Is the Bible the sole authority on God

      Jesus himself tells us in the Bible that He could not tell his disciples everything right then because they could not bear it.
      John 16:12-14

King James Version (KJV)

 ¹²I have yet many things to say unto you, but ye cannot bear them now.

 ¹³Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak: and he will shew you things to come.

 ¹⁴He shall glorify me: for he shall receive of mine, and shall shew it unto you.
      Jesus Himself started the church and said that the gates of hell will not prevail against it. And 2,000 years later it's still here. The Holy Catholic Church has got to be the true church because She is the only one who truly follows Jesus's Teaching from the Bible. Jesus gave Peter power to bind in heaven or earth.

      Matthew 16:18-19

King James Version (KJV)

 ¹⁸And I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.

 ¹⁹And I will give unto thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.

      Jesus gives His disciples the power to forgive sins, this is after his death and resurrection. The Catholic Church is still doing this today. I feel sorry for those outside the church because Jesus also said those whose sins you donot forgive they are not forgiven. So much for confessing your sins directly to God.

      John 20:21-23

King James Version (KJV)

 ²¹Then said Jesus to them again, Peace be unto you: as my Father hath sent me, even so send I you.
 ²²And when he had said this, he breathed on them, and saith unto them, Receive ye the Holy Ghost:

 ²³Whose soever sins ye remit, they are remitted unto them; and whose soever sins ye retain, they are retained.

      You may complain that I am getting off the subject but what I am doing is showing that it is the Church that is God's representive on earth. Just like for Moses , God's people had to obey him because God spoke through him. The same today, God speaks through the Church. So I must show that the Church is in charge and that not all things are in the Bible. Jesus says that plainly even if some of the leaders are not holy, you are still to obey them.
      Matthew 23:1-3

King James Version (KJV)

 ¹Then spake Jesus to the multitude, and to his disciples,

 ²Saying The scribes and the Pharisees sit in Moses' seat:

 ³All therefore whatsoever they bid you observe, that observe and do; but do not ye after their works: for they say, and do not.

      St. Paul says tells the Thessalonians to stand fast and hold on to the traditions that they were taught written or otherwise. That's why we need the church. Jesus chose his disciples and trained them for 3 years and they still didn't understand very much. They all left Him when He was crucified,Peter denied Him and Judus betrayed Him.. Priest are trained for years and years to assure they will be faithful and teach and perform the mass correctly and still the Church has problems with some priest.. See scripture below.

      2 Thessalonians 2:14-15

King James Version (KJV)

 ¹⁴Whereunto he called you by our gospel, to the obtaining of the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ.
 ¹⁵Therefore, brethren, stand fast, and hold the traditions which ye have been taught, whether by word, or our epistle. ....... You see how it's not just the Bible. Read the next one below.
      2 Thessalonians 3:6

King James Version (KJV)

 ⁶Now we command you, brethren, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that ye withdraw yourselves from every brother that walketh disorderly, and not after the tradition which he received of us.

      People use Mk 7:8 to try to show that the Catholic Church is wrong. But Jesus is talking about the traditions of men not the Church. He even gives examples "as the washing of pots and cups".

                Mark 7:8

King James Version (KJV)

 ⁸For laying aside the commandment of God, ye hold the tradition of men, as the washing of pots and cups: and many other such like things ye do.

      The Catholic Church teaches us to follow all the things that Jesus have commanded, as per Jesus instruction in Matt.28:18-20. Jesus never wrote anything down. He could have left us a book but He didn't. He wanted us to learn how to obey authority also, because that is man's first sin, disobedience.

      Matthew 28:18-20

King James Version (KJV)

 ¹⁸And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth.
 ¹⁹Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost:

 ²⁰Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world. Amen.

      Jesus is still with the Church He established through Peter and the other Apostles. Just as Peter sat in Moses chair the Pope sits in Peter's chair.

      If you believe there is a God then you believe there is a heaven and a hell. It's important that you get it right. Don't trust even your best friend. Compare the teachings of the Catholic Church with the Bible and see if She is not correct. Don't be distracted by the things that are hard to understand like, praying to Mary or the Saints, relics,statues or purgatory. I will address all these in my blog. Remember not all things are clearly seen in the Bible. For an example see scripture below for a hidden sign of purgatory. May God grant you mercy and Love.

     

1 Corinthians 3:11-15

King James Version (KJV)

 ¹¹For other foundation can no man lay than that is laid, which is Jesus Christ.
 ¹²Now if any man build upon this foundation gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, stubble;
 ¹³Every man's work shall be made manifest: for the day shall declare it, because it shall be revealed by fire; and the fire shall try every man's work of what sort it is.

 ¹⁴If any man's work abide which he hath built thereupon, he shall receive a reward.

 ¹⁵If any man's work shall be burned, he shall suffer loss: but he himself shall be saved; yet so as by fire.

      Sounds like purgatory to me!!!!

