24 December, 2014

Response to "Chuck" about his concern for the faith of his son

My responses are in bold

“I read one of your responses to the matter of Catholic vs Jehovah's Witness on infallible interpretation.  In this world of misinformation, I found respect for you through your reply. In your answer, I see that you may be able to assist me in some of my concerns.
I know nothing of you but need your well studied perspective on many issues which I would like to confidently impart to my 3 sons - the 3 most awesome gifts that God could have ever given to me.
One night when my middle son (3 yrs ago at age 21) felt that he had to tell me his belief, even though he knew it would hurt me, he said that he could not be a hypocrite and that when we recite the Apostles Creed, he had to stop since those words were so profound to one's being and he did not believe them. He did not espouse that creed. He further explained that he did not believe in God.
I love him dearly as I love the other 2.
I think the majority of his confusion came from reading of theories of "worm holes" and other current science, as well as his seeing that a fundamentalist view of the Bible is easily found to be inaccurate.  What can you offer to help in showing that God is real?”

I will be very pleased to help if I can. I come from a scientific background as well. I never had such doubts because of my faith that I received by God’s grace but I had a close friend and and fraternity brother who had such doubts as I think that he had the idea that science and the belief in God are incompatible. As a result he professed to be a devout atheist. He went on to receive his doctorate in biochemistry. We did not see each other for more than decade and I found out that we were living in the same city. I called him and we met to have lunch. We discussed what we had done since we were in undergraduate school together. With his degree as a doctor of biochemistry he was engaged in the mapping of DNA which I found  fascinating. He said that as a result he was no longer an atheist. He had come to believe in a creator as a result because he realized that such order could not come by random chaos. We shared a conclusion that we had both come to, which is that the dependance on science puts one into a comfortable place, that I call a box, where we do not have to even imagine anything beyond our own finite intellect with the boundaries of the box. In that sense it allows us to imagine that we may indeed be equal to a creator or put another way, the equal to the epitomy of intellectual ability. It allows us to believe that there is no greater intellect than what we can aspire to achieve. As he said the evidence of science all around us in its complexity,especially in regards to life and the enormity of the universe stands in testimony to what we can perceive as God if we let our intellects soar to that conclusion. Such complex order out of chaos is an insult to one’s intelligence, finite as it must be. Science testifies to God and our creator rather than invoke us to deny Him if we just think and imagine outside the box

Secondly, our faith does not come from the Bible but instead it comes from the Holy Spirit that indwells in our hearts circumcised by the law that is written there. Without this law on our hearts we could not even imagine God and certainly not seek Him. The Bible has no authority in and of itself but all teaching authority comes from Christ’s Church which was given to the Church by Christ personally. Jesus said, “He who hears you hears me” when speaking of the authority of the Church. The order of authority according to the Bible is first Jesus, then His Church and lastly the Bible discerned in the community of the Church.

“Another friend has challenged me in a similar fundamental way on faith foundation in that he described the Council of Nicaea as the source of the current New Testament and coming very close to having extremely different text with very different dogma. As he put it, it was a bit arbitrary, or by the luck of one person not having to step out of the meeting at voting time that we have the Bible as it is today.  His comments challenge the belief that it is the inspired word of God.  Can you help me on this as well?”

Your friend is very misinformed about the Council of Nicaea. The Council did not even discuss the New Testament or any part of the biblical canon nor was that a part of the agenda of the Council. There was no vote on the Canon.

The Council was convened by the Emperor Constantine I to try to influence the Church by his might and intimidation to deny that Jesus is God. The Emperor had come to believe and follow the heretical and powerful bishop Arius about the nature of Jesus. Arius and the Emperor believed that Jesus was not God and the 2nd person in the Trinity of the one God which had been taught since the beginning of the Church at Pentecost. The Emperor wanted to unite his empire by denying that Jesus is God which left  Constantine with the ability to raise his own stature before his subjects on a level equal to Jesus.

In the beginning it looked as if Constantine I and Arius would be successful as the Bishops in attendance were indeed frightened and intimidated by the Emperor and would not speak up on their own against this teaching. Just as God raised up David to confront Goliath he raised up another  very young man named Athanasius, a young Deacon who had accompanied his Bishop to Nicaea to defend orthodoxy. So eloquently did Athanasius defend the faith that it invoked the Bishops to vote against the wishes of Arius and Constantine. He is known today as St. Athanasius and the creed of Nicaea bears His name. Here is the proclamation that came out of the Council of Nicaea and refined by subsequent councils:

