A Journey into this Faith of Ours

This really is a beautiful new journey that I am on, to rediscover the Faith of my childhood. If you love the Scriptures as I do, please come back and visit to see what I have learned, as I will be adding to the site as the Lord leads.

The first revelation is that the Catholic Church is indeed the Church established by Christ - the Church in its fullness - and that the Church has indeed been given "the keys of the kingdom of heaven", as written in Matthew 16:19. To scripturally understand the reality of this divine institution, this fullness of Christ that is found within the Catholic Church, and to discover what these "keys" are, read on. And, come back from time to time to see what more has been added. All that is required is a humble and contrite heart, a willing spirit, an obedient will...and a love for God's people...

The Church
The Pope
The Keys
Key: Infallibility
Key: The Eucharist
Key: Mary
Key: The Rosary
Key: The Apocrypha
Helpful Reading - Book List

The Church

When Jesus came to the region of Caesarea Philippi he asked his disciples, "Who do the people say the Son of Man is?"
They replied, "Some say John the Baptist; others say Elijah; and still others, Jeremiah or one of the prophets."
"But what about you?" he asked. "Who do you say I am?"
Simon Peter answered, "You are the Christ, the Son of the living God."
Jesus replied, "Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah, for this was not revealed to you by man, but by my Father in heaven. 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. 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."
Matthew 16:13-19

Today, there are many who are questioning who Jesus is: Is he human? Is he divine? Is he both?

Heresies come and go - they do not change. And many mainline church denominations are plagued today with erroneous theological thought that is the result of thinking as recent as the Age of Enlightenment, and as early as second-century Docetism and Ebionism. And there is much division, and confusion, in their ranks.

Why is this? And why is it that the Roman Catholic Church has stood firm to this day concerning this question - Who do the people say the Son of Man is? - concerning the identity of Jesus?

Could it be that the Scripture verse mentioned above holds a promise for the foundation of a Church - a Church that will not fall? Could it be that Jesus himself, The Word made flesh, instituted when he spoke, as he spoke long ago in the beginning, Let there be, something that would not fall, as His Word does not fall?

Could this be the Lord's "insurance policy", to establish this Church and this covenant - that the gates of Hades will not overcome it - to ensure that His Church would not fall?

How wise is our God!

The Pope

The office of Pope was also established on that day when Jesus, whose Word does not fall, spoke to Peter.

Let us look more closely at this:

...despite the controversies of Peter's day concerning who Jesus is:

...Peter answered:

Of the Incarnation, St. Ignatius (112 AD) had this to say,

"There is one physician, fleshly and spiritual, begotten and unbegotten, God in man, true life in death, both of Mary and of God. First passible then impassible, Jesus Christ our Lord."

Of the Docetists (hold mouse pointer momentarily over image of Cross) St. Ignatius (112 AD) had this to say,

"Turn a deaf ear therefore when anyone speaks to you apart from Jesus Christ, who was of the family of David, the child of Mary, who was truly born, who ate and drank, who was truly persecuted under Pontius Pilate, was truly crucified and truly died."
Documents of the Christian Church, Henry Bettenson & Chris Maunder, New Edition, Page 38

These revelations did not come to Peter (nor to St. Ignatius) by human effort - in other words, not by the strong belief of Peter, or by the witness of any of his friends. This was God the Father speaking to Peter (and later to Ignatius) by the power of the Holy Spirit. The Father, making a covenant with Peter (and being Faithful to that covenant later through St. Ignatius):

And Jesus affirms this with these words:
"You are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not overcome it."

This was a covenant statement, in the Presence of Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, in the Presence of the Godhead, the Holy Trinity:
The Father reveals who Jesus is,
through the Holy Spirit, for it is the Spirit Who testifies to who Jesus is, (John 16: 8-11)
and Jesus, the Word made flesh, solidifies the reality, Let there be with His Word to Peter:

Jesus not only claims this office of Pope by naming it (Peter), he establishes the Church, and then covenants that the gates of Hades, hell, will not prevail against it.

And, as Jesus is the Word, his Word does not fall. In His great Wisdom and Mercy, God has provided a scriptural covering for His established Church, the Bride of Christ, the Body of Christ: No false teaching will overcome this Church. And the Lord's Word has not fallen to this day.

Thanks be to God!

The Keys

I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven. Matthew 16:19a

We have seen, through the lens of Scripture, the establishment of the Church, with Peter as its head; Jesus now gives His established Church, under the head of Peter, the first Pope, the "keys" of the kingdom.

Keys open doors. Keys ensure the way in. Keys reveal things. Keys are signs of authority.

