Protestants, how can this be possible?

[PJM]

=Grace Seeker;You’re not the umpire. God is. And the only call I’ve ever heard him make is “safe” at home.

I’m sure they do. That doesn’t mean squat with either me or God.

No problem. The Jesus I worship was himself a devout Jew, though he never asked us to become Jews ourselves. Instead he offers us a new covenant doing God’s will not as defined by the old covenant, but by Jesus who declared that we should “Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another.” In fact it is “By this (not baptism, not the eucharist, not church membership) all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.”

So friend is that **THE ONLY thing **Christ Himself tellss us we have to do? Perhaps you might look at Mt.16:19, Mt. 19:16, John 3:5. 3:36. and John 20:22-23:shrug:

You certainly are correct about the issue of LOVE

You say that the question is yet to be answered. That is not true. Rather, the answers that have been supplied you have yet to find convincing. I and others have shared why. You can accept or reject your reasons. But you have received them, even if you haven’t bothered to take the time to listen.

You have a uniquely biased interpretation regarding the meaning of those passages. I don’t think that they point to what you claim they point to at all. As regards the term “the Church”, it doesn’t appear even once in scripture – "ecclesia

" does, and you would do well to learn its meaning in the context in which it was written which is quite different than how you are reading into it today.

Gloss over. No. I don’t gloss over that idea, I outright deny it!!

God allows you to get away with that… in this life.

What happened tom LOVE?

Stop there. Don’t continue on with the rest. The rest may even be true, but it is irrelevant. Where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is the one Church, apostolic and universal. That’s all we really need to know to define the Church. That is all that is essential and in this essential we have unity. In the non-essentials we do not, but in them we can have liberty – you to be Catholc and me to be catholic.

See my comments above

Love ya Graceseeker!

Pat

 

[live63]

You’re not the umpire. God is. And the only call I’ve ever heard him make is “safe” at home.

I’m sure they do. That doesn’t mean squat with either me or God.

No problem. The Jesus I worship was himself a devout Jew, though he never asked us to become Jews ourselves. Instead he offers us a new covenant doing God’s will not as defined by the old covenant, but by Jesus who declared that we should “Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another.” In fact it is “By this (not baptism, not the eucharist, not church membership) all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.”

You say that the question is yet to be answered. That is not true. Rather, the answers that have been supplied you have yet to find convincing. I and others have shared why. You can accept or reject your reasons. But you have received them, even if you haven’t bothered to take the time to listen.

You have a uniquely biased interpretation regarding the meaning of those passages. I don’t think that they point to what you claim they point to at all. As regards the term “the Church”, it doesn’t appear even once in scripture – “ecclesia” does, and you would do well to learn its meaning in the context in which it was written which is quite different than how you are reading into it today.

Gloss over. No. I don’t gloss over that idea, I outright deny it!!

Stop there. Don’t continue on with the rest. The rest may even be true, but it is irrelevant. Where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is the one Church, apostolic and universal. That’s all we really need to know to define the Church. That is all that is essential and in this essential we have unity. In the non-essentials we do not, but in them we can have liberty – you to be Catholc and me to be catholic.

Grace Seeker;

I applaude your restraint and explanations. As an outsider, I observe allot of things. People, there behaviors and mannerisms and even there thought processes. I have been on this site for a few weeks now and I have to comment on what I have observed on this post and others. People like yourself and myself who have an idea and can think beyond are cast into a group of non-knowing people and the venom spew upon us is unwarranted and uncalled for. If we are to attack them in the same manner we would be banned.
I’m posting this because someone out there needs to address this bias. It’s like the kid in the ballpark taking his ball home because the rest of us won’t play the way they want us too.
Yes I do expect some retaliation for these comments but frankly Scarllet I don’t give a …
This, for all intence and purposes is my last post and reply.
When I signed onto this site, I picked a name that if read correctly reads the opposite to what you all stand for. I put “New Age” as my religion because I do not nor will I ever in the future belong to any “Church” manipulated by man. I do believe in God and all that he represents. I don’t believe in Mans’ manipulation of him. When you want to argue sensibily Then and only then will I request to come back.
Dave

 

[jmcrae]

Gloss over. No. I don’t gloss over that idea, I outright deny it!!

