kept in being.” (136 – Congregation of Rites instruction, Eucharisticum mysterium, 6.) 

PARA 1327

In brief, the Eucharist is the sum and summary of our faith: “Our way of thinking is attuned to the Eucharist, and the Eucharist in turn confirms our way of thinking.”(138 – St. Irenaeus, Adv. haeres 4, 18, 5: PG 7/1, 1028.)

PARA 1330 The memorial of the Lord’s Passion and Resurrection.

The Holy Sacrifice, because it makes present the one sacrifice of Christ, the Savior and includes the Church’s offering. The terms holy sacrifice of the Mass, “sacrifice of praise,” spiritual sacrifice,pure and holy sacrifice are also used,(148) since it completes and surpasses all the sacrifices of the Old Covenant. We speak of the MostBlessed Sacrament because it is the Sacrament of sacraments. (148 – Heb. 13:15; cf. 1 Peter 2:5; Psalm 116:13,17; Mal. 1:11.)

PARA 1331

Holy Communion, because by this sacrament we unite ourselves to Christ, who makes us sharers in his Body and Blood to form a single body. (149 – Cf. 1 Cor 10:16,17.)

PARA 1332

Holy Mass (Missa), because the liturgy in which the mystery of salvation is accomplished concludes in the sending forth (missio) of the faithful, so that they may fulfill God’s will in their daily lives.

III. THE EUCHARIST IN THE ECONOMY OF SALVATION

The signs of bread and wine

PARA 1333

At the heart of the Eucharist celebration are the bread and wine that, by the words of Christ and the invocation of the Holy Spirit, become Christ’s Body and Blood.

PARA 1336

“The Eucharist and the Cross are stumbling blocks. It is the same mystery and it never ceases to be an occasion of division. “Will you also go away?” : the Lord’s question echoes through the ages, as a loving invitation to discover that only he has “the words of eternal life” (160) and that to receive in faith the gift of his Eucharist is to receive the Lord himself. (160 – Jn 668)

PARA 1337

In order to leave them a pledge of this love, in order never to depart from his own and to make them sharers in his Passover, he instituted the Eucharist as the memorial of his death and Resurrection, and commanded his apostles to celebrate it until his return; thereby he constituted them priests of the New Testament.” (162 – Council of Trent (1562): DS 1740.)

PARA 1340

By celebrating the Last Supper with his apostles in the course of the Passover meal, Jesus gave the Jewish Passover its definitive meaning. Jesus passing over to his father by his death and Resurrection, the new Passover, is anticipated in the Supper and celebrated in the Eucharist, which fulfills the Jewish Passover and anticipates the final Passover of the Church in the glory of the kingdom.

“Do this in memory of me”

PARA 1341

The command of Jesus to repeat his actions and words “until he comes” does not only ask us to remember Jesus and what he did. It is directed at the liturgical celebration, by the apostles and their successors, of the memorial of Christ, of his life, of his death, of his Resurrection, and of his intercession in the presence of the Father.” (165 – cf. 1 Cor 11:26.)

IV. THE LITURGICAL CELEBRATION OF THE EUCHARIST

The Mass of all ages

PARA 1345

As early as the second century we have the witness of St. Justin Martyr for the basic lines of the order of the Eucharistic celebration. They have stayed the same until our own day for all the great liturgical families. St. Justin wrote to the pagan emperor Antoninus Pius (138-161) around the year 155, explaining what Christians did:

On the day we call the day of the sun, all who dwell in the city or country gather in the same place. The memoirs of the apostles and the writings of the prophets are read, as much as time permits. When the reader has finished, he who presides over those gathered admonishes and challenges them to imitate these beautiful things. Then we all rise together and offer prayers* for ourselves…and for all others, wherever they may be, so that we may be found righteous by our life and actions, and faithful to the commandments, so as to obtain eternal salvation. (the text before the asterisk (*) is from chap. 67)

PARA 1350

The presentation of the offerings (the Offertory).

