CATHOLICISM

THE MASS:

The center of all Catholic experience. Also called Eucharist.

"The Eucharist is the source and summit of the Christian Life" The other sacraments, and indeed all ecclesiastical ministries, and works of the apostolate, are bound up with the Eucharist and are oriented toward it. For in the Eucharist is contained the whole spiritual good of the church, namely Christ Himself, our Pasch." (Catechism of the Catholic Church, Part2, Article 3, 1324)

Simply put, this statement shows that without the partaking of the Eucharist, according to Catholic theology, a person cannot be saved. We will see that this also pertains to the other sacraments of the Catholic faith, which is in stark contrast to that which Christianity teaches.

Eph 2:8 For by grace you are saved through faith: and that not of yourselves, for it is the gift of God.
9 Not of works, that no man may glory.

The statement "The Eucharist is the source and summit of the Christian Life," by it's very nature denies the finished work of Jesus Christ as being the source and summit of the Christian life.

The doctrine of the Eucharist is that of transubstantiation.

According to Rahner-Vorgrimler's Theological Dictionary, Transubstantiation is defined as this:

"At the consecration in the Mass, the changing of the substance of bread and wine, by the power of God, into the substance of Christ's Body and Blood, which thereby become present while the empirical realities as phenomena of bread and wine remain."

In other words, when the Priest blesses the wafers and the wine, although they still look like wafers and wine, they have actually become the Body and the Blood of our Lord Jesus Christ. This idea comes from the scripture references referring to what is commonly called "The Last Supper", and a "hard statement" that Jesus made to the people in the synagogue at Capernaum:

Joh 6:53 Then Jesus said to them: Amen, amen, I say unto you: except you eat the flesh of the Son of man and drink his blood, you shall not have life in you.
54 He that eateth my flesh and drinketh my blood hath everlasting life: and I will raise him up in the last day.
55 For my flesh is meat indeed: and my blood is drink indeed.
56 He that eateth my flesh and drinketh my blood abideth in me: and I in him.
57As the living Father hath sent me and I live by the Father: so he that eateth me, the same also shall live by me.
58This is the bread that came down from heaven. Not as your fathers did eat manna and are dead. He that eateth this bread shall live for ever.

The religious Pharisees ridiculed Jesus for His sayings.

They were accustomed to the letter of the law, and Jesus came teaching the people about the Spiritual truths of the Law. He taught about the condition of the heart of mankind.

He taught that adultery was more than just a physical act; it was also a heart issue:

Mat 5:27 You have heard that it was said to them of old: Thou shalt not commit adultery.
28 But I say to you, that whosoever shall look on a woman to lust after her, hath already committed adultery with her in his heart.

He taught that having hatred toward someone is equivalent to killing a person:

Mat 5:21 You have heard that it was said to them of old: Thou shalt not kill. And whosoever shall kill, shall be in danger of the judgment.
22 But I say to you, that whosoever is angry with his brother, shall be in danger of the judgment. And whosoever shall say to his brother, Raca, shall be in danger of the council. And whosoever shall say, Thou fool, shall be in danger of hell fire.
23 If therefore thou offer thy gift at the altar, and there thou remember that thy brother hath anything against thee;
24 Leave there thy offering before the altar, and go first to be reconciled to thy brother, and then coming thou shalt offer thy gift.
25 Be at agreement with thy adversary betimes, whilst thou art in the way with him: lest perhaps the adversary deliver thee to the judge, and the judge deliver thee to the officer, and thou be cast into prison.
26 Amen I say to thee, thou shalt not go out from thence till thou repay the last farthing.

He taught that revenge doesn't have a place for a true follower of God. God is looking for a people whose hearts are void of malice toward any. A follower of God should reflect the Nature of God (Matt 5:38-48).

But when Jesus was teaching in the synagogue in Capernaum, and speaking about people eating His Flesh and drinking His Blood, the religious leaders and those that heard Him speak were judging His Words by their fleshly understanding, rather than by the Spirit of God.