Based on what? Prior to 1524, the only Christian Church that had ever existed was the Catholic Church, albeit divided into Eastern and Western schisms after 1054.

History tells us that it was Pope Damasus who commanded that the books known to be inspired by the Holy Spirit be gathered together into one codex and translated.

It was the Catholic Bishops of the Councils of Rome, Carthage and Hippo who discerned which books those were. Believe me, there were no Protestants in those Councils.

When their work was done, it was Pope Innocent I who promulgated the canon of the Scriptures to the whole world, and made it possible for St. Jerome (a Catholic priest) to fulfill the command to gather them together into one codex and translate them.

These are all historical facts that you can look up in any secular encyclopedia.

 

[PRmerger]

That is all that is essential and in this essential we have unity. In the non-essentials we do not, but in them we can have liberty – you to be Catholc and me to be catholic.

What, exactly, are these “essentials” and what Scripture verses tell you these are essential and others are “non-essential?”

 

[Christ_Imitator]

There can only be ONE truth on any particular issue. So how can this be

Are you talking about Catholics being the one truth? I believe that this is incorrect.

I think that any person that believes these:

• Jesus answered, "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. (John 14:6)

-All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.
(2 Timothy 3:16-17)

If you believe that Jesus Christ is the one & only way to God, and believe that the Bible is the true word of God then you are a real “Christian.” It does not matter if you are Catholic, Orthodox, Protestant, or anyone else who follows the words in God’s Holy book; you are following that ONE truth.

 

[luke1_28]

Are you talking about Catholics being the one truth? I believe that this is incorrect.

I think that any person that believes these:

• Jesus answered, "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. (John 14:6)

-All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.
(2 Timothy 3:16-17)

If you believe that Jesus Christ is the one & only way to God, and believe that the Bible is the true word of God then you are a real “Christian.” It does not matter if you are Catholic, Orthodox, Protestant, or anyone else who follows the words in God’s Holy book; you are following that ONE truth.

As your brother in Christ, I am sincerely trying to help you and Grace Seeker, and any of the others that are not Catholic. So out of my sincerity, I hope God will give you the grace to see something you have never seen before…even though I have repeated this many times in different ways. It bears repeating - because it’s the source and summit of faith. It’s the reason the whole Bible was written. It’s the reason the world was created. Your body was designed for one purpose explicitly. That is, to commune with Christ FULLY with Christ in the Holy Eucharist. The Author of Life - through whom all creation was made - was made to bear witness to the Eucharist.

Because:

He didn’t say - “Unless you READ MY WORD and SING MY SONGS, you cannot have My Life.”

HE SAID - UNLESS YOU EAT MY BODY AND DRINK MY BLOOD, YOU CANNOT HAVE MY LIFE!

There IS One Way - One Truth - One Life.

What ‘Way’ then? Why did He come? To die for us and rise for us - and to be the Sacrifice - The Lamb of God that takes away the sins of the world - this Lamb of God is THE WAY to heaven. We have to ‘get on’ the Lamb by CONSUMING THE SACRIFICE. Then THE Way - will be OUR Way to Heaven. There is only one way to receive The Way. This is taught to us in The Truth.

What ‘Truth’ then? We need the Church to teach us Truth - so that we might come to know The Way. Otherwise God’s Way gets lost in the hands of those who feel they have the power to interpret scripture - GOd’s Way becomes NOT God’s Way - but man’s take on God’s Way - and that Way then is dilluted to just mere man’s way. Only a successor of the Apostles can rightly interpret the Holy Scriptures and teach the Truth of Scripture. And only THEN does 2 Tim 3:16 apply. So you have to be qualified and Paul KNEW this from his background. You wanna know the Truth and the only Truth you need to know to get to Heaven? The Truth that will set us free is to strive for learning and knowing the Truth that informs our faith on where we and how to receive The Body and Blood of Christ. Then, we need to learn and know the Truth on staying in the grace of God to worthily receive the Body and Blood of Christ. Then we must know the Truth that the bread and wine are not symbols. The Truth is that the bread and wine, consecrated in the hands of a priest ordained by a successor of the Apostles, this bread and wine - BECOMES the BODY and BLOOD of OUR LORD AND SAVIOR JESUS CHRIST. The Truth personified is what we consume, and we carry the Truth out to the world. Once we know this Truth and believe in it, then we have ‘The Life’. Then we give to others this Life by living this Life.

