Many of you who read my blog know that I came back to the Catholic church after having spent decades in the so called born again community. And as is always the case. I cannot but speak out against the many discrepancies within the many sects of Protestantism. While there remains only one Holy and Apostolic church. Which is the Catholic church. There are so many things wrong with Protestantism. That I cant help myself from continually mentioning them. The estimates are that there are about 20 to 30 thousand protestant denominations.All of them saying to their ranks that they have it right. And all of them more than willing to say that the Catholic church is the evil empire run by Lucifer himself.

If you spend enough time within their ranks. Most if not all claim to live by the word of God alone. And not by any teachings of man. However they are all aside from having any viable church hierarchy. Teaching their congregants their own take on scripture. Which is generally different than the other guys. And so on and so on. One lives by the rule of not eating shellfish. Another says no wine. Another says don’t buy a lottery ticket. And another says we don’t eat pork. I find it now as well as when I was in their ranks odd. That for groups who claim to live by the bible alone. They can all claim to be right and yet be so wrong.

Briefly I will state the following. Jesus himself and Paul as well. Stated the following. The things you have seen me do and say. You must do also. Nobody was handed my Thompson Chain reference bible and told to hit the bricks. There has always been and still is an order and hierarchy to his church. A government if you will. Looking over and overseeing Gods people. And that was and still is Catholicism. Or the universal church of Jesus Christ. Its rather odd that you look at me funny when I am eating a bacon, egg and cheese. When God has stated  that all things are good for meat and drink for the New Testament church. And how is it that you cant read that when I have your same bible my protestant friends? And I can clearly see it myself? You pour your hard earned money into an IRA account. You have no guarantee anything will be there for you to retire on. In fact in 2008 my friends father in law lost it all. And yet you say I am a sinner for dropping 2 dollars on a lottery ticket. It makes me wonder. Just who is it that is taking the greater risk? But never the less it is in fact both of our monies to do with as we please. God being the judge and not you.

No my friends. I think that I am more than fine in Catholicism. I don’t need 30 thousand commanders trying to run the army of God. Each one giving the troops a different set of marching orders. Christ’s prayer to the Father was this. I pray that they would be one as we are one. But I guess your protestant bible is different than the one I own as well. Or maybe you have failed to read that scripture as well……To be continued

And to the book of Romans chapter 5 verse 8 we go. But God committed his love for us,in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us on the cross. I know that you personally are more than likely unaware of the horrific nature of just what Jesus went through leading up to his death. Most people read through the scripture without giving it much thought. They read like its a duty to do so. They don’t read to actually learn and understand what’s being conveyed.

Aside from Jesus…Most of the apostles met horrible deaths. In fact one was flayed alive. Pause for a moment and ponder the thought of having your skin painstakingly removed form your entire body while you are alive and strapped to a wooden table or board. Now for all of you self proclaimed hard asses out there. Who in your own mind picture yourself single handedly facing the forces of hell. And saving mankind from destruction. You have watched one too many action flicks and Harry Potter films.

More than likely you would be crying for your mamma when the real action started. I myself might take a bullet for someone in a fire fight. And not necessarily by choice or willingly. But Jesus willingly underwent the cruelest of torments to redeem you and I from our sins. For those of you who will spend your lives trying to understand this. You will more than likely never come to salvation. And you will die in your sins having never accepted the work of Christ on the cross. The bible says that Gods ways are beyond finding out. In other words. No matter who you are or who you think you are. You and or I will never ever, ever have all the answers to the questions we have about God. And although there are many who would like you to think when they are speaking from the pulpit…that they have figured them out. My advice to you and me is this. Accept what you can read and understand.

For God is not the author of confusion. And he didn’t have this bible written to blow you and I out of the water. If God says that Jesus died for your sins. And that is all you have the capacity to understand. Then leave it at that. When God says that his mercy for you is everlasting then leave it at that. When God says that he desires for you and I to repent from our sins and receive his forgiveness than leave it at that. And when he says that all of us have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God. Then believe it and change your life for the better.

