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What Do You Think About Pope Leo XIV?
Spiritual Food Blogspot ^ | May 19, 2025 | Rev. Joseph Dwight

Posted on 05/25/2025 4:05:48 AM PDT by JosephJames

In these last few day many people have asked me what I think about the new Pope Leo XIV? As a priest and pastor, one of my most important priorities is to protect the sheep from the wolf, that is, to try to be a “good shepherd” ready to “lay down my life for the sheep” (Jn 10:11; 1Pt 5:1-4), and thus to warn the souls of the many dangers and traps today in this period of the great apostasy before the manifestation of the Antichrist (2Thess ch2) when “if possible, even the elect” (Mt 24:24) will be led astray. Few priests do this today because most priests seek to please people who want to only hear things the way they want things and do not want to hear about the necessity to carry the cross of Christ in their lives and they do not want to hear about the existence of the devil, hell or sin. I responded to them with THREE main points.

(Note: When pasting this document into Free Republic, it seems that most of the special formatting is lost, such as bold, italics, underlined words and embedded links. To read the document with the formatting and embedded links go to the link of the document.)

1) The FIRST POINT that I offer is that Jesus told us: “You will know them by their fruits” (Mt 7:15-20). Jesus did not say “you will know them by their leaves”, which would be their nice words!

BUT IT TAKES TIME TO SEE THE ACTUAL FRUITS, so let us wait until we see the actual fruits. Unfortunately very few people today have any idea about the difference between good fruits and bad fruits. Very few Catholics today know their catechism or even the most fundamental tenets of their faith. When I ask priests of my diocese of Perugia, Italy – Does the Truth come from God or from the Church? – they do not know how to respond! This is why the Antichrist will so easily be able to manipulate the great majority of people well immersed into subjectivism. Moreover, the techniques of brainwashing with the TV and mass media have been very highly developed.

People today have been led and brainwashed to not recognize or to outright reject the beam of light from the Light House in our present day storm of confusion, that is, the Truth of God that does not change with the world. If a person speaks nice, they say: “oh how nice”! If a person speaks the uncomfortable Truth, they say: “what an idiot”! Not only has the great majority of Catholics forgotten their catechism and the fundamental principles and Truths of their precious faith, but we are totally surrounded today by the atmosphere of RELATIVISM, which means every person become the source of truth and interpretation of truth, not GOD! Thus we must be reminded that the fundamental criteria of determining good fruits from bad fruits is to bring these fruits before the Truth of God which does not change with the truth of the world which changes continuously according to the whims and arrogance of men. In this way we can see if the fruits are in harmony, or not in harmony, with the documents of the Church and the writings of the saints which are well summarized in the Catechism of the Catholic Church for adults (CCC); ed. 1992, promulgated by Pope John Paul II (http://www.vatican.va/archive/ENG0015/_INDEX.HTM). The Truth of God sets us free (Jn 8:32). The false truth of the father of lies, Satan (Jn 8:44) offers us pleasure and pride today, but afterwards slavery here on earth and for eternity.

A very powerful weapon of Freemas0nry, together with the various groups of the superrich such as the Bildeb*rger group, in controlling and manipulating the people is SECULAR FEMINISM, which in many ways, has succeeded in putting aside the man as the protector of the family, the Church and society. As God made us, men tend to reason with their INTELLECT and LOGIC whereas women tend to reason with the HEART. Thus women are more susceptible and influenced by nice sounding words and less inclined to distinguish between good fruits and bad fruits, between fruits that lead to the true and lasting good of people or to harming people and even leading people away from God and toward hell. Thus the superrich have spent tremendous amounts of money, that they covertly stole from us, to promote secular feminism, the so-called, nice-sounding, “women’s liberation”, so that it becomes much more difficult for the general public to discover the truth of how we are being SWINDLED and even BRAINWASHED and led to where we do not want to go!!! “Satan disguises himself as an angel of light” (2Cor 11:14). Just as we have been brainwashed to seek to be liberated from God and to believe that God is not love but evil, and to believe that God gave us the Ten Commandments for our harm and not for our good, so too, women have been brainwashed to seek to be liberated from men who by the design of God, if they pray, protect their wives, families and society, which today is greatly lacking! It is amazing today how Satan, using his very numerous puppets and the motors of the culture (mass media, schools, religious institutions), have overturned the truth so as to convince the great majority that God is bad and Satan is good. In Sacred Scripture we find that GOD loves his creatures immensely and is the “Prince of Peace” (Is 9:6), whereas SATAN, who rebelled against God and who hates us and wants our total destruction is “the father of lies” (Jn 8:44) and “the prince of the world” (Jn 12:31; 14:30; Rev 12:9)! “Woe to those who call evil good and good evil” (Is 5:20).

Studies have shown that women are MORE EASILY MANIPULATED by the highly controlled mainstream media than men since women are more worried about human respect and being out of step with others. Even in the Catholic Church, secular feminism is at least just as widespread and strong. Women are presented in the mainstream media as the points of reference for guidance and leadership instead of the man as it was in the past from Biblical and Christian tradition.

“THE HEART IS DECEITFUL ABOVE ALL THINGS, AND DESPERATELY CORRUPT; who can understand it?” (Jer 17:9; Jms 1:26; Heb 3:10; Ps 95:10). This is one of the reasons why Divine Revelation tells us that the husband is the head of the family and the wife is the heart of the family. This is also the reason why Freemas0nry promotes secular feminism so as to overturn God’s perfect design and to obscure the real strategy and goal of the superrich of the world.

Freemas0nry has worked hard to promote “POLITICAL CORRECTNESS”. “Political correctness”, of course, is established by Freemasonry which controls the mainstream media. Under the guise of equal rights and false prejudice, has confused and destroyed the God-given roles of men and women for healthy families and a healthy society. Freemas0nry, guided by its hidden master, Satan, knows the power of subconscious suggestion and highly sophisticated manipulation by the mainstream media to reverse the God-given roles of men and women and to put the woman as the head and point of reference on TV shows, newscasts and movies. Today it is very politically incorrect to point this out, and even seen as prejudice and bigotry. People say this is not important, but it is a very important priority of Freemas0nry and the superrich to promote secular feminism. Do we think we are intelligent and Satan is stupid? Unfortunately a great number of women very easily drank this devastating poison of secular feminism which satisfies ones pride, which is the fundamental temptation that Satan offers us.

The NEWSCASTER is supposed to ask questions to bring out what he or she wants to bring out. The man, by nature, will bring out possible dangers to the family and the society. Behold the astuteness of the freemas0ns. The man is also generally more logical, and prone to see the whole picture of where we are being led rather than just the details.

Men are portrayed in the mainstream media as stupid, or macho men like Rambo or the Terminator, but not as virtuous men to look up to. The TV often portrays men as misfits, awkward, cowards, wimps, womanizer, philanderer, skirt chaser, milksop, namby-pamby, fairies and sissies. The saints of God are exactly the opposite, ready to give their lives for God, their neighbor and for the Truth that truly sets us free (Jn 8:32)!

