Four days in the Big Apple! – Part Two

Last week, I recounted our family’s recent trip to New York City, which was mainly to see the Giants-Redskins game, but also to visit several of the city’s attractions. See my post here. I mentioned that I was going to follow up with some additional thoughts on New York City and the trip so here goes…

I live in the suburbs of Rochester, which is a small city (and getting smaller) in Western New York. The size of New York City is OVERWHELMING to a visitor like me. There’s block after seemingly endless block of impressively tall skyscrapers and bustling traffic. We had to wear earplugs while sleeping in our Airbnb on 2nd Avenue and 50th Street to block out the evening traffic noise, but the advantage was the many coffee shops, restaurants, and small grocery stores all within a short walking distance. I prefer living in one of the quiet suburbs of our small city, but many New Yorkers would object to such a “dull” environment.

On Saturday night, we walked from Madison Square Garden to Times Square. Standing in the middle of Times Square in the evening is quite an experience with all of the lights and advertising displays. Times Square in New York City could be the epicenter of our materialistic and consumer-driven culture. As a follower of Jesus Christ, I felt uneasy walking through this shrine to consumerism/materialism. Earlier in the day, we visited The Dakota Apartments on 72nd Street where “Rosemary’s Baby” had been filmed and where ex-Beatle and atheist, John Lennon, had been killed. I’m not a superstitious person, but this foreboding complex with its many devilish gargoyles was disturbing to me. Equally disturbing was our walk past St. Patrick’s Cathedral on 5th Avenue, probably the most famous Catholic church in America. Our tour guide-son asked if we wanted to step inside to see the “magnificent architecture,” but I had no desire to do so. All I could think about were the millions of Catholic souls deluded by the false gospel propagated within those grandiose walls. I also thought about the many girls, women, altar boys, seminarians, and young priests who were undoubtedly abused within that complex by predatory celibate clerics since it was built 140 years ago in 1878.

Our two sons are atheists/agnostics, but my wife and I had several opportunities to bring up the Lord Jesus Christ in conversations with them during the trip. Hunkering down on Saturday evening after walking all day in Central Manhattan in the cold rain, we all sat together in our cramped Airbnb and watched “The Devil’s Advocate” featuring Al Pacino and Keanu Reeves. Please, no hate mail. I certainly don’t endorse this R-rated film without a lot of qualifications, but it does tell a very thought-provoking tale about Satan and his attempt to spawn the anti-Christ. Our two sons pay us little attention when we talk about Jesus Christ to them, but they will voluntarily and even eagerly watch this 144-minute movie, which actually contains a lot of spiritual truth. Most of this film was shot on-location in New York City with Donald Trump’s garishly ostentatious, gilded penthouse apartment that sits atop Trump Tower serving as the home of one of the film’s most “evil” characters.

Yes, my wife and I thoroughly enjoyed our visit to the Big Apple and the time we were able to spend with our “boys.” Whether we live in a megalopolis like New York City or in a 100-person, sleepy country hamlet, Christians must be constantly mindful of the spiritual battle that surrounds us and that we are a part of.

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Examining a Catholic devotional juju: The Infant Jesus of Prague statue

Yesterday, I wrote in general about un-Biblical Catholic devotion fetishes (see here), but today, I would like to focus on one devotion in particular; the Infant Jesus of Prague statue.

Several days ago, I was listening to the 9/5/18 podcast of the “Called To Communion” Catholic talk radio show and Joelle from Oklahoma City phoned in at the 41:25 mark stating she was a convert from Presbyterianism to Catholicism. She said she had a hard time initially accepting Catholic devotions, especially the Infant Jesus of Prague. The National Shrine of the Infant Jesus of Prague in the U.S.A. is located just one hour away from OKC in Prague, Oklahoma. Joelle stated that she has since come to love the Infant Jesus of Prague devotion. Show host, David Anders, followed up by saying Catholics are free to pick and choose from the church’s many devotions and are not obligated to adopt the Infant Jesus of Prague devotion.

Evangelical Protestants may not be familiar with it, but most Roman Catholics are certainly familiar with the Infant Jesus of Prague; a statue of child Jesus clothed in red imperial regalia with the left hand holding a globe of the world and the right hand in a posture of benediction.

The original 19″ tall statue (see photo) traces back to the 16th-century and it currently resides at Our Lady of Victory church in Prague, Czech Republic. In 1628, noblewoman Polyxena of the House of Lobkowicz donated the statue to the church and a devoted cult following quickly grew, claiming miraculous healings and blessings. Pilgrims from afar began visiting the church and statue. Versions of the statue eventually proliferated throughout Catholicism. Many American Catholic families display an imitation Infant Jesus of Prague statue in their homes for protection and blessings as a superstitious juju. Various versions are readily available from Amazon (see here).

