“We believe that we have the precise image of what Jesus
looked like on this earth,”
said Professor Giulio Fanti of the University of Padua.
This 3D “carbon copy” of Jesus was created using the Shroud of Turin
Fast fail: 39-year-old pastor died after trying to go 40 days without food and water.
A pastor in Mozambique has died after attempting to go 25 days without food or water in a bid to fast like Jesus in the Bible, per multiple media reports.
Francisco Barajah, the 39-year-old founder of the Santa Trindade Evangelical Church, died in a hospital in Mozambique’s capital, Beira, on Wednesday, The BBC reported.
He had been attempting to emulate Jesus’ 40-day fast from the Bible, per the outlet.
Editor’s note: Since Jesus is true God and true man and totally without sin, he wasn’t liable to die – after forty days – or forty years – of fasting. Jesus’ life was always his to keep, or to give.
Not so, for us.
With extended fasting, virtually any type of chronic health issue can lead to death.
I once fasted for three full days, subsisting only on water and twice-daily Holy Communion. Young and healthy at the time, I experienced no lasting ill effects from the relatively moderate fast. I also felt that I might have been able to go on fasting like that, indefinitely.
Maybe yes. Maybe no.
But, after three days, I had certainly gained a much more profound appreciation for Jesus, in the Holy Eucharist.
Also, my digestive system had “gone to sleep”, so it was necessary to reintroduce normal food, carefully and gradually, over the following days.
Don’t ask me how I learned that!
Our obedience to Jesus in performing good works BY HIS GRACE and THROUGH HIS GRACE and WITH HIS GRACE is a very necessary component of the salvation process.
Colossians 1:10 even says that our good works are the “fruit of our faith,” and as Jesus said, we MUST bear good fruit or we will be thrown into the fire.” Luther taught that salvation was a one-time event, and you were saved when you accepted Jesus Christ for the first time as your Lord. He erroneously taught that your past, present, and future sins were all forgiven, which is also not to be found anywhere in the Bible. He said that Christ’s righteousness was legally “imputed” to you, and even though you are not righteous, His righteousness “clothes” you so that you appear righteous. He actually used the term “We are like dunghills covered in snow!” None of this legal imputation theory is anywhere to be found in the Bible.
Thanks to my parents and family … I know man and I know God. I know love and I know wrath. I know justice and I know peace … and I know (as a faithful Catholic) that I have nothing to fear.
by Doug Lawrence
I grew up in the 50’s and 60’s, in a (fairly) conventional family consisting of dad, mom, two brothers and a sister.
Dad took the car to work each day. Mom stayed home and took care of the house and kids. No surprises there.
We all went to Catholic school … but that’s not the point. The point is how mom ran the household … and particularly … the way she personally maintained family standards.
Even though we rarely had any serious discussions, there was no doubt that we were unconditionally loved and cared for … mainly because that’s pretty much all that mom did … 24/7 and 365. Of course, dad’s job (and his personal commitment to the family) made possible that extraordinary level of “intensive care”.
The house was always spotless. Meals weren’t fancy, but they were generally prepared on time and in abundance. Our clothing, grooming, and personal behavior were always closely and very effectively monitored … sometimes through “mysterious” means. Family outings were modest affairs, but frequent. Holidays were indeed feasts, with Christmas and Easter being number one and number two (but not necessarily in that order). Sundays were reserved for Mass and for family.
That’s just the way things were. We never questioned why.
Little went unnoticed, and nothing important to mom could ever be considered (by us) as irrelevant or insignificant, since we knew with certainty that a fate worse than death awaited all those who might transgress.
The means of our execution was the dreaded “whipstrap”!
Reputed to be a family heirloom of indeterminate age, the whipstrap had been fashioned from a stout piece of leather, roughly three inches wide and twenty-four inches long. The first part served as a handle. The last was cut into a classic “cat o’ nine tails” … and it was truly awesome to behold!
The “instrument” typically need not even be displayed, since the mere mention of it was usually sufficient to restore order. But, when partial measures were unsuccessful, deploying the whipstrap and applying a stroke or two, usually did the trick.
Mom was in pretty good physical shape (probably from all that walking … since she didn’t drive … and there was no outrunning her. She was even known to leap fences (and reportedly, tall buildings) in a single bound. And should we have been fortunate enough to discover a hiding place that was (as yet) unknown or inaccessible to her, dad would always be home, by six.