IN GOD’S INFINITELY WISE DESIGNS, the man tends to reason with his head while the woman tends to reason with her heart. Man should listen to the heart but make the final decisions with his head. God created man and woman complimentary, equal in dignity with different roles of mutual service and love, not power and strife as Satan wants and promotes. Venerable Archbishop Fulton Sheen said: “We live in a sensate age. We are no longer governed by faith, we are no longer governed by reason. We are governed by feelings”.

BY NATURE, GOD HAS GIVEN TO MEN THE VOCATION TO PROTECT THE WIFE, FAMILY AND SOCIETY, while the woman looks at the details of the persons and the family. In God’s plan, the woman inspires her husband and the husband inspires the children and thus the society. Venerable Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen wrote: “To a great extent the level of any civilization is the level of its womanhood. When a man loves a woman, he has to become worthy of her. The higher her virtue, the more her character, the more she is devoted to truth, justice and goodness, the more a man has to aspire to be worthy of her. The history of civilization could actually be written in terms of the level of its women.”

All the popes up until Pope Francis have told us that we are NOT Catholic if we pick and choose from the Teachings of the Church. POPE JOHN PAUL II (AMONG MANY OTHER OCCASIONS) SPOKE FIRMLY TO THE US BISHOPS AGAINST THIS "PICK AND CHOOSE SMORGASBORD TYPE CATHOLICISM" in LA in his September 1987 visit: "It is sometimes reported that a large number of Catholics today do not adhere to the teaching of the Church on a number of questions, notably sexual and conjugal morality, divorce and remarriage. Some are reported as not accepting the Church's clear position on abortion. It has also been noted that there is a tendency on the part of some Catholics to be selective in their adherence to the Church's moral teachings. It is sometimes claimed that dissent from the Magisterium is totally compatible with being a “good Catholic” and poses no obstacle to the reception of the sacraments. THIS IS A GRAVE ERROR that challenges the teaching office of the bishops of the United States and elsewhere. I wish to encourage you in the love of Christ to address this situation courageously in your pastoral ministry, relying on the power of God's truth to attract assent and on the grace of the Holy Spirit which is given both to those who proclaim the message and to those to whom it is addressed." (http://www.vatican.va/holy_father/john_paul_ii/speeches/1987/september/documents/hf_jp-ii_spe_19870916_vescovi-stati-uniti_en.html).

Even the priests in my diocese of Perugia, Italy did not learn in their seminary formation that THE TRUTH COMES FROM GOD, NOT FROM THE CHURCH. This fallacious formation prepares the way for the false prophet, the false pope, who will transform the Church into a counterfeit church emptied of its divine content. But as Christ intended, the Church is the servant of the Truth, not the Author of the Truth (Jn 14:6). The Church must protect and defend the precious gift of the Truth, not modify or change the truth in a hidden sly way to please the world. Thus no priest, bishop or POPE can change the Truth of Divine Revelation given by God throughout the history of mankind, infallibly explained by the Catholic Church, and is well summarized in the Catechism of the Catholic Church for adults (CCC); ed. 1992, promulgated by Pope John Paul II (http://www.vatican.va/archive/ENG0015/_INDEX.HTM).

More than 60 years ago, ECCLESIASTICAL MAS0NRY, with the help of many Mas0nic bishops and cardinals, entered into a great number of Catholic seminaries and universities to fundamentally change, in a very sly and hidden way, the theological and philosophical teachings of the Catholic Church. This was done in a very intelligent way, printing many books and pamphlets, including APPEALING TO THE PRIDE OF THE YOUNG STUDENTS in that we can interpret reality and truth according to ourselves, instead of having the humility to seek the proper interpretation according to God found in Divine Revelation explained in the documents of the Catholic Church and in the writings of the saints for 2000 years. In most Catholic seminaries today there is no longer offered courses on logic or metaphysics which helps young seminarians to think logically so as to be able to distinguish between right and wrong; there is instead promoted relativism in a disguised way. For example, these poor seminarians are brainwashed to believe what was condemned by the Church more than 50 years ago, “Situation Ethics”, which is a derivative of modernism. Situation Ethics basically promotes the human subjective interpretation in each situation instead of the Divine interpretation in each situation which can be discovered in the teachings of the Church and in the writing of the saints. Most priests and bishops today no longer know what the authentic teachings of the Catholic Church on faith and morals and thus normally react negatively to someone who tries to explain the most basic tenants of our faith, such as the truth comes from the Creator, not from the creatures, and not even from the Church! To have an idea of how the ecclesiastical mas0nry works, read the messages of Our Lady to Don Stefano Gobbi, June of 1989.

“To The Priests Our Lady’s Beloved Sons”

(https://our-lady-priests.blogspot.com/2015/10/our-lady-priests-1989.html).

UNDERSTANDING THIS WELL ORGANIZED AGENDA of the Ecclesiastical Mas0nry, guided by Satan himself who is very intelligent, we can more easily make sense in the confusion and among the many contradictions regarding the perennial teachings of the Church that we have seen coming from the Vatican since March 2013.

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2) The SECOND POINT that I offer is that up until Pope Francis (2013) the highly controlled mainstream media has always been against the Catholic Church and against the popes in a sly covert way. Instead for the first time ever, the mainstream media was all in favor of Pope Francis. We are already seeing that the mainstream media, controlled by Freemas0nry, is very happy with Pope Leo XIV, and seeks to praise him in every way possible. One can easily find on the WEB how happy Freemas0nry was with Pope Francis!

Even EWTN obeys the great pressure from Freemas0nry.

Nick Donnelly, after seeing all the praises of Pope Francis by EWTN after his death, published on Facebook on May 6, 2025:

“The propaganda coming from EWTN about Jorge Bergoglio is NAUSEATING. Bergoglio made it clear that actions meant more than words -- his actions often contradicting his words: JORGE BERGOGLIO WAS NOT A PRO-LIFE POPE. Bergoglio praised the notorious abortionist Emma Bonino, who conducted 10,000 illegal abortions & spearheaded Italy's legalization of abortion, as one of Italy's 'forgotten greats.' Bergoglio awarded the Dutch politician Lilianne Ploumen a high papal award the year she raised $500 million to fund abortions to counter President Trump cutting US funding of international abortions. Bergoglio gutted the Pontifical Academy for Life, dispensing with Pope John Paul II's Service to Life, a declaration sworn by members to promote and defend the sanctity of human life from conception to natural death, in alignment with the Church’s teachings. As a consequence, Bergoglio appointed pro-abortion, pro-euthanasia, pro-contraception members to the debased Pontifical Academy for Life.

