I started Manville Ministries because of my Catholic faith. As Catholic, I have gained a better appreciation of what it means to be a part of the Body of Christ. The teachings of the Church (which are the teachings of Christ) help me to more fully understand that all baptized believers are apart of the Body of Christ. This means that the spiritual lives of my brothers and sisters in Christ affect my spiritual life and my spiritual life affects their spiritual life. This site is my way of trying to help my brothers and sisters through life’s journey. This section is dedicated to informing people about the teachings of the Church. Many people have a lot of misconceptions about what the Church teaches. I know I once did. Hopefully, this will clear up those misconceptions and help unite us in Christ more fully.
I would love to hear from you: manvilleministries@gmail.com
Here is an edited version that was published on the Coming Home Network here:
https://chnetwork.org/2019/12/31/the-top-10-chnetwork-online-articles-and-features-of-2019/
Unedited blow:
How I grew into the Catholic Faith
By Kurt Walker
There are few reasons that come to mind when I think about why I am writing this. One is that I am seeking to answer a question posed to me by my mom. She asked me, “Why did you feel you needed to go to the Catholic Church?” Essentially, she was asking why her Christian son, who had a personal relationship with Jesus, joined the Catholic Church. The second reason arises from my own journey. Many times, during my journey, I found myself saying, “why didn’t anyone tell me this” or “why have I never seen that in the Bible!” I want less people to experience that. I want people to hear the truths of the Catholic Church. Thirdly, I wanted to take this opportunity to clarify my own story so that I may “...always be prepared to make a defense to any one who calls [me] to account for the hope that is in [me]” (1 Peter 3:15).
My Protestant Formation
I grew up in Opelika, Alabama and as they say, “I was raised in the Baptist Church (Southern Baptist).” I regularly attended church on Sunday mornings and evenings as well as Wednesday nights. I remember going to the Sunday services and occasionally, we would have communion. When I was young (under 8 years old), my mom would let me have the bread and grape juice which I thought was a nice little snack. Then one Sunday when I was in the 3rd grade my mom didn’t allow me to have communion. She said I needed to be baptized and join the church before I could take part in communion, again. She wanted me to understand what it meant and what I was doing. So, soon after that I was on my way down to the front to join the church mainly so I could have communion. But thankfully, I did have to meet with the preacher before I was baptized and give some thought to what I was doing. I was baptized and therefore joined the church c.1987. I was active in the youth activities throughout my school years and I pretty much tried to live according to what I was taught as a Protestant Christian. That is not to say I did not stumble and fall. I have always taken great comfort in 1 Timothy 1:15, “The saying is sure and worthy of full acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners. And I am the foremost of sinners.”
As I grew up among Protestant teachings, I can recall conversations that would arise for different reasons about what Catholics taught. These conversations were always between me and another Protestant. Inevitably, we always concluded that what the Catholic Church taught was wrong. I picked up many misconceptions about the Catholic Church this way. I thought they worshiped Mary; I didn’t see the need for the pope; I saw no need for confession, since I could directly ask Jesus for forgiveness; I thought Catholics added in books to the Bible. I thought the Protestant Reformation was great. I believed in sola Scriptura, once saved always saved, and that there was no need for purgatory.
Throughout high school, I participated in my own church youth group as well as other area youth groups with various friends which included Baptist groups and Methodist groups. In the fall of 1996, during my senior year, I started regularly going to another local Baptist church with one of my friends. I became very involved there and started reading the Bible more on my own. The first time I went to the youth group I got into an eristic discussion with my friend’s girlfriend about how could she trust the Bible. How could she know the Bible was translated correctly by the translators? Although, at the time I was not really looking for the answer to the question, I did start asking myself deeper questions like this. This also happened to be the first time my wife ever saw me. As she tells it, she got this feeling that I was the one she was going to marry but she thought, there is no way she was going to marry this guy who is arguing with this girl over the Bible.
College Years:
Through my association with the youth group, Heather and I developed a friendship that was maintained throughout college. After high school, I went to a nearby Methodist college to play soccer and she went to a Baptist college in Birmingham, Alabama. I remember on one soccer trip (I don’t remember how the conversion came up) one of my teammates asked me if I believed in contraception. I answered, “no,” and he responded, “Are you Catholic?” Of course, I wasn’t, and had no idea that the Catholic Church spoke against it. Later on, I found out that I held several beliefs in common with the Catholic Church.
I continued at that college for two soccer seasons and then I returned home. I eventually enrolled in Auburn University. During my first couple of years at college, I remained active in the local youth group where I met Heather. We had a couple of great youth leaders who were local college students. They took us on several mission trips, and I continued to grow in my Protestant faith. I had opportunities to lead the youth group and I even preached a couple of Sunday evening services in front of the whole church. As I studied my faith, I also studied other religions like the Mormons and the Jehovah's Witnesses just to know why I was not one of them. All of my understanding and what I taught when was given the opportunity came straight from reading the Bible and praying for the meaning. A couple of verses stuck out to me. One was 1 Corinthians 3:2, “I fed you with milk, not solid food; for you were not ready for it…” Another was Hebrews 5:12-15:
“15 For though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you again the first principles of God’s word. You need milk, not solid food; 13 for every one who lives on milk is unskilled in the word of righteousness, for he is a child. 14 But solid food is for the mature, for those who have their faculties trained by practice to distinguish good from evil.”