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Where is purgatory in the Bible

    

1 Corinthians 3:13-15

King James Version (KJV)

 ¹³Every man's work shall be made manifest: for the day shall declare it, because it shall be revealed by fire; and the fire shall try every man's work of what sort it is.
 ¹⁴If any man's work abide which he hath built thereupon, he shall receive a reward.

 ¹⁵If any man's work shall be burned, he shall suffer loss: but he himself shall be saved; yet so as by fire.

        This is exactly what the Catholic Church says. If we have some sins that needs to be atoned for then we go to purgatory (he himself shall be saved; yet so as by fire. )

        Look at verse 14 he shall receive a reward. This is talking about a good man who's work shall be tried by fire.

        Next we have St. Paul talking about people being baptized for the dead. It is clear here that there is nothing wrong with being baptized for the dead. And if all go to heaven and there is no purgatory then why again are they being baptized for the dead? And why is Paul not telling them to stop? 

1 Corinthians 15:29

King James Version (KJV)

 ²⁹Else what shall they do which are baptized for the dead, if the dead rise not at all? why are they then baptized for the dead?

     Next we have St. Jude telling us to have compassion on some and to save others with fear, pulling them out of the fire. He can't be talking about Hell because there is no way out of Hell. But the church teaches us to pray for the dead in purgatory and that is exactly what St. Jude is telling us here.

Jude 1:22-23

King James Version (KJV)

²²And of some have compassion, making a difference:
 ²³And others save with fear, pulling them out of the fire; hating even the garment spotted by the flesh.

      The next thing we have to ask ourselves is did Jesus Lie? If there is no purgatory then how are we going to answer for every word and thought?

Matthew 12:36-37

King James Version (KJV)

 ³⁶But I say unto you, That every idle word that men shall speak, they shall give account thereof in the day of judgment.

 ³⁷For by thy words thou shalt be justified, and by thy words thou shalt be condemned

       Ask any Catholic on the street and he can tell you about purgatory. In the Bible days it was the same thing, that's why there wasn't too much written about it except in passing as St. Paul did in the first scriptures above. The only way the scriptures above makes any sense is if the Catholic Church is Right. ..... Remember the most important thing for all of us to do is Love and forgive each other then God will have mercy on us. May God grant you the grace to Love and forgive as Jesus taught us. Amen

History of the Rosary

         Another website can better give you the History so I will give you the link for this site and then just give you a few personal comments. The site is   http://www.erosary.com/rosary/about/history.htm

 Please go there and read it for yourself. Just click the link and you are there . No need to search .

         The Rosary is one of those things I could not find in the Bible. It was hard for me to accept at first but now I am devoted to it. I think it is one of the most powerfull prayers we can pray. As you will see at the rosary site it started by monks repeating the 150 psalms. The common people could not read or remember all the psalms so eventually they replaced the psalms with the "Our Father" then again latter the " Hail Mary " was added. This is interesting stuff. It shows that it's not a conspiracy from the Holy Catholic Church.

          But before you go let me show you from scripture that it's alright to repeat prayers because Jesus did and the angels in Heaven does to. First Jesus repeats a pray that sounds almost like the "Our Father" He gave us to pray.

Matthew 26:41-44

King James Version (KJV)

 ⁴¹Watch and pray, that ye enter not into temptation: the spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.

 ⁴²He went away again the second time, and prayed, saying, O my Father, if this cup may not pass away from me, except I drink it, thy will be done.

 ⁴³And he came and found them asleep again: for their eyes were heavy.

 ⁴⁴And he left them, and went away again, and prayed the third time, saying the same words.

         Jesus prayed three times saying the same words. That's why we should not listen to people but read and study things for ourselves. God our creator will lead us. All these people critisizing others for nothing. That's why Jesus said do not judge because most of the time you will be wrong. Now lets look and see if it's O.K. to repeat prayers in heaven.

Revelation 4:6-11

King James Version (KJV)

 ⁶And before the throne there was a sea of glass like unto crystal: and in the midst of the throne, and round about the throne, were four beasts full of eyes before and behind.
 ⁷And the first beast was like a lion, and the second beast like a calf, and the third beast had a face as a man, and the fourth beast was like a flying eagle.

 ⁸And the four beasts had each of them six wings about him; and they were full of eyes within: and they rest not day and night, saying, Holy, holy, holy, LORD God Almighty, which was, and is, and is to come.

 ⁹And when those beasts give glory and honour and thanks to him that sat on the throne, who liveth for ever and ever,
 ¹⁰The four and twenty elders fall down before him that sat on the throne, and worship him that liveth for ever and ever, and cast their crowns before the throne, saying,

 ¹¹Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honour and power: for thou hast created all things, and for thy pleasure they are and were created.

        Noticed how they do not rest day and night repeating the same prayers. The " Our Father" and the " Hail Mary" both gives glory to God our creator. The Hail Mary reminds us that God loved us so much that He became a man through the Blessed Virgin Mary. The Our Father reminds us that we are totally dependant on God our Creator. To learn more click on the link for the " Our Father" and " Hail Mary " on my home page.

