It is my desire to defend the Catholic Church against many falsehoods that I believe have been spread about the Church, most especially during the fundamentalist movement. I join a group of Catholics interested in helping to shed light upon the truth of the Catholic Church.
Over the years I have often heard people comment that Catholics are not Christian because they do not believe that Grace is a free gift and they are trying to earn their way into Heaven. Ever since I can remember, I have been continually reminded by well meaning Protestant friends that all I can do as a Christian is ‘accept’ Grace, and that my attendance at Mass will have no bearing upon my salvation.
I would like to invite all non-Catholic Christians on a mission to save Catholics to study the Catholic faith, with an open mind, and an open heart. Don’t study the faith from Protestants or anti-Catholics, or Catholics who don’t know their own faith. Study the faith from an educated and faithful Catholic. If you do not know such a Catholic, there are countless books and CDs at the Catholic bookstore. My suggestion is that you begin your study of the faith by watching a series of CDs by Scott Hahn and Jeff Cavins titled, “Out Father’s Plan”. This will help you to see the Holy Bible through the eyes of the Catholic Church. I believe that you need to know what you are saving Catholics from before you can save them from anything.
The belief that Catholics do not accept Grace as a free gift is as wrong as the belief that the earth is flat. As far as our attendance at Mass is concerned, I would like to propose that our participation in the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass is the most powerful way we can ‘accept’ the gift of Grace that has been freely given to each individual baptized in Christ.
Our participation in the Holy Mass is our participation in the Blood and Body of Christ. We do not believe we can pay Christ back for the gift of his Body and Blood, because our relationship with Christ is not viewed as a contract. We are in covenant relationship with Christ. There is a difference between a covenant and a contract. A contract is an exchange of goods and/or services. A covenant is an exchange of persons.
Christ gives us the gift of His Church through which we are able to receive the Sacrament of the Holy Eucharist. This gift, is unlike an earthly gift in which a person gives up a treasure in order that someone else may possess the treasure. The Church, Christ’s gift to us, also belongs to Christ. The Church is the Body of Christ. We are His body. Through His Church we receive the sacrament of the Holy Eucharist. Through this sacrament we receive Christ. Christ gives Himself to us completely, and we in turn, by partaking of His Body and Blood, give ourselves to Him.
In addition to our participation in holy sacrament of the Eucharist, our entire lives should be given to Christ. Each thought, action, and word should be done for His glory.
Those people who accuse us of idolizing the Church instead of Christ do not understand that we view the Church as the Sacrament of Christ. In the words of biblical scholar and Catholic convert, Dr. Scott Hahn, “We are what we eat.” We are the body of Christ and we belong to Him. Through the participation of His Body and Blood at the Holy Mass, we receive the real presence of Christ; Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity. This is no symbol, the food we eat and the drink we drink is truly Christ.
The Jews quarreled among themselves saying, “How can this man give us his flesh to eat? Jesus said to them, “Amen, amen, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you do not have life within you. John 6:53.
Catholics, who are often accused of not taking the Bible at face value, take these words literally. So did the apostles and the rest of the crowd present at the time Jesus spoke these words.
Then many of his disciples who were listening said, “This saying is hard; who can accept it?” John 6:60
The early Christians also believed in the real presence and it was not until that last few hundred years that the literal interpretation came into question. I could quote some of the early Church fathers right here, but I will not take time to do that as that is not my main point. However, I would like to caution all Protestants from being brainwashed into believing that the Holy Eucharist and the idea that the priest has the power to change wine and bread into the Body and Blood was something only gradually accepted over many years after the birth of Christ. This is another falsehood of major proportions.
As a result of this, many of his disciples returned to their former way of life and no longer accompanied him. Jesus then said to the Twelve, “Do you also want to leave?” Simon Peter answered him, “Master, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life. John 6:66-68
Christ invites us to be members of his family. As members of His Church we are true sons and daughters of God. What kind of family member of Christ’s says “no” to the Heavenly gift of the real presence? Consider the following verse:
Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him on the last day. John 6:54
To all of those protestants asking Catholics if they have accepted Christ as their personal Lord and Savior, I would like to say that as sons and daughters of God there is so much we can do in the way of accepting his Grace. However through the death and resurrection of our Lord, we have the gift of His Body and Blood, and our faithful and worthy participation in this gift is the most powerful way we can accept Christ.
I do not expect any Protestant to automatically take my words here to heart, but I hope that I can pique your interest and perhaps persuade you to learn more about the Catholic faith. If you don’t know the Catholic faith, how can you argue against it? What have you got to lose? At the very least, you will have gained knowledge about the Catholic Church and if it is your mission to save Catholics from themselves, at least you will have gained a better handle on what you need to save them from. I, however, believe that anyone who studies our faith with an open mind and heart will be embarking upon a lifelong journey, a journey impossible to quit.