Even His disciples, who were learning the Spiritual Truths of God's Law first hand from the One who had originally put those Laws into effect, had a hard time understanding this statement:

Joh 6:59 These things he said, teaching in the synagogue, in Capharnaum.
60Many therefore of his disciples, hearing it, said: This saying is hard; and who can hear it?

Now He really throws everyone for a loop when he declares that He had been in Heaven before His time on earth:

Joh 6:61 But Jesus, knowing in himself that his disciples murmured at this, said to them: Doth this scandalize you?
62 If then you shall see the Son of man ascend up where he was before?

After He breaks the news to those who are present that He had been in Heaven prior to living on the earth, He defines the fact that it is a Spiritual principle that He was speaking about when He was telling them to eat His Body and to drink His Blood. To strive to understand the Word of God only through fleshly logic and reasoning will profit a person nothing:

Joh 6:63 It is the spirit that quickeneth: the flesh profiteth nothing. The words that I have spoken to you are spirit and life.

These past few verses of Jesus were a powerhouse of revelation to those who would receive them. He has declared to the people that He has lived in Heaven before, and NOW, He is saying that He is the Son of God Almighty, and that if people can't receive what He says, then it's because His Father hasn't allowed them to receive it!

Joh 6:64 But there are some of you that believe not. For Jesus knew from the beginning who they were that did not believe and who he was that would betray him.
65 And he said: Therefore did I say to you that no man can come to me, unless it be given him by my Father.
66 After this, many of his disciples went back and walked no more with him.

Looking at it from a very natural stand point, we can understand that if we had been in the disciple's shoes, and were following the teachings of a man who performed many miracles, and then all of a sudden he is telling us that He is God's Son, and that He was in Heaven before, there would be a very good probability that we would forsake that person, as well, especially if we knew Him as the local carpenter's son.

Muslims have that problem with Jesus today. They are offended by the Christian religion and declare that "Allah had no son." Well, that is true. Allah didn't. But the Creator of All, the One True God Almighty DID, and that Son came to earth to redeem mankind from their sins.

Despite the fact that there are a vast number of people who refuse to believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of the Living God, there are many like Peter and the eleven others who embrace His Truth.

Joh 6:67 Then Jesus said to the twelve: Will you also go away?
68 And Simon Peter answered him: Lord, to whom shall we go? Thou hast the words of eternal life.
69 And we have believed and have known that thou art the Christ, the Son of God.

 

Jesus' statement concerning eating His Flesh and drinking His Blood was a Spiritual Truth, and the twelve understood that Truth because of a lesson He had taught them at an earlier time. Jesus had told His disciples another Spiritual Truth concerning eating Meat.

When they were concerned about Him because He had not eaten any meat, Jesus stated that the meat that He ate was to do the Father's Will.

Joh 4:31 In the mean time, the disciples prayed him, saying: Rabbi, eat.
32 But he said to them: I have meat to eat which you know not.
33 The disciples therefore said one to another: Hath any man brought him to eat?
34 Jesus saith to them: My meat is to do the will of him that sent me, that I may perfect his work.

The reason the twelve didn't have a problem with Jesus' dialogue in John chapter 6, is because Jesus had already taught them about Spiritual Meat. They understood that what Jesus was saying is that when we do His Will, we are partaking of His Life - of His flesh and blood.

Through an examination of Catholicism's doctrine of the Eucharist and transubstantiation, we can see that they have the same difficulty the Pharisees had. They don't understand that the essence of what Jesus was saying was NOT that we must literally eat His Flesh and drink His Blood…we need to partake of the Spiritual meat of doing His Will.

In John 4:35-38, Jesus, after He tells the disciples that the meat that He eats is to do the Will of God, then tells them that they are to enter into the labor that He has entered into:

Joh 4:35 Do not you say: There are yet four months, and then the harvest cometh? Behold, I say to you, lift up your eyes, and see the countries. For they are white already to harvest.
36 And he that reapeth receiveth wages and gathereth fruit unto life everlasting: that both he that soweth and he that reapeth may rejoice together.

Just as the Father sent Jesus to do His Will, Jesus sends us to fulfill His Will.

