Sensible People Fight Roman Lies 
  
The following is a response to Nicholas' (anonymous?) Sensible People post that ridicules the Pope and the Church through metaphor.  It is recorded at the PRESENTS OF GOD home page.   

Andrew responds:  

(Earlier post is listed anonymously as SENSIBLE PEOPLE at his PRESENTS OF GOD home page.)  

I quickly put together a parady:

The tyranny continued in Nicholasville.  For many years people lived in fear of saying or doing the wrong thing.  They walked around like the living dead, feigning excitement whenever there was a new lynching.  Of course, a few actually enjoyed the deadly spectacles.  Things had been this way for so long that many had forgotten how it started.  Actually, they wanted to forget, because it started with them and with their hatred for those different from themselves.  Now they were a town of true cowards. 

A small monkish visitor had come to their town.  All strangers were suspect, but this one was particularly so.  He saw the fear in people's faces and even the children steered clear of him.  There was no laughter and no joy.  Billboards plastered throughout the town hailed the news that Jesus was coming soon.  He could tell from the torn edges that this was about all the billboards ever said, for a very long time.  Fire and devils illustrated what would happen if they did not change their ways.  He could hear a mother tell her young daughter, "Be good dear, or it will be pitch forks and eternal flame for you!"  The interloper listened and a tear seemed to flow from one eye.  He quickly wiped it way. 

He went to a large tent in the middle of the town to join the people in hearing the great preacher, Nicholas.  He was a very important man.  He was the temporal and spiritual leader of the town, although he was not like the pope.  After all, the pope was the antichrist, or at least that was what he always said.  His word was truth and his truth was law.   

"Come to me," he exclaimed, "and I will tell you the truth.  Scripture does not lie.  Hear the word of God!  We are the faithful remnant.  Outside our village there is every foul thing and corruption.  We alone have held on to the truth against a papist world.  They drink and gamble and dance!  Their minds are twisted by the antichrist in the Vatican.  The Roman whore wants you too, but I will not let her have you.  They have intercourse with Jews and Moslems and Hindus and Buddhists, even though it is forbidden by holy writ.  Fear not, we will not be tainted by their deception.  They know better than to step foot here.  They are afraid of the truth and us.  The truth is the truth!" 

The people stared at him and applauded at the appropriate places as if it were some demented play.  The preacher continued:  "Look at what they have made of the world, even the races intermarry. They go so far as to give permission for so-called Christians to marry unbelievers.  They tolerate the most monstrous sins all because of a misbegotten freedom.  Our Lord tells us in Matthew 7:20, 'Wherefore by their fruits ye shall know them.'  Their fruit is deceit and damnation.  Their faith is a fraud and their charity is useless!" 

The other ministers of the town brought forward an errant brother.  Nicholas said, "Today we are about a very serious business.  We will not tolerate dissent against the truth.  Tell me Pastor Joe, is it true that you suggested in public that dialogue with the papists outside the city gates might not be so bad?" 

"Well, I um," he stuttered, "I only thought we could use their help in feeding the poor over near Debra's Orchard.  There is such a great need." 

"Stop!" shouted Nicholas.  "I have heard enough.  How could you dare think we might work along with the minions of hell?  You are a foolish man and should not be a preacher of the Gospel."  Turning to the other ministers, he shouted, "Take him to the city gates and throw him out.  He is no longer one of us!  Poverty is a sign of judgment upon those dirty beggars of Debra's Orchard.  I pray that God will smite them with his lightening and scorch them from the face of the earth.  Let me hear an AMEN . . . [silence] . . . I said, let me hear an AMEN!" 

The people responded in unison, "Amen."  The visitor's lips remained still. 

The next day the strange interloper set up house in an old abandoned church.  He mopped the floor and cleaned dust off the pews.  He dressed the altar and retrieved a large crucifix from the basement and set it in the back wall.  He found a rusty and dented tabernacle, did his best to make it shine, and placed that behind the main altar on a pillar of its own.  He took wild flowers from outside and decorated the sanctuary with them.  Then he opened the church doors. 

