“72” were Sent out. WHY? by Patrick Miron

“72” Were sent out in Christ name

Why “72”? And WHY are numbers in the bible signifient?

by: Patrick Miron

Luke 10: 1-5 “And after these things the Lord appointed also other seventy-two: and he sent them two and two before his face into every city and place whither he himself was to come. And he said to them: The harvest indeed is great, but the labourers are few. Pray ye therefore the Lord of the harvest, that he send labourers into his harvest. Go: Behold I send you as lambs among wolves. Carry neither purse, nor scrip, nor shoes; and salute no man by the way. Into whatsoever house you enter, first say: Peace be to this house.”

Anytime one encounters a number in the bible, it’s important to ask if the number itself has significance. This is based on Jewish Tradition where numbers often have a meaning of there own, known by all, and understood by all for who the teaching or message is immediately intended for.

www.agapebiblestudy.com

“In sacred Scripture numbers usually have more significance than their quantitative indicators. More often than not, even when a number is used to indicate a certain quantity, the individual number given may point beyond the numerical value to a symbolic significance. At other times the number given is not to be taken literally and may represent an approximate value, a symbolic value, or may represent hyperbole-an exaggerated value. For example, the six day period of Creation may not be literal but may represent a symbolic period of time that was perfected on the seventh day when God rested-7 being one of the four “perfect” numbers. Or the number of the 144,000 heavenly souls marked with the “seal of the living God” in Revelation chapter 7 may suggest, as Bible scholars both ancient and modern have interpreted it, a number reflecting the symbolic perfection of redeemed man in terms of the “perfect” number 12 which signifies perfection of government in Scripture. 144,000 is the square of 12.”

 http://www.agapebiblestudy.com/documents/the%20significance%20of%20numbers%20in%20scripture.htm: Much additional information can be found on this web site.

ONE: In sacred Scripture “one,” ehad, in Hebrew, represents unity and is the quintessential number of monotheism, the worship of one God.

TWO: This number can mean difference, division or double portion.

THREE: In sacred Scripture the number three represents that which is solid, real, substantial, and something in its completeness. This number usually indicates something of importance or significance in God’s plan of salvation by identifying an important event in Salvation History. This number operates as a “sign-post” in Scripture study for the reader to “pay attention” to the significance of the next event.

FOUR: The number four represents God’s creative works, especially works associated with the earth:

FIVE: This is the number of power and Divine grace.

SIX: Both man and the serpent were created on the sixth day, therefore, the number six represents both man and rebellion. In the Greek alphabet the number six is not represented by an alphabetic letter but is instead represented by a symbol called the “stigma.” In Revelation 13:18 the number of the Beast is written not as 666 but is instead is written with the Greek symbols for 600 and 60 and 6. In his book Numbers in Scripture, E.W. Bullinger observes that these three symbols correspond to first and last letters of the Greek word for Christ = CHRISTOS, with the symbol of the serpent in between the two other numbers of 666 [see Numbers in Scripture page 49]. Perhaps this arrangement can be seen to be Christ the Messiah crushing the serpent as God told the serpent in Genesis 3:15: I shall put enmity between you and the woman, and between your seed and her seed; he will crush your head and you will strike its heel.

SEVEN: Spiritual perfection and fullness or completion. It is the number of Covenant and of the Holy Spirit.

EIGHT: sh’moneh in Hebrew, from the root shah’meyn “to make fat” or “to cover with fat” which means to super-abound. The first of a new series: there are seven days in a week; the 8^th day is the beginning of a new series of days. It is the number of salvation, resurrection, and new birth/regeneration.

NINE: This number is related to the number six, being the sum of its factors (3×3=9, and 3+3=6). It is significant of the end of man and the sum of all man’s works. Nine is therefore the number of finality or judgment.

TEN: Perfection of divine order

ELEVEN: disorder: 10 + 1 or 12 – 1; also disorganization, lack of fulfillment, imperfection

TWELVE: Perfection of government. Twelve is the number of the Church, both the Old Covenant Church of Israel founded by twelve physical fathers (the twelve sons of Jacob-Israel) and the New Covenant Church founded by twelve spiritual fathers (the twelve Apostles). This number also has a relationship with multiples of twelve END QUOTES

So dear friends we can now understand the core message in the choice of using “72.” It does NOT necessarily means that Christ ACTUALLY chose “72” additional disciples, even though it might have been?

 Here “72” represents [6x 12] = “72.” The “6” here represents both man, and mans natural tendency to rebel again change and authority. While the “12” represents both the responsibility and the necessary POWER of independent-“GOVERNANCE.”

 The message then becomes that man [all mankind] is commanded by God, to “go forth and preach the [His] GOOD NEWS”; but the 6 x 12 lacks perfection and or competition, that the number “84” [7 x 12] would lend to the teaching. So the entirety of the message then is that this mandate becomes an ON-GOING; NEVER-ENDING task for humanity. It applied when Christ was here on earth, and it applies [perhaps even more urgently] to us today; to [1] Know the Good News; [2] to Live the Good News and to [3] SHARE the Good news as God grants us the opportunity to do so.

The “real-kicker” though is that the ability to KNOW the fullness of God’s “Good News“, and therefore the ability to share it [we can’t share what we ourselves do not have] resides exclusively within the confines of the Catholic Church.

 Mt. 15:18-19 “And I say to thee: That thou art Peter; and upon this rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. And I will give to thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven. And whatsoever thou shalt bind upon earth, it shall be bound also in heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt loose upon earth, it shall be loosed also in heaven.”

 Jn. 17:18-19 “As thou hast sent me into the world, I also have sent them into the world. And for them do I sanctify myself, that they also may be sanctified in truth”

 Jn.20:21-22 “He said therefore to them again: Peace be to you. As the Father hath sent me, I also send you. When he had said this, he breathed on them; and he said to them: Receive ye the Holy Ghost.

 Mk. 16:14-15 “At length he appeared to the eleven as they were at table: and he upbraided them with their incredulity and hardness of heart, because they did not believe them who had seen him after he was risen again. And he said to them: Go ye into the whole world, and preach the gospel to every creature.

 Mt. 28: 16-20 “And the eleven disciples went into Galilee, unto the mountain where Jesus had appointed them. And Jesus coming, spoke to them, saying: All power is given to me in heaven and in earth. Going therefore, teach ye all nations; baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost. Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and behold I am with you all days, even to the consummation of the world.”

 And NOW dear friends, you know! Amen!

John 8 and his clear teaching on Sin and Salvation by Pat Miron

 

Some Teachings of … JOHN CHAPTER EIGHT

by Pat Miron

 John.8: [3] The scribes and the Pharisees brought a woman who had been caught in adultery, and placing her in the midst [4] they said to him, “Teacher, this woman has been caught in the act of adultery. … [10] Jesus looked up and said to her, “Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?” She said, “No one, Lord.” And Jesus said, “Neither do I condemn you; go, and do not sin again.” [BECAUSE OF her Faith in Jesus he forgives her the sin and tells her not to sin again.]

[12] Again Jesus spoke to them, saying, “I am the light of the world; he who follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.” … [13] The Pharisees then said to him, “You are bearing witness to yourself; your testimony is not true.” … [17] In your law it is written that the testimony of two men is true; [18] I bear witness to myself, and the Father who sent me bears witness to me.” …[24] I told you that you would die in your sins, for you will die in your sins unless you believe that I am he.”

[25] They said to him, “Who are you?” Jesus said to them, “Even what I have told you from the beginning. …[28] So Jesus said, “When you have lifted up the Son of man, then you will know that I am he, and that I do nothing on my own authority but speak thus as the Father taught me.

[31] Jesus then said to the Jews who had believed in him, “If you continue in my word, [which MEANS TO LISTEN; TO HEAR; TO ACCEPT AND TO LIVE ACCORDINGLY …ONLY THEN] you are truly my disciples, [MEANS “THE new ‘Chosen-people’ of God”] [32] and you will know [BELIEVE What I Teach] …the truth, and the truth will make you free.” [ALL SINGULAR]

[34] Jesus answered them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, every one who commits sin is a slave to sin.
[35] The [SINNER] slave does not continue in the house for ever [means: DOES NOT MERIT ETERNAL LIFE]; [BUT] the son continues for ever. [36] So if the Son makes you free, you will be free indeed. [SAVED].