Joh 6:54 He that eateth my flesh and drinketh my blood hath everlasting life: and I will raise him up in the last day.
55 For my flesh is meat indeed: and my blood is drink indeed.
56 He that eateth my flesh and drinketh my blood abideth in me: and I in him.
57 As the living Father hath sent me and I live by the Father: so he that eateth me, the same also shall live by me.
58 This is the bread that came down from heaven. Not as your fathers did eat manna and are dead. He that eateth this bread shall live for ever.

Another Spiritual Truth that Jesus set forth as an example to His disciples, and similar to the illustration of the Bread and Wine is that He is a Vine, and those who follow Him are the Branches.

Joh 15:5 I am the vine: you the branches. He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same beareth much fruit: for without me you can do nothing.
6 If any one abide not in me, he shall be cast forth as a branch and shall wither: and they shall gather him up and cast him into the fire: and he burneth.
7 If you abide in me and my words abide in you, you shall ask whatever you will: and it shall be done unto you.
8 In this is my Father glorified: that you bring forth very much fruit and become my disciples. 9 As the Father hath loved me, I also have loved you. Abide in my love.
10 If you keep my commandments, you shall abide in my love: as I also have kept my Father's commandments and do abide in his love.

Now, it is very important for the reader to notice that we are not LITERAL BRANCHES OF A VINE, NOR IS JESUS A LITERAL VINE. But if we heed the Spiritual Truth of what He says here, we have no problem applying it to our Christian walk. He said that if we abide in Him, or remain in Him, we will bear much fruit. Now, that is not saying that we are going to give birth to apples or oranges…but we have no problem seeing what He means when He says that we will bear much fruit if we abide (remain) in Him.

Just as He said that if we eat of His flesh and drink of His Blood, (do His Will) we will dwell in Him and He in us, so Jesus says that if we remain in Him and He in us, (same word as "dwell" in John 6:56) we will bear much fruit. But if we don't continue to remain in Him, and refuse to do His Will, then we won't bear any fruit, and we will be cast forth as a withered branch (See also Matthew 7:24-27).

Now Jesus, at the Passover, exhorted the disciples to eat the bread and the wine in remembrance of Him (Luke 22:19). As we partake of the bread and the Wine, we are to call to remembrance all that Jesus taught us concerning doing the Will of God. When we take the bread, we are to call to remembrance that which Jesus Christ had declared in John 6:51:

Joh 6:51 I am the living bread which came down from heaven. If any man eat of this bread, he shall live for ever: and the bread that I will give is my flesh, for the life of the world.

In eating the bread, we are giving a testimony that Jesus Christ is the only way to receive Forgiveness of our sins…that He died for us, and that He gave His Life for us, so that we might give our lives for Him, and live to do His Will. This is missed by the average Catholic, who partakes of the Eucharist.

1Co 11:26 For as often as you shall eat this bread and drink the chalice, you shall shew the death of the Lord, until he come.
27 Therefore, whosoever shall eat this bread, or drink the chalice of the Lord unworthily, shall be guilty of the body and of the blood of the Lord.
28 But let a man prove himself: and so let him eat of that bread and drink of the chalice.
29 For he that eateth and drinketh unworthily eateth and drinketh judgment to himself, not discerning the body of the Lord.

In eating the Lord's Supper, we are to remember why He died - to redeem us from the curse of sin. He gave His Life for us so that we could receive eternal Life. If we partake of the Lord's Supper non-chalantly, taking the death of our Lord Jesus Christ lightly, and we profess to be followers of Christ, yet live our lives like the unbelievers, we will incur the judgment of God upon us.

1Co 11:30 Therefore are there many infirm and weak among you: and many sleep.
31 But if we would judge ourselves, we should not be judged.
32 But whilst we are judged, we are chastised by the Lord, that we be not condemned with this world.