During the days that followed, the interloper did the unthinkable-- he offered the sacrifice of the Mass and preached about the loving forgiveness of God.  Many former Catholics flocked to have their sins forgiven and to receive the bread of life.  Others wanted a taste of the joy and freedom that the others had.  Still others looked from a distance, afraid of what might happen when the authorities under Nicholas' rule took notice.   

The priest gave expression to their yearning to worship God.  The Church gave them a sense of the divine and the beauty found in such a faith.  His preaching did not ignore judgment, but constantly stressed a Jesus that was loving and forgiving.  His use of Scripture also seemed appropriate, not out of place and forced as with Nicholas and his cronies.
 

At first, little happened except that the sermons of the ministers turned up the temperature on hell-fire and damnation warnings.  Next came the disappearances.  They usually happened at night.  Nicholas called them deletions of the blasphemous and hate-mongers.  Attendance at Mass dropped down to a bare few.  One of these was a man named Gary Gay.  People had often made fun of his name; only a few suspected that it might be the truth.  He was 43 years of age and still not married.  What was wrong with him?   

He told the priest in the secrecy of the confessional the truth.  Gary knew this way he would be safe.  The priest urged him to be faithful at prayer and to live a chaste life.  The penitent struggled with his faith and yet he did his best to follow the priest's recommendation. 

Nicholas' men called him in for questioning.  It was not long before he broke and told them what they wanted to hear-- that he was a homosexual.  What happened next was not pretty. 
      
The old priest found a note under his door the next morning, telling him that there was something he needed to see near the marketplace.  He offered Mass and followed the anonymous lead.  What he saw there caused him to vomit uncontrollably.  It was horrendous.  Gary was hanging upside down from his feet, stripped naked, emasculated and quite dead.  A sign hanging under his body read:  "Leviticus 20:13 - 'If a man also lie with mankind, as he lieth with a woman, both of them have committed an abomination: they shall surely be put to death; their blood shall be upon them.'  Truth is truth." 

The priest publicly expressed his outrage.  Nicholas' associate preachers brought in the priest of popery.   

Nicholas was on fire with his own rage:  "Your faith is nothing!  Your martyrs are fools!  Your saints are demons!  Your bishops are possessed!  And your pope is not God as he claims but the devil incarnate!  Everything about his name, his crown, even the cavities in his teeth reveal 666.  You are nothing but a warlock to Satan.  The Scriptures say that you must die.  How then can I show you clemency?"   

"Yours is an utterly pagan faith.  Mary is made a Co-Redeemer with Christ, his very equal-- talk about blasphemy!  Idols and their devils constitute the object of your worship, despite the commandments you censored.  Look at the dead Jesus on your cross while your pathetic statue of Mary has her rosy cheeks and lipstick smile-- alive while God's Son is dead!  You even suggest that you kill Jesus over and over again in the abomination you call the Mass!  It is no sacrifice, Jesus died once and for all-- never again!  Look at my ministers in their nice clean suits and then look at you in your black dress-- surely you are a perverted man.  How can the so-called priests worship Jesus when they are drunks, smokers, gamblers, and worst of all, child molesters?  They cannot!  Your Church killed a hundred million bible-believing Christians during the Dark Ages-- maybe you will try to kill us next-- unless we get you first!  You put your corrupted and man-made traditions over the Word of God!  You twist the Scriptures to support your many sins.  You subtract Scripture verses to perpetuate your lying ways!  You treat the Almighty like a deaf God with your misdirected rosaries!  Your greed perpetuates a belief in purgatory against the free salvation in Christ!  You glorify personal suffering as if Jesus' death was not good enough for you!  Well, you will soon get your wish on this count!  You disown Jesus' brothers and sisters to perpetuate the lie of his mother's perpetual virginity!  I suppose it is to bolster your own disgusting celibacy!  You dare to forgive sins while only God can do such a thing!  You call homosexuals your brothers in Christ-- and true you are, but not in Christ but in damnation!  Your pope thinks we are all the descendants of monkeys-- well, I am no monkey's uncle!  You keep pagan feast days, make God a transvestite, and embrace Buddhists as friends!  You ban the bible and you baptize babies so that they will overlook true conversion and baptism later!  You are a sick cookie worshipper-- absolute nonsense!  You sir are monster.  You had no business coming here!" 