Then, sometimes in procession, the bread and wine are brought to the altar; they will be offered by the priest in the name of Christ in the Eucharistic sacrifice in which they will become his body and blood. It is the very action of Christ at the Last Supper–“taking the bread and a cup.” The Church alone offers this pure oblation to the Creator, when she offers what comes forth from his creation with thanksgiving.” (175) 

PARA 1353 

In the epiclesis,the Church asks the Father to send his Holy Spirit (or the power of his blessing 178) on the bread and wine, so that by his power they may become the body and blood of Jesus Christ and so that those who take part in the Eucharist may be one body and one spirit (some liturgical traditions put the epiclesis after the anamnesis).

In the institution narrative , the power of the words and the action of Christ, and the power of the Holy Spirit, make sacramentally present under the species of bread and wine Christ’s body and blood, his sacrifice offered on the cross once for all. (178 – Cf. Romans Missal, EP I (Roman Canon) 90.)

PARA 1354

In the intercessions, the Church indicates that the Eucharist is celebrated in communion with the whole Church in heaven and on earth, the living and the dead, and in communion with the pastors of the Church, the Pope, the diocesan bishop, his presbyterium and his deacons, and all the bishops of the whole world together with their Churches.

PARA 1355

Because this bread and wine have been made Eucharist (eucharisted,” according to an ancient expression), we call this food Eucharist, and no one may take part in it unless he believes that what we teach is true, has received baptism for the forgiveness of sins and new birth, and lives in keeping with what Christ taught.”(180 – St. Justin, Apol. 1, 66, 1-2: PG 6, 428.)

V. THE SACRAMENTAL SACRIFICE: THANKSGIVING, MEMORIAL, PRESENCE

PARA 1357

We carry out this command of the Lord by celebrating the memorial of his sacrifice. In so doing, we offer to the Father what he has himself given us: the gifts of his creation, bread and wine which, by the power of the Holy Spirit and by the words of Christ, have become the body and blood of Christ. Christ is thus really and mysteriously made present.

PARA 1364

In the New Testament, the memorial takes on new meaning. When the Church celebrates the Eucharist, she commemorates Christ’s Passover, and it is made present: the sacrifice Christ offers once for all on the cross remains ever present.(183) As often as the sacrifice of the Cross by which ‘Christ our Pasch has been sacrificed’ is celebrated on the altar, the work of our redemption is carried out.”(184) (183 – Cf. Heb 7:25-27) (184 – LG 3; cf.  1 Cor 5:7)

PARA 1365

Because it is the memorial of Christ’s Passover, the Eucharist is also a sacrifice.(185) In the Eucharist Christ gives us the very body which he gave up for us on the cross, the very blood which he poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins.”(186) (185 – Luke 22:19-20) (186 – Mt. 26:28)

PARA 1366

The Eucharist is thus a sacrifice because it re-presents (makes present) the sacrifice of the cross, because it is its memorial and because it applies its fruit:

[Christ], our Lord and God, was once and for all to offer himself to God the Father by his death on the altar of the cross, to accomplish there an everlasting redemption. But because his priesthood was not to end with his death, at the Last Supper “on the night he was betrayed,” [he wanted] to leave to his beloved spouse the Church a visible sacrifice (as the nature of man demands) by which the bloody sacrifice which he was to accomplish once for all on the cross would be re-presented, its memory perpetuated until the end of the world, and its salutary power be applied to the forgiveness of the sins we daily commit.(187 – Council of Trent (1562): DS 1740; cf. 1 Cor 11:23; Heb 7:24,27.)