We already know that having a statue of Jesus as an object of worship is anti-Biblical. But why this fixation on Jesus as a young child? Pagan religions all had their versions of the mother goddess and her infant son as objects of worship. In Egypt, the mother and child were worshiped as Isis and Osiris, in Babylon as Ishtar and Tammuz, in Phoenicia as Ashtoreth and Baal, in India as Isi and Iswara, in China and Japan as the mother goddess Shing-moo with child, in Greece as Ceres or Irene and Plutus, in Rome as Fortuna and Jupiter, or Venus and Adurnis, and in Scandinavia as Frigga and Balder. Pagans were very fond of worshiping the mother goddess and her son and Rome adapted this extremely popular cult into the worship of the Blessed Virgin Mary and infant Jesus. Worship of the infant Jesus apart from his mother was a predictable next step.

A standard novena “prayer” to the statue juju was formulated for supplicants seeking blessings. The intercession of Mary figures prominently in the “prayer.” See here.

Postscript: One of my sisters had an Infant Jesus of Prague statue on the top of her dresser back when I was growing up. She’s now an atheist. She liked her infant Jesus juju for a period, but she didn’t know Jesus Christ as her Savior.

Infant Jesus of Prague – Wikipedia article
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Infant_Jesus_of_Prague

Our Lady of Victory church in Prague, Czech Republic – Official website
https://www.pragjesu.cz/en/

A stroll through the Our Lady of Victory church’s online gift shop is a revealing education in Catholic superstition. See here.

Devotions: Evangelical vs. Catholic

If you mention the word “devotions” to an evangelical Christian, they will generally associate the word with the time they spend each day reading and studying God’s Word and praying to the Lord. But for Catholics, the word “devotions” conjures up an entirely different meaning.

In Catholicism, there are literally hundreds of particular ways of approaching (g)od, Mary, and the canonized saints and these are called devotions. Some of these approaches/devotions are very popular throughout Catholicism (e.g., the rosary, the stations of the cross), while others have only a small number of adherents or are limited to a specific geographical locale. Catholics are encouraged to adopt either a single devotion or several as an aid to their “spiritual development.”

Below is a partial list of Catholic devotions. There are many more than these:

• Devotion to Christ the King
• Devotion to Jesus Crucified
• Devotion to One’s Guardian Angel
• Devotion to One’s Patron Saint
• Devotion to Our Lady Under Various Titles
• Devotion to St. Joseph
• Devotion to St. Michael the Archangel
• Devotion to the Angels
• Devotion to the Blessed Sacrament
• Devotion to the Blessed Virgin
• Devotion to the Child Jesus
• Devotion to the Holy Face
• Devotion to the Holy Family
• Devotion to the Holy Name of Jesus
• Devotion to the Holy Souls in Purgatory
• Devotion to the Holy Spirit
• Devotion to the Immaculate Heart of Mary
• Devotion to the Infant Jesus
• Devotion to the Infant of Prague
• Devotion to the Precious Blood
• Devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus
• Devotion to the Saints
• Devotion to the Sorrowful Mother / Devotion to the Seven Sorrows
• Devotion to the Wounds of Jesus
• Divine Mercy Devotion
• First Five Saturday’s Devotion
• First Friday’s Devotion
• Holy Rosary
• Miraculous Medal
• Scapulars
• Stations of the Cross / Way of the Cross
• Three Hail Mary’s Devotion

See the Catholic source here.

The above devotions encourage superstitious and idolatrous perceptions of God and anti-Biblical worship (aka “veneration”) of Mary, the “saints,” or the angels. In its efforts to convert the pagan masses, the Catholic church adapted pagan religious fetishes (amulets, good luck charms, talismans, rabbit feet, juju, etc.) into acceptable and church-sanctioned devotions. Many Catholics become strongly attached to a particular devotion and it becomes the central focus of their religious practice in much the same way as a superstitious juju for a pagan. Catholics aren’t obligated to follow any devotions, but are strongly encouraged to do so and may pick and choose from the church’s thick catalog of options as to whatever strikes their fancy. Many Catholics adopt the devotion/s of one of their parents or those of their favorite priest.

Bible Christians have no need of these superstitious religious fetishes. We have repented of our sin and accepted Jesus Christ as our Savior by faith alone. We commune with the Lord through reading His Word and through prayer to Him. Nothing else is needed.

“But the hour is coming, and is now here, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for the Father is seeking such people to worship him. God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth.” – John 4:23-24

Tomorrow, I will focus on one specific Catholic devotion, the Infant Jesus of Prague.

