OF INTEREST TO CATHOLICS

How To Ensure That Your Child Leaves the Faith

1) Avoid the use of the word 'sin.

- It may develop in the child a 'guilt complex. This will prepare him to believe that there is no right or wrong.

2) Never take your child to confession.

- This will ingrain the concept that no one sins and there was no need for Christ's life, passion, death, and resurrection.

3) Drop off and pick up your child from Catechism class and never take them to Mass.

- If Mass is not important to you how can it be for your child.

4) Never Pray, say a Rosary, or read the Bible at home.

- The child will see that the faith is something that is only preached not practiced.

5) Never discuss or teach the Catholic faith in your home.

- The child will think if Catholicism is not worth talking about why bother.

6) Pick and choose Catholic teachings you wish to follow.

- That way your child will learn their opinion is superior to God.

7) Come to Sunday Mass informally clad.

- Not being well dressed makes a statement that the Mass and the Blessed Sacrament are not worth respect.

8) Only come to church on holidays such as Easter and Christmas.

- The child will see that you are a hypocrite.

9) Don't have religious pictures, crucifixes, or statues in your home.

- This way the child will not be frequently reminded of Christ and His Church.

10) Tell your child that one religion is as good as another.

- The child will doubt the Holy Roman Catholic Church is God's one true church and Christ's words, 'I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. (John 14:6)

Judge Not?

Tolerance has become the ultimate virtue in our society. This is made evident by the Bible verse one hears quoted most often 'Judge not, lest ye be judged. (Matt 7:1) Even those who indulge in sin and debauchery use this quote repeatedly to deflect any criticism by any well meaning Christian. The question arises, does this verse really mean that one can not condemn sinful behaviour? The answer to this question is a resounding NO. The purpose of this verse is to caution one not to be self righteous and never to determine the ultimate guilt that someone incurs before God.

The Catholic Church has always taught that one of the spiritual works of mercy is to admonish the sinner. We are to judge the moral worth of human actions. The Ten Commandments and all the moral teachings of the Bible are judgments of behaviour, and it is the responsibility of believers to make these divine judgments known to themselves and to the world at large. The New Testament declares, 'Have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather reprove them. (Eph. 5:11) So faithful Catholics must correct their neighbours in love and kindness in order to help them from the wickedness and snares of the Devil because the Word of God also states, 'When a man knows the right thing to do and does not do it, he sins.

Catholic Converts

Christianity is not very popular in the mainstream press. Still less are organized churches like the Catholic Church, which is frequently criticized for it's teachings such as, priestly ordination is reserved for men or that artificial birth control is a grave moral wrong. Such hostility is not new, in fact it has existed pretty much since the birth of the Church. The questions arise: Why does Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas return home to Rome? Why does Norma 'Jane Roe McCorvey of the famous 'Roe vs Wade case that legalized abortion and President George Bush's son Jeb Bush of Florida convert to Catholicism? The answer to these questions is the Roman Catholic Church is and always has been the only clear and authentic voice of Christianity!

While the Evangelical Right gets most of the press. The people on the road to Rome is growing. In the past two decades the Catholic Church in America has grown 23%, the Church in Africa has doubled to over 100 million, and membership in the Catholic faith has reached the 1 billion mark worldwide! The vast majority of converts to Catholicism say they are attracted to the Church for the following reasons; an unwavering moral code, it is the only link with God and His teachings, and the Catholic Church has all of the right enemies. Converts see the Roman Catholic Church as the uncompromising voice against such evils as; abortion, racism, moral relativism, fornication, radical feminism, the assisted suicide movement, contraception, the homosexual agenda, pornography, materialism, and secularism. The Catholic Church does not bow to opinion polls or social trends. It is a shining light of truth in a dark and fallen world.

Many converts say that they always have felt drawn to Catholicism's emphasis on reason, order, structure, and beauty. The Catholic faith also answers the big questions such as: Why is the world so messed up? Why am I here? What happens after death? Why do bad things happen to good people? When asked why they did not join a Protestant sect the often heard reply is Protestantism is incomplete. The Protestant right offers faith without intellect while the left offers intellect without faith.

