The Rite of Acceptance into the Order of Catechumens is a significant step in the journey of Catholicism, marking the transition from being outside the Church to inside. It is a moment of listening, where the baptized Catholics meet at the threshold of the Church and are ritually welcomed to enter the Church’s doors. This is when the candidate becomes a catechumen, officially becoming a member of the order.
The Rite of Acceptance is a crucial step in the journey of Catholicism, as it marks the transition from being outside the Church to inside. It is a moment of listening, where the two disciples listened to the witness of the Baptist. The Rite of Acceptance is a crucial step in the journey of Catholicism, as it signifies a decisive step along the journey of the Church.
The ceremony is used when unbaptized adults are asking for the sacraments. The priest gives a brief instruction on the dignity of God’s Word, and the Liturgy of the Word proceeds as usual. The scriptures proclaimed are proclaimed, and the celebrant prays for the candidates. The priest addresses the assembly, asking for prayers and encouragement for these candidates as they continue their journey of faith.
The signing with the Cross expresses their initial yes to God’s call, promising to live out the teachings of the Gospel and follow in the path of the Church. As communities prepare for this first public ritual of the RCIA, it is essential to keep these best practices in mind.
📹 This Is Straight Out Of Hell
Christians need to discern who are the wolves and who are the shepherds. Hi, My name is Daniel and welcome to my channel!
What is the most important part of the rite of Confirmation?
The Confirmation rite involves anointing with Sacred Chrism, a mixture of oil and balsam, consecrated by the bishop. The minister pronounces the sacramental words, which are then poured on the baptized person’s forehead. In the West, it is done on the forehead with the words “Be sealed with the gift of the Holy Spirit”. In the Eastern Churches of the Byzantine rite, it is done on other parts of the body.
The effect of Confirmation is a special outpouring of the Holy Spirit, similar to Pentecost, which instills an indelible character in the soul, grows in the grace of Baptism, roots the recipient in divine sonship, binds them more firmly to Christ and the Church, and reinvigorates the Holy Spirit’s gifts.
Why is rite of acceptance important?
The Rite of Acceptance into the Order of Catechumens is a significant step in the journey of those seeking to know God. It marks the transition from inquiry to catechumenate, where individuals gather to ask questions about the faith and share their stories. The signing with the Cross signifies their initial yes to God’s call, promising to live out the teachings of the Gospel and follow in the path of Christ. This promise is the response to discipleship, a journey that leads to the Cross.
The signing with the Cross takes place after the inquirers accept the Gospel and invites them to receive the sign of their new way of life as catechumens. This symbol signifies the continual dying to self and rising to new life in Jesus. The Cross marks the entire beings, indicating their strength and immersion in the power of the Cross.
The new identity of the inquirers is given, and they are given a new name, catechumens. This change of status takes place within a believing community, most of whom were first marked with the Sign of the Cross at their baptism. The signing of the Cross becomes an initial sign of communion with the Body of Christ, the assembly, and the catechumens are now counted among God’s own children.
What questions are asked in the Rite of Acceptance?
In the course of a rite, the priest poses a series of questions to individuals, inquiring about their perceptions of the Church of God, their motivation for seeking spiritual guidance, and the benefits they derive from the tenets of faith. Additionally, they may inquire about the benefits of faith and their aspiration to embrace it.
Why is Rite of acceptance important?
The Rite of Acceptance into the Order of Catechumens is a significant step in the journey of those seeking to know God. It marks the transition from inquiry to catechumenate, where individuals gather to ask questions about the faith and share their stories. The signing with the Cross signifies their initial yes to God’s call, promising to live out the teachings of the Gospel and follow in the path of Christ. This promise is the response to discipleship, a journey that leads to the Cross.
The signing with the Cross takes place after the inquirers accept the Gospel and invites them to receive the sign of their new way of life as catechumens. This symbol signifies the continual dying to self and rising to new life in Jesus. The Cross marks the entire beings, indicating their strength and immersion in the power of the Cross.
The new identity of the inquirers is given, and they are given a new name, catechumens. This change of status takes place within a believing community, most of whom were first marked with the Sign of the Cross at their baptism. The signing of the Cross becomes an initial sign of communion with the Body of Christ, the assembly, and the catechumens are now counted among God’s own children.
Is there a test at the end of RCIA?
The RCIA is a process of faith formation, catechesis, and spiritual growth, not a formal course. There are no requirements for reading or resources, and participants can miss sessions due to family, work, or travel reasons. They will provide missed handouts and facilitates to answer questions. The sponsor is a Holy Trinity parishioner who responded to the call for sponsors, and participants can invite a parishioner they know to participate in the RCIA process. No one needs to find their own sponsor, as one of the Holy Trinity parishioners who responded to the call for sponsors will be assigned to them.
What is the difference between the Rite of welcome and the Rite of acceptance?
The Rite of Welcome bears resemblance to the Rite of Acceptance, with the exception that candidates do not assemble outside or at the entrance of the church.
What is the Rite of acceptance in Mass?
The Rite of Acceptance into the Order of Catechumens is the first public ritual of the Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults (RCIA). It marks the change of identity from inquirers to catechumens, who are officially welcomed by the Church as disciples. This rite is considered the first consecration by the Church for those seeking Christian initiation and is marked with the cross of Christ as God’s own. The gathered community, inquirers, and their promise of discipleship are essential to this rite.
It is celebrated during Mass, allowing the entire Christian community to participate. The Rite of Acceptance can be celebrated several times throughout the year, with each parish deciding on at least two or three times to ensure timely welcome of inquirers.
What is the dress code for rite of acceptance?
The Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults (RCIA) is a process for adults to enter the Catholic Church, preparing them for the sacraments of baptism, confirmation, and Holy Eucharist. The process is divided into four periods: initiation, catechumens, confirmation, and the Catechumenate. Males wear white shirt and black pants, while females wear white shirt/blouse and black skirt/dress/pants. All white is also acceptable. The RCIA process is not mandatory, but it is a lifelong journey for baptized Catholics to become lifelong disciples of Jesus Christ.
There is no obligation to get baptized, and those who have not received all the sacraments of initiation can join the catechumens. The Catechumenate is a time of formal catechesis and immersion in the church’s life.
What are the five parts of the introductory rites?
The Introductory Rites of the Mass consist of the entrance song, greeting, penitential act, Gloria, and collect, which aim to unite the worshipping community and prepare them for the Eucharist. The entrance song signifies the participation of the people as members of the Body of Christ, while the cross sign after the song signifies the collective worship. The liturgical greeting and people’s response signify the presence of the Lord and the mystery of the Church gathered together.
What is the benefit of acceptance?
Acceptance therapy offers numerous benefits, including improved emotional well-being, improved regulation, enhanced self-awareness, increased resilience, and improved quality of life. It is often used in cognitive and dialectical behavior therapies to help individuals navigate challenging situations beyond their control. Acceptance therapy techniques, exercises, and activities can help individuals overcome stress and improve their ability to move through life’s challenges. By incorporating acceptance into daily routines, individuals can better cope with life’s challenges and improve their overall quality of life.
What is the main idea of acceptance?
Acceptance is a mindset that involves acknowledging the facts of a situation without fixating on how it shouldn’t be. It helps individuals with mental illness cope with current challenges and difficult circumstances from the past. In Sharp Grossmont Hospital’s cognitive behavioral therapy program and dual recovery intensive outpatient programs, patients learn to develop acceptance to cope with current challenges and difficult circumstances.