[43] Why do you not understand what I say? It is because you cannot bear to hear my word. [44] You are of your father the devil, and your will is to do your father’s desires. He was a murderer from the beginning, and has nothing to do with the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks according to his own nature, for he is a liar and the father of lies. [45] But, because [AND] I tell the truth, [BUT] you [STILL] do not believe me. [46] Which of you convicts me of sin? If I tell the truth, why do you not believe me?

[47] He who is of God hears the words of God; the reason why you do not hear them is that you are not of God.” [48] The Jews answered him, “Are we not right in saying that you are a Samaritan and have a demon?” [49] Jesus answered, “I have not a demon; but I honor my Father, and you dishonor me. [50] Yet I do not seek my own glory; there is One who seeks it and he will be the judge.

[51] Truly, truly, I say to you, if any one keeps my word, he will never see death.”

[54] Jesus answered, “If I glorify myself, my glory is nothing; it is my Father who glorifies me, of whom you say that he is your God. [55] But you have not known him; I know him. If I said, I do not know him, I should be a liar like you; but I do know him and I keep his word.

[56] Your father Abraham rejoiced that he was to see my day; he saw it and was glad.”
[57] The Jews then said to him, “You are not yet fifty years old, and have you seen Abraham?”
[58] Jesus said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, before Abraham was, I am.”

John.1:1- “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God; all things were made through him, and without him was not anything made that was made. In him was life, and the life was the light of men. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.”

1John.1 Verses 8 to 10 If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just, and will forgive our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness. If we say we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us.”

1John.5 Verses 16 to 17 “If any one sees his brother committing what is not a mortal sin, he will ask, and God will give him life for those whose sin is not mortal. There is sin which is mortal; I do not say that one is to pray for that. All wrongdoing is sin,  but there is sin which is not mortal.

John.20 Verses 20 to 23” When he had said this, he showed them his hands and his side. Then the disciples were glad when they saw the Lord. Jesus said to them again, “Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, even so I send you.” And when he had said this, he breathed on them, and said to them, “Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven; if you retain the sins of any, they are retained”

 Heb.5 Verses 1 to 6  “For every high priest chosen from among men is appointed to act on behalf of men in relation to God, to offer gifts and sacrifices for sins. He can deal gently with the ignorant and wayward, since he himself is beset with weakness. Because of this he is bound to offer sacrifice for his own sins as well as for those of the people. And one does not take the honor upon himself, but he is called by God, just as Aaron was.”   John.15: 16 “You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit and that your fruit should abide; so that whatever you ask the Father in my name, he may give it to you.”

Bible passages that reference CONFESION OF SINS

THE OLD TESTEMANT / OLD COVENANT WAY: … Lev. 16: 20-22 OT Forgiveness of sins: [20] “And when he has made an end of atoning for the holy place and the tent of meeting and the altar, he shall present the live goat;  and Aaron shall lay both his hands upon the head of the live goat, and confess over him all the iniquities of the people of Israel, and all their transgressions, all their sins; and he shall put them upon the head of the goat, and send him away into the wilderness by the hand of a man who is in readiness. The goat shall bear all their iniquities upon him to a solitary land; and he shall let the goat go in the wilderness.”

I confess my iniquity, I am sorry for my sin. Psalm 38: 18

Do not be ashamed to confess your sins,  Sir. 4:26

When a man is guilty in any of these, he shall confess the sin he has committed Lev. 5:5

he shall confess his sin which he has committed; and he shall make full restitution for his wrong Num. 5:7

 Proverbs 28:13 “Those who conceal their sins do not prosper, but those who confess and forsake them obtain mercy.”

Sirach 4:26 “Do not be ashamed to acknowledge your sins, and do not struggle against a rushing stream.”

I acknowledged my sin to thee, and I did not hide my iniquity; I said, “I will confess my transgressions to the LORD”; then thou didst forgive the guilt of my sin. Psalm 32:5

Heb. 8:13 In speaking of a new covenant he treats the first as obsolete. And what is becoming obsolete and growing old is ready to vanish away. 

And Christ who is God NEW COVENANT WAY of Forgiveness of sins

 “I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.” Mt. 16:19

Jesus said to them [the Apostles] again, “Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, even so I send you.” And when he had said this, he breathed on them, and said to them, “Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven; if you retain the sins of any, they are retained.”  Jn .20:021-23

 1 Jn. 1:8-10  “If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just, and will forgive our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness. If we say we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us.”

 Eph. 4: 17 “Now this I affirm and testify in the Lord, that you must no longer live as the Gentiles do, in the futility of their minds; 18 they are darkened in their understanding, alienated from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them, due to their hardness of heart; 19 they have become callous and have given themselves up to licentiousness, greedy to practice every kind of uncleanness.”

First Peter 2: “So put away all malice and all guile and insincerity and envy and all slander. Like newborn babes, long for the pure spiritual milk, that by it you may grow up to salvation;

 Romans 1: 24 ”Therefore God gave them up in the lusts of their hearts to impurity, to the dishonoring of their bodies among themselves, 25 because they exchanged the truth about God for a lie and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed for ever! Amen.”

Romans 2: 13 -16 “For it is not the hearers of the law who are righteous before God, but the doers of the law who will be justified. When Gentiles who have not the law do by nature what the law requires, they are a law to themselves, even though they do not have the law. They show that what the law requires is written on their hearts, while their conscience also bears witness and their conflicting thoughts accuse or perhaps excuse them on that day when, according to my gospel, God judges the secrets of men by Christ Jesus. “

Matthew 11: 25 ”At that time Jesus declared, “I thank thee, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that thou hast hidden these things from the wise and understanding and revealed them to babes; yea, Father, for such was thy gracious will.

1: John 5: 16 If any one sees his brother committing what is not a mortal sin, he will ask, and God will give him life for those whose sin is not mortal. There is sin which is mortal; I do not say that one is to pray for that. 17 All wrongdoing is sin, but there is sin which is not mortal. [Mortal sin is so grievous that it completely separates us from a personal relationship with God until we BOTH repent and Confess! Pjm]

Acts.8:22 Repent therefore of this wickedness of yours, and pray to the Lord that, if possible, the intent of your heart may be forgiven you.

www.agapebiblestudy.com

The Old Covenant people of God understood the necessity of confession and repentance of sins to remain in fellowship with God. All sin sacrifices began with confession of sin and all peace offerings (communion sacrifices) with a confession of praise. These Old Covenant animal sacrifices prefigured the perfect sacrifice of Jesus Christ (Heb 10:1-10).

1Tim.6: 12 “Fight the good fight of the faith; take hold of the eternal life to which you were called when you made the good confession in the presence of many witnesses.”

2 Cor. 7: 10 “For godly grief produces a repentance that leads to salvation and brings no regret, but worldly grief produces death.”

Matt.9[6] But that you may know that the Son of man hasauthority on earth to forgive sins” — he then said to the paralytic — “Rise, take up your bed and go home.” [8] When the crowds saw it, they were afraid, and they glorified God, who had given suchauthority to men.

Matt.10: [1] And he called to him his twelve disciples and gave them authority over unclean spirits, to cast them out, and to heal every disease and every infirmity

Matt.28: [18] And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. This authority was given by the Father to the HUMAN NATURE of Jesus. Christ as God always possessed it. It was given in conjunction to the merits of Christ earned by His passion and death.

James 4: 7 “Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you. 8 Draw near to God and he will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you men of double mind.” All things have been delivered to me by my Father; and no one knows the Son except the Father, and no one knows the Father except the Son and any one to whom the Son chooses to reveal him”

Mt. 7: 21 “Not every one who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. 22 On that day many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?’ 23 And then will I declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from me, you evildoers.”

If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just, and will forgive One there is who is good. If you would enter life, keep the commandments.” Mt. 19: 17our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness. 1 Jn. 1: 9

 Heb. 9: 15 Therefore he is the mediator of a new covenant, so that those who are called may receive the promised eternal inheritance, since a death has occurred which redeems them from the transgressions under the first covenant.

  Heb. 3: 1 “Therefore, holy brethren, who share in a heavenly call, consider Jesus, the apostle and high priest of our confession”

And he said to him, “Why do you ask me about what is good?