The secular world finds convert's orthodox reasons for joining the Catholic Church bewildering, but the fact remains people are hungry for the truth and are willing to make the right choice and join the One True Church in order to find it!

Even the Demons Believe

'For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that each one may receive what is due him for the things done while in the body, whether good or bad.(2 Cor: 5 -10)

Today it seems more than ever that Catholics are beleaguered by Protestants that promulgate the error that good works are worthless and that faith alone in Jesus Christ is sufficient for ones salvation. How many times have unsuspecting Catholics heard, 'For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.(Jn 3:16) After quoting this verse, presumptuous Protestants will exclaim, see the Catholic Church is wrong, works are not important! What most Catholics don't know is that the ensuing verses in this chapter that stress the significance of works are conveniently never mentioned. ' . . . and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil. For every one who does evil hates the light, and does not come to the light, lest his deeds should be exposed. But he who does what is true comes to the light, that it may be clearly seen that his deeds have been wrought in God. (Jn 3:19'21) These verses are obviously ignored because they substantiate the importance of works and also reveals that the faith alone premise is unbiblical.

Once the (Jn 3:16) deception has been exposed, one or both of the atomic bombs of the so called faith alone passages will be dropped. 'For if Abraham was justified by works, he has something to boast about, but not before God. For what does the scripture say? Abraham believed God, and it was reckoned to him as righteousness.' Now to one who works, his wages are not reckoned as a gift but as his due. And to one who does not work but trusts him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is reckoned as righteousness. (Rom 4: 2-5) and 'For by grace you have been saved through faith; and this is not your own doing, it is the gift of God not because of works, lest any man should boast. (Eph 2:8-9) These Bible texts at first glance seem to explode the Catholic position, but these bombshells can be easily defused. First, Protestants again deliberately fail to quote passages in these chapters that proclaim the significance of good works such as (Eph 2:10),For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them. Second, Protestants make the tragic error of confusing the ceremonial works of the Mosaic law that were eradicated by Christ with works of love and charity. If these verses are read in their proper context one will discover that in both cases the subject being addressed is whether circumcision is a requirement for a follower of Christ and not if virtues acts are null and void. As one can imagine, circumcision would be a major stumbling block for an adult male to convert. The sole purpose of theses two verses is to reassure the ungodly, Gentiles that have not been circumcised, that they can belong to Christ and His Church along with their Jewish brothers through faith apart from the Mosaic law. The New Testament makes it abundantly clear that the ceremonial works of the Jews are now impotent and no one said it better than St. Paul who happen to write Romans and Ephesians, 'If any other man thinks he has reason for confidence in the flesh, I have more: circumcised on the eighth day, of the people of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew born of Hebrew parents; as to the law a Pharisee, as to zeal a persecutor of the church, as to righteousness under the law blameless. . . . Indeed I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have accepted the loss of all things, and I count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own, based on law,( Phil 3:4-9)

The last weapon in any Protestant's arsenal is the question, why do you Catholics do good works, didn't Christ pay the price for our sins on the cross once and for all? This query is designed to confuse and place one on the defensive. Catholics should first respond by saying, I am redeemed by the Blood of Christ, I trust in Him alone for my eternal salvation, and as (Phil 2:12 ) teaches, I am working out my salvation in fear and trembling. Next, it must be stressed that Catholics participate in Christ's once and for all sacrifice on Calvary every time they attend Mass because they are one in the same. Jesus made this perfectly clear at the Last Supper, 'Now as they were eating, Jesus took bread, and blessed, and broke it, and gave it to the disciples and said, Take, eat; this is my body.' And he took a cup, and when he had given thanks he gave it to them, saying, 'Drink of it, all of you; for this is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for thanks he gave it to them, saying, 'Drink of it, all of you; for this is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for 28) and St. Paul confirmed this by saying, 'The cup of blessing which we bless, is it not a participation in the blood of Christ? The bread which we break, is it not a participation in the body of Christ? (1 Cor 10:16) Lastly, Catholics must state that the Church has always proclaimed that Christ paid the price for our sins by His crucifixion, and correctly teaches that through the grace of God, Catholics are given the strength to pick up their cross and follow Jesus and in doing so complete what is lacking in His afflictions to aid the Church militant on earth and those suffering in purgatory. 'Now I rejoice in my sufferings for your sake, and in my flesh I complete what is lacking in Christ's afflictions for the sake of his body, that is, the church (Col 1:24)

