Posted on 01/02/2021 6:05:47 PM PST by ebb tide
This Sunday, January 3, 2021, is the 500th anniversary of the excommunication of Martin Luther as a heretic and schismatic – the greatest damage ever done to the Holy Catholic Church. He died unrepentant, without the sacraments and outside the One True Church.
Yes, Pope Leo X, who issued the excommunication decree and the previous Exsurge Domine warning (6/15/1520) to Luther, had a mixed record of papal righteousness – but in this event he is nearly unsurpassed and fairly vindicated.
In this writer's view, these documents are two of the most formidable, necessary and courageous decrees emanating from the Chair of Peter, defending the Holy Roman Catholic Church from doctrinal attack. They were subsequently, fully upheld by the Council of Trent – also one of the greatest Councils in Church history – to which we owe very much, especially on the Eucharist!
We still face great danger. With Luther, there was no warning, just 95 absurd theses appearing out of thin air.
Here today, we had a warning in 1917 at Fatima. “Russia will spread her errors throughout the world,” did Our Lady alert the three children and us Catholics.
We feel these effects today – a far more serious warning than Luther. In full deference to Our Lady and the Most Holy Trinity – it is extremely doubtful (despite assertions to the contrary) that the full, correct Consecration to Russia was done; or that the decisive 3rd Secret text was totally revealed.
The errors, it is said, will lead to “The Great Apostasy.” There seems no appetite in the Vatican, at any level, to humbly accept and remedy those grave errors. Rather, a desire to hurtle into the future with Pachamama; Amazon Culture; ecology; and global secular solutions – as moral virtue is completely ignored and vocations and faithful Catholics disappear at record speeds.
Will the Church (and our Country) continue its decline? Will we still continue to receive God’s Divine Mercy and Graces? Are we due for a severe Divine Chastisement?
I am not going to advance an opinion here – only to charitably say, we would all do well to place our own souls in a state of grace, and urge our families, friends and others to do the same.
And Pray. God is very good.
“But how to account for the easily manipulated million and billionaires of today? Why do SO many of them fall for Liberalism?”
Let’s just say that it is NOT God’s influence. So what’s the other option?
I don’t believe that your questions are sincere, merely a round robin attempt to promote protestant false beliefs and anti-Catholic bias.
It is about time that you did some serious research (if you are able) and prove that Purgatory does not exist.
To help you, here is an article for your study. https://www.catholic.com/tract/the-roots-of-purgatory
You do realize that Catholics believed in Purgatory from the beginning of the Catholic Church way before Luther posted his heresies that protestants follow? Even Luther believed in Purgatory, so he admits that God’s truth can change by man’s opinion (Satan must have influenced Luther).
While many Catholics will need Purgatory to purify us before entering Heaven and seeing God, I believe that most protestants will need Purgatory more as they do not have the Catholic Church, the Mass and the Sacraments for their salvation.
The easy path goes to Hell, and the difficult path leads to Heaven.
Don't accept the mark when commanded 6to you, should you survive the catastrophic scene caused by the sudden removal of so many humans who are the true Body of Christ Believers.
“ You do realize that Catholics believed in Purgatory from the beginning of the Catholic Church
When Catholicism was formed, by blending paganism with Christianity, is not the issue.
The Church of believers never had purgatory since the beginning...
Nor half of what Rome claims.