         Now click the link above and learn for yourself where the rosary come from. I think you will agree with me that Our God gave us this prayer so we could say it any time, any where, whether you rich or poor, educated or not . It is our Love song to our Creator. God Bless you.

The Holy Eccharist is real according to the Bible

  If it would not be real then it could not make you sick and even die if you ate it unworthily. We will read this in the scripture in just a little bit but first Jesus said

John 6:54-58   King James Version (KJV)

 ⁵⁴Whoso eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, hath eternal life; and I will raise him up at the last day.
 ⁵⁵For my flesh is meat indeed, and my blood is drink indeed.

 ⁵⁶He that eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, dwelleth in me, and I in him.

 ⁵⁷As the living Father hath sent me, and I live by the Father: so he that eateth me, even he shall live by me.

 ⁵⁸This is that bread which came down from heaven: not as your fathers did eat manna, and are dead: he that eateth of this bread shall live for ever.

     Noticed the word bread in verse 58. At first Jesus said His body and blood, now He's saying bread. That's because for the Last supper He changed the bread & wine into His body & blood only it still looked like bread and wine. Remember the Word became flesh now Jesus changes bread & wine into his flesh only it keeps the appearance of bread and wine.

     Even in the Bible some people did not believe this. Some ate the Holy Eucharist without repenting and going to confession. St Paul told them that's why some of you are sick and some even die. Why would St. Paul tell them this if it wasn't true. Is the Bible true or not ? Do we believe what Jesus and St. Paul says. Let us look at what St. Paul says.

1 Corinthians 11:23-30

King James Version (KJV)

²³For I have received of the Lord that which also I delivered unto you, that the Lord Jesus the same night in which he was betrayed took bread:

 ²⁴And when he had given thanks, he brake it, and said, Take, eat: this is my body, which is broken for you: this do in remembrance of me.

 ²⁵After the same manner also he took the cup, when he had supped, saying, this cup is the new testament in my blood: this do ye, as oft as ye drink it, in remembrance of me.

 ²⁶For as often as ye eat this bread, and drink this cup, ye do shew the Lord's death till he come.

 ²⁷Wherefore whosoever shall eat this bread, and drink this cup of the Lord, unworthily, shall be guilty of the body and blood of the Lord.

 ²⁸But let a man examine himself, and so let him eat of that bread, and drink of that cup.

 ²⁹For he that eateth and drinketh unworthily, eateth and drinketh damnation to himself, not discerning the Lord's body.

 ³⁰For this cause many are weak and sickly among you, and many sleep.

     St. Paul calls it bread in verse 27 but noticed if you eat & drink unworthily then you are guilty of the body and blood. You see it looks like bread & wine but it is the body & blood of our Lord Jesus. This is some real serious stuff.

     You see how even in the Bible days some people still didn't believe in the real presence of Jesus in the Holy Eucharist . They ate the Holy Eucharist without examining themselves, today we would say without going to confession. They got sick and some even died. Do you think St. Paul believed that Jesus is really present in the Holy Eucharist ? St. Paul took this real serious. Again let us see what else St. Paul says.

1 Corinthians 10:15-17

King James Version (KJV)

 ¹⁵I speak as to wise men; judge ye what I say.

 ¹⁶The cup of blessing which we bless, is it not the communion of the blood of Christ? The bread which we break, is it not the communion of the body of Christ?

 ¹⁷For we being many are one bread, and one body: for we are all partakers of that one bread. 

        We Catholics go to mass, the priest bless the cup and break the bread & we go to communion and recieve ( eat ) the Holy Eucharist . The mass is performed today just as St. Paul explains it in the Bible. It is Jesus who does the miracle at the prayers of the Priest. If this would not be so then how could we fulfill the words of Jesus when H e said: Except ye eat the flesh of the Son of man, and drink his blood, ye have no life in you.

       Next we will read in St. John

John 6:53-66

King James Version (KJV)

 ⁵³Then Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except ye eat the flesh of the Son of man, and drink his blood, ye have no life in you.

 ⁵⁴Whoso eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, hath eternal life; and I will raise him up at the last day.
 ⁵⁵For my flesh is meat indeed, and my blood is drink indeed.
 ⁵⁶He that eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, dwelleth in me, and I in him.
 ⁵⁷As the living Father hath sent me, and I live by the Father: so he that eateth me, even he shall live by me.

 ⁵⁸This is that bread which came down from heaven: not as your fathers did eat manna, and are dead: he that eateth of this bread shall live for ever.

 ⁵⁹These things said he in the synagogue, as he taught in Capernaum.
 ⁶⁰Many therefore of his disciples, when they had heard this, said, This is an hard saying; who can hear it?
 ⁶¹When Jesus knew in himself that his disciples murmured at it, he said unto them, Doth this offend you?
 ⁶²What and if ye shall see the Son of man ascend up where he was before?
 ⁶³It is the spirit that quickeneth; the flesh profiteth nothing: the words that I speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are life.