What Life? Christ’s Life. Because He explicity and unapolegetically says - “Unless you eat My Body and drink My Blood, you cannot have My Life.” THAT LIFE - is the Life that matters. AND THAT - is unarguably THE most IMPORTANT directive Christ ever gives His followers. It is His Life that empowers us in this life. The old man is cast off - and the new man we put on - is not just our version of a new man - but CHRIST HIMSELF - BODY, BLOOD, SOUL, AND DIVIINTY - LIVING IN US INTIMATELY - LOVING US - BECOMING ONE WITH US so that we are a NEW MAN - because He DID come to make all things NEW!!

Christ commanded His Apostles - and not just any old souls - to Do this in remembrance of Him. And only THOSE that have been called and then ordained by a successor of an Apostle have the power to give you THIS Way, THIS Truth, and THIS Life.

He loves us so much that He wants us NOW - and through remembrance of His Sacrifice in HIS CHURCH that HE founded we can have THAT Life. Christ’s Life! NOT THROUGH LUTHER’S, WESLEY’S, CALVIN’S, SMITH’S, or any of the other sect churches. That’s just a watered down version - of Christ’s life to the point where it’s the founder of those sect’s life that is handed on by tradition…and not Christ’s saving, intimate, Life. The world cannot have Christ’s Life - UNLESS - they commune with Him through His Body and Blood and well formed, faith filled Catholics commune with Christ FULLY as Christ commanded us to. Talk about personal Lord and Savior! - we got it all over the protestants when it comes to ‘personal Lord and Savior’. Because - we can be HIS NOW fully communing with Christ as much as we possibly can in this life and in this life it is ONLY possible by taking HIS BODY and BLOOD, SOUL AND DIVINITY - into our body and blood - and soul. We even share in HIS DIVINITY because Christ is sharing that as well, with us. He loves us THAT much! COMMUNION is what matters to Christ - it’s why He spoke so directly and clearly about it. And it’s The Way, The Truth, and The Life.

And NO protestant denomination, non-denomination, new age way - will ever have the power to give you that. ONLY in the Catholic Church…period. Humble yourselves and cast aside your learned discriminations and resentments, self righteous judgement, man-made traditions, and bow before Jesus Himself who is on Earth NOW - in every Tabernacle of every Catholic Church. When you have learned and prepared, then receive the Holy Eucharistic Sacrifice - the Lamb of God - who carries us HOME!

God bless,
luke1_28

 

[luke1_28]

Christ is present in the Holy Eucharist. Christ is because He says He is. Read John 6. Now while Catholics don’t need miracles to prove that the bread and wine is no longer bread and wine, but the following link provides material to doubters, unbelievers, and the rest of the world:

therealpresence.org/eucharst/mir/a3.html

When has the bread and wine ever miraculously turned into real heart tissue and blood in a protestant communion service after an attempt to consecrate it? Never.

Only One Church understands The Truth of Christ’s Word enough to know it has been given the Power to offer His Body and Blood to the world…and it is offered freely to give Life to the world. It is a Gift - in the most perfect Gift ever given by one person to another person. The greatest Gift given by God to man.

Don’t lose the light and Life of this Gift in the darkness and death of your hostility, prejudice, protestations, denouncments and condemnations of the Catholic Church. Believe God and not man. When man ceases believing the men God has ordained and empowered in His name, man creates his own church. The golden calf of the Israelites is an example.

God bless,
luke1_28

 

[PJM]

=PRmerger;5827655]What, exactly, are these “essentials” and what Scripture verses tell you these are essential and others are “non-essential?”

Originally Posted by Grace Seeker
That is all that is essential and in this essential we have unity. In the non-essentials we do not, but in them we can have liberty – you to be Catholc and me to be catholic.