There was no escape!
The carnage wrought by the whipstrap was immense … and the suffering impossible to imagine … at least for a moment or two … in our young minds. Yet we all survived … and thrived … mainly because we were able to develop a good, clear sense of what was right and what was wrong. We also learned that actions brought sure and certain consequences … and sometimes, those consequences could be unpleasant.
The whipstrap effectively symbolized all of that potential unpleasantness. In this, a vision of Hell itself could not have been any more effective.
Years later … studying the Old Testament of the Bible … I suddenly realized that all the carnage and strife recorded therein really wasn’t much different than what went on back home … albeit on a much grander scale.
God lovingly cared for his children. God had particular standards and preferences, and when the “kids” got out of hand, God did what was necessary … for their own good … to rein them in.
Evil, in the person of Satan, made the problems in the Bible much more intractable, and the consequences much more severe. But, the “model” still works, since God remains the master of life and death, and he is most certainly able to transcend any and all human sufferings and failings … either in this world … or in the next.
Back home, should there have ever been any doubt about the fairness of our punishment, a hug from mom or dad was typically all that was necessary to fix things. No harm. No foul. Life went on.
My Catholic faith informs me that a “hug” from the Almighty would undoubtedly, have a similar effect.
So, you see … thanks to my parents and my family … I know man and I know God. I know love and I know wrath. I know justice and I know peace … and I know (as a faithful Catholic) that I have nothing to fear.
It’s good to “know” stuff like that … especially, when living in difficult times!
Christmas Video: The Ancient Proclamation Before Midnight Mass
The Ancient Proclamation Before Midnight Mass,
from the 6th century, Roman Martyrology,
explains, “How We Got To Christmas”.
It has been the Catholic Church’s official means
of initiating the Christmas Season, for the past 1500 years.
Yet
few Catholics
and even fewer
non-Catholics
have ever heard of it.
This beautiful, traditional video
covers over 5,000 years of Judeo-Christian history
in only about ten minutes time,
illustrating how Jesus Christ came to save us,
just as he promised he would.
He did it with awesome power and grace,
drawing on the assistance of real people,
throughout all the ages,
in real, historical circumstances,
precisely as described in the Bible.
The Ancient Proclamation is the true story
of God’s Master Plan for our salvation, writ large,
with Jesus Christ, our Divine Savior and Blessed Lord
in the “starring” role.
((|))
((|))
((|))
Merry Christmas!
Christmas Video: The Ancient Proclamation Before Midnight Mass
The Ancient Proclamation Before Midnight Mass,
from the 6th century, Roman Martyrology,
explains, “How We Got To Christmas”.
It has been the Catholic Church’s official means
of initiating the Christmas Season, for the past 1500 years.
Yet
few Catholics
and even fewer
non-Catholics
have ever heard of it.
This beautiful, traditional video
covers over 5,000 years of Judeo-Christian history
in only about ten minutes time,
illustrating how Jesus Christ came to save us,
just as he promised he would.
He did it with awesome power and grace,
drawing on the assistance of real people,
throughout all the ages,
in real, historical circumstances,
precisely as described in the Bible.
The Ancient Proclamation is the true story
of God’s Master Plan for our salvation, writ large,
with Jesus Christ, our Divine Savior and Blessed Lord
in the “starring” role.
((|))
((|))
((|))
Merry Christmas!
Christmas Video: The Ancient Proclamation Before Midnight Mass
The Ancient Proclamation Before Midnight Mass,
from the 6th century, Roman Martyrology,
explains, “How We Got To Christmas”.
It has been the Catholic Church’s official means
of initiating the Christmas Season, for the past 1500 years.
Yet
few Catholics
and even fewer
non-Catholics
have ever heard of it.
This beautiful, traditional video
covers over 5,000 years of Judeo-Christian history
in only about ten minutes time,
illustrating how Jesus Christ came to save us,
just as he promised he would.
He did it with awesome power and grace,
drawing on the assistance of real people,
throughout all the ages,
in real, historical circumstances,
precisely as described in the Bible.
The Ancient Proclamation is the true story
of God’s Master Plan for our salvation, writ large,
with Jesus Christ, our Divine Savior and Blessed Lord
in the “starring” role.
((|))
((|))
((|))
Merry Christmas!