The Captain of the host and Michael the Archangel are both certainly Jesus Christ. Here’s an excerpt from an article on the Captain of the host:
https://faithsaves.net/captain-host-lord-analysis-joshua-513-15/
The word “captain” (rs) is common in the OT, appearing 421 times, translated most commonly “prince” (208 times, also KJV margin here) and secondly “captain” (130 times), followed by “chief” and “ruler” (33 times each). This “man” who appears before Joshua asserts his authority when he employs this designation. Nowhere else in the Bible does the phrase “captain/prince of the hosts of the LORD” appear, but the phrase “captain(s) of the host” appears in the Pentateuch in Gen 21:22, 32, 26:26, Num 31:14, 48, and De 20:9, and indicates, when found in the singular, the supreme military authority, which, when “captain” is plural, indicates this same authority divided among a group. In Joshua 5 the Captain further emphasizes the greatness of his authority through the emphatic employment of the first person pronoun yna, which also receives an early placement in the Hebrew clause (In Heb. order, “No; but I, the captain of the host of the LORD, now I have come.”) The most comparable reference to the phrase of Joshua 5:14 appears in Daniel 8:11, where the “little horn (v. 9)…magnified himself even to the prince of the host (abuh-rs).” The “prince of the host” in Daniel 8:11 is probably God himself, the “Prince of princes” (Dan 8:25, Myrs-rs) whose worship Antiochus IV Epiphanes attempted to end. It is possible that the “now” also expresses the divinity of the Captain: “I who formerly appeared as the Jehovah of the burning bush (Ex 3), and who was announced as the tutelary Angel of the traveling hosts (Ex 23:23), now appear in the different character of the Divine Defender of the covenant nation; and as my presence formerly made Sinai holy (Ex 19:20), so now doth it sanctify the spot upon which I tread.”[5] Apart from this, the appearance of the Captain at the commencement of the conquest of Canaan constitutes a fulfillment of the promise of Ex 23:20-23[6] for guidance and victory— the Angel’s manifestation to confirm this justifies the “now” of his “am I come” (or “I have come,” a Qal perfect).
Joshua would have understood the phrase “host of the LORD” to refer to the army of Israel; in addition to the use of the very similar phrase “the hosts of the LORD” in Ex 12:41, the overwhelming majority of the appearances of the word “host” (abu) in the Pentateuch relate to the chosen nation. Furthermore, Joshua had queried the allegiance of the Man with the Canaanite or Israelite forces, so his reply naturally deals with them. Nevertheless, the Captain was also head over all the forces which Jehovah had dominion of, including the heavens and the earth (termed a “host” in Gen 2:1), the stars (De 4:19, 17:3), and the ranks of the heavenly beings (1 Ki 22:19). All of these arrayed themselves on the side of Israel; the heavens dropped hailstones upon the Canaanites (Josh 10:11), the earth fought for Israel (Hab 3:3-19, cf. Jud 5:4, Ps 68:7-8, 1 Sam 14:15), as did the stars (Jud 5:20), the sun and the moon (Josh 10:13), the heavenly hosts (De 33:2), and other creatures (Ex 23:28, De 7:20, Jos 24:12). Jehovah, the God of all the earth, had all the resources of his creation, and the direct workings of his Omnipotent hand to supplement the strength of Israel’s armies (cf. 2 Ki 6:17) and give his people victory over cities such as Jericho in supernatural ways.
You would have to be spiritually blind not to see the similarities between the two characters/titles of Christ.
It was at this stage that another no less spectacular factor, predestined to have profound repercussions upon the development of Roman Catholicism during its first millennium, appeared on the scene.
The tradition was established of pilgrimages to places where the saints had lived, had been martyred and had been buried. Monasteries, nunneries, churches, all had their own.
With the possession of the relics of the blessed, with promotion of their legends and accounts of their miracles went not only the spiritual devotions, but also the monetary offerings of the pilgrims. That spelled wealth for those localities where the pious voyagers gathered.
The more popular a shrine or a saint, the more abundant the collection of silver and gold coins.
The most fabulous was undoubtedly that promoted by the cult of the Blessed Peter, the Turnkey of Heaven. The cult demanded a journey to Rome, where Peter's tomb lay. Peter had been crucified there, it was asserted with no more plausible data than a pious tradition, for the Bishops of Rome had no more evidence then than have the pontiffs of the twentieth century. The latter have attempted to substantiate it with doubtful archaeological finds.
The process, begun by Pope Pius XII (1939-58), was completed by Pope Paul VI.
In 1968 Paul declared officially that,
How the "identification" had been carried out, on a site where hundreds of thousands of bodies had been buried during many centuries, was not plausibly explained, in view also of the fact that there has never been any definite historical evidence to prove that Peter was ever in Rome.
The Roman Bishops, however, cultivated the myth with undiminished eagerness.
This they did, not as mere upholders of a devout legend, but as the skillful promoters of a growing cult which had concrete and far-reaching objectives, since its magnification brought them immense authority, and with it money. For the belief that the tomb of Peter was in the Eternal City induced thousands of pilgrims, beginning with English and Scottish ones, to go to pray over the Apostle's tomb; a source of tremendous revenue. Today we would call it by the more accurate and prosaic name of tourism.