Clients develop self-awareness by bringing mindful awareness to breathing, thinking, emotions, and physical sensations. They learn to notice judgments and when they’re boosting negative emotional states by not accepting what is happening. Clients also perform exercises to tease apart what they can and cannot control.
📹 Why Be Catholic and Not Just Christian?
There are many similarities and differences between the Catholic Church and the Protestant denominations. In this video, Fr. Mike …
As an Atheist in a relationship with a full-time Catholic boyfriend, all these Fr. Mike’s articles gives me so much insight into the Catholicism. I really want to learn and understand why for my boyfriend church and God himself is a very important part in his life. Religion is so new to me and I still don’t get many things, so I am very grateful of how easy Fr. Mike explains Catholicism. Thank you! 🙂 Update: 5 months later I became a Catholic myself! 🙂
I was baptized catholic as a baby. I was not raised in the church for whatever reason and I became lost. The last year I have had a strong calling of returning to the church. So here I am. I’m taking my daughters to mass for the first time. Reading the Bible and the catechism. It’s a lot to take in and your articles help a lot. Thank you father.
I was raised catholic and wander away in my teens. Now in my early 50s, I prayed to God and asked to point me in the right direction. I come home from work one day and let the dogs out, my small dog barks, tail wagging, i go to see what hes happy about and see a unknown man walking down the street. Keep in mind i live on a deadend road that leads to a farm so i have very few neighbors, Anyway, my dog goes to say hi to the man and the man comes over to me to say hello, turns out hes a catholic priest….God spoke strongly to me! Also, if you read the early church fathers writings, they quite obviously were catholics.
I was Muslim and I joined Christianity. I found it difficult to adjust to Protestant Christianity because Islam preaches Holiness and the protestant churches were lacking in that aspect and when I joined Catholicism I was so happy because Catholics really treat the Trinity as Holy and worship God with Holiness and seriousness and not Lukewarmness. Its important to worship God as Holy because Jesus in the second coming comes back for a Holy people. We need to be Holy like our Father in Heaven is Holy! I love being catholic now.
I’m a catholic and I’m in 8th grade. I was never baptized as a baby because my mother had cancer and wanted to be there for my baptism but she sadly passed away and told my aunt to baptize me. ( my dad passed away before I was born) Because of family drama my aunt never wanted to speak to me and my guardian parents. Now I will be receiving my 3 sacraments this year😁 I go to a catholic school which has helped me understand my religion so much more.
I grew up Catholic, Catholic school, church every Sunday but I never felt Gods presence in my life I only believed in God because that’s what I was taught. I got older and became agnostic for some time wondering my relationship with God not knowing what was correct, became Mormon for a short period of time still deep down confused. The past year God truly presented himself to me, I felt his presence for the first time in my life. God showed me the way back to the Catholic Church, and I have more faith now than I have in my life I am happier more than ever! Listening and learning more from these podcasts and I am so proud to be Catholic. God sent me on such a journey and I am happy to say I am finally home with Him.
My Mom always had an issue with the Catholic Church but I got her to come to mass a few months back. me and her had a conversation tonight about how we felt Jesus with us in mass today and all I can say is how grateful I am for our lord bringing me and mom into this wonderful place. I hope all people can find it in their heart to come to mass at least once with an open heart to Jesus
I’m a pretty devout Catholic, I believe in one Holy, Catholic and Apostolic Church, but I just wish that more Catholics would be more accepting of protestants and that more protestants would be more accepting of Catholics. Division gets us nowhere and hate is straying from Christ’s intentions which are for us to love one another as he has loved us.
As an Irish Catholic who turned 18, I was very close to converting to the Church of Ireland. I thought it was a welcoming church with more welcoming and Christian people. There are definitely hypocritical Catholics, but what made me stay with The Church was attending Adoration every Friday night 12am-1am. Every Friday as a young person, alone in the church, I felt the presence of Christ whilst praying in front of The Eucharist. That great spiritual experience is consolidated only through Transubstantiation
Well, I am born in a Catholic family and a catholic.Actually I have many Christian friends we read Bible together and praise God. For me, whether Catholic or Christian, gather together with a humble heart, celebrating God is really important. We should learn from history that no more fighting inside between Christian or Catholic. Otherwise Satan will be smiling cause he is doing a lot of things trying to put Christians against each other. Glory to God. Peace In 2021. In the name of God. Amen.
I am definitely not anti-Catholic, any more than I am anti-Baptist, or any other denomination. I identify solely as a Christian, seeking only what God makes clear through His inspired Word. I have been through some of the RCIA classes, but quickly asserted that I did not want to know about the Catholic Church, like I wanted to know about God. Yes, I have sat through Mass many times with someone who grew up a devout Catholic. I found very quickly that while I was still rather new as a Christian, she knew just about nothing about the Bible, even though she had grown up in the Catholic Church. For me, I see and believe that fully 100% of our salvation comes from God through Jesus Christ’s atonement at the cross. And since this is so, then what He says is authoritatively the truth that I will follow. I don’t want to read from a secondary book, which is based on human perspective, nor will I engage in repetitious prayers, Hail Marys, etc.. And transubstantiation is beyond reasonable. When we read Jesus’ words on this in John 6, we understand that it was because Jesus had just fed the 5,000 that He said this about His body and blood, for people were simply following Him to be fed, rather than seeking life THROUGH Him. And Mary was a sinner like the rest of us, also in need of a Saviour. No, the RCC was a sort of segue for me, but is not the best way to build a relationship with our Creator and Saviour. I do not need any institution to be saved, nor does anyone else. Yes, the Bible tells us correctly that we need one another, which can be as fellow believers meeting in homes, in coffee shops, or anywhere else they choose, Jesus Christ is The Shepherd, and there is no human hierarchy that we must pass through to be saved.
As a young man raised Lutheran from birth, Catholicism was always seen as a taboo. I’ve never really considered it until now and this article definitely makes some good points. Will definitely be looking into Catholicism further, as it’s important to seek for truth without the weights of personal bias.
Fr. Mike, I am grateful for your faithful ministry! A few weeks ago, I’ve translated this article into my native language, Japanese. I am wondering why it is taking so long to appear. I really wish your articles are available in our language since we don’t have any Catholic Youtube evangelists here in Japan. I am more than happy to support you with the translation. I pray that the Holy Spirit continues to guide you and your team. God bless! 🙂
Finally reverted after 20+ yrs as a protestant. Many thanks to Fr. Mike, Trent Horn, and other priests/apologists out there clearing things up and making it obvious. Too long i’ve been on the side bashing Christs Church, it is great to see those in the Church going on the offense. I seem to be finding many of others doing the same and either reverting or converting. What a joy it has been to be in the Church, especially the Mass is amazing, and confession. Blessings
i see so many articles and posts that the Catholic church is evil and why they left the church, but i’ve been Catholic my whole life and i love it. it scares me and makes me sick to my stomach. father mikes articles always make me feel better and feel peace because he knows how to explain everything so well. i love his articles and he is such a blessing to have for everyone who has questions about being catholic.
