Today’s “Gem” from Bob Stanley’s “The Catholic Treasure Chest”: What Jesus meant when He said “Abide in Me”.

The answer to that question can be found in John 6:56:
“HE WHO EATS MY FLESH AND DRINKS MY BLOOD, ABIDES IN ME AND I IN HIM.”
It is the “true presence” of our Lord in the Holy Eucharist, the food provided by the vine, so that eternal life is imparted into each and every branch and which allows the branches to bear fruit.

“If anyone does not abide in Me, he shall be cast outside as the branch and wither; and they shall gather them up and cast them into the fire, and they shall burn .” John 15:6

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How Pope Pius XII infallibly declared the bodily Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary

A brief excerpt:

APOSTOLIC CONSTITUTION OF
POPE PIUS XII 

MUNIFICENTISSIMUS DEUS

DEFINING THE DOGMA OF THE ASSUMPTION

November 1, 1950

39. We must remember especially that, since the second century, the Virgin Mary has been designated by the holy Fathers as the new Eve, who, although subject to the new Adam, is most intimately associated with him in that struggle against the infernal foe which, as foretold in the protoevangelium,(44) would finally result in that most complete victory over the sin and death which are always mentioned together in the writings of the Apostle of the Gentiles.(45) Consequently, just as the glorious resurrection of Christ was an essential part and the final sign of this victory, so that struggle which was common to the Blessed Virgin and her divine Son should be brought to a close by the glorification of her virginal body, for the same Apostle says: “When this mortal thing hath put on immortality, then shall come to pass the saying that is written: Death is swallowed up in victory.”(46)

40. Hence the revered Mother of God, from all eternity joined in a hidden way with Jesus Christ in one and the same decree of predestination,(47) immaculate in her conception, a most perfect virgin in her divine motherhood, the noble associate of the divine Redeemer who has won a complete triumph over sin and its consequences, finally obtained, as the supreme culmination of her privileges, that she should be preserved free from the corruption of the tomb and that, like her own Son, having overcome death, she might be taken up body and soul to the glory of heaven where, as Queen, she sits in splendor at the right hand of her Son, the immortal King of the Ages.(48)

Read the entire Vatican document

More on this from Ann Barnhardt

More about The Assumption at
Bob Stanley’s “The Catholic Treasure Chest”

All About Sin, Death, Purgatory and Indulgences

These days, the subject of Purgatory and Indulgences is either totally ignored, or little understood.

It shouldn’t be that way.

This short (four page) presentation provides virtually all the practical information necessary to start getting Holy Souls released from Purgatory, or to totally avoid or shorten a possible stay in Purgatory, for yourself.

Here’s the link (PDF)

A short list of some commonly available indulgences:

Eucharistic Adoration for at least a half hour (conc. 7 § 1, 1°)
Eucharistic procession (conc. 7 § 1, 3°)
Family, day for consecration of (conc. 1)
First Communion (conc. 8 § 1, 1°)
Good Friday (conc. 13, 1°)
Holy Saturday (conc. 28 § 1)
Holy Thursday (conc. 7 § 1, 2°)
Rosary, Marian (conc. 17 § 1)
Sacred Scripture, reading or listening for at least a half hour (conc. 30)

Link to the official Catholic (USSCB) Book of Indulgences (PDF)

A “basic primer” on Christianity that explains what Christians believe and why they believe it

90 Minute DVD Is Also Available for $20.00 – free shipping

Download and/or View the Complete 6-Part Course
In Your PDF File Reader

Overcoming the World, the Flesh and the Devil,
In and Through Our Lord Jesus Christ
is recommended for anyone who wants to learn more
about the essential tenets of Christianity,
as well as the unique, temporal and spiritual efficacies
of The Holy Catholic Church.

The complete, SIX-PART PRESENTATION
is available to view here, on-line, at absolutely no cost,
in the popular, easy to use and easy to view,
full color, PDF file format.

