The Gist of it All!
It is all so very Simply Simple!
Page 2 of 2 pages.



Here is where we left off in the first page:

"...For if this plan or work is of men, it will be overthrown;
but if it is of GOD, you will not be able to overthrow it.
Else perhaps you may find yourselves fighting even against GOD."
Acts 5:38-39




How do we avoid being caught in Acts 5:38-39?
We do so by performing a diligent search for the Church that Jesus Christ founded.
What is that Church?

Holy Scripture taught us that it is His body:
"...and he has put all things under his feet and has made him the head over all things for the church,
which is his body, the fulness of him who fills all in all
."
Ephesians 1:22-23

Holy Scripture gave us the basic instruction as to how to find His true Church, simply by comparing what the
Body of Jesus endured when He walked the earth, and what has happened to His Body, the Church, ever since then.

Jesus Christ was persecuted:

His Body, the Church, has been persecuted since its founding:

They rebelled against His Authority.

They rebel against its Authority. 2Peter 2:10

They said Crucify Him.

Many have tried to destroy it for almost 2000 years. John 19:15

He is called Beelzebub.

Many have claimed that it is run by Satan. Matthew 10:25

Many said He is a false messiah.

Many have claimed that it is a false church. Luke 22:70-71

He called Himself the Son of GOD.

It teaches that it was founded by GOD. Matthew 16:18

He called Himself Truth.

It teaches that it is infallible in faith and morals. 1Timothy 3:15

He called Himself King.

It teaches that it is the only true Church. Matthew 16:18

He could not sin.

It has no spot or wrinkle. Ephesians 5:27

He was not believed by many.

It is not believed by many. Luke 22:67

He was denied by many.

It is denied by many. Luke 22:57-60

Not understanding Him, they walked away.

Not understanding it, they walked away. John 6:66

He had false accusers.

It has false accusers. Mark 14:56-59

He was mocked.

It is mocked. Luke 23:35-37

He was scandalized

It is scandalized. Luke 17:1-2

He was hated without a cause

It is hated without a cause. Psalms 35:19, John 15:18-25

His accuser, Judas, died.

Its accusers die, and His Church buries them, and it lives on.

His enemies would stumble and fall.

Its enemies stumble and fall. John 18:6

We have no king but Caesar.

We have no need of it, as we have the Bible. John 19:15

Can anything good come out of Nazareth?

Can anything good come from Rome? John 1:46

They cried out, "Not this one but Barabbas".

It is also rejected by many in the world. John 15:18-25

He bore His Cross.

It bears a cross also, the cross of persecution. John 19:17

He died on the Cross.

It has thousands of martyrs, many on crosses. John 19:30

Almost 2000 years later, He lives, stronger than ever.

Almost 2000 years later, it lives, stronger than ever.


However, no matter how hard the persecutors try...
His Kingdom will last forever: Isaiah 41:10-11, 54:17, 59:21, Ephesians 3:21.
At this point, can anyone name the Church which Jesus Christ founded? No? Well read on!

One reason that the Church which Jesus Christ founded is hated is because it does not conform to this world.
It is accused of being old fashioned and out of date.
Is Jesus Christ old fashioned and out of date?
No? Then how could His Body be old fashioned and out of date?
I thought GOD never changes.



Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen said it best:

A message from Bishop Fulton J. Sheen...
"If I were not a Catholic, and were looking for the true Church in the world today, I would look for the one Church which did not get along well with the world; in other words, I would look for the Church which the world hates. My reason for doing this would be, that if Christ is in any one of the churches in the world today, He must still be hated as He was when He was on earth in the flesh. If you would find Christ today, then find the Church that does not get along with the world. Look for the Church which is hated by the world, as Christ was hated by the world. Look for the Church which is accused of being behind the times, as Our Lord was accused of being ignorant and of never having learned. Look for the Church which men sneer at as socially inferior, as they sneered at Our Lord because He came from Nazareth. Look for the Church which is accused of having a devil, as Our Lord was accused of being possessed by Beelzebub, the Prince of Devils. Look for the Church which, in seasons of bigotry, men say must be destroyed in the name of GOD as men crucified Christ and thought they had done a service to GOD. Look for the Church which the world rejects because it claims it is infallible, as Pilate rejected Christ because He called Himself The Truth. Look for the Church which is rejected by the world as Our Lord was rejected by men. Look for the Church which amid the confusion of conflicting opinions, its members love as they love Christ, and respect its Voice as the very voice of its Founder, and the suspicion will grow, that if the Church is unpopular with the spirit of the world, then it is unworldly, and if it is unworldly, it is other-worldly. Since it is other-worldly it is infinitely loved and infinitely hated as was Christ Himself. But only that which is Divine can be infinitely hated and infinitely loved. Therefore the Church is Divine."