"It is not as you say," the old priest began to say.  "There is much you do not understand.  Let me explain." 

"The hell with your explanations!" shouted Nicholas.  "I do not want to hear your lies and neither does anyone else here!  I intend to delete you and everything about you.  No one will ever know you were here." 

Witnesses came forward.  One woman claimed he molested her in the confessional, although there was a wall between them.  Several of the boys said that he had made advances toward them.  The town drunk claimed that the priest shared the altar wine with him between services.  One person even said that she saw him prick himself so as to add real blood to the chalice.  They became increasingly fantastic in their claims.  He was called a spy for the Vatican and an assassin targeting Nicholas.  He was supposed to have communed with devils and he had supposedly filed down his horns to keep them from view.  All the stories reflected the great lie that lay over the town like a funeral shroud. 

There was a definite smoke smell in the air.  The priest tried to speak but he was slapped and gagged.  "There is a dark cloud of smoke rising.  Know what it is priest of Beelzebul?  It is that old church you were using.  I have had my men torch it.  We do not need your formal religion.  We have the bible!  God's Word is clear for all to know.  I make sure it is clear.  Even if you were to refute my every argument, I would still be right.  Your fancy words will not save you now.  But remember I do all this because I love you and want you to see the light.  Come to Jesus or come to the fire." 

The old priest turned his eyes to the ground.   

Nicholas ordered his colleagues, "Delete him!"   

"Excuse me," said one of the associates, " what do you mean?" 

"You know what I mean," he declared. 

"But, you said it was the Pope who wanted to kill all heretics.  We could not find the passage in the Vatican II documents, but you swore it was hidden there, so we believed you." 

"Listen," responded Nicholas, "if you are a papist sympathizer, we can take care of you, too!" 

The man backed away.  "Ah, no sir, that will not be necessary."   

The ministers formed a firing squad and the order was given to shoot.  Several of the bullets pierced the priest's body.  The gag prevented any cry.  One bullet nicked Nicholas, and there was hell to pay.  But the deed was done.  Wrapping his arm, the sky suddenly grew much darker.   

"I thought you said that fire was out?" remarked Nicholas to one of the men at his side. 

"It is out, but the sky is growing dark as night," said the frightened man. 

Suddenly an opening appeared in the darkness and brilliant light came shinning through.  Nicholas looked up mesmerized.  A figure stood in the light; however, the brilliance made it impossible for him to focus.  Then came the voice:  "Well done, good and faithful servant; you have been faithful over a little, I will set you over much; enter into the joy of your master" (Matthew 25:21.10). 

Nicholas smiled and stepped forward.  However, the body of the dead priest was suddenly free of his restraints and animated.  Arms reaching up to heaven he levitated into the air and into the light.  The rupture immediately closed.  The smile fell from Nicholas' face.  The night seemed to grow still darker and colder.  Nicholas was alone, such had always been the case, but now he was fully aware of the terrible fact.  He had trusted no one and he had loved no one.  He had even deceived himself. 
        

The old priest taught: 

The mission of the Church took precedence over the Scriptures.   

Matthew 28:18-20: And Jesus came and said to them, "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, to the close of the age." 

The Holy Spirit safeguarded the infallibility of the Church. 

John 14:26: "But the Counselor, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, he will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you." 

Christianity is not a Book-Religion. 

Romans 10:17: So faith comes from what is heard, and what is heard comes by the preaching of Christ. 

Mark 16:20: And they went forth and preached everywhere, while the Lord worked with them and confirmed the message by the signs that attended it. Amen.  

Mark 16:15: And he said to them, "Go into all the world and preach the gospel to the whole creation." 