My dear friend in Christ,

You certainly have a strange way of “seeking grace.” One would think Obedience to God’s Divenly Inspired Word would come somehow come into play for one actaully seeking God’s grace:shrug:

You and have have shared many post and I have supplied the information you claim to seek mutiple times, so I’ll not bother you by doing so again.

Because one “CAN” has never been moral or etechical grounds to say “you should” hold a postion NOT supportable by the Bible.

But yes friend, God’s allows us to make what ever choices feel good in this life; BUT eternity is comming. God is and must judge our deeds, and will not factor in our “what we think of as good intentions.” God will judge us fairly and justly according to not just what knowedge we accept [because it makes us feel good] but on the knowledge, the TRUTHS we chose to reject. Pretty scary thought, but that’s the way its going to be.

Love and prayers,

 

[luke1_28]

In the non-essentials we do not, but in them we can have liberty – you to be Catholc and me to be catholic.

Again GS, I come to you as a brother in Christ. I seek to say only what the Holy Spirit inspires me to say and out of the Charity that lives within me, I share this with you.

Don’t call yourself catholic even with a small c. If you are willing to take a stand of opposition to God’s Church, and think the founder of your faith has a better ‘way’ than Christ’s Way, then man up and defend it. But don’t use a term that meant nothing in the days of the Early Church Fathers - to describe who you are. It doesn’t matter. Now, since the reformation - and only SINCE the reformation - is it necessary to label ourselves Catholic. And YOU GS, are no catholic - even with a small c. There is no identifier but alien Christian - for your system of belief. You, more than likely through no fault of your own and the man-made teachings of weak men, have alienated yourself from the True Faith. Because only Catholics believe that Christ is present FULLY in all his man-hood and God-head, in the Holy Eucharist. You are Catholic if you believe this. No one else is. Only Catholics believe that Christ instituted One Church in which a priest ordained by a successor of the Apostles has been given the power by Christ Himself - to consecrate the bread and wine to change it wholly and really - into His Body and Blood. If you believe this, you are Catholic. *No one else is. *

Considering all Christians believed this up until the time of the reformation - doesn’t it frighten you to know that the reformers perverted and degraded the 1500 year old teaching of Christ that couldn’t have been made more clear? The world is NOT better off with the dillution of this teaching! You can’t be Catholic if you can’t believe what Christ’s Church - THE Catholic Church teaches. Doesn’t it frighten you that the founders of YOUR faith, through their worldly motivations, outright obstinance, pride, and arrogance - they adulterated the Bride of Christ and abused Her? Does it concern you not, to know - that the belief of ALL Christians at one time was that the source and summit of the Christian Faith was the Holy Eucharist and NOT the Holy Bible? Does it not startle you that at one time - these early disciples and medieval believers knew that there was only One Church to get the Holy Eucharist? Doesn’t it give you pins and needles to know that there’s still that same, One Church, and only that One Church where you can receive a valid Holy Eucharist?

Fr. John Hardon:

"Consider the following. It was out of sheer love, through no compulsion or necessity, that God made the world and made up part of the world; and needless to say, we are grateful—He did not have to. It was out of pure love that God became man to redeem us from sin; Love became man, which is a definition of the Incarnation—again, He did not have to. It was out of sheer love that the God-man allowed Himself to be crucified so that He might shed His blood for our sins—surely, He did not have to. It was out of love alone that the night before He died, God-made-man decided to transform bread and wine into His living flesh and blood by instituting the Eucharist—He did not have to. It was out of love and nothing else that He instituted the priesthood to perpetuate the miracle of transubstantiation so that He could remain among us in this valley of tears—again, He didn’t have to.

"It is, therefore, love that moved God to be where we are, to be available to us at our will, to be close as close can be, to be a human being who is also God and, as this man-God, to invite us to come to Him.

“What does all of this mean to us? It means that even as He is with us in mind and affections, so we should be with Him. That is why He is here! His love should evoke our love, His willingness to sacrifice should prompt our desire to surrender. But how loathe we are to give up. His readiness to give Himself to us entirely should move us to give ourselves to Him—entirely.”