How Bob Stanley’s “The Catholic Treasure Chest” came to be hosted by Doug Lawrence at AskMeAboutGod.Org
by Doug Lawrence
Bob and I were Internet colleagues in the Catholic faith since the early 2000’s. We spoke on the telephone on only a few occasions, but we kept in regular communication, via email.
At some point, Bob mentioned that he was getting older and was concerned about one day, being unable to maintain The Catholic Treasure Chest, so I told him I would make regular backups of the site and should it ever go offline and I was unable to contact him, I would restore and maintain it.
Bob liked the idea, so that’s what we agreed to do.
With Bob’s permission, I had been distributing the Catholic Treasure Chest on CD, mailing copies to people all around the world (Internet service was often “spotty” back then) so most of the technical work was already done.
Bob mentioned it in his article, entitled “In Lieu of A Book”:
“I have received many requests to put this website into a book.
But, I sense a frustration in having to download and save each page
of this very large site.
It has taken me years and thousands of hours
to put it all together and I certainly would not relish the time
it would take to download it page by page, either.
Putting it all into a book is a good idea.
However the sticking point is my having the time to do it.
I simply cannot do it for that reason, among others.
However I have a great solution
that was suggested by a dear new-found friend.
He is a teacher and many of his students do not have a computer
that is online, in order to go and visit the site.
He asked my permission to put the whole website onto a cd-rom
and pass a CD to each of his pupils.
I thought that was a great idea
and wondered why I had not thought of it myself.
Of course I gave him permission and he sent me a copy
and it was just like visiting the site online,
but much faster than even DSL…”
I would often link to the Catholic Treasure Chest from my website, referencing many of Bob’s wonderful articles. So, when The Catholic Treasure Chest domain was taken over by an Indonesian gambling casino and much of the content became unreliable or unavailable, readers from far and wide emailed me, asking what had happened.
Unable to make contact with Bob, I assumed the worst and went to work, successfully salvaging and restoring the site.
Because the Internet domain had already been assumed and taken over by others, it was necessary to bring The Catholic Treasure Chest over to my askmeaboutgod.org domain. It should be “safe” here, for many years to come, as by design, my site should be able to continue on (God willing) long after I have passed away.
Meanwhile, readers from a host of different countries, all around the globe, are beginning to reconnect with Bob Stanley’s “The Catholic Treasure Chest” (as I respectfully refer to it.)
Bob had quite a following. I have received a good number of enthusiastic emails from readers who are very thankful that Bob Stanley’s “The Catholic Treasure Chest” is back.
I’m sure that Bob would agree that this is no mere, coincidence. Together, we prudently developed a simple, effective plan for succession. I consider it a grace to have been privileged to do the work. Praise God!
The world needs Bob Stanley’s “The Catholic Treasure Chest”. It has always been a unique and precious, irreplaceable Catholic information resource. People of faith instinctively recognize that fact.
Bob will be sorely missed. Even though he’s gone, his great work will carry on, as a blessing to the whole world.
There’s not very many people about whom that may be truly stated.
I have arranged for Bob to be remembered in daily Mass intentions,
until the end of time. Please pray a “Hail Mary” for the repose of his soul,
when you have the time.
Bob Stanley’s “The Catholic Treasure Chest” is available on-line,
in English and Spanish languages,
as well as in a portable, downloadable PDF version.
Here’s the links:
Bob Stanley’s “The Catholic Treasure Chest” (PDF)
Down To Earth Answers To Virtually All Your Heavenly Questions.
English – On the Web
Spanish – On the Web
The web versions also have a new, very convenient, custom search feature, which makes locating specific content much faster and easier.
Rest In Peace, Bob Stanley: Good Man, Good Catholic, Superb Writer, Catechist and Teacher
Robert M. Stanley
February 6, 1935 – August 29, 2022
After a long illness, Robert Manfred Stanley passed away on August 29, 2022. He was 87.
Bob was born in Washington, D.C. on February 6, 1935, to Manfred and Mary Stanley. At age 7, they relocated to Redwood City, California where he met his wife of 67 years, Loretta (Lori).
He graduated from Sequoia Union High, enlisting in the Air Force shortly thereafter. He was stationed at Keesler Air Base in Biloxi, Mississippi where he became an instructor of radar technology. He was honorably discharged in 1957 with the rank of Staff Sergeant.
For the next 30 years, he was employed by IBM as a Customer Engineer, winning many awards. After retirement, Bob relocated to the foothills.