It is essential that Protestants be made aware that no where in the Bible can one find the phrase, 'one is saved by faith alone. As a matter of fact, the only place in the Bible where the phrase, 'faith alone appears is in the Book of James. 'You believe that God is one; you do well. Even the demons believe and shudder. Do you want to be shown, you shallow man, that faith apart from works is barren? Was not Abraham our father justified by works, when he offered his son Isaac upon the altar? You see that faith was active along with his works, and faith was completed by works, and the scripture was fulfilled which says, 'Abraham believed God, and it was reckoned to him as righteousness; and he was called the friend of God. You see that a man is justified by works and not by faith alone. (Jm 2 :19'24) Most of today's adherents to Protestantism have no idea that, Martin Luther, heretic and architect of the Reformation, belittled the Book of James calling it, 'the epistle of straw. Luther even went so far as to take this epistle out of the original Lutheran Bible because he knew it torpedoed his concocted theory of salvation. The Roman Catholic Church has always taught that salvation is a gift from God, and that justification and sanctification are accomplished by faith in Jesus Christ along with works of love and charity. The Church has never said that works are of ones' own merit. Even the most official teaching of the Catholic faith, the Council of Trent, reiterates this teaching, 'If any one saith, that man may be justified before God by his own works, whether done through the teaching of human nature, or that of the law, without the grace of God through Jesus Christ; let him be anathema. (The Sixth Session Canon I )

The evidence for necessity of good works is overwhelming. Jesus tells us in (Matt 25:31-46), that those who feed the hungry, give water to the thirsty, clothe the naked, visit the sick and those in prison will go to heaven, and those who do not perform these acts of love will not like where they end up. In (Matt 19:16-17), Jesus is asked the question, 'Teacher, what good must I do to gain eternal life? He answered, 'If you wish to enter into life, keep the commandments. So the next time a Catholic is confronted by an erroneous statement such as, good works are worthless and that faith alone in Jesus Christ is sufficient for salvation. They need only reply, that every time a Catholic is born again through baptism, humbly asks for absolution for their sins in the sacrament of confession, does penitence, receives the real body, blood, soul, and divinity of Jesus Christ in the Most Holy Eucharist, prays a rosary, or just says a simple prayer from the heart they are following Christ's mandate, 'You shall love the Lord, your God, with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind. This is the greatest and the first commandment. (Matt 22: 37-38); and when a Catholic feeds the hungry, gives alms to the poor, takes care of the sick, visits those in prison, buries the dead, instructs the ignorant, admonishes the sinner, comforts the sorrowful, prays for the living and the dead, or just lends a helping hand to their fellow man they are following the second greatest commandment. 'You shall love your neighbor as yourself. (Matt 22:39) 'the Son of man is to come with his angels in the glory of his Father, and then he will repay every man for what he has done. '(Matt 16: 27)

Nobody is Laughing

In 1968, Pope Paul VI in his encyclical Humane Vitae clearly proclaimed the teaching of the Church that the two purposes for marital union are to procreate and establish a loving and caring relationship between husband and wife. He also warned that if these two purposes were ever separated by a contraceptive act disorder would occur in the sacred union of matrimony and society as a whole. Pope Paul's warnings about the evils of contraception went ignored. The secular media along with dissidents within the Church ridiculed and laughed at him and said things such as, 'You poor foolish old man, you just don't get it. Artificial birth control is the magic pill that will change our society for the better. Couples won't have to worry about unwanted pregnancies. Contraception will diminish marital stress and make for happier and stronger families.