 ⁶⁴But there are some of you that believe not. For Jesus knew from the beginning who they were that believed not, and who should betray him.

 ⁶⁵And he said, Therefore said I unto you, that no man can come unto me, except it were given unto him of my Father.

 ⁶⁶From that time many of his disciples went back, and walked no more with him. 

         As Jesus says in verse 63  the flesh profiteth nothing   . It is the Spirit of Jesus that will give us eternal life and we recieve His spirit in the Holy Eucharist. That's why He said unless you eat my flesh and drink my blood you have no life in you (the flesh profiteth nothing   ). I came to understand this while I was still out of the Church and I got scared. So I came back to the church as soon as I could so I could have eternal life. Many people did not believe back then either and they left Jesus see verse 66. If Jesus is not Truly alive in the Holy Eucharist then Why did Jesus make all this fuss about eating His flesh and drinking His blood ?

 ⁵⁷As the living Father hath sent me, and I live by the Father: so he that eateth me, even he shall live by me.

       St. Paul believed, the Holy Catholic Church believes, I believe, now What are you going to believe? God gave us a free will , we can believe who and what we want but in the end if we believe wrong we have no one to blame but ourselves. My God grant you the grace to follow Him and do His will. Amen

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Is everything that Jesus told the appostles for us also

      No! No! No! Remember Isaac blessing his sons. The blessings are specific. In the old testament the blessing belonged to those who had hands laid on them and they passed it on. The new testament is no different. Certain people only percieve it to be different because they want to claim to have it for themselves. The forceful preaching of misunderstood scripture have lead many people astray. We are talking about where we will spend eternity and whether or not we are obeying our creator. After you read this article go directly to the Bible and read it again without my comments and try to block out what others told you and see what you understand from these scriptures. Why would God, the creator of all things , want to mislead you. Believe what you read in the Bible. The scriptures below and my comments should make it clear that not everything Jesus told his diciples belongs to us.

      A man in the book of acts thought that the words Jesus said to the Appostles applied to himself also. But the evil spirit jumped on him and chased him out the house naked. Here read the story.

Acts 19:13-17

King James Version (KJV)

 ¹³Then certain of the vagabond Jews, exorcists, took upon them to call over them which had evil spirits the name of the LORD Jesus, saying, We adjure you by Jesus whom Paul preacheth.
 ¹⁴And there were seven sons of one Sceva, a Jew, and chief of the priests, which did so.

 ¹⁵And the evil spirit answered and said, Jesus I know, and Paul I know; but who are ye?

 ¹⁶And the man in whom the evil spirit was leaped on them, and overcame them, and prevailed against them, so that they fled out of that house naked and wounded.

 ¹⁷And this was known to all the Jews and Greeks also dwelling at Ephesus; and fear fell on them all, and the name of the Lord Jesus was magnified.

     The Jews and Greek knew this and fear fell on them.Many people today do not believe this but one day they will and fear will fall on them also.

      If what Jesus told his appostles belongs to all of us then why did the eleven Appostles have to replace Judas? Peter quotes the scripture saying that they need to choose someone to replace Judas.

Acts 1:15-26

King James Version (KJV)

 ¹⁵And in those days Peter stood up in the midst of the disciples, and said, (the number of names together were about an hundred and twenty,)

 ¹⁶Men and brethren, this scripture must needs have been fulfilled, which the Holy Ghost by the mouth of David spake before concerning Judas, which was guide to them that took Jesus.
 ¹⁷For he was numbered with us, and had obtained part of this ministry.

 ¹⁸Now this man purchased a field with the reward of iniquity; and falling headlong, he burst asunder in the midst, and all his bowels gushed out.

 ¹⁹And it was known unto all the dwellers at Jerusalem; insomuch as that field is called in their proper tongue, Aceldama, that is to say, The field of blood.

 ²⁰For it is written in the book of Psalms, Let his habitation be desolate, and let no man dwell therein: and his bishoprick let another take.

 ²¹Wherefore of these men which have companied with us all the time that the Lord Jesus went in and out among us,

 ²²Beginning from the baptism of John, unto that same day that he was taken up from us, must one be ordained to be a witness with us of his resurrection.

 ²³And they appointed two, Joseph called Barsabas, who was surnamed Justus, and Matthias.

 ²⁴And they prayed, and said, Thou, Lord, which knowest the hearts of all men, shew whether of these two thou hast chosen,

 ²⁵That he may take part of this ministry and apostleship, from which Judas by transgression fell, that he might go to his own place.

 ²⁶And they gave forth their lots; and the lot fell upon Matthias; and he was numbered with the eleven apostles.

      Notice the name Bishop. They had to replace him because God was establishing his Church and the office could not remain empty. As this appostle was replaced so all the others . Even today, When one dies he is replaced by another. As the Church grew the Appostles appointed and sent others as Jesus sent them. Read below.

Acts 6:1-8

King James Version (KJV)

Acts 6

 ¹And in those days, when the number of the disciples was multiplied, there arose a murmuring of the Grecians against the Hebrews, because their widows were neglected in the daily ministration.