I understood from these verses that there was a deepness to the Gospel. Though it is a simple message, there is a fullness to it that I had not learned. There was food to be eaten, yet I knew I was still drinking milk. I wanted to know what the food was.
My First Mass
A couple years into college at Auburn, I became involved in a non-denominational college group. I went on mission trips with the group and continued to grow in my protestant faith. At this point, joining the Catholic Church was nowhere on my radar. Meanwhile, my friendship with Heather continued to grow and we began dating. It turned out that Heather was half Catholic or at least that’s what I would tell people. Her father’s side of the family were Catholics. Heather lived with her father and near many of her Catholic family members during college. When I went to visit her, she took me to my first Catholic Mass. I went as an observer. I may have said the Our Father with them but other than that I was lost as to what was happening. I knew this was not how church should be. Other than attending Mass and having a few conversations with some of Heather's Catholic relatives, I had no significant contact with the Catholic Church.
At this time, Heather and I knew we would never be Catholic. It was never an option for me, but Heather had at least thought about it. I remember her having a conversation with my cousin whose mother was Catholic. They discussed how they concluded that it was not the church for them. Heather mainly objected to the authority of the pope and to the Catholic Church claiming it was the one true Church. She did not feel one church could have the whole truth. However, Heather did have an appreciation for the Catholic faith and would often watch the Eternal World Network (EWTN). Occasionally, I would watch it with her particularly the show The Journey Home. I guess I began to subconsciously learn about what the Catholic Church really taught.
Searching for the Right Church
Heather and I married in 2003 and started looking for a church home. We went to various Protestant churches in our area but could not seem to find one that fit us. At this time, I started coaching the local high girls’ soccer team and one of the players invited me to her church to see their drama team. So, I went. She attended a Pentecostal Church, and this was my first experience with Pentecostals. I attended there a few more times, and eventually started attending there regularly, along with Heather.
During the services, I saw the laying on of hands, anointing of people, anointing of things with oil to give to sick people, and speaking in tongues. I saw things happening there that I had only heard talked about at the Baptist Church but had never seen put into practice. I had heard of the workings of the Spirit but had never seen it in action in a tangible way. Naturally, coming from my background, I questioned whether this was all authentic or not. Was it biblical?
I remember reading Acts, again. I read about two types of baptisms, one of water and one of the Holy Spirit (see Acts 8:16-17). And I remember thinking, “why have I never seen that before? For me, baptism was just a symbol, a public statement of my commitment to follow Christ. I remember thinking, “I didn’t know...I didn’t know!” I was almost in despair. I felt, I don’t want to say deceived, but I felt like the truth had been withheld from me or at least the full truth. I also would deal from time to time with this thought of, “I don’t know the exact moment of when Jesus entered my heart.” Other people had these great testimonies and knew the exact moment, but I didn’t. So, I sometimes questioned whether I had Him in me. Therefore, I would pray the sinner’s prayer and I would pray that I would be baptized with the Holy Spirit with evidence of speaking in tongues. Which never happened.
A few revelations came out of this experience. I began to understand there are things in the Bible that I had misconceptions about. I decided the Pentecostals did not have it all right, nor the Baptists. I believed that the Baptists taught some truths and the Pentecostal taught some, too, but no one church had the fullness of the truth. I believed that Jesus meant for there to be one Church and that He had established that Church; but I did not believe that that one Church still existed. Though we did not think the Pentecostal church had everything right, they had enough right that we continued to attend there.
Need for Authority
Around 2006, Heather began teaching at a private classical Christian school. The school taught the Presbyterian doctrine in matters of religion and used a classical philosophy in matters of education. In her role as a teacher, Heather learned first hand a few principles about authority. She realized there are circumstances when her students needed to follow her rules, even if they did not understand them. From the authority point of view, she knew she had the students’ best interests in mind. Then from the students’ perspective, she saw that they were practicing obedience to their authority. Heather recognized how these principles could be applied to a christian’s life and the church. Heather could also see how many of the classical education principles applied to the Christian life. She learned how faith and reason are not in conflict with each other. Faith and reason can be used to discern truth. And that one “whole” truth does exist. These newly discovered principles of authority and classical education gave Heather an appreciation for the authority of the Catholic Church and its claim to know the “whole” Truth.
About 4 or 5 years after we were regularly attending the Pentecostal church, it went through a pastoral change, and it was not pretty. The local church leaders did not follow the authority of the overseers in going about finding another pastor. Eventually, the overseers sent a couple of pastors for the congregation to hear preach over a couple of Sundays. Then we had a meeting as a church to vote on the one we wanted. It was not a unanimous decision. When the winning pastor was announced, I remember one lady saying, “God told me to vote for the other pastor. Why would he tell me to vote for the wrong person?” Basically, she was asking who is right when two people believe they are led by the Spirit but are going in opposite directions? No one had a good answer.
Through this process, I began to see the importance of having an authority in the church. Even when you have a committee, there is usually a chairman. As I thought more on this, I thought about how the family is a reflection of the church. In the family, you have the father who is the head, the mother, and the children. I logically concluded that the church should have a head and we as members of the church should submit to the authority of the head.