Tradition supplements the Scriptures. 

John 20:30-31: Now Jesus did many other signs in the presence of the disciples, which are not written in this book; but these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that believing you may have life in his name. 

John 21:25: But there are also many other things which Jesus did; were every one of them to be written, I suppose that the world itself could not contain the books that would be written. 

We are commanded to keep traditions. 

2 Thessalonians 2:15: So then, brethren, stand firm and hold fast to the traditions which you were taught by us, either by word of mouth or by letter. 

2 Timothy 2:2: . . . and what you have heard from me before many witnesses entrust to faithful men who will be able to teach others also. 

We must beware of heresy. 

Galatians 1:8-9: But even if we, or an angel from heaven, should preach to you a gospel contrary to that which we preached to you, let him be accursed. As we have said before, so now I say again, if any one is preaching to you a gospel contrary to that which you received, let him be accursed. 

2 Timothy 4:3: For the time is coming when people will not endure sound teaching, but having itching ears they will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own likings, and will turn away from listening to the truth and wander into myths. 

Titus 3:10: As for a man who is factious, after admonishing him once or twice, have nothing more to do with him, knowing that such a person is perverted and sinful; he is self-condemned.  

Romans 16:17: I appeal to you, brethren, to take note of those who create dissensions and difficulties, in opposition to the doctrine which you have been taught; avoid them.  

2 John 10:11: If any one comes to you and does not bring this doctrine, do not receive him into the house or give him any greeting; for he who greets him shares his wicked work. 

The Bible is NOT self-interpretive. 

2 Peter 1:20: First of all you must understand this, that no prophecy of scripture is a matter of one's own interpretation. 

2 Peter 3:16: . . . speaking of this as he does in all his letters. There are some things in them hard to understand, which the ignorant and unstable twist to their own destruction, as they do the other scriptures. (Regarding Paul's letters) 

Acts 8:30-31: So Philip ran to him, and heard him reading Isaiah the prophet, and asked, "Do you understand what you are reading?" And he said, "How can I, unless some one guides me?" And he invited Philip to come and sit with him. 

The Pope and Bishops are the official interpreters of Scripture. 

Luke 10:16: "He who hears you hears me, and he who rejects you rejects me, and he who rejects me rejects him who sent me."  

Matthew 16:18: "And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the powers of death (gates of hell) shall not prevail against it."  

Malachi 2:7: For the lips of a priest should guard knowledge, and men should seek instruction (law) from his mouth, for he is the messenger of the Lord of hosts. 

Christ instituted the Catholic Church. 

Matthew 28:18-20: And Jesus came and said to them, "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, to the close of the age." 

Church authority is clearly verifiable.   

Hebrews 13:17: Obey your leaders and submit to them; for they are keeping watch over your souls, as men who will have to give account. Let them do this joyfully, and not sadly, for that would be of no advantage to you.  

Matthew 18:17: "If he refuses to listen to them, tell it to the church; and if he refuses to listen even to the church, let him be to you as a Gentile and a tax collector."  

Luke 10:16: "He who hears you hears me, and he who rejects you rejects me, and he who rejects me rejects him who sent me."  

Matthew 16:19: "I will give you (Peter) the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven."  

Galatians 1:8-9: But even if we, or an angel from heaven, should preach to you a gospel contrary to that which we preached to you, let him be accursed. As we have said before, so now I say again, if any one is preaching to you a gospel contrary to that which you received, let him be accursed. 

Infallibility is a real gift to the Church and the successors of Peter.  

John 14:26: "But the Counselor, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, he will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you." 

Acts 1:8: "But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria and to the end of the earth."  

Matthew 28:18-20: And Jesus came and said to them, "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, to the close of the age."  

John 14:16-17: "And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Counselor, to be with you for ever, even the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees him nor knows him; you know him, for he dwells with you, and will be in you." 

The Gates of Hell have not and shall not prevail against the Church. 

