Nicodemus was a doctor of Judaism, but he believed in Jesus as the one sent by God. They expected a powerful Messiah to elevate the Jewish people, even above the Romans, but the one who came to Earth was a defenseless little baby, born in a humble portal. Almost immediately he had to flee because they were chasing him. Nicodemus asked Jesus: How does an old man get born again from his mother's womb? Jesus answered: Truly I tell you, if anyone is not born again of the Spirit, he will not enter the Kingdom of Heaven. Jesus has very harsh words for those who live a religion based on external form, on the rite on the Spirit. God looks at hearts and not appearances. All our knowledge about saints or Bible verses is of no use, they are worthless accessories if they are not accompanied by humility to understand that our neighbor is a creation most desired and loved by God. God wants the salvation of all men,
This arrived in my in box this morning... feels a bit like this discussion! We are on same team. We know who opponent is. Our biggest advantage is we know who wins - but we dont know all the plays. We need to be in the game with the gear we gave been given! Put On the Armor of God By Fr. Steve Ryan, SDB It’s football season. Every weekend every team goes out to do battle. Whether they’re perfectly ready, perfectly healthy, perfectly rested or not – they get out there at game time. The Shaw Eagles football team has to put on their pads and get out there on Friday nights to play. Every game is intense, but that’s what football players do on weekends – they battle for victory. Whether it’s a high school team like Shaw, or a college team like Notre Dame, or the pros like the New Orleans Saints, you put on your helmet and shoulder pads and you play. Whether you won the previous week or not, you armor up and give it your all. We Christians have got to ‘armor up’ too. God gives us the equipment to wear into the battle with our opponent the devil. Here is the scripture passage from Ephesians that proves it: Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground. Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. – Ephesians 6:10-18 What’s this scripture reading saying to us? It’s saying that a battle is going on in this world. It’s a battle between good and evil. Warriors for God are needed! If good people just sit around watching all the nonsense going on in this world without engaging in the fight against evil, the Kingdom of God here on earth will be lost. We are all responsible for being warriors for God’s Kingdom. So, what do I do? You put on your armor. What armor? The armor of truth, righteousness and salvation. This protective gear is good for offense and defense. Along with the tools of Confession, Communion, Mary and Scripture, we can put up a fight and win. With the belt of truth buckled around your waist, you are equipped. That truth is the scriptures and the teachings of the Church. They’ll be your compass as you hit the battle field. Revealed truth will direct you on what to say and do. With the breastplate (or shoulder pads) of righteousness in place, you are equipped. Righteousness means being in right relationship with God. You can be confident that you’ll be protected. When you are free of serious sin – mortal sin – because you are serious about staying in the state of grace, you’ll be ready for battle. Wear that breastplate of righteousness proudly and protect your heart – stay pure of heart. With the helmet of salvation, we get out there. The helmet goes on our heads and we keep our minds protected to clearly see what’s going on and take the right course of action. When in battle you’ve got to keep your wits about you. Many a coach has had to remind a football player that he has to keep his head on straight when things get intense in the heat of a game. Many a Christian needs to be reminded that we have been saved by Jesus Christ and He and his angels are fighting for us. The helmet of salvation sits on the crowns of our craniums every step of the way. Just live your baptism! Look, the devil wants to destroy this world. Make no mistake about it – we are at war. We are equipped by God to be His warriors in this battle to preserve the world for righteousness. The game plan includes offense and defense. The ultimate victory has been guaranteed by Jesus Christ who won the final score on the cross. Just, please… know that you are needed on the playing field. You are not just a spectator. Don’t be intimidated. You’re needed in this epic battle of good vs. evil. You are a player! And you are equipped. Get out there. It’s game time.
The post VII changes, not authorized by the Council documents specifically but implemented by Freemasonic infiltrators in the Curia, signaled the visible birth of the Counterfeit Church, which existed alongside and within the same institutional and juridical structure as the true Church. The two "Churches" are two bodies of people, both calling themselves Catholic, who follow different rites, Sacrifice and laws. That is not possible according to the Magisterium. Here is what Pius XII said about that in Mystici Corporis: 69. Now since its Founder willed this social body of Christ to be visible, the cooperation of all its members must also be externally manifest through their profession the same faith and their sharing the same sacred rites, through participation in the same Sacrifice, and the practical observance of the same laws. The faith has been gradually eroded by the de facto refusal to let (almost) all theological flowers bloom, creating a relativistic toleration of harmful doctrines. The rites were all substantially changed in the late 1960s-early 1970s. The sacrifice was changed with the Novus Ordo, which intentionally eliminated allusions to the propitiatory sacrifice in the new prayers, while emphasizing the sacrifice of praise to satisfy the Protestants. And the laws and disciplines, such as fasting and the liturgical calendar, changed for no good reason and caused major confusion that helped to empty the convents and monasteries. This created an intentional rift in the Church. Catholics chose the side that they liked better. The ones who liked the new, freer ways went in one direction. The ones who knew better stuck with tradition. We are now near the end of that process. We can now see the fruits of the new, freer ways. Those fruits are summed up in the word Synodality. That was the goal of the revolutionary infiltrators, but they knew it would take a long time to "boil the frog slowly" so most people would go along with it. And realize that the Church is not just people living now. The Church includes all of the Saints in heaven and those in Purgatory. If you create a new faith in the current world, then you necessarily separate yourself from that part of the living Body of Christ. There must be substantial continuity in all the things mentioned by Pius XII or there will be a rupture (as BXVI warned of).