Pope and The Eucharist
Around this time, my wife was seriously considering converting to Catholicism. She began looking more into what the Catholic Church taught due to some decisions that were being made in the Episcopal Church regarding homosexuality. Heather questioned by what authority they were making these decisions and how faith and reason played into that process. Since the Episcopal Church was a Protestant church, we both questioned how these decisions might affect our own church. Would our church make similar decisions in the near future? If so, what would guide their decision making process? We were not confident that our church, as a whole denomination, would hold to a traditional teaching on marriage.
Heather began studying about what the Catholic Church taught about homosexuality and marriage, and she looked more into the authority of the Catholic Church and the Pope. By virtue of her studies, I was being exposed to more Catholic doctrine. I began to see validation for why the Catholic Church had the pope. I looked into why the Catholic Church says the Pope is their head. This led me to read Matthew’s gospel where Jesus calls Simon “Peter” (16:18). I learned that Peter means “rock.” Why would Jesus call Peter the “rock” then -as Protestant claim- not be referring to him as the “rock” in this conversation? By this reasoning, I reconciled with the idea of a Pope. But I didn’t just jump ship. We stayed at the Pentecostal Church and supported the new pastor for a few years. However, Heather did start attending Mass regularly on her own. By 2009, Heather reached the point that she was ready to join the Catholic Church, so she went through the RCIA (The Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults) classes and was confirmed in 2010.
Eventually, some of our friends started leaving our Pentecostal Church. Then we started looking for another church home. By this time, we had two small children. While we were church shopping, Heather was attending Mass regularly and continued to watch EWTN. Inadvertently, some of my other misconceptions were being cleared up through various things I heard on EWTN, especially things I heard on The Journey Home. I was now no longer appalled by the Catholic Church.
I was, however, bothered by the fact that I was not allowed to take communion. When I would go with Heather to Mass, I would facetiously tell Heather I was going to communion. She would exclaim, “You’d better not!”
Bothered by this prohibition, I started looking into why Catholics erroneously thought the bread and wine was the Body and Blood of Christ, not just a symbol. I finally read John 6. Previously, all my understanding about communion came from the readings directly about the Last Supper. After reading John 6, I found myself again in despair, like when I learned about the baptism of the Holy Spirit. I remember thinking, “Why have I never seen this before!” I have been one of the many disciples who left that day because of this “hard teaching.” I finally saw evidence, biblical evidence, that Jesus meant that the bread and wine are His Body and Blood. I knew then it was more than a symbol.
Mary
I had found biblical support for the Pope and for the Real Presence in the Eucharist. It was important that I saw the biblical support for these teachings because after all I believed in sola Scriptura. The next issue that I dealt with was Mary. To me, Mary was “simply” the mother of Jesus. I believed she was a virgin until Jesus was born. After that, it would be reasonable that she and Joseph would have had sex. After all, they were married. But more pressing than her perpetual virginity was the idea that Catholics worshiped her, or prayed to her, or whatever they wanted to call it. Whatever they did, I saw no reason for it, because I could directly pray to Jesus. One thing I had noticed during the Mass was a lack of mentioning Mary. The Mass was all about Jesus which was odd, because it seemed that the Mass would have included prayers to Mary, especially since they worshipped her.
The first thing I began to think more deeply about was how important was Mary? Does she have a place in a believer’s life? I went back to my understanding of the family and how the family is a reflection of the Church. I knew the father was Jesus. I knew the children were all believers. But I had never given thought about the mother.
It began to make sense that Mary is the mother of the Church. I was even blessed with a vision of Mary in a dream. She appeared before me in a radiant image. She said nothing, she was just there before me and I felt this overwhelming joy. I began to see how important the mother of Jesus was. My mother is important to me. I would like to think that I honor her in my life. So I could see how Mary deserved honor. Mary, who had been chosen by God out of all the people that have ever existed and will ever exist to be the mother of our prefect Lord and Savior, Jesus! She deserves much honor! And this honor that she is given is not the same as the worship that Catholics give Jesus.
I reached a point to where I believed the Catholic Church had enough right that I was able to say I could submit to the authority of the church. I recalled that having faith is what being a Christian is about. So I was ready to say, “I accept what I have learned from the Catholic Church to be the truth, and I believe the Catholic Church will answer my other questions in due time.” I entered RICA in the fall of 2011. Through the RCIA classes many of my other misconceptions were cleared up. Some of those still had to do with Mary. In particular, the idea of praying to her and other saints. It was explained to me that praying to Mary and saints is not worship of them. It is more like asking a friend to pray for you, a very holy friend. And having pictures and statues of Mary and the saints is not for worship purposes but they serve as reminders of them just as the pictures of relatives we display in our houses helps us to remember them, not to worship them.
sola Scriptura
Through RICA, I learned that sola Scriptura does not really hold up, especially if you look back past the Reformation. If you believe in the Bible, then you believe that at some point the church had the authority to put that Bible together. The authority to teach the things the church taught before the Bible was compiled, and then at some point compile the Bible, had to come from somewhere. I believe that authority was held by the early Church Fathers. Each week at RICA, I would learn the truth about a misconception I had held. I began to understand the commitment I would make when I joined the Catholic Church. As a protestant, usually to join the local church you walk down to the front at the end of service and share those intentions with the pastor. He then shares your intentions with the congregation, and they affirm your decision with an “Amen.” When I joined the Catholic Church, I believed I would be entering a covenant just like the one I entered into when I married Heather. I would be in full union with the Church, the Body of Christ. I entered that covenant at Easter 2012.