“Whosoever will be saved, before all things it is necessary that he hold the Catholic Faith. Which Faith except everyone do keep whole and undefiled, without doubt he shall perish everlastingly. And the Catholic Faith is this, that we worship one God in Trinity and Trinity in Unity. Neither confounding the Persons, nor dividing the Substance. For there is one Person of the Father, another of the Son, and another of the Holy Ghost. But the Godhead of the Father, of the Son and of the Holy Ghost is all One, the Glory Equal, the Majesty Co-Eternal. Such as the Father is, such is the Son, and such is the Holy Ghost. The Father Uncreate, the Son Uncreate, and the Holy Ghost Uncreate. The Father Incomprehensible, the Son Incomprehensible, and the Holy Ghost Incomprehensible. The Father Eternal, the Son Eternal, and the Holy Ghost Eternal and yet they are not Three Eternals but One Eternal. As also there are not Three Uncreated, nor Three Incomprehensibles, but One Uncreated, and One Incomprehensible. So likewise the Father is Almighty, the Son Almighty, and the Holy Ghost Almighty. And yet they are not Three Almighties but One Almighty.
So the Father is God, the Son is God, and the Holy Ghost is God. And yet they are not Three Gods, but One God. So likewise the Father is Lord, the Son Lord, and the Holy Ghost Lord. And yet not Three Lords but One Lord. For, like as we are compelled by the Christian verity to acknowledge every Person by Himself to be God and Lord, so are we forbidden by the Catholic Religion to say, there be Three Gods or Three Lords. The Father is made of none, neither created, nor begotten. The Son is of the Father alone; not made, nor created, but begotten. The Holy Ghost is of the Father, and of the Son neither made, nor created, nor begotten, but proceeding.
So there is One Father, not Three Fathers; one Son, not Three Sons; One Holy Ghost, not Three Holy Ghosts. And in this Trinity none is afore or after Other,None is greater or less than Another, but the whole Three Persons are Co-eternal together, and Co-equal. So that in all things, as is aforesaid, the Unity in Trinity, and the Trinity in Unity, is to be worshipped. He therefore that will be saved, must thus think of the Trinity.
Furthermore, it is necessary to everlasting Salvation, that he also believe rightly the Incarnation of our Lord Jesus Christ. For the right Faith is, that we believe and confess, that our Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of God, is God and Man.
God, of the substance of the Father, begotten before the worlds; and Man, of the substance of His mother, born into the world. Perfect God and Perfect Man, of a reasonable Soul and human Flesh subsisting. Equal to the Father as touching His Godhead, and inferior to the Father as touching His Manhood. Who, although He be God and Man, yet He is not two, but One Christ. One, not by conversion of the Godhead into Flesh, but by taking of the Manhood into God. One altogether, not by confusion of substance, but by Unity of Person. For as the reasonable soul and flesh is one Man, so God and Man is one Christ. Who suffered for our salvation, descended into Hell, rose again the third day from the dead. He ascended into Heaven, He sitteth on the right hand of the Father, God Almighty, from whence he shall come to judge the quick and the dead. At whose coming all men shall rise again with their bodies, and shall give account for their own works. And they that have done good shall go into life everlasting, and they that have done evil into everlasting fire. This is the Catholic Faith, which except a man believe faithfully and firmly, he cannot be saved.”

The Christian Biblical Canon would not be decided on by the Church  until the late 4th and early 5th centuries after the Council of Rome and the three African Synods of Hippo and Carthage presided over by the great St. Augustine.

In Christ

Fr. Joseph

10 October, 2014

Response to someone calling himself Donald

[My response is in bold. You say that this is your final discussion with me because I do not agree with your false version of the Christian faith. I will always be here for you if you decide to explore biblical Christianity and Christ's own Church. We end this discussion and I am very sad that you remain lost in the man-made sect that has deceived you. I put your deceived soul in god's hands and pray that you develop ears to hear His Word.]

“Are you saying there was no Jewish race of people chosen by God before 1949?”
Of course not, I am saying that you erred in thinking there was a nation of Israel before 1949 as you claimed.
“Who was Abraham? Was he a nobody? Has the Catholic Church gone so far away from God that they are now changing History to fit their believes?”
He was the founder of the Old Covenant with God.
“You are getting more and more foolish in your teachings.”
How so?
“Its a shame the very Words of God are being spoken by such and evil person as you.”
That is a rather strange statement since you do not know me personally nor my heart. Did you just feel an urge to bear false witness against me?
“Romans 1:16
16 For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek.
The Gospel you slander is from God.”
Another strange unsupportable claim which has no basis.
“The more you speak the more you show how far the corrupted Catholic Church has fallen. I am very glad I'm no longer in the corrupted Catholic Church anymore. Like Luther and the others God personally lead me out of the corrupted Catholic Church.”
Again another strange statement since you have not been able in all of our discussions to give even one example of this claim despite the fact that I have almost begged you to support your claims yet you refuse and just unreasonably slander Christ’s Church and now me personally for no apparent reason. I find your claim very strange in view of Scripture….Jesus prayed that we remain in unity in His Church, the Catholic Church, and promised that His Church would endure for all times. The Holy Spirit inspired the apostle St. Matthew to record the promise of Jesus that the gates of hell will never prevail against the Church yet your claim is a contradiction of Jesus and the Holy Spirit's inspiration.(Mat 16:18)
“I'm going to Heaven! My name is written in the Book of Life and there is nothing the corrupted Catholic Church can do to keep me out of Heaven.”
I pray that you are not so deceived as to believe in your presumption. Being presumptive as you are is a great sin as only Jesus can judge. You are probably the least qualified to judge yourself. The Bible clearly states that he who endures in faith to the end will be saved and not necessarily those who presume to be saved. May our Lord have mercy on you for this presumption and usurpation of Christ’s authority. That being said it is the Church that Jesus provided to those that are His and it is truly the narrow path to salvation. You have chosen the wide way because of your pridefulness and disobedience. May the Holy Spirit set you on the narrow path provided by our Lord.
“If i see you in Heaven so much the better for you, but i have the feeling you will not be invited in.”
If that is God’s will then I have missed the mark after serving the Lord my whole life. I will continue to pray that I will be saved and will continue to serve the Lord. I would give up my eternity for you to be saved if it was God’s will.
“Enough is enough. Jesus told us to shake off the dirt of the houses where people refused to accept Him as their Lord and Savior.”
Certainly you are not describing me and have no reason to make such an accusation. I have served Him my whole life and His flock and have certainly accepted Jesus as my Lord and Savior. Do you really delusionally believe that you have the power to judge the hearts of men. You would do well to worry about your salvation instead as it is you that refused Jesus’ will to be in unity with His Church for your man-made counterfeit that you are so ashamed to mention.
“By the way i have posted what you have said and many True Christians cannot believe why anyone would want to be in the Catholic Church anymore after hearing the lies the Catholic Church teaches.”
Well considering that you have not been able to identify and support such vacuous statements as the Catholic Church teaching lies your claims are as empty as your heart is for Christ’s own Church. I guess you believe that the Bible is false teaching when it says that the Church is the “pillar and foundation of the truth”. May our Lord have mercy on you for allowing yourself to be captured in the evil doctrines of men. God bless!
In Christ
Fr. Joseph

07 October, 2014

An attack on the blessed mother and Christ's Incarnation through the blessed mother

My response is in bold

“Where in the Bible does the Holy Spirit say " No one is more righteous than the blessed mother"?”


