Start
Your Journey Today "But if
I should be delayed, you should know how to behave in the household of
God, which is the church of the living God,
the pillar and foundation of
truth."
1 Timothy 3:15
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I grew up Baptist and
fondly remember as a child scurrying to the back of the sanctuary for left over
crackers and grape juice after we had communion. It was a special
occasion so it was not something we did very often. But us kids loved it. I
had many Catholic friends. We never talked about religion. We were usually too
busy playing baseball or swimming.
As I grew older and started asking various questions, adults in my life told many things about the Catholic Faith. They worshiped idols.
They worshiped Mary. They worshiped the Pope. They were a cult. These, and a few others,
were the standard explanations when it came to questions about Catholics. As
I look back, I realize most of it was due to ignorance and fear. I certainly hope it was
not malicious. Growing up Protestant, especially in the south, was really the
only option of which I was ever aware.
I didn't go to Church for a long
period of time after I turned 17. I guess that is common these days. But even
though I drifted away, God chose to touch my
heart, open my eyes, and lead me to the Catholic Faith. I had visited various
Churches over the years for funerals and weddings, and I did notice the "spirit"
that captured some people. It was not until I was touched directly and
distinctly by God at a Catholic funeral
that I became aware of His presence, His call, His Church. It was not a "feel
good" experience. It was a distinctive "wake up" call that only God can offer
you. It is impossible to explain or share this experience on a web site, but my heart burns with
the desire to share the truth the best I possibly can. I have never known
anything so clearly in my life.
One of the most difficult
obstacles I have had to overcome in my faith journey is the spirit of
independence. This is a wonderful country built on that wonderful spirit. But,
unfortunately, it is that very spirit that often separates us from a true
relationship with Christ for two simple reasons:
1. We bristle at anyone who expects us to be
obedient.
2. We find it very difficult to be humble.
So, most of us find a church that makes us
feel good. Lets us worship God in "our" way. In other words, we don't want to
bear a cross. We don't want to feel guilty. We want it "our" way, which of
course is not necessarily" God's" way. We want to storm the gates of heaven.
Write our own ticket......
Sounds like WE are playing God and
setting the standards. Hmm.........
No - I'm not comfortable with
everything about the Catholic Faith. But absolute truth will cause discomfort to
any honest person. It means I must accept just how truly
short I am of the glory of God and acknowledge how much I depend on the mercy of
Christ.
No - I don't like a lot of things
that go on in the Catholic Church, but I know it was started by Jesus and he
will forgive me just as I forgive the shortcomings of men. The Faith
is pure.
No - I don't believe that people
ignorant of the Catholic Faith and the Church founded by Christ are lost, but I
am certain I would be lost outside the Catholic
Church because it would require me to deny the very body and blood of Christ.
No - I don't believe people
hate the Catholic Church. I believe they hate what they mistakenly believe about
the Church. There are so many misconceptions and so much misinformation spread
for dubious purposes that the ill-informed often speak out against the Church.
No - I don't feel ill will
toward those that have left the Church and now speak against it. There were many
in the time of
Jesus that heard His words, did not believe, left His side, and
returned to their former ways.
Yes - Yes, it is true what
many of my Protestant friends say. The term Catholic Church does translate to
"Universal Church". But it DOES NOT translate to Universal Churches. I believe that Christ
founded one
Church, on one leader, for all people, for all time. I pray often,
just as
Jesus did, that we become one. One in the Church founded by Christ, not in
any church
founded by man.
Man cannot found a "church" and consider it part of the Universal Church,
especially "churches" that do not submit to the Universal Church founded by
Christ. Just because I call myself a millionaire does not make me one.
Just because an organization founded by man calls itself a "church" does not
make it one. Christ founded ONE Church for ALL mankind.
God
has graced me through prayer and the teachings of the Church with a true
understanding of what Jesus did for all of us and the truth of the Catholic
Christian Faith. And yes, the teachings of the Church are oh so very critical.
We have all been guilty of answering our own prayers the way we want them
answered. That is what I like about the Sacrament of Reconciliation. I know I am
forgiven instead of "forgiving myself" through selfish prayer. I don't like to
assume anything.........
The
most important thing to me in the Catholic Faith is the Eucharist. We join with
Jesus through the blessed sacrament of the Eucharist. We remain in him, and he
in us. Jesus speaks of his flesh and blood, but many cannot comprehend what he
means. That was true in his time also. We are too caught up in the worldly
meaning of "flesh and blood" to understand that his real presence in the
Eucharist is glorious. Real food to strengthen us on our journey. So many people
today can't seem to grasp this. Sometimes it is difficult to overcome what we
have been taught as a child and find the truth. But the truth is there.
At one time or another, we have
all wondered how the Jewish religious leaders in the time of Jesus could have
strayed so far from what God had intended. We all feel pretty confident that we
know what God thinks and we would never get to the point reached by the holy men
of Jerusalem. Yet today, we can look at the many "variations" of Christianity
and come to the realization that we have done exactly that. We have all decided
that we know best and we can interpret the bible and obtain our own meaning. We,
as a Christian society, have decided that we all understand Christ and we all
have the answers. We all have the inside track to salvation. The fragmentation
started with the Protestant Reformation and has accelerated ever since.