Sharing my Faith
In the few years following my confirmation, I grew into a deeper understanding of the basics of the Catholic Church. I finally found the table with the food I had been searching for. Unfortunately, I did not immediately sit down and begin to eat. I more or less sat and nibbled. Then my cousin, Kimberly, who has her own great story to tell, married Paul, who was a Catholic but left the Church. They both had had their life struggles and were now trying to grow as Christians by attending Protestant churches. As I mentioned, I understood my union with the Church to be a covenant; therefore, I believed Paul was in the same covenant but was not honoring that covenant. I felt convicted about talking to him about why he left the Church.
I kept putting the conversation off. I only saw him at the occasional family get together, so I was not able to build a relationship that would help lead to such a conversation. Then in February 2018, my 105-year-old grandmother entered into the final days of her earthly journey. She was admitted to an end-of-life care home, and family members were able to stay by her side. Kimberly and Paul came to stay with her through these last days. I was also able to stay with my grandmother and them. Well, needless to say it doesn’t take long to build a special bond with someone in the midst of the delirium that sets in by staying up all night to care for a loved one who is dying.
With the stage now set, I opened the conservation at dinner one night. Paul shared with me his life journey. It was a complete prodigal child story. Well, almost complete. I learned that he had never actually been confirmed in the Church and that he and Kimberly were still searching for the “right church.” I shared what I knew about the Church, in hopes that he might consider coming home. It turned out that they had begun to look at the Catholic Church and had found that they agreed with some of the Church’s teachings, such as the teaching on the Eucharist. I left the conversation with great hope that a seed that seemed to be there had been watered. The next month, Kimberly sent me an email explaining how she had been studying about the Catholic Church. A few months later, she and Paul started attending Mass. A long story short, I was honored to be Paul’s sponsor when he was confirmed in the Church in February 2019.
Through our conversations and emails, in which we discussed Catholicism, I found great joy in sharing my faith and learning more about the Catholic Church. I have had the opportunity to share my Catholic faith with a few other friends and family including my mother. My desire is that I share the full truth. I came to know Jesus as a protestant; however, I was not taught the full truth of Jesus. I am reminded of the verse John 10:10, “I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly.” This is what the Catholic Church offers through her teachings and through the sacraments, not just life in Christ but an abundant life in Christ! As I share my faith, I am sharing the fullness of the Gospel.
Hope for the Future
In November of 2018, my fourth child was born, and I had the opportunity to take some time off from work to help with the care of the baby. During this time, I started watching old Journey Home episodes. Through these, I have learned a lot more about the teachings of the Church. The host and the guests often reference books or are authors themselves. While watching the shows, I developed a book list that I have started to read through to gain more knowledge about the Church and Jesus. Where this knowledge will lead me in my Catholic faith, I do not know. But I do know I feel better prepared to give an “...account for the hope that is in me!”
It is clear to me that all the Church’s teachings point one toward a closer relationship with Jesus. I have realized that I do not need to know the exact moment I met Jesus. I do not know the exact moment I first spoke to my wife, either; however, I do know I have come to know and love her more each day. And I know our relationship will continue to grow each day. This is how it is with Jesus. I know and love him more each day. I do not know how the relationship began but I know how it will end, or I should say never end. I believe we are all longing to be closer to Jesus whether we recognize that longing to be for Jesus or not. I believe that longing is fulfilled through the Catholic faith. I hope to light a path to the Church for others so they may come closer to our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.
I would love to hear from you: manvilleministries@gmail.com
Happy Birthday Church!
Sunday was Pentecost Sunday, the birthday of the Church. Pentecost (Greek for 50th) occurred on the 50th day after Easter Sunday in which the Holy Spirit descended upon the Apostles and they began preaching the Gospel of Jesus Christ. We all know Jesus came to preach the Gospel to those around Him and that He wanted His Gospel to be preached to all people in all generations. It is important to note that while Jesus was going about preaching, He was also gathering together those who would preach the Gospel when Jesus was gone. Those who followed Jesus were called His disciples. From these disciples, Jesus chose twelve men to teach particular things to and bestow on them particular authorities. Several times in the scriptures these men are pulled apart from the other disciples to receive specific instructions, truths, and authorities from Jesus. Among these 12 men, Peter, James, and John are often pulled apart to receive deeper insight into the knowledge of Jesus. It is clear from the scriptures that during His ministry, Jesus is establishing these men to lead His flock after He is gone. These men and His flock are what Jesus refers to as His Church. And this Church has a particular organization: the flock (the people) being submissive to the Shepherds (the Apostles). Then within the Apostles, as I stated, there were 3 men set apart to lead. And it is also clear from scripture that from these 3 men, one was set apart to be the leader.
Matthew 16:17 Jesus replied, “Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah, for this was not revealed to you by flesh and blood, but by my Father in heaven. 18 And I tell you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not overcome it. 19 I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven; whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.” 20 Then he ordered his disciples not to tell anyone that he was the Messiah.