The Pope guided by the Holy Spirit and two thousand years of Church teaching stood firm in his conviction and made the predictions that if contraception became embraced by the masses the following would happen. There would be more infidelity in marriages. Women would be treated more and more like mere objects of pleasure by men. Morals would be lowered in society as a whole, and world powers would force birth control upon thepoor nations of the world. Paul VI's predictions all came true, and the result has been a world plagued with divorce, fornication, adultery, dysfunctional families, abortion, pornography, and sexual deviancy. Nobody is laughing anymore except Satan and his minions.

Not Enough Babies Are Being Born!

The New York Times and ABC's Nightline, two of the United States' leading mouthpieces for the 'Culture of Death, have finally acknowledged what most demographers have been saying for more than a decade: The countries of Europe and North America that have embraced contraception as a way of life are demographically dead. In a perverse way, the Times and ABC stories on the vanishing West could be their way of paying tribute to Pope Paul VI's prophetic encyclical Humanae Vitae, issued 30 years ago this summer.It warned that contraception would lead to a 'weakening of the discipline of habits such as having babies.

In order to understand this problem, one must go back two centuries, when Thomas Robert Malthus, an English economist, published the first edition of a pamphlet that became known as An Essay on Population. It contained the gloomy prediction that Britain's population explosion would inevitably outstrip its food supply and the country would collapse into anarchy and disease.

The pamphlet became an immense best-seller and remains a gospel for environmentalists to this day. It contains some good philosophical sense; yet on the subject of population it was plain wrong. The food supply grew faster than population through-out the next two centuries, both nationally and globally. The only problem the world has with food is its distribution.

Malthus's biggest error of all'population did not continue to expand indefinitely. Putting the final nail in the coffin of Malthusian theory, the United Nations convened a meeting in New York last week to discuss what it called a 'new demographic crisis and a 'new population problem, one that already affects 51 countries and will soon spread to another 37'countries containing two -thirds of the world population. The problem is falling numbers of people. Forget the population explosion; it is the population implosion that we must start to worry about.

In Italy the fertility rate is the lowest in the world and has now fallen to 1.1 children per woman. It is not much higher in Spain, Germany, Sweden, France, or Britain. Even in countries like Canada and America the fertility rate is now below the threshold of 2.1 children per woman necessary to keep the population stable. This means that, without immigration, the population of those countries will fall. The number of countries with such, below-replacement fertility, is growing all the time. The fear of Third World nations population out pacing the West and causing political unrest has many in the West afraid. So Third World nations are now being held hostage by economic means to reduce their populations. In order for poor nations to get the desperate loans they need from the World Bank, First World Nations tell these countries they must implement forced sterilization programs, such as in the cases of Mexico and Peru, increase promotion of contraception, and provide abortion on demand. The Third World nations birth rates are starting to fall under the economic pressure from the West.

Because of the transition, demographers have steadily reduced their estimates of world population growth since the 1960s. First they talked, like Malthus, about an indefinite exponential rise. Then they realized that the growth rate was slowing all the time, so they talked about world population leveling off at 15 billion or so in the middle of the next century. But as the world grew richer, the decline of population sharpened. Now it is widely agreed that population will never reach even 10 billion. The UN itself estimates that the top of the graph will be reached at 9.4 billion some 50 years from now. Think about that for a moment: population is not about to double again. It is already at 5-7 billion and has doubled nearly three times since Malthus's time. Yet our granaries are bulging, wheat prices are at their lowest levels ever, large tracts of agricultural land are being used for the luxury of meat production or is set aside altogether for nature. The Third World is consuming more calories per person than ever before. Disease, malnutrition, and famine are retreating almost everywhere.

The reason population continues to decline is because we are so selfish and greedy. Prosperity has strangled us! We live in the richest country in the world and everyone is worried if they can afford to take their next vacation or buy a new car. The ethic of sacrifice for a family, one of the basic ideas of human societies has become a historical notion. It is astonishing! Did your parents sit down with a spread sheet and figure out if they could afford to have two or four children? No, of course not. Did this ever happen before anywhere? No, of course not.

Birth Rates:

A birth rate of 2.1 rate is needed for replacement. Below 2.1 means that, without immigration, the population of those countries will decline! The birth rate for the United States would be far below 2.0 if it was not for the immigration and high birth rate of Hispanics.

