From a dear friend…. “I'm afraid I don't go to church any more, for reasons
which may sound trivial to some, I worship God in my own way and talk to
God anytime and where ever I am. God is within me and all around me.
I don't think Jesus ever said one has to go to church to worship Him.”
Wed 7:03 am September 18, 2019.
In response, I thought, I’ll gather in here my relationship with God through
the years of my life and the hope of being with him in his eternal kingdom.
Long before Jesus came about there was already a form of worship. There was
no Bible. Some 4000 years before Jesus, there was a form of worship by the
Egyptians. The Egyptians had a god to worship. The Egyptians had slaves to
do their works in building great structures like pyramids, palaces, etc.
A book that begins with this word: “In the beginning when God created
the heavens and the earth, ….” (Genesis 1:1). And shortly later, in the book,
“the Lord God formed man out of the clay of the ground and blew into his
nostrils the breath of life, and so man became a living being.” (Genesis 2:7).
In that timeline of 4000 years the same words (prologue) came to be again:
“In the beginning was the Word; the Word was in God’s presence, and the
Word was God. He was present to God in the beginning. Through him all
things came to be. Whatever came to be in him, found life, life for the
light of men.” (John 1:1-4). “The Word became flesh and made his
dwelling among us and we have seen his glory the glory of an only Son
coming from the Father filled with enduring love.” (John 1:14).
In my faith life I came to worship One God in Three Persons – God the
Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit. I attend the one holy
catholic apostolic church that at Mass the Creed (Apostles-390 AD and
Nicene-325 AD) is professed on the following beliefs:
I believe in one God, the Father almighty, maker of heaven
and earth, of all things, visible and invisible.
I believe in one Lord Jesus Christ, the Only Begotten Son
of God, born of the Father before all ages, God from
God, Light from Light, true God from true God,
begotten not made, consubstantial with the Father;
through him all things were made.
For us men and for our salvation he came down from heaven,
and by the Holy Spirit was incarnate of the Virgin
Mary, and became man.
For our sake he was crucified under Pontius Pilate, he
suffered death and was buried, on the third day in
accordance with the Scriptures.
He ascended into heaven and is seated at the right hand
of the Father.
He will come again in glory to judge the living and the
dead and his kingdom will have no end.
I believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, the giver of life,
who proceeds from the Father and the Son, who
with the Father and the Son is adored and
glorified, who has spoken through the prophets.
I believe in one holy, catholic and apostolic Church.
I confess one Baptism for the forgiveness of sins and
I look forward to the resurrection of the dead
and the life of the world to come. Amen.
The Creed is the basics of my belief. I heard a priest say to pray
the Creed everyday.
In my early life I have no idea what I have to believe. The only
thing I can remember was that one summer vacation in my early
school years I was required to attend a class in the church with
my cousins, friends and other kids. We were taught the prayers
Our Father, Hail Mary and later to prepare us for confessions to
a priest, in order that we can receive Holy Communion. After
my First Holy Communion I don’t remember how many more
times I received Holy Communion during my elementary grades.
I know that at that time one has to go to confession before
receiving Communion. During my entire elementary grades
there were older students from another school who came to our
school to teach catechism, i.e., to learn more about the Catholic religion.
Then I started high school where I was introduced into the Bible as one
required subject for the entire 4 years. There were lots of memorizing
of names of people and verses in the Bible. It was from the Bible class
that I learned where the school motto Via Veritas Vita came from. The
English translation of the motto is: I am the Way, I am the Truth, I am
the Life. Jesus Christ was the one who said those words, but I didn’t
fully understand what it meant in my life.
Later, I learned of God with us: 22All this took place to fulfill what
the LORD had said through the prophet: 23"The virgin will conceive
and give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel" (which
means "God with us"). (Matthew 1:22-23).
My faith is guided by the seven sacraments of the Catholic Church, namely:
- Baptism,
- Confirmation,
- Eucharist,
- Penance (Confession, Reconciliation),
- Anointing of the Sick,
- Marriage,
- Holy Orders.
God in all the Sacraments: Reflecting on each of the Sacraments I see the
presence of the Son of God Jesus Christ in my life’s journey from birth and
in all aspects of my life on earth to lead me to my final destination - heaven.
The sense of awareness in me shows that there is The Way, The Truth and
The Life everlasting. Along my journey, so far, I have been shown and
experienced that God wants me to follow.
The Catholic Church: God founded the Catholic Church. “You are the
Messiah,” Simon Peter answered, “the Son of the living God!” Jesus
replied, “Blest are you, Simon son of Jonah! No mere man has revealed
this to you, but my heavenly Father. I for my part declare to you, you are
‘Rock’ and on this rock I will build my church, and the jaws of death
shall not prevail against it.” (Matt 16:16-18).