Bob enjoyed riding his tractor and watching old movies,
as well as writing and hosting his world renowned,
Catholic apologetics and information website:
The Catholic Treasure Chest.
He is survived by his wife Lori, daughter Christine (Christopher) and granddaughters Madelyn and Grace Horton.
Thanks to all those who were there in his time of need: Wolf Creek Care Center, Hospice of the Foothills and fellow members of St. Patrick’s Catholic Church.
Services will be held at St. Patrick’s Church in Grass Valley on Friday, September 23rd: Rosary 12:15 pm, Mass 1:00, then a gravesite service at St. Patrick’s Cemetery. A reception will follow at St. Patrick’s Church Hall. Donations may be made to Hospice of the Foothills or St. Patrick’s Catholic Church.
Editor’s note: By prior arrangement with Bob Stanley, Doug Lawrence at AskMeAboutGod.org will continue hosting and maintaining Bob’s superb, world renowned, Catholic website, The Catholic Treasure Chest, for many years to come. It would be a sin to let such a great, Catholic resource perish, especially during the times we are presently experiencing.
Let Us Pray…
Eternal rest grant unto Bob Stanley, O Lord, and let perpetual light shine upon him. May his soul and the souls of all the faithful departed, through the mercy of God, rest in peace. Amen.
Please pray an “Our Father” and a “Hail Mary” for Bob, right now. I’m sure he’ll appreciate it.
Go To Bob Stanley’s “The Catholic Treasure Chest”
As seen at www.theunion.com (slightly edited)
Download A Host of Electronic Bible Translations and Bible Study Aids For Free
From the e-Sword site: e-Sword is a fast and effective way to study the Holy Bible.
e-Sword is feature rich and user friendly with more capabilities than you would expect in a free Bible study app.
The fact that e-Sword is free is just one of the blessings and does not speak of the quality of the app.
Editor’s Note: The e-Sword Bible app makes searching, citing, editing and copying various translations of the Bible quick and easy. All the other available features are a bonus. My favorite is the Douay-Rheims Catholic Bible.
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Bob Stanley’s “The Catholic Treasure Chest” (PDF)
Down To Earth Answers To Virtually All Your Heavenly Questions.
English – On the Web
Spanish – On the Web
How To Pray the holy Rosary (PDF)
Which Mysteries to pray on what day – “Handy Cheat Sheet” (PDF)
The Rosary and the Scapular are inseparable
Brown Scapular:
Procedure for Blessing and Investiture – Latin and English
Key Components of Catholic Doctrine and Prayer
Overcoming the World, the Flesh and the Devil,
In and Through Our Lord Jesus Christ (PDF)
A beautifully illustrated “advanced course” on Christianity that provides
critical insights into what Christians believe, how they practice, and why.
Living the Catholic Life (PDF)
The Keys To Personal Holiness and Peace. Fully Illustrated.
The “Peculiar” Theology of Our Redemption in Jesus Christ (PDF)
How the death of Christ at the hands of man
served to reconcile sinful man with God. Fully illustrated.
A Basic Course In Catholic Apologetics (PDF)
The theological art and science of presenting, explaining and justifying
the Catholic faith to atheists, agnostics, deists, skeptics, critics, pagans,
believers, unbelievers, politicians, judges, the ignorant,
the arrogant, and the confused.
The Supernatural Relationship
Between Christ’s Passion, the Mass and Holy Communion (PDF)
A Profound Study of the Source and Summit of Our Catholic Faith.
Fully illustrated.
How I obtained a Plenary Indulgence,
freeing my friend’s soul from Purgatory,
while fulfilling my Sunday Mass obligation
– all in about two hours
All About Sin, Death, Purgatory and Indulgences (PDF)
Anointing of the Sick, Last Sacraments, and the Apostolic Pardon
To Tell You the Whole Truth (PDF)
A Complete, Concise and Understandable
Basic and Advanced Course In Catholicism.
Fundamentals of Catholic Dogma (PDF)
The Scholarly Collection and Explanation
of Virtually All Authentic Catholic Truths.
The Sources of Catholic Dogma by Denzinger (PDF)
A great work which traces the development of doctrine and Dogma
in the Catholic Church from its earliest times.
On-line version
A Thoroughly Catholic Bible Study Course For You and Yours (FREE)
From Bob Stanley’s “The Catholic Treasure Chest”
e-Sword Electronic Bible Study Software
Download powerful Bible study software,
along with your choice of a number of different Bibles,
commentaries, dictionaries and other helpful resources.