Peters Role as the Holder of “Thee Keys” by Author unknown

50 NEW TESTAMENT PROOFS FOR PETRINE PRIMACY AND THE PAPACY

The Catholic doctrine of the papacy is biblically-based, and is derived from the evident primacy of St. Peter among the apostles. Like all Christian doctrines, it has undergone development through the centuries, but it hasn’t departed from the essential components already existing in the leadership and prerogatives of St. Peter. These were given to him by our Lord Jesus Christ, acknowledged by his contemporaries, and accepted by the early Church. The biblical Petrine data is quite strong, and is inescapably compelling by virtue of its cumulative weight. This is especially made clear with the assistance of biblical commentaries. The evidence of Holy Scripture (RSV) follows:

1. Matthew 16:18: “And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church; and the powers of death shall not prevail against it.”

The rock (Greek, petra) referred to here is St. Peter himself, not his faith or Jesus Christ. Christ appears here not as the foundation, but as the architect who “builds.” The Church is built, not on confessions, but on confessors – living men (see, e.g., 1 Pet 2:5). Today, the overwhelming consensus of the great majority of all biblical scholars and commentators is in favor of the traditional Catholic understanding. Here St. Peter is spoken of as the foundation-stone of the Church, making him head and superior of the family of God (i.e., the seed of the doctrine of the papacy). Moreover, Rock embodies a metaphor applied to him by Christ in a sense analogous to the suffering and despised Messiah (1 Pet 2:4-8; cf. Mt 21:42).Without a solid foundation a house falls. St. Peter is the foundation, but not founder of the Church, administrator, but not Lord of the Church. The Good Shepherd (John 10:11) gives us other shepherds as well (Eph 4:11).

2. Matthew 16:19 “I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven . . .”

The “power of the keys” has to do with ecclesiastical discipline and administrative authority with regard to the requirements of the faith, as in Isaiah 22:22 (cf. Is 9:6; Job 12:14; Rev 3:7). From this power flows the use of censures, excommunication, absolution, baptismal discipline, the imposition of penances, and legislative powers. In the Old Testament a steward, or prime minister is a man who is “over a house” (Gen 41:40; 43:19; 44:4; 1 Ki 4:6; 16:9; 18:3; 2 Ki 10:5; 15:5; 18:18; Is 22:15,20-21).

3. Matthew 16:19 “. . . whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.”

“Binding” and “loosing” were technical rabbinical terms, which meant to “forbid” and “permit” with reference to the interpretation of the law, and secondarily to “condemn” or “place under the ban” or “acquit.” Thus, St. Peter and the popes are given the authority to determine the rules for doctrine and life, by virtue of revelation and the Spirit’s leading (Jn 16:13), and to demand obedience from the Church. “Binding and loosing” represent the legislative and judicial powers of the papacy and the bishops (Mt 18:17-18; Jn 20:23). St. Peter, however, is the only apostle who receives these powers by name and in the singular, making him preeminent.

4. Peter’s name occurs first in all lists of apostles (Mt 10:2; Mk 3:16; Lk 6:14; Acts 1:13). Matthew even calls him the “first” (10:2). Judas Iscariot is invariably mentioned last.

5. Peter is almost without exception named first whenever he appears with anyone else. In one (only?) example to the contrary, Galatians 2:9, where he (“Cephas”) is listed after James and before John, he is clearly preeminent in the entire context (e.g., 1:18-19; 2:7-8).

6. Peter alone among the apostles receives a new name, Rock, solemnly conferred (Jn 1:42; Mt 16:18).

7. Likewise, Peter is regarded by Jesus as the Chief Shepherd after Himself (Jn 21:15-17), singularly by name, and over the universal Church, even though others have a similar but subordinate role (Acts 20:28; 1 Pet 5:2).

8. Peter alone among the apostles is mentioned by name as having been prayed for by Jesus Christ in order that his “faith may not fail” (Lk 22:32).

9. Peter alone among the apostles is exhorted by Jesus to “strengthen your brethren” (Lk 22:32).

10. Peter first confesses Christ’s divinity (Mt 16:16).

11. Peter alone is told that he has received divine knowledge by a special revelation (Mt 16:17).

12. Peter is regarded by the Jews (Acts 4:1-13) as the leader and spokesman of Christianity.

13. Peter is regarded by the common people in the same way (Acts 2:37-41; 5:15).

14. Jesus Christ uniquely associates Himself and Peter in the miracle of the tribute-money (Mt 17:24-27).

15. Christ teaches from Peter’s boat, and the miraculous catch of fish follows (Lk 5:1-11): perhaps a metaphor for the pope as a “fisher of men” (cf. Mt 4:19).

16. Peter was the first apostle to set out for, and enter the empty tomb (Lk 24:12; Jn 20:6).

17. Peter is specified by an angel as the leader and representative of the apostles (Mk 16:7).

18. Peter leads the apostles in fishing (Jn 21:2-3,11). The “bark” (boat) of Peter has been regarded by Catholics as a figure of the Church, with Peter at the helm.

19. Peter alone casts himself into the sea to come to Jesus (Jn 21:7).

20. Peter’s words are the first recorded and most important in the upper room before Pentecost (Acts 1:15-22).

21. Peter takes the lead in calling for a replacement for Judas (Acts 1:22).

22. Peter is the first person to speak (and only one recorded) after Pentecost, so he was the first Christian to “preach the gospel” in the Church era (Acts 2:14-36).

23. Peter works the first miracle of the Church Age, healing a lame man (Acts 3:6-12).

24. Peter utters the first anathema (Ananias and Sapphira) emphatically affirmed by God (Acts 5:2-11)!

25. Peter’s shadow works miracles (Acts 5:15).

26. Peter is the first person after Christ to raise the dead (Acts 9:40).

27. Cornelius is told by an angel to seek out Peter for instruction in Christianity (Acts 10:1-6).

28. Peter is the first to receive the Gentiles, after a revelation from God (Acts 10:9-48).

29. Peter instructs the other apostles on the catholicity (universality) of the Church (Acts 11:5-17).

30. Peter is the object of the first divine interposition on behalf of an individual in the Church Age (an angel delivers him from prison – Acts 12:1-17).

31. The whole Church (strongly implied) offers “earnest prayer” for Peter when he is imprisoned (Acts 12:5).

32. Peter presides over and opens the first Council of Christianity, and lays down principles afterwards accepted by it (Acts 15:7-11).

33. Paul distinguishes the Lord’s post-Resurrection appearances to Peter from those to other apostles (1 Cor 15:4-8). The two disciples on the road to Emmaus make the same distinction (Lk 24:34), in this instance mentioning only Peter (“Simon”), even though they themselves had just seen the risen Jesus within the previous hour (Lk 24:33).

34. Peter is often spoken of as distinct among apostles (Mk 1:36; Lk 9:28,32; Acts 2:37; 5:29; 1 Cor 9:5).

35. Peter is often spokesman for the other apostles, especially at climactic moments (Mk 8:29; Mt 18:21; Lk 9:5; 12:41; Jn 6:67 ff.).

36. Peter’s name is always the first listed of the “inner circle” of the disciples (Peter, James and John – Mt 17:1; 26:37,40; Mk 5:37; 14:37).

37. Peter is often the central figure relating to Jesus in dramatic gospel scenes such as walking on the water (Mt 14:28-32; Lk 5:1 ff., Mk 10:28; Mt 17:24 ff.).

38. Peter is the first to recognize and refute heresy, in Simon Magus (Acts 8:14-24).

39. Peter’s name is mentioned more often than all the other disciples put together: 191 times (162 as Peter or Simon Peter, 23 as Simon, and 6 as Cephas). John is next in frequency with only 48 appearances, and Peter is present 50% of the time we find John in the Bible! Archbishop Fulton Sheen reckoned that all the other disciples combined were mentioned 130 times. If this is correct, Peter is named a remarkable 60% of the time any disciple is referred to!

40. Peter’s proclamation at Pentecost (Acts 2:14-41) contains a fully authoritative interpretation of Scripture, a doctrinal decision and a disciplinary decree concerning members of the “House of Israel” (2:36) – an example of “binding and loosing.”

41. Peter was the first “charismatic”, having judged authoritatively the first instance of the gift of tongues as genuine (Acts 2:14-21).

42. Peter is the first to preach Christian repentance and baptism (Acts 2:38).

43. Peter (presumably) takes the lead in the first recorded mass baptism (Acts 2:41).

44. Peter commanded the first Gentile Christians to be baptized (Acts 10:44-48).

45. Peter was the first traveling missionary, and first exercised what would now be called “visitation of the churches” (Acts 9:32-38,43). Paul preached at Damascus immediately after his conversion (Acts 9:20), but hadn’t traveled there for that purpose (God changed his plans!). His missionary journeys begin in Acts 13:2.