I am currently in RCIA at the moment at Sacred Heart in Canton, MS ❤️ I pray more black people seek Catholicism due to the authority and structure Many missionary baptist churches teach the Bible but do not teach the accountability of sin which divides my race all around the U.S.! We hate one another and can’t come together 😔
I have been through a long journey of introspection, suffering, and searching for truth. I am not tied down to any single church or denomination. I was raised southern Baptist, I go to a church of Christ (lite), and I am generally intellectually open to anything as long as it is rational and consistent with scripture, but also, what I have experienced and seen in life. All the lessons I’ve learned. I’ve been very slowly putting the pieces of the puzzle of life and God together over the years of my life, and it’s something I take very seriously. And it looks like God is finally revealing himself to me in a powerful way. My sister is getting confirmed to the Orthodox church in a couple days, and I might follow suit. I really admire the mysticism of the orthodox church, and how divine everything feels as compared to the typical protestant church. I have studied the teachings of the Catholics and I am starting to realize that I believe everything I’ve come across so far. And it appears from everything that I’ve seen, catholicism is correct in their teachings. I just dont know if I’m ready to commit to either one of them yet. I don’t think it’s something I should just jump into, because I don’t feel like I am ready to accept it yet. Please pray for my journey and that I find God.
Thank you Father Mike. I love your articles because you do a wonderful job of helping me understand the Catholic Church. I moved from a Baptist church to the Catholic Church about 8 years ago. I am now 62 years old. I attended RCIA and my wife and I was married in the church even thought we have been married 37 years. She is a cradle Catholic. To make a long story short, we were happy with the church we were attending but then one day, while driving I heard a strong voice tell me, “Go to the Catholic Church.” I was shaken by this and went home and told my wife and brother. They asked me what I was going to do. I said it was probably my imagination and I then ignored it. Well about 2 months later the exact same thing happened only with more authority. Well, there was no ignoring it this time. My wife was excited to return to the Catholic Church and told me about the church and RCIA. The next Sunday we went to a Catholic Church nearby. When we got to the church a man was greeted people so I explained I was new and I asked him about RCIA. He said that the next session started Thursday and he also plans to attend as a helper in the class. Well he ended up being my sponsor in RCIA and his wife and him stood up with my wife and I when we were married in the church. We later encouraged me to join the KofC. I am telling you all this to show how God planned it all out and we are now in the original Christian church. I now keep watch for when God puts other opportunities and changes in front of me.
I converted to Catholic finally after years of Lutheranism. The thing I could never reconcile was that in all Protestant religions, the 1500 or so years after the crucifixion and before the reformations are completely forgotten about or ignored. The church started with St. Peter so why ignore that? Not to mention that many of my questions were answered when going through RCIA. I took the classes not particularly intending to convert but not ruling it out. When I realized how much continuity there was and how many of my lifelong questions were answered, there was no going back!
I hope everyone in these comments can remember that Jesus would want you to love thy neighbor as you love yourself. Unless you were born believing everything exactly “right” give grace to those who believe differently. They may be on their journey to what you believe, but by berating them, you push them out.
When I was incarcerated I saw people laugh at and take advantage of the pastors who passed out free bibles. Every time a new pastor came you would have someone who would be saved every time. You had people who would be saved every time and take it as a joke. I love the fact that with catholicism, you are normally required to practice what you preach to even be allowed to be a member of the church. I can understand the dislike of rules and acceptance of everybody because I grew up methodist, and Jesus preaches acceptance, but I have seen quite a few times where people who were saved and accepted Jesus seemed artificial and less true. And seeing this angered me. Your life should have structure. A lot of Christians today live loosely and do not practice what they preach. I know we are all human, but sometimes it just gets ridiculous and this is why I strayed away from Christianity and became agnostic. They were hypocrites. Now, I’m looking into catholicism because the structure and the rules, and actually living your everyday life like what you read in the Bible is seen more in catholicism. A lot of people believe in Jesus, but do nothing to practice what he preached and did. They think simply believing in him is enough. Part of believing in him is putting in the work and doing your daily duty as a Christian soldier. And a lot of people do not do this. God is a cheat code for the afterlife for a lot of people and they sin and do terrible things and then later do them again because they think they are saved and will be forgiven.
I was born and raised catholic, went through a rough patch where I said this can’t be real and converted to Islam, stayed that way for almost a year, and finally went on to realize Islam was not the truth- Christianity is the truth, but I thought Catholicism ain’t it and became a Pentecostal Christian, I went back to Catholic Church today, and I just felt the presence of God. Catholicism is the truth and I’m glad to be catholic again.
As someone who is born catholic but used to not practice it, only goes to church on sundays, only christmas easter type of believer and never understood the importance of faith because i was too broken by traumas and people, recently i have slowly found my way back home again and slowly understood the importance of Apostle’s Creed prayer. i went to several non-catholic churches when i was a teenager and it took me so long to realize why their sermons made me more confused about christianity. i believe it’s because they don’t have a strong pillar or structure, or authority like Fr. Mike says in this article. i’m glad that i’m slowly learning the truth and how important the catholic church is in my life. i will forever hold apostle’s creed prayer dear in my heart.
I was born and baptize as Catholic in Indonesia, my father and mother ware born as a muslim,same as my grandmother and grand father both site …Indonesia ..my country which is 90 % majority are Muslim …actually as minority in my country,we got persecuted…Thanks God we still have strength till now….Jesus bless Indonesia …
As a Protestant exploring Catholocism: I realized one day a few months ago that while sola Scriptura sounds like a great idea, it’s pretty much impossible and certainly isn’t what Protestants practice. If we truly were practicing sola Scriptura, we wouldn’t have denominations. What we practice is Scripture plus interpretation. Each denomination believes that THEY are correctly interpreting Scripture and that only they have the right interpretation, and rarely does everyone in that denomination agree on each point of interpretation. If I don’t like the way my church teaches, don’t agree with their interpretation, I can easily find another church. Theoretically, I can even start another church based on my interpretation of Scripture. This has brought about incredible disunity within the Body. As I’m exploring Catholicism, I’m finding so much of it refreshing.
Well, going to a church is like a zen mode for me. It’s like relaxing while taking a shower or laying on a beach sand and staring at the blue sky. I’m just there not thinking of anything, not listening to anything, not caring of anything, just having my moment of silence of being alone. It’s for my own mental health.
I was Born a Catholic, Raised a Catholic and attended both protestant and catholic church most times of my Life. But… i Certainly want to Live and Die as a Catholic as there is so much of a Real presence of Jesus in the Catholic church. Lord Thank you that i found this website and Thank you for keeping me safe in the Catholic church..
POPE BENEDICT XVI: “It’s important that we don’t lose the splendor of the faith – that we remain believers, Christians, Catholics, in the sense that Catholic always means “open to the world”… which means being tolerant and open, one to the other, in heartfelt brotherhood to everyone who belongs to our one Father and who are all loved by the one Lord.”