 ²Then the twelve called the multitude of the disciples unto them, and said, It is not reason that we should leave the word of God, and serve tables.

 ³Wherefore, brethren, look ye out among you seven men of honest report, full of the Holy Ghost and wisdom, whom we may appoint over this business.

 ⁴But we will give ourselves continually to prayer, and to the ministry of the word.
 ⁵And the saying pleased the whole multitude: and they chose Stephen, a man full of faith and of the Holy Ghost, and Philip, and Prochorus, and Nicanor, and Timon, and Parmenas, and Nicolas a proselyte of Antioch:
 ⁶Whom they set before the apostles: and when they had prayed, they laid their hands on them.

 ⁷And the word of God increased; and the number of the disciples multiplied in Jerusalem greatly; and a great company of the priests were obedient to the faith.

 ⁸And Stephen, full of faith and power, did great wonders and miracles among the people.

      Now notice the word priest. They were obedient to the faith ( appostles). The church is now being established and this is how it is to continue. By the Pope and Bishops appointing persons to fill positions and when they had prayed, they laid their hands on them. Only those whom the Church give authority to has the power to fulfill their office.Jesus said as the Father sent me so do I send you. And the appostles did the same.Just think of all the power that Jesus gave his Appostles and Peter.Read below.

Matthew 16:17-19

King James Version (KJV)

 ¹⁷And Jesus answered and said unto him, Blessed art thou, Simon Barjona: for flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee, but my Father which is in heaven.

 ¹⁸And I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.

 ¹⁹And I will give unto thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.

      Are we willing to believe what we read in the Bible or do we interpet, and expain it so the meaning is completely different. Jesus gave the appostles the power to forgive or not forgive sins. Read below.

John 20:22-23

King James Version (KJV)

 ²²And when he had said this, he breathed on them, and saith unto them, Receive ye the Holy Ghost:

 ²³Whose soever sins ye remit, they are remitted unto them; and whose soever sins ye retain, they are retained.

      How much more evidence do we need to prove the Holy Catholic Church right.

      Below is one of the books that brought me back to the Holy Catholic Church.

Where is the " Our Father" in scripture?

The our Father goes like this.......

Our Father, Who art 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.
      It comes from the Bible in the book of Luke

Luke 11:1-4     King James Version (KJV)

     ¹And it came to pass, that, as he was praying in a certain place, when he ceased, one of his disciples said unto him, Lord, teach us to pray, as John also taught his disciples.
 ²And he said unto them, When ye pray, say, Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done, as in heaven, so in earth.

 ³Give us day by day our daily bread.

 ⁴And forgive us our sins; for we also forgive every one that is indebted to us. And lead us not into temptation; but deliver us from evil.

     

       First of all when we repeat the "Our Father" we are quoting scripture. Secondly we are obeying the Lord Jesus's command to say "  Our Father ...". Look at the words in red in verse 2. Now why would we not want to repeat " Our Father who art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name" all day long. And why not keep on and say " Thy Kingdom come, Thy Will be done, On earth as it is in Heaven". I think that would be a good thing to do. And why not continue and say "  Give us this day, our daily bread, And forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us." This too would be a good thing to repeat many times. And why leave out the last part " And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. " You see when the diciples ask Jesus to teach them how to pray He told them Say " Our Father ..." This was so important that they quoted Jesus and recorded it in the Bible.

      Will we repeat the same prayer over and over in heaven? Let us look at what St. John saw in his vision of Heaven in the book of revelation chap. 4:6-8

       ⁶And before the throne there was a sea of glass like unto crystal: and in the midst of the throne, and round about the throne, were four beasts full of eyes before and behind.
 ⁷And the first beast was like a lion, and the second beast like a calf, and the third beast had a face as a man, and the fourth beast was like a flying eagle.

 ⁸And the four beasts had each of them six wings about him; and they were full of eyes within: and they rest not day and night, saying, Holy, holy, holy, LORD God Almighty, which was, and is, and is to come.

      I am not going to say I understand the book of revelation. But it sames clear from this, that some body or some thing be it man or angel will be repeating day and night the same prayer "  Holy, holy, holy, LORD God Almighty, which was, and is, and is to come." This is not much different from " Our Father, Who art in heaven, Hallowed be Thy Name. Thy Kingdom come, Thy Will be done ....... " Both prayers are giving Honor and Glory to God our creator and creator of all things.

      The Lord's prayer ( Our Father) also appears in the book of Matt. Let us take a look at it there.

Matthew 6:7-21

King James Version (KJV)

 ⁷But when ye pray, use not vain repetitions, as the heathen do: for they think that they shall be heard for their much speaking.

 ⁸Be not ye therefore like unto them: for your Father knoweth what things ye have need of, before ye ask him.