“Archbishop Paglia, Bergoglio's appointee as head of the debased Pontifical Academy for Life claimed on Italian TV that abortion was an unquestionable 'pillar' of Italian society. Bergoglio did not contradict him. The Bergoglian Vatican often invited pro-abortion, pro-eugenics politicians and pundits to speak at its international conferences, such as Jeffrey Sacks and Paul R. Ehrlich. Bergoglio adamantly protected militant pro-abortion US politicians, such as Biden and Pelosi, ensuring they continued to receive Holy Communion, despite them seeking to legalize abortion up to birth and allocating billions to abortion provider Planned Parenthood. In response to the Zika disease Bergoglio recommended that couples used condoms. Bergoglio often brazenly contradicted his criticism of trans ideology, once referring to a female pretending to be a male as a 'woman', and often hosting males pretending to be females, including active trans prostitutes. For all his high-sounding words, Jorge Bergoglio's actions supported and promoted the culture of death.”

EWTN does what Freemas0nry does with the mainstream media, by picking out only the words of Pope Francis that are in harmony with the perennial teachings of the Church. This method gives a false impression of the real fruits of Cardinal Bergoglio, which is exactly what Satan wants. “Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing but inwardly are ravenous wolves. You will know them by their fruits” (Mt 7:15-20; Lk 6:44). Jesus did not say “you will know them by their leaves”, which would be their nice words!

Find of the WEB, using duckduckgo, the article:

Politically Correct in the Church – EWTN

http://spir-food.blogspot.it/2017/10/politically-correct-in-church-ewtn.html

FREEMAS0NRY STRONGLY PROMOTES POLITICAL CORRECTNESS, and thus conspiracy theorists are seen as out of touch with reality and highly ridiculed, and INTIMIDATED in many powerful ways. This same type of pressure is now even stronger in the Catholic Church. Find my article on the WEB: “RIGID With Christ the Immutable Truth!” Thus few open their eyes to the fact that for years Freemas0nry, guided by its Grand Master, who is guided by Satan, have been working to lead the world to the worst dictatorship in the history of the world (Mt 24), the Great Reset, which in the end, with the help of the One World Religion, headed by the False Prophet, will lead as many people as possible to adore the Antichrist (Rev 13). If one overcomes the great pressure to be politically correct and human respect and human pride, one quickly begins to PUT THE PIECES OF THE PUZZLE TOGETHER and to understand the motives for what is going on and the brainwashing of the highly controlled mainstream media.

MANY BELIEVE THE FREEMAS0NS ARE SIMPLY A CENTURIES OLD CHARITABLE FRATERNITY. However, the Catholic Church has consistently condemned Freemas0nry more than any other error in its history because it promotes indifferentism, naturalism, communism, and other dangerous philosophies. Mas0nry is working to create a world dictatorship in a subtle and hidden way, the New World Order. Mas0nry has assassinate various presidents of the USA who began to mint money by the government (instead of by the Mas0nic bank, Federal Reserve), such as Abraham Lincoln, John F. Kennedy and others. For similar reasons, in a sly hidden way, Aldo Moro, Italian prime minister, was killed in 1978; the Red Brigade was only a cover for the real assassins, Freemas0nry.

Those who become 33 degree Mas0ns must swear the oath: “Ordo Ab Chao”, meaning Order out of Chaos. “Ordo ab Chao” is the motive to promote “UNCONTROLED” immigration, as well as undermining commerce and the whole of the structures of societies in a covert and underhanded way using their very numerous bribed Mas0nic politicians and corporate directors! “Mas0nry is a true and specific Satanic Sect. The esoteric studies, up to the 18th degree include spiritism and magic, from the 24th degree one becomes “Militia of Satan”, from the 28th degree to the 33rd degree “Mystical Body of Satan”, this is the reality of Mas0nry” – testimony of Cesare Ghinelli, ex Mas0n. “Satan is the only god of our planet” - H. P. Blavatsky (Mas0n).

Most Mas0ns do not know they are WORKING FOR SATAN until they are brainwashed during at least 24 degrees of Mas0nry. But immediately at the first degree of Mas0nry one must accept religious syncretism, that is the grave error that all religions are equal, which means that Jesus Christ is at the same level with Mohammad or Buddha or any religious founder.

TODAY, FREEMAS0NRY IS IN POWER! Our Lady of Good Success; Quito, Ecuador (January 20, 1610), warned us over four hundred years ago:

“Thus I make it known to you that from the end of the 19th century and shortly after the middle of the 20th century…the passions will erupt and there will be a total corruption of morals… As for the Sacrament of Matrimony, which symbolizes the union of Christ with His Church, it will be attacked and deeply profaned. FREEMAS0NRY, which will then be in power, will enact iniquitous laws with the aim of doing away with this Sacrament, making it easy for everyone to live in sin and encouraging procreation of illegitimate children born without the blessing of the Church… IN THIS SUPREME MOMENT OF NEED FOR THE CHURCH, THE ONE WHO SHOULD SPEAK WILL FALL SILENT.”

Consider also that the great majority of people today, manipulated by the highly controller mainstream media, have willing embrace the easier way of “IGNORANCE IS BLISS”. Thus the great majority of people are led where the puppets of Satan lead them. People do not want to realize that WE ARE THE GENERATION (Mt 24:34) of the “great tribulation” (Mt 24:21) of which Jesus spoke about, when “if possible, even the elect” (Mt 24:24) will be led astray. We are the generation of the great apostasy of which Saint Paul wrote about in 2 Thess ch. 2 when the Body of Christ, the Church, will go through the passion and crucifixion, as did Jesus 2000 years ago (CCC 675-677)!

Find of the WEB, using duckduckgo, the article:

Those Who Open Their Eyes Are Labeled Conspiracy Theorists

https://spir-food.blogspot.com/2023/01/those-who-open-their-eyes-are-labeled.html

Things are beginning to move so fast that the difference between a conspiracy theory and the truth is about six months!

One of the most fundamental and efficacious, yet inconspicuous, strategies of Ecclesiastical Mas0nry in forming their One World Religion is to slowly and imperceptibly PUT ASIDE THE IMPORTANT TRUTHS OF THE CHRISTIAN FAITH so as to be all together in a type of false ecumenism which results in reductionism to the lowest common denominator of faith and moral values. But Jesus Christ is the Truth (Jn 14:6)! “Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away” (Mk 31:31). “Think not that I have come to abolish the law and the prophets; I have come not to abolish them but to fulfill them. For truly, I say to you, till heaven and earth pass away, not an iota, not a dot, will pass from the law until all is accomplished” (Mt 5:17-18; 24,35).

3) MY THIRD POINT is that Our Lady revealed to Don Stefano Gobbi that the situation would get worse and worse until Our Lady intervenes in a marvelous way. Two weeks before Don Stefano Gobbi died on June 29, 2011, he told Padre Quartilio Gabrieli and another priest that a message that summarizes well what the Church is going through today is the following:

“TO THE PRIESTS OUR LADY’S BELOVED SONS” (October 18, 1975; http://our-lady-priests.blogspot.it/):

“My Adversary will one day think that he is celebrating a complete victory: over the world, over the Church, over souls. It will be only then that I will intervene - terrible and victorious - that his defeat may be all the greater when he is certain in his conviction that he has conquered once for all.

