The Eucharist Part 1: Propose these questions to yourself

Is it difficult for you to accept that by a prayer of consecration from a Catholic priest over bread and wine could become the actual body and blood of Jesus primarily because you cannot observe the physical change? Yes___No___

Regarding the Eucharist and transubstantiation, having some biblical fundamentals will lead one toward a manageable understanding on these subjects. By answering these questions below, a barometer of one’s biblical clarity on this subject can help be determined.

1. On a scale of 1-5, how would you rate your knowledge about Melchizedek’s purpose for being in the Bible? 
2. On a scale of 1-5, how would you rate your knowledge about key passages in 1 Corinthians 10 and 11 which deals with communion and the last supper?
3. On a scale of 1-5, how would you rate your knowledge from Hebrews 7-10 regarding the Old Testament sacrifices, the tabernacle, and the priesthood?
4. On a scale of 1-5 how would you rate your knowledge on Jesus' discourse in John 6 regarding this abbreviated passage “...he that eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life...”?
5. On a scale of 1-5, how would you rate your knowledge about the book of Malachi regarding sacrifices?
6. Choice: Regarding John 2, Though impossible, I believe that Jesus changed the water into wine at the wedding feast in Cana for the following reason(s):

• Obey His mother
• Keep the wedding festivities going to honor the bride and groom.
• Give a prophetic glimpse into the changing of wine into Christs blood at The Last Supper. Uniquely, this would be His last miracle culminating His first miracle and both of which relate to the substantial changing of physical elements.
• None of the above  

Here is the most common roadblock to understanding the Catholic view of the Eucharist. “I can not see the elements of bread and wine change nor can I see the results of a physical change.

Here is an antidote for that common roadblock. An observation of your own conversion to Christianity.

1. If you do not believe baptism was a part of bring you to Christ, then pass on this question. If you do believe baptism is/was integral in your conversion, Acts 22:16 shows that baptism washed away your sins. Did you or anyone physically see those sins washed away? Ref. “And now why do you wait? Rise and be baptized, and wash away your sins, calling on his name”.
2. Was it a simple personal prayer of repentance along with a belief in the risen Christ that allowed Jesus to come in your life? Yes___No___
3. When you asked Jesus Christ to come into your life and dwell in you, were you changed? Yes___No___
4. If yes, could anyone tell from your physical presence or an immediate observation that Jesus did come into your life? Yes___No___
5. If no, then if your unseen, internal or invisible person was indeed changed, but not your seen, visible, or external presence changed, then should others believe you were immediately changed? Yes___No___
6. If that unseen physical change definitely occurred in your life without scientific proof, isn’t it plausible for someone to accept and believe that bread and wine is changed to body and blood without a noticeable or scientific physical change? Yes___No___ 

Question: Can you explain how Jesus shedding his blood  two thousand years ago is efficacious for the forgiveness of your sins today?

Question: Have you ever sung a song about the Blood of Jesus? Something like; “Oh, the Blood of Jesus, what can wash away my sin, nothing but the Blood of Jesus”

Without seeing sin washed away, wouldn’t many say that your belief is a baseless, subjective, and lacks all scientific credibility?

Always looking for your comments or questions either here or at stevegleasoncatholic@gmail.com

What is The Seal of Confession and why protect it.

Published about 1151, we find the following declaration of the law as to the seal of confession:  “Let the priest who dares to make known the sins of his penitent be deposed”. It goes on to say that the violator of this law should be made a life-long, ignominious wanderer. Canon 21 of the Fourth Lateran Council of 1215, binding on the whole church states the obligation of secrecy in the following words: “Let the priest absolutely beware that he does not by word or sign or by any manner whatever in any way betray the sinner: but if he should happen to need wiser counsel let him cautiously seek the same without any mention of person. For whoever shall dare to reveal a sin disclosed to him in the tribunal of penance we decree that he shall be not only deposed from the priestly office but that he shall also be sent into the confinement of a monastery to do perpetual penance”. Many priests have in fact have been imprisoned or died in protecting the seal of Confession. 

1. The most famous example is Saint John Nepomuk, confessor to Queen Johanna, wife of Wenceslaus IV of Bohemia, in the late 14th Century. The paranoid king thought his wife was unfaithful to him and demanded that Father John tell him what his wife confessed, and he of course refused. The King escalated the threats of torture and that did not work. Finally, he ordered that Father John be bound, thrown off the Charles Bridge in Prague and be drowned. 