All at no charge.
A Laymen’s Guide To ALL the Books of The Holy Bible (PDF)
A Laymen’s Guide To ALL the Books of The Holy Bible (PDF)
Every book of the Bible is briefly summarized and explained
in this handy guide that will most certainly provide a better
and more complete understanding of all the Sacred Scriptures.
Recently added: The Scriptural Basis of the Nicene Creed
and all the Biblical References to The Blessed Virgin Mary.
The “Classic” Douay-Rheims Catholic Bible(PDF)
The Traditional, Original, English Language Catholic Bible .
The Venerable Haydock Bible Commentary (PDF)
Because the Plain Text of the Bible Does Not Always Mean
What People Might Think it Means.
The Ignatius Study Bible and Commentary (PDF)
A More Modern “Take” On the Holy Spirit Inspired,
Written Word of God.
How the Blessed Hope of Eternal Life In Our Lord, Jesus Christ
Is Faithfully Expressed Through Our Enthusiastic,
Grace-Empowered Participation In the Work, Worship,
Sacraments and Devotions of the Holy Catholic Church
SUITABLE for FRAMING!
Great Confirmation gift.
Excellent aid to evangelization.
Download the article for Free on a single,
illustrated 8.5X11 page – PDF
The Catholic Bible Dictionary (PDF)
A Comprehensive Guide To All Those Strange,
Biblical Places, Names and Terms.
The CIS Faith Formation Course (Interactive)
by The Knights of Columbus – On the Web
A comprehensive, interactive, free of charge, Catholic course
utilizing condensed study lessons and test-taking, resulting in
an overall achievement score and printed, course completion certificate.
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E N G L I S H – I N G L E S
Bob Stanley’s
“The Catholic Treasure Chest”
provides practical, well written and clearly explained
Catholic answers to a host of faith questions.
The site is fully up and running here at AskMeAboutGod.org
in English and Spanish, in both HTML
and downloadable, PDF formats.
Your advice, suggestions and prayers are greatly appreciated.
May God richly bless you and yours.
Click Here For Bob Stanley’s
“The Catholic Treasure Chest” Website
S P A N I S H – E S P A N O L
Askmeaboutgod.org is the new “home” of The Catholic Treasure Chest website
I’ve lost touch with my old friend Bob Stanley,
of The Catholic Treasure Chest
and the original domain name is no longer available.
Bob’s site has been (for the last 20 years or so) one of the finest, most complete, truly Catholic websites on the planet.
According to the informal plan that Bob and I worked up together, many years ago: Should such an event occur, I was to restore the site from a comprehensive backup and get things up and running again, ASAP.
The Catholic Treasure Chest is once again, up and running
and may be accessed through available links
on this (www.AskMeAboutGod.org) site.
Please tell all your friends and let me know ASAP about any outages or malfunctions.
A useful tip for properly interpreting the Bible
“If it happens that the authority of Sacred Scripture is set in opposition to clear and certain reasoning this must mean that the person who interprets Scripture does not understand it correctly. It is not the meaning of Scripture which is opposed to the truth, but the meaning which he has wanted to give to it. That which is opposed to Scripture is not what is in Scripture but what he has placed there himself, believing that this is what Scripture meant.” -St. Augustine
Today’s Question: Did Jesus have ASPD – Anti Social Personality Disorder?
Today’s Question: Did Jesus have ASPD – Anti Social Personality Disorder?
Jesus of the bible is a lot different from Jesus of popular conception. In Genesis 19 he tells Abraham there is no way to save Sodom…it had to be fire bombed.
When he saw people selling merchandise in the temple…he beat the merchants out with a whip.
When he found a tree without fruit on it…he cursed it causing it to die instantly.
When a woman asked him for healing…he called her a worthless dog (no matter what rationalizations you make up for that, he simply called her an *unworthy dog).
When he gave a teaching on how you should handle sexual temptations…he said pluck your eyes out if you can’t resist looking at pornography.
When an apostle asked a question amiss, his attitude instantly changed and he replied, ‘You wicked and foolish person’ (paraphrase).
Some features of people with ASPD are impulsiveness, irritability, ingeniousness (if IQ >130), early death, and overall a focus on the essentials of life.
For the character of Jesus, he focused on the fundamentals of what he considered the purpose of life that he unironically advocated for extremism.