The Mystical Body, the Church: 27 You, then, are the body of Christ.
Every one of you is a member of it. (1Cor 12:27). 12 The body is one
and has many members, many though they are, are one body, and so it
is with Christ. (1Cor 12:12). 18 It is he who is head of the body, the
church; he who is the beginning, the first-born of the dead, so that
primacy may be his in everything. (1Col 1:18).
The Catholic Mass: kingdom of heaven on earth. At all times around
the earth the Catholic Mass is celebrated to perpetuate the Last Supper
of Jesus at Passover from the account: 23 I received from the Lord what
I handed on to you, namely, that the Lord Jesus on the night in which he
was betrayed took bread, 24 and after he had given thanks, broke it and
said, “This is my body, which is for you. Do this in remembrance of me.”
25 In the same way, after the supper, he took the cup, saying, “This cup
is the new covenant in my blood. Do this, whenever you drink it, in
remembrance of me.” (1 Cor. 11:23-25). Also: (Matt 26:26-27;
Luke 22:7-23; Mark 14:22-24).
The Eucharist and the Blood: The secret of the resurrection.
Heavenly food and drink for our journey on earth to enter into eternal
life in heaven. “Our Father in heaven…. Give us today our daily
bread, ….” (Matt 6:9-13).
Discourse of the Eucharist and the Blood of Christ: (John 6:35-58)
35 “I myself am the bread of life. No one who comes to me shall ever
be hungry, no one who believes in me shall ever thirst.”
39 “It is the will of him who sent me that I should lose nothing of
what he has given me; rather, that I should lose nothing of
what he has given me; rather, that I should raise it up on the
last day.”
40 “Indeed, this is the will of my Father, that everyone who looks
upon the Son and believes in him shall have eternal life.
Him I will raise up on the last day.”
41 “I am the bread that came down from heaven.”
44 “No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws
him; I will raise him up on the last day.”
46 “Not that anyone has seen the Father – only the one who is
from God has seen the Father.”
47 “Let me firmly assure you he who believes has eternal life.”
48 “I am the bread of life.”
50 “This is the bread that comes down from heaven for a man
to eat and never die.”
51 “I myself am the living bread come down from heaven.
If anyone eats this bread he shall live forever, the bread
I will give is my flesh for the life of the world.”
53 “Let me solemnly assure you, if you do not eat the flesh
of the Son of Man and drink his blood you have no
life in you.”
54 “He who feeds on my flesh and drinks my blood has life
eternal and I will raise him up on the last day.”
55 “For my flesh is real food and my blood real drink.”
56 “The man who feeds on my flesh and drink my blood
remains in me and I in him.”
57 “Just as the Father who has life sent me and I have life
because of the Father, so the man who feeds on me
will have life because of me.”
58 “This is the bread that came down from heaven. …
the man who feeds on this bread shall live forever.”
Angels: God provide a Guardian Angel to each person to guide and
lead to heaven. Angels are also assigned to control the cosmos and
other aspects of God’s creations. There are Archangels St. Michael,
St. Gabriel, and St. Raphael who have specials duties in serving God
and the people of God. There are even the seraphim, angels of the
highest forms, who are always in the presence of God who praise
God without ceasing: “2 Seraphim were stationed above, …3 “Holy,
holy, holy is the Lord of host!” they cried one to the other. “All the
earth is filled with his glory!” (Isaiah 6:1-13).
Saints: Heroes of the Catholic faith whose lives of holiness, serving
God faithfully, bringing God’s salvation to others. The Blessed
Virgin Mary is the Queen of the Saints guarded by his spouse
St. Joseph the Terror of Demons. All the holy saints are in full
communion with God and have their abode in heaven. They roam
freely and available to mortals who call on them for assistance,
guidance and intercession. And mortals can look up to them as
models of love, holiness and virtues in leading to God.
Catholic Sacramentals: These are sacred signs of various
objects with the blessings by a priest or bishop through the
intercession of the Church to obtain signifying effects of
spiritual nature. Among the sacramentals: the sign of the cross,
crucifix, holy water, blessed oil, blessed salt, Rosary, blessed
statues of saints and angels, brown scapular, miraculous
medal, St. Benedict medal, etc.
Sacramentals are cited in the Bible: Gal 6:14, Nu 5:17,
Ez 9:4,6, Mk 9:49-50, Ez 43:23-24, 2Kgs 5:10, 2Kgs 13:20-21,
Jn 9:6-12, Lk 8:44, Acts 19:11-12, Ps 16:4, Mt 26:39-44,
Ps 136, Rev 4:8.