PARA 1367

The sacrifice of Christ and the sacrifice of the Eucharist are one single sacrifice: “The victim is one and the same: the same now offers through the ministry of priests, who then offered himself on the cross; only the manner of offering is different.” “And since in this divine sacrifice which is celebrated in the Mass, the same Christ who offered himself once in a bloody manner on the altar of the cross is contained and offered in an unbloody manner…this sacrifice is truly propitiatory.”(188 – Council of Trent (1562) Doctrina de ss. Missae sacrificio, c. 2: DS 1743; cf. Heb 9:14,27)

PARA 1368

The Eucharist is also the sacrifice of the Church. The Church which is the Body of Christ participates in the offering of her Head. With him, she herself is offered whole and entire. She unites herself to his intercession with the Father for all men. In the Eucharist, the sacrifice of Christ becomes also the sacrifice of the members of his Body. The lives of the faithful, their praise, suffering, prayer, and work, are united with those of Christ and with his total offering, and so acquire a new value, Christ’s sacrifice present on the altar makes it possible for all generations of Christians to be united with his offering.

PARA 1369

The whole church is united with the offering and intercession of Christ. Since he has the ministry of Peter in the Church, the Pope is associated with every celebration of the Eucharist, wherein he is named as the sign and servant of the unity  of the universal Church.

PARA 1370

To the offering of Christ are united not only the members still here on earth, but also those already in the glory of heaven. In the communion with and commemorating the Blessed Virgin Mary and all the saints, the Church offers the Eucharistic sacrifice. In the Eucharist the Church is as it were at the foot of the cross with Mary, united with the offering and intercession of Christ.

PARA 1371

The Eucharistic sacrifice is also offered for the faithful departed who “have died in Christ but are not yet wholly purified,”(191) so that they may be able to enter into the light and peace of Christ:

Put this body anywhere! Don’t trouble yourselves about it! I simply ask you to remember me at the Lord’s altar wherever you are.(192)

Then, we pray [in the anaphora] for the holy fathers and bishops who have fallen asleep and in general for all who have fallen asleep before us, in the belief that it is a great benefit to the souls on whose behalf the supplication is offered, while the holy and tremendous Victim is present.

(191 – Council of Trent (1562): DS 1743.) (192 – St. Monica before her death, to her sons, St. Augustine and his brothers; Conf. 9,11, 27: PL 32, 775.)

PARA 1374

The mode of Christ’s presence under the Eucharistic species is unique. It raises the Eucharist above all the sacraments as the “perfection of the spiritual life and the end to which all the sacraments tend.”(199) In the Most Blessed Sacrament of the Eucharist “the body and blood, together with the soul and divinity, of our Lord Jesus Christ and, therefore, the whole Christ is truly, really, and substantially contained.“(200)”This presence is called ‘real’–by which is not intended to exclude the other types of presence as if they could not be ‘real’ too, but because it is presence in the fullest sense: that is to say, it is a substantial presence by which Christ, God, and man, makes himself wholly and entirely present.” (201)(199 -St. Thomas Aquinas STb III, 73, 3c.) (200 – Council of Trent (1551): DS 1651) (201 – Pope Paul VI, MF 39.)

PARA 1375

It is by the conversion of the bread and wine into Christ’s body and blood that Christ becomes present in this sacrament. The Church Fathers strongly affirmed the faith of the Church in the efficacy of the Word of Christ and of the action of the Holy Spirit to bring about this conversion. Thus St. John Chrysostom declares:

It is not man that causes the things offered to become the Body and Blood of Christ, but he who was crucified for us, Christ himself. The priest, in the role of Christ, pronounces these words, but their power and grace are God’s. This is my body, he says. This word transforms the things offered. (202 – St. John Chrysostom, prod. Jud. 1:6: PG 49, 380.)

Para 1376

The Council of Trent summarizes the Catholic faith by declaring: “Because Christ our Redeemer said that it was truly his body that he was offering under the species of bread, it has always been the conviction of the Church of God, and this holy Council now declares again, that by the consecration of the bread and wine there takes place a change of the whole substance of the wine into the substance of his blood. The change the holy Catholic Church has fittingly and properly called transubstantiation.”(204 – Council of Trent (1551): DS 1642; cf. Mt. 26:26 ff.; Mk 14:22 ff.; Lk 22:19 ff.; 1 Cor 11:24 ff.)