View and/or Download Each Part Separately, Below:

PART ONE:
The primeval events
that resulted in the Fall of Man

PART TWO:
The totally gratuitous
saving works of God

PART THREE:
Why we venerate
the Blessed Virgin Mary

PART FOUR:
The mystery
of our redemption
revealed

PART FIVE:
The spiritually vital mission
of the Holy Church

PART SIX:
Our personal identity
in Jesus Christ

Download the latest Adobe PDF Reader Software for free

For detailed information on a wide range of Catholic topics
visit Bob Stanley’s The Catholic Treasure Chest

Bob Stanley’s “The Catholic Treasure Chest” website is fully operational in English and Spanish; including the new, custom search feature. Try it!

Click Here For Bob Stanley’s
“The Catholic Treasure Chest” Website
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

Illustrated Catholic Study aims to present the immutable truths of the Christian faith, unencumbered by denominational concerns or political differences

PART ONE:
The primeval events
that resulted in the Fall of Man

PART TWO:
The totally gratuitous
saving works of God

PART THREE:
Why we venerate
the Blessed Virgin Mary

PART FOUR:
The mystery
of our redemption
revealed

PART FIVE:
The spiritually vital mission
of the Holy Church

PART SIX:
Our personal identity
in Jesus Christ

Download the latest Adobe PDF Reader Software for free

Church Militant: In the wake of the (Amazon) Synod, all hell has broken loose. Tribulation and unrest of biblical magnitude have been unleashed on the earth. The timing is uncanny.

Unleashed: The Gates of Hell; The Power of Death.

In the months since the Synod, the advanced state of Western societal decay has been made utterly manifest. Violent mobs of anarchists and Marxists are swarming the streets of America’s urban cesspools to demand the annihilation of the nation as we know it, urging that the light of the “shining beacon on a hill” be forever extinguished in favor of a dictatorship of the proletariat.

Certain cities, such as the smoldering pile of communist ruin that is Portland, Oregon, have endured over two months (two months!) of successive nightly riots.

Read the entire article

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

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The Judgment of God in History

In the era of the corona virus, everyone is talking about all sorts of things, but there are certain topics that remain forbidden, above all in the Catholic world. The primary forbidden topic is that of judgment and divine retribution in history. The fact of this censure is a good reason for us to consider the argument.

This talk by historian Robert De Mattei
should be required reading for every Catholic.
Click Here

…De Mattei argued that God sends mankind chastisements in the form of “war, plague, and famine” because of sin and to call mankind back to God. He described the infinite justice of God, and what this means, not only for individuals, but for nations. Every person faces his particular judgement at the moment of death, but there will also be a second judgement at the end of time. This will be the universal judgement at which every human action, idea, and society that has ever been “will be perfectly and clearly judged.”

Editor’s note: Catholics have real-time recourse to divine forgiveness in the Sacrament of Reconciliation, but Nations do not. Hence, individual Catholics might escape divine retribution for their sins, but Nations most likely, will not. 

Thanks to Dorothy Cummings McLean at LifeSiteNews.com

 

From the Fall of Man until Jesus Christ, Satan kept the whole world in bondage, by the power of death.

The devil scourging the Church 

Hebrews 2:14-15  Therefore because the children are partakers of flesh and blood, he (Jesus) also himself in like manner hath been partaker of the same: that, through death, he might destroy him who had the empire of death, that is to say, the devil: And might deliver them, who through the fear of death were all their lifetime subject to servitude.

It would seem as though
the Power of Death
(which Jesus called “The Gates of Hell”)
has very powerfully, returned.

The only solution: Matthew 16:18  And I say to thee: That thou art Peter; and upon this rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.

Yet, the whole world cowers in the face of a virus. Cardinals and Governors publicly insult God and denigrate our faith. We see idolatrous worship in the high places and rampant heresies from the Pope. The doors of the Universal (Catholic) Church are locked and the Sacraments have been made unavailable; all of this on top of decades of priestly abuse and deadly scandals; not to mention the grievous sins of all the laity.