She was the person chosen by God at her conception to be the mother of God incarnate, the Savior of the world Jesus. Jesus is God of which Arian’s like yourself deny. Indeed as the one chosen from all who are in His will and called  blessed for her contribution to all of mankind past, present and future. Indeed she is as righteous as any person that ever lived who was not God.


“No where in the Bible does the Holy Spirit say Mary is more righteous than anyone?”


There are many things that the Bible does not say explicitly but for one who has an indwelling of the Holy Spirit the fullness of truth is indeed implicitly taught


Mary is more righteous than anyone?”


The teaching is revealed through His Church, the Catholic Church. True Christians all call her blessed and it is through her saying yes to the angel that she revealed her righteousness. There can be no greater implicit evidence of her righteousness than being blessed among all women in this way.
“In fact why are you saying Mary is more righteous than Jesus Christ?”


I have never said this either implicitly or explicitly. Again you lie about my statements. Tell me. where in the Bible does it say that the blessed mother is not righteous explicitly? Why would God choose an unrighteous woman to be the mother of God. Yes she is the mother of God because Jesus is “Immanuel” which means God is with us.


“I believe in praying for one another, but, we are NOT to ask dead people to pray for us. Its only the people living and around us that we are to ask to pray for us.


When the Bible refers to dead people it is referring to those who are dead in Christ such as the devil and his demons and those who have died without salvific grace. Those who have died “in Christ” are very much alive and in Heaven enjoying Christ’s salvific grace. If they are not alive in Christ then there is no hope for anyone. Saints are those with salvific grace alive in Christ whether Militant on earth or Triumphant in heaven.


“In fact we are Forbidden to seek out the dead!”


The Saint’s are eternally alive lest you do not believe in Christ’s salvific grace.


“Deuteronomy 18:11-12
11 or one who casts a spell, or a medium, or a spiritist, or one who calls up the dead.
12 "For whoever does these things is detestable to the LORD; and because of these detestable things the LORD your God will drive them out before you.”


Indeed and those that are spoken of are the devil, his demons and those without God’s salvific grace.   


Jesus Christ said His Church is the "pillar and foundation of the truth". Where in the Bible did the Holy Spirit ever say the Catholic Church is the "pillar and foundation of the truth".?

1 Timothy 3:15 (NRSVCE)

15 if I am delayed, you may know how one ought to behave in the household of God, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and bulwark of the truth.
There is no other Church mentioned in the Bible that is founded by Jesus and His apostles than the Catholic Church.


“Its the True Church FOUNDED on Jesus Christ Himself that is the True Church! Not your corrupted Catholic Church.”


Again there is no other Church mentioned other than the Catholic Church that is founded by Jesus and the Apostles. The Church has the promise of Jesus that it can never be corrupted and will remain for all times  the “pillar and foundation of the truth” This is the true teaching of Scripture. The Church will endure for all times free from apostasy. Not only is the Catholic Church  founded on Christ but by Christ personally.


“I do not hate Mary.”


Your statements of doubting her devotion to God and thus her righteousness belie your words which are obviously without substance or veracity.


“She was a good woman used by God to bring into the World a body to be used by God the Son to walk on the Earth.”


So, you think that she was a good woman but not good enough to be righteous even though she bore God incarnate. She was the most blessed among all women in history.


“Since Mary is ONLY the mother of the body used by Jesus Christ your usage of calling Mary the Mother of God is wrong and decieving!”


Is Jesus fully God? The Christian view is that He is God. Is Jesus fully man? The Christian view is that Jesus is fully man. The blessed mother bore Jesus in all His glory and fullness as God. She also bore Him and gave Him His humanity. Indeed her contribution was to provide the very means that gave the incarnate Jesus not only His humanity but also His Godliness. Indeed according to the blessed mother saying yes to the Angel of God Jesus is truly Immanuel and the Savior of the world. You are simply laboring to deceive yourself.


Mary is NOT the mother of God because God is Eternal and not created! God does NOT have a mother like you corrupted Catholics teach!


The Bible teaches that Jesus is God and the 2nd person in the Trinity of the one God. I know that Arians like yourself deny the true nature of God in the Trinity but for Christians this is the true nature of God revealed by Jesus, His Church the Catholic Church and the Bible. He is not created but instead it is taught in Scriptures that He is incarnated as both God and man through the blessed and righteous virgin Mary. God bless!


In Christ
Fr. Joseph


Continued discussion:

“Israel existed as a NATION and a COUNTRY thousands of years ago.”

No, the Nation of Israel was created in 1949.

“The only source for the Truth from God IS the Holy Spirit and the Bible. You and your Cult the Catholic Church has no Truth. Only God has the Truth and i listen to the Holy Spirit and what He says.”

I do not know where you get the idea that the only truth comes from the Holy Spirit and the Bible. It is ironic that you claim this as the Bible disagrees with your claim. The order of authority in the Bible is clearly stated as Jesus. His Church and then the Bible which is written by Catholic Christians and canonized by the Church. The Bible is not for private interpretation but is to be interpreted within the teaching of the Church that produced it under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit. It is the Holy Spirit that the Bible says leads the Church from ALL error and not each individual who twists the Bible to fit their prejudice as you are a perfect example. So according to your statements you do not believe in biblical teaching unless it supports your unreasonable hatred for Christ’s own Church. If you actually listened to the Holy Spirit you would follow Jesus and His Church since His stated will the night before His crucifixion is that we have unity in His Church and not one of the tens of thousands of man-made counterfeits which you follow and are faithful. You show yourself to be an example as one who cannot endure the sound doctrines of Christ’s own Church the Catholic Church.