In Catholic theology, the doctrine of the Eucharist is that the bread and the wine become the actual body and blood of the Lord Jesus Christ, so that Jesus Christ is sacrificed again for our sin. Section 1364 of the Catechism of the Catholic Church says:

"In the New Testament, the memorial takes on new meaning. When the Church celebrates the Eucharist, she commemorates Christ's Passover, and it is made present: "the sacrifice Christ offered once for all on the cross remains ever present." As often as the sacrifice of the Cross by which Christ our Pasch has been sacrificed is celebrated on the altar, the work of our redemption is carried out."
1365: Because it is the memorial of Christ's Passover, the Eucharist is also a sacrifice. The sacrificial character of the Eucharist is manifested in the very words of institution: "This is my body which is given for you" and "This cup which is poured out for you is the New Covenant in my blood." In the Eucharist Christ gives us the very body which he gave up for us on the cross, the very blood which he "poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins."

The problem with this man-made doctrine which was formulated and authorized in the Council of Trent in 1562, is that the Bible clearly states that the work that Jesus Christ did on the cross was sufficient for all time, whereas we have seen that the Catechism says that "as often as the sacrifice of the Cross by which Christ our Pasch has been sacrificed is celebrated on the altar, the work of our redemption is carried out."

Jesus Christ doesn't have to offer Himself up on a daily basis for us. So says the Word of God:

Heb 7:26 For it was fitting that we should have such a high priest, holy, innocent, undefiled, separated from sinners, and made higher than the heavens:
27 Who needeth not daily (as the other priests) to offer sacrifices, first for his own sins, and then for the people's: for this he did once, in offering himself.

The redemptive Work of Christ was finished by His death on the Cross. He doesn't have to die again and again for our sins. Speaking of Jesus, the author of Hebrews writes:

Heb 10:12 But this man, offering one sacrifice for sins, for ever sitteth on the right hand of God, 13 From henceforth expecting until his enemies be made his footstool.
14 For by one oblation he hath perfected for ever them that are sanctified.

To embrace a doctrine that says that Jesus' sacrifice is repeated every time the Eucharist is celebrated is to deny the finished Work of Jesus Christ, and to declare that what a group of men agreed on at the council of Trent supercedes the Word of God.

The Bible warns that if any man adds to, or takes away from the Word of God, they shall be cursed ( Deu 4:2, Deu 12:32, Pro 30:5-6, Rev 22:18, 19).

Regardless of what the Catholic Catechism or the Council of Trent says, the fact is that Biblical doctrine teaches us that Jesus' one time sacrifice through His obedience to the Will of His Father was sufficient for the Grace of God to act on our behalf when we accept that Finished Work for ourselves.

Heb 10:10 In the which will, we are sanctified by the oblation of the body of Jesus Christ once.
11 And every priest indeed standeth daily ministering and often offering the same sacrifices which can never take away sins.
12 But this man, offering one sacrifice for sins, for ever sitteth on the right hand of God,
13 From henceforth expecting until his enemies be made his footstool.
14 For by one oblation he hath perfected for ever them that are sanctified.
15 And the Holy Ghost also doth testify this to us. For after that he said:
16 And this is the testament which I will make unto them after those days, saith the Lord. I will give my laws in their hearts and on their minds will I write them:
17 And their sins and iniquities I will remember no more.
18 Now, where there is a remission of these, there is no more an oblation for sin.

As I have mentioned already, the doctrine of the transubstantiate Presence of Christ in the Eucharist was formally accepted by the Roman Catholic Church at the Council of Trent in 1551. In effect, this doctrine has nullified the finished Work of Jesus Christ in the minds of those Catholics who embrace its teaching, and causes the Catholic to adhere to a "Works=Righteousness" oriented religion, relying on their faithfulness to partake regularly of the Mass to get them to heaven.

Jesus addressed this same religious mindset of embracing the traditions of men:

Mar 7:5 And the Pharisees and scribes asked him: Why do not thy disciples walk according to the tradition of the ancients, but they eat bread with common hands?
6 But he answering, said to them: Well did Isaias prophesy of you hypocrites, as it is written: This people honoureth me with their lips, but their heart is far from me.
7 And in vain do they worship me, teaching doctrines and precepts of men.
8 For leaving the commandment of God, you hold the tradition of men, the washing of pots and of cups: and many other things you do like to these.
9 And he said to them: Well do you make void the commandment of God, that you may keep your own tradition.
10 For Moses said: Honour thy father and thy mother. And He that shall curse father or mother, dying let him die.
11 But you say: If a man shall say to his father or mother, Corban (which is a gift) whatsoever is from me shall profit thee.
12 And further you suffer him not to do any thing for his father or mother,
13 Making void the word of God by your own tradition, which you have given forth. And many other such like things you do.