Matthew 28:18-20: And Jesus came and said to them, "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, to the close of the age."  

Matthew 16:18: "And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the powers of death (gates of hell) shall not prevail against it." 

Christianity is a New People of God, a visible community. 

Romans 12:5: . . . so we, though many, are one body in Christ, and individually members one of another.  

Ephesians 4:3-5: . . . eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called to the one hope that belongs to your call, one Lord, one faith, one baptism, . . .  

John 10:16: "And I have other sheep, that are not of this fold; I must bring them also, and they will heed my voice. So there shall be one flock, one shepherd."  

Romans 12:4-5: For as in one body we have many members, and all the members do not have the same function, so we, though many, are one body in Christ, and individually members one of another.  

John 17:21: ". . . that they may all be one; even as thou, Father, art in me, and I in thee, that they also be in us, so, that the world may believe that thou hast sent me." 

There is a place for sinners in Christ's Church. 

2 Corinthians 5:15: And he died for all, that those who live might live no longer for themselves but for him who for their sake died and was raised.  

Romans 5:6-21: While we were yet helpless, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly, etc.  

1 John 2:2: . . . and he is the expiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the sins of the whole world.  

1 Timothy 2:4: . . . who desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth. 

Matthew 22:1-14: The parable of the king who made a marriage for his son.  

Matthew 13:24-32: The parable of the field in which grew both grain and cockle.  

2 Timothy 2:20: In a great house there are not only vessels of gold and silver, but also of wood and earthenware, and some for noble use, some for ignoble.  

Matthew 18:15: "If your brother sins against you, go and tell him his fault, between you and him alone. If he listens to you, you have gained your brother."  

Matthew 13:47-50: Parable of the net that was cast into the sea, and gathered every kind of fish, savory and unsavory. 

The Church is CATHOLIC.  

Matthew 28:18-20: And Jesus came and said to them, "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, to the close of the age."  

Mark 16:15: And he said to them, "Go into all the world and preach the gospel to the whole creation."  

Acts 1:8: "But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria and to the end of the earth."  

Romans 10:18: But I ask, have they not heard? Indeed they have; for "Their voice has gone out to all the earth, and their words to the ends of the world." 

The Church is APOSTOLIC. 

Titus 1:5: This is why I left you in Crete, that you might amend what was defective, and appoint elders (in other words, priests) in every town as I directed you, . . . .  

Acts 13:2-3: While they were worshipping the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said, "Set apart for me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them." Then after fasting and praying they laid their hands on them and sent them off. 

Peter is the first Pope.  

Matthew 16:18-19: "And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the powers of death (gates of hell) shall not prevail against it. I will give you (Peter) the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven. And 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. And I will give unto thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven, etc."  

John 21: 15-17: When they had finished breakfast, Jesus said to Simon Peter, "Simon, son of John, do you love me more than these?" He said to him, "Yes, Lord; you know that I love you." He said to him, "Feed my lambs." A second time he said to him, "Simon, son of John, do you love me?" He said to him, "Yes, Lord; you know that I love you." He said to him, "Tend my sheep." He said to him the third time, "Simon, son of John, do you love me?" Peter was grieved because he said to him the third time, "Do you love me?" And he said to him, "Lord, you know everything; you know that I love you." Jesus said to him, "Feed my sheep."  

Luke 22:32: " . . . but I have prayed for you [Peter] that your faith may not fail; and when you have turned again, strengthen your brethren."  

Baptism is for adults and even for children in family households. 

Acts 16:33: And he took them the same hour of the night, and washed their wounds, and he was baptized at once, with all his family.  

1 Corinthians 1:16: I did baptize also the household of Stephanas. Beyond that, I do not know whether I baptized any one else. 

Acts 16:15: And when she was baptized, with her household, she besought us, saying, "If you have judged me to be faithful to the Lord, come to my house and stay." And she prevailed upon us.  

Mark 16:16: "He who believes and is baptized shall be saved; but he who does not believe will be condemned."  