The successors of Peter promoted pilgrimages to his "tomb" in Rome very early, although from the start they showed a special predilection for the richest and most powerful personages of the times - that is, for individuals who could give them costly presents, land and power. To quote only one typical case, Pope Leo tells us how the Emperor Valentinian III and his family regularly performed their devotions at the tomb of St. Peter, "such practice yielding a useful respect for the Apostle's successors" to whom they offered costly presents and the tenure of lands.
Pope Gregory, on the other hand (590-604), promised Queen Brunhilda remission of her sins.
"The most Blessed Peter, Prince of the Apostles.. will cause thee to appear pure of all stain before the judge everlasting" (2) as long as she granted him, Gregory, what he asked of her, that, money, real estates, and investitures which yielded abundant revenues to the Church: a practice which became a tradition during the oncoming centuries.
Gregory went even further and sent the nobleman Dynamius a cross containing "fillings" from St. Peter's chains, telling him to wear the cross at his throat,
The gift, of course, was not a free one. It cost money and gold. (3)
Not content with this, Gregory began to send out "the keys of St. Peter, wherein are found the precious filings and which by the same token also remit sins" - provided the recipients paid in cash or with costly presents. (4)
Once it became known that the relics of St. Peter, when combined with the spiritual power of his successors, could remit sins, it was natural that most of the Christians throughout Christendom longed to go to the tomb and thus partake of Peter's and the pope's spiritual treasures. The latter invariably involved earthly treasures of money, silver and gold, or deeds of real estate. And that is how the pilgrimage to Rome, called the Pardon of St. Peter, was initiated - curiously enough, mostly by Anglo-Saxons.
In addition to encouraging the belief that Peter's tomb was in Rome and that his successors had "filings" from St. Peter's chains, the popes encouraged the belief that by coming to the Eternal City the pilgrims could address the Blessed Peter in person.
The Church, far from discouraging such dishonest humbuggery, gave her approval to it: witness for example the notable St. Gregory of Tours, who, in his De Gloria Martyrum, gave a detailed description of the ceremony that had to be performed in order to speak with the Prince of Apostles. (5)
The pilgrims had to kneel upon the tomb of St. Peter, the opening to which was covered by a trap door. Then, raising the door, he had to insert his head into the hole, after which, still remaining in that posture, he had to reveal in a loud voice the object of his visit to the saint. Offerings of money were thrown in. Then veneration and obeisance were to be offered to St. Peter's successor, the pope.
The religious and even political results of this practice upon deeply ignorant nations like the Anglo-Saxons, and upon the Franks who imitated them, can be easily imagined. Secular rulers of the highest rank flocked to Rome. At the beginning of the seventh century, for instance, two Anglo-Saxon princes renounced their thrones and passed the remainder of their lives at the tomb of St. Peter. (6)
We see some of the same kinds of schemes carried out today by many non-Catholic entities with their "prayer cloths", "seed money", medals, etc., designed to fleece the gullible in order to finance their private jets, mansions, luxury cars and such completely contradicting the commands of Jesus to His Apostles and disciples in their mission of sharing the gospel to the lost in the world. Those in ministry being "Not greedy of filthy lucre", as Paul taught seems to be completely ignored.
And of course the one concept that you still cannot (refuse to) understand or admit to is that Angel can mean MESSENGER.
[2] The word “angel” (Kalm) has the root idea of “messenger,” and is so translated in reference to non-spirit beings in Gen 32:3, 6, Num 20:14, 21:21, and many other places in Scripture. The fact that the hwhy Kalm is called an “angel” does not automatically divorce him from the possibility of a place within the Godhead to the separate section of the modern systematic theology text entitled “Angelology.” Christ repeatedly emphasized that the Father had sent him (Jn 6:40, 8:18, 17:21, 23, etc.), was an “Apostle” or “sent one/messenger,” apostolov, Heb 3:1, and apparently was explicitly termed an aggelov yeou, an “angel of God,” in Gal 4:14.
Angel of God = Jesus
Angel of the Covenant = Jesus
Captain of the host = Jesus (leads the armies of God)
Michael the Archangel = Jesus (leads the armies of God)
All names/titles/characters of Jesus Christ in the bible.
“In the instances I have cited, the phrase *angel of the LORD* or *angel of God* actually meant Jesus Christ, who is the *chief messenger (angel) of the LORD (God the Father)*”
16For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a loud command, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God, and the dead in Christ will be the first to rise.
