Non-Catholic Question: Faith Alone and Lukewarm Christians

Most Non-Catholics believe that we are saved by faith alone.  All one has to do is accept the Jesus Christ as your personal Lord and Savior and you are saved.  Some would even go as far as to say that once you do this, you will have an eternal security of salvation.  Heaven is yours.  Doesn't it sound great???

So here is my question (and Catholics please feel free to join in and answer as well):

If all you need is Faith Alone to be saved, why did Jesus condemn the lukewarm Christians in Revelation saying that He will spit them out of his mouth: Rev 3:14-22?

..and how about a follow up..

What constitutes a lukewarm christian?  How much they believe or what they actually do? (Hint:  The answer is in the same bible passages mentioned above)

God bless... 

Happy Anniversary!!!!

Today, is my 9 year wedding anniversary to my lovely wife. Please join me in thanking God for the past 9 years, and also please join me in prayer for His Blessing on the years to come....

God bless...

Do Catholics Re-Sacrifice Christ at the Mass?

Divine Providence.  That is the only way that I can describe something that happened today.  I have been involved in an ongoing conversation with some Non-Catholics regarding the Eucharist.  Just this morning, I responded to someone's concern saying that Catholics believe that we are Re-Sacrificing Christ over and over and over again.  How many Catholics out there have ever had to answer that one?

Well, on my way in to work today, I was listening to the audio of Common Ground.  If you are not familiar with this interview, please take the time to read my original post about it here.  During the interview, the Non-Catholic Pastor Steve Andrews asks Fr. John Riccardo about the accusation made by Non-Catholics that we Re-Sacrifice Christ during the Mass.  What follows is a great explanation of what Catholics truly believe.  I have cropped the MP3 for your listening pleasure.  It is about 6 minutes long, but well worth it, especially if you want to have a correct understanding of what the Catholic Church believes and teaches - regardless if you are Catholic or not.  Enjoy!!!

Is the Mass a Resacrifice of Christ?

God bless...

Fr. John Riccardo - Common Ground Complete Free Audio

Not too long ago, I posted about Fr. John Riccardo and the DVD that he participated in called Common Ground, where he is interviewed by a Protestant Minister on many of the Catholic beliefs.

Recently, I was informed that the complete audio is available at Fr. John Riccardo's site.  While I would still suggest anyone and everyone to purchase / borrow the DVD, if that is not an option, consider listening to Common Ground instead.  Be warned, the subject matter is very interesting and engaging, and if you have any interest, whatsoever, in bringing the Body of Christ back together, you will really enjoy it.

Thanks and God bless...

Introducing the Least of These...

 

...whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me. Matt 25:40

Fr. John Riccardo :- Common Ground

For a while now, I have been mentioning Fr. John Riccardo and some of his sermons. I was first introduced to him by a friend of mine in my RCIA class, through the video Common Ground. In Common Ground, Fr. John Riccardo is questioned by a Non-Catholic Pastor of Kensington Community Church Steve Andrews about different articles of the Catholic Faith. I would highly recommend this DVD to anyone and everyone - Catholic and Non-Catholic alike - who have any interest in dialogue across barrier that separates us.

Believe it or not, I was able to snag a promotion of this video from YouTube. If you can spare 4 minutes, please watch it. The style that Fr. John Riccardo uses to present the mysteries of our faith, is what drew me to him and his podcasts. You should be able to view the video here in the blog, or you can click this link.



God bless....

Discussing Sacraments...

Lately, I have been discussing the Sacraments with my Separated Brothers and Sisters in Christ. I was very surprised to find out that some Reformed theologians actually believe that the Sacraments do, in fact confer grace.

Charles Hodge says:

The first point clearly taught on this subject in the Symbols of the Reformed Church is that the sacraments are real means of grace, that is, means appointed and employed by Christ for conveying the benefits of his redemption to his people. They are not, as Romanists teach, the exclusive channels; but they are channels. A promise is made to those who rightly receive the sacraments that they shall thereby and therein be made partakers of the blessings of which the sacraments are the divinely appointed signs and seals.(Systemmatic Theology Volume 3, The Efficacy of the Sacraments, )

Of course there are obvious differences between the Catholic understanding of Sacraments and the Reformed perspective - however, I was excited to see that a Reformed theologian actually realizing that God is at work through the sacraments.

What timing this discussion was, since I was just listening to a podcast series by Fr. John Riccardo on the subject of Sacraments. I have taken one of those podcasts where he reads an excerpt from one of my favorite theologians, Peter Kreeft book titled Jesus Shock. If you can spare 7 minutes, please listen as Peter Kreeft explains in his own words, the journey of how he viewed the Sacraments as a Protestant and now how he views them as a Catholic.

Peter Kreeft: Excerpt from Jesus Shock - Journey from a Protestant to Catholic Perspective of the Sacraments.

If you click on the link it should automatically start playing. If this does not work, then right click on the link and choose Save As... From there, choose a location. After saving it, just double click it and it should open up.

Thanks and God bless...