46. Paul went to Jerusalem specifically to see Peter for fifteen days in the beginning of his ministry (Gal 1:18), and was commissioned by Peter, James and John (Gal 2:9) to preach to the Gentiles.

47. Peter acts, by strong implication, as the chief bishop/shepherd of the Church (1 Pet

5:1), since he exhorts all the other bishops, or “elders.”

48. Peter interprets prophecy (2 Pet 1:16-21).

49. Peter corrects those who misuse Paul’s writings (2 Pet 3:15-16).

50. Peter wrote his first epistle from Rome, according to most scholars, as its bishop, and as the universal bishop (or, pope) of the early Church. “Babylon” (1 Pet 5:13) is regarded as code for Rome.

In conclusion, it strains credulity to think that God would present St. Peter with such prominence in the Bible, without some meaning and import for later Christian history; in particular, Church government. The papacy is the most plausible (we believe actual) fulfillment of this

 

 

Thee Portal of All Salvation by Patrick Miron

The Catholic Church… Portalof allsalvation

 

This document was prompted by a discussion on the CAF Forum about salvation through the Catholic Church. As ought to be expected the root of the problem leading to this discussion is both a lack of clarity within the bible [God caused this by specific intent], further aggravated by what some wish to belief, and enabled to do so only by culling passages that seem to support their position; while ignoring or not knowing that contradictory teachings exist in the same book.

 

Yet in the strictest sense of the word; we are truly “Brethren”. We share a common belief in One True God; The Blessed Trinity and a common Baptism, by water and in the name of the Trinity. And we ought to take seriously their love of God. While some branches of Christianity do not adhere to these essential elements and are further endangering their salvation. There is no substitute for charity. There would be no Christian faiths, were Catholicism not preexistent.

 

This discussion seemed to me to elicit two important questions: 1. Why & 2. How?

 

So let us begin our own  discussion by once again repeating the “Infallible Rule” for right understanding of the bible.

 

“Never-Ever, can, may or Does one passage, verse, or teaching

Have the power or authority to invalidate, override, or make void another,

passage, verse or teaching.”

 

If this were even a possibility [it’s not] it would render the entire bible as worthless for teaching or learning ones faith. So if one seems to encounter such a teaching, be assured that it stems from Not using the entirety of God’s WORDS. [Jesus answered: “ It is written, Not in bread alone doth man live, but in every word that proceedeth from the mouth of God” Which in turn leads to 2^nd. Timothy 3:16-17 “All scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work”

 

Because one can find and cull passages that seem to indicate salvation for “all”; and because even the passages that seemingly contradict it with “many” are assumed to include them, with little evident effort to seek truth beyond what seems to them as “the obvious”, and because non-Catholic Christians tend to lump the bibles teachings on the topic of salvation as including both “Redemption” and “Salvation” being synonymous terms, which they are not; …the Devil IS hiding in the details.

 

Matt.22: 14 “For many are called, but few are chosen.” Matt.26: 28 “for this is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins” Mark.10: 45 “For the Son of man also came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.” Luke.13: 24 “Strive to enter by the narrow door; for many, I tell you, will seek to enter and will not be able”

 

John.1: 7 “He came for testimony, to bear witness to the light, that all might believe through him.”  Heb.9: 12 he entered once for all into the Holy Place, taking not the blood of goats and calves but his own blood, thus securing an eternal redemption.”  1Pet.3: 18 “For Christ also died for sins once for all, the righteous for the unrighteous, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh but made alive in the spirit” Eph.1: 7 “In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace”

 

REDEMPTION

1 Timothy 2: 6 “Who gave himself [as] a redemption for all, a testimony in due times” Mark 10:45 “For the Son of man also is not come to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give his life a redemption for many”

 

SALVATION

Titus 11:2 is rendered thus in the Douay Bible: “For the grace of God our Saviour hath appeared to all men”; In the Catholic RSV one reads the following:“ For the grace of God has appeared for the salvation of all men,” & The King James reads: “ For the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men” …Hebrews 5:9 reads “And being consummated, he became, to all that obey him, the cause of eternal salvation” and The King James: “And being made perfect , he became the author of eternal salvation unto all them that obey him… Romans 1:16 teaches “For I am not ashamed of the gospel. For it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth: to the Jew first and to the Greek”. The King James reads the same here”. So salvation seems to be clearly conditional; seemingly not a problem for our non-Catholic Brethren who often lump themselves into both the “all” and the “many” categories.

 

The lack of a single clear message here is evidence of the Wisdom of God, and proof of a Divinely Inspired bible. 2 Timothy 3:16-17.  … Christ was not reinventing something “as new” in setting up His Catholic church, Matthew 16:15-19, he was in fact following His Own, Old Testament model for rightful and faithful practice of religion, where Yahweh freely selected only One chosen people, gave them only One set of faith beliefs and declared that He Alone would be their God.

 

Lev. 26: 12  “I will walk among you, and will be your God, and you shall be my people.” Exodus 15:26 “Saying: If thou wilt hear the voice of the Lord thy God, and do what is right before him, and obey his commandments, and keep all his precepts, none of the evils that I laid upon Egypt, will I bring upon thee” Lev. 18: 4 “You shall do my judgments, and shall observe my precepts, and shall walk in them. I am the Lord your God.”

 

God obligates himself to be merciful and fair

Luke.12: 51 “Do you think that I have come to give peace on earth? No, I tell you, but rather division” John.5: 43 “I have come in my Father’s name, and you do not receive me; if another comes in his own name, him you will receive” John.3: 36 “He who believes in the Son has eternal life; he who does not obey the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God rests upon him”,  Matt. 19:17 …”If you would enter life, keep the commandments.”

 

Christ chose to manifest His Divine Mercy and charity by sticking to the Old Testament model of just, and only …”One”.  After all when there is only “one” there are no room for debates, envy, only one boss, and clear direction. That is precisely why God has always chosen “just one”. Then it’s His One way or it’s the wrong way.

One God: 1Tim.2: 5 “For there is one God, and there is one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus”

 

One Faith: Eph. 4: 5 “one Lord, one faith, one baptism”

 

 

One Church: Matt 16:18-19 “And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, [SINGULAR]  and the powers of death shall not prevail against it. I will give you [SINGULAR]  the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.” Matthew 28: 16-19 “And the eleven disciples [Apostles] went into Galilee, unto the mountain where Jesus had appointed them.  And Jesus coming, spoke to them, saying: All power is given to me in heaven and in earth.  Going therefore, teach ye all nations; baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost. Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have [taught &] commanded you:and behold I am with you all days, even to the consummation of the world.”

Hopefully, I have now answered the “WHY?” question.  Because God’s infinite and perfect wisdom choose only one, God; Faith and Church, so man could [& would] know where to find Christ truth. It then follows logically that because Redemption is offered to “All” and Salvation to the Many who hear and obey fully His teachings, precepts, Commandments and Mandates, that it HAS to flow through the Only Church and Faith that He founded under the New Covenant,  which supersede but do not replace OT Covenants. It is completely logical that because Salvation is from Christ; that it must FLOW through the only Church and Faith of Christ.

Heb. 9: 15  “Therefore he is the mediator of a new covenant, so that those who are called may receive the promised eternal inheritance, since a death has occurred which redeems them from the transgressions under the first covenant” Therefore ALL salvation must necessarily flow through the Catholic church; which is not proclaiming that all, necessarily, be actual members of Her. Still The Catholic Church has an essential role to fulfill in everyone’s salvation. That is WHY the CC is the Portal to ALL salvation, and why this teaching has always been and continues to be a Doctrine of our Catholic Church.

 

So now I will attempt to clarify the “How?“  Question.

 

From our Catholic catechism:

 

CCC 780 “The Church in this world is the sacrament of salvation, the sign and the instrument of the communion of God and men.”

 

CCC 846 “How are we to understand this affirmation, often repeated by the Church Fathers? Re-formulated positively, it means that all salvation comes from Christ the Head through the Church which is his Body:

 

Basing itself on Scripture and Tradition, the Council teaches that the Church, a pilgrim now on earth, is necessary for salvation: the one Christ is the mediator and the way of salvation; he is present to us in his body which is the Church. He himself explicitly asserted the necessity of faith and Baptism, and thereby affirmed at the same time the necessity of the Church which men enter through Baptism as through a door. Hence they could not be saved who, knowing that the Catholic Church was founded as necessary by God through Christ, would refuse either to enter it or to remain in it”.