What exactly are these "keys" that Jesus gives into Peter's hands?

Jesus is not one for smalltalk; everything that he says and does has depth and meaning. The same goes for God's Word, the Holy Bible; everything in Scripture is there for a purpose, and has meaning, meaning that we can plumb for ourselves.

To discover what Jesus meant by the "keys", I asked myself one simple question: If God is indeed establishing the Catholic Church here in this Scripture verse, and if indeed He is naming Peter as its head, What is it that the Roman Catholic Church has, that no other Church has?

And the answers were clear.

These keys are the next area of this Scripture verse that I will explore. It is my hope and prayer that as Catholics we will come to a new appreciation of what we have been given. For God has chosen to reveal these things to the Church that He Himself established, to ensure her place in the world, so that the Gospel may be preached, until His Promised Return.

These keys have been revealed to the Church over the centuries, not to burden us, but to give us hope and a future.

"But what about you?" Jesus asked. "Who do you say I am?"
Simon Peter answered, "You are the Christ, the Son of the living God."
Jesus replied, "Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah, for this was not revealed to you by man, but by my Father in heaven. 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. 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."
Matthew 16:15-19

One verse later, we read:
From that time on Jesus began to explain to his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem and suffer many things at the hands of the elders, chief priests and teachers of the law, and that he must be killed and on the third day be raised to life.
Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him. "Never, Lord!" he said. "This shall never happen to you!"
Jesus turned and said to Peter, "Get behind me, Satan! You are a stumbling block to me; you do not have in mind the things of God, but the things of men."
Matthew 16: 21-23

A clear indication that Peter the man, is quite fallible.

The Infallibility of the office of Pope is one that many people find difficult to understand, and even more difficult to accept. But let this be clear: The doctrine of "Infallibility" states that the Office of Pope is infallible, not the man.

The Scripture base for the doctrine of infallibility is the following:
whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven,
and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven..

It is this verse that gives to the office of Pope the Scriptural base for the doctrine of infallibility.

The Church is not saying that the man is infallible; it is the office that is infallible.

While they were eating, Jesus took bread, gave thanks and broke it, and gave it to his disciples, saying, "Take and eat; this is my body."
Then he took the cup, gave thanks and offered it to them, saying, "Drink from it, all of you. This is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins."
Matthew 26:26-28

While they were eating, Jesus took bread, gave thanks and broke it, and gave it to his disciples, saying, "Take it; this is my body."
Then he took the cup, gave thanks and offered it to them, and they all drank from it.
"This is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many, "he said to them.
Mark 14:22-24

And he took bread, gave thanks and broke it, and gave it to them, saying, "This is my body given for you; do this in remembrance of me."
In the same way, after the supper he took the cup, saying, "This cup is the new covenant in my blood, which is poured out for you."
Luke 22:19-20

The Roman Catholic Church is a Eucharistic Church.

What exactly does this mean? It means that the Church believes that Jesus Christ instituted the Sacrament of the Eucharist at the Last Supper. It means that the Church teaches and believes that this is not simply a re-enactment or a symbol of a past event, as is taught in many churches, but that we truly believe, live, and partake of the Body and Blood of Christ in the Sacrament of the Eucharist.

The reality of the Eucharist is a biblical theme that runs throughout the Hebrew Scriptures, and that continues today. For instance, when Jewish people gather to celebrate the Seder, it is not a Passover of the past that they are celebrating. It is not a symbolic act. The people tell the story of the Exodus as it happens personally, to them.

So too, when we celebrate the Eucharist, we tell the story, not as a thing of the past, not as a re-enactment. We live and benefit from the Eucharist today, in the present. (I will touch later on in the text on this particular understanding: that we benefit from the Eucharist today.)

Next, besides the the fact that the Church's Eucharistic celebration is biblically sound, thematically-speaking, what do the Scriptures say?

Let us now speak Scripturally the Truth about the One Who speaks the Word above, Jesus Christ himself:
In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. Now the earth was formless and empty, darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters.
And God said, "Let there be light, and there was light. God saw that the light was good, and he separated the light from the darkness."
Genesis 1:1-4

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning.
Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. In him was life, and that life was the light of men. The light shines in the darkness, but the darkness has not understood it.
John 1:1-5

And so we see that Jesus is the Word; he was present and active at the beginning of creation. John tells us that through him all things were made, and that without him nothing was made that has been made.

The words of Jesus are not empty.

