 |
| PHOTO CREDIT TO ST. PAUL STREET EVANGELIZATION, CATHOLIC IN ACTION |
While living we have many chances to change our ways and make it right in the eyes of God but in the afterlife no more. As the bible reminds us we only have one life and after that comes judgment. Even saints tremble when they see that their time is up. We know they trembled because many stories chronicling the lives of the saints have attested to it. Even in the writings of the saints before they died they trembled of Holy fear in facing the Lord God almighty as they see the judgment of God waiting. Even if they have lived righteous lives in their absolute humility of submitting to the will of God they still tremble of what his judgment will be. The cause of the tremble of saints is knowing fully well that no one is saved until the judgment is rendered. Waiting to hear the judgment while in the presence of God must be so terrifying moment for the soul because in the presence of the Lord nothing is hidden even the secrets kept by a man while still living will be known. It is so to speak the moment of truth.
The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom. Such is a holy fear for it will lead us to our deeper understanding of what and who God is, the Almighty. Deeper understanding calls for knowing who God is and what are his commandments. Its a kind of fear that a child has for his earthly father. A fear that shows respect and love. A fear of losing him and his love. Its a fear born out of love of the child for the Father. We want to be with him always and who would not want to be with a loving father. He gives us the strength and the courage to face the world. He chastises us to correct us. He disciplines us because he wants only what is best for us because the father knows what is dangerous for us and he does not want us to be hurt by sinfulness and be separated from him to eternity.
What is worrying however is that many preachers today would talk of love of the Father not as someone that will chastise or someone that will discipline us but someone that will SPOIL US HIS CHILDREN. What can we say? Why do they preach such lies? Because they are false teachers and all they want is to get us to their false religions to fatten their purse and wallet. So what do they do they preach what you want to hear from them not what the truth is. They compromise the true teachings of the Lord and inject their own malicious interpretations to suit their own agenda. They want their churches, their religion to be attractive so people who are weary of the difficulties will be attracted to them. For it is written in 2 Timothy 4:3-4 it says "For the time will come when men will not tolerate sound doctrine but with itching ears they gather around themselves teachers to suit their own desires. So they will turn their ears away from the truth and turn aside to myths." ISN'T THIS EXACTLY WHAT IS HAPPENING NOW?"
We hear people say, when I was a Catholic I used to gamble, to womanize, to do all the sins that I can do but now when I met Jesus and make him my personal savior, I become a changed man. I don't do those things anymore. I have been saved. "Praise the Lord" says the congregation of Evangelicals, Born Again, and all other Protestant denominations. OH REALLY? Come to think of it was it the Catholic Church that one become sinful in his ways or the person committing them? Of course its the person whether he is a Protestant, Catholic or any other church he belongs to, its the free choice of the individual not the Catholic Church. Worst is that Catholics who came out and separated from the Church used their own wicked ways to get out of the Church and what will follow will amaze you. Those who have made the witnessing, those who are very vocal about their so called conversions to be with Christ as their personal savior will form their own churches. They become another Protestant denomination preaching their own brand of Christianity. Another one of those that will bring people to their kind of heresy.YOU CAN CHANGED YOUR WAYS WHILE STAYING CATHOLIC
Yes you can! And you can be a happy Catholic. Now how can you be a Catholic and Be happy?
1. You must know that Jesus Christ and the Catholic Church are one. Jesus is the head and the Church is his body. You are therefore in the body of Jesus how personal can that be? Jesus and the Church are one? You may ask and how can this be? Did Jesus say he is the church? Yes he said so in Acts 9:1-6 shows how St. Paul who was called Saul was converted to the faith by the Lord himself:
"Meanwhile, Saul was still breathing out threats of murder against the Lord’s disciples. He went to the high priest to ask for letters to the synagogues in Damascus, so that if he found any men or women belonging to the Way, he could bring them as prisoners to Jerusalem.
As Saul drew near to Damascus on his journey, suddenly a light from heaven flashed around him. 4He fell to the ground and heard a voice say to him, “Saul, Saul, why do you persecute Me?” “Who are You, Lord?” Saul asked. “I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting,” He replied.“Now get up and go into the city, and you will be told what you must do.”
