Catholic convert from Oregon coast becomes a priest (former Evangelical)

cna ^ | June 17, 2009

[annalex]

I have a feeling something else puzzles you and you won’t ask that, but instead ask about “misslette”. The word is “missal”, or sometimes “missalette”; it is a book that contains the prayers, Bible readings, and the order of the Mass (hence “missal”) every day. It is often combined with a hymnal. The Church is a place where the Holy Scripture is proclaimed, heard, and explained to/by the gathered community of faithful; it is perfectly fine to bring a Bible to Church but the Mass is not really the time to read the Bible to oneself. If your remark is meant to point out that the Catholics do not know the Bible in the same way as the Protestants do, or as well as some Protestants do, yes, that is indeed so.

It would never occur to me to hold anything other than a baby or a Rosary as I approach to receive the Eucharist.

I never said Protestants are pagans. I think that Protestantism contains certain defects of faith that lead overtime to weakening of faith and eventually paganism, and that is what I implied. I believe I made that point more explicitly earlier on this thread, at 88.

There is but one valid baptism, into the Catholic Church; it places an indelible mark on one’s soul. So in that sense anyone who has been validly baptized is Catholic, but one certainly can become a fallen away Catholic.

[annalex]

If you could [choose a particular article of clothing], then God’s foreknowledge is “contingent” upon you actually choosing what He saw.

Yes, and why is this a contradiction of any kind?

[annalex]

As one convert said (I paraphrase), the Catholics have simple and plausible explanation for every scriptural prooftext the anti-Catholics throw at them, but the Protestants do not have an explanation for large swaths of the New Testament that Catholic theology follows without strain.

I remember, at a Bible study with a Baptist flock, the “Receive the Holy Spirit” episode at the end of the Gospel of John came up. One by one, everyone made a short speech how Jesus did not really mean to ask the Apostles to forgive or retain people’s sins. I simply said, — why, that describes confession. I still remember the puzzled look on their faces.

[T Minus Four]

I KNOW what it is, I used one every Sunday for many, many years. Sorry I misspelled it :-)

Sigh. Guess I’ll bow out now. It’s fruitless.

[annalex]

Enjoy the evening. What fruit were you hoping for?

[Veeram]

Do you have a scriptural explanation for this ?

“When the priest announces the tremendous words of consecration, he reaches up into the heavens, brings Christ down from His throne, and places Him upon our altar to be offered up again as the Victim for the sins of man. It is a power greater than that of Seraphim and Cherubim. The priest brings Christ down from heaven, and renders Him presenton our altar as the eternal Victim for the sins of man, not once but a thousand times! The priest speaks and lo! Christ, the eternal and omnipotent God, bows His head in humble obedience to the priest’s command.”

Excerpt from John O’Brien “The Faith of millions”

[annalex]

Amen, amen I say to you, he that receiveth whomsoever I send, receiveth me; and he that receiveth me, receiveth him that sent me. (John 13:20, similar John 20:21)

3 Go: Behold I send you as lambs among wolves. 4 Carry neither purse, nor scrip, nor shoes; and salute no man by the way. 5 Into whatsoever house you enter, first say: Peace be to this house. 6 And if the son of peace be there, your peace shall rest upon him; but if not, it shall return to you. 7 And in the same house, remain, eating and drinking such things as they have: for the labourer is worthy of his hire. Remove not from house to house. 8 And into what city soever you enter, and they receive you, eat such things as are set before you. 9 And heal the sick that are therein, and say to them: The kingdom of God is come nigh unto you. (Luke 10)

This is my body, which is given for you. Do this for a commemoration of me. (Luke 22:19)

as often as you shall eat this bread, and drink the chalice, you shall shew the death of the Lord, until he come. (1 Cor. 11:26)

[T Minus Four]

fruit

[annalex]

A fruitful harvest requires a faithful witness.

The One Holy Catholic Apostolic Church is that witness.

[Veeram]

Thats it ? Where is the scripture that says a man can REACH UP INTO THE HEAVENS and BRING CHRIST DOWN FROM HIS THRONE ?

Where does it say in scripture that a man can RENDER JESUS CHRIST PRESENT ON an ALTAR TO BE OFFERED UP AGAIN AS AN ETERNAL VICTIM FOR THE SINS OF MAN, NOT ONCE BUT A THOUSAND TIMES ?

Where does it say in scripture that a man can speak and LO CHRIST, THE ETERNAL AND OMNIPOTENT GOD, BOWS HIS HEAD IN HUMBLE OBEDIENCE TO THE PRIESTS COMMANDS ?

[annalex]

Why, this scripture explains that Christ sent his Church, as Himself, in order to bring to us His sacrifice at the celebration of the Mass. This is also the essence of what John O’Brien is saying. The language is his own.

