Learning About and Sharing Jesus Without a Bible

If you were a Christian in the third century, long before the printed Bible was widely available, how would you learn about Jesus if you didn't have a Bible? Once you learned about Jesus, how would you share your knowledge of Jesus with others if you didn't have a Bible to quote from?

The Catholic Bible Has More Books Than the Protestant Bible

Did you realize that the bible that Catholics use has more books in it than the bible that Protestants use? The Protestant reformers threw out several books that had always been held as inspired by the Catholic Church.

Here is a video that explains how this came to be:



If you are unable to view the video, click here.

Becoming Catholic - Kirsten's Story

I met a person on Twitter who wrote a series of posts on her blog that tell the story of how she became a Catholic. She is an excellent writer, and her story is both inspiring and informative. It is a must read for both Catholics, and those interested in the Catholic faith.

Thank you, @Kirsten116, for sharing your journey of faith. I am honored to share your story here.



Becoming Catholic, Part 1

Becoming Catholic, Part 2

Becoming Catholic, Part 3

Becoming Catholic, Part 4

They Have Ears, But They Do Not Hear

The Gospel reading from today's Catholic Mass reminded me, in a way, of some of the people I've met on Twitter that support abortion rights (Pro-Choice). In the reading, Jesus tells a parable about the lives of a rich man, and a poor man named Lazarus. The rich man lives a life of wealth, and Lazarus lives a life of poverty. After they die, the rich man finds himself in hell, and Lazarus finds himself in eternal happiness with God in heaven. The end of the story is what reminds me of many of the pro-choice people I've encountered. The rich man calls out to God and asks him to send Lazarus to his brothers' house and warn them so they don't suffer the same fate as he did when they die. God responds by telling him that his brothers can listen to Moses and the prophets. The rich man basically tells God that his brothers won't listen to Moses or the prophets, but if God would send someone from the dead, the brothers would listen to him. Here's the kicker: God says to the rich man, "If they will not listen either to Moses or to the prophets, they will not be convinced even if someone should rise from the dead."

This reading reminds me of my discussions with many pro-choice people because the stark truth about abortion can be presented to them, and it's as if they didn't hear a word that you said. For example, it is extremely obvious to me and others who oppose abortion that a human being exists from the moment of conception, but pro-choice people refuse to see this simple reality. How can they not see something so obvious? It's as if they have ears but do not hear.

Here is today's scripture reading from Luke 16:19-31:

Jesus said to the Pharisees, ‘There was a rich man who used to dress in purple and fine linen and feast magnificently every day. And at his gate there lay a poor man called Lazarus, covered with sores, who longed to fill himself with the scraps that fell from the rich man’s table. Dogs even came and licked his sores. Now the poor man died and was carried away by the angels to the bosom of Abraham. The rich man also died and was buried. ‘In his torment in Hades he looked up and saw Abraham a long way off with Lazarus in his bosom. So he cried out, “Father Abraham, pity me and send Lazarus to dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue, for I am in agony in these flames.” “My son,” Abraham replied “remember that during your life good things came your way, just as bad things came the way of Lazarus. Now he is being comforted here while you are in agony. But that is not all: between us and you a great gulf has been fixed, to stop anyone, if he wanted to, crossing from our side to yours, and to stop any crossing from your side to ours.” ‘The rich man replied, “Father, I beg you then to send Lazarus to my father’s house, since I have five brothers, to give them warning so that they do not come to this place of torment too.” “They have Moses and the prophets,” said Abraham “let them listen to them..” “Ah no, father Abraham,” said the rich man “but if someone comes to them from the dead, they will repent.” Then Abraham said to him, “If they will not listen either to Moses or to the prophets, they will not be convinced even if someone should rise from the dead.”’

Music Video: Breathe, by John Tesh

The song entitled "Breathe" is one of my favorite worship songs. One of my favorite versions of the song was sung by John Tesh, who used to co-host the Entertainment Tonight show. Here is a recording of John singing Breathe at Red Rocks. I hope the video brings you closer to Jesus, and to those in the world around you. Peace be with you.

Fernando Ortega - Give Me Jesus

This is a beautiful musical tribute to Billy Graham's wife Ruth by singer and song writer Fernando Ortega. The song is called "Give Me Jesus". I hope it touches your heart.

The Mother of All Christian Churches

Many people don't know this, but for the first 5 centuries after Christ, there was only one Christian Church. In approximately the 2nd or 3rd century, that church became known as the Catholic Church. The term "Catholic" is not a label, like "Methodist", "Lutheran", or "Baptist". The term "Catholic" refers to what the church is, which is "universal". For more information regarding the name "Catholic", please click here.