“The Truth is not in the Catholic Church and I have proved it. The Holy Spirit teaches Mary was a sinner, Romans 3:23 for ALL have sinned.”

The only thing you have proven is your lack of biblical scholarship and your prejudice against the teaching of Jesus and the Bible. Obviously this verse is showing the general state of mankind but certainly there are exceptions as the bible tells us which are Jesus, the blessed mother of God and arguably St. John the Baptist. One example of sinlessness is enough to prove your prejudice false and revel your lack of biblical scholarship and ignorance of Scriptures.

“The Holy Spirit teaches Mary was not Righteous, Romans 3:10-13, none is Righteous, no not one.”

Again this is a general statement of mans general state but again there is at least one exception and more.

“The Catholic Church has no Truth because it teaches lies about Mary.”

Why should I or anyone else believe you since you have been impotent to support even one example of your claim. I know of none of these lies that you claim. An accusation does NOT  equal guilt and it is impossible for one that believes and trusts in Jesus to believe such accusations. He promised that His Church will never fall into apostasy. You claim it has calling Jesus a liar or an incompetent in founding His Church. The Bible is not a false teacher when it calls the Church the “pillar and foundation of the truth”. For one that believes in the heresy of “Sola Scriptura” it is odd that you would proclaim by your statements that the Bible teaches falsely.

“You still do not understand. What God says has more Truth and authority than what the Catholic Church teaches. I read what the Catholic Church says and i compare it to what the Holy Spirit teaches in the Bible.”

If you truly believed what you are stating we would not be having this conversation. The reason we are having this discussion is because you do not accept what Jesus and the Holy Spirit teach in the Bible. Jesus teaches that the order of authority is Himself, His Church and then the Bible understood with the teaching authority given by Jesus to His Church. Again the Bible is not for private private interpretation. That is the primary cause for the tens of thousands of Protestant sects that cannot agree on even the simplest and most apparent teaching of Scripture. They cannot even agree that Jesus is God and the 2nd person in the Trinity of the one God. From your comments to me so far in our discussions you appear to be one of these even though you refuse to give me your affiliation.  Why do you hide this? Are you ashamed of the fact that you are a part of a heretical man-made sect?

If you indeed did as you claim you would find that the teaching of Jesus, the Church and the Bible are in perfect accordance with one another without even a hint of contradiction. That is further evidenced by the fact that you continuously make the claim without being able to support even one of your accusations.

“You cannot win fighting against the Holy Spirit. You may hate what the Holy Spirit says, but you will lose in the end.”

Indeed and neither can you even though you so far are refusing to listen to the Holy Spirit that led you to me for help in overcoming your ignorance and hatred.

“Its not about the Catholic Church and what they say, its ALL about what God says in the Bible. The Bible is from the Holy Spirit and is greater in authority and Truth than the Catholic Church!”

The writers of the New Testament of the Bible were all, without exception, Catholic Christians. The Christian canon of the Bible was decided by the Church under Christ’s teaching authority given to the Church in the late 4th and early 5th centuries after the three African Synods led by St. Augustine when they ratified the decision of the previous Churhc council in Rome. Before this there was no Christian Canon of Scripture and the truth was spread by oral means by the Church of which you have so much hatred. The oral authority of the Church preceded the formation of the Bible for centuries. Jesus gave all teaching authority to his Church and not a book that is the product of the Church. Actually according to Scripture it has no authority outside the charism of Jesus to His Church.

“My only source of Truth is from the Bible! I do not need to listen to anything else other then the Bible from the Holy Spirit! I put God above all, you Catholics put the Catholic Church above all, even above God!”

You are making an empty claim against the Church unless you can support what you claim. Again and accusation does not equal fact. For facts you must have some proof and you have none because there is not any proof of what you claim. I will state the position of the Church and the Bible which is the authority according to Jesus and the Bible is the teaching of Jesus, His Church and lastly the Bible understood in the community of Christ’s Church.

“This is why i say you have not received Salvation because you always interpret the Scriptures with Mary being the main focus. ITS NOT ALL ABOUT MARY!”Its ALL about God and what He has done for us.
It seems Mary IS the main focus in your life. Therefore one has to conclude that Mary is your god.”


You are correct of the fact that I have not yet received salvation as salvation is a lifelong process for those in Christ that is not completed until our death when we are judged by Christ. If the blessed mother had not said yes to the angel of God then she would have been disobedient. Instead she said yes and as a result was an integral part of our salvation The blessed mother of God was and is the first Christian and it is by her example of obedience that we should strive to follow. She should not be vilified like you practice for her obedience to God. Certainly she is not an example that you have followed as you refuse the unity that Christ prayed for before His crucifixion. God is the focus of my faith of which the blessed mother of God is the greatest example of all times to emulate in her devotion and obedience to God.

No, in our discussions this has never occurred even once much less than always. You are the one that is very strangely preoccupied with an unreasonable hatred for Jesus’ mother. You want to marginalize her far below what the Bible teaches out of some kind of perverse prejudice that you cannot explain. In our conversations it is you that has made the blessed mother of God your focus. You are accusing me of your actions and that is ridiculous. I understand perfectly for your statements that you have a hatred for Jesus’ mother for some very odd reason. It seems to be a hatred that can only be demonically inspired. I have one God and that is the Trinity of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. The following statement reveal the truth in what I have said…...