Catholicism is a religion that professes to worship Jesus Christ and all that He taught, but in truth, it is a religion made up of a myriad of man-made traditions and philosophical musings. The Apostle Paul warned against this very thing:

Col 2:8 Beware lest any man cheat you by philosophy and vain deceit: according to the tradition of men according to the elements of the world and not according to Christ.

TRANSUBSTANTIATION ISN'T THE ONLY ERROR TAUGHT IN THE MASS.

According to article 1371, of the Catechism of the Catholic Church:

"The Eucharistic sacrifice is also offered for the faithful departed who have died in Christ but are not yet wholly purified, so that they may be able to enter into the light and peace of Christ."

The reference here is to the Catholic doctrine of Purgatory, a place where, according to Catholic theology, people who die in Christ go to be purified from their sins for a period of time until they can be found worthy to enter into Heaven.

It is interesting that this doctrine of Purgatory also was defined by the Council of Trent (see Article 1031). This same section then quotes two people, one of whom is St. Cyril of Jerusalem. He said:

"Then, we pray [in the anaphora] for the holy fathers and bishops who have fallen asleep, and in general for all who have fallen asleep before us, in the belief that it is a great benefit to the souls on whose behalf the supplication is offered, while the holy and tremendous Victim is present…by offering to God our supplications for those who have fallen asleep, if they have sinned, we…offer Christ sacrificed for the sins of all, and so render favorable, for them and for us, the God who loves man."

The anaphora is the liturgy of the mass, consisting of the exhortation, Eucharistic thanksgiving, consecration, anamnesis, epiclesis, the diptychs, and the conclusion.

According to Catholic teaching, "From the beginning the church has honored the memory of the dead, and offered prayers in suffrage for them, above all the Eucharistic sacrifice, so that, thus purified, they may attain the beatific vision of God. The Church also commends almsgiving, indulgences, and works of penance undertaken on behalf of the dead." (Article 1032)

To put it simply, if you give enough money on behalf of a departed loved one, you may buy their way into Heaven. Or your good deeds may count for their bail. So no longer do we see that Jesus Christ's sacrifice on the cross was sufficient for purging us from our sins, but according to Catholic theology, the Perfect Lamb of God needs help from imperfect sinful men to get a person to heaven!

The Catholic doctrine of purgatory rests solely on the verse found in 2 Maccabees 12:42-45, in which Judas Maccabee gathered the Jewish host that was with him to pray for those who had died in battle. One must consider a number of factors that must be taken into account here.

First, 2 Maccabees is a Deutero-canonical Book. This means that it's origin and authenticity are questionable, since it cannot be proved to have formed part of the Jewish canon, though there is no doubt that those books labeled as deutero-canonical were highly regarded. But even in Catholicism, the deutero-canonical books do not bear the same authority and credibility as those that are considered to be Canon.

Secondly, the Word of God declares very explicitly that it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment (Heb 9:27). Nowhere in New Testament scripture do we learn that we are to pray for the dead, or to give offerings in the event that we may buy someone out of purgatory.

Thirdly: The doctrine of Purgatory teaches of a purging that is done in the Christian after he or she dies, as they spend their time in a holding place before the day of Judgment. But the Bible says that Jesus' finished work on the cross has purged us from our sins. Heb 1:3 tells us this:

Heb 1:3 Who being the brightness of his glory and the figure of his substance and upholding all things by the word of his power, making purgation of sins, sitteth on the right hand of the majesty on high:

We have seen on two accounts how the doctrine of the Mass takes away from the finished work of Jesus Christ, and teaches those who have been caught in the Catholic Tradition that what Jesus Christ did for us was not enough. That is a Blasphemous doctrine that needs to be repented of.

The Catholic must be made to understand that It is only through the shed blood of Jesus Christ that we can have Grace to enter into His Presence, not only once we die, but now, as we become partakers of the Holy Spirit through His Finished Work.

 

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