Italy -1.1

Spain'1.2

Greece'1.3

Austria'1.4

Germany'1.5

Denmark'1.6

France'''1.7

Britain'''1.7

Ireland''''1.8

Australia'''1.8

Canada''''1.8

USA''''''1.9

Brazil'''''''2.5

Mexico'''''''2.7

Philippines'''''''3.6

Egypt''''''''''3.8

Sudan'''''''''''5.4

Iran'''''''''''''5.9

Oman'''''''''''''6.0 Nigeria''''''''''''''6.3 Yemen''''''''''''''''7.0 Ethiopia'''''''''''''''7.1

Questions Protestants Just Hate About the Bible!

1) If the 'Bible Alone is the sole guideline of the Christian faith, how were people saved in the past if they didn't have a Bible to guide them? It was over 300 years after Christ's resurrection forthe Bible to be complied in its' present form and 1500 years for the Bible to be mass printed.

2) Why does the Bible state the Church is built upon Peter and not the Bible? 'And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the powers of death shall not prevail against it. (Matt 16:18)

3) Christ told the apostles to go forth and preach. Only five of the twelve apostles wrote books of the Bible. So why didn't Christ tell them to go forth and write His gospel so all future generations could read it? That is what Mohammed did. 4) How come the Bible says the Church is the pillar and foundation of truth and not the Bible? 'But if I am delayed, you may know how one ought to behave in the household of God, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and foundation of the truth. (1 Tim 3: 15)

5) Why do Protestants follow only the Bible and ignore Holy tradition when the Bible clearly states that tradition is of great importance? 'Therefore, brothers, stand firm and hold fast to the traditions that you were taught, either by an oral statement or by a letter of ours. (2 Thess. 2:15)

6) How do you know for certain which books of the Bible are divinely inspired and which translation is correct without an infallible authority?

7) If each individual reader is guided by the Holy Spirit to interpret the Bible correctly, why are there over 25,000 different Protestant denominations disagreeing with each other about the Bible's meaning?

8) Why do Protestants claim that they are justified by faith alone when the Bible clearly says we are justified by faith and works? 'You see that a man is justified by works and not by faith alone (James 2 : 24)

9) Today's Protestant Bibles are based on the King James version. King James was a political leader not an ecclesiastical authority. What authority did he have to produce a Bible? Absolutely none! So the question arises, suppose the President of the United States decided to produce a Bible. Would you trust your salvation to the George Bush version of the Bible? 10) Does your Bible contain all the books of the Old Testament that Christ read from or is it like the Protestant Bible that is missing seven books? (Tibet, Judith, Wisdom, Sirach, Baruch, 1 & 2 Maccabees)

The Golden Calf

The whole world has bought the fundamentally pagan idea that each person makes up his own code of morality and then in the next world is judged upon how well he has observed his own code. For the world, it is as if Christ had never come at all. The revelation made by Christ, unknown even to the Jews before the time of Christ, that the Ten Commandments were not merely a Jewish moral code, but were already written on the hearts of every man on earth, has not just been spurned. It has been ignored!

The person who supports his family by selling pornography tells himself that he will be able to explain and defend his conduct before God. The man and woman living together without the benefit marriage tell themselves that fornication is not sinful. So, too, with those unrepentant in abortion, divorce and remarriage, contraception, sodomy, drug taking, theft, and perjury. Even the person who has built up within himself a total aversion to the Catholic faith and all hearing and reading of the Scriptures, tells himself that he, too, will be able to explain all this satisfactorily and be accepted into heaven.

What is all this? It is the idea that God is a bit of a dope, a bit of a sap, and in fact, very much a wimp. These people, whose name is Legion, are not just fallen Christians, Not just lost sheep at all. Rather, they are really atheists, unbelievers not just in the Church, but in the very notion itself of a meaningful God.

Such people will often snicker at the Biblical account of the worship of the golden calf (Exodus 32). How could the Israelites, they ask themselves, have run off into such idiocy? How could so many have done so? This was the whole people, not just a lunatic fringe. How could they all together have developed such a pathetic image of God and acted upon it?

