Skip to main content

Adrift at sea, contemporary commentary for a politically correct nation

This morning I woke up rather early, and decided to attend a Catholic mass. The word mass can have somewhat of a depressing impression, but what the mass represents is something that can be looked at as significant. When Jesus died on the cross over 2000 years ago, his sacrifice on the cross is what is celebrated in the Catholic mass. It's not that Jesus is dying again in a symbolic way, it's an unbloodied way to memorialize the sacrifice for our sins. Although I attend a nondenominational church, I like the concept of the mass although I am quite aware that there are differences in doctrine in regards to the full atonement of Jesus Christ. The word mass conjures up dark and gloomy clouds for me, why in the world would you want to celebrate the death of Jesus Christ? We do it on good Friday but why do the Catholics do it all year around every day? It's true that Christ resurrection is also very important part in our justification, and even though the Catholic church celebrates Easter why then do they celebrate the death of Christ year round?

I believe the reason why they do it is in anticipation of the second coming of Jesus Christ. Doctrine aside for a moment the Catholic Church believes that Christ atonement on the cross was sufficient to pay the penalty for our sins not only ours but for the whole world. The difference between a nondenominational church and a Catholic church isn't that they disagree on who Jesus is, they disagree on what Jesus has done. Evangelicals believe in something called justified by faith alone, where is Catholics believe that we need to have faith in order to be saved however our faith is strengthened by the sacraments and also the Eucharist in the celebration of the mass. Catholicism has claimed to be the mother church of all churches, but what is missing from the evangelical church is something called tradition. I would call myself an evangelical  however I have a opaque curiosity in regards to learning about the doctrines of the Catholic Church. Growing up in the Catholic Church I was only lightly exposed to their Christian doctrine. I was 21 when I repented of my sins and claim to be a born-again Christian.

The Catholic Church believes in the doctrine of baptismal regeneration which basically means that when an infant or an adult is baptized in the Catholic Church their spirit becomes born again. Although this can be debated it leaves room for a person to enjoy the sacramental life of the Catholic Church. I personally don't believe that the Catholic Church teaches that sacraments save people, I could be wrong about this when considering the sacrament of reconciliation or communion. In the Catholic Church there is something called grave sin. When a person dies in a state of sin whether it's venial or mortal sin, that person's soul is endangered. However Catholics believe that when a person dies in a state of grace there soul will either go to purgatory or directly to heaven relating to the person's holiness while they were on earth. Even as a born-again Christian I believed in the doctrine of purgatory,  however I also believe that all of my sins were forgiven when I excepted Christ as my Lord and Saviour. Sacraments can for a devout Catholic strengthen the resolve to not sin. And I'm absolutely positive that most Catholics will say that salvation is by grace and faith alone, it is hard to insist otherwise because we know that the sacramental life is something that is a deeply personally transforming thing.

This is Mike.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Age of Brokenness.

  We are living in an age of brokenness, no matter what age you are, you probably have been touched with relationships falling apart, which causes more and more people to live in isolation. In this generation there is less of an incentive to heal and reconcile relationships, but that doesn’t excuse the amount of people who are broken. Why people don’t seem to be motivated to heal relationships is because our beliefs about faith and God have changed, really giving us less of an incentive to do what our religion says. If I act from my personal beliefs, but the person that I am responding to has abandoned religious beliefs, than the response to my wanting things to be better can be misinterpreted and rejected then by someone else. Generally when a society has expectations about broken relationships, loneliness and isolation, and the beliefs are generally accepted, society becomes a more compassionate society, because all value the same things. When religious values are undermined and ...
Post a Comment
Read more

The Parable of the Ten Virgins.

 Matthew 25:1-13 I have discovered a remarkable interpretation of this parable that I would like to share with you. The story in the Bible goes like this:    “At that time the kingdom of heaven will be like ten virgins who took their lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom.   2  Five of them were foolish and five were wise.   3  The foolish ones took their lamps but did not take any oil with them.   4  The wise ones, however, took oil in jars along with their lamps.   5  The bridegroom was a long time in coming, and they all became drowsy and fell asleep. 6  “At midnight the cry rang out: ‘Here’s the bridegroom! Come out to meet him!’ 7  “Then all the virgins woke up and trimmed their lamps.   8  The foolish ones said to the wise, ‘Give us some of your oil; our lamps are going out.’ 9  “‘No,’ they replied, ‘there may not be enough for both us and you. Instead, go to those who sell oil and buy som...
Post a Comment
Read more

The Existence of God

  Since the beginning of time, man has learned about the existence of God. It began in the Garden of Eden where Adam and Eve walked and talked with God, however when they sinned, they died spiritually and their closeness with God was severed. In Genesis 4:26 it reads “Seth also had a son, and he named him Enosh. At that time people began to call on the name of the LORD.” Seth was the third son of Adam and Eve, so it’s fair to say that not too long after mankind fell, we also called upon the Lord.   From that time until now, mankind was closer to God then, but it’s a modern shift that the world is in the state it is in now, mainly unbelief, because even 30 years ago from now, mankind was closer to God. It is also true that in ancient Israel’s history, there have been generations that fell away and forgot God, but in the time of the prophets Israel was never left without a word from the Lord. Many generations have come and gone, but there have been remarkable generations all thr...
1 comment
Read more