Over the years I have often heard people comment that Catholics are not Christian because they do not believe that Grace is a free gift and they are trying to earn their way into Heaven. Ever since I can remember, I have been continually reminded by well meaning Protestant friends that all I can do as a Christian is ‘accept’ Grace, and that my attendance at Mass will have no bearing upon my salvation.
I would like to invite all non-Catholic Christians on a mission to save Catholics to study the Catholic faith, with an open mind, and an open heart. Don’t study the faith from Protestants or anti-Catholics, or Catholics who don’t know their own faith. Study the faith from an educated and faithful Catholic. If you do not know such a Catholic, there are countless books and CDs at the Catholic bookstore. My suggestion is that you begin your study of the faith by watching a series of CDs by Scott Hahn and Jeff Cavins titled, “Out Father’s Plan”. This will help you to see the Holy Bible through the eyes of the Catholic Church. I believe that you need to know what you are saving Catholics from before you can save them from anything.
The belief that Catholics do not accept Grace as a free gift is as wrong as the belief that the earth is flat. As far as our attendance at Mass is concerned, I would like to propose that our participation in the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass is the most powerful way we can ‘accept’ the gift of Grace that has been freely given to each individual baptized in Christ.
Our participation in the Holy Mass is our participation in the Blood and Body of Christ. We do not believe we can pay Christ back for the gift of his Body and Blood, because our relationship with Christ is not viewed as a contract. We are in covenant relationship with Christ. There is a difference between a covenant and a contract. A contract is an exchange of goods and/or services. A covenant is an exchange of persons.
Christ gives us the gift of His Church through which we are able to receive the Sacrament of the Holy Eucharist. This gift, is unlike an earthly gift in which a person gives up a treasure in order that someone else may possess the treasure. The Church, Christ’s gift to us, also belongs to Christ. The Church is the Body of Christ. We are His body. Through His Church we receive the sacrament of the Holy Eucharist. Through this sacrament we receive Christ. Christ gives Himself to us completely, and we in turn, by partaking of His Body and Blood, give ourselves to Him.
In addition to our participation in holy sacrament of the Eucharist, our entire lives should be given to Christ. Each thought, action, and word should be done for His glory.
Those people who accuse us of idolizing the Church instead of Christ do not understand that we view the Church as the Sacrament of Christ. In the words of biblical scholar and Catholic convert, Dr. Scott Hahn, “We are what we eat.” We are the body of Christ and we belong to Him. Through the participation of His Body and Blood at the Holy Mass, we receive the real presence of Christ; Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity. This is no symbol, the food we eat and the drink we drink is truly Christ.
The Jews quarreled among themselves saying, “How can this man give us his flesh to eat? Jesus said to them, “Amen, amen, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you do not have life within you. John 6:53.
Catholics, who are often accused of not taking the Bible at face value, take these words literally. So did the apostles and the rest of the crowd present at the time Jesus spoke these words.
Then many of his disciples who were listening said, “This saying is hard; who can accept it?” John 6:60
The early Christians also believed in the real presence and it was not until that last few hundred years that the literal interpretation came into question. I could quote some of the early Church fathers right here, but I will not take time to do that as that is not my main point. However, I would like to caution all Protestants from being brainwashed into believing that the Holy Eucharist and the idea that the priest has the power to change wine and bread into the Body and Blood was something only gradually accepted over many years after the birth of Christ. This is another falsehood of major proportions.
As a result of this, many of his disciples returned to their former way of life and no longer accompanied him. Jesus then said to the Twelve, “Do you also want to leave?” Simon Peter answered him, “Master, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life. John 6:66-68
Christ invites us to be members of his family. As members of His Church we are true sons and daughters of God. What kind of family member of Christ’s says “no” to the Heavenly gift of the real presence? Consider the following verse:
Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him on the last day. John 6:54
To all of those protestants asking Catholics if they have accepted Christ as their personal Lord and Savior, I would like to say that as sons and daughters of God there is so much we can do in the way of accepting his Grace. However through the death and resurrection of our Lord, we have the gift of His Body and Blood, and our faithful and worthy participation in this gift is the most powerful way we can accept Christ.
I do not expect any Protestant to automatically take my words here to heart, but I hope that I can pique your interest and perhaps persuade you to learn more about the Catholic faith. If you don’t know the Catholic faith, how can you argue against it? What have you got to lose? At the very least, you will have gained knowledge about the Catholic Church and if it is your mission to save Catholics from themselves, at least you will have gained a better handle on what you need to save them from. I, however, believe that anyone who studies our faith with an open mind and heart will be embarking upon a lifelong journey, a journey impossible to quit.