What is in preparation is so extraordinary that its like has never happened since the creation of the world. That is why everything has already been predicted in the Bible. The terrible struggle between me, the Woman Clothed with the Sun, and the Red Dragon, Satan, who has now succeeded in seducing many even with the error of Marxist atheism, has already been foretold to you. The struggle between the angels together with my children and the followers of the dragon led by the rebellious angels has already been foretold to you. Above all, my complete victory has already been clearly foretold.

You, my sons, have been called to live through these events. It is now the time for you to know this, that you may be consciously prepared for the battle. This is now the time for me to begin disclosing part of my plan.

First of all, it is necessary that my Enemy have the impression of having conquered everything, of having everything now in his hands. This is why he will be permitted to penetrate even into the interior of my Church, and he will succeed in plunging the sanctuary of God into darkness. He will reap the greatest number of victims from among the ministers of the sanctuary.

This will in fact be a time of great falls on the part of my beloved sons, my priests. Satan will seduce some of them by pride, others by love of the flesh, others by doubts, others by unbelief, and still others by discouragement and loneliness. How many will have doubts about my Son and about me and will believe that this is the end of my Church!

Priests consecrated to my Immaculate Heart, my beloved sons whom I am gathering together for this great battle, the first weapon that you must make use of is trust in me. It is your complete abandonment to me. Conquer the temptation of fear, of discouragement, of sadness. Distrust paralyzes your activity and greatly benefits my Adversary. Be serene; be joyful!”

This message is also indicated in the Catechism of the Catholic Church, CCC 675-677, in that just as Christ 2000 years ago was crucified and buried before the resurrection, so too in this period of the “great tribulation” (Mt 24:21), the Body of Christ, the Church, will be crucified and buried before the Church rises again totally purified!

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Catholic leaders are so afraid of losing their prestige and their power and their money that they end up doing, in the name of God and supposed religious motives, as does Freemas0nry to destroy the Catholic Church – that is to put aside the Truth of Jesus Christ and offer continual compromises to please the people and to obey their Mas0nic puppet masters!!! The few Catholic leaders who have remained faithful to the Teachings of the Church and have stood up to defend these teachings have been PUT TO SILENCE AND EVEN ELIMINATED in many shrewd ways.

SINCE 2013, THE VATICAN HAS PROMOTED priests and bishops who encourage the culture of death, such as the Gay agenda, transgender, women in governance in the Church. At the same time the Vatican has protected those who have committed grave sexual perversion, such as Father Marko Rupnik and Cardinal Theodor Edgar McCarrick, while silencing in various covert ways those who promote the culture of life and denounce the Gay agenda and the culture of death agenda – that is those who have remained faithful to the perennial teachings of the Catholic Church, the Truth of God!

If the Truth comes from God and not from the Church, why was there no dialogue with the four cardinals, after the publication of Amoris Latitae, who wrote the “Dubia” (November 2016) and their suppressed book “Remaining in the Truth of Christ: Marriage and Communion in the Catholic Church” (October 2014), as well as with many other cardinals and bishops and orthodox Catholic professors since 2013. Why did Pope Francis not respond to these four cardinals, and more recently, why did Pope Francis not dialogue with the five cardinals who wrote another “Dubia” regarding the grave problem of the Synod on Synodality?!? Does the Truth come from Cardinal Bergoglio or from God?!? Is Cardinal Bergoglio following a hidden agenda???

Pope Francis removed (Nov. 11, 2023) the bishop of Tyler, Texas, Joseph Strickland, who had always remained faithful to the Deposit of Faith which does not change with the world, because it is the Truth of God.

Bishop Joseph Strickland strongly rebuked ‘silent’ US bishops in a powerful letter outside the USCCB meeting in Baltimore, warning them that God will punish those who do not speak out against ‘false messages constantly flowing from the Vatican’ under Pope Francis.

Bishop Strickland: GOD WILL PUNISH BISHOPS FOR THEIR SILENCE WHILE POPE FRANCIS DESTROYS THE CHURCH.

November 14, 2024

https://www.lifesitenews.com/opinion/bishop-strickland-god-will-punish-bishops-for-their-silence-while-pope-francis-destroys-the-church/?utm_source=digest-catholic-2024-11-14&utm_medium=email

Cardinal Pell defined the Synod of Bishops called by Francis to deepen the theme of “synodality” and what the Church of the future should be like, a “TOXIC NIGHTMARE”. In the “secret” Vatican memo, Cardinal Pell wrote: “Commentators of every school, if for different reasons … agree that this pontificate is a disaster in many or most respects; a catastrophe.” Shortly afterwards, Cardinal Pell, who was in good health, suddenly died on January 10, 2023.

“Stop that Synod! The last cry of Card. Pell”

"Fermate quel Sinodo! L'ultimo grido del card. Pell" su YouTube

https://youtu.be/3Q1UciB712Y

During the two Synods on the Family (2014 and 2015) before the publication of Amoris Laetitia (2016), Cardinal Carlo Caffarra, Archbishop of Bologna, had the firmest possible words in denouncing the heretical proposals of Cardinal Kasper to allow Holy Communion to remarried divorced couples. Cardinal Caffarra died suddenly on September 6, 2017.

Cardinal Kaspar, strongly promoted by Pope Francis, refuses to respond to one simple question that Cardinal Caffarra repeated many times: “What happens to the first valid and consummated marriage?”

(http://rorate-caeli.blogspot.com/2014/03/cardinal-caffarra-firm-stance-on.html; http://catholicism.org/cardinal-caffarra-gives-strong-warning-against-kaspers-rovings-on-divorcees-and-communion.html).

Jesus told us clearly regarding matrimony: “What therefore God has joined together, let no man put asunder” (Mt 19:6)!

The eminent 72-year old Austrian Catholic philosopher Professor JOSEF SEIFERT from the Spanish branch of the International Academy of Philosophy founded by Seifert himself in the Principality of Liechtenstein is perhaps the most dramatic legacy of “Amoris Laetitia.” Because it is precisely for having dared to criticize a passage from this document of Pope Francis in the light of “pure logic” that Seifert has been banished.

https://onepeterfive.com/catholic-scholar-official-persecution-orthodoxy-within-church-begun/

Bishop Dominique Marie Jean Rey (born 21 September 1952) is a French prelate of the Catholic Church who was the Bishop of Fréjus-Toulon from 2000 to 2025. He is a member of the Emmanuel Community, and he is considered one of the more conservative French bishops. He also frequently celebrates Tridentine Mass. Bishop Dominique Rey of Fréjus-Toulon has resigned (January 2025), at the request of Pope Francis, ending a controversial chapter in the history of the French diocese.