Answer: Please make sure you remember to tell Jesus all of that, come Judgment Day. I’ll be watching. Can’t wait!
Asked and answered today on Yahoo! Answers. Edited for content and clarity.
Today’s question: What biblical thoughts or Scriptures bring you great peace?
Today’s question: What biblical thoughts or Scriptures bring you great peace?
Answer: Knowing and loving God is what leads to peace and joy, beyond all understanding, which is eternal salvation, in Jesus Christ. That is the ongoing mission of the holy Church and the Lord’s enduring promise to its’ members.
Philippians 4:4-9 Rejoice in the Lord always: again, I say, rejoice. Let your modesty be known to all men.
The Lord is nigh.
Be nothing solicitous: but in every thing, by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your petitions be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasseth all understanding, keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.
For the rest, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever modest, whatsoever just, whatsoever holy, whatsoever lovely, whatsoever of good fame, if there be any virtue, if any praise of discipline: think on these things. The things which you have both learned and received and heard and seen in me, these do ye: and the God of peace shall be with you.
Asked and answered today on Yahoo! Answers. Edited for clarity and content.
Today’s Question: What currently available Bible translation is the ONLY one considered to be infallible and inerrant, according to the Council of Trent and the Holy Catholic Church?
Question: What currently available Bible translation is the ONLY one considered to be infallible and inerrant, according to the Council of Trent (and hence, officially, by the Holy Catholic Church)?
Answer: The Church has already stated, extraordinarily at the Council of Trent and ordinarily through constant usage, that the Old Vulgate is “authentic” and “free from error”.
Therefore, the only edition of Sacred Scripture we should be using for anything is either the Old Vulgate itself, or if you can’t functionally understand Latin, a translation of that text. Anything else is simply not guaranteed.
Trent, Session IV “Moreover, the same sacred and holy Synod … has decided and declares that the said old Vulgate edition, which has been approved by the Church itself through long usage for so many centuries in public lectures, disputations, sermons, and expositions, be considered authentic, and that no one under any pretext whatsoever dare to presume or reject it.”
See the entire article here. Be sure also, to view all the comments, since that’s where the two above passages, are located.
Also note that the Catholic Church of that time was standing up for the truth of the Old Latin Vulgate, as opposed to many of the “new” Protestant translation efforts that were underway, at the time. Of course, none of our current, English language Catholic Bible translations existed back then, either.
This writer agrees with the author of the article that one of the the worst Bible translations of all time (even with most Protestant efforts included) is probably the disgraceful, vapid and totally uninspiring, “Catholic In Name Only” New American Bible.
Some practical reasons why many (even some non-Catholics) believe that the Holy Catholic Church is the one, true Church of Jesus Christ
Personally Founded By Jesus Christ
Catholicism is a dynamic and enduring faith, personally instituted by Jesus Christ, for the purpose of our salvation; divinely and appropriately structured, in order to effectively to deal with the various challenges presented by all the “ages” of man.
From the Catechism of the Catholic Church: 766 The Church is born primarily of Christ’s total self-giving for our salvation, anticipated in the institution of the Eucharist and fulfilled on the cross.
“The origin and growth of the Church are symbolized by the blood and water which flowed from the open side of the crucified Jesus.”
“For it was from the side of Christ as he slept the sleep of death upon the cross that there came forth the ‘wondrous sacrament of the whole Church.'” As Eve was formed from the sleeping Adam’s side, so the Church was born from the pierced heart of Christ hanging dead on the cross.
“Born” on Pentecost, of the Holy Spirit
The one Church of Jesus Christ was “born” on Pentecost, about 34 A.D. and according to Saint Ignatius of Antioch, who lived during the early 2nd century, has been known as “Catholic” – since at least, 107 A.D.
The Holy Catholic Church has always been said to possess four identifying “marks”:
The Church is ONE
Jesus personally founded, authorized, empowered and perpetually guaranteed only ONE Church – The Holy Catholic Church – for the purpose of our salvation.
The Church is HOLY
Thanks to Jesus Christ, its’ founder and head, who embodies holiness, in every possible way. Jesus remains the head of his “Mystical Body”, which is the Church. That which God takes to himself is holy, indeed, for he himself makes it so, by his own, awesome power and grace.
The Church is CATHOLIC
Catholic means “universal”. One bread, one body, one Spirit of God, for all true believers in Jesus Christ.