“God the Father is my God. God the Son is my God. God the Holy Spirit is my God. I have no need of your god Mary in my life.

What can Mary do for me that God cannot do? God is Eternal, forever, the most powerful being ever! Mary was a mere human, a sinner, has absolutely no powers of any kind, died and was buried in a grave. So why would i need Mary when i have God!

You can keep Mary as your god and i will follow the one and only True God!

You are so self delusional that its a joke.”

God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit had a need for the blessed mother of God and blessed her beyond any woman. She said yes to God to bear God incarnate Jesus for the world so that we may be saved. That alone is a reason for all true Christians to honor her and use her as their example. Me delusional? Not a chance. God bless!

In Christ

Fr. Joseph

22 September, 2014

Discussion with a person named Donald about the blessed mother of God’s sinlessness and salvation.


My comments are in bold.


Romans 3:10-12
10 as it is written,
“There is none righteous, not even one;
11 There is none who understands,
There is none who seeks for God;
12 All have turned aside, together they have become useless;
There is none who does good,
There is not even one.”


Romans 3:10-12 clearly states there is no one who is Righteous. Not even one person ever born was Righteous, not even Mary. Romans 3:10-12 also states there is none who does good, there is not even one.


Clearly the Holy Spirit is teaching us that Mary was not Righteous, that Mary never did Good, and that Mary never sought out God.


Romans 3:23
23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God


Everybody has sinned and fallen short, even Mary sinned and fell short.


Now let's look at the issue of blessed mother's sinless nature. Consider that when the angel addresses the blessed mother at the annunciation, the greeting is almost a name change:


"Hail, thou that art highly favored, the Lord is with thee: blessed art thou among women" (Luke 1:28, KJV).


Mary (Miriam in Hebrew) means "beloved." In biblical times a person's name reflected what they were. Name changes have great theological significance in the Bible and this is almost as if her name is being changed from "beloved" to "thou that art highly favored." Since this is before Jesus has been conceived, to what is the angel referring? No doubt to her singular devotion to God, forsaking all earthly distractions and desecrations, and the fact that she had been conceived without sin in preparation for this event.


Being conceived without sin does not mean that the blessed mother had no need of a redeemer. In fact, like every descendant of Adam, the blessed mother had vital need of a redeemer. The blessed mother's freedom from original sin was an unmerited gift of God in that she was redeemed by Christ at the moment of her conception. It is at the moment of conception that God creates the soul and hers was created in a state of sanctifying grace. If you had the opportunity to create your mother, wouldn't you make her perfect in every way? This is why there are the doctrines of the perpetual virginity and Immaculate Conception of Mary.


Jesus refers to the blessed mother's sinless nature when He addresses her as "woman" in John 2:4 and 19:26. Today, one looks at Him addressing her in this manner and thinks this is disrespectful or that He is admonishing her. In fact, the blessed mother was not the first sinless woman, Adam's wife was also created sinless. When she was first created, Adam named her "woman" (Genesis 2:23). It was after the fall, when she was no longer sinless, that her name was changed to "Eve" (Genesis 3:20). By referring to the blessed mother as "woman," Jesus is recognizing her sinless nature. Like I said earlier, name changes in Holy Scripture are important.


All Christians will agree that there is at least one person who never sinned and that is our Lord and Savior. Being an exception means that there may be other possibilities of exceptions although we can agree that the circumstances of our Savior are unique being fully man and fully God. No other person future or past can make such a claim. As you know the Bible says that the blessed mother is "full" of God's grace at the Annunciation. We believe that God had prepared her for that moment of saying yes to be the God bearer. The womb that bore and nurtured our Lord is the Ark of the New Covenant which is Christ our Lord. God cannot dwell within sin so the blessed mother was saved by God's grace before she was even conceived in the womb immaculately. She was in need of a Savior as we all are and our Lord provided for her salvation and indeed her sanctity even before her conception. Being and remaining full of grace means that the blessed mother of God never sinned but would have been tempted to sin as the new Eve just as the original Eve was tempted. But just as her Son withstood temptation, her grace was so great that she was able to overcome all temptation.


Just for the record, the Bible also says that St. John the Baptist was saved from original sin but he was saved at birth and not conception. The blessed mother was unique in her immaculate conception.


“Why has the Catholic Church turned its back on God to clearly teach the doctrines of Demons?


Not to long ago your Pope declared that everyone who was sincere in their religion, no matter what god they followed, would enter into Heaven.


John 3:16
16 “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life.


John 3:18
18 He who believes in Him is not judged; he who does not believe has been judged already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.”


1 Timothy 2:5-6 (NRSVCE)

5 For there is one God; there is also one mediator between God and humankind, Christ Jesus, himself human, 6     who gave himself a ransom for all —this was attested at the right time.
As you can see Pope Francis was simply repeating what the Bible says. Jesus did die for all men to receive salvation. He opened up the gates of heaven to mankind. All that Jesus asks is that we believe in Him and follow His will in our lives.
Why does your Pope teach everyone can enter into Heaven, even those who refuse to believe that Jesus Christ is God?

He did not, but just taught the efficacy of what Jesus did on the cross in atoning for the sins of man.


Romans 10:9-13
9 if you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved; 10 for with the heart a person believes, resulting in righteousness, and with the mouth he confesses, resulting in salvation. 11 For the Scripture says, “Whoever believes in Him will not be disappointed.” 12 For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek; for the same Lord is Lord of all, abounding in riches for all who call on Him; 13 for “Whoever will call on the name of the Lord will be saved.”


How can a Hindu receive Salvation if he refuses to believe that Jesus Christ is God?


He cannot!


Therefore what your Pope claimed is totally opposite of what the Holy Spirit teaches in the Bible.