HOW MANY PRIESTS AND BISHOPS TODAY, for the true good of their flock, have the courage to imitate the saints and the prophets and to do as Saint John the Baptist, the “greatest born of women” (Mt 11:11), who said to king Herod: “It is not lawful for you to have your brother’s wife” (Mk 6:18)? John the Baptist said that Jesus “must increase, but I must decrease” (Jn 3:30). A great number of priests today want to increase before people and thus are not transparent so as to lead people to Christ, the Truth (Jn 14:6), but rather to themselves! They seek followers for themselves instead of following Jesus to Calvary! So many religious leaders and parents seek to please the people entrusted to them without distinguishing and determining if it is a sin or not, if it truly does good to the person or not, today and tomorrow and for eternity! They are not willing to dialogue with anyone not in agreement with themselves while following the Documents of the Church and the writings of the saints. This is false and destructive love; this is misguided compassion! Few religious leaders today have the courage of the first Pope, Peter, the day of the birth of the Church, Pentecost, to say: “You have crucified Jesus” (Acts 4:10), “the author of life” (Acts 3:15), with your grave, mortal sins!

THE FIRST TARGET OF SATAN IS THE TRUE CHURCH, THE CATHOLIC CHURCH. Priests and bishops, with great responsibility given to them by God, will lead many souls with them to heaven or to hell for all eternity. Our Lady asks us continually to pray for priests and bishops!!! Three years before the publication and great rebellion against Pope Paul’s prophetic encyclical ‘Humanae Vitae’, 1968, which reaffirmed the teaching of Christ regarding the use of artificial means of birth control, in 1965, Saint Michael the Archangel at Garabandal, Spain, sent by Our Lady, said: “Many Cardinals, many Bishops and many Priests are on the road to perdition and with them they are bringing many souls”! Padre Pio said that for this period of great confusion, in this period of the great apostasy before the revelation of the Antichrist (2Thess 2:3), hold on to the documents of the Church and the writings of the saints; do not listen to anything else!

Not only did JESUS WARNED US that in this period of the “great tribulation” (Mt 24:21), that “if possible, even the elect” (Mt 24:24) will be led astray, but also SAINT PAUL TELLS US “Therefore God sends upon them a strong delusion, to make them believe what is false, so that all may be condemned who did not believe the truth but had pleasure in unrighteousness” (2Thess 2:11-12). Also the prophet Daniel tells us: “I heard, but I did not understand. Then I said, “O my lord, what shall be the issue of these things?” He said, “Go your way, Daniel, for the words are shut up and sealed until the time of the end. Many shall purify themselves, and make themselves white, and be refined; but the wicked shall do wickedly; and none of the wicked shall understand; but those who are wise shall understand.” (Dan 12:8-10).

Those who persevere in prayer and live their prayer, “THY will be done”, not “MY will be done”, save themselves. Those who do not pray damn themselves! Desired and embraced IGNORANCE is NOT BLISS after death! The people in hell are not able to commit suicide! Here on earth, if we were to see one instant heaven, we would die immediately of joy. If we were to see one instant hell, we would die immediately of terror. God does not show us heaven or hell here on earth so as to RESPECT OUR FREE WILL, otherwise we could not help but choose to do His holy Will.

IF A CATHOLIC STOPS going to CONFESSION at least once a month, and stops praying the ROSARY every day, this Catholic will automatically lose the faith in the Most Holy EUCHARIST, and everything else! The Eucharist is the Body and Blood, Soul and Divinity of Jesus Christ!

In this period of the “great tribulation” (Mt 24:21), “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” (CCC 677). But “IN THE END MY IMMACULATE HEART WILL TRIUMPH!” - Our Lady of Fatima, Portugal, 1917. There will be fulfilled the Protoevangelium (Gen 3:15) – Saint Louis de Montfort!

May God bless you and Mary guide you in this period of the purification of the Church and of the world!

Father Joseph Dwight

NOTES:

Find on the WEB, using the search engine duckduckgo, to find the various articles.

“The “Prophecy” of Saint Francis (Assisi)”

http://spir-food.blogspot.it/2013/11/prophecy-st-francis.html

“To the Priests, Our Lady's Beloved Sons”

https://our-lady-priests.blogspot.com/2015/10/our-lady-priests-prologue.html

Pope Benedict XVI Forced To Resign

http://spir-food.blogspot.it/2017/01/pope-benedict-xvi-force-to-resign.html

Only a Remnant Will Remain Faithful to the Truth

http://spir-food.blogspot.it/2017/09/only-remnant-will-remain-faithful-to.html

Great Surprises Well Planned For 2025

(The accelerated destruction of the Catholic Church and the revelation of the Antichrist!)

https://spir-food.blogspot.com/2025/01/great-surprises-well-planned-for-2025.html

Synod of the Worship of Man

https://spir-food.blogspot.com/2024/09/synod-of-worship-of-man.html

https://freerepublic.com/focus/f-bloggers/4265849/posts

“The Eucharist Must Be Eliminated”

https://spir-food.blogspot.com/2020/10/the-eucharist-must-be-eliminated.html

Birds of a Feather Flock Together

https://spir-food.blogspot.com/2022/12/birds-of-feather-flock-together.html

Courage to Proclaim the WHOLE Truth

https://spir-food.blogspot.com/2019/06/courage-to-proclaim-whole-truth.html

Those Who Open Their Eyes Are Labeled Conspiracy Theorists

https://spir-food.blogspot.com/2023/01/those-who-open-their-eyes-are-labeled.html

“The False Pope Will Fall Silent”

http://spir-food.blogspot.it/2015/09/the-false-pope-will-fall-silent.html

Who Decides The Truth?

http://spir-food.blogspot.it/2014/06/who-decides-truth.html

The PROTESTANT Catholic Church

https://spir-food.blogspot.com/2025/04/the-protestant-catholic-church.html


TOPICS: Religion
KEYWORDS: confusion; deception; fruits; pope; popebob
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To: Cronos
Context of 1 Corinthians 11: Paul’s discussion of the Eucharist occurs in a corrective context, addressing abuses in the Corinthian community (1 Cor 11:17-22). His emphasis on “remembrance” and “proclaiming” does not exclude the Real Presence or salvific effect but focuses on proper participation. The subsequent warning about unworthy reception (1 Cor 11:27-29) confirms the Eucharist’s sacred and salvific nature, as it involves encountering Christ Himself.

*****

23For I received from the Lord that which I also delivered to you,...

It's essential to understand this. Paul received this from the Lord. It's not his opinion. It's straight from the Lord Himself.

IF, as Rome claims, the Lord's Supper, as Paul calls it, is essential for salvation then either the Lord or Paul neglected to say that. And I know neither neglected that part.

It is Rome that's misunderstood this issue, much as the unbelieving Jews did.

321 posted on 09/01/2025 9:59:17 AM PDT by ealgeone
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To: ADSUM

Yeah this is just another anti Catholic screed. Usual charges. Gets boring.
My favorite is “don’t use Catholic answers”. Really?
How about this Protestants: don’t use the Bible. That’s ours. Our saints wrote the new testament, our Magisterium determined the canon and our priests preached using it and the divine Tradition of the Church.
Y’all just stole it, cut it up, screamed “MINE!” like children and then had the gall to try and tell us what it REALLY meant in your opinion.


322 posted on 09/01/2025 10:14:37 AM PDT by Texas_Guy
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To: Texas_Guy

I understand how Jesus tried to to teach the pharisees and they wouldn’t listen.

I keep learning about our Catholic faith in responding to some questions or comments.