In the time of Jesus there was
only one truth. He founded one Church. For 1600 years there was only one Church.
For 1600 years there was only one truth. Paul did not foretell the Protestant
Reformation and the thousands of different Christian churches, but he did warn
us about the human nature that led to it.
"For the time
will come when people will not tolerate sound doctrine but, following their
own desires and insatiable curiosity, will accumulate teachers and will stop
listening to the truth and will be diverted to myths."
2 Timothy 4:3-4
For
about the last 400 years, Protestant churches have multiplied and divided until
today there are over 33,000 denominations - all professing their own
version of the truth. All Protestant faiths disregard Sacred Tradition,
which is the literal living history of the Church founded by Jesus. I explain it
to my religion classes in this way. Imagine in 20 years you go to a high school
reunion. When you begin to reminisce about your time in school, all you are
allowed to do is to open your yearbook and look through it, read it. You can't
talk about anything but what is in your yearbook. You can't talk about any of
the activities that pictures bring to mind. You can't rely on the memory of
others to refresh your memory about some of the things you have forgotten. That
eliminates a big part of your high school years. This is a very simple analogy
with Sacred Tradition. Disregarding Sacred Tradition strips the faith down to
only what you can read and leaves much open to interpretation. While we all hold
the Sacred Scriptures dear to our heart and read them often, it is important to
know from Tradition how things were done, why they were done, and other critical
aspects of the Faith not found in the Bible. It is important how the early
Church worshiped. It is important how the early Church practiced and understood
the Faith. Contact a Catholic Church about RICA classes. Take
some time in your life to learn about Jesus and HIS Church. Take
time to learn THE COMPLETE TRUTH and experience THE COMPLETE FAITH.
"And now I will no
longer be in the world, but they are in the world, while I am coming to you.
Holy Father, keep them in your name that you have given me, so that they may be
one just as we are."
John 17:11
If
you take time to learn only one more thing in your life, I pray that you open
your heart and learn about the Catholic Faith. I mean that sincerely. The
Catholic Faith is the single most consistent representation for the true faith
of Jesus and has remained so for the last 2000 years. Do not let your mind be
poisoned and turned against the truth. If you are a Christian, you know the
truth. Come learn about the Church founded by Jesus and learn the WHOLE truth.
Jesus
started one Church. Christ warned about the wisdom of man as compared to the
wisdom of God. Do not fall to the folly of men who think they can do it better.
The Church was founded by and belongs to Jesus. It is not a free enterprise
opportunity.
Of
the Apostles on night Jesus was arrested, one betrayed him, one denied him three
times, and ten ran away. The Church has, and always will, suffer due to human
weakness; but the
ONE HOLY CATHOLIC AND APOSTOLIC
CHURCH REMAINS
Strayed
From Or Never Known The Church Founded By Christ?
Joined A Church
Because It Agrees With Your Beliefs?
Come Home And Learn The COMPLETE TRUTH
About Christianity
What Is The Catholic Church ?
by Bishop Fulton Sheen
"There
are not over a hundred people in the United States who hate the Catholic Church.
There are millions, however, who hate what they wrongly believe to be the
Catholic Church—which is, of course, quite a different thing. These millions can
hardly be blamed for hating Catholics because Catholics “adore statues;” because
they “put the Blessed Mother on the same level with God;” because they “say
indulgence is a permission to commit sin;” because the Pope “is a Fascist;”
because the Church “is the defender of Capitalism.” If the Church taught or
believed any one of these things, it should be hated, but the fact is that the
Church does not believe nor teach any one of them. It follows then that the
hatred of the millions is directed against error and not against truth. As a
matter of fact, if we Catholics believed all of the untruths and lies which were
said against the Church, we probably would hate the Church a thousand times more
than they do.
If I were not a Catholic, and were looking for the true Church in the world
today, I would look for the one Church which did not get along well with the
world; in other words, I would look for the Church which the world hates. My
reason for doing this would be, that if Christ is in any one of the churches of
the world today, He must still be hated as He was when He was on earth in the
flesh. If you would find Christ today, then find the Church that does not get
along with the world. Look for the Church that is hated by the world, as Christ
was hated by the world. Look for the Church which is accused of being behind the
times, as Our Lord was accused of being ignorant and never having learned. Look
for the Church which men sneer at as socially inferior, as they sneered at Our
Lord because He came from Nazareth. Look for the Church which is accused of
having a devil, as Our Lord was accused of being possessed by Beelzebub, the
Prince of Devils. Look for the Church which
the world rejects because
it claims it is infallible, as Pilate rejected Christ because he called Himself
the Truth. Look for the Church which amid the confusion of conflicting opinions,
its members love as they love Christ, and respect its voice as the very voice of
its Founder, and the suspicion will grow, that if the Church is unpopular with
the spirit of the world, then it is unworldly, and if it is unworldly, it is
other-worldly. Since it is other-worldly, it is infinitely loved and infinitely
hated as was Christ Himself.
...
the Catholic Church is the only Church
existing today which goes back to the time of Christ. History is so very clear
on this point, it is curious how many miss its obviousness..."
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