Matthew 28:18-20: And Jesus came and said to them, "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, to the close of the age."  

John 3:5: Jesus answered, "Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of 
God." 

Confirmation completes the process of initiation. 

Acts 8:14-17: Now when the apostles at Jerusalem heard that Samaria had received the word of God, they sent to them Peter and John, who came down and prayed for them that they might receive the Holy Spirit; for it had not yet fallen on any of them, but they had only been baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. Then they laid their hands on them and they received the Holy 
Spirit."  

Acts 19:6: And when Paul had laid his hands upon them, the Holy Spirit came on them; and they spoke with tongues, and prophesied.  

Hebrews 6:2: . . . with instructions about ablutions [baptisms], the laying on of hands, the resurrection of the dead, and eternal judgment. 

The Real Presence in the Eucharist is our inheritance.  

Mark 14:22-24: And as they were eating, he took bread and blessed, and broke it, and gave it to them, and said, "Take; this is my body." And he took a cup, and when he had given thanks he gave it to them, and they all drank of it. And he said to them, "This is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many." 

The Eucharist is our greatest food of all. 

John 6:26-32: Jesus answered them, "Truly, truly, I say to you, you seek me, not because you saw signs, but because you ate your fill of the loaves. Do not labor for the food [meat] which perishes, but for the food [meat] which endures to eternal life, which the Son of man will give to you; for on him has God the Father set his seal." Then they said to him, "What must we do, to be doing the works of God?" Jesus answered them, "This is the work of God, that you believe in him whom he has sent." So they said to him, "Then what sign do you do, that we may see, and believe you? What work do you perform? Our fathers ate the manna in the wilderness; as it is written, 'He gave them bread from heaven to eat.'" Jesus then said to them, "Truly, truly, I say to you, it was not Moses who gave you the bread from heaven; my Father gives you the true bread from heaven." 

The Eucharist is true Bread from Heaven.  

John 6:33-35: "For the bread of God is that which comes down from heaven, and gives life to the world." They said to him, "Lord give us this bread always." Jesus said to them, "I am the bread of life; he who comes to me shall not hunger, and he who believes in me shall never thirst." 

John 6:38: "For I have come down from heaven, not to do my own will, but the will of him who sent me; . . . ." 

John 6:41: The Jews then murmured at him, because he said, "I am the bread which came down from heaven." 

John 6:48-51: "I am that bread of life. Your fathers ate the manna in the wilderness, and they died. This is the bread which comes down from heaven, that a man may eat of it and not die. I am the living bread which came down from heaven; if any one eats of this bread, he will live for ever; and the bread which I shall give for the life of the world is my flesh." 

Jesus meant what he said about Eucharist. 

John 6:52-58: The Jews then disputed among themselves, saying, "How can this man give us his flesh to eat?" So Jesus said to them, "Truly, truly, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of man and drink his blood, you have no life in you; he who eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day. For my flesh is food [meat] indeed, and my blood is drink indeed. He who eats my flesh and drinks my blood abides in me, and I in him. As the living Father sent me, and I live because of the Father; so he who eats me will live because of me. This is that bread which came down from heaven, not such as the fathers ate and died; he who eats this bread will live forever."  

John 6:60: Many of his disciples, when they had heard it, said, "This is an hard saying; who can listen to it? 

John 6:66-69: After this many of his disciples drew back and no longer went about with him. Jesus said to the twelve, "Will you also go away?" Simon Peter answered him, "Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life; and we have believed, and have come to know, that you are the Holy One of God." 

Only the Real Presence demands worthy reception. 

1 Corinthians 11:27-29: Whoever, therefore, eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty of profaning the body and blood of the Lord. Let a man examine himself, and so eat of the bread and drink of the cup. For any one who eats and drinks without discerning the body eats and drinks judgment upon himself. 

Catholic worship is genuine and profitable.    

Malachi 1:11: For from the rising of the sun to its setting my name is great among the nations, and in every place incense is offered to my name, and a pure offering; for my name is great among the nations, says the Lord of hosts.  

