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To: Salvation

Evangelization is to the person of Jesus Christ, not to a church.


3 posted on 03/30/2019 8:14:39 AM PDT by Jim W N (MAGA by restoring the Gospel of the Grace of Christ and our Free Constitutional Republic!)
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To: Jim 0216

Exactly — and Jesus Christ is present within each and every Catholic Church and parishioner.


4 posted on 03/30/2019 8:15:48 AM PDT by Salvation ("With God all things are possible." Matthew 19:26)
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To: Jim 0216
Evangelization is to the person of Jesus Christ, not to a church.

Exactly. Like the Monsignor said, it is not about membership it is about conversion.

7 posted on 03/30/2019 8:19:59 AM PDT by TexasKamaAina
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To: Jim 0216
"Evangelization is to the person of Jesus Christ, not to a church."

With all due respect --- and seeing, I think, your good intent in saying this --- I would caution you against setting up a false dichotomy.

The Church is identified in Scripture as Christ's Body, and (to use another image) His Bride. You simply cannot be converted to Christ but refuse to be vitally joined to the other members of His Body: and I mean vitally joined, joined on the basis of real need ("The eye cannot say to the ear, I don't need you") and real efficacy. Nor can you be joined to Christ and remain aloof from His Bride: for you are His Bride together with His Bridal Church,

The Church we "see" does not always look Bridal, because we are so marred by sin; but still, of all the objects of Faith mentioned in the Creed (One God the Father Almighty; the Forgiveness of Sins; the Resurrection of the Body) the Church is the one thing you can see.

I was thinking of that just today, while waiting n a long live for Confession. "Right now," I thought, "before my eyes right now, this is the Church: repenting, confessing our sins, turning toward Him and being thankful to God 'for His mercy endures forever.'" St.John said (1 John 4:20):

If anyone says, “I love God,” but hates his brother, he is a liar; for whoever does not love a brother whom he has seen cannot love God whom he has not seen.

You think the Church is an invisible thing, it can't be this sinful visible thing? Yes, the Church is perfect; yes, She is indefectible. And yet --- you fool! The Church you can see, like the brother you can see, is right in front of your eyes in the Confession line: sinners all! Like the joke (kinda) says, "Ain't nobody here but us sinners."

And yet...

"O Lord Jesus Christ...regard not my sins but the faith of Your Church."

66 posted on 03/30/2019 10:46:16 AM PDT by Mrs. Don-o ("Let us commend ourselves, and one another, and our whole life, unto Christ Our God.")
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