Be like a child, humbly submitting all that protestant education - to finally hear the words of the priest given Power from Christ to say - “Take, eat…this is My Body - given up for you.” For it is in the conformity of His Body becoming One with ours, as His Church that HE established teaches so clearly, HOLY COMMUNION, that we gain Christ’s everlasting Life!.
**
And that - means a whole lot of diddly squat to MY Father in heaven. I guarantee it.**

God bless,
luke1_28

 

[Christ_Imitator]

And NO protestant denomination, non-denomination, new age way - will ever have the power to give you that. ONLY in the Catholic Church…period. Humble yourselves and cast aside your learned discriminations and resentments, self righteous judgement, man-made traditions,

Ummm, the Catholic Church has tons of “man made” traditions.
Protestants & Catholics alike have many of them, and yet they say they all “come from scripture.”
I am trying to keep as much of an open mind as possible, the way I am with the Baha’i faith. I’m not saying I could ever become Baha’i, because they do not believe that Christ is the savior of man-kind the way I do; but I still will listen.

As for Catholicism, I have a Catholic lady who now attends my church (Evanglical Free Church). She told me she left the Catholic Church because of “too much politics”. She said that there are good things about bothe Churches. She likes the Catholic Church, and yet likes the E-Free Church. Other Ex-Catholics attend my church, so I won’t ask them, since they do not like the Catholic Church. (They say it is a bunch of “religion”, tradition, and rituals" ) <—there own words.
I will talk with the one woman some about the Catholic faith, since she still is Catholic. As well as try to learn a little from these forums.

You talk about the “Holy Eucharist”. Is that not what us protestants call the Lord’s Supper? I do not understand why you believe that your Catholic version is so much more “special” when you do it? Are your priests magical or something?
I mean, we completley understand (at least in my church) what the meaning of the Lord’s Supper" is. Not sure why I need to become a Catholic in order to full understand it.

 

[jmcrae]

Ummm, the Catholic Church has tons of “man made” traditions.

We have a lot of disciplinary stuff that comes from the Church, but the teachings are all from Christ and the Apostles. (The Bible came much later on - we don’t say that our teachings come from the Bible; rather, that we put our teachings into the Bible, since the Bible is a Catholic book.)

 

[Christ_Imitator]

we don’t say that our teachings come from the Bible; rather, that we put our teachings into the Bible, since the Bible is a Catholic book.

But, the only teachings you should use are the ones that were put in the Bible.
How do you know that any of your practices that are not in the Bible are from God?

 

[Christ_Imitator]

we don’t say that our teachings come from the Bible; rather, that we put our teachings into the Bible, since the Bible is a Catholic book.

But, the only teachings you should use are the ones that were put in the Bible.
How do you know that any of your practices that are not in the Bible are from God?

[Sorry if that doesn’t make complete sense, I was trying to put into words what I was thinking; might be confusing?]

 

[jmcrae]

But, the only teachings you should use are the ones that were put in the Bible.
How do you know that any of your practices that are not in the Bible are from God?

Because they come to us in exactly the same way that the Bible continues to come to us - by means of the leaders and teachers of our Church, going back to Christ Himself in an unbroken line of succession.

I’m not speaking here of the disciplines of the Church, which can (and do) change over time - these disciplines are under human control, because Jesus gave them to St. Peter through the “power of the keys” (see Matthew 16:18-19). The leaders of our Church (the Pope and those Bishops who are in union with him) pass the teachings down to us unchanged (including the Bible) and give us disciplines that are appropriate to our particular time, place, and circumstances, in order to live them out in our lives.

 

[luke1_28]

Is that not what us protestants call the Lord’s Supper? I do not understand why you believe that your Catholic version is so much more “special” when you do it? Are your priests magical or something?
I mean, we completley understand (at least in my church) what the meaning of the Lord’s Supper" is. Not sure why I need to become a Catholic in order to full understand it.

Not even close. Our priests aren’t ‘magical’ - but given Power by Christ Himself to change the bread and wine into Christ’s Body and Blood - wholly and really. It’s not just a symbol. Christ Himself stated, “For My Body is True Food. My Blood is True Drink.” Read all of John Chapter 6. Read the Lord’s Supper accounts. If you understood the full meaning of the Lord’s Supper you wouldn’t be in the church you are in because Christ only established One Church with the Power and Authority to celebrate the Lord’s Supper. Do yourself a favor…be humble…and learn about it. I don’t care if your friend was the pope and left the Church…she was wrong to do so. It was a weak excuse to leave the only Church Christ intended to ever exist. “Politics”. It’s ironic because the founder of that church you sit in - politics at some point was what drove him to establish it.

