Evangelization | Blogger Priest

Confession of Sins

Posted on February 21, 2011 by Father Joe

Numbers 5:6-7: “Say to the people of Israel, When a man or woman commits any of the sins that men commit by breaking faith with the Lord, and that person is guilty, he shall confess his sin which he has committed; and he shall make full restitution for his wrong, . . . .”

Proverbs 28:13: He who conceals his transgressions will not prosper, but he who confesses and forsakes them will obtain mercy.

2 Samuel 12:13: David said [confessed] to Nathan, “I have sinned against the Lord.” And Nathan said [the absolution] to David, “The Lord also has put away your sin; . . . .”

Luke 23:43: The good thief is promised paradise in return for his confession on the cross: And he [Jesus] said to him, “Truly, I say to you, today you will be with me in Paradise.”

1 John 1:9: If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just, and will forgive our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

Matthew 3:5-6: Then went out to him Jerusalem and all Judea and all the region about the Jordan, and they were baptized by him in the river Jordan, confessing their sins.

Acts 19:18: Many also of those who were now believers came, confessing and divulging their practices.

Confession of sin is denoted as necessary in the Bible for the forgiveness of sins. The Catholic practice of private confession is based upon the charge from Christ to forgive or to retain sins. The Church and her ministers judge such situations. The confessor can only fulfill this obligation adequately if the penitent tells him the sins for which he needs absolution and penance. There may also be an important element of counsel.

For more such reading, contact me about getting my book, DEFENDING THE CATHOLIC FAITH.

Filed under: Anti-Catholicism, Apologetics, Bible, Catholic, Church, Confession, Discipleship, Evangelization, Faith, Forgiveness, Priests, Repentance, Sin | Leave a comment »

Catholic Worship

Posted on February 20, 2011 by Father Joe

Malachi 1:11: For from the rising of the sun to its setting my name is great among the nations, and in every place incense is offered to my name, and a pure offering; for my name is great among the nations, says the Lord of hosts.

Hebrews 13:10: We have an altar from which those who serve the tent [the tabernacle of the Jewish temple] have no right to eat.

The Bible tells us that there is a priesthood and sacrifice under the new covenant of Christ. There is no way that a service of the Word or a Protestant communion service can be considered the sacrificial act that prophecy and St. Paul speaks about. However, we do find such elements in the teaching and practice of the Catholic Church. We have an altar of sacrifice and a pure offering, nothing other than the body and blood of Christ in the sacramental species.

For more such reading, contact me about getting my book, DEFENDING THE CATHOLIC FAITH.

Filed under: Anti-Catholicism, Apologetics, Bible, Catholic, Eucharist, Evangelization, Faith, Holy Communion, Jesus, Liturgy, Mass, Priests, Sacraments | 4 Comments »

Only the Real Presence Demands Worthy Reception

Posted on February 19, 2011 by Father Joe

1 Corinthians 11:27-29: Whoever, therefore, eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty of profaning the body and blood of the Lord. Let a man examine himself, and so eat of the bread and drink of the cup. For anyone who eats and drinks without discerning the body eats and drinks judgment upon himself.

St. Paul tells us that the unworthy reception of Holy Communion is a sacrilege; indeed, it desecrates the real body and blood of Christ. It is the ultimate in hypocrisy and blasphemy. Such an assertion that the sacrament might bring damnation instead of salvation must be seriously considered. Catholics in mortal sin should not receive the sacrament until that time that they have repented and the sin is absolved. If Holy Communion were no more than bread and wine, this assertion from St. Paul would make NO sense. How can a piece of bread or a sip of wine damn you for all eternity? How could such an empty symbolic gesture desecrate Christ, himself? They could not, unless Catholics are right and the bread and wine are truly transformed into the body and blood of Christ.

Filed under: Anti-Catholicism, Apologetics, Bible, Catholic, Discipleship, Eucharist, Evangelization, Faith, Holy Communion, Jesus, Liturgy, Mass, Sacraments | 4 Comments »

Jesus Meant What He Said About Eucharist

Posted on February 19, 2011 by Father Joe

John 6:52-58: The Jews then disputed among themselves, saying, “How can this man give us his flesh to eat?” So Jesus said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of man and drink his blood, you have no life in you; he who eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day. For my flesh is food [meat] indeed, and my blood is drink indeed. He who eats my flesh and drinks my blood abides in me, and I in him. As the living Father sent me, and I live because of the Father; so he who eats me will live because of me. This is that bread which came down from heaven, not such as the fathers ate and died; he who eats this bread will live forever.”