In Matthew, we discover why Jesus gives Simon the name Peter(greek) or Cephas (Aramaic). Jesus clearly defines Simon as Peter/Cephas which means “rock/stone. ” Then He says to Peter on this rock I will build my Church. And He tells Peter that He will give Him the “keys of the kingdom of heaven.” Giving someone the keys to a kingdom is to pass on the authority to that person. But we will leave the focus of Peter for now. The other important thing Jesus tells us here is that the Church that He builds will not be overcome.
Jesus has set the physical foundation for His Church and on the 50th day after Easter the Holy Spirit descended on the Apostles and they began to preach the Gospel “in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them (Acts 1:4)!” (note: who spoke first to the people on that day) This physical foundation had now received its spiritual baptism on Pentecost Sunday and so the Church was born! And that same Church (both physically and spiritually) is still present today.
Why do I believe that. First, because Jesus said, “...the gates of Hades will not overcome it.” So either hell has overcome it or it hasn’t. I take Jesus at His word, and believe hell has not overcome it. And if it hasn’t, that means the Church is still present today. And if it is still present today, there is no reason for any new churches to be formed or for Christ’s Church to be restored. We need to seek to be “cum ecclesia” (with the Church) that Christ built. (This is not to say it hasn’t needed reform at times)
Second, there is ample historical evidence that shows the development of the Church from the time of the Apostles until now. One needs just to go look it up.
We celebrate the Church’s birthday on Pentecost Sunday but we are the ones that receive the gift. Jesus has gifted us the Church to lead and guide us in our relationship with Him. And He has promised to …”be with [us] until the end of the world.”(Matt 28:20)
Baptism in the Scriptures
Baptism is always a hot topic to discuss when it comes to differences between Catholics and Protestants. But why is it so important? For protestants, to believe baptism is not symbolic contradicts the Bible and makes the free gift of salvation by Grace through faith alone not free. For Catholics, to believe that baptism is symbolic contradicts the Bible and takes away from the fullness of the Truth of who Jesus is and what He taught about salvation. So, for both Protestants and Catholics the reason the discussion is so important is because it is a matter of salvation. I think that is important to note. Both Protestants and Catholics are concerned about the salvation of people. And it is out of this concern and love that both want others to believe as they do. But who is correct?
When we look to answer this question, I think it is proper to look at the Bible verses that include baptism in them. For this post, I am going to first share with you the verses I found that either have some form of the word baptism in them or directly refer to baptism. Then I am going to ask a couple of simple questions for you to think about.
Verses
Mathew 28:19 19 Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,
Act 2:38 and 41 38 Peter replied, “Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. 39 The promise is for you and your children and for all who are far off—for all whom the Lord our God will call.” 40 With many other words he warned them; and he pleaded with them, “Save yourselves from this corrupt generation.” 41 Those who accepted his message were baptized, and about three thousand were added to their number that day.
Roman 6:3 and 4 Or don’t you know that all of us who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? 4 We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life.
Col 2:12 having been buried with him in baptism, in which you were also raised with him through your faith in the working of God, who raised him from the dead.
Mathew 3:16 As soon as Jesus was baptized, he went up out of the water. At that moment heaven was opened, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and alighting on him.
Mathew 16: 31-33 31 They replied, “Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved—you and your household.” 32 Then they spoke the word of the Lord to him and to all the others in his house. 33 At that hour of the night the jailer took them and washed their wounds; then immediately he and all his household were baptized.
1 Cor 10:1-6 I want you to know, brethren, that our fathers were all under the cloud, and all passed through the sea, 2 and all were baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea, 3 and all ate the same supernatural food 4 and all drank the same supernatural drink. For they drank from the supernatural Rock which followed them, and the Rock was Christ. 5 Nevertheless with most of them God was not pleased; for they were overthrown in the wilderness.
1 Peter 3:21 Baptism, which corresponds to this, now saves you, not as a removal of dirt from the body but as an appeal to God for a good conscience, through the resurrection of Jesus Christ
Acts 22:12-16 “And one Ananias, a devout man according to the law, well spoken of by all the Jews who lived there, came to me, and standing by me said to me, ‘Brother Saul, receive your sight.’ And in that very hour I received my sight and saw him. And he said, ‘The God of our fathers appointed you to know his will, to see the Just One and to hear a voice from his mouth; for you will be a witness for him to all men of what you have seen and heard. And now why do you wait? Rise and be baptized, and wash away your sins, calling on his name.’ (Acts 22:12–16)
Gal 3:27 for all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ.
Mark 16:16 Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned.
Acts 8:36-38 36 As they traveled along the road, they came to some water and the eunuch said, “Look, here is water. What can stand in the way of my being baptized? ” 38 And he gave orders to stop the chariot. Then both Philip and the eunuch went down into the water and Philip baptized him. 39 When they came up out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord suddenly took Philip away, and the eunuch did not see him again, but went on his way rejoicing.
Ephesian 4:4-6 4 There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called to one hope when you were called; 5 one Lord, one faith, one baptism; 6 one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all.
