Posted on 09/15/2018 2:33:13 PM PDT by marshmallow
At the northern tip of Via Giulia in Rome, you’ll find the church of San Giovanni dei Fiorentini. The large dome that crowns this church is one of many that accent the Roman skyline.
If it’s hot, airy churches like San Giovanni provide the weary pilgrim with a spiritual and physical oasis. Most likely, you’ll be sweaty and your feet sore from treading the miles of cobblestone streets in the Eternal City. Walk up the worn marble steps of San Giovanni and enter. Head down the left aisle and, at the end, you’ll notice a striking silver reliquary in the shape of…a foot. Inside this reliquary is the foot of Saint Mary Magdalen. (This is Rome, folks, so get used to seeing bones encased in elaborate gold and silver surrounded by vigil candles and corpses under altars and many other things that will certainly strike some Americans as odd or macabre. The Church has been doing this for ages.)
Spend some time in prayer before the relic of this saint known first for her conversion and later, her unflagging loyalty to Christ when most of his closest friends bolted. Ensnared by sin, she was set free by the Lord, and never left Him again. During the crucifixion, perhaps some choice words were directed at her by people in the crowd. Maybe her past life was well-known. Regardless, she stayed at the foot of the cross. There’s an inscription near the relic stating that the feet of Mary Magdalen were the first to enter the tomb of Christ after the Resurrection. According to tradition, she later lived as a hermitess for the rest of her life, absorbed in prayer and love. She wasn’t a martyr, but she must have been one of the most fearless saints of......
(Excerpt) Read more at creamcitycatholic.com ...
“Spend some time in prayer before the relic of this saint”
“Little children, keep yourselves from idols.”
- Apostle John
No thanks, concern troll.
Thank-you for this article.
I’m surprised you are so hostile to the words of the Apostle Jesus loved.
To each their own.
How beautiful are the feet of them that preach the Gospel of Peace.
The Early Church and the Catholic Church are one and the same.
It is a family of love.
My understanding of the practices and teachings of the Roman Catholic church through history tells me that it has little resemblance to the early church. The genesis of the church is 120 disciples in the upper room endued with Holy Spirit power on Pentecost. At that time, there were no cathedrals or church buildings, no vestments, no rosaries, no relics, no altars, no holy water, no ash Wednesday, no Sacraments except for Baptism, Communion and Marriage, no preaching of Mary as a co-redemtrix, etc., etc., etc.
The rituals and doctrines embraced by today's Roman Catholic church are a result of changes and teaching that were added by councils and evolving tradition over many centuries.
The cathedrals are built around the Eucharist, which was given to us by Jesus Christ from the beginning. It is His Words, it is His Flesh, It is His Blood, It is the same now as it was instituted by Jesus Christ 2000 years ago.
Did you read in the article about the Church of the Three Fountains? St. Paul was beheaded so violently at his execution that his head went flying, bouncing with three large bounces across the ground. Every place his beloved head touched the ground , water sprang up. A church was built over the three springs. Should those early christians have not built a church over the three miraculous springs of water in St. Paul’s honor? What is wrong with honoring his memory, the Apostle who suffered so much for Jesus Christ and who labored so fearlessly for the spread of the Gospel?
How many cathedrals have you visited? Do you know what motivated the Christians who built them, the individual charisms of each monument? While they are ALL centered around the Eucharist, Jesus Christ living among us all days even to the consumation of the world, each has its own history to share with us. Would you rather the cathedrals be knocked down?
Notre Dame in Paris houses the Crown of Thorns and one of the Nails of the Crucifixion, Chartres houses the veil Mary wore at the Annunciation when God the Word became Flesh. Should we burn the veil like the satanic Freemasons did during the Reign of Terror? The cathedral in Valencia houses the Holy Grail, on display for over 800 years, yet modern man considers it lost due to his spiritual blindness. At the other end of the Camino is the Cathedral at Santiago, which houses the relics of St. James the Apostle. In fact, any place one of the 12 Apostles is buried, pretty much every one of them, is a Catholic cathedral. St. Peter is in Rome, St. James in Santiago de Compostela, St. Mark in Venice, St. Thomas somewhere in India, maybe as a homework assignment you can research where the remaining Apostles are buried? But that should be no surprise to one well versed in the Book of Revelation (Rev 21:14).
No, the Faith that I have today is no different than that of Mary Magdelan or of St. Paul or of St. Peter or of St. Agnes and the Church that I am a member of is not different than the one that Jesus Christ established for us. It is as plain as day for those who have eyes to see.