The fact is that the gods that the modern world worships are not one whit less inane than was the golden calf. The people of Israel wanted desperately to have a god they could feel superior to. So, too, with the modern world which has sunk largely into paganism. The worship of Christ and obedience to His moral precepts has been cast aside. The world now slavishly venerates the unholy trinity of power, greed, and lust.

People must understand that the large number of Hebrews that worshiped the golden calf in Exodus did not make it right, and like wise the multitude today that profess belief in equally foolish and pathetic gods does not make it any more acceptable to God. The warning must be proclaimed from the housetops that those who follow false notions about God, worship the counterfeit gods of this world, ignore the truth of the Catholic faith, or disregard the self evident laws of holiness written upon their hearts will not like where they end up.

The Hell You Say!

It has become a formality that everyone is automatically whisked to heaven. Purgatory is ignored and the chance that a departed soul might be in hell is no longer part of the equation. Only monsters such as, Hitler and Stalin could possibly be suffering with the fallen angels. Thanks to heretical teachers many people have been convinced that Christ is tolerant of sin, non judgmental, and pluralistic in His view of salvation. People actually believe that Jesus would never allow anyone to be cast down into everlasting torment because He is a God of love. This idea is contrary to the Bible and Church teaching. It is true that Christ loves all of mankind even those in the pit of unquenchable fire. It is also true that He desires all to be saved and to embrace the truth, but the reality is some people because of their pride decide to reject Him and prefer the darkness of sin thus casting themselves into the bowels of hell. 'And this is the verdict, that the light came into the world, but people preferred darknessto light, because their works were evil. (Jn 3 :19)

If people would just open up their Bibles and read, they would discover that the Jesus of the Gospels bears no resemblance to the fabrication created by the false prophets of our day. Christ condemned the idea that there are many paths to God. Jesus said, 'I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father, but by me. (John 14:6) He also forewarns us that there will not be universal salvation of mankind. 'The Son of Man will send his angels, and they will collect out of his kingdom all who cause others to sin and all evildoers. They will throw them into the fiery furnace, where there will be wailing and grinding of teeth. (Matt 13: 41-42) Christ's teachings are not ambiguous. The rejection of the free gift of salvation offered by Christ through sin or unbelief carries with it a clear a defined outcome.

One needs to understand the magnitude of importance Jesus placed on avoiding damnation. If you were to take a Bible where the words of Christ are highlighted in red, and go through it, one would discover that Jesus spent one third of His ministry on this unpleasant subject. The Catholic Church understanding the significance of this fact has always taught the reality of hell. As a matter of fact, the new Catechism of the Catholic Church states: 'The teaching of the Church affirms the existence of hell and its eternity. Immediately after death the souls of those who die in a state of mortal sin descend into hell, where they suffer the punishments of hell, 'eternal fire.' The chief punishment of hell is eternal separation from God, in whom alone man can possess the life and happiness for which he was created and for which he longs (CCC 1035). Priests, deacons, and religious instructors that are faithful to Christ and His Church unashamedly preach about the doctrine of hell because they love their fellow man as themselves and want everyone to live in God's grace forever. On the other hand, those who remain silent on this subject or deny its existence have instilled a false sense of security and self confidence concerning salvation. This is quite evident in Catholics that have foolishly subscribed to the Protestant concoction that a person can not sin once they believe in Jesus and even if they would sin, no punishment will be due them because they are already saved. The Bible unquestionably denies this counterfeit theology. 'I am not aware of anything against myself, but I am not thereby acquitted. It is the Lord who judges me.(1 Cor 4 : 4)

If o ne wants to accept Christ's gift of deliverance and avoid eternal damnation simply enter into the sole ark of salvation, the Holy Roman Catholic Church, and live a faithful life in accordance to it's teachings. 'And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. (Matt 16:18) Christ will bring the faithful to everlasting life through His instruments of justification and sanctification, the seven sacraments. In baptism, we are born again, cleansed from all sin, and permanently claimed as a child of God. The sacrament of confession is where Christ lovingly waits to forgive the repentant sinner. Confirmation completes the baptismal promises, places an indelible mark upon the soul, and gives one the strength to endure the struggles of this life. Holy Orders is God's unique channel of dispensing His sacraments to the faithful. Marriage builds up the kingdom of God through love and procreation. The Holy Eucharist is the source and the pinnacleof the Christian life. 'He who eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day. (Jn 6:54) The Anointing of the Sick forgives sin, heals the body if it is God's will, and strengthens the soul for the journey home.