Man cannot create a church! Only God can. Since you don’t believe in that…then what you receive in your Lord’s Supper - is not even the “Lord’s Supper” at all. It’s your founder’s supper and a counterfeit of the Lord’s Supper.

Magical? - no. True Power given to the Apostles by Christ Himself? - yes. It’s called Apostolic Succession. Protestants outright deny it - and therefore the Eucharist is lost in the process. They lose the Life that is gained by eating the Body and Blood of the Lord Jesus Christ. Read John 6. Read the articles on this site. Don’t just come to bicker. The Eucharistic Love of Christ is the door to heaven - but humility is the key to open it.

God bless,
luke1_28

 

[jmcrae]

Are your priests magical or something?

They have received the Sacrament of Holy Orders, which sets them apart from common men, by means of the Apostolic Succession that goes back in an unbroken line all the way to Christ Himself, through St. Peter.

Protestants lost all these things when they broke away from the Church in the early 1500s.

 

[luke1_28]

Ummm, the Catholic Church has tons of “man made” traditions.
:

That’s because the Church has been given the Power and Authority by Christ to do so.

 

[luke1_28]

They have received the Sacrament of Holy Orders, which sets them apart from common men, by means of the Apostolic Succession that goes back in an unbroken line all the way to Christ Himself, through St. Peter.

Protestants lost all these things when they broke away from the Church in the early 1500s.

Sad, very sad. While we can agree that ‘individuals’ in the Church Christ instituted warranted correction and reproof, the reformers never finished their job. They never did come back to the Church when the errors they formed as a basis were corrected or explained. Their power they gained to leave the Church and start their own was more seductive than the Power Christ gave His Apostles in the only Church He established.

On this feast day of St. Margaret Mary Alacoque: "The Sacred Heart is regarded as “the symbol of that boundless love which moved the Word to take flesh, to institute the Holy Eucharist, to take our sins upon Himself, and, dying on the Cross, to offer Himself as a victim and sacrifice to the eternal Father.” " From EWTN.

A consecration:

I give myself and consecrate to the Sacred Heart of our Lord Jesus Christ, my person and my life, my actions, pains, and sufferings, so that I may be unwilling to make use of any part of my being other than to honor, love and glorify the Sacred Heart. This is my unchanging purpose, namely, to be all His, and to do all things for the love of Him, at the same time renouncing with all my heart whatever is displeasing to Him. I therefore take You, O Sacred heart, to be the only object of my love, the guardian of my life, my assurance of salvation, the remedy of my weakness and inconstancy, the atonement for all the faults of my life and my sure refuge at the hour of death.

Be then, O Heart of goodness, my justification before God the Father, and turn away from me the strokes of his righteous anger. O Heart of love, I put all my confidence in You, for I fear everything from my own wickedness and frailty, but I hope for all things from Your goodness and bounty.

Remove from me all that can displease You or resist Your holy will; let your pure love imprint Your image so deeply upon my heart, that I shall never be able to forget You or to be separated from You.

May I obtain from all Your loving kindness the grace of having my name written in Your Heart, for in You I desire to place all my happiness and glory, living and dying in bondage to You.

Amen.

 

[PJM]

=luke1_28;5830578]Again GS, I come to you as a brother in Christ. I seek to say only what the Holy Spirit inspires me to say and out of the Charity that lives within me, I share this with you.