However, without the supernatural gift of Faith, none of this is certain.
This depends on what you mean by 'Church'. If by Church you mean all those who've placed their faith in Jesus Christ for the remission of sin, then I would agree with you. On the other hand, if by 'Church' you mean the doctrines, rituals and practices of today's Roman Catholic church, I would say you are being intellectually dishonest.
“Did you read in the article about the Church of the Three Fountains? St. Paul was beheaded so violently at his execution that his head went flying, bouncing with three large bounces across the ground. Every place his beloved head touched the ground , water sprang up. A church was built over the three springs. Should those early christians have not built a church over the three miraculous springs of water in St. Paul’s honor? ”
No! Never!! The honor of all things is God’s alone.
It is paganism from the Greeks that built temples to gods. Rome incorporated that pagan practice to placate heathen.
And every religion has these false stories the gullible believe.
If you can distinguish between Sacrament and sacramental, there is no difference between Catholic Faith across the centuries.
The Sacraments are the same, the Sacred Deposit of Faith is the same, the Grace is the same, the Eucharistic Lord is the same.
St. Paul is not a "god".
In my town there is a Baptist church called Judson Baptist. It was named, apparently, after the preacher who founded the place. How is it that Catholics erect a church in memory of a great preacher and teacher, and that's "paganism from the Greeks," but Baptists do the same thing and you have no quarrel with it?
That would be the same God who commanded "Honor thy father and thy mother"?
“How is it that Catholics erect a church in memory of a great preacher and teacher, and that’s “paganism from the Greeks,” but Baptists do the same thing and you have no quarrel with it? ”
You are making an assumption that isn’t true.
Nor do Baptist believers bow down to nor pray to Hudson.
“That would be the same God who commanded “Honor thy father and thy mother”?
Once a group bows the knee to the golden calf - or indeed, even the golden serpent - they will seek to justify idolatry with word games and in every way, rather than obey God.
Sincerely, what are you trying to say here? Could you expound a bit?
latria yes, dulia no.
“The rituals and doctrines embraced by today’s Roman Catholic church are a result of changes and teaching that were added by councils and evolving tradition over many centuries.”
Here are examples for your comment...
1 . Prayers for the dead . …………-—————————……300 A.D.
2. Making the sign of the cross ………………………… …300 A.D.
3. Veneration of angels & dead saints …………-————…….375 A.D.
4. Use of images in worship………………………………… . 375 A.D.
5. The Mass as a daily celebration……………………………… 394 A.D.
6 Beginning of the exaltation of Mary; the term, “Mother of God” applied a Council of Ephesus……………. .-———————————————————— 431 A.D.
7 Extreme Unction (Last Rites)……………………………… ..526 A.D.
8. Doctrine of Purgatory-Gregory 1…………………………… .593 A.D..
9. Prayers to Mary & dead saints ……………………………… .600 A.D.
10. Worship of cross, images & relics ……………………… … 786 A.D.
11 Canonization of dead saints ………………………………… ..995 A.D.
12. Celibacy of priesthood …………………………………… …1079 A.D.
13. The Rosary ……………………………………………… … 1090 A.D.
14. Indulgences ……………………………………………… …..1190 A.D.
15. Transubstantiation-Innocent III …………………………… 1215 A.D.
16. Auricular Confession of sins to a priest …………………… 1215 A.D.
17. Adoration of the wafer (Host)…………………………… .. 1220 A.D.
18. Cup forbidden to the people at communion …………………..1414 A.D.
19. Purgatory proclaimed as a dogma……………………………..1439 A.D.
20. The doctrine of the Seven Sacraments confirmed …………….1439 A.D.
21 Tradition declared of equal authority with Bible by Council of Trent…………………………………………————————… 1545 A.D.
22. Apocryphal books added to Bible ………——————……….1546 A.D.
23. Immaculate Conception of Mary……………………………….1854 A.D.
24, Infallibility of the pope in matters of faith and morals, proclaimed by the Vatican Council ……………… 1870 A.D.
25. Assumption of the Virgin Mary (bodily ascension into heaven shortly after her death) ……………………………-—————————————————……1950 A.D.
26. Mary proclaimed Mother of the Church……………………… 1965 A.D.
“latria yes, dulia no.”
So tell me the difference.
rcc’s pray to Mary and their god
rcc’s bow to Mary and their god
rcc’s kneel to Mary and their god
rcc’s offer sacrifice to Mary and their god
rcc’s serve Mary and their god
rcc’s get grace from Mary and from their god
So through all your word games there isn’t one bit of difference between your latria and dulia worship.
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