🙏 Come Home, and welcome.

Come home and be welcomed!

I left Jesus and His body the Catholic Church at 17. Spent 3 years in the protestant confusion so I left God for 30 more years. But Jesus never left me, I saw Him everywhere and eventually came home to His one and only bride, the Catholic Church. If you decide to come home you are always welcome. May 24The Lord bless thee, and keep thee. 25The Lord shew his face to thee, and have mercy on thee. 26The Lord turn his countenance to thee, and give thee peace. Num6:24-26

@@Spiritof76Catholic Welcome back home and Amen. Deus Vult.

Belinda, praying for you! Peace always in Jesus Christ our Great and Kind God and Savior, He whose Flesh is true food and Blood true drink!

Not really to someone raised in Protestantism. It would merely be a 130 year old attempt at getting Biblical truth right, with no more or less likelihood of getting it right than any other denomination. I grew up Protestant and that's how Protestants looks at denominations. As just another group trying to get the Bible right. They're being prayerful, they're being disciplined, some might be more or less aware of what they're doing or saying theologically, but it's all an attempt at theological approximation to what you see in Scripture. I'm a Catholic now, but that my denomination was technically only 75 years old did not bother me because I felt that what my denomination was doing was fundamentally rooted in New Testament and early church belief and practice.

​@@lucaslambers5315 How does that view by protestants that the Church was wrong for 1800+ years, not an outright blasphemy of the Holy Spirit? That type of view explicitly implies the Holy Spirit allowed the "true faith" to fail until the Holy Spirit then raises Phineas F. Bresee, J. B. Chapman, Mary Lee Cagle, Joseph Smith, Charles Taze Russell, Ellen G. White etc. to discover the true faith. A Protestant (magisterial and also what I call new age Protestants) claiming alignment with early Church belief and practice is proof that the person is either, historically illiterate or an outright liar.

@@alisterrebelo9013 Protestants Sola Mea Sententia Only My Opinion

Great insights! Thank you.

What is the “better covenant” Or as Catholics call it the new covenant What is it ?

“We can go directly to Him” So why did he pick 12 apostles? Why did the 12 apostles pick successors? Why did Paul say “It was for this I left u in Crete, to pick elders in every City.” Titus 1:5 Why need elders If we can go directly to him ? Jesus said “if your brother won’t listen to the church, treat him as an outsider.” Wait, I thought we can go directly to him? “Obey them who have authority over you.” Heb 13:17 I thought we San ignore people and go directly to him ?

@@PInk77W1 the reason for the 12 is because of the 12 Patriarchs and the 12 tribes. That is the identity of Israel and so it ties the ministry of Jesus to Israel. He came specifically to the Jews. The Bible doesn't say successors were chosen for the Apostles. To be an apostle, you must be chosen by God and you must have been a witness of the resurrection. What is a covenant? It is a binding agreement between two parties typically of unequal strengths for the purpose of defense and security. The weaker seeking protection of the stronger. This was a common practice among African Tribes. There is also similarity to NATO. It is like a covenant, but with multiple partners. Hebrews 7:7 And without all contradiction the less is blessed of the better. In scripture, we can recognize 7 covenants, beginning with the Adamic. However we commonly refer to the "Old" and the "New" , or Law and Grace. Romans 8:3 [3]For what the law could not do, in that it was weak through the flesh, God sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, and for sin, condemned sin in the flesh: Grace is the better (greater) covenant which accomplished everything for us. Hebrews 7:22 By so much was Jesus made a surety of a better testament. Hebrews 8:6 But now hath he obtained a more excellent ministry, by how much also he is the mediator of a better covenant, which was established upon better promises. Hebrews 9:23 It was therefore necessary that the patterns of things in the heavens should be purified with these; but the heavenly things themselves with better sacrifices than these. Hebrews 10:34 For ye had compassion of me in my bonds, and took joyfully the spoiling of your goods, knowing in yourselves that ye have in heaven a better and an enduring substance. Hebrews 12:24 And to Jesus the mediator of the new covenant, and to the blood of sprinkling, that speaketh better things than that of Abel. 1 Peter 2:9 [9]But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light: The royal priesthood is directly under Jesus (our high priest) and we minister to Him within the veil. We now have access to the throne of God by Grace and full acceptance so that we may come boldly. All due to the Covenant of Grace.