Those who die in perfect communion with Christ through the sanctifying grace of His sacraments will be given the bliss of seeing God in the face, the beatific vision. People that pass on in a state of grace, but still have temporal punishment to atone for will enter heaven only after they have been cleansed in the fires of purgatory. The people who sincerely searched for God and tried to live a life in accordance to His law written upon their hearts but through no fault of their own never heard the Gospel or had the opportunity to formally enter the Church may be lead into communion with the Mystical Body of Christ, the Roman Catholic Church, by the miraculous intervention of God. 'He that has my commandments and observes them is the one who loves me. And whoever loves me will be loved by my Father, and I will love him and will manifest myself to him.(Jn14:21) All Catholics must never forget that it would be a miracle for any invincible ignorant soul to be saved, because it is impossible to keep the wholemoral law without Christ's grace bestowed through His sacraments. 'For all have sinned, and do need the glory of God. (Roman 3:23) Therefore the conversion of the world to Jesus and His Church is paramount so all will have a true hope of salvation. Lastly, those who live an unrepentant life of sin and debauchery and the prideful who choose by their own freewill to reject either Christ or His Mystical Body and sole ark of salvation, the Catholic Church, will not like where they end up. 'If anyone remains not in me, he shall be cast forth as a branch, and shall wither, and they shall gather him up, and cast him into the fire, and burned. (Jn 15: 6)

If a person chooses not to believe in hell, it does not nullify its existence. The denial of this doctrine only calls God a liar and says that the crucifixion was a useless and vain sacrifice. So the next time a faithful Catholic is confronted by a person that makes an absurd statement such as, there is no hell or that everyone goes to heaven because God would never allow anyone to suffer eternal damnation. Just read them Christ's own words and watch them squirm. 'Enter by the narrow gate; for the gate is wide and the way is easy, that leads to destruction, and those who enter by it are many. For the gate is narrowand the way is hard, that leads to life, and those who find it are few. (Matt 7:13 -14)

'Or do you not know that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived; neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor homosexuals, nor thieves, nor the covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers, shall inherit the kingdom of God. (1 Cor. 6:9-10)

What is in a Name?

Today one will hear certain labels such as, liberal, middle of the road, or conservative bantered around in the media or in polite company to describe a particular Catholics theological position. These terms have not only hindered the faith but caused confusion within the Church allowing people with heretical ideas to advance their agenda under the cover of a fabricated title.

The Bible warns us of the self-proclaimed liberals who will jettison orthodox doctrine in lieu of their own passions. 'For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine, but according to their own desires, because they have itching ears, they will heap up for themselves teachers; and they will turn their ears away from the truth, and be turned itching ears, they will heap up for themselves teachers; and they will turn their ears away from the truth, and be turned 5) We are also told by God's word that those who take the apparently safe route of sitting upon the fence will be rejected. 'I know your works; I know that you are neither cold nor hot. I wish you were either cold or hot. So, because you are lukewarm, neither hot nor cold, I will vomit you from my mouth. (Rev 3:15-16) Finally, the term conservative has no meaning when it comes to Catholicism. It is quite simple, one is either faithful or not. Christ tells us that when He comes in his glory he will separate the sheep from the goats and the later will be sent to ever lasting damnation. The question you have to ask yourself is which group are you going to be in?

Catholics In Name Only

1) Faithful Catholics will endure losing everything even their life rather than renounce the one true faith.

- Catholics in name only conceal their faith in fear of being ridiculed.

2) Faithful Catholics humbly make the sign of the cross before a meal no matter the occasion.