Hebrews 13:10: We have an altar from which those who serve the tent [the tabernacle of the Jewish temple] have no right to eat. 

There is confession of sins.  

Numbers 5:6-7: "Say to the people of Israel, When a man or woman commits any of the sins that men commit by breaking faith with the Lord, and that person is guilty, he shall confess his sin which he has committed; and he shall make full restitution for his wrong, . . . ."  

Proverbs 28:13: He who conceals his transgressions will not prosper, but he who confesses and forsakes them will obtain mercy.  

2 Samuel 12:13: David said [confessed] to Nathan, "I have sinned against the Lord." And Nathan said [the absolution] to David, "The Lord also has put away your sin; . . . .  

Luke 23:43: The good thief is promised paradise in return for his confession on the cross: And he [Jesus] said to him, "Truly, I say to you, today you will be with me in Paradise."  

1 John 1:9: If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just, and will forgive our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness.  

Matthew 3:5-6: Then went out to him Jerusalem and all Judea and all the region about the Jordan, and they were baptized by him in the river Jordan, confessing their sins. 

Acts 19:18: Many also of those who were now believers came, confessing and divulging their practices . . . . 

Only priests can offer absolution.  

2 Corinthians 5:20: So we are ambassadors for Christ, God making his appeal through us. We beseech you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God.  

John 20:21-23: Jesus said to them again, "Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, even so I send you." And when he had said this, he breathed on them, and said to them, "Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven; if you retain the sins of any, they are retained." 

Matthew 18:18: "Truly, I say to you, whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven." 

2 Corinthians 5:18-20: All this is from God, who through Christ reconciled us to himself and gave us the ministry of reconciliation; that is, God was in Christ reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and entrusting to us the message of reconciliation. So we are ambassadors for Christ, God making his appeal through us. We beseech you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God. 

The Church does offer anointing of the sick.  

James 5:14-16: Is any among you sick? Let him call for the elders [priests] of the church, and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord; and the prayer of faith will save the sick man, and the Lord will raise him up; and if he has committed sins, he will forgiven. 

Bishops and priests are given charge over the sacraments.  

2 Corinthians 5:18-20: All this is from God, who through Christ reconciled us to himself and gave us the ministry of reconciliation; that is, God was in Christ reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and entrusting to us the message of reconciliation. So we are ambassadors for Christ, God making his appeal through us. We beseech you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God.  

1 Corinthians 4:1: This is how one should regard us, as servants of Christ and stewards of the mysteries of God.  

John 20:21: Jesus said to them again, "Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, even so send I you. 

The vocation of Holy Orders is a gift.  

Hebrews 5:1: For every high priest chosen from among men is appointed [ordained] to act on behalf of men in relation to God, to offer gifts and sacrifices for sins. 

Hebrews 5:4: And one does not take honor upon himself, but he is called by God, just as Aaron was.  

John 15:16: "You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed [ordained] you that you should go and bear fruit and that your fruit should abide; so that whatever you ask the Father in my name, he may give it to you."  

John 20:21: Jesus said to them again, "Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, even so send I you. 

The Apostles did have successors.  

Titus 1:5: This is why I left you in Crete, that you might amend what was defective, and appoint [ordain] elders [priests] in every town as I directed you, . . . .  

Acts 13:2-3: While they were worshipping the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said, "Set apart for me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them." Then after fasting and praying they laid their hands on them and sent them off. 

Marriage is for life.  

Matthew 19:6: "So they are no longer two but one. What therefore God has joined together, let no man put asunder." 

Divorce and remarriage is adultery.  

1 Corinthians 7:10-11: To the married I give charge, not I but the Lord, that the wife should not separate from her husband (but if she does, let her remain single or else be reconciled to her husband) -- and that the husband should not divorce his wife. 

Mark 10:11-12: And he said to them, "Whoever divorces his wife and marry another, commits adultery against her; and if she divorces her husband and be marries another, she commits adultery."  