CLOSING COMMENTS

There is so much more that I could say, but this post has already exceeded well over 6000 words, so it’s time for me to bring this post to a close. So, dear Catholic and dear reader, whomever you may be, if you took the time to read through this whole post you either already know or now see that the main teachings of the Catholic church are built upon the belief that what Jesus said at the time of the Last Supper as He gathered with his disciples was spoken in a truly literal sense. However, if you will take the time to read the Word of God in context you will see that Jesus Christ was speaking figuratively –not literally. I pray that every precious Catholic would pick up a Bible and read through John Chapter 6 so that they can see Scripture in context. If they are seeking the truth God will use His Word to open their eyes so that they will come to understand all that Jesus Christ truly accomplished for us and they will then be able to grasp the truly good news of the Biblical gospel!

When Jesus Christ said, “I am the door/gate,” (John 10:9), do you truly believe that He was saying He was made of wood with a knob or handle of some sort? Of course not. The same can be said regarding when Jesus said, “I am the Light of the World,” (John 8:12), and, “I am the True Vine.” (John 15:1) Jesus was not saying that He was the sun or a huge spotlight giving light to the world, or that he was a vine with leaves. He was speaking figuratively in order to present spiritual truths. With all of that in mind, let’s take a look at some Scriptures that the Catholic church bases their teachings upon in order to try and establish their claim that the bread and wine literally become not only the body and blood of Jesus Christ, but also His soul and divinity.

Keeping in mind the verses above and their spiritual — not literal — meaning, please take a moment now to pray; ask  God to give you understanding and discernment as you read through John Chapter 6:

“I tell you the truth: he who believes has eternal life. I am the bread of life. Your ancestors ate the manna in the desert, but they died. But the bread that comes down from heaven is such that whoever eats it will not die. I am the living bread that came down from heaven. If anyone eats this bread he will live forever. The bread that I will give him is my flesh, which I give so that the world may live. This started an angry argument among the Jews. “How can this man give us his flesh to eat?” they asked. Jesus said to them, “I tell you the truth: if you do not eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood you will not have life in yourselves. Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him to life on the last day. For my flesh is the real food, my blood is the real drink. Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood lives in me and I live in him. The living Father sent me, and because of him I live also. In the same way, whoever eats me will live because of me. This, then, is the bread that came down from heaven; it is not like the bread that your ancestors ate, but then died. The one who eats this bread will live forever.” Jesus said this as he taught in the synagogue in Capernaum. Many of his disciples heard this and said, “This teaching is too hard. Who can listen to this?” Without being told, Jesus knew that his disciples were grumbling about this; so he said to them, “Does this make you want to give up? Suppose, then, that you should see the Son of Man go back up to the place where he was before? What gives life is God’s Spirit; man’s power is of no use at all. The words I have spoken to you are Spirit and life. Yet some of you do not believe.” (Jesus knew from the very beginning who were the ones that would not believe, and which one would betray him.)” (John 6:47-64)

The preceding verses in Chapter 6, (mainly verses 25-35) give clarity to the spiritual truth that Jesus was presenting to the crowd of people that had gathered, and that was: coming to Him was equivalent to satisfying one’s hunger, and believing in Him was equivalent to drinking and satisfying one’s thirst –both being presented in a spiritual sense:

“When the people found Jesus on the other side of the lake they said to him, “Teacher, when did you get here?” Jesus answered, “I tell you the truth: you are looking for me because you ate the bread and had all you wanted, not because you understood my works of power. Do not work for food that spoils; instead, work for the food that lasts for eternal life. This food the Son of Man will give you, because God, the Father, has put his mark of approval on him.” So they asked him, “What can we do in order to do God’s works?” Jesus answered, “This is the work  God wants you to do: believe in the one he sent.” They replied, “What sign of power will you perform so that we may see it and believe you? What will you do? Our ancestors ate manna in the desert, just as the scripture says, ‘He gave them bread from heaven to eat.’ “I tell you the truth,” Jesus said. “What Moses gave you was not the bread from heaven; it is my Father who gives you the real bread from heaven. For the bread that God gives is he who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world.” “Sir,” they asked him, “give us this bread always.” “I am the bread of life,” Jesus told them. He who comes to me will never be hungry; he who believes in me will never be thirsty. Now, I told you that you have seen me but will not believe.”

There is no second chance to be purified of sins after death; there is no such place called purgatory. After we die we immediately stand before God. (Hebrews 9:27) Also, according to the teachings of the Catholic Church, in light of the fact that they declare that the Sacrifice of the Mass is offered in an unbloody manner (CCC Para 1367), then according to the Word of God (Hebrews 9:22) it is impossible for it to bring about the forgiveness of sins!

God’s Word is clear:

“Everyone must die once, and after that be judged by God.” (Hebrews 9:27) (SHLCNT)

“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)

So, dear Catholic (or dear reader, whomever you may be), simply take God at His Word. Believe that Jesus Christ’s once for all sacrifice on the cross was totally  sufficient to pay the debt for every single one of our sins — no matter how horrific that may be! Trust in the words that Jesus Christ shouted out loud on the cross in victory right before He died, “It is finished!” 

To continue offering the ‘Sacrifice of the Mass‘ and participating in it and believing that every ‘Mass’ “is truly propitiatory,“(Para 1367 CCC) is to say that all the sufferings that Jesus Christ endured on our behalf and all the blood that He shed was not sufficient to pay for our sins in full! Accept the free gift of salvation that was paid with the costly precious blood of Jesus Christ, the second person of the Trinity, and rejoice and praise Him for all that He did to provide the only way for you to have your sins forgiven and the only way for you to have a relationship with God, the Father, and that is by coming to Him through Jesus Christ, the only begotten Son of God, who willingly became man to live the sinless, perfect life that we could never live to become the Lamb of God who would take away the sins of the world.

Once again, dear Catholic, you must decide between believing the truth that is revealed in God’s Word or the Traditions of the Catholic Church:

“Are you going to believe the Word of God, or the word of man?”

 

RELATED SCRIPTURES

“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)

“The Jewish High Priest goes into the Holy Place every year with the blood of an animal. But Christ did not go in to offer himself many times; for then he would have had to suffer many times ever since the creation of the world. Instead, he has appeared once and for all,  when all ages of time are nearing the end, to remove sin through the sacrifice of himself. 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 9:25-28) (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.” (Hebrews 10:11,12) (SHLCNT)

“I do not reject the grace of God. If a man is put right with God through the Law, it means that Christ died for nothing!”(Galatians 2:21) (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)

“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 2:13-15)(SHLCNT)

“For we ourselves were once foolish, disobedient, and wrong. We were slaves to passions and pleasures of all kinds. We spend our lives in malice and envy; others hated us and we hated them. But when the kindness and love of God our Savior appeared, he saved us. It was not because of any good works that we ourselves had done, but because of his own mercy that he saved us through the washing by which the Holy Spirit gives us new birth and new life. God poured out the Holy Spirit abundantly on us, through Jesus Christ, our Savior, so that by his grace we might be put right with God and come into possession of the eternal life we hope for. This is a true saying.” (Titus 3:3-8a)(SHLCNT)

“For you know what was paid to set you free from the worthless manner of life you received from your ancestors. It was not something that loses its value, such as silver or gold; you were set free by the costly sacrifice of Christ, who was like a lamb without defect or spot.”(1 Peter 1:18,19)(SHLCNT)

“Knowing that you were not redeemed with corruptible things, as gold or silver, from your vain conversation of the tradition of your fathers: But with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb unspotted and undefiled.” (1 Peter 1:18,19 – Douay-Rheims Catholic Version)

“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)

“Because Christ also died once for our sins, the just for the unjust: that he might offer us to God…” (1 Peter 3:18 – Douay-Rheims Catholic Version)

“For Christ also hath once suffered for sins, the just for the unjust, that he might bring us to God.” (1 Peter 3:18 – King James Version)

[NOTE: Emphasis in bold print is mine.]