2. Saint Mateo Correa Magallanes was killed in 1927 in Mexico for refusing to tell General Eulogio Ortiz what condemned prisoners had confessed. After he rejected the General’s order to break the seal, Ortiz put a gun to the side of Father Correa’s head. When the priest responded, “You can do that, but a priest has to guard the seal of confession. I am ready to die,” Ortiz ordered that he be brought to the outskirts of Durango and shot. 

3. During the Spanish Civil War, two priests died protecting the seal. Blessed Felipe Císcar Puig heard the confession of a Franciscan friar about to be executed by firing squad in Valencia in 1936. Soldiers demanded he divulge what the friar had told him. Fr. Císcar refused saying, “Do what you want, but I will not reveal the confession. I would die before that.” They were executed together. 

4. In the same year, Blessed Fernando Olmedo Reguera, who was ministering to those imprisoned with him in Madrid, was pressured and tortured into revealing what they had said. He refused and was martyred. 

As these examples show, tyrants, totalitarians, along with contemporary citizens and politicians have a particular hatred for the seal of Confession. Like the ancient Roman emperors used to try and break young Christian virgins by threatening to expose them to brothels if they didn’t cave in, so still today some leaders and governments try to break priests’ fidelity by forcing them to violate this seal. 

Among many reasons, the most practical yet spiritually significant reason this seal be protected: 

The seal dramatically keeps open the door and desire for repentance. The one who has committed the crime, even the worst of all crimes, would most likely be unwilling to seek sacramental forgiveness if they knew their crimes would be logged, revealed, and submitted to the authorities…even if in the name of the what is good for the citizenry. The absolution by the priest may very well lead the penitent to bring forth his crime on his own whereas the sin/crime being kept in secret may likely steadily propel the criminal in to continued and even worse activities.  

St. Peter, Confused or Clothed

Could Jesus, the 2nd person of the Holy Trinity, the Son of God and truly God Himself actually turn over His church to a human being? Could a human actually be trusted with a new society that is designed to change the moral climate of a civilization? The answer is certainly yes and with that person’s name is Peter. His good fortune was that the weight of this responsibility did not have to solely rest upon his shoulders. Jesus told him that the He would be with him till that the Holy Spirit would lead, guide and teach him all things pertaining to this new society called The Church.

It just does not seem reasonable that God would go to the lengths of humiliation, scourging, beating and ultimately death just to say to a fisherman from a small sea town the following definitive statement "...thou art Peter; and upon this rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell will not prevail against it" Mt. 16:18

Is there a biblical premise for this kind of confident impartation of authority, administration, and authenticity from God to man? Yes? See Isaiah 22:18-23 "In that day I will summon my servant, Eliakim son of Hilkiah. I will clothe him with your robe and fasten your sash around him and hand your authority over to him. He will be a father to those who live in Jerusalem and to the people of Judah. I will place on his shoulder the key to the house of David; what he opens no one can shut, and what he shuts no one can open. I will drive him like a peg into a firm place; he will become a seat of honor for the house of his father.  All the glory of his family will hang on him: its offspring and offshoots—all its lesser vessels, from the bowls to all the jars"

The richness of the Old Testament is revealed in the New Testament and often serves as an example as noted in 1 Corinthians 10:6. The person of Peter is spoke of approximately 170 times and the one who stands as having primacy over all the bishops of the church. His authoritative position has remained intact despite and human failings...and there have been and will be many of them.

In recap; Unreasonable? Yes. Truly miraculous; Yes!!! True? Yes!!!

Obligation: Bondage or Blessing?

I have a list of 10 words that every responsible person believes. These words are melded into Catholic doctrine and yet sadly these words cause many non-Catholic Christians to shutter.

These 10 words placed in a non-religious setting are most likely part of your core beliefs or values. Put in a religious setting, it seems to dramatically change the game. We will discuss just one today.

#1 Obligation:

Webster’s Definition:

The action of obligating oneself to a course of action as by a promise or vow. Something such as a formal contract, a promise, or the demands of conscience or custom that obligates one to a course of action something one is bound to do. Example: duty, responsibility countries in which military service is an obligation.

Catholic doctrine:

Because there is a miscalculation of the following verse; “whom the son sets free is free indeed”, many do not like the potential infringement on our time, expectations or person. To do what the church says to do is considered by many as law, bondage or merely futile religious exercises.