 

CCC 847 “This affirmation is not aimed at those who, through no fault of their own, do not know Christ and his Church:

 

Those who, through no fault of their own, do not know the Gospel of Christ or his Church, but who nevertheless seek God with a sincere heart, and, moved by grace, try in their actions to do his will as they know it through the dictates of their conscience – those too may achieve eternal salvation.”

 

CCC 1260 “Since Christ died for all, and since all men are in fact called to one and the same destiny, which is divine, we must hold that the Holy Spirit offers to all the possibility of being made partakers, in a way known to God, of the Paschal mystery.”Every man who is ignorant of the Gospel of Christ and of his Church, but seeks the truth and does the will of God in accordance with his understanding of it, can be saved. It may be supposed that such persons would have desired Baptism explicitly if they had known its necessity”

From this we ought to be able to understand the complexity of the TASK of Fair and Just Judgment God has created for Himself. Only God is able to judge our thoughts, motives and hearts. And because God MUST BE both fair and just; he alone is able to make a just and fair judgment on all; but especially those outside of the Catholic Church. … That “particular”- Judgment has to factor in not only our personal chosen beliefs and practices; but of critical importance, the OPPORTUNITY God has and must give to each us,  to actually know his singular truth, His one- Faith in His one -Church. This is especially relevant to all those outside of His Catholic Church who choose not to be members of Her for a variety of reasons that THEY find important and relevant to themselves. Will God agree with them and their motives, seems to be the unanswered question?

James 3: 13- 18”Who is a wise man, and endued with knowledge among you? Let him shew, by a good conversation, his work in the meekness of wisdom. But if you have bitter zeal, and there be contentions in your hearts; glory not, and be not liars against the truth. For this is not wisdom, descending from above: but earthly, sensual, devilish. For where envying and contention is, there is inconstancy, and every evil work. But the wisdom, that is from above, first indeed is chaste, then peaceable, modest, easy to be persuaded, consenting to the good, full of mercy and good fruits, without judging, without dissimulation. And the fruit of justice is sown in peace, to them that make peace.”

Psalm 94: 11 “And these men have not known my ways: so I swore in my wrath that they shall not enter into my rest.  Psalm 118: 5 “O! that my ways may be directed to keep thy justifications” Ezek.  18:25 “And you have said: The way of the Lord is not right. Hear ye, therefore, O house of Israel [people]: Is it my way that is not right, and are not rather your ways perverse?”

Isaiah 55:9 “For as the heavens are exalted above the earth, so are my ways exalted above your ways, and my thoughts above your thoughts.”

A final word of advice to my fellow Catholics. Because we are given so much more than our Brethren; especially Sacramental graces, & Jesus Himself in Person, very much more is to be expected from us. Matt. 13:11-12 “Who answered and said to them: Because to you it is given to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven:but to them it is not given.For he that hath, to him shall be given, [very much more] and he shall abound: but he that hath not, from him shall be taken away that also which he hath.”

the “Ones” add up to a higher probability of salvation.

One God- One Faith- One Church- One set of keys to heaven and only one

 Thee Portal; Christ Catholic Church. Amen

The Veracity of the Bible by CR CArson

Originally Posted by……..  So, some ancient anonymous writers, all claiming to be channeling god, wrote a bunch of stories they borrowed from other cultures. Over the course of a few hundred years, some other men decided which of those stories really, really, fer-sure came from god-channeling. And because you believe those old, dead men, it constitutes “proof” of the legitimacy of the bible. Yeah. Right.

 

REPLY by CR CARSON

You have possibly skipped or minimized some important steps (which I will highlight for emphasis). Here’s the full outline of the process:

1. We begin by treating the Bible not as an inspired text but simply as any other historical text such as the works of Homer or the accounts of war by Julius Caesar.

2. Using textual criticism, we are able to conclude that today, we have a text the accuracy of which is more certain than the accuracy of any other ancient work. 

3. Next we take a look at what the Bible, still considered merely as a historical text, tells us, focusing particularly on the New Testament, and more specifically the Gospels. We examine the account contained therein of Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection. 

4. Using what is in the Gospels themselves and what we find in extra-biblical writings from the early centuries, together with what we know of human nature (and what we can otherwise, from natural reason alone, know of divine nature), we conclude that Jesus was either:

a. a liar,
b. a lunatic,
c. or Lord (that is, just what he claimed to be—God).

The one thing we know he could not have been was merely a good man who was not God, since no merely good man would make the claims he made.

We are able to eliminate the possibility of his being a madman not just from what he said but from what his followers did after his death. Many critics of the Gospel accounts of the resurrection claim that Christ did not truly rise, that his followers took his body from the tomb and then proclaimed him risen from the dead. According to these critics, the resurrection was nothing more than a hoax. Devising a hoax to glorify a friend and mentor is one thing, but you do not find people dying for a hoax, at least not one from which they derive no benefit. Certainly if Christ had not risen, his disciples would not have died horrible deaths affirming the reality and truth of the resurrection. The result of this line of reasoning is that we must conclude that Jesus indeed rose from the dead. Consequently, his claims concerning himself—including his claim to be God—have credibility. He meant what he said and did what he said he would do. 

5. The Bible, still only considered to be historically accurate book, records that Jesus, who is God, said he would found a Church. Both the Bible and other ancient works attest to the fact that Jesus established a Church with the rudiments of what we see in the Catholic Church today—papacy, hierarchy, priesthood, sacraments, and teaching authority. 

6. Thus, beginning with the historical data alone, we conclude that Jesus founded the Catholic Church. Because of his Resurrection we have reason to take seriously his claims concerning the Church, including its authority to teach in his name. Teaching in His name and with His authority requires infallibility, and that, too, is evident from the recorded teachings of Jesus.

7. The infallible Catholic Church tells us the Bible is inspired. 

Only after having been told by a properly constituted authority—that is, one established by God to assure us of the truth concerning matters of faith—that the Bible is inspired can we reasonably begin to use it as an inspired book. 

+++

Skimmer’s version:

The Bible, which is historically accurate, tells us that Jesus is God and that he founded a Church authorized to teach in His name. Since logic dictates that such a Church cannot teach error while doing so, we accept the Church’s infallible judgment that the Bible is not only historically reliable but also inspired.

Last edited by CRCarson; Yesterday at 05:22 PM..

 

a REPLY to “a Growing Catholics’s Concerns}

“Thanks. But a REAL disturbing question I really want to ask is. How would a growing Catholic respond to this verse. “Now the Spirit expressly says that in latter times some will depart from the faith, giving heed to deceiving spirits and doctrines of demons, speaking lies in hypocrisy, having their own conscience seared with a hot iron, forbidding to marry, and commanding to abstain from foods which God created to be received with thanksgiving by those who believe and know the truth” (

I Timothy 4:1-3) If a Protestant asks this and says the Catholic Church stopped its faith a long time ago. How would you respond. And how would you respond to the abstain from food and marriage thing? Thanks.”

MY REPLY

That my friend is a great Question. Thanks for asking.

 It is both a biblical and a moral impossibility for the CC to teach is error; on any and all matters of Faith believes and Moral issues. For this to take place God would have to be a liar, and the bible would have to be in error.

The rumor that somehow, someplace and sometime ALL unidentified, by the way; that the CC has lost the faith is but a slanderous myth, or perhaps for the uniformed; simply repeating evil gossip.

Here’s WHY:

Matthew 16: 15-19 “ Simon Peter answered and said: Thou art Christ, the Son of the living God. [17] And Jesus answering, said to him: Blessed art thou, Simon Bar-Jona: because flesh and blood hath not revealed it to thee, but my Father who is in heaven. [18] And I say to thee: That thou art Peter; andupon this rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. [19] And I will give to thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven. And whatsoever thou shalt bind upon earth, it shall be bound also in heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt loose upon earth, it shall be loosed also in heaven.”

So this passage alone refutes there claim; made BTW, because unless they are able to defame the CC, they simply CANNOT justify their own church’s existence. NOT one time in the entirety of the bible can one point to even one time where God was “OK” with a competing faith. NOT ONE TIME!