The Church is APOSTOLIC
The same Apostles who accompanied Jesus Christ on his salvific mission, who were present at the Last Supper, at the foot of the cross, who experienced the risen Christ and the descent of the Holy Spirit on Pentecost (minus Judas, plus Saint Matthias and Saint Paul) who went out and established all the original Christian congregations, preserving and transmitting all the original, divinely revealed truths, as well as selecting their own duly ordained successors, whose continuing mission was to propagate the true faith of Jesus Christ, until he returns for “The People of God”, at the end of the age.
The (present day) Bishops and the Pope govern the Church and minister to its various needs according to the power and authority personally given to the first Bishops (and priests) of the Church – known as “the Apostles” – by our Holy Lord, Jesus Christ, while he still walked the earth.
The Great Commission
According to that same Christ, the primary purpose of the Bishops – suitably assisted by Priests, Deacons and other, qualified Catholics – is to Evangelize: effectively reach out to share the authentic, Holy Gospel/Christian faith; Teach: faithfully preserve and accurately disseminate/interpret/strive to correctly, charitably and authoritatively apply all the divinely revealed truths; Baptize (and sanctify, in various, other appropriate ways) in the name of God – the Father, Son and Holy Spirit – in accordance with his awesome power, grace and express will.
Sacred and Apostolic Tradition
Catholics believe that Jesus Christ remains the head of the Catholic Church, with the Holy Spirit as its perpetual advocate; infallibly guiding the Church from generation to generation, to all truth.
The continuous and somewhat mysterious process by which that divine leadership actually occurs is known as “Tradition”.
The Holy Bible
Catholics believe that the Bible is the inerrant, infallible, Holy Spirit inspired, written Word of God. The Catholic Church originally compiled and certified all the authentic, Old Testament sacred texts, wrote and certified all the New Testament sacred texts, and with the extraordinary assistance of Saint Jerome, translated all the original languages into Latin – the common language of the people of that time – by the 4th century. In the year 1455, The Catholic Latin Vulgate Bible became the first mass-produced publication of Johann Gutenberg, the acknowledged inventor of the movable type, printing press. The Latin Vulgate was later translated into the English language, Douay-Rheims Catholic Bible, with the English language New Testament published in 1582, followed by the English Old Testament, in 1609-1610.
The Holy Bible continues to be a perennial, “best seller”
The Holy Sacrifice of the Mass
Catholics believe that The Holy Sacrifice of the Mass is a real-time, divinely empowered, re-presentation of the Last Supper, as well as Jesus Christ’s one time, once for all, perfect and atoning sacrifice for the sins of the world, on the cross, at Calvary.
The Catholic Ministerial Priesthood
Through the power of the Catholic Ministerial Priesthood and the Holy Spirit, the crucified and risen Christ becomes present on the altar for us at Mass, under the auspices of bread and wine – body, blood, soul and divinity – so we Catholics might have the opportunity to personally participate in his propitiatory sacrifice – joining in with him to offer his divine perfection to God the Father, for our needs, for the needs of the Holy Catholic Church and for the whole world.
The Seven Sacraments
Catholics believe that each of the Seven Sacraments, which were instituted by Jesus Christ, to give grace, constitutes a unique, personal encounter with the risen Christ that is divinely ordered to the salvation of souls and exquisitely suited to the diverse needs of the People of God, throughout every phase of their earthly existence.
Rooted In the Judeo-Christian Tradition
This basic Catholic theological system has many similarities to that which had previously been employed by the Old Testament Hebrews: A reliance on a combination of Sacred Scripture, Tradition, and Divine Teaching Authority; the three biblical “witnesses” by which the truth might always be properly discerned.
But now, thanks to our Holy Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, the Catholic Church also possesses the truly salvific power and grace that was not yet available in times of old.
A Mere COINCIDENCE of Human History?
The fact that the Holy Catholic Church (inexplicably) remains the world’s longest reigning, continuous government (of any kind) and the fact that the Catholic Church still manages to exist at all, in spite of a 2,000 year history of some of the worst internal scandals and leadership failures imaginable (as well as some of mankind’s greatest triumphs) serves to lend serious credibility to the Church’s original and exclusive claim of its’ divine origin in Jesus Christ and of God’s unwavering, perpetual solicitude.
Today’s question: Catholic Priest or Protestant Pastor/Minister – which is “better”?