I hope it helps some, but it is God’s hands to open their hearts.


323 posted on 09/01/2025 10:24:49 AM PDT by ADSUM
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To: Texas_Guy
Wow. What a tantrum you threw. Maybe you need to go to timeout or take a nap.

Catholic Answers is a terrible site for RC apologists. They get so much out of context. But that seems to be the case for Roman Catholicism.

324 posted on 09/01/2025 9:11:47 PM PDT by ealgeone
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To: ealgeone; ADSUM

Btw, Ealgeone , you haven’t read the Bible so you definitely haven’t read any of th early church fathers, have ye? And excerpts don’t count. The ecgsconsistently teach that the Eucharist is the true body and blood of Christ, involving a real transformation of the bread and wine. Below is a survey of key Fathers, demonstrating their alignment with the concept underlying transubstantiation.

Ignatius of Antioch (c. 110 AD):
Letter to the Smyrnaeans 7:1: “The Eucharist is the flesh of our Savior Jesus Christ, which suffered for our sins and which the Father, in His goodness, raised up again.” Ignatius explicitly identifies the Eucharist as Christ’s flesh, not a symbol, and connects it to His redemptive sacrifice. His warning against those who “abstain from the Eucharist… because they do not confess that the Eucharist is the flesh of our Savior” (Smyrnaeans 6:2) implies a real transformation, as a mere symbol would not provoke such controversy.

Justin Martyr (c. 150 AD):
First Apology 66: “Not as common bread or common drink do we receive these… but the food which is blessed by the prayer of His word… is the flesh and blood of that incarnate Jesus.” Justin describes a change in the bread and wine, such that they are no longer “common” but Christ’s body and blood, aligning with the concept of a substantial transformation.

Irenaeus of Lyons (c. 180 AD):
Against Heresies 4.18.5: “When, therefore, the mingled cup and the manufactured bread receive the Word of God, and the Eucharist becomes the body of Christ… our bodies, being nourished by it, are deposited in the earth and will rise again in due time.” Irenaeus explicitly states that the bread and wine “become” Christ’s body through the Eucharistic prayer, a clear precursor to transubstantiation. He further ties this to salvation, as the Eucharist nourishes believers for resurrection.

Cyril of Jerusalem (c. 350 AD):
Catechetical Lectures 22.6: “Under the appearance of bread and wine, you taste the body and blood of Christ.” Cyril uses language akin to “accidents” (appearance) versus substance, teaching that the bread and wine are truly Christ’s body and blood after consecration, consistent with transubstantiation’s core idea

Ambrose of Milan (c. 390 AD):
On the Mysteries 9.50-52: “Before the words of Christ, it is bread; when the words of Christ have been added, it is the body of Christ… Before the consecration, it was not the body of Christ, but after the consecration, I say to you that it is now the body of Christ.” Ambrose explicitly describes a change in the substance of the bread, directly supporting the concept of transubstantiation.

John Chrysostom (c. 400 AD):
Homilies on 1 Corinthians 24.4: “The bread which we break, is it not a participation in the body of Christ? He did not say ‘participation’ in a sign, but in the body itself.” Chrysostom affirms the Real Presence and rejects a merely symbolic view, emphasizing the reality of Christ’s body in the Eucharist.

Augustine of Hippo (c. 400 AD):
Sermon 272: “What you see is bread and a cup; this is what your eyes report to you. But what your faith demands is that the bread is the body of Christ and the cup is the blood of Christ.” While Augustine often uses symbolic language, he affirms the Real Presence, noting that faith perceives the true substance (Christ’s body) beneath the appearances. In City of God 21.25, he connects the Eucharist to Christ’s sacrifice, implying a transformative reality.

Other Fathers: Clement of Alexandria (Paedagogus 2.2), Gregory of Nyssa (Great Catechism 37), and Cyril of Alexandria (Commentary on Matthew 26.27) similarly affirm the Eucharist as Christ’s true body and blood, often describing a change in the elements through consecration.


325 posted on 09/01/2025 9:16:05 PM PDT by Cronos
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To: ADSUM; ealgeone
Transubstantiation is the Catholic doctrine that, at the consecration during Mass, the bread and wine truly become the Body and Blood of Jesus Christ, even though their appearances (or “accidents”) remain unchanged. This teaching is rooted in Scripture, especially 1 Corinthians 11:23-29, where St. Paul recounts Jesus saying, “This is my body... This cup is the new covenant in my blood.” The Church understands these words literally, meaning the substance of bread and wine is transformed into Christ's glorified, resurrected Body and Blood (1 Cor 15:42-44; John 20:27). The Council of Trent clarified this mystery, affirming that the change is real though not visible (Catechism of the Catholic Church, 1376-1377). Thus, the Eucharist is not symbolic but the true presence of Christ.

It's explanations/quibbling/weasel wording that cause the problems here. You readily admit the appearance of the bread and wine do not change, that they are "not visible", yet you assert it is LITERALLY the flesh and blood of the glorified body and "true presence" of Jesus Christ! Do you even hear yourselves???

The Apostles followed the example Jesus gave them at the Last Supper and they taught that communal observance to their believers for a remembrance and a statement of faith. By the eating of the bread, which represented His body broken for them, and the drinking of the wine, which represented His shed blood for sins, we do SHOW our faith in Him until He returns. NONE of them taught there was a LITERAL change in those elements. Paul also taught that the loaf of bread represented the body of believers:

    Is not the cup of blessing that we bless a participation in the blood of Christ? And is not the bread that we break a participation in the body of Christ? Because there is one loaf, we who are many are one body; for we all partake of the one loaf. (I Corinthians 11:16,17)

This is what Paul passed down:

    For I received from the Lord what I also passed on to you: The Lord Jesus, on the night He was betrayed, took bread, and when He had given thanks, He broke it and said, “This is My body, which is for you; do this in remembrance of Me.” In the same way, after supper He took the cup, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in My blood; do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of Me.” For as often as you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until He comes. (I Cor. 11:23-26)

So, that is what we do when we join with fellow believers in celebrating the Lord's Supper/Communion. We are proclaiming our faith in the Lord's death and resurrection for our salvation and we are acknowledging each other as being one loaf/one body of Christ. Just like the first Christians:

    They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. (Acts 2:42)

We trust in Jesus' promises ALSO recorded in the Gospel of John chapter 6:

    John 6:40
    For it is My Father’s will that everyone who looks to the Son and believes in Him shall have eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day.

    John 6:47
    Truly, truly, I tell you, he who believes has eternal life.