Brother in Christ! 🙂 I stopped on 0:37, and what catched my eyes was the phrase “that the church has the authority to teach us”. Brother, honestly – this is the role and the authority of Jesus christ Himself. If He is a living Water, if He is the way the truth and the life, If He is who He claimed to be – then what may stop us from being taught directly from Him -through His Holy spirit? Thanks to our great God that He can pour out His spirit and fill heart with his presence for everyone who Has no will to continue this broken life without Him !!!!! Just seek him, and you will find, no matter what denomination you are part of (even if you are not in any of them😉🤗🤗) 💪 🙏
I lost my mum and after she died I had this inner calling to go to Catholic Church which was my dads religion My mum was JW I walked in and saw instantly three women who looked like my mum I’ve never felt so close to Jesus and God as I have been at Catholic Church I can feel him everywhere with me now, I am so grateful
And this authority let something really incredible happen: Every devouted catholic in the world has the same Faith, the same Creed, the same liturgy in all days and teaches the same things. I’m from Brazil and sometimes as I watch those english articles, I remember articles and cathequists from here who said these same things just with other words. And we are here for almost 2000 years and as Gamaliel said “If it’s from God, you cant overthrow It”
I was raised Baptist became an atheist and my boyfriend brought me to his Catholic church and it was beautiful a completely different experience ive ever had people actually bowed and kneeled it wasnt just a theatrical show like i knew in Baptist churches. It was eye opening to see people actually worship i decided to try religion again and i feel like Catholicism is the right religion for me!
Thank God for the Catholic church. The reason why you don’t like it is because of the devil, he hates Jesus Christ and his church. He hates the sacraments that Jesus Christ instituted. He hates the Pope descendant of St Peter. He hates Mary the Mother of God. I repeat the Mother of God. God I love you, thank you Jesus for this wonderful gift you gave us the holy Sacrifice of the Mass. This why I love being a Catholic.
Was born and raised Catholic, truly wasn’t born again and understanding my faith until I was 17 despite attending church on the regular and praying daily… my walk took me away from the Catholic Church, I learned the Bibles importance, I started understanding what I was reading and I was changing who I am on the inside as a result. I’ve been to a few Catholic services since, I’ve listened to a few really great Catholic priests, I see us as brothers/sisters in faith, but I do think that as the highest church officials during Jesus time on earth were corrupt and misguided, so the Catholic Church is today IMO. Satan will always attack where it’s going to hurt most, and trying to destroy the faith from the inside. Of course, we KNOW the final outcome, he won’t be successful in the end! But, that doesn’t mean we shouldn’t be standing up to things that aren’t scriptural, and I think that’s what the other denominations tried to do in the past often. Jesus shook things up too and church leaders were not impressed, they too were supposed to be the governing body until His arrival.
For those of you who wish Fr. Schmitz spoke slower, do this: 1. Tap on the article screen itself while the program is either playing or paused. 2. Tap on the 3 vertical dots that will now appear in the upper right hand corner. 3. A list of options appears. Tap ‘Playback Speed.’ 4. Tap your preferred speed. (0.75x works well for many) 5. Tap the options screen again to close it. 6. Enjoy listening at a more comfortable speed. Through the miracle of digital technology, the speed changes, but not the pitch.
If you travel back in time to when the apostles were alive, and you ask them: “What are you: Catholic, Methodist, Baptist..?” they would say “What are you talking about?” . So, if they were none of these, why are we getting stuck on religion? God is a God of relationship; spend time with God the Trinity: Father, Son (Jesus) and the Holy Spirit and He will reveal himself to you. “12 But to all who believed him and accepted him, he gave the right to become children of God. 13 They are reborn—not with a physical birth resulting from human passion or plan, but a birth that comes from God.” John 1:12-13
Thanks, Fr. Mike. Half of my family is Protestant, so I love interdenominational dialogue! God has taught me so much through it! I want to have more dialogue with others, but I also want to make sure I’m solidly grounded in my Catholic faith. It can definitely seem like a battle at times! (Not a battle with my family members who have different beliefs lol; a spiritual battle for me to know why I believe what I believe as a young person).
(Thinking to self…don’t read the comments…don’t read the comments…DON’T READ THE COMMENTS) Before you diss anything, just know the guy who made this article went to college for probably 8 years and learned world history, philosophy, and theology….most people don’t even know what theology is, but instantly and unknowingly try to discredit the theologians who were geniuses…like Thomas Aquinas, Augustin, Albert…so on. Before you try to discredit anyone, do your homework on factual events in history and not angry preachers opinions. Peace.
You know I keep struggling with my faith because I do disagree with certain things that the Catholic Church teaches. Yet, I keep seeing things and problems with other churches and for some reason I keep coming back to these articles. I keep coming back to the contemplation of should I be or not be a Catholic. I seriously don’t know why. I grew up actually believing the Catholic Church was wrong and I was very comfortable with that. Yet here I am again. This is probably the third or fourth time I’ve watched this article over the years. I have actually met with a priest and have asked questions and he was amazingly helpful. Honestly I feel like I am being drawn to the Catholic Church and I may just have to dive in head first with this one already. I am already in a place where I am turning my life around in so many ways that I feel like it would all be for not unless I do the same with my faith. I’m not completely convinced but I will be going to the church and discussing it with them further because literally nothing in my life is pushing me this way, or having any influence on me to do so but something about it just feels right and I seriously don’t know what but I have to know why.
I wouldn’t say that it’s so much as authority ( while as a Catholic myself, I don’t deny the power of Roman Catholic Church or its leadership) but more of HOW we practice our mass. Now I’ve only been to a Baptist service once, and it was a long time ago, but it’s just so different from Catholic mass and I just prefer Catholic mass. Nothing against Baptists because yall are my fellow Christian brothers and sisters, I just don’t get y’alls method of worship. I love all of you whether you’re Catholic or not, and I pray we can all live our lives in accordance to the teachings of our Savior, THE LORD JESUS CHRIST!
Im a Christian and today me and my colleague got to talking about God and she said some things that I didn’t really understand like the power of the Eucharist. It’s interesting to hear well versed Catholics actually making sense while using the Bible as the foundation. I will ask my Christian brothers about the questions that are coming to me and we will see what hap(ens. Thank you Brother Mike
Father you have helped me so much! I have for so long searched for the truth and your articles have really helped clear it up for me. Jesus is the lord and the Catholic church is his Church! I might not agree with everything the church teaches right now but I know in my heart and soul that the Catholic Church is the Church of God and so I will just have to learn to accept the Teachings of God and his Church.
Thank you father. I am was baptized in Bogota Colombia as a baby alongside my cousins under the catholic church. I was always confused why I was a catholic and not another denomination. Your explanation was crystal clear and further reinforced my security with being a catholic. It all makes so much sense and I too would not want my message obscured if I was god. Thank you.
I don’t understand the reasoning behind someone saying that because we have an inerrant and infallible book, we must have an infallible interpreter when that’s improbable. It’s impossible to be completely correct or perfect when interpreting scripture or living life and is therefore unbiblical. Can someone enlighten me behind this reasoning or thought process?
A lot of people are saying what Fr. Mike is saying unbiblical, which I could see being true if you believe the bible is open to interpretation and you read certain verses in a certain way. That’s exactly how we ended up with 30,000+ denominations. The problem with that is it’s not open to interpretation. If you believe the bible is infallible, then you believe that the church that wrote the bible (that existed for 300 years before the bible was completed) is infallible. Christ founded a church with authority, that then wrote the bible. Let’s believe in the inallible church’s authority and interpretation of the bible, The Holy Catholic Church.