Isaiah 55:8-11 tells us about the thoughts of God:
"For my thoughts are not your thoughts,
neither are your ways my ways," declares the Lord.
"As the heavens are higher than the earth,
so are my ways higher than your ways
and my thoughts than your thoughts.
As the rain and the snow come down from heaven,
and do not return to it without watering the earth
and making it bud and flourish,
so that it yields seed for the sower and bread for the eater,
so is my word that goes out from my mouth:
It will not return to me empty,
but will accomplish what I desire
and achieve the purpose for which I sent it.

The words of Jesus are not empty. Everything that Jesus says, and does, has deep meaning. He is the Truth, and his words are Truth. To deny the reality of the Eucharist is to deny the words of Scripture, to deny the words of Jesus, the words with which he instituted this celebration.

And while they were eating, Jesus said, "I tell you the truth, one of you will betray me."
Matthew 26:21

While they were reclining at the table eating, Jesus said, "I tell you the truth, one of you will betray me - one who is eating with me."
Mark 14:18

"But the hand of him who is going to betray me is with mine on the table."
Luke 22:21

Paul addresses this issue of unbelief in the reality of the Eucharist in 1Corinthians 11:17-34:
For I received from the Lord what I also passed on to you: The Lord Jesus, on the night he was betrayed, took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and said, "This is my body, which is for you; do this in remembrance of me." In the same way, after supper he took the cup, saying, "This cup is the new covenant in my blood; do this, whenever you drink it, in remembrance of me." v23-25
For whenever you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord's death until he comes. v26
Therefore, whoever eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty of sinning against the body and blood of the Lord. v27
A man ought to examine himself before he eats of the bread and drinks of the cup. For anyone who eats and drinks without recognizing the body of the Lord eats and drinks judgment on himself. That is why many among you are weak and sick, and a number of you have fallen asleep. v28-30

Paul gives warning (v 28-30) to those who eat of the bread and drink of the cup without recognizing the body of the Lord:
weakness and sickness, and falling asleep (dying).

And so the benefit to those of us who eat of the bread and drink of the cup, recognizing the body of the Lord, it is the opposite: strength and health, life. Yes, folks, there is indeed Healing in the Eucharist. (Click on the link to read more)

When they had sung a hymn, they went out to the Mount of Olives.
Matthew 26:30, Mark 14:26

The word Eucharist means: Thanksgiving.

This is how the birth of Jesus Christ came about: His mother Mary was pledged to be married to Joseph, but before they came together, she was found to be with child through the Holy Spirit. Because Joseph her husband was a righteous man and did not want to expose her to public disgrace, he had in mind to divorce her quietly.
But after he had considered this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, "Joseph son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife, because what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins."
All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet: "The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel" - which means, "God with us."
Matthew 1:18-23

In the sixth month, God sent the angel Gabriel to Nazareth, a town in Galilee, to a virgin pledged to be married to a man named Joseph, a descendant of David. The virgin's name was Mary. The angel went to her and said, "Greetings, you who are highly favored! The Lord is with you."
Mary was greatly troubled at his words and wondered what kind of greeting this might be. But the angel said to her, "Do not be afraid, Mary, you have found favor with God. You will be with child and give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David, and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever; his kingdom will never end."
"How will this be," Mary asked the angel, "since I am a virgin?"
The angel answered, "The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the holy one to be born will be called the Son of God. Even Elizabeth your relative is going to have a child in her old age, and she who was said to be barren is in her sixth month. For nothing is impossible with God."
"I am the Lord's servant," Mary answered. "May it be to me as you have said." Then the angel left her.

A that time Mary got ready and hurried to a town in the hill country of Judea, where she entered Zechariah's home and greeted Elizabeth. When Elizabeth heard Mary's greeting, the baby leaped in her womb, and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit. In a loud voice she exclaimed: "Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the child you will bear! But why am I so favored, that the mother of my Lord should come to me? As soon as the sound of your greeting reached my ears, the baby in my womb leaped for joy. blessed is she who has believed that what the Lord has said to her will be accomplished!"

And Mary said:
"My soul glorifies the Lord
and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior,
for he has been mindful of the humble state of his servant.
From now on all generatons will call me blessed,
for the Mighty One has done great things for me -
holy is his name."
Mary stayed with Elizabeth for about three months and then returned home.
Luke 1:26-48, 56

Joseph went there to register with Mary, who was pledged to be married to him and was expecting a child. While they were there, the time came for the baby to be born, and she gave birth to her firstborn, a son. She placed him in cloths and placed him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn.
Luke 2:5-7

On the third day a wedding took place at Cana in Galilee. Jesus' mother was there, and Jesus and his disciples had also been invited to the wedding. When the wine was gone, Jesus' mother said to him, "They have no more wine."

"Dear woman," why do you involve me? Jesus replied. "My time has not yet come."