Don’t call yourself catholic even with a small c. If you are willing to take a stand of opposition to God’s Church, and think the founder of your faith has a better ‘way’ than Christ’s Way, then man up and defend it. But don’t use a term that meant nothing in the days of the Early Church Fathers - to describe who you are. It doesn’t matter. Now, since the reformation - and only SINCE the reformation - is it necessary to label ourselves Catholic. And YOU GS, are no catholic - even with a small c. There is no identifier but alien Christian - for your system of belief. You, more than likely through no fault of your own and the man-made teachings of weak men, have alienated yourself from the True Faith. Because only Catholics believe that Christ is present FULLY in all his man-hood and God-head, in the Holy Eucharist. You are Catholic if you believe this. No one else is. Only Catholics believe that Christ instituted One Church in which a priest ordained by a successor of the Apostles has been given the power by Christ Himself - to consecrate the bread and wine to change it wholly and really - into His Body and Blood. If you believe this, you are Catholic. *No one else is. *

Considering all Christians believed this up until the time of the reformation - doesn’t it frighten you to know that the reformers perverted and degraded the 1500 year old teaching of Christ that couldn’t have been made more clear? The world is NOT better off with the dillution of this teaching! You can’t be Catholic if you can’t believe what Christ’s Church - THE Catholic Church teaches. Doesn’t it frighten you that the founders of YOUR faith, through their worldly motivations, outright obstinance, pride, and arrogance - they adulterated the Bride of Christ and abused Her? Does it concern you not, to know - that the belief of ALL Christians at one time was that the source and summit of the Christian Faith was the Holy Eucharist and NOT the Holy Bible? Does it not startle you that at one time - these early disciples and medieval believers knew that there was only One Church to get the Holy Eucharist? Doesn’t it give you pins and needles to know that there’s still that same, One Church, and only that One Church where you can receive a valid Holy Eucharist?

Fr. John Hardon:

"Consider the following. It was out of sheer love, through no compulsion or necessity, that God made the world and made up part of the world; and needless to say, we are grateful—He did not have to. It was out of pure love that God became man to redeem us from sin; Love became man, which is a definition of the Incarnation—again, He did not have to. It was out of sheer love that the God-man allowed Himself to be crucified so that He might shed His blood for our sins—surely, He did not have to. It was out of love alone that the night before He died, God-made-man decided to transform bread and wine into His living flesh and blood by instituting the Eucharist—He did not have to. It was out of love and nothing else that He instituted the priesthood to perpetuate the miracle of transubstantiation so that He could remain among us in this valley of tears—again, He didn’t have to.

"It is, therefore, love that moved God to be where we are, to be available to us at our will, to be close as close can be, to be a human being who is also God and, as this man-God, to invite us to come to Him.

“What does all of this mean to us? It means that even as He is with us in mind and affections, so we should be with Him. That is why He is here! His love should evoke our love, His willingness to sacrifice should prompt our desire to surrender. But how loathe we are to give up. His readiness to give Himself to us entirely should move us to give ourselves to Him—entirely.”

Be like a child, humbly submitting all that protestant education - to finally hear the words of the priest given Power from Christ to say - “Take, eat…this is My Body - given up for you.” For it is in the conformity of His Body becoming One with ours, as His Church that HE established teaches so clearly, HOLY COMMUNION, that we gain Christ’s everlasting Life!.
**
And that - means a whole lot of diddly squat to MY Father in heaven. I guarantee it.**

God bless,
luke1_28

Hi luke1_28,

Well done:thumbsup: Are you also a Marian Catecheist?

Love nad prayers,

Pat

 

[luke1_28]

Hi luke1_28,

Well done:thumbsup: Are you also a Marian Catecheist?

Love nad prayers,

Pat

Not yet. I am a big fan of Fr. John Hardon. Can you tell? Right now, I am a future Oblate of the Community of St. John. communityofstjohn.com/ If you click on the link, the man shaking hands with the Holy Father is Fr. Marie Dominique Phillipe. Intense spirituality in his writings.

I am fortunate to have the Priory near in Princeville. Beautiful place and the atmosphere is one of holy reverence for Christ truly present in the Eucharist. I love it!

Peace be with you Pat. I hope you don’t get tired of my rambling all over your thread. I feel called to engage and bring a Eucharistic vision which gives Life to the debates rather than quibble over dates or argue over scripture passages. Had there been more faith in the Eucharist, there wouldn’t have been a reformation. The Holy Eucharist is our reason for living - and the Way to the Truth and Life. I believe that the answer to how healthy the Catholic Church is, is in direct correlation with how strongly the members of the Body of Christ believes in the Eucharist. We cannot have Life without the Eucharist.

God bless,
luke1_28