RELATED VIDEOS

DOCTRINE OF THE SACRIFICE OF THE MASS – COUNCIL OF TRENT – 1562

CHAPTERS 1 AND 2

CHAPTERS 3 – 6

CHAPTERS 7 – 9

THE MASS AND CANONS

SOME OF THE ANATHEMAS (CURSES) SPOKEN BY THE CATHOLIC CHURCH AGAINST THOSE WHO WILL NOT BELIEVE WHAT THE CATHOLIC CHURCH TEACHES:

Thank you very much for stopping by today.

God Bless You

~Mary Dalke – Living4HisGlory

SCRIPTURE SUNDAY – THE BOOK OF HEBREWS

With the celebration of the resurrection of Jesus Christ fast approaching, I thought it would be truly appropriate to share the audio of the entire Book of Hebrews with all of you today. When time allows I pray that you will consider listening to this audio presentation and take time to reflect on the amazing willingness on the part of Jesus Christ, the second Person in the Trinity, to willingly take upon Himself human flesh and submit to His Father’s will in order to become the perfect sacrifice that would satisfy God the Father’s just demands and His wrath that He has towards us because of our sins.

Take careful note also to hear how Jesus Christ’s “once for all” sacrifice was sufficient to pay the debt for our sins in full! No matter how evil and vile someone may be because of the things they have done, if they choose to place their trust in all that He did for them they can be forgiven and cleansed by the precious blood of Jesus Christ and be made clean and pure in the sight of a thrice Holy God. They will then be clothed with the righteousness of Jesus Christ and can serve Him and bring Him glory instead of shame. This is the truly good news of the Biblical gospel, and brings glory to God when we realize the extent that He went to in order to provide the only means by which we can be reconciled to Himself.

RELATED SCRIPTURES

“But God demonstrates His love for us in this: While we were still sinners Christ died for us.” (Romans 5:8)

“This is how God showed His love among us: He sent His one and only Son into the world that we might live through Him. This is love: not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins.” (1 John 4:9,10)

Thank you very much for stopping by.

God Bless You

~Mary/Living4HisGlory

PRESSING ON TOGETHER THROUGH 2018

As those of us who are believers in Jesus Christ and who earnestly contend for the faith  stand together and see another year come to an end, let’s continue to stand together being determined in our hearts to live each day in 2018 with faith, hope, and courage in our hearts; together, let’s press on with our minds already made up to be determined to live for Jesus Christ by continuing to earnestly contend for the faith not only by sharing the good news of the Biblical gospel with those who have yet to hear it, but also by exposing false teachings, firmly, and yet with His love and gentleness to show the way out of spiritual darkness and back to Jesus Christ. Let’s leave the past behind us and press on together, one day at a time in His grace and His strength, and let’s continue to encourage each other in the midst of our heartaches and trials.

There will definitely be times of joy that He has in store for us in the New Year ahead, but no matter what we may see in our world or face personally that may fill us with sorrow as we continue to watch the world around us reject God in so many different ways, and as we see evil increase even more, and as our hearts remain burdened for our loved ones who are either drifting away from Biblical truth or who have yet to place their trust in Jesus Christ, may we continue to stand firm together on our foundation and only Rock — Jesus Christ — one day at a time, no matter what may come our way in 2018!