John 6:60: Many of his disciples, when they had heard it, said, “This is an hard saying; who can listen to it?”

John 6:66-69: After this many of his disciples drew back and no longer went about with him. Jesus said to the twelve, “Will you also go away?” Simon Peter answered him, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life; and we have believed, and have come to know, that you are the Holy One of God.”

The Jews murmured (John 6:41) and abandoned Jesus just as certain so-called Christians (Protestants) reject the Eucharist today. They did not believe that Jesus was God; obviously God could do all things.

Nevertheless, Jesus did not compromise or explain away his teaching in any manner. He insisted upon a literal understanding of the real presence in the Eucharist. There was no misunderstanding. Jesus allowed the Jews (who would prefer a Protestant view of Eucharist) to abandon him. It is bizarre that Protestants can assail the Eucharist and claim that certain disciples misunderstood him when Jesus acted and spoke this way. The truth is that Jesus would even have allowed the twelve apostles to forsake him rather than to give the impoverished Protestant type of Eucharist. Peter responds correctly. Like his many successors, Peter steers the Church toward the truth of Christ. Jesus is God and whatever God says is true, no matter how fantastic and deep a mystery.

For more such reading, contact me about getting my book, DEFENDING THE CATHOLIC FAITH.

Filed under: Anti-Catholicism, Apologetics, Eucharist, Evangelization, Faith, Jesus, Liturgy, Mass, Sacraments | 2 Comments »

A True Bread from Heaven

Posted on February 18, 2011 by Father Joe

John 6:33-35: “For the bread of God is that which comes down from heaven, and gives life to the world.” They said to him, “Lord give us this bread always.” Jesus said to them, “I am the bread of life; he who comes to me shall not hunger, and he who believes in me shall never thirst.”

John 6:38: “For I have come down from heaven, not to do my own will, but the will of him who sent me; . . . .”

John 6:41: The Jews then murmured at him, because he said, “I am the bread which came down from heaven.”

John 6:48-51: “I am that bread of life. Your fathers ate the manna in the wilderness, and they died. This is the bread which comes down from heaven, that a man may eat of it and not die. I am the living bread which came down from heaven; if any one eats of this bread, he will live forever; and the bread which I shall give for the life of the world is my flesh.”

The Eucharist that our Lord gives can only be “bread from heaven” if it is truly himself. Jesus is God; he is the one who has come down from heaven. The principle of concomitance is also affirmed here: Jesus is totally present— alive and complete— in every fragment and drop of the Blessed Sacrament. He is not dissected in the Eucharist; rather, he is present and acting on our behalf. He grants us a share in eternal life.

For more such reading, contact me about getting my book, DEFENDING THE CATHOLIC FAITH.

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The Greatest Food of All

Posted on February 18, 2011 by Father Joe

John 6:26-32: Jesus answered them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, you seek me, not because you saw signs, but because you ate your fill of the loaves. Do not labor for the food [meat] which perishes, but for the food [meat] which endures to eternal life, which the Son of man will give to you; for on him has God the Father set his seal.” Then they said to him, “What must we do, to be doing the works of God?” Jesus answered them, “This is the work of God, that you believe in him whom he has sent.” So they said to him, “Then what sign do you do, that we may see, and believe you? What work do you perform? Our fathers ate the manna in the wilderness; as it is written, ‘He gave them bread from heaven to eat.'” Jesus then said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, it was not Moses who gave you the bread from heaven; my Father gives you the true bread from heaven.”

More important than any miraculous food (John 6:11 to 13) or the manna in the desert (Exodus 16:31), the Eucharist is highlighted as our saving food. If there were no change in the elements of bread and wine into the real body and blood of Christ, then our Lord has played us for fools. Such is not the case. There is no deception on Christ’s part. A rejection of the Eucharist, by both liberal modernists and by fundamentalist Christians signifies a lack of faith; indeed, it is the intrusion of a sometimes-subtle atheism.

For more such reading, contact me about getting my book, DEFENDING THE CATHOLIC FAITH.

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The Real Presence in the Eucharist: Our Inheritance

Posted on February 17, 2011 by Father Joe

Mark 14:22-24: And as they were eating, he took bread and blessed, and broke it, and gave it to them, and said, “Take; this is my body.” And he took a cup, and when he had given thanks he gave it to them, and they all drank of it. And he said to them, “This is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many.”