- Catholics in name only never thank God for a meal in public because they are ashamed.

3) Faithful Catholics fast for the love of Christ.

- Catholics in name only complain about fasting on Ash Wednesday, Good Friday, and even for just one hour before receiving Christ in Holy Communion.

4) Faithful Catholics cheerfully support the Church financially.

- Catholics in name only begrudge surrendering even one penny.

5) Faithful Catholics truly love their neighbours and help them at any cost.

- Catholics in name only scorn their fellow man and live only for themselves.

6) Faithful Catholics pray constantly.

- Catholics in name only resent every moment not spent satisfying their own desires.

7) Faithful Catholics think of Sunday Mass as a gift from God.

- Catholics in name only see Sunday Mass as a burden.

8) Faithful Catholics know they are sinners and need frequent reconciliation with God through the sacrament of confession.

- Catholics in name only are too proud to admit they sin.

9) Faithful Catholics follow Church teaching with humility and love.

- Catholics in name only think the Church is a cafeteria in which one may pick and choose what they will follow. 10) Faithful Catholics would never commit the sacrilege of unworthily receiving the Eucharist.

- Catholics in name only no longer believe that the Eucharist is the real body, blood, soul, and divinity of Jesus Christ. 11) Faithful Catholics pray for and forgive their enemies.

- Catholics in name only are consumed with bitterness.

12) Faithful Catholics humbly kneel during the consecration and genuflect before the tabernacle.

- Catholics in name only have knees too stiff with pride.

13) Faithful Catholics are always open to new life and will defend and respect it from conception until a natural death.

- Catholics in name only embrace contraception, abortion, sterilization, or euthanasia.

Adam and Eve

If a Catholic believes there was not an original set of parents (Adam and Eve) but rather a pool of early human couples (the position known as polygenism) then that Catholic has not only denied Church teaching but automatically rejects the infallible dogmas of Original Sin, Baptism, and the Immaculate Conception of Mary. Original sin was passed onto all humanity because of Adam and Eve's fall from grace. 'By one man sin entered into this world, and by sin, death, and so death passed upon all men in whom all have sinned. (Rom 5:12). The sacrament of baptism is when one is born again and cleansed from original, mortal, and venial sin. The dogma of Immaculate Conception is the belief that from very first moment of Mary's existence she was saved by the merits of Jesus Christ from the stain of original sin because God transcends time and space and can do anything. This is why, when the Blessed Virgin was with child visting her cousin Elizabeth, she exclaimed, 'My soul magnifies the Lord, and my spirit rejoices in God my Saviour ' (Lk 1:46-47) Catholics that think it is acceptable to hold the polygenism position are in for rude awaking if they read Pope Pius s XII Encyclical Humani Generis which is part of the Ordinary Magisterium and carries the weight of Church teaching. 'When, however, there is question of another conjectural opinion, namely polygenism, the children of the Church by no means enjoy such liberty. For the faithful cannot embrace that opinion which maintains either that after Adam there existed on this earth true men who did not take their origin through natural generation from him as from the first parents of all, or that Adam represents a certain number of first parents. Now, it is in no way apparent how such an opinion can be reconciled that which the sources of revealed truth and the documents of the teaching authority of the Church proposed with regard to original sin which proceeds from a sin actually committed by an individual Adam in which through generation is passed onto all and is in everyone as his own (Humani Generis 37). Even the new Catechism states that Genesis express the truth of creation and its origin. 'Among all the Scriptural texts about creation, the first three chapters of Genesis occupy a unique place. . . . The inspired authors have placed them at the beginning of Scripture to express in their solemn language the truths of creation'its origin and its end in God, its order and goodness, the vocation of man, and finally the drama of sin and the hope of salvation. Read in the light of Christ, within the unity of Sacred Scripture and in the living Tradition of the Church, these texts remain the principal source for catechesis on the mysteries of the 'beginning: creation, fall, and promise of salvation. [289]

One can only conclude that the Catholic Church continues and will always teach that the human race is descended from Adam and Eve and any theory of origins that conflicts with these authoritative teachings must be false and hence opposed to Christianity.

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