@@jeromepopiel388 Yes and we still have priests. The Bible says priests are forever. Today is part of forever. You miss all that

@@jeromepopiel388 u ignore completely “His office let another man take.” Acts 1:20 As per usual

Jerome, "Baptism now saves you ", "whose sins you forgive are forgiven them", ( 1 Peter 3:21, John 20:23). Peace always in Jesus Christ our Great and Kind God and Savior, He whose Flesh is true food and Blood true drink!

@@matthewbroderick6287 That's only a portion of the verse. We need to read the context to know what the meaning is and not deceive ourselves. 1 Peter 3:21 [21]The like figure whereunto even baptism doth also now save us (not the putting away of the filth of the flesh, but the answer of a good conscience toward God,) by the resurrection of Jesus Christ: Do you see it is not the action of water, but the answer of a good conscience? Peter already said in Ch. 1 that we are redeemed by the blood through faith... 1 Peter 1:18-19,23 [18]Forasmuch as ye know that ye were not redeemed with corruptible things, as silver and gold, from your vain conversation received by tradition from your fathers; [19]But with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot: [23]Being born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, by the word of God, which liveth and abideth for ever. The first rule of interpretation is that you must be consistent with with what is written before.

@jeromepopiel388 excellent, context is paramount, ( you made up that it is not the action of the water), as Peter affirms what Jesus Christ and Paul teaches, that unless one is born of BOTH WATER AND SPIRIT, one cannot enter the kingdom of Heaven, and arise and wash away your sins, be baptized! Holy Scripture also teaches we must cooperate with God's saving grace and repent and bear fruit and forgive others and love one another and keep the commandments and persevere to the end to be saved! Thankfully, God shall have the final say on who is actually the one who is correct in interpretation. According to those who claim Scripture ALONE, then no one can ever know with infallible certitude what Holy Scripture means! Peace always in Jesus Christ our Great and Kind God and Savior, He whose Flesh is true food and Blood true drink!!

What Jesus commanded in John 20:23 is a very explicit example of the power given to the apostles (and their successors) to forgive or retain sins. In a universal context, this verse would make no sense, as lay ppl cannot retain sins (and cannot absolve others' sins). I just saw your other comment. I try to comment when I can. Thanks for asking! God bless.

It's in the Gospel of John we find in Chapter 6 a very significant teaching regarding eating the Body and Blood of Jesus Christ. Additionally, proper exegesis of the entirety of scriptures reveals the Church. "Scripture alone" doesn't work because nowhere in the Bible does it say this. Also, How can a believer reconcile with all the various denominations saying they are right and guided by the Holy Spirit when so many disagree. The Holy Spirit doesn't contradict Himself. There is one true Church established By Jesus through the apostles. That Church canonized the entire Bible infallibly, is the greatest humanitarian resource in the world, and has stood the test of time for almost 2 thousand years now. The Sacraments offered by the Church are because God knew we would need them. The Catholic Church is our full inheritance from God on this earth. Please, come, eat and drink! Journey into the fold where the Good Sheppard will give you rest for He has already given us a clear path, through the sacraments, to joy and everlasting life. Not to be misinterpreted with "only Catholics can be saved" that's not what I mean by that statement. God Bless

Israel, Holy Scripture teaches we must cooperate with God's saving grace and repent and bear fruit and forgive others and love one another and keep the commandments and persevere to the end to be saved, as the manifold wisdom of God is revealed through the CHURCH! The same Church authority that existed way before the new testament was ever written and that later determined the Canon! Peace always in Jesus Christ our Great and Kind God and Savior, He whose Flesh is true food and Blood true drink!

Jesus established a Church; The Catholic Church!