For the Lord Himself will descend
The Lord personally gives the loud command
The Lord’s voice is that of an archangel
The Lord personally blows the trumpet of God
“The apostles, John and Paul, give a good example of how two texts can describe the same event, but in slightly different ways. Paul says dead believers are resurrected at the voice of the Archangel. “For the Lord Himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first.” (1 Thessalonians 4:16) John records that the Lord Jesus said the dead righteous would be resurrected at the sound of His own voice. “I tell you the truth, a time is coming and has now come when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God and those who hear will live. . . . And He has given Him authority to judge because He is the Son of Man. Do not be amazed at this, for a time is coming when all who are in their graves will hear His voice and come out – those who have done good will rise to live, and those who have done evil will rise to be condemned.” (John 5:25-29) These parallel passages are speaking of the same event. Paul, in Thessalonians, calls it “the voice of the Archangel” and John, in His gospel, calls it “the voice of the Son of God.”
No offense to you and your friends, Mrobisr, but I predict that the lot of you will soil your pants (wail and gnash your teeth) at the end of this earth because of your lack of wisdom/knowledge and refusal to keep God’s law.
The fear of the LORD is the beginning of WISDOM: a good understanding have all they that do his commandments: his praise endureth for ever.
Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God, and keep his commandments: for this is the whole duty of man.
14For God shall bring every work into judgment, with every secret thing, whether it be good, or whether it be evil.
You lack wisdom
“The Roman Bishops, however, cultivated the myth with undiminished eagerness.” Plaster applied generously to the Fatima incident, years after the fact ignoring the eyewitness accounts stored at Fatima, oddly enough!
“These parallel passages are speaking of the same event. Paul, in Thessalonians, calls it “the voice of the Archangel” and John, in His gospel, calls it “the voice of the Son of God.”
Michael the Archangel is another title/name/character of Jesus Christ.
Have you even READ that paragraph?
***
No. No he hasn’t.
I gave him an entire research paper analyzing the statement and included plenty of quotations from Luther about avoiding sins and doing good deeds, but he refused to read it.
Just taking after Rome’s proud tradition of book burnings, I suppose.
Are you attempting to reconcile both sides by getting us both to turn against you?
Because while I appreciate the sentiment, I don’t think it’ll happen.
“I don’t believe that your questions are sincere”
You can’t answer them or you would, but that was a nice try at a lame excuse.
“Luther”
You keep bringing up Luther, but I don’t know him nor study his work. I read and study the Holy Word of God and just as Paul said to Timothy that is all a person needs.
“I believe that most protestants will need Purgatory more”
Jesus said it is finished and He proved the fact that all sin was forgiven due to His work on the cross by rising from the dead according to the Scriptures.
“Captain of the host = Jesus (leads the armies of God)
Michael the Archangel = Jesus (leads the armies of God)”
The Army of the Romans of Jesus time was copied by our Army in many areas. One of those was a chain of command and the rank structure.
Again just as you will not understand Jesus being announced every time He comes to earth you probably will not understand this either.
There are several Commanders (Captains for non-military folks) in the chain of command of the Army NOT just one.
Company Commander, leader of and Army
Battalion Commander, leader of and Army
Brigade Commander, leader of and Army
Division Commander, leader of and Army
Corp Commander, leader of and Army
Army Commander, leader of and Army
it goes higher, but that is enough
You see how it works Jesus was and will be announced when He returns to earth by Michael and yes they can both be Commanders, but of different rank as they are.
The Godhead is of one essence, but yet they are still ranked in order.
GOD the Father, GOD the Son that submitted to GOD the Father, and GOD the Holy Spirit that submitted to GOD the Son.
Say what you may, but I am done with this as I am reminded of the saying you can lead a horse to water, but you cannot make them drink.
You keep bringing up Luther, but I don’t know him nor study his work
***
You should; it’s good stuff, mostly.
Can’t compare to the Word of God, of course.
“And after the exhibition, Tryphaena again received her [Thecla]. For her daughter Falconilla had died, and said to her in a dream: ‘Mother, you shall have this stranger Thecla in my place, in order that she may pray concerning me, and that I may be transferred to the place of the righteous’” (Acts of Paul and Thecla [A.D. 160]).
“We offer sacrifices for the dead on their birthday anniversaries [the date of death—birth into eternal life]” (The Crown 3:3 [A.D. 211]).