 ⁹After this manner therefore pray ye: Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name.
 ¹⁰Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven.
 ¹¹Give us this day our daily bread.
 ¹²And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors.
 ¹³And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil: For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever. Amen.
 ¹⁴For if ye forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you:
 ¹⁵But if ye forgive not men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.
 ¹⁶Moreover when ye fast, be not, as the hypocrites, of a sad countenance: for they disfigure their faces, that they may appear unto men to fast. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward.
 ¹⁷But thou, when thou fastest, anoint thine head, and wash thy face;
 ¹⁸That thou appear not unto men to fast, but unto thy Father which is in secret: and thy Father, which seeth in secret, shall reward thee openly.
 ¹⁹Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal:

 ²⁰But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal:

 ²¹For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.

      The first scripture here is the one people use to condem the Catholics for repeating prayers.

      Jesus says "  ⁹After this manner therefore pray ye:" Here Jesus tells us we can use different words but the same style ....giving glory and honor to God.

       Verse 7 and 8 goes together " ⁸Be not ye therefore like unto them: for your Father knoweth what things ye have need of, before ye ask him."

        Look at the word for in verse 8. Jesus is saying why not to be like them. "  your Father knoweth what things ye have need of, before ye ask him." So is Jesus telling us not to repeat the " Our Father" ? I think not because it gives God glory. I think Jesus wanted to make sure we would not keep saying " Lord give me this and this and this" because "  your Father knoweth what things ye have need of, before ye ask him." But to say a pray that gives God glory and Honor, ask for his will to be done, ask for forgiveness, ask for daily bread and to be delivered from evil is good. Without repeating the " Our Father" word for word it"s hard to remember all the elements that Jesus said goes in a good prayer. I think that's why Luke quoted Jesus as saying Say. Matt. put's it in a way that gives us an option " After this manner therefore pray ye " but let's face the facts. How many different ways can we come up with, to say the same things that the " Our Father" says.

      Besides since when is quoting scripture wrong? Go ahead and quote the scriptures all day long to give God honor and glory.

To learn what the Catholic Church truly teaches get a copy of The Catholic Catechism  second edition. This book gives the official teaching of the Catholic Church.

Where in scripture is the "Hail Mary"?

The Hail Mary comes almost directly from the Bible. I will give you the "Hail Mary" first then point out the specific place in the scriptures below where it comes from.. Luke gave us the whole story. The church gives us a short prayer, easy to remember and say. When we say this prayer it's like telling God our creator " I believe what the Bible says."

     Hail Mary

Hail Mary, full of grace, the LORD is with thee, blessed are you among women and blessed is the fruit of your womb, Jesus, Holy Mary, mother of God, pray for us sinners now and in the hour of our death.

       Now compare the words in red above with the words in red below verse 28. See how they both mean the same thing. Now look at the words that are underlined and compare them to those underlined and highlighted in verse 42. This first part of the "Hail Mary" comes directly from the Bible (a short prayer easy to remember) given to us by the Church so we the people of God could fullfill the prophecy of Mary in verse 48. The word of God is always true. For over 2000 years the people of God has been calling Mary blessed every time they repeat the Hail Mary.

       The second part of the Hail Mary above was given to us by the Church also. Go to verse 35 and compare the highlighted and underlined part in orange. Considering this and Mary's claim that generation after generation will call her blessed, you can easily see that God, the creator of all things, wishes to Honor the woman who agreed to have His Son. So let us all show love and honor for the Mother of God by saying the "Hail Mary" and the Rosary often.

See further notes below these scripture verses

Luke 1:28-50

King James Version (KJV)

 ²⁸And the angel came in unto her, and said, Hail, thou that art highly favoured, the Lord is with thee: blessed art thou among women.

 ²⁹And when she saw him, she was troubled at his saying, and cast in her mind what manner of salutation this should be.
 ³⁰And the angel said unto her, Fear not, Mary: for thou hast found favour with God.
 ³¹And, behold, thou shalt conceive in thy womb, and bring forth a son, and shalt call his name JESUS.
 ³²He shall be great, and shall be called the Son of the Highest: and the Lord God shall give unto him the throne of his father David:
 ³³And he shall reign over the house of Jacob for ever; and of his kingdom there shall be no end.
 ³⁴Then said Mary unto the angel, How shall this be, seeing I know not a man?
 ³⁵And the angel answered and said unto her, The Holy Ghost shall come upon thee, and the power of the Highest shall overshadow thee: therefore also that holy thing which shall be born of thee shall be called the Son of God.
 ³⁶And, behold, thy cousin Elisabeth, she hath also conceived a son in her old age: and this is the sixth month with her, who was called barren.
 ³⁷For with God nothing shall be impossible.
 ³⁸And Mary said, Behold the handmaid of the Lord; be it unto me according to thy word. And the angel departed from her.
 ³⁹And Mary arose in those days, and went into the hill country with haste, into a city of Juda;
 ⁴⁰And entered into the house of Zacharias, and saluted Elisabeth.
 ⁴¹And it came to pass, that, when Elisabeth heard the salutation of Mary, the babe leaped in her womb; and Elisabeth was filled with the Holy Ghost:

 ⁴²And she spake out with a loud voice, and said, Blessed art thou among women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb.