For those of you who have yet to place your trust in all that Jesus Christ has accomplished for us when He willingly came into this world to become our Savior, and the only way to the Father and only means by which we can be reconciled with a thrice holy God, let me present the Biblical gospel to you: Knowing that one day He would take upon Himself the full wrath of God that was meant for us because of all of our sin and guilt, Jesus Christ, still being fully God, willingly took on human flesh and entered our sin-filled world. He lived the perfect, sinless life that we could never live, became the perfect, spotless, sacrificial Lamb of God by dying on the cross in our place, and arose from the dead on the third day which showed that God accepted His once for all sacrifice as being completely sufficient to remove His wrath that He had/has against us because of all of our sins, evil ways, and wretchedness.

There is no longer any need for any type of sacrifice to remove our sins! The truly good news is that Jesus Christ paid the debt for our sins in full!! No matter what you may have done or are presently doing that now fills you with guilt and regret, Jesus Christ paid for it all, in full! If you choose to believe this good news with all of your being, get upon your knees and receive this amazing free gift of salvation! Place your trust in Jesus Christ alone, and not in any of your good works. If you do, you will be covered in the righteousness of Jesus Christ, and your sins will be washed away, never to be remembered again!

“As far as the east is from the west, so far hath he removed our transgressions from us.” (Psalm 103:12)

“Blessed are they whose iniquities are forgiven, and whose sins are covered. Blessed is the man to whom the LORD will not impute sin.” (Romans 4:7,8)

If, however, you continue to reject Jesus Christ, who is the only way to the Father and the only way that He has provided for us to be reconciled to Himself, and if you continue to choose to place your trust in your own good works to get you to heaven, I must share with you what His Word clearly says to show you what will happen to you, regardless of what you may believe: His wrath will remain upon you and you will be cast into an eternal lake of fire that was never created for man, but only for the devil and his angels:

“Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life, but whoever rejects the Son will not see life, for God’s wrath remains on them.” (John 3:36)

“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 5:10-13)

“Then he will say to those on his left, ‘Depart from me, you cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels.” (Matthew 25:41)

Jesus Christ is our only hope, and reading His Word reveals truth to us and gives us  a living hope. Drugs, alcohol, and multiple relationships may momentarily satisfy an empty heart, but the deep hurt, loneliness, sorrow, guilt, shame, and regrets that we have will still remain. My prayer is that you will turn to Him before this day/year comes to an end. He is the only one who can truly help us face our every tomorrow. No matter how painful and heartbreaking the circumstances of our lives may be in 2018, these are just some of the promises in His Word that are given to those who are truly His children by believing and receiving the good news of the gospel and placing our trust in Jesus Christ alone for our salvation:

 He will never leave or forsake us, (Matthew 28:20, Hebrews 13:5), His strength will be made perfect in our weakness, (2 Corinthians 12:9,10), His peace will guard our hearts and minds in Christ Jesus, (Philippians 4:4-9), and He will give us His wisdom to deal with every situation we find ourselves in.

Together let’s continue to walk in His truth and press on until we all cross the finish line and meet in glory! Or, by the way the world is today, those of us who have already placed our complete trust in Him may soon meet Him in the air! If Jesus Christ returned today, would you be ready?

RELATED SCRIPTURES

“For they being ignorant of God’s righteousness, and going about to establish their own righteousness, have not submitted themselves unto the righteousness of God.” (Romans 10:3)

“But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me.”                                            (2 Corinthians 12:9,10)

“For if by one man’s offence death reigned by one; much more they which receive abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness shall reign in life by one, Jesus Christ.” (Romans 5:17)

“I do not set aside the grace of God, for if righteousness could be gained through the law, Christ died for nothing!” (Galatians 2:21)

“And be found in him, not having mine own righteousness, which is of the law, but that which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith.” (Philippians 3:9)

“…and, lo, I am with you always, even  unto the end of the world. Amen.” (Matthew 28:20)

“Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things. Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me—put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you.” (Philippians 4:4-9)