If out of the entire bible the only thing you can read and understand. Is that God loves you. And that you need to believe in Jesus. That you need to be in a continual state of repentance from sin and be baptized. And that you need to share God with others to the best of your ability and not be ashamed to do so. Frankly you are in fact saved and will make heaven your home. Do not get involved with complicating simple faith. Jesus said to the apostles that unless you come to him as a little child. You will not see or enter into the kingdom of heaven.

His desire is for you to receive the abundant mercy pouring out from the wound in his heart for you. He wants you to be the continual recipient of his divine mercy and graces shown in his death on the cross. And he wants you and I to pray and finish the course of our life in a state of grace and thanksgiving for what he has done for us. There is no need to complicate the uncomplicated. Don’t try to make a four piece puzzle into a tabletop nightmare. Capish?….To be continued

In the Gospel of John chapter 17 verse 8 we read the following. This is Jesus praying to the Father prior to the passion….He is interceding for the apostles and the new believers. For I have given to them the words which you gave to me. and they have received them and known that I have come from you. and they have believed that you sent me. I pray for them. I do not pray for the world. but for those whom you have given to me. For they are yours. and all of mine are yours and yours are mine. And I am glorified in them. And now I will no more be in the world. But these are and I will come to you. holy Father keep them through your own name those whom you have given to me. That they may be one as we are one.

In part of the Apostles Creed. Which is a foundational prayer in the Catholic church. One of the lines says the following. One holy Catholic and apostolic church. Which means this. We are made holy by the blood of Jesus Christ. We were and are to be one body. We are Catholic which was a NAME GIVEN BY NON-BELIEVERS for the early Christian church. As their numbers and influence gained momentum. Which means universal. And we are apostolic. Which means we started with the apostles of Jesus Christ and we continue that chain to this very day.

Now there continue to be many even to this day. Who have spun of from the doctrines of Martin Luther, Calvin and others. Who in there supposed zeal for the truth. Have seemingly overlooked our Lords desire for us to be and function as one body in Him. Some eat meat. Some don’t. some pray in this fashion and some don’t. Some say we worship the pope. While to talk to them you would think that their pastor died on the cross. Some say their church is preaching the truth. Others say No! it is our church who preaches the truth.

There are those chasing around for a supposed word of knowledge or wisdom. trying to gain a foothold on what the future holds for them. Rather than trusting in Gods ability to bring to bare His holy will in their life. And the Catholic church which was and is founded by and in Jesus Christ marches onward. While some 30,000 sects of Protestantism battle it out amongst themselves and with the Catholic church. And Satan sits back and laughs.

I too have chased so called words of knowledge. And to that I will tell you a story.The church which I was involved in prior to coming back to Catholocism. Was headed by a pastor ho was knoiwn for speaking over people words of knowledge. The congregants were so headstrong about this that one could hardly enter the building without someone saying so to them. There is something unsettled within the heart of man. That doesn’t allow them to rest in God. This is why many go to palmists and astrologers. And this same spiritual itch is in the church. Of all the words I had spoken over me only one proved true. A wonderful old woman named Glady Deardon told me the following. This is only part of it….she said that as God had wept over Jerusalem…so I would weep over the needs of his people. I haven’t stopped crying since. And now to the falsities and my story.

I was plagued and attacked spiritually in my sleep. With a reoccurring dream of having perverted intercourse with a woman in the church. I spent what must have been weeks binding and taking authority over the devil regarding this evil attack. One evening service the pastor called me out. and he said to me the following. you have been binding the devil. but it has been God all along. Now unless you believe that God is the author of perversion. Which I certainly do not. It suddenly became apparent to me who was doing the talking. And it was soon after that I left the Pentecostal church.

My friends there is an old adage which says this. Be careful what you wish for. If you believe in God than believe also that He alone is able to guide and shape you. If he has something to say to you he will. Or he will say it through his word or by a brother or sister in love. Stop chasing after a vapor. There are no words of knowledge given in the Catholic church. No running around the chapel a screaming hallelujah. No people collapsing on the floor. No pastors or visiting evangelists showing up in fancy cars asking for as love donation. A kingdom divided cannot stand. Come home to the church where it all started and will all finish. One holy Catholic and apostolic church….To be continued

As I begin this blog. May I do so by planting a seed worthy of discussion? Anger is one letter away from danger. One more time for the record. Anger is one letter away from danger. How many of you readers including myself ? Have said or done something to someone. While in a rage. That we wished after the fact. We could reel  back in and have a do over. I myself have done some really regretful things in my lifetime. Which fall directly into this category. And so to the word of God we go in the book of Ephesians chapter 4 verse 26 and 27…Be angry and sin not. Do not let the sun go down on your anger. Neither should you give place to the devil. It is from this scripture that the door is opened wide to the Catholic teaching of mortal and venial sins.