Msgr. (at the time of writing) Fulton J. Sheen D.D..
Preface to Radio Replies Volume #1, Fr. Leslie Rumble and Fr. Charles Carty, a
Tan Book.




How do we know which Church is His one and only?
We know from the merciless persecution against the Catholic Church, from within and from without, since its inception. These persecutions were foretold by Jesus Christ Himself, in Matthew 5:11-12, Luke 6:26, and in many other verses. These attacks started from the very beginning of its founding by Jesus Christ and started with the Jews. Look what happened to them instead! Jerusalem and the temple were destroyed and every Jewish priest was slain by the Romans in 70 A.D.. Judaism was almost completely destroyed. Then came the Romans who burned Christians at the stake and fed them to the lions. They in turn, and their empire with them, were destroyed in 476 A.D.. Then came the Nestorians, Arians, Vandals, Moslems, Waldenses, Albigensians, Catharists, Protestantism, the French Revolution, Modernism, Nazism, Socialism, Communism, Dissidents, and now Secular Humanism, Fundamentalism, Relativism, Indifferentism, and Hedonism. There are many more heretical groups and 'isms' which are not listed here.


A Quotation from one of the Saints:
"There is not enough time in the day for me to recite even the names
of all the various sects of heretics."
Saint Ambrose of Milan, The Mystery of the Lord's Incarnation, 5,35, 382 A.D.

Those who take pleasure in kicking "The Rock", have never learned that all they will ever accomplish is to hurt their own foot.
They never learned either, that those who are ignorant of history are prone to repeat its errors.
Where are all of these attackers today? Most are gone, some of the others are splintered so badly that they are practically impotent, and some are still with us temporarily. There will always be new ones popping up, like weeds amongst the wheat.
After all, you cannot have a beautiful rose without having its thorns also.

"
...And at harvest time I will say to the reapers: gather up the weeds first and bind them in bundles to burn;
but gather the wheat into My barn
."
Matthew 13:30

A Quotation from one of the Saints:
"It is an unhappy ending for those who attack the Catholic Church."
Saint Robert Bellarmine 1542-1621

A Quotation from one of the Saints:
"This Church is Holy, the One Church, the True Church, the Catholic Church, fighting as she does against all heresies. She can fight, but she cannot be beaten. All heresies are expelled from her, like the useless loppings pruned from a vine. She remains fixed in her root, in her vine, in her love. The gates of hell shall not conquer her."
Saint Augustine of Hippo, Sermon to Catechumens, on the Creed, 6,14, 395 A.D.

After all of this, where is the Catholic Church today?
The Catholic Church is still here, still very much viable, still preaching and teaching the truth of Jesus Christ, as it has been doing for almost 2000 years, and... it is still growing.
GOD has won. Satan has lost.


With all of this against it, how on earth did the Catholic Church ever survive for almost two millennia?
The answer to that one is easy, as Holy Scripture gives us the answers...

"
Fear not, for I am with thee: turn not aside, for I am your GOD. I have strengthened thee,
and have helped thee, and the right hand of My Just One hath upheld thee.
Behold all that fight against thee shall be confounded
(split into 40,000 pieces maybe?) and ashamed,
they shall be as nothing, and the men shall perish that strive against thee
."
Isaias 41:10-11

"
And they shall fight against thee, and shall not prevail,
for I am with thee, said the Lord, to deliver thee
."
Jeremiah 1:19

Did you not know that Jesus Christ is the savior of His Body the Church?
"... just as Christ is head of the Church, being himself savior of the body."
Ephesians 5:23

So...

"If GOD is for us, who is against us?"
Romans 8:31

What force on earth would give you trepidation, if the Lord of Lords,
and the King of Kings is with you?

 


©
Written by Bob Stanley, April 25, 2009
Updated May 4, 2009


Note! When I speak of the Catholic Church in this file, I include all of the rites which have a valid priesthood and all seven sacraments.


"Have I made you my enemy because I told you the truth?"
Galatians 4:16

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