[SuziQ]

Martin Luther, Zwingli, Wesley, Bullinger, Calvin all revered/honored the Blessed Mother. I just wanted to know when the Protestants dropped the Tradition of honoring Mary.

Oops! Missed that it wasn't you who wrote what I was responding to. But you're right, so many of the reformers had a reverence for the Blessed Mother, but many of those who followed them seem to have gone way off the other way.

[Cronos]

Who put you in charge?

Nobody put me, an individual in charge, however Christ put His Church, the Apostolic Church in charge, so yes, if you're not in the Apostolic Church, you're a Protestant, protesting against The Apostolic Church

[Cronos]

They teach their followers that they can be good enough to go to heaven, but ONLY if they follow their rules and sacraments.

Nope, The Church teaches that we need to follow Christ. The Church sacraments are roadposts on that road to Christ, not the end result.

And, we don't use tactics of fear or control -- that's what the small cults do -- we're The Church, 1.2 billion +, outside you have cults of a few thousand or a few million, like the Mormons, JWs etc. -- are you one of them?

[Cronos]

I have been to a variety of other denominations. They are all founded on heresies. Castles build on sand.

That is very observant of you. They are all basedon heresies. In fact, nearly all the denominations since the 1400s have been based on heresies that were put to rest in the 400s.

The fault is that the Church didn't keep drilling into it's followers for the 1000 years between. And we're still making the same mistake not teaching our people

[bdeaner]

And we're still making the same mistake not teaching our people

I completely agree!

The Church can be credited with the RCIA requirement, which has not equivalent requirement, I believe, to join any denomination outside of the Church, if I am not mistaken. But I think the major failure has been with cradle Catholics and with Catholic schools.

[Veeram]

“Why, this scripture explains that Christ sent his Church, as Himself, in order to bring to us His sacrifice at the celebration of the Mass. This is also the essence of what John O’Brien is saying. The language is his own.”

Christ’s Sacrifice Once for All Hebrews 10

1 The law is only a shadow of the good things that are coming—not the realities themselves. For this reason it can never, by the same sacrifices repeated endlessly year after year, make perfect those who draw near to worship. 2 If it could, would they not have stopped being offered? For the worshipers would have been cleansed once for all, and would no longer have felt guilty for their sins. 3 But those sacrifices are an annual reminder of sins, 4 because it is impossible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins.

5 Therefore, when Christ came into the world, he said:
“Sacrifice and offering you did not desire,
but a body you prepared for me;
6 with burnt offerings and sin offerings
you were not pleased.
7 Then I said, ‘Here I am —it is written about me in the scroll—
I have come to do your will, O God.’ “[a] 8 First he said, “Sacrifices and offerings, burnt offerings and sin offerings you did not desire, nor were you pleased with them” (although the law required them to be made). 9 Then he said, “Here I am, I have come to do your will.” He sets aside the first to establish the second. 10 And by that will, we have been made holy through the sacrifice of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.

11 Day after day every priest stands and performs his religious duties; again and again he offers the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins. 12 But when this priest had offered for all time one sacrifice for sins, he sat down at the right hand of God. 13 Since that time he waits for his enemies to be made his footstool, 14 because by one sacrifice he has made perfect forever those who are being made holy.

ONCE FOR ALL. Almighty God bows his head in humble obedience to no one !! And if you think a man who calls himself a priest can give orders to Our Lord and Savior, then you need to seriously consider changing your place of worship.

Luke 14:11
For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted.” A man who exalts himself believing he can give orders to the Almighty, will be humbled.

You need to find a good Bible believing church where they don’t threaten you with eternal damnation for questioning their doctrine, questioning their authority or disagreeing with them. All those canons that end with “let him be anathema” does not sound like a loving Godly church. Read the Bible, there IS POWER in the WORD of GOD.

You can flame me for this, but for a Christian to not point out unsound doctrine, would just be indifference.

[Dutchboy88]

If you wish to boast in the Lord, we wholeheartedly support you, my FRiend. If you wish to boast in Rome (the Vatican), then you deseve the scorn. Your group is in love with itself, not with Christ Jesus. Have you noticed the self-protection, the demand for allegiance, the self-aggrandizing that comes from the RCs? The believers in Christ have no groups that they need to protect. Have at it. Criticize any outfit you wish. Most of it is true. But, be ready for that to fall on Rome, too...

[Cronos]

The Church can be credited with the RCIA requirement, which has not equivalent requirement, I believe, to join any denomination outside of the Church, if I am not mistaken. But I think the major failure has been with cradle Catholics and with Catholic schools.

True -- I'm a cradle Catholic. Converts who have come to The Church really do enrich The Church, reinvigorate it and enrich us all. We thank God for each person we are blessed with.

[T Minus Four]

I shake the dust from my feet