“A woman, after the death of her husband . . . prays for his soul and asks that he may, while waiting, find rest; and that he may share in the first resurrection. And each year, on the anniversary of his death, she offers the sacrifice” (Monogamy 10:1–2 [A.D. 216]).
This was the belief from the 1st century itself of all Christians.
The Ancient Church of the East - the Assyrian Church - that was separated in 240 AD with the arrival of the Sassanid Persian empire. What did THEY believe about this - since they were separated from Rome so early? The Assyrian Church acknowledges that the souls undergo a process of purification after death -- Solomon of Basra quotes several of these forefathers. Solomon of Basra states that “the Holy Spirit burns us in the furnace of the Resurrection…”46 In the Book of Bee Chapter 60, he raises a question as to whether mercy will shewn to sinners and the devils in Gehenna, after they have been tormented and suffered and been punished, or not. He makes references to Church fathers who allude to the cleaning and purification of the souls after death. He quotes Mar Isaac of Ninveh (7th century)47: “Those who are to be scourged in Gehenna will be tortured with stripes of love; they who feel that they have sinned against the love will suffer harder and more severe pangs from love than the pain that springs from fear.”48 Solomon makes the following attestation based on Theodore of Mopsuestia’s writings: Those who have here chosen fair things will receive in the world to come the pleasure of good things with praises; but the wicked who have turned aside to evil things all their life, become ordered in their minds by penalties and the fear that springs from them, and choose good things, and learn how much they have sinned, and by these things receive the knowledge of the highest doctrine of the fear of God, and become instructed to lay
Let's repeat a basic Bible lesson:
| 13But he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved. |
James 2:17 Even so faith, if it hath not works, is dead, being alone. -- it's never faith ALONE. Note that
so, take it up with Jesus who says the above.
The first work of the grace of the Holy Spirit is conversion, effecting justification in accordance with Jesus' proclamation at the beginning of the Gospel: "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand."
Justification detaches man from sin which contradicts the love of God, and purifies his heart of sin. Justification follows upon God's merciful initiative of offering forgiveness. It reconciles man with God. It frees from the enslavement to sin, and it heals.
Justification is at the same time the acceptance of God's righteousness through faith in Jesus Christ
Justification has been merited for us by the Passion of Christ who offered himself on the cross as a living victim, holy and pleasing to God, and whose blood has become the instrument of atonement for the sins of all men
On the death-bed the person who repents, believes has accepted God's freely given grace of justification -- note, we do not justify ourselves, nor do we earn this
Let me repeat this
all salvation comes from Christ the Head
or 269 Justification has been merited for us by the Passion of Christ who offered himself on the cross as a living victim, holy and pleasing to God, and whose blood has become the instrument of atonement for the sins of all men
Mark 16:16 He who believes and is baptized will be saved. -- you twist a lot of words to contradict Jesus -- He said this quite clearly, "He who believes AND IS BAPTISED is saved" -- as 1 Pet 3:20-21 reiterates In it only a few people, eight in all, were saved through water, 21 and this water symbolizes baptism that now saves you alsonot the removal of dirt from the body but the pledge of a clear conscience toward God.[e] It saves you by the resurrection of Jesus Christ, -- now if you wish to disregard the Bible, that's your choice. Remember, The Glory is to GOD that has saved is in this -- the salvation is by the resurrection of JEsus Christ -- Glory to God, not man
Luke 13:3 [U]nless you repent you will all likewise perish. -- again, Jesus is very clear. Take Jesus's own words first -- what does He say? "unless you repent, you will perish" -- God gives us the grace to repent yes, but we must accept this grace
John 6:54 -- again, Jesus is very clear. Why try to put words into His mouth? If you have a problem with what Jesus said -- take it up with Him
Matt 25:31-46 --> no one said it's a qualifier. I just pointed it out that it is not faith ALONE that saves
Matt 24:13 --> Why reference Paul for what Jesus has clearly said? He who endureth to the end is saved -- I never said that it is anyone but Jesus who gives us the power to do this --> Why don't you get this into your head before you go accussing folks, I continuously said and say that we are saved by God's grace, we give 100% credit for our ability to repent, to believe, to endure, to share in His body etc --> I only said it is not faith ALONE, but GRACE ALONE that saves us --> read before accusing this is what Jesus said
Isn't Jesus pretty clear? you MUST have faith to be saved by the freely given grace of salvation, however, it is not faith ALONE
Do you believe Jesus's words or not?
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