No, the Pope has not said what you conclude at all. You are bearing false witness which is a mortal sin.


You need to leave the Catholic Church and return to your first Love with Jesus Christ. How can you enter into Heaven if you are listening to false doctrines?


You should ask yourself this, since it is you that is bearing false witness against another, which is a mortal sin against the Decalogue.


Your Soul is at stake here.


1 Corinthians 5:9-13
9 I wrote you in my letter not to associate with immoral people; 10 I did not at all mean with the immoral people of this world, or with the covetous and swindlers, or with idolaters, for then you would have to go out of the world. 11 But actually, I wrote to you not to associate with any so-called brother if he is an immoral person, or covetous, or an idolater, or a reviler, or a drunkard, or a swindler—not even to eat with such a one.


I would be more worried about your own soul since it is you breaking one of God’s Commandments of bearing false witness against another. Please repent and restore yourself into the familial relationship with Christ that your sinfulness against the Pope has separated you from unless you repent. 1Cor 5:9-13 does not describe any Catholics that I know and certainly not the Pope. I am constantly mindful of my salvation and would never intentionally do as you have done here in bearing false witness.


God has created everything good including all of humanity. But, we are all born with a propensity to sin and the free will to resist that sin or embrace it. St. Paul addressed this in the following:


Romans 3:23 -For all have sinned, and do need the glory of God.


If one uses their free will to sin they are separating themselves further away from an eternity with God. Without repentance that will die in condemnation but if they live a life of repentance they will be saved by God’s grace.


Now, we know that God’s mercy is without limits but He is also just. Acknowledging this teaching we realize that we do not know who will be saved for sin may be private or public, both kinds of sin are known to the sinner and to God and it is by this unrepentant sin that we will be judged. We do know that all are called to salvation but that few respond fully to the call. We know that the path to salvation comes to a narrow gate where many will be unable to enter.


Mat 22:14- For many are called, but few are chosen.


Luk 13:24- Shall seek... Shall desire to be saved; but for want of taking sufficient pains, and being thoroughly in earnest, shall not attain to it.


Here are some of the fallacies of believing that all will be saved or that all good people will be saved, other than the fact that none of us are worthy of salvation on our own. It is natural for people to want to depend on God’s mercy alone for salvation but as I said before God does not provide mercy at the exclusion of justice. There are also those who believe that God will even save those who have no desire to be saved. This is an example of mercy without justice for it would not be just to save someone without a desire to be saved. He does not give mercy to those who do not desire it from Him. He allows us and indeed prompts us to come to Him by preparing us all to surrender to His law written on our hearts. This law is sufficient and without it no one would be convicted to follow Him and desire Him. Our conscience is formed by this law which is intuitive and not learned by hearing His Word or by anything but recognizing His creation which the Bible says is sufficient knowledge to come to faith and desire Him. In this we surrender to Him and become obedient to His will to desire Him. By that and a devotion to repent of our sins is sufficient for salvation. It is the path to the narrow gate that Scriptures teach. It is His grace through the Holy Spirit that we are called and convicted of His will which is contained in His law circumcised upon our hearts. His grace is not forced upon anyone but one must surrender to Him to receive it. It is a free gift that one can refuse and we must recognize that many will refuse His gift and fail to surrender to His law which has the result of one condemning them. So, as much as we desire as Christians that God’s mercy be extended to all people both good and bad, it will only be given to those who surrender to His law and recognizing His sovereignty while living in His will. It is by having a desire for His Grace and repenting when we fail through our sinfulness which results in His mercy.


For those who believe that all good people will be saved we must understand that none of us are good enough. We all sin through thought, word and deed. As a result it is only through Christ’s salvific work that we can be justified by our contrite repentance and be deserving of His mercy. God bless!


In Christ
Fr. Joseph

Continued here:


“You need to compare what the Catholic Church teaches with the Truth in the Bible from the Holy Spirit.”


I have been doing that for more than 50 years and have never found any difference in the teaching confirming what the Bible says which is that the Church is the “pillar and foundation of the truth and not some man-made counterfeit sect of Protestantism.


“If the Catholic Church teaches a different truth than what the Holy Spirit teaches you need to reject what the Catholic Church teaches and accept the Truth from the Holy Spirit.”


Really? Can you not put some specific examples of your scurrilous claim?


“How can you do the Will of the Father if you have no Truth in you? Read Matthew 7:21-23 and see what happens to those who do not do the Will of the Father. The do not enter into Heaven. Is this what you want? Not to be allowed to enter into Heaven?”


Do you really think that the will of the Father is different than the will of Jesus? Jesus prayed that we all be in unity in His Church the Catholic Church. I suppose you believe that it is OK not to do the will of Jesus and still be saved. That is a very odd position for a Christian to take.


“Your very Soul is at stake! Wide and broad is the road to destruction. But narrow and winding is the road to Heaven.”


But it is you taking the wide road by rejecting Christ’s Church and His will for unity. (Joh 17) The narrow way is the Church and not a man-made counterfeit sect to Christ’s own Church.


Galatians 3:11
The righteous man shall live by faith.


Its by Faith we live. Faith that every Word in the Bible IS the Truth from the Holy Spirit!


My faith is in Christ and not in a book that can easily be misinterpreted by the ignorant as you give example. The only authority for teaching given by Jesus was to His Church that the Bible calls the “pillar and foundation of the truth”. Jesus said of His Church that it would never succumb to the “Gates of Hell”. Jesus is not a liar and the Bible is not false teaching as you claim. Why do you ignore all the teaching in the Bible that says that only His Church that does the work of salvation. Only His Church was given the Holy Spirit to keep it from error.  The authority for Christians is Jesus, His Church and the Bible in that order. The Church has no authority apart from Christ and the Bible has no authority apart from the Church.