John 14: 26 “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”

John 17: 12-26 “While I was with them, I kept them in thy name. Those whom thou gavest me have I kept; and none of them is lost, but the son of perdition, that the scripture may be fulfilled. [13] And now I come to thee; and these things I speak in the world, that they may have my joy filled in themselves. [14] I have given them thy word, and the world hath hated them, because they are not of the world; as I also am not of the world. [15] I pray not that thou shouldst take them out of the world, but that thou shouldst keep them from evil.

[16] They are not of the world, as I also am not of the world. [17] Sanctify them in truth. Thy word is truth. [18] As thou hast sent me into the world, I also have sent them into the world. [19] And for them do I sanctify myself, that they also may be sanctified in truth. [20] And not for them only do I pray, but for them also who through their word shall believe in me;

[21] That they all may be one, as thou, Father, in me, and I in thee; that they also may be one in us; that the world may believe that thou hast sent me. [22] And the glory which thou hast given me, I have given to them; that they may be one, as we also are one: [23] I in them, and thou in me; that they may be made perfect in one: and the world may know that thou hast sent me, and hast loved them, as thou hast also loved me. [24] Father, I will that where I am, they also whom thou hast given me may be with me; that they may see my glory which thou hast given me, because thou hast loved me before the creation of the world. [25] Just Father, the world hath not known thee; but I have known thee: and these have known that thou hast sent me. [26] And I have made known thy name to them, and will make it known; that the love wherewith thou hast loved me, may be in them, and I in them.”

So here we find Christ

1. Actually giving to the Apostles and to their Successors His OWN very Powers and authority. {Verse 18}
2. Because God cannot deny His Very Self; verse 15 assure that they Will TEACH IN TRUTH.
3. In verse #19, we find Christ GIVING HIMSELF AS A PERSONAL WARRATNTY OF THE CHURCH LITERALLY BEING UNABLE TO TEACH ANYTHING BUT HIS TRUTH… no other faith or church can make that claim.

 And as a final evidence we look at Matthew 28: 16-20

“And the eleven disciples went into Galilee, unto the mountain where Jesus had appointed them.[17] And seeing him they adored: but some doubted. [18] And Jesus coming, spoke to them, saying:All power is given to me in heaven and in earth. [19] Going therefore, teach ye all nations; baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost. [20] Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and behold I am with you all days, even to the consummation of the world.”

Verse 16 makes evident that Christ is 1. Speaking directly to His Apostles 2. And has changed their MANDATE from “only the Jews in Mt. 10: 1-8”; to the ENTIRE WORLD, thus mandating Succession of authority and teaching.

Verse 18 is repeating that Christ intended and DID pass His own authority and Godly Powers to His CC.

Verse 20 indicates that it is to the CC ALONE that God Commands to teach His faith and that He WILL BE WITH THEM FOREVER! Amen!

“Forbidding” them to marry is too a LIE! WHY?

This is a “church practice” NOT a LAW that is unchangeable.

Priest and Bishops in the early Church; Saint Peter INCLUDED were married.

1^st. Tim. 3: 1- 5 “[1] A faithful saying: if a man desire the office of a bishop, he desireth a good work. [2] It behoveth therefore a bishop to be blameless, the husband of one wife, sober, prudent, of good behaviour, chaste, given to hospitality, a teacher, [3] Not given to wine, no striker, but modest, not quarrelsome, not covetous, but [4] One that ruleth well his own house, having his children in subjection with all chastity. [5] But if a man know not how to rule his own house, how shall he take care of the church of God?”

The decision to now ALLOW priest or Bishops NOT to Marry came over time BASED ON EXPERIENCE. It became EVIDENT that a man with the responsibilities of a wife and children was not free to devote ALL of His Time and Energy to God. So the Rule of celibacy was invokes. BUT this is a KNOWN FACT LONG before Ordination, and NEVER has the Church FORCED a man to become a priest. It’s a FREEWILL CHOICE, so in the sense of the accusation, it’s a lie.

I haven’t the slightest idea by what you mean by “food.” There are NO forbidden foods. There ARE times of FAST and Abstainence, primarily in the Season of LENT, before Easter, to prepare our minds, hearts and Souls for the Ressurrection.

Here/s my e-mail if you’d care to contact me?

Patrickmiron66@hotmail.com  

REPOSTED From Catholic Working Mom site

Reflection on Readings for Sunday, June 22, 2014

This summer, I hope to get back in the routine of posting a personal reflection on the readings for Sunday mass.  Often, I feel that as a regular mommy person, I don’t have anything “deep” to share.  Amazingly to me, they are among my most read posts – the top three: “scripture reflections, mantillas and anxiety” – very interesting!!

This Sunday’s readings are about my favorite subject on which I have written many times – the Eucharist.  As Catholics, the Eucharist should be our life’s blood – our soul’s nourishment and breath.   Sadly, I know that for some, receiving the Eucharist is just a symbol, or a routine – something they do when they go to church.  If you have fallen into this slump, I encourage you to re read (very prayerfully and slowly) the words of John’s gospel,

“Amen, amen, I say to you,
unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood,
you do not have life within you. 
Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood
has eternal life,
and I will raise him on the last day. 
For my flesh is true food,
and my blood is true drink. 
Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood
remains in me and I in him…”

Do you believe these words?  Have you allowed them to seep into your mind and your heart?  Jesus is promising us something earth shattering and amazing here – something life changing!  We should be filled with joy!!

Some say that mass is not exciting for them – that other churches offer a better worship experience.  Remember that we don’t go to mass to simply “get a good feeling.”  We go to mass because God is all good and worthy of our Love, and we owe all that we have to Him.  We owe Him worship!  IF we receive good feelings from that worship, then that is a plus, but it is not the reason we do it.  We also go to receive Jesus into our bodies.  That is the best gift we can receive while here on earth – the closest we can be to Christ before our death.

Back to my point – if you don’t feel an intimacy with Christ when you receive Him in the Blessed Sacrament, then ask yourself what you have done to prepare yourself for that great gift?  Have you been to reconciliation lately?  Have you read the readings of the day?  Have you prayed, asking Christ to prepare you to receive Him?  Have you tried to really pay attention in mass – particularly to the liturgy of the word and to the Eucharistic prayers?

I like to close my eyes during the Eucharistic prayers (except for the moments when the host and wine are elevated).   This helps me to block distractions and really focus on Jesus.  Sometimes, I will picture Christ crucified being taken off the cross and placed in my arms.  I thank Him for what He did for you and for me.  After communion, I like to do the same thing.  I close my eyes and talk to Jesus.  I ask Him to fill me with His grace so that all of the bad in me is literally squeezed out by His goodness.  (If I don’t close my eyes, I’m so tempted to watch people coming back from communion – to see who is wearing what and who’s chewing gum, etc.)

Tomorrow is the wonderful feast of Corpus Christi – the Body of Christ.  My family plans to celebrate by attending mass (of course) and attending a special Corpus Christi procession.  I will leave you with a beautiful old prayer, traditionally said after communion:

Soul of Christ, sanctify me
Body of Christ, save me
Blood of Christ, inebriate me
Water from Christ’s side, wash me
Passion of Christ, strengthen me
O good Jesus, hear me
Within Thy wounds hide me
Suffer me not to be separated from Thee
From the malicious enemy defend me
In the hour of my death call me
And bid me come unto Thee
That I may praise Thee with Thy saints
and with Thy angels
Forever and ever
Amen

 

Pope Francis Talks about current Martyrs

VATICAN DOSSIER

---

Pope: Unprecedented Religious Persecution Can’t Go On

More Christian Martyrs Today Than in Early Church, Pope Says

VATICAN CITY, June 20, 2014 (Zenit.org) – Pope Francis says it is incomprehensible and troubling that people continue to suffer discrimination, restriction of their rights and, even, persecution for professing their faith.

This morning, the Holy Father ushered in the first day of a two-day international congress in Rome, titled “Religious Freedom According to International Law and Global Conflict of Values,” organized by the Maria SS. Assunta University of Rome’s (LUMSA) Department of Law and St. John’s University Law School in New York.

The Pontiff lamented to conference participants that religious persecution is more widespread than it was 1,700 years ago, saying, “Nowadays, persecution of Christians is stronger than it was in the first centuries of the Church, and there are more Christian martyrs than in that time. This is happening 1,700 years after the Edict of Constantine, which granted Christians the freedom to publicly profess their faith.”