It’s as if our very access to the Tree of Life has been deliberately, cut off.

Part of Saint Faustina’s message of Divine Mercy is that there would come a day when God would find it expedient to turn back from mercy, to wrath.

Let’s all hope and pray we’re not yet that far along!

Today’s question: Is the suppression of the Catholic Mass and Sacraments a prelude to Antichrist?

The Antichrist, animated and empowered by Satan, claiming to be God

Today’s question: Is the suppression of the Catholic Mass and Sacraments a prelude to Antichrist?

Answer: The current situation is unprecedented.

Those at fault are the cowardly and corrupt Pope and Bishops, along with a good number of complicit, sycophant priests, as well.

This is precisely what needed to happen, in order to bankrupt the Church and force the parasitic liars, scoundrels, perverts and thieves who have been infesting the Body of Christ, to finally leave, so as to find “greener pastures” elsewhere.

It’s a lot like an exorcism, where demons are cast out, but only after they find it too painful to remain. It’s for this reason that I’m happy to endure this time of spiritual drought and famine.

Watch and pray. God is in charge. He knows precisely what he’s doing … and why. In the mean time, keep the faith. It’s yours, by divine right, as a result of your holy baptism. And nobody can take it from you.

About the Antichrist (PDF)

Asked answered today on Yahoo! Answers. Edited for content and clarity.

Today’s Question: Are Catholics right that bread and wine at Communion becomes Jesus’ actual flesh and blood?

Melchizedek, Manna, Passover, Last Supper

Today’s Question: Are Catholics right that bread and wine at Communion
becomes Jesus’ actual flesh and blood?

Answer: Certainly! Jesus is the (Passover) Lamb of God.

Jesus is also the one time, once for all, perfect and atoning sacrifice for the sins of the world.

Faith in the power of the original Passover (protection from death) required the application of blood and that the Passover lamb be consumed, precisely as God directed.

Faith in the power of the Christian Pasch – Easter – the Resurrection of Jesus Christ – our divine “Passover” from death to life, requires the (worthy) consumption of the body, blood, soul and divinity of Jesus Christ, which becomes sacramentally present on the holy altar, for our good, for the good of the Church and of the whole world.

What was prefigured in the old, is beautifully and very powerfully fulfilled, in the new.

The Apostles knew that to be true, as did the entire Church of God, right up until the Protestant revolt, of the 15th century, when things took a decided “turn” for the worse.

By the power of the Holy Spirit, through the “work” of the Catholic Ministerial Priesthood, the bread and wine becomes the glorified and resurrected body and blood of Jesus Christ; because it’s obvious that’s what God had always intended and because JESUS SAID IT DOES.

As for the Mass: the first Mass (The Last Supper) anticipated Christ’s perfect sacrifice on the cross, so predates the Book of Revelation. But, the Book of Revelation speaks of the Marriage Supper of the Lamb, which beautifully ties all of this together, in the most profound, truthful and beautiful way.

Asked and answered today on Yahoo! Answers. Edited for clarity and content. 

Today’s question: Why did God provide plenty of evidence to ancient, superstitious people who already believed but refuses to do the same today?

Question: Why did God provide plenty of evidence to ancient, superstitious people who already believed but refuses to do the same today?

Answer: The events that took place in Poland, during the late 1970’s and 1980’s, following in the wake of Pope John Paul II’s invocation of the Holy Spirit before the assembled Polish people, resulting in the fall of the Soviet Union, the destruction of the Berlin Wall and the freeing of Eastern Europe, all without a single shot being fired in anger, are definitely in the category of which you speak.

Google it, for the amazing, complete and true account, including several excellent, film documentaries.

Asked and answered today on Yahoo!Answers. Edited for clarity and content.