His mother said to the servants, "Do whatever he tells you."
John 2:1-5

As Mother:

The words of Jesus hold deep meaning for me; I never take them lightly; they have meaning for my life - not just for two thousand years ago - but for now, for me, today.

When Jesus spoke from the Cross concerning his Mother, he was speaking to all of us:

When Jesus saw his mother there, and the disciple whom he loved (me; you) standing nearby, he said to his mother,

Genesis 3:20 tells us:
Adam named his wife Eve, because she would become the mother of all the living.

That was us - the living. Eve was the mother of the living, the fallen mother of fallen humanity. Because, you see, we had died, we had died through sin. And God said: For dust you are and to dust you will return. Genesis 3:19b

When we invite the Lord Jesus, who is filled with the Holy Spirit, into our hearts, as Jesus explained to Nicodemus, we are born again. We once again become the children of the living God.

In reply Jesus declared, "I tell you the truth, no one can see the kingdom of God unless he is born again."
"How can a man be born when he is old?" Nicodemus asked. "Surely he cannot enter a second time into his mother's womb to be born!"
Jesus answered, "I tell you the truth, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless he is born of water and the Spirit (you & me, by inviting Jesus, who is filled with the Holy Spirit, into our lives!) . Flesh gives birth to flesh (the human birth process), but the Spirit gives birth to spirit (the divine "born again" birth process). You should not be surprised at my saying, 'You must be born again.' John 3:3-7

Dear friend in Christ, it's actually quite a logical process!

And here is a simple prayer that you can say:
Father, I come before You in the Name of Jesus.
I ask You to forgive me for all the sins of my life.
I ask You to wash me in the Precious Blood of Jesus.
Lord Jesus, I open the door to my heart.
I invite you to come in and take over my life;
Make me the kind of person you would have me be;
Fill me with your Holy Spirit.
Thank You for your gift of eternal life,
And for your Holy Spirit,
Who has now come to live in me.
I ask this in Your name, Lord Jesus. Amen.

Revelation 12:17 tells us:
Then the dragon was enraged at the woman (Mary) and went off to make war against the rest of her offspring (me; you), - those who obey God's commandments and hold to the testimony of Jesus.

Mary is the Mother of us - the rest of her offspring as mentioned in Revelation 12:17, the Mother of the born again , the Mother of you and me. And if you have prayed the prayer above, you are indeed - born again, and one of her offspring as mentioned above.

According to Revelation 12:17, it is Scruptural to call Mary our Mother.

The angel answered Mary, "The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the holy one to be born will be called the Son of God. Luke 1:35
This is how the birth of Jesus Christ came about: His mother Mary was pledged to be married to Joseph, but before they came together, she was found to be with child through the Holy Spirit. Matthew 1:18

To explain this reality of being born again to the logical mind:

When we invite Jesus into our hearts, we say "Yes" as Mary did - "May it be done to me according to Your Word" - and God the Father sends us His Holy Spirit, and we are conceived anew through the power of the Holy Spirit, born again - the Holy Spirit comes upon us, as He did with Mary - and, as written in Colossians 1:13-14, we are rescued from the dominion of darkness (where we were dead in sin with no hope of eternal life) , and brought (born) into the Kingdom of the Son He loves (now born of the Spirit, "born again" to eternal life), in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.

Mary, through the power of the Holy Spirit, was, and is, the Mother of Jesus the man, as well as of Jesus the Divine Son of God. She is the woman spoken of in Revelation 12:17, and we are her offspring if we are born again as explained to Nicodemus by Jesus. Through the power of the Holy Spirit, we become sons of God, divine heirs to the Kingdom, true brothers and sisters in Christ.
But when the kindness and love of God our Savior appeared, he saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy. He saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit, whom he poured out on us generously through Jesus Christ our Savior, so that, having been justified by his grace, we might become heirs having the hope of eternal life. Titus 3:4-7

When Mary said "Yes", May it be to me as you have said, the Holy Spirit came upon her and conceived in her Jesus, the Son of God. When we say "Yes", I invite you to come into my heart, this same Jesus comes to us and we are "conceived", "born again", by the power of the same Holy Spirit, and so become true siblings, brothers and sisters, by the power of the Holy Spirit of Jesus, the Son of Mary.

As Jesus is the Son of Mary through the power of the Holy Spirit, so too are we her children through the power of the Holy Spirit, as it is this same Jesus, who is her Son, who comes to abide in our hearts and in our lives. So too are we her children, in accordance, and through, the authority of the Scriptures.