After noting that the theme of religious freedom has recently become the subject of intense debate between governments and various religious confessions, he added that the Catholic Church has been an active contributor in these discussions. The Church, he said, has a long history of supporting religious freedom, which culminated in the Vatican II declaration “Dignitatis humanae.”

Turning to religious freedom and human dignity, Francis said: “Every human is a ‘seeker’ of truth on his origins and destiny. In his mind and in his ‘heart’, questions and thoughts arise that cannot be repressed or stifled, since they emerge from the depths of the person and are a part of the intimate essence of the person. They are religious questions, and religious freedom is necessary for them to manifest themselves fully.”

Francis emphasised that “reason recognizes that religious freedom is a fundamental right of man, reflecting his highest dignity, that of seeking the truth and adhering to it, and recognizing it as an indispensable condition for realizing all his potential.”

Private and public

Religious freedom, he said, is not simply freedom of thought or private worship. It is the freedom to live according to ethical principles, both privately and publicly, consequent to the truth one has found.

Intolerance is the “great challenge of the globalized world, a sickness, in which weak thought even reduces the general ethical level, in the name of a false concept of tolerance that ends up persecuting those who defend the truth on humanity and its ethical consequences,” the Pope said.

Legal systems, at both a national and international level, are required to recognize, guarantee and protect religious freedom, which is a right inherent in human nature, in man’s dignity as a free being. They also serve as indicators of healthy democracies and legitimize states, he said.

Religious freedom is to develop relationships of mutual respect, and foster “healthy collaboration” between people and government, without “antagonism” or “confusing roles.” He closed urging members to continue exploring how legal systems best can respect and defend religious freedom. (D.C.L.

What Jesus SAID about Divorce from Crisis BLOG

JUNE 12, 2014

What Jesus Said About Divorce

DANIEL THIMONS

Pope Francis concluded his homily during the Canonization Mass of Sts. John XXIII and John Paul II by invoking the intercession of the two new saints as the Church journeys towards the upcoming Synod on the Family. He finished his homily with the beautiful words, “May both of them teach us not to be scandalized by the wounds of Christ and to enter ever more deeply into the mystery of divine mercy, which always hopes and always forgives, because it always loves.”

The Church is called during this time in preparation for the Synod, to reflect ever more deeply on the teaching of Jesus Christ with regard to marriage, a teaching that is full of mercy: hoping, forgiving, and loving to the end. We see Christ exercise his pastoral teaching on marriage in various places throughout the Gospels: during the wedding at Cana, in conversation with the woman at the well, and in his response to the woman caught in adultery. In this article, I wish to focus primarily on Christ’s teaching on marriage in Matthew Chapter 19:3-11, a teaching that is echoed in each of the Synoptic Gospels. Jesus’ teaching, though sometimes difficult for us to accept, is always full of love, mercy, and compassion.

In the Gospel of Matthew, Chapter 19, we read the account where the Pharisees approached Jesus to test him, and offered him a challenge.

“Some Pharisees approached him, and tested him, saying ‘Is it lawful for a man to divorce his wife for any cause whatever?” (Mt 19:3)

Notice, the Pharisees were not asking whether or not divorce is lawful, but rather they were asking Jesus about the appropriate grounds for divorce of which he considers to be lawful. This question was proposed to Christ by two different schools of the Pharisees. On one hand was the Hillel School which claimed that any number of reasons could be grounds for divorce as long as the man gave the woman a bill of divorce. On the other hand, the Shammai School claimed that a man could divorce his wife only for very serious reasons, such as infidelity. So, this question was proposed to Jesus to test him on his interpretation of the Mosaic Law found in the Book of Deuteronomy, “When a man, after marrying a woman and having relations with her, is later displeased with her because he finds in her something indecent, and therefore he writes out a bill of divorce and hands it to her, thus dismissing her from his house” (Deuteronomy 24:1).

The Pharisees question is one of a subjective vs. objective interpretation of this passage from Deuteronomy. The Hillel School took a more subjective approach to its interpretation, emphasizing that it is the man who “finds in her” something indecent. While the Shammai School took a more objective approach, claiming that there arecertain definitive criteria to determine what is “indecent.” The Pharisees question is also this: Should the Mosaic Law with regard to divorce be interpreted in the man’s favor (Hillel) or in the woman’s favor (Shammai)? It is a question which places a specific interpretation of the man’s rights under Mosaic Law against the compassion and fidelity that is owed to a faithful wife.

If Jesus answered that divorce was only lawful for serious reasons such as infidelity, those in the Hillel School would claim that he was not honoring a man’s rights in the law handed down from Moses. On the other hand, if Jesus answered that a man could divorce his wife for any number of reasons; those in the Shammai School would claim that Jesus has little or no compassion for women. This question of the Pharisees is one that continues to resound to this day. It could be summed up as a question of the law vs. love, doctrine vs. compassion, theology vs. pastoral charity.

It is striking that Jesus does not enter this debate on the grounds that it was proposed. But, rather his answer reveals that according to the Divine plan, there is no opposition between the law and love, between doctrine and compassion, between theology and pastoral charity. Christ’s answer to the Pharisees demonstrates that God’s law is a law of love, that His doctrine on marriage is full of compassion, and that theology and pastoral charity are always united.

“Have you not read that from the beginning the Creator ‘made them male and female’ and said, ‘For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh’? So they are no longer two, but one flesh. Therefore, what God has joined together, no human being must separate” (Mt 19:4-6).

Christ’s doctrine on marriage is one that is full of love, because it reveals the very essence of love. Love by its very nature is faithful, forever, and fruitful. Love is always grounded on truth, as it does not permit lies or deception. A temporary agreement could rightly be called a legal contract, but love knows no end. And love is never selfish or self-seeking but rather always expands in service to another. Christ reveals that a husband and wife are called to the Law of Love that is inscribed in our nature by the Creator “from the beginning.” Yet, the Pharisees continue to argue on the grounds of the Mosaic Law.

“[The Pharisees] said to him, ‘Then why did Moses command that the man give the woman a bill of divorce and dismiss [her]?’ [Jesus] said to them, ‘Because of the hardness of your hearts Moses allowed you to divorce your wives, but from the beginning it was not so’ ” (Mt 19:7-8).

The Pharisees response to the Divine teaching about the indissolubility of marriage is to again invoke the Law of Moses. Christ again responds by revealing the truth about marriage “from the beginning.” The concession that Moses granted which allowed for divorce was not an act of mercy, but rather an explicit recognition of the need for a savior. The people, on their own accord, were simply incapable of loving one another as God loves. Their “hearts” had become “hardened” and darkened by sin. Moses could not save the people from their sin. In the hardness of their hearts, the law of God had become burdensome, and so Moses permitted divorce for a time, awaiting a redeemer who could turn their hearts of stone into natural hearts, hearts capable of love. (See Ezekiel 11:19.)

It is important to note that Moses was not acting out of mercy, but out of obligation when he permitted divorce. Mercy always recognizes the full weight of sin, a weight that demands the punishment of death. Christ is the One capable of exercising mercy, because as the sinless One, he accepted the just punishment for our sins and offered the forgiveness of God. Our works of mercy, the mercy that we show to others, are only true mercy if these works are connected to the Sacrifice of Christ on the Cross. Mercy always recognizes the full evil of sin, but Christ’s mercy allows sinners a new opportunity to reform their lives and live according to the truth that will set us free. (See John 8:32.)

The mercy of Christ with regard to the teaching on the indissolubility of marriage is demonstrated most poignantly in John Chapter 8, the passage of the woman caught in adultery. We see here how the law and love, doctrine and compassion, theology and pastoral charity, are perfectly compatible in Christ’s great act of mercy towards the woman. Again, the Pharisees try to trap Jesus. But, Jesus answers in a way that is full of mercy as he clearly recognizes the truth of the reality of sin while forgiving the sinner. Christ always meets people where they are, but he never leaves them where they are. One who encounters Christ is always changed, as we can presume that the woman caught in adultery did not later return to her sinful ways following a brief period of penance.

Cardinal Carlo Caffarra in his March 14, 2014 interview in Il Foglio, beautifully described the Mercy of Christ given to the woman caught in adultery.