Why should I consider becoming a Christian? First, please understand that we intend no offense in the wording of this question. We genuinely receive questions, from Catholics, along the lines of “What is the difference between Catholics and Christians?” In face-to-face conversations with Catholics, we have literally heard, “I am not a Christian, I am Catholic.” To many Catholics, the terms “Christian” and “Protestant” are synonymous. With all that said, the intent of this article is that Catholics would study what the Bible says about being a Christian and would perhaps consider that the Catholic faith is not the best representation of what the Bible describes. As a background, please read our article on “What is a Christian?” A key distinction between Catholics and Christians is the view of the Bible. Catholics view the Bible as having equal authority with the Church and tradition. Christians view the Bible as the supreme authority for faith and practice. The question is, how does the Bible present itself? Second Timothy 3:16-17 tells us, “All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.” This text tells us that Scripture is not “just the beginning,” or “just the basics,” or the “foundation for a more complete church tradition.” On the contrary, Scripture is perfectly and fully sufficient for everything in the Christian life. Scripture can teach us, rebuke us, correct us, train us, and equip us.
In Matthews 16:18 when Jesus says he will build his church on this rock he isn’t literally talking about actually building a church. You see Jesus Christ is our rock he is the foundation of his church and when he says he will build his church he refers to us the believers in Christ. We are what makes the church and with Jesus Christ as our rock we are able to stand strong together and be able to withstand the enemies attacks. God bless and please look more into following Jesus Christ and not “religion.”
“Thou shalt have no other gods before me. Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image, or any likeness of any thing that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth: Thou shalt not bow down thyself to them, nor serve them: for I the LORD thy God am a jealous God” -Exodus 20:3 KJV
My whole childhood, I was baptised and raised Catholic. I never worried about my faith, and had trust in the church to protect me, teach me, and care for me. In 2021, my parents became born again Christians, and I wasn’t sure how to feel. I still dont know how to feel. My mind aligns most naturally with Lutherianism, but I miss the structure and tradition of my initial faith. I have learned so much about the Lord in these past few years, at these new churches I’ve been going to.. But for some reason, I feel this constant pull back to Catholicism.. My parents both revere Catholic teachings as wrong and full of idolatry. My mother is even scared I will revert back to that faith. When I was a child I was sure I wanted to be a saint, a nun.. What am I to do?..
I think the main problem that most individuals have with the catholic church (especially Roman Catholicism) is how in biblical a lot of their practices are. Praying to Mary or any saints for that matter. Or the fact that they give the power of the church to a few men. Most of that power going to the pope. I know Catholicism has evolved and had many great leaders but the fact that popes were once allowed to dictate the interpretation of scripture was absolutely insane. Not to mention the historical evidences we have of what happens to men when they’re given to much power. Then there is using works to pay for sins and adding books to the old testament that have to business being there. There are a lot of traditions that blatantly go against what the word of God actually says and even though catholic churches tend to stick to biblical traditions such the priesthood established in old testament and then the early churches that were founded by the deciples. Most importantly no man or organization should be allowed to dictate or control scripture. Good innocent men were burned to death for saying all men should be allowed to read the word of God and shouldn’t have to learn Greek and Hebrew in order to read the good word of God. If we went back to an organization being in charge of our faith and church again it would inevitably turn into a disaster. God is in control and he is the one we look to. It’s understandable what the church was attempting. They didn’t want the countless churches that are around today preaching a false gospel.
I appreciate your points in this article and for offering clarification. However, I respectfully disagree that the governance of the hierarchy of the church has anymore authority to decided the “grey” areas of scripture and doctrine than a single individual who is deeply devoted to the study of scripture, to prayer, and to God. It seems that your point assume that later Christians would not have come to their own conclusion of the divinity and humanity of Jesus through scripture alone. In John 14:26 Jesus says, “But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, he will teach you all things and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you.” I’m not saying that God has not appointed certain leaders for certain positions in the church, but that is predicated on the fact that scripture, prayer, and the Holy Spirit is sufficient to teach you “all things.” Thanks again for the article. If you happen to read this, I’d love to hear your thoughts on my comment.
Superb. This is exactly how it has appeared to me for a long time. I became frustrated with the Protestant churches I experienced because of the disunity. Here were the thousands of churches all claiming to follow the Holy Spirit but coming to different and even contradictory conclusions about scripture and doctrine. Now, the Holy Spirit might be guiding one or a few, but the degree of disagreement and contradiction ensures that He can’t be guiding them all—at least as regards what the true doctrine is. If there is one, how do we discern? We are told by the Holy Spirit’s witness in our hearts, but all of these contradictory groups believe that witness is in their favor so that is no real guide. What Protestants get wrong is believing that the promise that the Holy Spirit will lead them to truth was actually made to the apostles and not to all believers individually. That does not mean that He doesn’t guide us individually but that He does not gives each one of us the authority to declare what the Church’s doctrine is to be. That authority was given exclusively to the apostles and their spritual descedents. No one has the authority to decide doctrinal truth for themselves or their new church. The fragmentary character of Protestanism is evidence of this. Once I, as a Protestant, understood this, the conversion to Catholicism was easy. It all comes down to the question of on whom the authority rests just as you said. Cheers, Russ
4 years ago I dated my now ex who was catholic, she had shown me these articles because I was interested and being young i never took it seriously. After we broke up I lost myself, and recently have found myself looking for god and funny enough I chose catholicism, but not because of her but because catholicism has brought me a lot of peace. I just started my RCIA/OCIA last week and i go to mass every week and I’ve never been happier in life. I lost her but I found god ❤
When I’m unable to gain any more information from my pastor or church leaders within the Protestant churches, it’s time to search for more foundation, more knowledge, more history. When digging deep into the scripture, I find that so many denominations lack historical structure… It’s sad. It’s not right, and it’s vague. Now, I’m not saying that one has to be a Catholic to come to faith in Jesus Christ, but I am saying that it is a valuable and knowledgeable group of people who have the capability of giving you a historical rundown from the very beginning of the Church itself. And I’m a Protestant!! I’m not sure if it’s the “right” church, but I feel drawn to it, feel a pull, and all I can do is pray, and focus on Him and His guidance. God bless. Update. Well. I’m a Catholic now 😂😂😂
So true. A lot of times I feel so broken, so ashamed of my sins and where I go wrong… BUT I love the Catholic Church for telling me where I am wrong so I can get better and keep striving to build my relationship with God and (hopefully) make it to heaven. Just the fact that you have to truly examine your conscience before the Eucharist is proof that the Catholic Church is refining you. No other denomination does that. Catholic is the “tough-love” denomination 🙂
(Matthew 12 ) ———— 46 46 While he yet talked to the people, behold, his mother and his brethren stood without, desiring to speak with him. 47 Then one said unto him, Behold, thy mother and thy brethren stand without, desiring to speak with thee. 48 But he answered and said unto him that told him, Who is my mother? and who are my brethren? 49 And he stretched forth his hand toward his disciples, and said, Behold my mother and my brethren! 50 For whosoever shall do the will of my Father which is in heaven, the same is my brother, and sister, and mother.