Luke 16:18: "Every one who divorces his wife and marries another commits adultery, and he who marries a woman divorced from her husband commits adultery."  

Matthew 19:9: "And I say to you: whoever divorces his wife, except for unchastity [actually incest] and marries another, commits adultery; and he who marries a divorced woman, commits adultery." 

Purgatory is real and a sign of divine mercy. 

Matthew 12:32: And whoever says a word against the Son of man will be forgiven; but whoever speaks against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven, either in this age [world] or in the age [world] to come. (Some sins can therefore be forgiven after death.)  

1 Corinthians 3:13-15: . . . each man's work will become manifest; for the Day will disclose it, because it will be revealed with fire, and the fire will test what sort of work each one has done. If the work which any man has built on the foundation survives, he will receive a reward. If any man's work is burned up, he will suffer loss, though he himself will be saved, but only as through fire.  

2 Maccabees 12:45-46: (This is one of the Old Testament books omitted from the Protestant Bible). But if he was looking to the splendid reward that is laid up for those who fall asleep in godliness, it was a holy and pious thought. Therefore he made atonement for the dead, that they might be delivered from their sin. 

Revelation 21:27: Nothing defiled can enter Heaven. 

The prohibition against images was never absolute.  

Exodus 25:18: And you shall make two cherubim of gold; of hammered work shall you make them, on the two ends of the mercy seat.  

Numbers 21:8-9: And the Lord said to Moses, "Make a fiery serpent, and set it on a pole; and every one who is bitten, when he sees it, shall live."  

John 3:14: "And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of Man be lifted up, that whoever believes in him may have eternal life."   

1 Kings 6:29: He carved all the walls in the house round about with carved figures of cherubim and palm trees and open flowers, in the inner and outer rooms. (Also verses 32 and 35). 

Good works have value in Christ. 

James 2:22-26: You see that faith was active along with his works, and faith was completed by works, and the scripture was fulfilled which says, "Abraham believed God, and it was reckoned to him as righteousness"; and he was called the friend of God. You see that a man is justified by works and not by faith alone. And in the same way was also Rahab the harlot justified by works when she received the messengers and sent them out another way? For as the body apart from the spirit is dead, so faith apart from works is dead.  

1 Corinthians 13:1-3: If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. And if I have prophetic powers, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. If I give away all I have, and if I deliver my body to be burned, but have not love, I gain nothing. 

Matthew 7:21: "Not every one who says to me, 'Lord, Lord,' shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of my father who is in heaven."  

Mark 16:16: "He who believes and is baptized will be saved; but he who does not believe will be condemned." 

The Virgin Mary is well esteemed. 

Luke 1:26-35: In the sixth month the angels Gabriel was sent from God to a city of Galilee named Nazareth, to a virgin betrothed to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David; and the virgin's name was Mary. And he came to her and said, "Hail, full of grace, the Lord is with you!" But she was greatly troubled at the saying, and considered in her mind what sort of greeting this might be. And the angel said to her, "Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus. He will be great, and will be called the Son of the Most High; and the Lord God will give to him the throne of his father David, and he will reign over the house of Jacob for ever; and of his kingdom there will be no end." And Mary said to the angel, "How can this be, since I have no husband? And the angel said to her, "The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; therefore the child to be born will be called holy, the Son of God." 

Luke 1:48: ". . . for he has regarded the low estate of his handmaiden. For behold, henceforth all generations will call me blessed; for he who is mighty has done great things for me, . . . ." 

Angels & saints are our friends and helpers. 

Ephesians 2:19: So then you are no longer strangers and sojourners, but you are fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God, . . . . 

Acts 12:7: . . . and behold, an angel of the Lord appeared, and a light shone in the cell; and he struck Peter on the side and woke him, saying, "Get up quickly." And the chains fell off his hands. 

Hebrews 1:14: Are they not all ministering spirits sent forth to serve, for the sake of those who are to obtain salvation? 

Luke 15:10: "Just so, I tell you, there is joy before the angels of God over one sinner who repents."