“For a woman caught in the very act, the demands of the Mosaic Law were clear: she should be stoned to death. In fact the Pharisees asked Jesus what he thought precisely in order to draw him into their perspective. If he had said “stone her” they would have replied: “Look, He preaches mercy and eats with sinners but when it comes to it even he says “stone her.” If he had said “don’t stone her” they would have replied: “And this is where mercy leads us: it destroys the Law and every legal and moral bond.” This is the typical view of casuistic morality which takes you into a blind alley where you have to choose between the person and upholding the norm. The Pharisees try to trap Jesus in this blind alley. But Jesus doesn’t accept their perspective at all; he says that adultery is a great evil and that it destroys humanity, also of the person who commits this act. Jesus, in order to overcome this evil, doesn’t condemn the person who has committed this act; rather he cures the person of this great evil and commands her not to enter into this evil again. “Neither do I condemn you. Go and do not sin again.” This is the mercy of which only the Lord is capable. This is the mercy which the Church, from one generation to the next, announces.”

In the beautiful passage of Christ’s response to the woman caught in adultery, Jesus demonstrates the truth about mercy, love, and forgiveness. And, this truth about love and mercy is our hope as Christians. Christ offers us the capacity and the ability to change, “relying not on our own strength, but on the help and grace of the Holy Spirit.” (CCC 1817) Christ calls us to love in a way that we are not capable of on our own. In his Incarnation, Christ does not destroy our human nature but elevates it, revealing our true calling to live as sons and daughters of God.

Christ’s teaching on the indissolubility of marriage may seem outdated in modern times or difficult to accept, but his teaching is clear and unequivocal, held by the Church for nearly 2,000 years.

“I say to you, whoever divorces his wife (unless the marriage is unlawful) and marries another commits adultery” (Mt 19:9).

Jesus clearly demonstrates the truth about marriage, that it is ordained by God to last “until death.” Marriage reveals the truth about God’s love, a love that is faithful to the end. Truth and love, theology and pastoral charity, are perfectly united in this teaching of Christ.

There are some in the Church today who are proposing various “solutions” whereby someone who is divorced and civilly remarried can be admitted to Holy Communion. These “solutions” claim that we can somehow separate Christian doctrine from pastoral charity. This is a claim that is absurd for a Christian, as it would in effect be living as if Christ’s teaching no longer applies. We must be clear that any “solution” that does not honor the explicit teaching of Christ, a teaching that is full of love and hope, would in turn not be merciful. Such a “solution” would instead be the very negation of mercy. It would be the equivalent to Christ saying to the woman caught in adultery, “Neither do I condemn you, so you are now free to continue your adulterous union.”

Such a “solution” would not be Christian but would be an attempt to move “beyond Jesus” to what we perceive to be more compassionate. It would not only negate Christ’s teaching on marriage, but would also negate his teaching on love and mercy. It would in effect be a claim that we now know better than Jesus, and that one can be saved while disregarding his teachings that we find to be too difficult.

Unless they were willing to agree to live perpetually “as brother and sister,” we simply cannot admit those who are divorced and civilly remarried to the Sacraments and still remain faithful to the teaching of Christ. But the questions still remain … How does the Church exercise charity towards those in this situation? How does the Church call those living in an objective state of adultery to the heights of holiness to which all the baptized are called?

Let us return again to the words of Pope Francis during his homily at the Canonization Mass, “May both [Sts. John XXIII and John Paul II] teach us not to be scandalized by the wounds of Christ.” Certainly there are many people in the Church today who have been divorced and civilly remarried. The pastoral solution for the Church is that we must more deeply enter into their wounds, helping them to carry their daily cross. Faithful to the words of Jesus, certainly the Church can do a better job of providing the support and encouragement necessary to help these couples live in complete continence. This is certainly not easy, but it is filled with the hope that comes from Christ, a hope that does not rely on our own strength, but on the power of the Holy Spirit. Trusting in the Lord’s promise and frequently receiving the grace of the Sacraments of Reconciliation and the Holy Eucharist, these couples faithfully committed to live in complete continence can reach the heights of sanctity to which all the baptized are called.

Many today will complain that this is too hard, who can accept it? (See John 6:60.) Wasn’t this the very attitude of the disciples when Christ gave his teaching on marriage in Matthew 19?

“[His] disciples said to him, ‘If that is the case of a man with his wife, it is better not to marry” (Mt 19:10).  

The disciples clearly understand human nature and rightly discern that the teaching of Christ is extremely difficult if not impossible to fulfill on our own. But, unlike Moses, who was pressured to give in to the demands of human nature out of obligation, Christ offers something new. The path to living the truth about marriage, the ability to accept the words of Christ, requires that we be granted something, or rather Someone, as a Gift from God. It is only when a person is granted the Gift of the Holy Spirit that they can live the truth of their sexuality according to their state in life. This is the hope that comes not from our own power, but from God.

“Not all can accept [this] word, but only those to whom that is granted” (Mt 19:11).

Allowing the divorced and civilly remarried to be admitted to Holy Communion, does not represent a docility or openness to the Holy Spirit, but rather the very denial of the power of the Holy Spirit to heal us and transform our lives. So, the proposed “solution” allowing for Communion for the divorced and civilly remarried, would ultimately be based on a false understanding of love and mercy, and a denial of hope. Certainly, those who are divorced and civilly remarried deserve better than this.

The proper pastoral solution for those who are divorced and civilly remarried, a solution founded on the very words of Christ in Sacred Scripture, can be found in St. John Paul II’s Apostolic Exhortation Familiaris Consortio #84. Every Catholic should take this time leading up to the Synod as an opportunity to read or re-read the wisdom and pastoral insight found in Familiars Corsortio.     

The Synod will certainly have the challenge of discussing how to effectively evangelize and catechize those Catholics who have been divorced and civilly remarried. Perhaps for many of these couples, the Church could encourage them to look into the annulment process, in order to lawfully determine the validity of any previous unions. For those for whom this is not a possibility, the Church must find pastoral ways to encourage these couples to live separately or at the very least “as brother and sister.” This is a cross that is difficult, though certainly not impossible, with the grace of God and the assistance of the Church.

In addition to finding pastoral solutions to help those who are divorced and civilly remarried carry their cross, the Synod will also need to address the root causes of divorce. Not the least among the root causes of divorce is a widespread grave lack of understanding and acceptance of God’s design for marriage, a lifelong union of man and woman which is ordered to the good of the spouses and the procreation and education of children. To this end the Church as a whole could certainly look to more widely incorporating St. John Paul II’s Theology of the Body throughout the entire catechetical process.

With the great crisis affecting marriage and family life in today’s culture, the Synod Fathers will certainly have much to discuss at the upcoming Synod.  It would not be charitable to those who are divorced and civilly remarried to disregard 2,000 years of fidelity to Christ’s teaching in an effort to be seemingly compassionate or pastoral. To do so would be to deny the truth about love, mercy, and forgiveness, and to give way to hopelessness.

Editor’s note: The image above depicting Christ with the Samaritan woman at the well was painted by Francesco Fernandi (1679-1740).

Tagged as Cardinal Caffara, divorce, family, Marriage, Mosaic Law

Share on facebookShare on twitterShare on emailShare on printMore Sharing Services67

 

 

BLOGGED from Catholic Working Mom [Thank you!]

Categories : Prayer

Today’s Gospel:   Matthew 5: 13-16

http://danardoyle.files.wordpress.com/2014/06/unknown.jpeg&h=194 Jesus said to his disciples:
“You are the salt of the earth.
But if salt loses its taste, with what can it be seasoned?
It is no longer good for anything
but to be thrown out and trampled underfoot.
You are the light of the world.
A city set on a mountain cannot be hidden.
Nor do they light a lamp and then put it under a bushel basket;
it is set on a lampstand,
where it gives light to all in the house.
Just so, your light must shine before others,
that they may see your good deeds
and glorify your heavenly Father.”

Dear Jesus, help me to spread Your fragrance everywhere I go.
Flood my soul with Your spirit and life.
Penetrate and possess my whole being so utterly,
That my life may only be a radiance of Yours.

Shine through me, and be so in me
That every soul I come in contact with
May feel Your presence in my soul.
Let them look up and see no longer me, but only Jesus!

Stay with me and then I shall begin to shine as You shine,
So to shine as to be a light to others;
The light, O Jesus will be all from You; none of it will be mine;
It will be you, shining on others through me.

Let me thus praise You the way You love best, by shining on those around me.
Let me preach You without preaching, not by words but by my example,
By the catching force of the sympathetic influence of what I do,
The evident fullness of the love my heart bears to You.

Amen.