"The Christianity of history is not Protestantism. If ever there were a safe truth it is this, and Protestantism has ever felt it so; to be deep in history is to cease to be a Protestant." (-John Henry Newman, An Essay on the Development of Christian Doctrine).

"Where the bishop is, there let the people gather; just as where ever Jesus Christ is, there is the Catholic Church". -St. Ignatius of Antioch (ca 110 AD)a martyr later thrown to the lions, wrote to a church in Asia Minor. Antioch was also where the term "Christian" was first used.

“But if I should be delayed, you should know how to behave in the household of God, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and foundation of truth.” 1 Timothy 3:15

"This is the sole Church of Christ, which in the Creed we profess to be one, holy, catholic and apostolic." -CCC 811

Friday, April 17, 2009

We are NOT more than the Master....

Anti-Catholics brutally called the Catholic Church as “Whore of Babylon”, the Pope as the “anti-Christ”, priests as “disciples of the devil”, its doctrines as the “doctrines of Satan”, and Catholics as “pagans”.

Are these accusations foreign to us? Definitely not at all. Out of the 21 Ecumenical Councils the Church have had so far, these issues have been dealt with with prudence, charity and love, coupled with wisdom, Church Father's writings, Holy Tradition, Sacred Scripture, Theology, intelligence and common sense.

The enemies of Jesus had accused him of having “evil spirits” (see Matthew 12:24-32) in him and he was even accused of having the power of the darkness in “casting out evil spirits.”

During his public ministry, Jesus never promised us daily fair weather. But he promised us that at the end of each storm, there’s another good sunshine ahead. A disciple must learn how to humbly carry his or her own cross, carry it wholeheartedly like what he did and rejoices that he or she’s sharing the sufferings He bore for us (see Matthew 16:24-25).

More than 200 years after the last apostle died, evil men blended into the Church “in sheep’s clothing” and preached false teachings among Christ’s followers bringing with him some of his sheeps-- confused them, wondered and lost their way to perdition. But the Church which Christ founded survived as He promised “the gates of Hell will never prevail against his Church.” (see Apostolic Succession)

Then a few years later the power of darkness through many abusive pastors caused scandal among pious Christians. Martin Luther was among them. He was so much disgusted with what he witnessed in Rome. The Catholic Church never blamed him for such a dissent because through his "Reformation" the Catholic Church had to "sit in ash" and "cover its head with sackcloth" as a consequence of human weakness. Just like other dissenters, he too allowed himself to be used by the power of darkness, challenge the authority of the Church by declaring the Pope as the “anti-Christ” denied his authority as the Successor of Peter and Catholics as “enemies of the Truth.”

He and his disciples, waged war against Catholics. Human as they are, Catholics that time resorted to vengeance and fought a "tooth-for-a-tooth" which Christ had abolished with the law of Love. Some Catholics morally erred by retaliation instead by “offering the other cheek” to those who want to beat it. The power of darkness was desperate to destroy the Church through confusion, hatred, vengeance and killing but the whole Church stood strong as Jesus promised that “the gates of Hell will never prevail against his Church.”

From one, there came two. From two, there came four. From four there came twenty, fifty, hundreds, thousands and thousands of dissenting “Christians” from the Catholic Church and within the Protestant church.

In the Philippines alone, we have much, different in names and number of affiliates but they all have one thing in common- they all want to destroy the Church which Christ built upon the rock of Simon Peter. But as Jesus promised, “the gates of Hell will never prevail against his Church.”

Just as Satan used the Scripture to tempt Jesus during his 40 days fasting before his public ministry, these dissenters used the same Holy Book to destroy the Church which Christ built. “Not all who call me ‘Lord, Lord’ will enter the Kingdom of Heaven,” (Mt. 7:21) says Jesus. “Only those who do the will of the Father will be saved.”

The Church which Christ built upon the rock of Peter- the Catholic Church has been busy taking care of the poor and the needy with tireless and selfless giving activities of chaste missionaries around the world, saints and pious Christians shed their blood for the sake of Christ and offered “the other cheek” to those who beat them. We have institutions, schools, hospitals, etc to help the poor. We busy ourselves in following Christ’s command that “whatever you do to the least of my brethren, you did it to me.” (Mt. 25:40)

On the contrary, dissenters of the Church busy themselves in spreading lies against the Church. They neither defend Christ nor his Church but defended their founder and their incorporated churches. “Not all who call me ‘Lord, Lord’ will enter the Kingdom of God.”

History says that Spain brought Christianity in the Philippines in 1521. Abusive Spanish “men of God” added some dissenters to Protestant missionaries brought by the Americans who invaded the Philippines and spread their man-made churches using the same Holy Scriptures on their hands and converted many ignorant Catholics to their fold.

Today, among the noisiest anti-Catholics in the Philippines are the Seventh-Day Adventist or what we call “Sabadistas” founded by Helen G. White for they have been preaching all through their literature that the Catholic Church is the “Whore of Babylon” and the Pope as the “anti-Christ” prophesied in Revelation.

Equal guilty of such an accusation to Christ's Body--the Church is the Iglesia ni Cristo, founded by Felix Y. Manalo in July 27, 1914 whose anti-Catholic teachings were the exact copies from the Seventh-Day Adventists for once he was a staunch defender of the Sabadistas. He regarded himself as the "Last Messenger" or an "angel" while Christ as mere human being.

We have ADD (Ang Dating Daan) by Eliseo Soriano, Apollo Quiboloy who regarded himself as “Son of God.” All are using the Holy Scripture prove their personal claims and to destroy the Church which Christ built upon the rock of Peter. But the Church IS as Jesus promised that “the gates of Hell will never prevail against his Church.”

So that authoritative books such as Encyclopedias, Atlas, Historical books unanimously agree to the fact that there’s only one institution in the world that claims apostolic historicity unchallenged by any honest modern historian--it's the Catholic Church as the only institution that can trace its history back to the time of the Apostles, making it the oldest world institution in the world with more than 2,000 years of existence. For Christ promise that "the gates of Hell will never prevail against his Church."

Truly, Christ’s words will never pass away. And that “the gates of Hell will never prevail against his Church” be it from Arius, Nestorius, the Great Schism, Martin Luther, John Calvin, John Knox, John Wesley, King Henry VIII, Ellen G. White, Joseph Smith, Jack Chick, Felix Manalo, Eliseo Soriano, Apollo Quiboloy could destroy Christ true Church—for he promised it will not yield!

And if they have persecuted the Master himself, we are not more than him! But surely, Christ's Church will triumph for this is what he promised us!

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