The Eucharist was Christ’s parting gift to us. It is literally the New Testament itself— making it present and ratifying it again and again. Jesus gives us his body and blood as the bread of life and our spiritual drink. There is nothing of figurative language about this. If Christ is God and speaks the truth, who are we to call him a liar? Catholics take Jesus at his word.

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Confirmation

Posted on February 16, 2011 by Father Joe

Acts 8:14-17: Now when the apostles at Jerusalem heard that Samaria had received the word of God, they sent to them Peter and John, who came down and prayed for them that they might receive the Holy Spirit; for it had not yet fallen on any of them, but they had only been baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. Then they laid their hands on them and they received the Holy Spirit.

Acts 19:6: And when Paul had laid his hands upon them, the Holy Spirit came on them; and they spoke with tongues, and prophesied.

Hebrews 6:2: . . . with instructions about ablutions [baptisms], the laying on of hands, the resurrection of the dead, and eternal judgment.

Extracting of the final anointing of baptism took along with it the confirmation rite. Two sacraments, which stood together, became separated in the West so that the bishop might “confirm” the sacrament of baptism when he became available. The sacrament of confirmation includes the laying on of hands, a gesture that functions as an invocation of the Holy Spirit. Such a ritual is decisively presented in the Scriptures. As a further sign of the Holy Spirit’s presence, the laying on of hands was often associated with incredible supernatural effects. This is the same sacrament offered by the successors to the apostles, the bishops, today.

For more such reading, contact me about getting my book, DEFENDING THE CATHOLIC FAITH.

Filed under: Anti-Catholicism, Apologetics, Baptism, Bible, Catholic, Confirmation, Discipleship, Evangelization, Faith, Holy Spirit, Sacraments | 6 Comments »

Baptism

Posted on February 15, 2011 by Father Joe

Acts 16:33: And he took them the same hour of the night, and washed their wounds, and he was baptized at once, with all his family.

1 Corinthians 1:16: I did baptize also the household of Stephanas. Beyond that, I do not know whether I baptized any one else.

Acts 16:15: And when she was baptized, with her household, she besought us, saying, “If you have judged me to be faithful to the Lord, come to my house and stay.” And she prevailed upon us.

Sometimes whole families were baptized, no doubt even including children. Such is the record of the Scriptures and the early Catholic traditions.

Mark 16:16: “He who believes and is baptized shall be saved; but he who does not believe will be condemned.”

Matthew 28:18-20: And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, to the close of the age.”

Those who had reached the age of reason, like adults, had to profess faith in Christ and his Church as a prerequisite for baptism. As for infants, the faith of their parents and the believing community would suffice until that day that they would claim the faith fully as their inheritance. Baptism for children is very important so that the soul might be cleansed of original sin and supplanted with supernatural grace.

John 3:5: Jesus answered, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God.”

Baptism is the sacrament of salvation, making possible our entry into the kingdom of God.

For more such reading, contact me about getting my book, DEFENDING THE CATHOLIC FAITH.

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Peter the First Pope

Posted on February 14, 2011 by Father Joe

Matthew 16:18-19: “And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the powers of death (gates of hell) shall not prevail against it. I will give you (Peter) 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.”

Peter is the ROCK of the Church precisely because Jesus is the FOUNDATION STONE. Our Lord extends his own authority.

Later Our Lord made Simon-Peter pastor of both the lambs and the sheep, which is His whole flock.

John 21: 15-17: When they had finished breakfast, Jesus said to Simon Peter, “Simon, son of John, do you love me more than these?” He said to him, “Yes, Lord; you know that I love you.” He said to him, “Feed my lambs.” A second time he said to him, “Simon, son of John, do you love me?” He said to him, “Yes, Lord; you know that I love you.” He said to him, “Tend my sheep.” He said to him the third time, “Simon, son of John, do you love me?” Peter was grieved because he said to him the third time, “Do you love me?” And he said to him, “Lord, you know everything; you know that I love you.” Jesus said to him, “Feed my sheep.”

Our Lord promised that Peter would confirm the faith of the other Apostles:

Luke 22:32: ” . . . but I have prayed for you [Peter] that your faith may not fail; and when you have turned again, strengthen your brethren.”

Changing Simon’s name to Peter, our Lord established his Church with Peter at its head. Any Church separated from the See of Peter is not the true Church of Christ.

For more such reading, contact me about getting my book, DEFENDING THE CATHOLIC FAITH.

Filed under: Anti-Catholicism, Apologetics, Bible, Catholic, Church, Evangelization, Faith, Magisterium, Pope | 1 Comment »