We see here. That anger is one thing. And what occurs after anger has festered is quite another thing indeed. We also see in verse 27…and it is no surprise. That to give into anger is to be in agreement with none other than the devil himself. Now back to mortal and venial sins. A mortal sin is a deadly sin. It is nothing more than a premediated…well thought out…exercise of the will. You thought about robbing a bank at gun point. You plotted out your entry and get away for weeks. You were prepared to shoot anyone who got in your way. You created an alliance with two other individuals to be involved. And you committed the crime. A venial sin is liken to an impulse. While shopping…when you exited the store. You saw a woman getting into her car having left her handbag in the shopping cart seat. You could have shouted or run over to her. But instead you slowed your roll. Allowing her to drive away. And you just enough time to grab the bag and split.

For those of you that read my blog regularly. May I bring to your recollection the following. Jesus said that if we even look at another individual in a lustful gaze. We have already committed adultery in our heart. Venial…..If I hunt down and plan to have a rendezvous with a hooker…Mortal. Capish? And as is always the case with this Pundit. I will take a little diversion. The other night while watching Joel Olsteen. Who by the way I love and hope he reads this blog. Even though I being a Catholic would not be welcomed at his blend of Christian church. As his singers were on the stage with flashing lights and some with funkadelic hair- dos. One of the main singers…a young woman. Was wearing a pair of sprayed on jeans. And a pair of retro hooker heels from the seventies. She might as well have been wearing a string bikini. How I ask you is this allowed to go on? As someone who has been fighting for decades to deal with the lusts of the flesh. Oh and by the way…I know you don’t have a problem with that. Here is this girl on a national stage were God is so called being glorified. Pimping herself out to the television audience. Disgusting and vulgar…And did I say disgusting and vulgar?

Ladies….long flowing dresses…no cleavage… minimal if any make-up. Do not cause your brother to sin. Got it? Think I’m a drag? Well feast your eyes on this my religious friend. First Timothy chapter 2 verses 9 and 10. Yeah I know my Pentecostal friends. You cant drink a glass of wine. But you can wear an evening gown with a slit up to your butt.

This is what Paul was telling Timothy to teach to the church….In the same way…Teach that the women should adorn themselves with modest apparel. With shamefulness and sobriety. Not with decorated or adorned hair. Wearing of gold or pearls. Or costly garments. But rather with the kind of garments which are becoming to women professing godliness. And that with good works as well. When was the last time your pastor addressed the ladies with this message? Can you say never? Half the congregation is in total denial of the apostles instruction. They are and have handed themselves over to a state of perpetual compromise. I don’t know how I started with anger and ended up here. But that’s the working of the Holy Spirit. So here we go again. As it is with all forms of sin in the life of a Christian. God wants us as mature men and women to recognize things before they have a chance to take root. So many clichés come to mind. Nip it in the bud. Bury the hatchet. And in this particular scripture. Don’t let the sun set on your anger. Its very hard to be angry when you are praying.

Its very hard to be angry when we are reading Gods word. And its also very hard to be angry when you are asking someone to forgive you. Take the high road my friend. And God will bless you for doing so….By the way. Paul and all of the early apostles. Were first hand disciples of
Jesus. And as is the case with this instructional letter to Timothy. They were both teaching. And demonstrating. And setting up bishops. As they established churches. There was no bible so to speak. All of the how and why was done by word of mouth and oral tradition. This was the beginning of what was to be referred to as Catholics. A name first given by historians who were tracking our early churches movements. And that same oral tradition as it pertains to the garments. The mass. The Eucharist. And the order and government of the church. As well as what is and what is not acceptable. Is still upheld today. With Pope Francis as the head in a long unbroken lineage. Which began with Peter as the first……To be continued