Saul was actively participating in the persecution of the church. He was one of those responsible even in the death of St. Stephen as he watched approvingly of the Jews stoning him to death. The Church was first known in Jerusalem then as The Way since it was still newly established as a religious community that observed and practiced the teachings of the Lord led by Peter and the other Apostles. So then on the road to Damascus he was after the members of the "church" to bring them as prisoners back to Jerusalem where possible death awaits them. But the Lord intevened and told Saul that HE IS THE ONE BEING PERSECUTED! Saul was after the church but Jesus said, he is the one being persecuted. That proves that Jesus and the Church are one. You go against the church, you go against Jesus. You attack the church, you attack Jesus. You reject the church, you reject Jesus! You love the church, you love Jesus. You follow the church teachings, you follow Jesus. They are one. The question is what church Jesus refers to, is the thousand of Protestant churches or the one true Church, the Catholic Church of Christian? This article is not to proved that because its already proven in our other arcitles please refer to The Catholic Church in this blog.
Now being in the Catholic Church, the Lord's Church means you are with him as your personal savior if you may call it. And if you are with Jesus you are saved.
2. Being in the Catholic Church means following the will of the Father. Living the life to perfection because you have access to the instruments provided by the Lord God for you. Be you perfect as your Father in heaven says the Lord. But we know that it is not possible for a man to perfect by himself without the Lord. That is when Jesus said it, he was actually leading men to his church because it is in the church alone that we can be perfected. And what is that, THE SACRAMENTS! THERE IN THE SACRAMENTS A CATHOLIC CAN FIND JOY AND HAPPINESS IF YOU KNOW WHAT THEY REALLY ARE.
For this article we will limit our discussion to the generalities of the Sacraments instituted by Jesus himself and are taught in the Bible and the Holy Traditions of the Church. In a nutshell there are 7 Sacraments to fill you up with joy and happiness:
For this article we will limit our discussion to the generalities of the Sacraments instituted by Jesus himself and are taught in the Bible and the Holy Traditions of the Church. In a nutshell there are 7 Sacraments to fill you up with joy and happiness:
- Baptism.
- Eucharist.
- Confirmation.
- Reconciliation.
- Anointing of the sick.
- Marriage.
- Holy orders
Being Catholic there are Sacraments that you are already endowed upon like your Baptism and Confirmation as well your status in life as a Married person or someone in the Holy Orders like Priests or Nuns. But there are Sacraments that we all have to go through regularly as a Catholic and they are taken for granted by many. The life of the Catholic in the church did not stop at being Baptized and Confirmed or Being Married the life of a Catholic continuously revolved around the Sacraments of the Eucharist, Reconciliation and the Anointing of the Sick or the Extreme Unction for they will complete our salvation. They are what perfects the man in the eyes of God through the merits of Jesus Christ. They are what separates the true church from the false religions.
Any Christian who wants a truly personal relationship with the Lord can find it in the Holy Eucharist for in that Eucharist we meet Christ - Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity. And Being one of the Godhead, we in fact meet the Most Holy Trinity. It is eternal life. And how are we to receive him in the Eucharist, we must free ourselves of sins for receiving him in the Eucharist while we are in a state of sinfulness or being obstinate in sin which will bring judgment to us for we receive him unworthily. To make us whole and allow us to receive Jesus in the Eucharist, there is the Sacrament of Reconciliation where we receive complete absolution of our sins. You want a personal relationship? Isn't that very personal that when you confess your sins, you hear the voice of Jesus represented by his Priest saying to you I absolve you (forgive you) of your sins?
See that God knows everything, he knows that even if you have already received forgiveness of your past sins you will most likely sin again and again. That is why when Peter ask him how many time must we forgive the brother who have sinned, 7 times? Jesus answered him 70 times 7 times. That is like saying ALWAYS FORGIVE. Forgiveness is without limit for those who sincerely are in a state of repentance even if they sin again and again. Man is weak even those whom the Lord God have spoken to directly would forget and commit sin. Thus only through the merits of Jesus Christ that we are made perfect.
And when everything else fail that your time is up, your time to meet up with the Lord to hear his judgment, we have been given one more Sacrament to save us the Sacrament of the Annointing of the sick which James said, will forgive us of our sins if not even heal us physically.
NOTE: You may refer to the pages on Sacraments which will be made available to you for better appreciation of them as God's instruments of perfection for the Catholics. Yes they are exclusive only to the one true church of Jesus Christ where the the One True Faith can be found.
By Bro. Manny, OTFS Chief Apologist
By Bro. Manny, OTFS Chief Apologist
Copyright © 2016 by ONE TRUE FAITH SOCIETY
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
No part of this publication may be produced, stored in a
retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic,
mechanical photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without the prior written
permission from the publisher.
No comments:
Post a Comment