Hi John,
Thanks for the reply. We may have
a situation where we will have to
agree to disagree, but let me present
my counterpoints:
You said:
I don't quite
see the Roman Catholic Church as owning the
idea of the Real Presence, It's an
idea I find more, in Christ's Own
Words, in the Holy Gospels.
To a point I can agree, all the Church
owns, Christ really owns. We are
just stewards.
You may ask,
"But Mike, What nerve does
the Catholic Church have to own
something that is Christ's alone?"
In Matthew 16:13-19 Christ is entrusting the keys of the
Kingdom of Heaven to a man. To a Man.
- What? A Man? What is God Doing!! To a Man!! Yes!! To a Man.
But, He promises
that the Holy Spirit will watch over
and guide his actions and his successors
actions, (See Acts 1:12-26). The
Pope does not own the Church, The
Pope protects, defends and safeguards
the Teachings that Jesus wants us
to hold on to. Jesus entrusts the
Church to the Pope and his successors.
If you have a problem with this you
have to argue, not with me, but with
God.
Read Matthew 16:13-20, Matthew 18:15-20, 1 Timothy 3:15 and Acts 1:12-26
I believe Jesus told Philip,
before ascending into Heaven,
it would be far better that He, Jesus,
ascends to the Father than to stay
on Earth.
- What is Our Lord saying, John?
Rather than the three of us physically sitting down together today: Mike H., John F. and Jesus,
there is something far better that He left for us here
on Earth.
- What did Jesus send to Peter
and the Apostles that was better
then Him talking here on Earth
with you and me?
The answer: The Holy Spirit to guide
Peter and Jesus' Church. . . . not only back then but for generations to come until His Second Coming.
My question to you:
- How many Christian
Churches claim to be the only visible
Divine Church founded by Christ and
also claim to be the pillar and foundation
of Truth that goes all the way back
to
33 A.D.?
I will give you a hint.
There is just one applicant :
)
Many, many Protestants fall off their
chair when I tell them that historically the Bible was written by Catholics,
for Catholics, for use in the Catholic
worship service or The Mass.
St. Jerome was a Catholic who translated
the Bible for us by order of Pope Damasus [New Advent][Wikipedia][CatholicSaints.Info] in 393 A.D. Before then,
there was no collection of books
people could point to and say:
This is the Bible!
- Did all those previous Christians
go to Hell because they didn't have
the Bible?
That is the illogical
conclusion of Sola-Scriptura.
You said:
It's
an idea I find more, in Christ's Own
Words, in the Holy Gospels.
You are right, Our Lord's Words on
His Real Presence in the Eucharist
can be found in Holy Scriptures in John 6:51-70. In addition, all
Bible Christians have three Institution Narratives on the Last Supper. These three Institution Eucharistic Narratives reflect what goes on at Holy Mass every Sunday morning in each local Catholic parish.
You said:
I am drawn to the Real Presence, not the Church of Rome..
Over time, you can't be drawn to one,
without being drawn to the other.
By Early Church Fathers I mean those
first followers of the disciples.
They lived approximately from 33 A.D. to 850 A.D.
They are critical reading for Catholic
apologists because they show the
historical context of what was said
and believed at that time. No, they
are not the Word of God, but they
give you an idea of how the very
first Catholic Christians viewed
the Word of God and well as other
Church teachings at the time they lived.
You said:
P.S. I would love a Catechism!
I used to run a free program that sent Catechisms to seeking Protestants and non-Christians but no longer have the financial or operational means to do this anymore. Nevertheless, if you wish to go deeper, consider buying a cheap copy of the Catechism of the Catholic Church to learn everything we believe as Catholics.
If you, or any visitor, has been helped by our work at AskACatholic.com, consider financially supporting us today.
I hope this helps,
In charity,
Mike
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