 ⁴³And whence is this to me, that the mother of my Lord should come to me?
 ⁴⁴For, lo, as soon as the voice of thy salutation sounded in mine ears, the babe leaped in my womb for joy.
 ⁴⁵And blessed is she that believed: for there shall be a performance of those things which were told her from the Lord.
 ⁴⁶And Mary said, My soul doth magnify the Lord,
 ⁴⁷And my spirit hath rejoiced in God my Saviour.

 ⁴⁸For he hath regarded the low estate of his handmaiden: for, behold, from henceforth all generations shall call me blessed.

 ⁴⁹For he that is mighty hath done to me great things; and holy is his name.

 ⁵⁰And his mercy is on them that fear him from generation to generation.

     For those who believe only what's in the Bible and not in tradition. Read Rev. chapter 12 and meditate on it. Consider all the reports of the Blessed Virgin Mary appearing all over the world. Is not the scriptures being fullfilled right before our eyes.But just like in Jesus's time, not all will see and believe.
     Jesus said no one comes to the Father except through me and no one can come to me except the Father calls him. Think about this. The question is how do we increase our chances of the Father calling us. Easy ....Love your family and enemies as Jesus commanded. When we learn to obey, God will call.

      No one comes to Jesus unless the Father draws him....

John 6:44

King James Version (KJV)

 ⁴⁴No man can come to me, except the Father which hath sent me draw him: and I will raise him up at the last day.

     No one comes to the Father except through Jesus.

John 14:6

King James Version (KJV)

 ⁶Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.

The Island of the Blessed Virgin Mary in Pierre Part, La. USA

      Most of the people of Pierre Part & Belle River are descendants of Arcadian exiles from Arcadia, Canada. We also have French & Spanish blood from the French and Spanish occupation of the land before the Acadian arrived. Our roots as Catholics run strong and deep. The following information comes from Mr. Wildy Templet's book "Pierre Part - Belle Riviere Down Home". You can view a copy of his book at the local library. I tried to buy a copy but he completely sold out.

      Here I will quote  from the book." After the flood of 1882, when the water subsided and damage to the chapel was asserted, some parishioners observed a small statue of the Blessed Virgin Mary was not damaged. Someone casually remarked that it was a miracle that the statue had not deteriorated while exposed in the flood water.

      Once the flood damage was repaired, the little statue of the Blessed Virgin Mary was placed in the chapel sacristy. The incident and remark was put to rest until ten years latter when, in 1902, Father Pillian came to visit Saint Joseph Church congregation. Again the incident was related to him, he agreed that it was almost like a miracle and the little statue should be taken out of the chapel sacristy and placed where all parishioners could see it and pay it homage. From this incident came the first statue on the island."  end quote.

     In 1909  a new larger statue of the Blessed Virgin Mary arrived. The old smaller statue was buried on the island and the new one placed on the island.

      According to Mr. Templet someone nailed the plaque of a saint on a tree on the island. Date and duration unknown. One can only imagine what it was like back then traveling by boat  and canoe mostly hand powered by oars and paddles. This island must have been a land mark and a place of rest for the people. Then with the plaque of a saint there, also a place of prayer. It must have been through the inspiration of the Holy Spirit that Father Pillian had the statue placed on the island. For the island now stands as a sacred place for the people of Pierre Part and Belle River, La.

      The island was restored in 1976 and again in 2011 which is it's present condition as seen in video above. This brings us to our present day situation. The great flood of 2011.

      We the people were told to expect a major flood. The national guards were called out and every one sand bagged 2', 3', up to four feet high. The water is coming prepare and/or evacuate was the word. The banks, stores, phone company, everyone sandbagged.

      The latest work on the Virgin Island had just been completed, less than two weeks earlier. We now had easy access to the island and a great crises coming. So We, the people got together and prayed the rosary on the island every day at 5:30 pm. The water never came. We believe that the Blessed Virgin Mary interceded for us and God spared us.

      Whether it was a direct miracle or an indirect miracle by God giving the authorities the wisdom on how to avert the problem. It doesn't matter to us. We saw the news and the videos. The water was coming but never arrived. Thanks to the intercession of the Blessed Virgin Mary. Thank you Mother Mary.

      Today we still meet every afternoon to say the rosary on the island, except on Saturday it's at 9:00 am.
     

Relics, bones of Elisha

      Does the Bible have evidence of God intervening though inanimate objects?


        In 2 Kings 13:20,21 we have a group of men who wants to bury a dead man. They enter a cave, lay the body down, and when the body touched the bones of Elisha the man came back to life. They did not pray or even know the bones were there. Read it for yourself below.
        2 Kings 13:20,21 "And Elisha died, and they buried him. and the bands of Moabites invaded the land at the coming in of the year. 21  And it came to pass, as they were burying a man, that, behold, they spied a band of men; and they cast the man into the sepulchre of Elisha: and when the man was let down, and touched the bones of Elisha, he revived, and stood up on his feet."