326 posted on 09/01/2025 10:30:53 PM PDT by boatbums (God is ready to assume full responsibility for the life wholly yielded to Him.)
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To: ealgeone; ADSUM
Eagleone, your interpretation of John 6 and 1 Corinthians 11:26 misrepresents Christian teaching and overlooks the biblical, contextual, and historical evidence supporting the Eucharist as both a literal and salvific reality.
Your ClaimMy Response
Catholics adjust exegesis mid-stream in John 6, mixing literal and metaphysical interpretations, and spiritualize "hunger and thirst" while taking the rest literally, negating the necessity of believing in Christ (John 6:26-29).Catholic exegesis is consistent, not contradictory. John 6:26-29 emphasizes belief in Christ as the foundation of salvation, which Catholics affirm (Catechism of the Catholic Church 161). Belief leads to participation in the Eucharist, the "true bread" (John 6:32). The "hunger and thirst" in John 6:35 are both spiritual and eschatological, fulfilled through the Eucharist, which nourishes believers for eternal life (John 6:54). The Jews' misunderstanding (John 6:30-34) parallels your symbolic view, as they sought physical bread, while Jesus offered His literal flesh (John 6:51-58, Greek trōgō, "to chew"). Catholics hold belief and the Eucharist together, not in opposition.

The Jews and Catholics err by thinking Jesus discusses "actual bread" (John 6:30-34).The Jews misunderstood Jesus as offering physical bread like manna (John 6:31), but Jesus clarifies He is the "true bread" giving life to the world (John 6:32-33). Catholics recognize this as the Eucharist, not ordinary bread, based on Jesus’ explicit words: "The bread that I will give is my flesh" (John 6:51). The Fathers, like Ignatius of Antioch (Letter to the Smyrnaeans 7:1), affirm this as Christ’s real body, not a symbol. Your symbolic reading aligns with the Jews’ initial error, not Jesus’ teaching.

John 6:35-40 identifies Jesus as the bread of life, promising eternal life and security to believers, which Catholicism denies.Catholics affirm that Jesus, the bread of life, grants eternal life through faith (John 6:35, 40). The Eucharist is the sacramental means by which believers abide in Christ (John 6:56). The "security" in John 6:37-39 refers to God’s fidelity, not an absolute guarantee of perseverance, as free will remains (CCC 162). Paul warns of falling away (1 Cor 10:12), and Catholics uphold both God’s grace and human cooperation. The Eucharist strengthens this union, fulfilling John 6:35’s promise of no hunger or thirst.

1 Corinthians 11:26, per Paul’s revelation from the Lord, excludes transubstantiation and salvation, as it’s about proclaiming Christ’s death, not salvation, and is for believers only.Paul’s words in 1 Cor 11:26 ("proclaim the Lord’s death") do not exclude salvation or transubstantiation. The Greek kataggellō ("proclaim") implies a participatory act in Christ’s sacrifice, not mere remembrance. 1 Cor 10:16 confirms the Eucharist as a real participation (koinōnia) in Christ’s body and blood. The warning against unworthy reception (1 Cor 11:27-29) implies a real presence, as one cannot profane a symbol. The Eucharist, for believers, applies Christ’s salvific sacrifice (CCC 1365-1367). Transubstantiation, articulated later, explains the change described by Paul and the Fathers (e.g., Ambrose, On the Mysteries 9.50).

Your reading of John 6 and 1 Corinthians 11 reduces the Eucharist to a symbol, ignoring Jesus’ literal language (John 6:51-58), Paul’s teaching on real participation (1 Cor 10:16), and the unanimous testimony of the Early Church Fathers (e.g., Justin Martyr, First Apology 66). Catholic theology consistently integrates belief and the Eucharist as Christ’s real body and blood, fulfilling His promise of eternal life.

327 posted on 09/02/2025 12:47:44 AM PDT by Cronos
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To: ealgeone; ADSUM
Ealgeone This is the only passage with this.. Not quite

Eagleone, your assertion that John 6 is the only passage about eating and drinking Christ’s Body and Blood, and that Rome takes it out of context, misrepresents the New Testament and Catholic teaching. Below is a succinct Catholic response.

Your ClaimCatholic Response
John 6 is the only passage discussing eating and drinking Christ’s Body and Blood.John 6:51-58 is not isolated but complemented by other New Testament texts. The institution narratives (Matt 26:26-28; Mark 14:22-24; Luke 22:19-20; 1 Cor 11:23-25) explicitly state, “This is my body” and “This is my blood,” linking the Eucharist to Christ’s flesh and blood. Paul’s teaching in 1 Cor 10:16 (“The bread we break, is it not a participation in the body of Christ?”) and 1 Cor 11:27-29 (warning against unworthy reception) confirms the real presence of Christ’s Body and Blood in the Eucharist, aligning with John 6.

Rome takes John 6 out of context in relation to the rest of the New Testament.Catholic exegesis integrates John 6 with the broader New Testament. Jesus’ words, “My flesh is true food, and my blood is true drink” (John 6:55, Greek trōgō, “to chew”), are literal, not symbolic, and fulfilled in the Eucharist instituted at the Last Supper. The Passover context (Ex 12:1-14; 1 Cor 5:7) ties the Eucharist to Christ’s sacrifice, which John 6:51 (“the bread that I will give is my flesh for the life of the world”) anticipates. The Early Church Fathers, like Ignatius of Antioch (Letter to the Smyrnaeans 7:1) and Justin Martyr (First Apology 66), unanimously affirm this as Christ’s real Body and Blood, consistent with Catholic teaching (Catechism of the Catholic Church 1374-1376).

John 6 is not an isolated passage but harmonizes with the Synoptics, 1 Corinthians, and apostolic tradition, affirming the Eucharist as Christ’s true Body and Blood. Catholic teaching faithfully reflects this New Testament context, not a distortion of it.

328 posted on 09/02/2025 12:52:59 AM PDT by Cronos
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To: ealgeone; ADSUM
Ealgeone you did....you have to read back into the passage what you want it to mean. IF your exegesis is consistent you'd have to answer in the affirmative to my questions of becoming hungry or thirsty... Not quite

Eagleone, your response misinterprets John 6 and the New Testament, accusing Catholics of reading into the text while ignoring the broader biblical and historical context. Below is a succinct Catholic response addressing your points.

Your ClaimCatholic Response
Catholics read into John 6, and consistent exegesis would mean affirming hunger/thirst in eternal life.Catholic exegesis of John 6:35 (“he who comes to me will not hunger, and he who believes in me will never thirst”) is consistent: the Eucharist, as Christ’s Body and Blood, fulfills spiritual hunger and thirst, nourishing believers for eternal life (John 6:54; CCC 1391). This is eschatological, not earthly, satisfaction, as seen in the promise of resurrection (John 6:40). Your literal interpretation of hunger/thirst ignores the metaphorical language common in John (e.g., “living water,” John 4:10).
Catholics ignore the necessity of believing in Christ, emphasized in John 6:29 and the NT.Catholics affirm belief in Christ as foundational (John 6:29; CCC 161). John 6 integrates faith and the Eucharist: belief leads to eating Christ’s flesh (John 6:51-58). The Eucharist is the sacramental expression of faith, not its replacement, as Jesus teaches that both are necessary for life (John 6:56-57).
John 6 is the only passage mentioning eating/drinking, and the unbelieving Jews, like Rome, misunderstood it as literal.John 6:51-58 is not isolated. The institution narratives (Matt 26:26-28; Luke 22:19-20; 1 Cor 11:23-25) and 1 Cor 10:16 confirm the Eucharist as Christ’s literal Body and Blood. The Jews’ misunderstanding (John 6:52) was not about literal eating but about how it could be done, which Jesus clarifies through the Eucharist. The Early Church Fathers (e.g., Ignatius, Smyrnaeans 7:1; Justin, First Apology 66) unanimously affirm this literal interpretation, contrary to your symbolic view.
Rome’s view of John 6 should be the NT’s consistent message, but it’s absent elsewhere (e.g., woman at the well, Pentecost).The NT consistently links salvation to Christ’s sacrifice, which the Eucharist applies (1 Cor 10:16; 11:27-29). Jesus’ varied teachings (e.g., John 4:10 to the woman at the well) emphasize different aspects of salvation (faith, grace), but the Eucharist fulfills John 6’s promise. At Pentecost, Peter’s call to baptism (Acts 2:38) implies initiation into the Church, where the Eucharist was central (Acts 2:42, “breaking of bread”). The NT’s diverse contexts do not negate but complement the Eucharistic teaching.