BLESSED VIRGIN MARY Mary Lk 1:28, 30 – angel: “full of grace, found favor with God” Lk 1:42 – Elizabeth: “most blessed among women” Lk 1:48 – Mary: “all generations will call me blessed” Mother of God Lk 1:43 – Elizabeth calls her “mother of my Lord” = God Mt 1:23 – virgin bear a son, Emmanuel = “God is with us” Lk 1:35 – child born will be called holy, the Son of God Gal 4:4 – God sent his Son, born of a woman The Assumption Gn 5:24 (Hb 11:5) – Enoch taken to heaven without dying 2Kg 2:11 – Elijah assumed into heaven in fiery chariot Mt 27:52 – many saints who had fallen asleep were raised 1Thess 4:17 – caught up to meet the Lord in the air 1Cor 15:52 – we shall be instantly changed at the last trumpet Rom 6:23 – for the wages of sin is death Rev 11:19-21 – ark in heaven = woman clothed in sun Ps 132:8 – Arise, O Lord & go to thy resting place, thou & the ark of thy might. The Immaculate Conception Lk 1:28 – hail full of grace(highly favored) Lord is with you Lk 1:30 – you have found favor with God Lk 1:37 – for with God nothing shall be impossible Gn 3:15 – complete enmity between woman & Satan, sin Ex 25:11-21 – ark made of purest gold for God’s word *Rom 3:23 – all have sinned & are deprived of God’s glory *Lk 1:47 – my spirit rejoices in God my Savior Perpetual Virginity Lk 1:34 – how can this be, since I do not know man Lk 2:41-51 – age 12, Jesus evidently only son of Mary Mk 6:3 – “the son of Mary” not “a son of Mary” *Mt 13:55-56 – brothers James, Joseph, Simon & Jude Mt 27:56 – Mary the mother of James & Joseph also Jn 19:25 – Mary the wife of Clopas Jn 19:26 – entrusted Mary to John, not a younger sibling Jn 7:3-4 – brothers advise like elders: “go to Judea, manifest self” unthinkable for younger siblings (see next verse) Mk 3:21 – set out to seize him, “he is out of his mind” *Mt 1:25 – Joseph knew her not until she bore first-born Mt 28:20 – I am with you always, UNTIL the end of the age 1Tim 4:13 – until I arrive, attend to reading, teaching… 1Cor 15:25 – he must reign until has enemies underfoot Lk 1:80 – John in desert until day of his manifestation Ex 13:2; Nb 3:12 – consecrate first -born that opens womb Ex 34:20 – first-born among your sons you shall redeem
I have been a devout Roman Catholic since 1961, but I renounced my Roman Catholic faith in 2022 for two chief reasons: one, the Roman Catholic faith is not aligned with the Bible; and two, I was spiritually liberated by the book I read entitled “Altar of Secrets: Sex, Politics, and Money in the Philippine Catholic Church” by Aries C.
He answers this question himself quite clearly: “The Bible never teaches about this! It never teaches about the role of circumcision in salvation!” Then it is not necessary for salvation. You don’t have to accept Sola Scriptura and you can rely on your traditions if you want, but don’t misrepresent our position. Most issues in Scripture resolve themselves and the Bible, by itself, is adequate to equip the Christian for every good work.
Mary has appeared in The United States of America On the Chattahoochie River in Atlanta Georgia. We met her with physical healings signs wonders and Miracles. She appeared to every generation of my family and continues to in secret. Please protect The Holy City and Pray. I felt her peace and love and the water from Lourdes healed my home. She prays for me everyday because of how bad this world wants me humiliated. May this secret be guarded and protected by angels of The Most High YaH and May God always Guard and protect the Chattahootchie. I met Mary in Heaven in perfect peace and clarity after a Catholic exorcism. Love and blessings for everyone’s highest good. And I’ve witnessed the 3 days of darkness in The Spirit realm so could definitely happen soon.
The most crucial problem with The Roman Catholic Church is its belief that faith alone in Christ is not sufficient for salvation. The Bible clearly and consistently states that receiving Jesus Christ as Savior, by grace through faith, grants salvation (John 1:12; 3:16,18,36; Acts 16:31; Romans 10:9-10,13; Ephesians 2:8-9). The Roman Catholic Church rejects this. The official position of the Roman Catholic Church is that a person must believe in Jesus Christ AND be baptized AND receive the Eucharist along with the other sacraments AND obey the decrees of the Roman Catholic Church AND perform meritorious works AND not die with any mortal sins AND etc., etc., etc. Catholic divergence from the Bible on this most crucial of issues, salvation, means that yes, Catholicism is a false religion. If a person believes what the Catholic Church officially teaches, he/she will not be saved. Any claim that works or rituals must be added to faith in order for salvation to be achieved is a claim that Jesus’ death was not sufficient to fully purchase our salvation. While salvation by faith is the most crucial issue, in comparing Roman Catholicism with the Word of God, there are many other differences and contradictions as well. The Roman Catholic Church teaches many doctrines that are in disagreement with what the Bible declares. These include apostolic succession, worship of saints or Mary, prayer to saints or Mary, the pope / papacy, infant baptism, transubstantiation, plenary indulgences, the sacramental system, and purgatory.
Is it wrong for Catholics to refer to their priests as ‘father’? It would be confusing for God to give the fifth commandment in Exodus 20:12: “Honor your father and your mother, so that you may live long in the land the LORD your God is giving you” and then later in the Bible to restrict us from calling our earthly father “father.” Matthew 23:9 states, “And do not call anyone on earth ‘father,’ for you have one Father, and He is in heaven.” The context of Matthew 23:9 tells us that referring to your biological father as “father” is not what Jesus is speaking about. In Matthew 23:1–12, Jesus is denouncing the Jewish scribes and Pharisees for rejecting Him as their Messiah, in particular for their hypocrisy in elevating themselves above others with titles such as “teacher” and “master.” The Jewish teachers affected that title because they supposed that a teacher formed the man, or gave him real life, and they sought, therefore, to be called “father,” as if they were the source of truth rather than God. Christ taught them that the source of all life and truth is God, and they ought not to seek or receive a title which properly belongs to Him. This denunciation is equally relevant for today. In no way should any person look up to, follow, or elevate a human leader in any religious or church organization above Jesus Christ. Jesus is the Head of the Church, His body, and our one and only Master and Teacher. He alone is the author of our salvation, source of comfort in difficulties and strength to live the Christian life, and the only One to whom our prayers should be directed.
2 Thessalonians 2:15 ” So then, brothers and sisters, stand firm and hold (tightly) to the traditions which you were taught, whether by word of mouth or by letter from us.” One piece of scriptural evidence exhorting believers to follow the “word of mouth” from the original Church elders, in other words, to hold fast to Tradition (dogmas) of the Catholic faith passed down by the apostles.
The one thing that I can’t abide by in the Catholic Church is the concept of purgatory. I believe that we all have one chance for salvation here, in this life. If you die in a life of sin, and in denial of Jesus Christ, you are damned. My family was of the Lutheran faith, which is the closest to the Catholic faith.
I grew up Catholic and am very grateful for my upbringing and 12 years of schooling. But honestly, there is no way we can say that we can say the Pope is an infallible interpreter. Not just does the church history I learned in Catholic school confirm this in its political corruption throughout the ages… but even Jesus Himself chastises Peter and calls out Satan when Peter wrongfully goes against God’s Will! This happened AFTER Simon was renamed Peter. And now, we again are faced with a Pope who is negating the “infallible Word of God”, warning against the rigidity of following the 10 commandments or even the Bible, basically leading the entire Christian world into a completely pagan worldview. So what is a mere human doing with the “authority” God gave him? Who is infallible man or the Word of God, when they both go into complete opposition? The Holy Spirit does not contradict Himself. Either He inspired the Scriptures or man’s fancy is God. God is still alive and well and still at work today. The Holy Spirit can speak, and guide, and work through surrendered people today because Jesus didn’t stay on the cross—He’s not dead. No one can take His ultimate Authority. Instead, the Pope’s position should be as seen in Jesus’s Words in Matthew 24:45-51.
