It’s Good Friday and I’m saddened at how Catholics sing worship songs but their hearts are far away from God (Isaiah 29:13). They keep saying that they’re the “true Church founded in 33 A.D.” However, actions speak louder than words. I’ve heard Catholics sing “Amazing Grace” during funerals. Should it be a surprise to hear Catholics play the song “Lord I Lift Your Name on High” during mass? I’m not a bit surprised anymore when they’ll be singing songs like “The Old Rugged Cross”, “Nothing But the Blood”, “Are You Washed in the Blood?”, “Jesus Paid it All”, “There is a Fountain” and other hymns that talk about the Lord Jesus Christ’s blood sacrifice. They have the Passion plays but do they understand the meaning of “It is finished!”? Jesus cried out in a loud voice, declaring the sacrifice was finished, once and for all (Hebrews 10:12).
To Catholics, they say, “We still believe in grace.” However, it’s attached with, “It must be accompanied by works.” Another reason why I have no reason to believe Catholics and born-again Christians pray the same prayer is with the Sunday liturgy. The Catholic worship service, often called the Mass, believes in transubstantiation. It tries to repeat the sacrifices all over again. If the Jews were still performing animal sacrifices, Catholicism would be just as guilty as the Jews of ignoring Jesus’ once-and-for-all sacrifice with these words:
If anyone will say that the Mass a true and real sacrifice is not affered, anathema [Let him be excommunicated or condemned!].
If anyone will say by the swords, ‘Do this is in memory of Me.” Christ did not constitute the Apostles Priests, let him be excommunicated.
If anyone will say that the sacrifice of the Mass is only one of praise and thanksgiving; or that is was a mere commemoration of the sacrifice consummated on the cross but not a propitiatory one [not obtaining forgiveness of sins in itself], and not to be offered for the living and for the dead, for sins, punishments, satisfactions, and other necessities let him be excommunicated.
If anyone will say that this is an imposture to celebrate Masses in honor of the saints [canonized saints] and its order to obtain their intercession with God as the Church intends, let him be excommunicated.
The book Faith of Millions by the late John Anthony O’Brien writes this alarming message:
When the priest pronounces the tremendous words of consecration, he reaches up into the heavens, brings Christ down from His throne, and places Him upon our altar to be offered up again as the Victim for the sins of man. It is a power greater than that of monarchs and emperors: it is greater than that of saints and angels, greater than that of Seraphim and Cherubim. Indeed it is greater even than the power of the Virgin Mary. While the Blessed Virgin was the human agency by which Christ became incarnate a single time, the priest brings Christ down from heaven, and renders Him present on our altar as the eternal Victim for the sins of man—not once but a thousand times! The priest speaks and lo! Christ, the eternal and omnipotent God, bows His head in humble obedience to the priest’s command.
How can they afford to sing songs that declare the finality of Jesus’ sacrifice and still declare that the Mass is an ongoing sacrifice? Even worse, the thought that the priest has the power to appeal to God, to request for Jesus to “come down from Heaven” and render Him at the altar as the eternal victim. People are kept in constant fear that should they offend the Catholic priest, their souls will be damned. Now, the priests declare that they save souls and not Jesus? Jesus will grant any request only within the Father’s will. Jesus already offered one sacrifice. That’s why I find the practice of Catholicism covering the images with purple cloth during Palm Sunday funny. Do they realize the real meaning when the veil covering the Holy of Holies is torn apart?
During my first communion, I remember the pomp and revelry that amazed me. I was thinking that I should become a Catholic priest. If I did, maybe I would’ve sparked another Reformation by nailing the 95 Theses on the bulletin board of our parish. I might’ve had a tower experience like Martin Luther. Maybe, I would’ve driven the Jesuit superiors insane by confessing for long hours. Was this bread truly the body and blood of Jesus? It still tasted like bread. I even asked, “Where was the wine?” The sacrament was to be celebrated with bread and wine, as written in 1 Corinthians 11:17-34. However, only the priest drank it. Aren’t Catholics violating the command by not partaking in the wine too?
Isaiah 29:13 doesn’t only speak of the people’s empty praises but also the people’s fear of God is a commandment taught by men. Mark 7:6-13 tells us how the Pharisees carried this out. Catholicism also did the same. People fear the priest more than they fear God. They’re held hostage by the withdrawal and administration of sacraments. What makes it worse is the spiritual deadness people experience. 1 Corinthians 2:14 says that a natural person doesn’t accept the things of the Spirit of God, they are foolishness to that person, because they’re spiritually discerned. It’s more than just a bone, it’s dry bones. People are spiritually dead and they don’t have any life for spiritual matters.
Fortunately, Revelation 18:4 has Jesus calling His elect out of the sinister world system. Who is called out of the Great Whore but the elect? Some people believe that the Great Whore in Revelation 17-18 is the Roman Catholic Church. Right now, it’s even the center of ecumenism where the world religios are getting together. God is calling the elect to come out of her.
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