Tidbits of Thoughts: The Catholic Church founded by Jesus Christ
has remained for over 2000 years whereas the other Christian
churches which started to form some 500 years ago have splintered
into thousands and thousands of various denominations.
I wonder if those who started their own church have asked permission
from God to build their church. Have they received an answer from
God that they can do so? Is it found in the Bible?
By stepping out of the Catholic Church, one severs his/her membership
from the Mystical Body of Christ, with Jesus Christ as the head of the
Body. …‘Sir, open for us….’ ‘I do not know where you come from.’
‘We ate and drank in your company. You taught in our streets.’
“I tell you, I do not know where you come from. Away from me,
you evildoers!’ (Luke 13:22-30).
Forgiveness of Sin: Jesus said to Peter “I will entrust to you the
keys of the kingdom of heaven. Whatever you declare bound on
earth shall be bound in heaven, whatever you declare loosed on earth
shall be loosed in heaven.” (Matt 16:19). By virtue of the laying
of hands from Jesus to his Apostles and down to the bishops and
priests of the Catholic Church, God’s grace is conveyed fully in
Persona Christi, to all the members of the Mystical Body of Christ.
Washed in the Blood of Christ: For me, to be forgiven of my sins
I need to confess in repentance to a fully ordained Catholic priest or
bishop and be absolved of my sins by him in Persona Christi (Matt 16:19).
Washing of our sins with the blood of Jesus is drinking his blood.
He said: “All of you must drink from it’… ‘for this is my blood, … ‘
‘to be poured out in behalf of many for the forgiveness of sins.’
(Matt 26:26-29).
The Evil One Satan is the foremost enemy of God: 6 Bow humbly
under God’s mighty hand, so that in due time he may lift you high.
8 Stay sober and alert. Your opponent the devil is prowling like a
roaring lion looking for someone to devour. 9 Resist him, solid in
your faith, realizing that the brotherhood of believers is undergoing
the same sufferings throughout the world. (1Peter 5:6-9).
The Evil One hates the Blessed Virgin Mary so much because God
chose and prepared her to be sinless: 28 …”Rejoice, O highly
favored daughter! 30 … Do not fear, Mary. You have found favor
with God. 31 You shall conceive and bear a son and give him the
name Jesus…. 35 …will be called Son of God…. 37 for nothing
is impossible with God.” (Luke 1:26-44).
But the Evil One put the thoughts in some people that Mary is
just like any person to be with sin “All men have sinned and are
deprived of the glory of God.” (Rom 3:23) which could make
the son she conceived in her womb to be with sin. If that is so,
then the Jesus borne from the woman with sin could not be the
Son of God Jesus Christ. So for those who don’t believe in the
word of God, the Jesus Christ they profess to believe is not the
same Jesus Christ that the Catholic Church believe.
The Evil One and his minions do not follow or acknowledge all
that the Catholic Church believe and practice because the Son of
God Jesus Christ is present, such as, the incarnation, his birth,
his life among the people, his Passion and Death on the Cross.
That is why other churches that profess to be of Jesus Christ
show only a cross without the corpus to signify the cross after
the resurrection of Jesus Christ. The significance of the Passion and
Death of Jesus Christ on the cross is to take away the sins from
the people in order for them to be reconciled back with God.
The Evil One hates the people without sin as that make them alive
in God – no more death. Other practices of the Catholic Church,
that the Evil One does not want the mystical body of Christ do,
are: the confession and absolution of sin, receiving the Eucharist
and drinking of His blood, veneration of the saints and in relation
with the holy angels. That is why the desecration of statues of
saints, angels, other holy objects in the Catholic Church, especially
that of the Blessed Virgin Mary, happen on several occasions
around the world.
Purgatory: The Catechism of the Catholic Church defines
purgatory as a “purification, so as to achieve the holiness necessary
to enter the joy of heaven” which is experienced by those “who die
in God’s grace and friendship, but still imperfectly purified”
(CCC 1030). The final purification of the elect… is entirely
different from the punishment of the damned” (CCC 1031).
Scripture teaches, nothing unclean will enter the presence of God
in heaven (Rev 21:27) and, while we may die with our mortal
sins forgiven there can still be many impurities in us. The soul
is purified of the remaining consequences of sin: “I tell you, you
will never get out till you have paid the very last copper”
(Luke 12:59).
When I make it to purgatory… ta da… heaven!
I read an article about a Harvard law professor Dr. Adrian Vermeule
who converted to Catholicism; in an interview, he said: that
“there is no stable middle ground between Catholicism and
atheistic materialism. One must always be traveling, or
slipping unintentionally, in one direction or the other.”
Catholicism and atheism are the only stable options.
Jesus, I love you.
Jesus, have mercy on me a sinner.
Jesus, I trust in you.