Miker, CCC 675 uses the word "apostasy." The persecution that accompanies her pilgrimage on earth will unveil the "mystery of iniquity" in the form of a religious deception offering men an apparent solution to their problems at the price of apostasy from the truth. The word apostasy, as used in the CCC, has a definitive theological meaning according to the Church. You can read about it here: https://www.newadvent.org/cathen/01624b.htm So, the CCC is specifically saying that the phenomenon of a "religious deception" will be manifested as "apostasy" from the truth of the Catholic Faith. The "worldly systems" cannot apostatize. Only Catholics can apostatize. You have to first have the true Faith in order to apostatize. Someone who never had the faith is called an infidel. And of course the true Church will never become the Harlot. The counterfeit Church is the Harlot. But the true Church and its counterfeit exist side by side. And the "religious deception" is creating the confusion in the minds of Catholics that the counterfeit is the true Church. This is why CCC says the events will "shake the faith of believers." Many of the decent people will lose their faith because they think the Harlot is the "Church," and when they see the Harlot apostatize, they feel spiritually lost. This is Satan's tactic to take weak souls from God. The other tactic is to promote libertinism in the Counterfeit Church so that it becomes indistinguishable from the World, which is why it is called the Harlot.
You have the coin metaphor backwards. We don't put the host in a vending machine and get graces. The Host is, metaphorically, the coin of grace that we receive. This grace goes into our soul, our spiritual bank account, to be used in our daily lives to give us the strength to act in accordance with the Commandments. The more grace we have in our soul, the more easy it is to keep the Commandments. This has nothing to do with simony. It is metaphorical, and Jesus Himself used the metaphor many times. Yes, in the Apocalypse only those who "take the mark of the Beast" (i.e., consent to the evil of the Beast Church) will have access to the Counterfeit Church false Sacraments. But those people will not know that those Sacraments are counterfeits. They are deceived. But they still think they need THOSE false sacraments, and they will not be able to get them unless they submit to the relativism and accept the apostasy of Synodality. No, selling is not losing grace. We lose grace by committing mortal sin. Selling is repenting and doing penance, things related to the Sacrament of Penance. This is where we give up something. Then, in return, we can receive something, Sacramental grace, through the Eucharist.
First, the word "apostasy" is used in CCC 675 as I said in my response to Mike. I didn't interpret that. Apostasy means falling away from the true Catholic Faith. Akita and Garabandal talk about problems in the Church as the highest levels, Cardinals against Cardinals, bishops against bishops. You interpret St. Paul too literally. Yes, the antichrist sets himself up as if he is God, meaning that he challenges the teachings of Jesus, who is God Himself. For example, Jesus taught that divorce and remarriage is a mortal sin. Bergoglio says it is not necessarily. This is someone who sets himself up against God as if he is God. And the great signs and wonders reference the deception about Eucharistic Miracles that we have already discussed. And I certainly agree that the Catechism is warning about setting up the a false form of the Kingdom through human means. This is what is happening through Synodality, the doctrine on Human Fraternity, and the Care of our Common Home. These Bergoglian doctrines are the replacement of the Heavenly-focused imperative to save souls (starting with your own first) by adherence to the Commandments and receiving the Sacraments. That Catholic teaching is replaced with an Earthly-focused imperative to love humanity and our common home, putting that above the Commandments of God. The parallel that the true Church (not the false one) will follow Jesus in his passion, apparent death, and resurrection comes from this line in the CCC 677: The Church will enter the glory of the kingdom only through this final Passover, when she will follow her Lord in his death and Resurrection. The CCC, not my interpretation, says it. You say it seems like a "terrible parallel." As St. Paul says in 1 Corinthians 15:51, it is a great mystery. Just accept what the Catechism teaches. Here is how things play out. The false prophets take over the institutional Church, acting as if it is business as usual. That is a deception. They have turned the institutional "Church" into the Harlot. Meanwhile, the remaining true Catholics who refuse to go along with this deception are persecuted by the false prophets populating the hierarchy of the Counterfeit. Many Catholics, up to their eyeballs in their own sins because they refuse to repent and receive the Sacrament of Penance, are blinded by those sins and led to Hell by those same false prophets. The true faithful are forced out of their own churches and live out the faith in a kind of catacombs situation until Jesus returns at His Second Coming.