Can you imagine being told by the average Pastor of an evangelical church that you are obligated to come to church every Sunday along with 8 unique holy days, confess your sins to the pastor and help support the needy, the poor and the church? That would make a present day Exodus like the people of God coming out of Egypt. Next Sunday's attendance would be hurtin’ for certain.

Questions to consider:

• Do children have expectations (obligations) in a home? If not, those are lousy parents.

• Do employers have expectations (obligations) for employees regarding the job that produces the paycheck? If not, that is a lousy and inefficient company.

• Do husbands and wives have expectations (obligations) of each other to keep the relationship in harmony, just and balanced? If not, that marriage is lousy.

• Do subordinates in the military have expectations (obligations) to their superiors which involve absolute obedience? If not, chaos occurs and lives are lost.

Sometimes we need to just look at the state of natural reason to better see and understand doctrine that has previously produced incorrect and immediate negative reactions.

"My Best Friends Wedding"

Your guardian angel's full and complete existence is to present you to the

"Marriage supper of the Lamb" Revelation 19:7

Angels are mentioned in the Bible 230 times including 130 in the New Testament, described by multiple church fathers, confirmed in church councils, added to the Nicaean Creed and part of the major Vatican councils.

The nature of the angels is pure spirit and therefore do not have bodies. They have a beginning but no end and are classified as persons. There are 3 classifications of persons. Divine Persons which is God the father, God the son and God the Holy Spirit. There are human persons who are male and female. We have angelic persons with nine types of angels, and each of them have an extremely intelligence and free will.

They are the first created of all beings so a very privileged place in the order of creation. They give us a reflection about the nature of God and his majesty, and their intelligence is so high that all information needed is immediately known. They understand everything as it is in the full extent and the angel’s choice of saying yes or no to God is immediate with total understanding and therefore cannot be re-arranged or changed.

When God asked each angel to guard each of our lives, the angels answer of yes was, is and will be permanent. That angel is your best friend. Nobody will stick closer to you with all the guardian angels to constantly bring you to conversion, safety, and salvation.

Four actions at Mass before you even sit

Got a question for you. Let’s just say the name of your church is something like True Church of God in Christ, 2nd Baptist, Holiness Tabernacle, Global Outreach community church or a very contemporary seeker friendly name such as Connect Church which are all actual churches, and you are just getting ready to walk into your church. What is the protocol?

Now let's say it is your Sunday morning church service, what are the expectations from the leadership so that you are prepared to receive? My subject matter today revolves around what occurs at your church just before the church service begins and what happens at a Catholic Mass just before it begins.  

Lets look at four things you will see at a Catholic Mass before you even sit down, that is four actions prior to taking a seat which are all in expectation of mental and spiritual preparation for receiving Christ.

1.  Dip  
2.  Cross
3.  Drop
4.  Kneel
 
Kind of sounds like a fire drill...well, we are looking for the fire of The Holy Spirit.
 
We are going to see that none of those four items (dip, cross, drop and kneel) are in the realm of the social aspect of church life. I would definitely say that most all non-Catholic churches are built around or at least have an unusually high priority on the social side of gathering.
 
I would actually say that most pastors are hoping, planning, and orchestrating the how to’s of a strong inclusive social aspect for those who attend. Why do you think that is? Because the chances are higher you will continue to attend regularly...that is understandable...but is that the goal?
 
“The small group” movement within larger churches has been an attempt since the early 70’s and the idea is to build relationship to build koinonia.
 
This small group movement came to such prominence out of the largest church in the world which is in Seoul Korea...well correction, let me say, the largest church that meets in one place. The Catholic Church is of course the largest church in the world...1.2 billion and growing. So let’s break down those 4 noticeable actions at a Catholic Mass. Dip, Cross, Drop, Kneel

1.   Dip: Dipping your finger into the water of the Baptismal font which is usually positioned just as you walk in the sanctuary. I will unfold that in my next entry.

2.   Cross: With your right hand, making the Sign of the Cross which is from the head to heart and then to both shoulders. I will unfold that in my next entry.

3.   Drop: Dropping to one knee which is called genuflecting. I will unfold that in my next entry.

4.   Kneel: Kneeling down for a short time of prayer as you prepare your heart, your mind, and your will to participate in the sacrifice of the Mass. I will unfold that in my next entry.

All of these are in the realm of honor, in the realm of piety, the realm of preparation, I believe in the realm of being Christ centric….isn’t that what you and I want?