“For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.” (2 Timothy 1:7)

“For the law having a shadow of good things to come, and not the very image of the things, can never with those sacrifices which they offered year by year continually make the comers thereunto perfect. For then would they not have ceased to be offered? because that the worshippers once purged should have had no more conscience of sins. But in those sacrifices there is a remembrance again made of sins every year. For it is not possible that the blood of bulls and of goats should take away sins. Wherefore when he cometh into the world, he saith, Sacrifice and offering thou wouldest not, but a body hast thou prepared me: In burnt offerings and sacrifices for sin thou hast had no pleasure. Then said I, Lo, I come (in the volume of the book it is written of me,) to do thy will, O God. Above when he said, Sacrifice and offering and burnt offerings and offering for sin thou wouldest not, neither hadst pleasure therein; which are offered by the law; Then said he, Lo, I come to do thy will, O God. He taketh away the first, that he may establish the second. By the which will we are sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all. And every priest standeth daily ministering and offering oftentimes the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins: But this man, after he had offered one sacrifice for sins for ever, 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 for ever them that are sanctified. Whereof the Holy Ghost also is a witness to us: for after that he had said before, This is the covenant that I will make with them after those days, saith the Lord, I will put my laws into their hearts, and in their minds will I write them; And their sins and iniquities will I remember no more. Now where remission of these is, there is no more offering for sin. Having therefore, brethren, boldness to enter into the holiest by the blood of Jesus, By a new and living way, which he hath consecrated for us, through the veil, that is to say, his flesh; And having an high priest over the house of God; Let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience, and our bodies washed with pure water. Let us hold fast the profession of our faith without wavering; for he is faithful that promised.” (Hebrews 10:1-23)

“Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need.” (Hebrews 4:16)

“Dear friends, this is now my second letter to you. I have written both of them as reminders to stimulate you to wholesome thinking. I want you to recall the words spoken in the past by the holy prophets and the command given by our Lord and Savior through your apostles.

Above all, you must understand that in the last days scoffers will come, scoffing and following their own evil desires. They will say, “Where is this ‘coming’ he promised? Ever since our ancestors died, everything goes on as it has since the beginning of creation.” But they deliberately forget that long ago by God’s word the heavens came into being and the earth was formed out of water and by water. By these waters also the world of that time was deluged and destroyed. By the same word the present heavens and earth are reserved for fire, being kept for the day of judgment and destruction of the ungodly.

But do not forget this one thing, dear friends: With the Lord a day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like a day. The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. Instead he is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.

But the day of the Lord will come like a thief. The heavens will disappear with a roar; the elements will be destroyed by fire, and the earth and everything done in it will be laid bare.

Since everything will be destroyed in this way, what kind of people ought you to be? You ought to live holy and godly lives as you look forward to the day of God and speed its coming. That day will bring about the destruction of the heavens by fire, and the elements will melt in the heat. But in keeping with his promise we are looking forward to a new heaven and a new earth, where righteousness dwells.

So then, dear friends, since you are looking forward to this, make every effort to be found spotless, blameless and at peace with him. Bear in mind that our Lord’s patience means salvation, just as our dear brother Paul also wrote you with the wisdom that God gave him. He writes the same way in all his letters, speaking in them of these matters. His letters contain some things that are hard to understand, which ignorant and unstable people distort, as they do the other Scriptures, to their own destruction.

Therefore, dear friends, since you have been forewarned, be on your guard so that you may not be carried away by the error of the lawless and fall from your secure position. But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To him be glory both now and forever! Amen.” (2 Peter 3:1-17)

 

In closing this year out, I just want to thank you for standing with me and for taking time out of your busy, chaotic life to read some of my posts and poems during 2017, and thank you for your words of encouragement, as well! I truly appreciate every one of you!

A blessed, healthy, hope-filled New Year to you and your family!

God Bless You

~Mary/Living4HisGlory

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