I found an interesting diagram on Wikipedia that graphically illustrates when the various branches of Christianity began. To view the chart and accompanying article, click here. It is interesting to note that before the Assyrian Church broke off and became a separate branch of Christianity in the year 431, the church prior to that point was referred to as "Early Christianity". In reality, the church that existed from the time of Christ was the Catholic Church. As was mentioned above, the term "Catholic" began to be applied to the church in the 2nd or 3rd century, but the church existed before that. The Assyrian Church broke away from the Catholic Church, not some generic Christian community. Further proof that the Catholic Church was founded by Jesus himself, and was the first Christian church, can be seen in the list of Catholic Church leaders (popes), which began with the apostle Peter and continued in unbroken succession to the current pope, Pope Benedict XVII. For a complete list of popes, please click here.

This post provides just some of the reasons why I am a Catholic. If you are a non-Catholic Christian, why do you belong to the particular Church you belong to? If you consider yourself "non-denominational", why? Please provide any comments you might have in the comment box below. God's peace be with you!

Paul's Profession of Faith

I believe that God exists, and that God created the universe. The universe could not create itself. Even if the beginning of the universe started with a big bang, something made the big bang go boom. Further evidence of the existence of God is the complexity and intelligence of creation. 

I believe that God became a man like us in the person of Jesus Christ. During his life, Jesus set the example of how we should live our lives. In sacrificing himself on the cross, he redeemed us, making it possible for us to enter heaven when we die.

While Jesus was on Earth, he established a church to carry on his ministry after his death. The church is the body of believers that would later be known as the Catholic (meaning "universal") church. He appointed the apostle Peter the first head (pope) of the church. The apostles became the first "priests" of the church. Jesus said that the Holy Spirit would guide the church to the truth, and promised that the church would always be true. Jesus also gave the apostles the ability to forgive men's sins. This ability has been passed down from the apostles to what is now known as the priesthood of the church.

During and after the life of Jesus, men wrote books and letters about Jesus. These books and letters, along with the hebrew scriptures (old testament), were eventually compiled into what is now known as the bible. It was the Catholic Church that decided which books and letters should be included in the bible.

By dying on the cross, Jesus opened the gates of heaven for us. I believe that if I follow Jesus to the best of my ability, I will be saved. The way I follow Jesus is by obeying his teachings, which are passed down to me through Sacred Scripture and Sacred Tradition by the Catholic Church.

Even though I have accepted Jesus as my Lord and savior and have been redeemed by his sacrifice on the cross, I believe my salvation is not guaranteed. My salvation depends on the state of my soul when I die. Because of the free will God gave me, I can turn away from him at any time and lose my salvation. I can lose my salvation by committing a serious sin, also known as a mortal sin, and not repent of it before I die. I cannot lose my salvation by committing minor sins, also known as venial sins. When I do sin, and am truly sorry for having committed them, I can receive forgiveness through the Sacrament of Reconciliation.

I am a Catholic because I want to belong to the church that Jesus himself founded. I know that Jesus founded the Catholic Church because the leadership of the church can be traced from the present pope all the way back to the apostle Peter. No other church has a leadership that dates back to Christ. I could not belong to a Christian church that wasn't founded by Christ.

This is what I believe. I am not telling you what you should believe, or trying to force you to believe anything. If you disagree with or don't understand anything I've said in this post, please leave a comment in the box below, and I'll get back to you as soon as I can.

For more information about the Catholic faith, please check out the Catholic web site links on the right-hand side of my blog.

Peace of Christ be with your spirit!

The Humanity of the Unborn

The following scripture passage is the gospel reading from the Catholic Mass for Sunday, December 20, 2009. I particularly like this scripture because it clearly shows the humanity of unborn children. It also causes me to contemplate how pro-life Mary was. May you be filled with a profound love for the unborn and all life this Christmas season.

"Mary set out and went as quickly as she could to a town in the hill country of Judah. She went into Zechariah’s house and greeted Elizabeth. Now as soon as Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, the child leapt in her womb and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit. She gave a loud cry and said, ‘Of all women you are the most blessed, and blessed is the fruit of your womb. Why should I be honoured with a visit from the mother of my Lord? For the moment your greeting reached my ears, the child in my womb leapt for joy. Yes, blessed is she who believed that the promise made her by the Lord would be fulfilled.’"

Luke 1:39-44

Beautiful Holiday Song Featuring Yo Yo Ma and Chris Botti

A beautiful song from Yo Yo Ma's latest holiday album called "Songs of Joy and Peace":



If you have difficulty viewing the video, click here.

Peace and blessings to you and your family this holiday season!

My Favorite Christmas Carol - Star Carol

This is a YouTube video of one of my most favorite Christmas carols of all time, Star Carol. What makes this particular version of Star Carol so incredibly special to me is that it is the very same recording I listened to on my parent's record player (remember those?) when I was a child. This recording was done by an artist named Anna Maria Alberghetti on a Goodyear Christmas album. In this recording you can hear the same pops and clicks that I remember hearing when I used to listen to LP records. The noise is caused by the diamond needle coming in contact with dust on the record. Kids that have never listened to music on LP records have no idea how good CD's really are! A special thanks to my sister Linda for giving me the link to this video. I tried to find it a week or two ago, but couldn't. I hope you enjoy the beauty and tenderness of this wonderful carol.



If you have trouble launching the video, click here.