Titus 3:5 he saved us, not because of deeds done by us in righteousness, but in virtue of his own mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewal in the Holy Spirit,
John 3:3-16 3 There was a man of the Pharisees named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews. 2 This man came to Jesus by night and said to Him, “Rabbi, we know that You are a teacher come from God; for no one can do these signs that You do unless God is with him.” 3 Jesus answered and said to him, “Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born [a]again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.” 4 Nicodemus said to Him, “How can a man be born when he is old? Can he enter a second time into his mother’s womb and be born?” 5 Jesus answered, “Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. 6 That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. 7 Do not marvel that I said to you, ‘You must be born again.’ 8 The wind blows where it wishes, and you hear the sound of it, but cannot tell where it comes from and where it goes. So is everyone who is born of the Spirit.”9 Nicodemus answered and said to Him, “How can these things be?”10 Jesus answered and said to him, “Are you the teacher of Israel, and do not know these things? 11 Most assuredly, I say to you, We speak what We know and testify what We have seen, and you do not receive Our witness. 12 If I have told you earthly things and you do not believe, how will you believe if I tell you heavenly things? 13 No one has ascended to heaven but He who came down from heaven, that is, the Son of Man [b]who is in heaven. 14 And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up, 15 that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life. 16 For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.
Verses Protestants use when discussing baptism
Eph 2:8-9 8 For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— 9 not by works, so that no one can boast.
Rom 10:9 9 If you declare with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.
2 Cor 5:17 17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here!
Questions to think on:
1. Which scripture says that baptism is symbolic? I have not found one.
2. Which scripture says baptism is salvific? 1 Peter 3:21
3. Which scripture says baptism is just a public declaration of one’s faith in Christ? I have not found one
4. Which scripture says baptism washes away sins? Act 2:38 and Act 22:16.
Imagine if you read these verses for the first time without anyone having taught you anything about baptism. If you just read the scriptures that have some form of the word baptized in them, I do not think one could reason that baptism is merely symbolic.
If you have a hard time understanding that baptism is more than symbolic and plays a role in salvation, don’t worry you are not the only one. Nicodemus also had a hard time understanding this teaching. See John 3:3-16. It is this conversation about being born again through water and spirit that leads John to write to the well known words of John 3:16. These words John wrote were the readers that all you have to do is confess with your mouth and believe in your heart to be saved. It is to tell them (us) that we need to believe in to believe and follow all that Jesus teaches us even if it is difficult to understand.
The Bible says baptism is salvific and Jesus confirms this when He says it is necessary in order to inherit the Kingdom of Heaven. Does this mean Jesus is not the ‘Way” and baptism is or that Paul is wrong in what he says in Romans 10:9? No! Baptism would have no power without Jesus. It is a sacrament that Jesus uses to bestow on us the free gift of salvation. And those to whom Paul was speaking would have followed their declaration of faith with their baptism knowing that it washes away sins. Wasn’t this what Paul was taught and believed? Look at what Ananias said to Paul after Paul’s conversion in Act 22:12-16. Did Ananias say to Paul, “Arise, call on the name of Jesus and believe has saved you and washed away your sins?” No, Ananias tells Paul, “And now why do you wait? Rise and be baptized, and wash away your sins, calling on his name.” (Acts 22:16)
There is a lot more that can be said about baptism and salvation but for now I will just leave you with one final question to ponder along with the above questions. (Before we bring in history and tradition) Based on what the Bible says and what we know about Jesus, is it possible that Jesus could use baptism as the means to bestow on His children the grace of salvation?
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Is This Going to be on the Test?
“Is this going to be on the test?” Anyone who has been a teacher has heard this question from their students. A lot of students (I won’t say all) just want to know what is the minimum they need to know to pass the test. Unfortunately, there are some teachers that perpetuate this attitude by teaching the minimum content to the students. Consequently, the teachers and students miss out on the fullness of the subject and the beauty that is revealed through that fullness of knowledge.
How do great teachers respond to their students when they are asked, “Will this be on the test?” With a resounding, “Yes! It’s all important and testable. I would not teach it to you if it were not important in helping you fully understand the content.” These are also the same teachers that don’t give study guides. Why? Because every lecture, every set of notes that they give is a guide as to what to study and know not just for the test but to possess the full knowledge of the subject.
This is also the same attitude that a lot of people have when it comes to their religion and, for christians, their relationship with Christ. They want to know what is the minimum they have to know or do to go to heaven. Unfortunately, there are some preachers that perpetuate this attitude by teaching the minimum content to their congregations. Too often, many are taught through Sunday morning sermons, Sunday school, and other “Bible study” meetings that the Gospel comes down to one or two main ideas. (Pick up from home page or FB) Usually, those have something to do with loving one another and believing in Jesus. Sometimes it just comes down to the belief. Are these main ideas important? Yes, but are they only things that are important? No! Why? Because Jesus wouldn’t teach us something if it wasn’t important.
Why would Jesus teach us things that are not important, not “testable”? All of the things that Christ taught us are a part of the fullness of the Truth. Jesus taught us a lot more than just love another and believe in Him. The idea that loving one another and believing in Jesus are the only things that will be on the “test” has been extracted by those who often confuse a simplistic Gospel with a simple Gospel. And they teach others this simplistic Gospel rather than the simple Gospel that Jesus taught. Consequently, the preachers and their congregations miss out on the fullness of the Gospel and the beauty that is revealed through that fullness of that knowledge. Jesus taught a simple Gospel, not a simplistic one. Don’t settle for knowing a simplistic Gospel and miss the beauty of the fullness of the Gospel.