Furthermore, the Holy Spirit did not come to Mary and conceive in her the Son of Man, the Son of God, and then leave. Indeed, moved by the Spirit Mary prophesies about herself:
My soul glorifies the Lord and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior,
for he has been mindful of the humble state of his servant.
From now on all generations will call me blessed. Luke 1:47-48

Filled with the Holy Spirit, Mary is still his Mother, as she is ours through that same Spirit that lives in us.

And, as is manifest today within the Catholic Church, she has indeed been called "blessed" by all the generations of this Church. When we prophesy by the power of the Holy Spirit of God, our words do not fall, for they are not our words, but God's. And we must listen to them.

Mary is Intercessor for one simple reason: She knows who to go to.

His mother said to the servants, "Do whatever he tells you." John 2:5

Through the power of the Holy Spirit, we have Eternal Life. As such, Mary was, and is, through the gift of Eternal Life, the Mother of the Son of God, the Divine Jesus, and she still knows who to go to. "Do whatever he tells you."

Jesus has blessed us with a Heavenly Mother:
When Jesus saw his mother there, and the disciple whom he loved (me; you) standing nearby, he said to his mother,

And God's Word tells us:
Honor your Father and Mother, as the Lord your God has commanded you,
so that you may live long and that it may go well with you
in the land the Lord your God is giving you.
Deuteronomy 5:16

As children born of the Spirit, we can go to the Mother of our Saviour (now also our Mother through that same Spirit), for she knows who to go to, as was written:
"Do whatever he tells you."

We in the Catholic Church revere Mary, and call her blessed, and so the Scripture is fulfilled; as it is written, we honor her, who is our heavenly Mother.

Shema Yisrael Adonai Eloheynu Adonai Ached
Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one.
Deuteronomy 6:4

Our Father in heaven,
Hallowed be thy name.
Thy kingdom come.
Thy will be done,
On earth as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread.
And forgive us our trespasses,
As we forgive those who trespass against us.
And lead us not into temptation,
But deliver us from evil. Amen.
Matthew 6:9-13

Repetitive prayer is scriptural, and has been ordained by God. The Shema and the Lord's Prayer are but two examples. Psalm 119 speaks of God's "statutes", His "precepts", His "decrees", His "commands", His "laws", His "Word", His "promises". We are instructed to:

"keep" them, "obey" them, "consider" them, "learn" them, "live" them, "hide them in our hearts", "recount" them, "follow" them, "meditate" on them, "delight" in them, "long" for them, "set our hearts" on them, "hold fast" to them, "run in their path", "trust" in them, "hope" in them, "seek" them, "never forget" them, "ponder" them, "always have regard" for them, "love" them.

All this to say that we must know God's statutes, precepts, decrees, commands, laws, Word, promises.

Take the time to read this Psalm as a prayer. You will see that God's Word holds much promise, both for this life and for the life to come.

The Holy Rosary, like the Shema, like the Lord's Prayer, is quite simply, A PRAYER. Like the Shema, and the Lord's Prayer, The Rosary is taken from Scripture. And those who pray the Rosary accept the Psalmist's admonition to take seriously the Word of God.

We will go through this beautiful prayer of the Roman Catholic Church in an orderly way, and you will discover that it is rooted in Scripture. You will discover that it is a beautiful prayer, not because we use pretty beads, or because the words are nice, or because it is memorized and easy to pray - but because you are praying Scripture.

When we pray The Rosary, we are praying Scripture, we are meditating on Scripture. Therein lies the power. It is the Word of God. Following a review of the individual prayers, you will find a link that will give you a clear outline, so that you too can pray the Rosary, and learn to meditate through Scripture on all that the Lord Jesus has done for us.

Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light for my path. Psalm 119:105

The Our Father:

The Hail Mary:

The Glory Be:

He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit is saying to the churches. Revelation 2:11a

How to pray The Rosary

The Apocrypha

Helpful Reading - Book List

Rome Sweet Home, Our Journey to Catholicism - Scott & Kimberly Hahn
ISBN 0-89870-478-2

Evangelization - A Challenge for the Catholic Church
Mary, Mother of Jesus - Why the Controversy?
The Catholic Disciple
books by Fr. Bob Bedard, The Companions of the Cross

To order copies of these books, please write to:
KOINONIA ENTERPRISES
199 Bayswater Ave., Ottawa (Ontario) Canada    K1Y 2G5
Tel.: (613) 728-3175  Fax: (613) 725-1590
Email: KOINONIA ENTERPRISES

Catechism of the Catholic Church
ISBN 0-385-47967-0
ISBN 0-385-47985-0 (gift edition)

Home

No portion of Life and Doctrine may be reprinted without written approval from the author.
All rights reserved   ©   Penelope Olive 2001