“Turn away from the lies in the Catholic Church and return to the truth that the Holy Spirit has for you!”


If you ever find a lie in the Catholic Church that you can reasonably support let me know. I have been searching for that lie most of my life and have yet to find it.


This is what Jesus Christ teaches. That we live by Faith!


Yes, and according to the Bible we are to live by that faith in unity in His Church and not one of the tens of thousands of counterfeits made by men who cannot endure the sound doctrines of Christ’s own Church.

Continued here:


“Its a shame on YOU and the Catholic Church that you put the teachings of lying demons above the teachings of the Holy Spirit.”


You are so confused about the teaching of Scriptures and since that is your sole authority you make egregious errors. Obviously you have no teachers that teach sound doctrine.


“ Do you not know that its the Holy Spirit who has the Truth?”


Of course and if you read your Bible it will teach you that the Holy Spirit was given to the Church at Pentecost to protect the Church from doctrinal error. The Church as a result cannot teach error as it has the protection of the Holy Spirit. That is why the Bible says that the Church is the “pillar and foundation of the truth”. It is through this authority that the Church wrote the New Testament and canonized the Christian Bible.


“Do you not know that what the Holy Spirit says is greater in Truth than the corrupted Catholic Church?”


No, according to sacred tradition in the Bible it is the same truth as the Bible calls the Church the “pillar and foundation of the truth”.


“God never put the Catholic Church above the Holy Spirit, it was Satan who has done this.”


There has never been any example of such a practice which is impossible. Jesus gave the Holy Spirit to the Church to guide it to all truth and the Holy Spirit has never failed the Church from this promise.


“You wrote: " The Church has no authority apart from Christ and the Bible has no authority apart from the Church."


You have it backwards. The Bible has authority from God not from the Church. It was God the Holy Spirit who wrote the Bible, not the Catholic Church.


No, It was Catholic Christians that wrote the New Testament and canonized the Christian Bible under the authority of Christ and the inspiration of the Holy Spirit.


“Until you repent and accept Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior you cannot receive the Indwelling of the Holy Spirit.”


You seem to have deluded yourself into thinking that you have the ability or gift to know the hearts of others. You are not God and do not have this ability or gift. (Luk 6:37, Mat 7:1-5)


“Without the Indwelling of the Holy Spirit you cannot understand the thoughts of God. How can you understand what God is saying in the Bible if you do not have the Indwelling of the Holy Spirit?”


Indeed!


“This is why you are so easily lead astray from the Truth in the Bible to accepting the lies of Demons.”


How did you come to this judgement. What are these lies of demons that you speak?
2 Peter 2:1-3 (NKJV)
1 But there were also false prophets among the people, even as there will be false teachers among you, who will secretly bring in destructive heresies, even denying the Lord who bought them, and bring on themselves swift destruction.
2 And many will follow their destructive ways, because of whom the way of truth will be blasphemed.
3 By covetousness they will exploit you with deceptive words; for a long time their judgment has not been idle, and their destruction does not slumber.

“False prophets have entered into the Catholic Church and you are one of them.”


The Church speaks with this one voice of the Holy Spirit. Jesus said to His Church, “He who hears you hears me” (Luk 10:16) So, are you saying that Jesus and the Bible are false teaching and that the promise of Jesus and the Holy Spirit is a false promise?


I am not a prophet but a teacher instead. Jesus left us with an infallible teacher that is the Holy Spirit that speaks through Christ’s own Church and I hear His voice.


Are you saying that God giving the Holy Spirit to the Church is insufficient to lead the Church to truth?


“Repent and accept Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior before its too late and you spend Eternity in the Lake of Fire.”


By God’s grace,I did that in my youth and continue to repent of my sins.


“May God have mercy on you soul for teaching the doctrines of Demons.”


I think that it would be appropriate for you to identify these doctrines of demons that you claim that the Church teaches and be prepared to support your contentions. The truth is that it is impossible for the Church to teach falsely on doctrinal matters. That was the purpose of Jesus giving the Holy Spirit to the Church so that anyone seeking Christ will know where the empirical truth can be found. I do depend on God’s mercy for my sinful soul.

God bless!


In Christ
Fr. Joseph

continued:

“Israel existed as a NATION and a COUNTRY thousands of years ago.”


No, the Nation of Israel was created in 1949.

“The only source for the Truth from God IS the Holy Spirit and the Bible. You and your Cult the Catholic Church has no Truth. Only God has the Truth and i listen to the Holy Spirit and what He says.”

I do not know where you get the idea that the only truth comes from the Holy Spirit and the Bible. It is ironic that you claim this as the Bible disagrees with your claim. The order of authority in the Bible is clearly stated as Jesus. His Church and then the Bible which is written by Catholic Christians and canonized by the Church. The Bible is not for private interpretation but is to be interpreted within the teaching of the Church that produced it under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit. It is the Holy Spirit that the Bible says leads the Church from ALL error and not each individual who twists the Bible to fit their prejudice as you are a perfect example. So according to your statements you do not believe in biblical teaching unless it supports your unreasonable hatred for Christ’s own Church. If you actually listened to the Holy Spirit you would follow Jesus and His Church since His stated will the night before His crucifixion is that we have unity in His Church and not one of the tens of thousands of man-made counterfeits which you follow and are faithful. You show yourself to be an example as one who cannot endure the sound doctrines of Christ’s own Church the Catholic Church.

“The Truth is not in the Catholic Church and I have proved it. The Holy Spirit teaches Mary was a sinner, Romans 3:23 for ALL have sinned.”