Even Jesus's students asked Him what was going to be on the test? Nicodemus, the rich man, and the lawyer all asked Jesus this question in some form. How did Jesus answer? As any great teacher would, “All of it’s on the test!” I encourage you to look up Jesus' responses for yourself in the Bible. He taught them (us) to keep the commandments, AND be baptized, AND go to confession, AND eat His Body And Blood, AND have faith, AND have hope, AND love God, AND love one another. God has revealed to us the fullness of Truth and Christ has called us “to obey everything that [He] commanded (Math 28:20).” Doing this is what takes us for knowing about Christ to being in a relationship with Him. Where He is in us and we are in Him.
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Are you my mother?
Some questions to get you thinking. Spiritually speaking, who is our Father? Who are the children of God? These answers come easily for most people. God/Jesus/Holy Spirit is the Father and we (baptized persons) are His children. We tend to think in terms of the “Family” of God . Well, we identified the Father and children, but who is missing?...The mother, right? Just intuitively or logically speaking, doesn’t it seem that there should be a mother if there is a Father and children?
There is a mother! She is Church and she is Mary. I can address the fact that both Mary and the Church are our mother, later. But for now I want to focus on why the Church is our Mother.
As I pointed out above, it makes sense that there should be a mother or at least could be a mother in the Family of God. Does it make sense that the Church is our mother? What is the Church? For one, Christ is the Bridegroom of the Church which makes (See Ephesians 5) the Church the Bride of Christ. This implies a feminine nature to the Church. A mother has a feminine nature. She is the bride of Jesus who is also our God and Father. That puts her in a Motherly place within our spiritual family.
Does there need to be a mother? Do children need a mother? Of course, they cannot exist without her. To say there is a child or children is to imply there is a Father and a mother. A mother brings forth the life of the child into the world. What life does the Church as a mother bring forth to the world? The Gospel of Jesus Christ. Jesus is the way to eternal life. The Church is to pass on the teachings of Jesus throughout the ages.
What does a mother do for a child throughout his/her life? The mother loves, instructs, and teaches the child. God has made the mother an authority to whom the child submits. Not out of fear or as a slave but out of love for God and the mother. What is the purpose of the Church? To instruct and teach the children of God about the love of Christ and how to share that love. God has made the Church an authority to which His children submit. Not out of fear or as a slave but out of love for God and the Church.
Christ has given His children a mother because a child needs a mother. That mother is the Church.
Just something to think about.
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A Tough Teaching: the Mystery of the Eucharist
Yes, the official Church teaching is the bread and wine in the Mass changes into the Body and Blood of Jesus Christ. Without going any further, that in itself elicits the response from anyone, non-Catholics or Catholics, “this is a hard saying; who can accept it?” In fact, this is the response many of the disciples that were with Christ and had been with Him for sometime, gave to Him when He was teaching them about the Eucharist (see John 6:60). So don’t feel bad if this is your response to hearing this teaching.
This is a tough teaching for many. But it does not have to be, if we spend a little time putting it into perspective. Think about the hard teachings you already believe. Most Christians believe God became man and was fully God and fully man. How does that happen? The God that became man was born of a virgin. How does that happen? We do not really know how these miracles occur. This is why these miracles are considered mysteries because the question of how they happen is not fully understood. But that doesn’t stop us from believing them.
Why is it so different when it comes to the Eucharist? Why can someone believe in those miracles and not the miracle of the Eucharist?
Keep this question in mind as we move forward: what do you believe is possible with God?
Let’s think about Jesus’s body. What do you believe about the body of Jesus? Jesus's body died, was placed in the tomb, then rose from the dead. Then, what? Jesus’s Body had the ability to move through walls( He entered the locked upper room), be transported (He appeared in several places), change shape (the disciples did not recognize Him), etc. After the resurrection Jesus has a glorified body, a body that is no longer bound by time, space, or matter. His body could now do miraculous things. Could one of those miraculous things be that His Body and Blood could be present in the Bread and Wine of the Eucharist? Could that be possible with God?
Let’s think about who Jesus is. Do you believe Christ is the Word of God, the Word made flesh? If so, how does that happen? The Word becomes both God and man. The Word looks and sounds like a Man, yet He is the Word of God. Much like the Bread and Wine becomes the Body and Blood of Jesus. It looks and tastes like bread and wine, yet it is Jesus. Its substance has changed, hence transubstantiation. Do you think this is possible with God?
Why do we believe Jesus is the Word of God made flesh? For one, we believe this because the Bible tells us this in John 1:1 and 14. We believe in virgin birth and other miracles because the Bible supports these teachings.
What does the Bible tell us about His body and blood in relation to the bread and wine? Let’s look at what Jesus said the Bread and Wine were in John 6. You can read the whole chapter for more context but here I am going to focus on John 6:52-68.
52 The Jews quarreled among themselves, saying, “How can this man give us [his] flesh to eat?”
Amazing! Talk about an age old question. Is this not the same question we are discussing here? How does Jesus respond to it?
53 Jesus said to them, “Amen, amen, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you do not have life within you.
54 Whoever eats* my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him on the last day.
55 For my flesh is true food, and my blood is true drink.
56 Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood remains in me and I in him.