Catholic teaching on John 6 aligns with the NT’s emphasis on faith and the Eucharist as Christ’s real Body and Blood, fulfilling His promise of eternal life. Your symbolic reading ignores the literal language of John 6:51-58, the institution narratives, and the Fathers’ consensus, misrepresenting the NT’s unified message.

329 posted on 09/02/2025 1:27:39 AM PDT by Cronos
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To: ealgeone; ADSUM
Ealgeone Not. One.. Not quite

Eagleone, your claim that none of the sacraments (Baptism, Confirmation, Confession, Eucharist, Anointing of the Sick, Marriage, Holy Orders) relate to salvation misrepresents New Testament (NT) teaching and Catholic doctrine. .

Your ClaimCatholic Response
Not one of the sacraments deals with salvation; Rome’s view is incorrect and based on reading the NT in isolation.Catholic teaching on the sacraments is rooted in the NT, read in context, and affirmed by the Early Church Fathers. The sacraments are visible signs instituted by Christ to confer grace, which is essential for salvation (Catechism of the Catholic Church 1129). Below are NT foundations for each sacrament’s salvific role:
- Baptism: “Baptism… now saves you” (1 Pet 3:21; cf. Mark 16:16; Acts 2:38). It forgives sins and incorporates believers into Christ (Rom 6:3-4).
- Confirmation: The gift of the Holy Spirit (Acts 8:14-17; 19:5-6) strengthens faith for perseverance in salvation (Heb 6:4-6).
- Confession: Christ gave the apostles authority to forgive sins (John 20:22-23), restoring grace lost through sin (1 John 1:9).
- Eucharist: “Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life” (John 6:54; cf. 1 Cor 10:16; 11:27-29). It unites us to Christ’s sacrifice (CCC 1365).
- Anointing of the Sick: “The prayer of faith will save the sick person” (James 5:14-15), offering healing and forgiveness for salvation.
- Marriage: Reflects Christ’s union with the Church (Eph 5:25-32), sanctifying spouses for eternal life (CCC 1601).
- Holy Orders: Christ’s mission continues through ordained ministers (Luke 10:16; 1 Tim 4:14), guiding the faithful to salvation.
The Fathers (e.g., Ignatius, Smyrnaeans 7:1 on the Eucharist; Cyprian, Letter 72 on Baptism) confirm their salvific role. Your claim isolates texts like John 6:29 (faith) from those linking sacraments to grace, ignoring the NT’s holistic teaching.

The sacraments, instituted by Christ, are biblically grounded means of grace for salvation, not Rome’s invention. Your view dismisses clear NT evidence and the Fathers’ consensus, misrepresenting Catholic exegesis as isolated when it integrates the full witness of Scripture

330 posted on 09/02/2025 1:39:36 AM PDT by Cronos
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To: ealgeone

You have not produced ANY alternative “quotes” ehich you complain with the ones I’ve given.

You say “there is NO UNANIMOUS consent on this issue among the ECFs”

And I told you that

ECFs consistently teach that the Eucharist is the true body and blood of Christ, involving a real transformation of the bread and wine. Below is a survey of key Fathers, demonstrating their alignment with the concept underlying transubstantiation.

The Catholic Church does not claim that every doctrine, including transubstantiation, requires explicit, verbatim agreement from all ECFs.


331 posted on 09/02/2025 1:49:40 AM PDT by Cronos
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To: Cronos
You've already shown a flawed exegesis in trying to understand these issues.

You had to read back into John 6 a metaphysical "spiritual" answer to my questions of do you get hungry or thirsty.

You steadfastly refuse to understand the overall context of the passage from John 6 in relation to what John wrote in his gospel and the overall NT.

You steadfastly refuse to understand the true meaning of the Lord's Supper even though Paul clearly articulated the purpose.....we proclaim the Lord's death....not for salvation.

You steadfastly ignore the message Peter preached at Pentecost. When asked what they must to do be saved what was his reply? Participate in the Lord's Supper to be saved? Nope.

What was Peter's reply when Jesus asked if they wanted to leave after the unbelieving disciples had left?

68Simon Peter answered Him, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have words of eternal life. 69“We have believed and have come to know that You are the Holy One of God.”

He didn't say we've eaten/drunk you blood....but no....rather we have believed.

Which captures what Jesus began the passage with and is what Romans completely miss.

332 posted on 09/02/2025 6:03:52 AM PDT by ealgeone
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To: Cronos
Here's one. The concept of unanimous consent is negated by just this one quote from Clement.

There are others which I'm sure you and Hahn and the other at Catholic Answers are aware of.

Clement of Alexandria (AD 200) writes, “Elsewhere the Lord, in the Gospel according to John, brought this out by symbols, when He said: ‘Eat my flesh and drink my blood,’ describing distinctly by metaphor the drinkable properties of faith.

The Catholic Church does not claim that every doctrine, including transubstantiation, requires explicit, verbatim agreement from all ECFs.

Yet it does. You know it does. To say otherwise is for you to commit a mortal sin.

333 posted on 09/02/2025 6:15:25 AM PDT by ealgeone
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To: boatbums

your comment: “It’s explanations/quibbling/weasel wording that cause the problems here. You readily admit the appearance of the bread and wine do not change, that they are “not visible”, yet you assert it is LITERALLY the flesh and blood of the glorified body and “true presence” of Jesus Christ! Do you even hear yourselves???”

You reject the words of Jesus and follow protestant heresy.

You reject that God is capable of turning bread and wine into His Body and Blood without changing the appearance or taste.

How can you have Faith in Jesus and not believe that His Word is the Truth?

Your misdirection is obvious. Other words or verses in the Bible do not CHANGE THE WORDS OF Jesus AS THE TRUTH.

When one rejects Jesus, His Truth and the Eucharist, then they can forfeit their salvation. Jesus may declare that “I never knew you, depart from me, you evildoers.” Mt 7:23


334 posted on 09/02/2025 11:45:50 AM PDT by ADSUM
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