Question: If Christians want to convince us of their great beliefs, shouldn’t they make an effort to come across as more intelligent? They often come across as irrational, prejudiced and a bit wacky.

Question: If Christians want to convince us of their great beliefs, shouldn’t they make an effort to come across as more intelligent? They often come across as irrational, prejudiced and a bit wacky.

Answer: You are very observant.

Authentic Christianity, along with all its doctrines and dogmas, is laid out much like a computer algorithm: If it isn’t true and it isn’t logical/rational, then it doesn’t work and it should be rejected, since anything that doesn’t meet the standard of divine truth is essentially, good for nothing.

The Catholic Church used to excel in teaching and preaching only superb, rational and scholarly theology, but since it got “reformed” some fifty years ago, Catholic leadership seems to think that type of thing is no longer necessary, so they have opted instead to promote the kind of weak, superficial, irrational, politically correct drivel that had previously, been the hallmark of the followers of Martin Luther.

It’s still possible to discover and learn authentic Christianity and it’s still possible to learn to practice it and clearly explain it, but that evidently, requires more time and effort than many are willing to invest.

ASK A QUESTION OF YOUR OWN

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.

In light of all the scandals oppressing today’s Catholics, a query that needs to be addressed…

Q: Often, we hear about what’s bad within the Catholic church and its history. Tell us of the good you’ve seen within the Catholic church.

A: Peace beyond all understanding and freedom from the fear of death, along with genuine faith, hope and charity, writ large and long, the world over, courtesy of our Savior Jesus Christ, who remains the head of the Catholic Church, the Holy Spirit, who remains its constant Advocate/Spirit of Truth and God the Father, whose inestimable power, love and grace makes it all possible, in spite of rampant, human corruption and sin.

(Posted today on Yahoo Answers)

What every Christian should understand about the great Feast of Pentecost

… the Jewish Feast of Pentecost—which literally means “Fifty”, taken from the fifty days counted after Passover—was the Jewish liturgical celebration of the Giving of the Law at Sinai.  If one makes a careful count of the passing of time in the Book of Exodus, one discovers that the Sinai theophany (appearance of God) occurs exactly fifty days after the Israelites departed from Egypt.  So, Pentecost was not only an agricultural festival celebrating the end of the harvest, but also a sacred historical memorial of the day of the establishment of the Old Covenant.

This parallel and its significance is missed by modern readers, but not by ancient Jewish readers of Acts!  At Sinai the Law was given in a fearsome storm, and on tablets of stone.  At Pentecost, there is a “peaceful storm” of the Spirit (the rushing wind, the lightning-like tongues of flame) and the giving of the Law on the Heart.

As St. Thomas says in his treatment of the Old Law in the Summa, “the law of the New Covenant is nothing other than the Holy Spirit.”  The Spirit is the Law written on the heart promised with the New Covenant…

Read more from The Sacred Page

Bishop Poprocki further explains what should have already been widely understood about Catholics living in various irregular (objectively sinful) ways

…Critics have been urging me to rescind my “Decree Regarding Same-sex ‘Marriage’ and Related Pastoral Issues.” However, this decree is a rather straightforward application of existing Catholic doctrine and canon law to the new situation of legal marital status being granted in civil law to same-sex couples, which is contrary to the teaching of the Catholic Church. All clergy before they are ordained take an Oath of Fidelity which includes the statement, “In fulfilling the charge entrusted to me in the name of the Church, I shall hold fast to the deposit of faith in its entirety; I shall faithfully hand it on and explain it, and I shall avoid any teachings contrary to it. I shall follow and foster the common discipline of the entire Church and I shall maintain the observance of all ecclesiastical laws, especially those contained in the Code of Canon Law.” Pastors and bishops repeat this oath upon assuming their office to be exercised in the name of the Church. Thus, deacons, priests and bishops cannot contradict Church teachings or refuse to observe ecclesiastical laws without violating their oath, which is a promise made to God.

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