The only thing you have proven is your lack of biblical scholarship and your prejudice against the teaching of Jesus and the Bible. Obviously this verse is showing the general state of mankind but certainly there are exceptions as the bible tells us which are Jesus, the blessed mother of God and arguably St. John the Baptist. One example of sinlessness is enough to prove your prejudice false and revel your lack of biblical scholarship and ignorance of Scriptures.

“The Holy Spirit teaches Mary was not Righteous, Romans 3:10-13, none is Righteous, no not one.”

Again this is a general statement of mans general state but again there is at least one exception and more.

“The Catholic Church has no Truth because it teaches lies about Mary.”

Why should I or anyone else believe you since you have been impotent to support even one example of your claim. I know of none of these lies that you claim. An accusation does NOT  equal guilt and it is impossible for one that believes and trusts in Jesus to believe such accusations. He promised that His Church will never fall into apostasy. You claim it has calling Jesus a liar or an incompetent in founding His Church. The Bible is not a false teacher when it calls the Church the “pillar and foundation of the truth”. For one that believes in the heresy of “Sola Scriptura” it is odd that you would proclaim by your statements that the Bible teaches falsely.

“You still do not understand. What God says has more Truth and authority than what the Catholic Church teaches. I read what the Catholic Church says and i compare it to what the Holy Spirit teaches in the Bible.”

If you truly believed what you are stating we would not be having this conversation. The reason we are having this discussion is because you do not accept what Jesus and the Holy Spirit teach in the Bible. Jesus teaches that the order of authority is Himself, His Church and then the Bible understood with the teaching authority given by Jesus to His Church. Again the Bible is not for private private interpretation. That is the primary cause for the tens of thousands of Protestant sects that cannot agree on even the simplest and most apparent teaching of Scripture. They cannot even agree that Jesus is God and the 2nd person in the Trinity of the one God. From your comments to me so far in our discussions you appear to be one of these even though you refuse to give me your affiliation.  Why do you hide this? Are you ashamed of the fact that you are a part of a heretical man-made sect?

If you indeed did as you claim you would find that the teaching of Jesus, the Church and the Bible are in perfect accordance with one another without even a hint of contradiction. That is further evidenced by the fact that you continuously make the claim without being able to support even one of your accusations.

“You cannot win fighting against the Holy Spirit. You may hate what the Holy Spirit says, but you will lose in the end.”

Indeed and neither can you even though you so far are refusing to listen to the Holy Spirit that led you to me for help in overcoming your ignorance and hatred.

“Its not about the Catholic Church and what they say, its ALL about what God says in the Bible. The Bible is from the Holy Spirit and is greater in authority and Truth than the Catholic Church!”

The writers of the New Testament of the Bible were all, without exception, Catholic Christians. The Christian canon of the Bible was decided by the Church under Christ’s teaching authority given to the Church in the late 4th and early 5th centuries after the three African Synods led by St. Augustine when they ratified the decision of the previous Churhc council in Rome. Before this there was no Christian Canon of Scripture and the truth was spread by oral means by the Church of which you have so much hatred. The oral authority of the Church preceded the formation of the Bible for centuries. Jesus gave all teaching authority to his Church and not a book that is the product of the Church. Actually according to Scripture it has no authority outside the charism of Jesus to His Church.

“My only source of Truth is from the Bible! I do not need to listen to anything else other then the Bible from the Holy Spirit! I put God above all, you Catholics put the Catholic Church above all, even above God!”

You are making an empty claim against the Church unless you can support what you claim. Again and accusation does not equal fact. For facts you must have some proof and you have none because there is not any proof of what you claim. I will state the position of the Church and the Bible which is the authority according to Jesus and the Bible is the teaching of Jesus, His Church and lastly the Bible understood in the community of Christ’s Church.

“This is why i say you have not received Salvation because you always interpret the Scriptures with Mary being the main focus. ITS NOT ALL ABOUT MARY!”Its ALL about God and what He has done for us.
It seems Mary IS the main focus in your life. Therefore one has to conclude that Mary is your god.”


You are correct of the fact that I have not yet received salvation as salvation is a lifelong process for those in Christ that is not completed until our death when we are judged by Christ. If the blessed mother had not said yes to the angel of God then she would have been disobedient. Instead she said yes and as a result was an integral part of our salvation The blessed mother of God was and is the first Christian and it is by her example of obedience that we should strive to follow. She should not be vilified like you practice for her obedience to God. Certainly she is not an example that you have followed as you refuse the unity that Christ prayed for before His crucifixion. God is the focus of my faith of which the blessed mother of God is the greatest example of all times to emulate in her devotion and obedience to God.

No, in our discussions this has never occurred even once much less than always. You are the one that is very strangely preoccupied with an unreasonable hatred for Jesus’ mother. You want to marginalize her far below what the Bible teaches out of some kind of perverse prejudice that you cannot explain. In our conversations it is you that has made the blessed mother of God your focus. You are accusing me of your actions and that is ridiculous. I understand perfectly for your statements that you have a hatred for Jesus’ mother for some very odd reason. It seems to be a hatred that can only be demonically inspired. I have one God and that is the Trinity of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. The following statement reveal the truth in what I have said…...

“God the Father is my God. God the Son is my God. God the Holy Spirit is my God. I have no need of your god Mary in my life.

What can Mary do for me that God cannot do? God is Eternal, forever, the most powerful being ever! Mary was a mere human, a sinner, has absolutely no powers of any kind, died and was buried in a grave. So why would i need Mary when i have God!

You can keep Mary as your god and i will follow the one and only True God!

You are so self delusional that its a joke.”

God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit had a need for the blessed mother of God and blessed her beyond any woman. She said yes to God to bear God incarnate Jesus for the world so that we may be saved. That alone is a reason for all true Christians to honor her and use her as their example. Me delusional? Not a chance. God bless!

In Christ
Fr. Joseph