Excellent points! This website is part of the reason why I decided to become Catholic. So thank you to all of those at Ascension Presents. You are transforming lives. ❤ article suggestion: Would you consider doing a full article series about why the Catholic Church is the One True Church? There is so much more to be said.
I started listening to bible in a year on Spotify last month and am on day 146! Your on day 160 so I’m almost caught up. I want to say thank you so much for helping me hear the word of god. I love your excitement towards the word of god and your explanations of what’s going on. However I can’t agree with Catholicism enough to agree with it. That being said I can’t wait every day to continue hearing the word of god through you.
I am a Christian. Why would God need an interpreter for HIS WORD if we have the Holy Spirit? God will reveal things to us through the Holy Spirit but, where exactly in the Bible does it say that we have to have an interpreter? If we need a pope so badly then why would the the Holy Spirit be here? “But the helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, He will teach you all things and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you.” John 14:26 “Do not judge so that you will not be judged. For in the way you judge, you will be judged; and by your standard of measure, it will be measured to you. Why do you look at the speck that is in your brother’s eye, but do not notice the log that is in your own eye? Or how can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ and behold, the log is in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your brother’s eye.” Matthew 7:1-5 PLEASE WAKE UP, JESUS IS THE ONLY WAY! Jesus himself said “I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father except through Me.” John 14:6
So this is what I perceived his arguments to be: “You need to be Catholic” Argument: Authority of the church keeps people from heresies. Argument: Jesus said Peter was the first pope. Isaiah confirms this interpretation because you should have a king. Argument: The Bible isn’t enough for Christians. You’ll not know if you’re saved. The apostles gathered and prayed and came to a conclusion. The Catholic church does the same. Argument: If you let the Catholic churches pope be the supreme authority you will not split up in 30’000 denominations.
This article showed up in my feed so I listened to it. I was raised Roman Catholic. We attended Church during the week as well so we practiced our Faith. My Dad was a lay minister and we were strongly tied to the Church. I would sit in the changing room while the Priests and lay ministers were getting ready for Mass cause my Dad was there as well, it was us 6 kids in all. I was married in the Roman Catholic Church along with three other of my siblings. As an adult, something started to happen when I attended Church around 2015-2016. I was attending Mass but when it was over, I was left dissatisfied, I wanted more. At this time, I would have gone through the daily Missal continually so I knew the context of the sermons, could memorize the entire Mass meaning the responses of the Priest and the replies of the congregation. I will go home after and continue to read the Bible, play worship music and watch other sermons online until I had my fill of the Word like an unlimited food buffet. There were certain Roman Catholic doctrines that were unbiblical to me, so I continued to struggle in Church but I continued to go because my roots were buried there and I did not want to leave. I did not want to offend my father either because he was Roman Catholic down to the cells in his body. Then one day, the Holy Spirit convicted me to be baptised as an adult, not out of necessity but as obedience to God. At first, I thought my mind was telling me this so I rejected that thought for about two years.
And, isn’t it the case that it was the Catholic church which organized the Bible that we know today? Who was it that decided which book/writings to include, and which were Gnostic and kept out? I think there were a number of Councils that put it together. Plus – look at the richness of the history, the intellect, the beautiful teachings of the Saints and the Church Fathers! Wonderful!
I’m a Christian, but a Baptist not a Catholic, this article really challenged me. I entered a personal study to disprove Catholicism and the Authority of the Chruch and the Pope. Most all of my questions have been answered very well by amazing people like yourself, including why Priests are called Fathers, this is just an example of something confusing that was answered for me by Catholics. My main question that still isn’t answered is praying to mary and praying to the saints, how is this okay? How is this not praying to idols and praying to things that are not God (obviously it is praying to things/people that aren’t God, which is a sin according to the bible)? I also was looking for an answer on how icons aren’t graven images, they sure seem like they are graven images, and if they are graven images, they are idols, and if they are idols, they are sins. Thanks for this article, please anyone answer my questions. God Bless You!
So the Catholic church has the “authority” to change the Sabbath, the 7th day, to Sunday, the first day of the week?? That undermine the whole point of resting one day each week. The same day as your family. The same day as others in your fellowship. 8 “Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy. 9 Six days you shall labor and do all your work, 10 but the seventh day is a sabbath to the Lord your God. On it you shall not do any work, neither you, nor your son or daughter, nor your male or female servant, nor your animals, nor any foreigner residing in your towns. 11 For in six days the Lord made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, but he rested on the seventh day. Therefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy.” Exodus ch 20
Thank you for this article, Father! Very succinct and really well spoken. I’ve grown up in a kind of barebones Baptist church but I’ve found myself really drawn to Catholicism. I do believe the Holy Spirit is moving and guiding me to the fullness of Christ’s truth. The key draws for me are the authoritative and universal teaching, I love ritual prayer, and the Real Presence of Christ in the Eucharist is something I deeply believe in and hunger for. Friends, please pray for me as I try to guide my less-studious wife to similar conclusions so we can seek RCIA together.
First of all, thanks and kudos to Fr. Mike, your influence helped me embrace the idea of converting to the Catholic faith, and I’ve acted upon it. As any good Catholic will tell you, it isn’t something to be entered into lightly. Being Catholic is like becoming a Navy Seal; many things will be broken, many things will be mended and all things will be brought to light and made to shine. The reason I have become Catholic is multi-faceted. I’m getting old, and my faith was wearing thin, I couldn’t understand why. Perhaps it was me, perhaps not, but the tenants of Protestant church seemed to much like either junk food or crash dieting. It felt like my spirit was starving. I’ve never felt completely welcome in any of the Protestant churches I attended, I’m rather an odd duck. (Wonko the Sane?!) Some were just short of being a gameshow. (“Let’s Make You Christian!” starring Rev. Sunday Tuesday and the lovely Tuesday Sunday, and oh, yeah, Jesus.) It had all the spiritual meaning of a monster truck rally. One, which I attended for many years, suddenly found me inconvenient. (Too weird. Or too wired. Could’ve been my fault.) The short of it is, I’m kind of a man alone. My Mother, second greatest in the whole of human history, is moving in with one of my sisters. My Dad is gone to sleep. The rest of my family, they have their own lives and issues. The Catholic church feels like home. Feels like family. Peace.
I am a non denominational Christian. I have been trying to understand the catholic religion in this season of my life and some previous. I have some things i need to say about this article and the things that you are teaching. Your point on circumsion not being talked about at around 3:20 in this article. You said “the bible never teaches about this” but here are 3 scriptures… Romans 10:9-13 NIV If you declare with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you profess your faith and are saved. As Scripture says, “Anyone who believes in him will never be put to shame.” For there is no difference between Jew and Gentile—the same Lord is Lord of all and richly blesses all who call on him, for, “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.” Luke 3:16 NIV John answered them all, “I baptize you with water. But one who is more powerful than I will come, the straps of whose sandals I am not worthy to untie. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire. Galatians 5:6 NIV For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision has any value. The only thing that counts is faith expressing itself through love. So these scriptures all tell us what it means and what we must physically do to be saved. It has nothing to do with physically removing a body part, or being dunked under water. It’s in the heart.
