The curse of the Reformation sprung tens of thousands of wild mushrooms around the great mustard tree. Many of them have withered and died. Others have no real doctrine to speak of of like the now defunct Episcopalian Church. Lutherans have now gay bishops fornicating with one another before the service. Still others are the hucksters like Rev. Jeremiah Wright; Rev. Jesse Jackson; Rev. Al Sharpton (well you get the picture) and then we have connivers like the Joel Osteens and Schullers of this world where religion become a “clappy-happy-foot-thumpin’ event with dollars pouring into their personal bank accounts. Add to this list, the Mormons, The Church of Scientology; Jehovah’s Witnesses and we have a “Christian Tower of Babel.”
Again this turbulent rage, there stands like the Rock of Gibraltar, the Church founded by Christ where His Real Presence: Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity is present in the Holy Eucharist. The focal point of every Catholic Church, and as Cardinal (Blessed) Henry Newman would say the perfect prayer, the Catholic Mass.
St. Thomas Aquinas, the great evangelical doctor calls the consecrated Host, the Bread of Angels: Pange Angelicus, and rightly so.
LOL!!!!! And the RCC is as pure as the wind-driven snow.
Give thinking people a break!
The curse of the Reformation . . . . Hmmmm.
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Sola Scriptura.
Sola Deo Gloria.
Solo Christo.
Sola Gratia.
Sola Fide.
If this is a curse, then I thank God that this curse rescued me from the thrall of sin and, also, opened my eyes to a soteriology far superior to that of the Catholic faith in which I was reared.
By the way: Now a Protestant, I still have a fairly “high” view of the Eucharist, though I can no longer give assent to the Romanist view of Transubstantiation.
Also, let’s be honest, I actually agree with your characterization of the what you not-so-inaccurately term the “mushrooms” that sprang up around the base of the Reformation tree proper — from the Episcopalians to Osteen, et al.
Now, can you not be equally honest and admit publicly in this forum that a Roman Catholic priest or two here and there (or Pope, even!) during the past 1600 years has engaged in adultery, fornication, incest, and/or sodomy at one point or another — perhaps even in the hours immediately preceding the celebrating of the “sacrifice” of the Mass? Or, engaged in the sale of indulgences? Or, temporized with evil in the form of Adolph Hitler? Or, .... the list goes on. In sum, Rock of Gibraltar, Schmock of Gibraltar!
Finally, I greatly admire Aquinas, but his “Pange Angelicus” though very eloquent, seems a bit over the top. My suspicion is that the angels are not permitted to partake of the Eucharist. (And, perhaps, brilliant as he was, he knew that, but was simply trying to make a point.)
Perhaps a bad analogy on your part - The Tower of Babylon was built by those who were 'unified and universal', and who followed one man, with one language, to the point of rebellion against the Most High...
When the tower fell, the language was confused and distributed to keep them from rebellion and doing evil. Are you suggesting that the evil is in that distribution, or that the evil tower should not have been destroyed?
Pray for the UNITY of all Christians.
Yes, and that's apostate and disgusting, but communicants of Rembert Weakland and Thomas Gumbleton shouldn't throw stones.