If He is speaking symbolically, why not say symbolic food and drink? He could have even just said they were food and drink. But He doesn’t. He says they are “true” food and drink.
60 Then many of his disciples who were listening said, “This saying is hard; who can accept it?”
61 Since Jesus knew that his disciples were murmuring about this, he said to them, “Does this shock you?
If Jesus is speaking symbolically and he knows the disciples are having a hard time with this because they think He is speaking literally, why does he not straighten things out here?
62 What if you were to see the Son of Man ascending to where he was before?
63 It is the spirit that gives life, while the flesh is of no avail. The words I have spoken to you are spirit and life.
Here is calling their attention to a miracle that will take place. As if to say, “if you saw my Body ascend into Heaven then would you be able to believe that it could become bread from Heaven (John 6:51).”
64 But there are some of you who do not believe.” Jesus knew from the beginning the ones who would not believe and the one who would betray him.
65 And he said, “For this reason I have told you that no one can come to me unless it is granted him by my Father.”
To believe that the Bread and Wine become the Body and Blood is a tough teaching. It is now and was then. And we see the affect this tough teaching had on the disciples in John 6:66:
66 As a result of this, many [of] his disciples returned to their former way of life and no longer accompanied him.
What about you?
67 Jesus then said to the Twelve, “Do you also want to leave?”
I hope you will answer as Peter and the Twelve did.
68 Simon Peter answered him, “Master, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life.
Maybe, you don’t accept this teaching, yet. But hopefully you will at least look into it a little more.
There are Old Testament allusions, Jews traditions, and historical writings that support this teaching. And I hope to cover some of those in future writings.
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I will start with the Eucharist or Communion
Protestants: it is a symbol. Christ was relating a spiritual fullness with physical fullness. Usually, done once a month. This was done at the Last Supper but Christ was talking symbolically.
Catholic: It is Christ. His Body and Blood. By some miracle (not unlike the miracle of a virgin birth) during the Mass the plain bread and wine changes into Christ's Body and Blood. Christ did this at the Last Supper (changed the bread and wine into His flesh and blood). So each Mass is basically a repeat or representation of the Last Supper. (Scott Hahn, The Lamb Supper)
See John 6 (the whole thing for context): but around Ch 30-50 Jesus tells his followers that He is the bread of life and that they must eat his flesh and drink his blood. He keeps saying it. Of course the followers have a problem with this. But Jesus does not stop and say. "I'm not talking about my real flesh and blood." He continues to say, "eat my flesh and drink my blood."
When we get down to verse 66 we read many of the disciples leave that day. I don't think they would have left if He was just talking symbolically.
After this we read at the Last Supper that Jesus shares bread and wine with the disciples and calls it His body and blood that will be given up for them (us) and He says do this in memory of me. Then, of course, later Jesus gave his body to be sacrificed and His blood was poured out.
Mass is the celebration of Christ's sacrifice and resurrection. And this is done by sharing Christ's Body and Blood like He did at the Last supper.
Here is a short version of why the Last Supper is significant. (This is explained better by Scott Hahn in Rome Sweet Home. and The Lamb’s Supper.)
The Last Supper was a passover meal which celebrated the Jews’ exodus from slavery in Egypt. The last plague God sent before Pharaoh released the Jews was the passover. God directed His people to slaughter a lamb and spread the blood over the doorway. Homes that did this were passed over. Those that did not, the first born died, i.e. Pharaoh's son and many others. As a part of this, the Jews would eat the sacrificed lamb in celebration of being passed over.
Jesus was a good Jew so it makes sense that He would have been celebrating this passover meal. It also helped the disciples (and us) to understand that He is the lamb for them (and us). And they knew people ate the sacrificial lamb, not only for food, but in celebration that they were Right with God. So for Catholics it helps understand why we would eat the Body and Blood of Jesus, our sacrificed Lamb.
We believe Jesus is fully present in the bread and wine, that it is more than a symbol.
A deeper study on transubstantiation is needed to help better understand this miracle. This bread and wine do not lose their physical attributes (accidents) but their substance (what they are) is changed. Again, this is a miracle and by it nature will never be fully understood much like the virgin birth is not fully understood.
Jesus is the center of the Catholic Church and having the Eucharistic (Jesus) is the center of the Mass. Also, I think of it in relation to a marriage which is an analogy Jesus uses for His relationship between Himself and the Church. In marriage, husband and wife are joined spiritually as one and that is expressed (celebrated) through a physical oneness. And not just one time but the spiritual union is celebrated physically throughout the marriage.
So in becoming one with Jesus there is spiritual union and a physical union.
As I am working on this bible study, I have begun to focus in on the question of What did Jesus do on Earth before He was died and rose again? This of course could be addressed in many ways. That is what is so great about the Christian faith, it is inexhaustible! But within this question we will look at 3 main things that Jesus did: 1) He preached the gospel 2) He revealed who is was and 3) He established the foundation of His Church. We will also discuss a few things Jesus didn't do! I look forward to having you join me in this study. Let me know if you have any questions or comments. I would love for the study to be somewhat interactive. However, if you want to remain anonymous, you can just follow along with the bible study here. I hope to get going in the next week or two.
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