A question for protestants, where in the Bible itself, does it claim to contain ALL truth?John 16:12-13″I have much more to tell you, but you cannot bear it now. But when he comes, the Spirit of truth, he will guide you to all truth.”John 20:30″Now Jesus did many other signs in the presence of his disciples that ARE NOT written in this book. But these are written that you may come to believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that through this belief you may have life in His name.”
Because it’s the church with authority, the one with the keys to the kingdom of heaven, and the one with all the real sacraments. We celebrate the mass in the spirit of reverence, love and forgiveness as Jesus taught us. You will never hear hate mongering, judgement or politics in ANY catholic mass. We don’t spend our Sundays finding fault with other people’s beliefs. We pray for unity and accept all denominations as brothers and sisters of faith in Jesus. The Catholic church was founded by Jesus and not by Bob, Joule, or sonic the hedgehog. It was bult upon our first pope peter and passed down through apostolic succession to our current pope Frances. This is why I am Catholic and why I surrender myself in obedience to Jesus and his Church. its also why I don’t subscribe to sola scriptura, have my own interpretations of the bible, or do it “my way”.
I believe in what the word says because the word has the authority. God has the authority not the Catholic church. That is almost heretical to think that any human is dependent on the Catholic Church for anything. God does all of it 100% and he does not need the Catholic Church as we know it. Jesus said I will build my church and he is doing exactly that and you do not have to have the title Catholic to be part of his church is heresy to say that
THE PRIESTHOOD Call No Man Father Acts 7:2 – St. Stephen calls Jewish leaders “fathers” Acts 21:40, 22:1 – St. Paul calls Jerusalem Jews “fathers” Rom 4:16-17 – Abraham called the father of us all” 1Cor 4:14-15 – I became your father in Christ through gospel 1Tim 1:2 – my true child in our common faith Heb 12:7-9 – we have earthly fathers to discipline us Lk 14:26 – if anyone comes to me without hating his father… 1Thess 2:11 – we treated you as a father treats his children Philem 10 – whose father I became in my imprisonment 1Jn 2:13, 14 – I write to you, fathers, because you know him Celibacy *1Tim 4:1-3 – forbidding marriage is a doctrine of demons *1Tim 3:2 – bishop must be married only once Eph 5:21-33 – marriage is good: holy symbol of Christ & church Mt 19:12 – celibacy praised by Jesus, who was chaste Jer 16:1-4 – Jeremiah told not to take wife & have children 1Cor 7:8 – St. Paul was celibate 1Cor 7:32-35 – celibacy recommended for full-time ministers 2Tim 2:3-4 – no soldier gets entangled in civilian pursuits 1Tim 5:9-12 – pledge of celibacy taken by older widows (also see Apostolic Succession and the sacrament of Holy Orders)
God is love, and he who abides in love abides in God, and God in he, and you do not need the Catholic Church to love God! Love is the fulfillment of God’s Word. That’s why it’s not in the Ten Commandments, but they are the Greatest Commandments, of which if you can not love, do not bother trying to fulfill the 10 Commandments. Those that do not love God, do not know God, and those that do not know God, have neither the Son and will not inherit the Kingdom of God. (See Below Please) Works are not a condition of salvation but the fruits of ones faith, that if you love God you will obey His commands, if you do not love God, you will do all that God tells you not to do. The law was not written for the righteous, but you are slaves to that which you obey, whether slaves to sin, or slaves to obedience to God that leads to righteousness, and if you are slaves to sin, then you are no longer saved by Grace. Grace is not the increase of sin. Salvation is free for all, regardless of from whence you come, and all you have to do is accept Him. The Truth came from Moses to the Jew, not the Catholics. Jesus said, “I have come only to the lost sheep of Israel!”, and the Israelites were not Catholic, nor the Apostles. The Apostles were fishers of men, not slaves to the burdensome weight of organized religion that says you have to earn your way into God’s Kingdom. Jesus said I have come only to the lost sheep of Israel, possibly because He knew future generations would put their own labels on them, to say Jesus created Catholicism, Jesus was created by the Christians, .
Father Mike, God bless you for your teachings via this platform. I grew up Catholic and I am a big believer of God and although I wouldn’t be able to defend my faith as a Christian, I feel it deeply in my soul that I have been blessed to be born a Catholic—It just feels right. However, I am doing my due-diligence bc I want to be able to get to the point where I know the facts from heart and was wondering if you could explain how Orthodox Christianity(Catholicism) differs from Roman Catholicism. It seems to me like our believes are almost identical.
I am a Protestant considering the Catholic Church, but this is still a huge problem for me. It seems that the Catholic Church is not infallible throughout history, there were once two popes for example. Further more there was the Great Schism and there are multiple churches that claim apostolic succession and claim to be the infallible church on earth, but they disagree with one another. How do we make sense of this? If the Catholic Church makes a mistake, doesn’t that ruin this whole argument? Please send help.
Okay, so how can the so called one true church be committing idolatry by praying to anyone other than GOD? And how can a priest forgive sins…that’s what GOD does! Plus where is this purgatory belief that once people are dead they can be prayed into heaven. The bible says that it is appointed for men once to die and then judgment -Hebrews 9:27 For me, a avid meditator of GOD’s word, there are too many things that the Catholic church does that is not in line with scripture and the bible says not to mess with those who teach a gospel other than that which was given -Galatians 1:8 ps Non-catholic Christian churches have authority and do equip the church with the biblically based tools for what’s right and wrong.
Thank you for this; you are educating me greatly. All Baptist are different and I can get confused easily. I was in church one Sunday and he said more than once we need to pray for the Catholic Church down the street as if saying Catholics are going the wrong way. That’s what I didn’t really understand/like to hear; another church talking down another church. Life now. It can get confusing on who you should listen to.
Done my homework. Been a Christian all of my life to one extent or another. Homework on all doctrines throughout Christianity. Catholicism is riddled with corruption and additions, so not for me thank you. I am aware that there are some lovely Christians within the Church independent of doctrine, so I’ll just do my best in getting on with Loving God above everything else and others as myself. Within that there will be a few Roman Catholic friends. They’ve loved me, despite myself. I’ve loved them. I can understand as to how doctrine has developed, however I’m just happy to stick with the Book. There’s enough there to keep me concentrated on Jesus as my saviour. I don’t need anybody else thank you. Be blessed with the full armour.🙏
“1Jn2:26-27: These things have I written unto You concerning them that seduce You. But the anointing wich You have received of him stays in You and You need not that any man teach You: but as the same anointing teaches You of all things, and is thruth, and is no lie, and even as it has taught You, You shall stay in him.” You got it wrong, the church is not a union build up, maintained, and organized by man – but by God through the spirit! Authority is given by God and God alone through the spirit – it does not include human reasoning, democratic decision, or studdies of history, theology or any other kind. Catholics have made a club and call it the body of christ! Yes, Jesus calls Simon the rock – but what he builds his kingdom upon is the revelation that Simon received; for this revelation is the rock on which we ought to build: that Jesus is the Christ the son of the living God!