I spent over fifty years as a Protestant...Methodist then American Baptist. You have only truly paid attention to learn about the true faith from those who are anti-Catholic. Studying Catholic catechist and the basis from the doctrines and theology as well as the doctors of the Church swayed me to realize just how shallow and lacking Protestant beliefs are. You are blind to simple concepts such as the one we are talking about here about good works and faith. One cannot have true faith, true bond to Christ and not do good works...it didn’t matter who James wrote his letter to, it is a universal concept. Jesus Christ himself was the one who stated that this is His body and he was not being metaphoric, indeed he later clarified. You are probably not aware that there have been numerous Eucharistic miracles where the wafers and wine have turned to the true flesh of Jesus (heart muscle under duress) or blood (type AB) over the centuries. Kind of like the Shroud of Turin. There is no magic involved, it is recognition and having the authority from Jesus himself that the Priests have power to do these things. We are Christianity bud, you are at best incorrect in important theological/doctrinal aspects or at worst heretical. Mary is not a demigoddess as you probably like to pretend. Mary is recognized in the Catholic Church as Jesus wants us to. Indeed, there is archeological evidence from the 1st century for Protestants to ignore. It is only in recent (lost few hundred years) that so many have lost the true faith and believe as you do. If your faith was true you would be true theologically with the bible and recognize the truth of tradition as Jesus commanded us to. But, those do not fit into Protestant thinking where you decide how God fits into your religion rather than fitting into God’s. That is the shame and danger of Protestant thinking. Each of you has equal weight in deciding what is God’s word...each are a true interpreter of God in any way that you desire. And you mock us? Grow up and get some actual learning...
The Roman Catholic religion (and it is so far from Christianity that it is indeed as Paul described an other religion') well Romanism is not Christianity for ONLY God can reconcile a dead spirit to Himself by imputing Christ's righteousness to that one so that one can even approach The Holy God. You are not born with righteousness nor can you be trained to righteousness UNTIL God reconciles you to Himself. The is no works exchange program by you that starts, or completes what ONLY God can do.
Did you know that The Word of God says we born agains will be priests and kings to our God? Being born from above is solely by the Grace of God by faith alone in Christ alone.
As a practicing catholic you have a belief that your priesthood can perform magic via magical incantation which requires Christ to come from the Throne Room to hundreds of thousands of Catholic altars to feed His flesh and blood to your adherents. That is a pagan notion incorporated into the early Christian faith by men who were carnal and not spiritual so they did not understand the spiritual Remembrance Jesus instituted the night He was betrayed.
That Passover celebration is not connected to the sarcasm Jesus used as shown in JOhn 6, but the Roman Catholic religion asserts the connection so as to empower the heretical priesthood of your religion.
My concern is your spiritual state. If you were born again sometime in the past, before being inculcated by Romanism, then you are destined to be Raptured in the near future with ALL the Church of Jesus Believers.
The concept of the three tenses or phases of Salvation might help you, if you will seek truly to understand what The Grace of God in Christ means to your spirit, for believing on Whom God has sent for your Salvation is an immediate imputation BY GOD ALONE to your dead spirit, imputation of the righteousness of Christ and God's seed within your come-alive spirit (1 John 3:9).
Yes, I believe once saved always thereafter saved. Why? Becuase ONLY God can transform your spirit from deadness to alive forever more, and He does that for believers because it glorifies The One Whom H sent, not you or me.