Reuters reports that, after a couple had been caught having sex in a church confessional in Rome, “the bishop celebrated a “Mass of reparation” in the cathedral where the confessional box incident took place to make up for the sacrilege”. OK, so repentance before Christ isn’t good enough. And renouncing the act as sin isn’t enough. Instead the Catholic Church has to have a religious ceremony to repay God for the sin and, I suppose, re-sanctify the cathedral. Again we find the Catholic Church engaged in denying what the Bible teaches and resorting to pagan ritual to try to appease God. Jesus was pretty clear about what it takes to please Him, and it certainly isn’t some ritual that was designed by man and is in truth for man.
Mt 15:7 You hypocrites! Well did Isaiah prophesy of you, when he said:
8 “This people honors me with their lips, but their heart is far from me;
9 in vain do they worship me, teaching as doctrines the precepts of men.”
While I was in Iraq the Iraqis I spoke and worked with told me how they viewed Christians as Pagans. After much discussion I realized that this was due to the Catholic Church, which was usually the only “Christian” influence they had seen. Why? Because the Catholic Church has taken on pagan practices from many religions in order to woo the pagan followers over to Catholicism. The Catholic apologetics say they do not worship Mary or other “saints”, but the Muslims, knowing God said not to contact the dead, see the Catholics praying to Mary and other saints. They see that the Catholics have adopted the rosary (prayer beads), nuns habits (burkas), and priests garments (dishdasha) from the Muslims, and much more.
The Catholic Pope says that the Catholic Church is the only true church Yah-shua’s (Jesus) disciples tried that one, too, but what did Yah-shua (Jesus) say?
Mark 9:38 Now John answered Him, saying, “Teacher, we saw someone who does not follow us casting out demons in Your name, and we forbade him because he does not follow us.”
39 But Yah-shua said, “Do not forbid him, for no one who works a miracle in My name can soon afterward speak evil of Me.
40 “For he who is not against us is on our side.
The Catholic Church uses all its ritual and its “lock” on prophetic truth to enslave its people. Jesus said “It is finished!’ But the popes say, “no it’s not, and we speak for God more than scripture or Christ”. Yah-shua said “You shall know the Truth, and the Truth shall set you free.” Yah-shua said that HE was the Truth, and the Way. The Popes say they have a corner on the market of truth and the Catholic Church is the way. Please, my brothers, wake up and study the scriptures so as not to PERISH FOR A LACK OF KNOWLEDGE! Why does the Bible tell us we all have a direct connection to God through Christ, but the Popes tell us we must go through an earthly priest? Wake up, brothers, and see all the Catholic pomp and ritual for what it is, as Christ saw it in the Pharisees:
Mathew 23:4 They bind heavy burdens, hard to bear, and lay them on men’s shoulders; but they themselves will not move them with their finger.
5 They do all their deeds to be seen by men; for they make their phylacteries broad and their fringes long,
6 and they love the place of honor at feasts and the best seats in the synagogues,
7 and salutations in the market places, and being called rabbi by men.
8 But you are not to be called rabbi, for you have one teacher, and you are all brethren.
9 And call no man your father on earth, for you have one Father, who is in heaven.
10 Neither be called masters, for you have one master, the Christ.
Mathew 16:11 How is it that you fail to perceive that I did not speak about bread? Beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and Sadducees.”
12 Then they understood that he did not tell them to beware of the leaven of bread, but of the teaching of the Pharisees and Sadducees.
Harsh words? Remember the words of Christ:
Mathew 10:34 “Do not think that I came to bring peace on earth. I did not come to bring peace but a sword.
35 “For I have come to “set a man against his father, a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law”;
36 “and “a man’s enemies will be those of his own household.”
37 “He who loves father or mother more than Me is not worthy of Me. And he who loves son or daughter more than Me is not worthy of Me.
38 “And he who does not take his cross and follow after Me is not worthy of Me.
39 “He who finds his life will lose it, and he who loses his life for My sake will find it.
40 “He who receives you receives Me, and he who receives Me receives Him who sent Me.
Revelation 18:4 And I heard another voice from heaven saying, “Come out of her, my people, lest you share in her sins, and lest you receive of her plagues.
5 “For her sins have reached to heaven, and God has remembered her iniquities.
6 “Render to her just as she rendered to you, and repay her double according to her works; in the cup which she has mixed, mix double for her.
7 “In the measure that she glorified herself and lived luxuriously, in the same measure give her torment and sorrow; for she says in her heart, ‘I sit as queen, and am no widow, and will not see sorrow.”
The way is hard and the gate is narrow!