    .    Read Acts 5:15-16  Here we have people lining up along the road where Peter was going to pass hoping that at least his shadow would pass over them. Kind of sound like what people do today when the Pope goes somewhere. Remember the Pope sits in Peter's chair.

Acts 5:15-16

King James Version (KJV)

 ¹⁵Insomuch that they brought forth the sick into the streets, and laid them on beds and couches, that at the least the shadow of Peter passing by might overshadow some of them.
 ¹⁶There came also a multitude out of the cities round about unto Jerusalem, bringing sick folks, and them which were vexed with unclean spirits: and they were healed every one.

       Looking at a fiery serpent set on a pole can help you survive a poisoness snake bite, at least in the old Testament. God told Moses to make one, set it on a pole and for people to look at it if they were bitten and they would live. Can you believe that?  It's in Numbers 21:8-9

Numbers 21:8-9

King James Version (KJV)

 ⁸And the LORD said unto Moses, Make thee a fiery serpent, and set it upon a pole: and it shall come to pass, that every one that is bitten, when he looketh upon it, shall live.
 ⁹And Moses made a serpent of brass, and put it upon a pole, and it came to pass, that if a serpent had bitten any man, when he beheld the serpent of brass, he lived.

       Back to the New Testament, hankerchiefs or aprons that came from off St. Paul's body was used to cure people and drive out devils. Sounds like Holy Water and pray cloths.

      Acts 19:11-12

King James Version (KJV)

 ¹¹And God wrought special miracles by the hands of Paul:
 ¹²So that from his body were brought unto the sick handkerchiefs or aprons, and the diseases departed from them, and the evil spirits went out of them.

       Do you know the story of Elisha when he sent his servant ahead of him to lay Elisha's staff on a sick child to heal him. But it didn't work this time because the child was dead. But Elisha lay on top of him and he came back to life. Read the story 2 King 4:27-36  Remember Moses also used his staff to do miracles. ( by the way, Bishops also have a staff but I don't know if they can perform miracles with them.)

2 Kings 4:27-36

King James Version (KJV)

 ²⁷And when she came to the man of God to the hill, she caught him by the feet: but Gehazi came near to thrust her away. And the man of God said, Let her alone; for her soul is vexed within her: and the LORD hath hid it from me, and hath not told me.
 ²⁸Then she said, Did I desire a son of my lord? did I not say, Do not deceive me?
 ²⁹Then he said to Gehazi, Gird up thy loins, and take my staff in thine hand, and go thy way: if thou meet any man, salute him not; and if any salute thee, answer him not again: and lay my staff upon the face of the child.
 ³⁰And the mother of the child said, As the LORD liveth, and as thy soul liveth, I will not leave thee. And he arose, and followed her.
 ³¹And Gehazi passed on before them, and laid the staff upon the face of the child; but there was neither voice, nor hearing. Wherefore he went again to meet him, and told him, saying, The child is not awaked.
 ³²And when Elisha was come into the house, behold, the child was dead, and laid upon his bed.
 ³³He went in therefore, and shut the door upon them twain, and prayed unto the LORD.
 ³⁴And he went up, and lay upon the child, and put his mouth upon his mouth, and his eyes upon his eyes, and his hands upon his hands: and stretched himself upon the child; and the flesh of the child waxed warm.
 ³⁵Then he returned, and walked in the house to and fro; and went up, and stretched himself upon him: and the child sneezed seven times, and the child opened his eyes.
 ³⁶And he called Gehazi, and said, Call this Shunammite. So he called her. And when she was come in unto him, he said, Take up thy son.

      How did Jesus heal, just prayer, just laying on of hands, the Bible says "he spat on the ground, and made clay of the spittle, and he anointed the eyes of the blind man with the clay," That's in St. John 9:6 the whole story is verse 1-7.
      

John 9:1-7

King James Version (KJV)

 ¹And as Jesus passed by, he saw a man which was blind from his birth.

 ²And his disciples asked him, saying, Master, who did sin, this man, or his parents, that he was born blind?
 ³Jesus answered, Neither hath this man sinned, nor his parents: but that the works of God should be made manifest in him.
 ⁴I must work the works of him that sent me, while it is day: the night cometh, when no man can work.
 ⁵As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world.
 ⁶When he had thus spoken, he spat on the ground, and made clay of the spittle, and he anointed the eyes of the blind man with the clay,
 ⁷And said unto him, Go, wash in the pool of Siloam, (which is by interpretation, Sent.) He went his way therefore, and washed, and came seeing.

      And they say that the Catholic Church has some strange ways! The God of all creation can and does as He wills. Jesus said this is my body, this is my blood and the Appostles and the Catholic Church believes Him. Jesus also said recieve ye the Holy Spirit I give you power to forgive sins, The Appostles and the Catholic Church believes Him. Do you believe what the Bible says or do you let others explain and interpet it for you?