I understand the concern — CCC 675–677 is a serious passage, and it’s easy to see why people find it unsettling. But the Catechism doesn’t say the Church herself will apostatize — only that many believers will have their faith shaken. Christ’s Bride can suffer and be purified (CCC 677), but she remains indefectible — “the Church... will remain the faithful spouse of her Lord and will never cease to be so” (CCC 869). As Pope Benedict XVI explained, the “religious deception” isn’t the Church turning false, but humanity trying to create salvation without God. Christ’s promise still holds: “The gates of hell shall not prevail against it” (Matthew 16:18). The Church may pass through her Passion, but her Resurrection is assured. Peace
No, your interpretation of the Church's death with Christ being it's becoming a harlot that apostasizes from the Truth is the terrible parallel that I was referring to. I explained clearly what I believed was the Church's passion and martyrdom: those who follow the antichrist persecuting the Church. And you did not provide any quotes from Garabandal or Akita that shows the Church will become a harlot and apostasize, or that the pope will be a false prophet. Compromise within the Church, cardinal against cardinal...these things are present within the Church, yes, but they have been many times before as well. The Church suffers internal strife, sin, and even battles heresy within its own members, but if it ever splits, the part that breaks off from its head, the pope, is now in schism and not the true Church. You cannot have a body without a head. I think I will leave the discussion for now. What is happening (and I think a lot of this has been caused by false prophecy, along with the freemason's century-long program of infiltrating all media with criticism of the pope, bishops and priests until the people were used to doing so themselves) is that some people have a pre-conceived view of the Church as having apostasized from the top, and they now fit all prophecy into that and interpret it only in that lens. Like Jesus' parables, true prophecy (mainly in the Bible, and approved apparitions) is a bit vague on purpose, because one's faith and humility will determine how much he understands and how he interprets it. Remaining faithful to the pope is a huge part of this. There's a reason Christ established a visible hierarchy and visible head to represent Him on earth. We must not go off on our own way, even if we think we're doing it how Catholics "have always done it." No, you're not being like a traditional Catholic then, because the Catholics all throughout tradition honored and remained faithful to their pope. Do not jump Ship before it rights itself and steers safely into the Harbor.
Very well put. Jesus didn't only hang out with the pure while condemning sinners. He hung out with the tax collectors, prostitutes and alcoholics. Because he was trying to get them to change direction. I think that a third of the parables are about this too. Because God is Love, He cannot help but Love everyone even if they turn from Him.
So you are saying those who don't take the mark of the beast won't be able to repent of their sins. This is getting out of hand PNF. How will you interpolate your way out of this? Also, I am having fun in all of this. I appreciate the conversation and all involved.
1. The mark of the beast refers to a person's "character" [Greek= charagma]. Some people have a rude "character." Some people have helpful character. Some are selfish. Some are self-giving. Some love earthly things. Some love heavenly things. The person who takes the "mark of the Beast" takes on the "character" of the Beast. They do as the Beast does and thinks as the Beast thinks. (a reversal what is said in the shema prayer in Deuteronomy 6). 2. The people who take on the "character" of the Beast will not WANT TO REPENT of their sins. It will not be that that cannot do so. They will have free will. But they will be blinded by the "operation of error" [2 Thessalonians 2). They will have chosen their model. The model will be the Beast, not Christ. After they do this, their "character" will be set until Jesus's return.
The true Church (the faithful remnant Catholics) does not apostatize. The false Church apostatizes. And the people remain in communion with the false Church will apostatize. The gates of Hell will not prevail against the true Church (the faithful remnant Catholics). Satan will prevail agains the false Church, made up of the "false brethren," a concept that St. Augustine discusses extensively.
No, the true Church (made up of the faithful remnant of traditional Catholics) does not become the Harlot. The Counterfeit Church (made up of wolves in sheep's clothing and their followers) does become the Harlot. You are failing to make this distinction that I have consistently made and misrepresenting what I have said. The only people who have "jumped ship" are the false prophets introducing novelties. Those who keep the traditional doctrines, rites and disciplines have not jumped ship.
My question isn't about those who will take the mark but those who won't. Obviously repentance isn't limited to the sacrament of reconciliation. Clearly those who do not take the mark will still want to repent but according to your interpolation they cannot. While those who take the mark can, but chose not to. This isn't making any logical sense. It hasn't since I first pointed out that Christians can still buy and sell. Even according to your theory of the host being a coin exchanged for grace it doesn't work. Ask faithful Catholics if they receive graces when receiving the Eucharist at a NO mass and they will tell you that they do. According to you this is no longer the case. Your argument which is already weak, is getting weaker every time you try to explain it, and there just isn't anything in the way of substantial evidence to back it up. I know you will likely stick to your position unfortunately in the face of all this, but I pray you give an honest look at your theory.
Those Catholics who don't take on the "character" of the beast are the faithful remnant, aka the Immaculate Bride. They will have access to the Sacraments from traditional Catholic priests spread throughout the world. But these authentic Sacramental opportunities will not be available within buildings controlled by the false hierarchy because the false hierarchy will not allow it. This is already happening in the aftermath of Traditiones Custodes, and the restrictions will continue to ratchet down. The authentic Sacramental opportunities will be available only in catacomb-like conditions: informal chapels or homes set up by lay people/priests/bishops who are part of the faithful remnant. These places exist all over the Catholic world right now.