Question: What is a Catholic priest in reality??? Does anyone know?? Catholic priest or pastor?? Which is “better”??
Answer: The true nature of the Catholic Ministerial Priesthood is that of a man conformed to Jesus Christ, specially consecrated and set apart by God, through the Sacrament of Holy Orders and the laying on of hands, in order to offer acceptable sacrifice to God (most significantly, Jesus Christ, in the Holy Eucharist) on behalf of the whole Church, for the greater glory of God and for the good of the whole world.
As a duly ordained agent/assistant/delegate of the local Bishop, who is a successor of the original Apostles, the responsibilities of the priest also extend to preaching, teaching, sanctifying and governing.
A priest can be a pastor, but only duly ordained Catholic or Orthodox males can be empowered and authorized to act “In Persona Christi” (in the “person” of Christ) as priests.
In contrast, anyone – male or female – can become a Protestant Minister or preacher and/or become the pastor of a Protestant congregation.
But, the power and authority of the Catholic Ministerial Priesthood is reserved to the Catholic Church alone, according to Jesus Christ, the head of the Catholic Church, who personally established the Priesthood and who remains our Heavenly High Priest as well as the one time, once for all, perfect and atoning sacrifice for the sins of the world, continually offered up for the needs of the People of God, on every Catholic altar, in virtually every nation on earth, 24/7 and 365, by means of that same Holy, Catholic Ministerial Priesthood.
In summary, the Catholic Ministerial Priesthood
was personally established by Jesus Christ, at the Last Supper,
some 1500 years before the first Protestant minister/pastor
ever “thumped” a Bible.
When the Protestants chose to separate themselves from the Holy Catholic Church, they also made the conscious decision to separate themselves from the awesome and unique power that God gave to the Holy Catholic Church and the Catholic Ministerial Priesthood alone, for the salvation of souls.
As such, there is no real comparison between an ordained Catholic Priest and a Protestant Minister or pastor. One is a consecrated man who has been given awesome and eternal power, directly from God, through the Holy Catholic Church. The other has only his/her limited, personal understanding of a holy (albeit, totally Catholic) book (the Bible) along with his/her (often, contrary) beliefs about it, on which to “stand”.
Asked and answered today on Yahoo!Answers. Edited for clarity and content.
Doug Lawrence's Catholic Site 
Classic Bible Commentary Offers Profound Insights Into Holy Scripture
Practical excerpt from the commentary:
[Luke 1:26–38. Mat. 1:18–25]
The angel of the Lord was sent to Mary in order to procure this (her) consent. The time had arrived, and the Son of God was ready to descend from heaven and become Man.
It only remained for her, whom God the Father had chosen to be the Mother of His Son, to give her consent to be so. The angel of God therefore explained this great mystery, and waited for her answer, on which depended the salvation of the world.
While meditating upon that decisive moment, St. Bernard uttered this prayer to Mary: “Now, O Virgin, thou hast heard what is to be, and how it is to be. Both mysteries are exceeding joyous and wonderful. But the angel awaits thine answer, for it is time for him to return to God who sent him.
We too, O Mary, our Queen, we who are weighed down by the divine sentence, we wait for thy speech, thy words of mercy. For behold, the price of our redemption is offered to thee; and as soon as thou dost accept it, we shall be saved.
We were all created by the eternal word of God, and yet, behold, we die! But if thou wilt speak one little word, we shall live!
Speak then, Oh, speak that decisive word. Adam and his unhappy children, banished from Paradise, beseech this of thee! David and all our holy fathers—thy fathers too—beseech thee! The whole world, prostrate before thee, looks to thee and beseeches!
On thy words depend the comfort of the afflicted, the deliverance of the condemned, the salvation of the children of Adam! Hesitate not, O Virgin! Speak, O Mary, that sweet word of consent, which we who are on the earth, and under the earth, now wait for!”
Mary, as you know, did utter that decisive word of compliance: “Behold the handmaid of the Lord, be it done to me according to thy word!” By these glorious and precious words she pronounced the longed-for consent.
Read more at eCatholic2000.com
Download the Classic Text: A Practical Commentary On Holy Scripture (PDF)
August 8, 2022
Categories: Books & Publications . Tags: bible, Bishop Knecht, Blessed Virgin Mary, catholic, Catholic-Church, commentary, god, Jesus Christ, scripture . Author: Hosted by Doug Lawrence . Comments: Leave a comment