Welcome to the Weekend Roundup! – News & Views – 5/12/18

• Televangelist Jim Bakker Says Christians Can Survive End of World by Buying His Condos and $150 Water Bottles

Who would give up one second of their time or one nickel to religious con artist, Jim Bakker (above with wife, Lori)?

• Cardinal: Pope’s response to German intercommunion proposal is ‘incomprehensible’
• On German bishops’ proposal, the Pope’s non-decision is revealing

Last week, I posted that liberal German Catholic bishops had encountered conservative resistance to their push for intercommunion with Lutherans. Both factions were summoned to the Vatican where pope Francis directed them to solve the disagreement themselves. This week, some conservative Catholics were railing about Francis’ lack of leadership. After all, deciding doctrinal disputes is supposed to be the infallible pope’s job! But savvy conservatives know Francis DOES have an agenda, it’s just not theirs.

• Outreach or outrage: Catholics react to Met Gala fashion

Conservative Catholics were thrown into a tizzy this week over news of a gala celebrating the opening of “Heavenly Bodies: Fashion and the Catholic Imagination,” a new exhibit at New York City’s Metropolitan Museum of Art, which will be displaying papal robes and accessories from the Sistine Chapel sacristy. Celebrities showed up at the gala wearing costumes “inspired” by Catholic clerical garments. Pop celebrity, Rhianna, wore an outrageous outfit based on the pope’s outrageous garb. Catholics called it all offensive and blasphemous, but true blasphemy is the Catholic sacrifice of the mass, which is staged 350,000 times on Catholic altars every day around the world.

• Seattle isn’t religious — until relics come to town

Padre Pio’s relics are touring across the U.S. and manage to pack near-empty churches wherever they go. Church liberals have attempted to tone down this kind of blatant, superstitious voo doo, but traditional and conservative Catholics still crave this kind of stuff.

• Dr. Phil Exposes ‘Cult’ That Some Say Is Masking Itself as Christian Church in Wells, Texas

Oprah disciple, Dr. Phil, is certainly not the arbiter of what constitutes a cult, but the Church of Wells (Texas) is dangerous. When church leadership controls every aspect of members’ lives, that’s a cult. It was nowhere near as bad as the Wells church, but there were elements of leadership idolatry in the first Bible-preaching church we attended.

• Christian Fans ‘Disappointed’ With U2 for Backing Abortion in Ireland

Some believers heard Bono mention Jesus a few times and overeagerly jumped the gun by claiming him as a fellow Bible Christian.

• Megachurch Pastor to Pope Francis: What You Should Have Told Boy About Atheist Father and Heaven

I initially wasn’t going to post the above news story because I thought it had been kicked around enough, but pastor Standridge has some interesting comments about Francis and the papacy.

• Pope Francis Shares His Vision of the Church in New Documentary – “Pope Francis: A Man of His Word”

The documentary, “Pope Francis: A Man of His Word,” opens in movie theaters across the country next Friday, May 18th. Pshaw! Will traditionalist and conservative Catholics be picketing on the sidewalks outside?

• Catholics had to go to mass this past Thursday, but did they?

Thursday, May 10th was the Feast of the Ascension for Roman Catholics, in which they celebrated the ascension of Jesus into Heaven forty days after Easter. The feast day was a Holy Day of Obligation meaning Catholics were required to attend mass under threat of incurring mortal sin resulting in eternal damnation. But what percentage of Catholics actually attended mass on Thursday? According to church statistics (see here), 65% of Catholics seldom or never attend mass on Holy Days despite the threat of damnation. The ironic thing about the Feast of the Ascension is that Catholics claim to celebrate Jesus’ ascension while at the same time asserting that their priests call Jesus down from Heaven during every mass to be changed into consecrated Jesus wafers and offered as a sacrificial victim for sins. So is Jesus in Heaven or on Catholic altars?

Roman Catholics and Astrology: “Am I a Taurus or an Aries?”

We’re all somewhat familiar with the signs of the Zodiac and horoscopes because they’re so prevalent in our culture. Historians tell us the signs of the Zodiac (Latin zōdiacus: “cycle or circle of little animals”) originated in the 5th century BC in Babylonian astronomy/astrology, which was embraced by the Greek empire, and subsequently embraced by the Roman Empire. Archaeological digs have even unearthed Zodiac mosaics in ancient Jewish synagogues. Yes, even the Bible mentions some of the signs of the Zodiac, although in an objective way (see article far below).

The premise of astrological superstition is that the Earth is influenced by the position of the heavenly bodies throughout the course of an astronomical yearly cycle and that people born within one of the 28-day intervals (specified by one of the thirteen Zodiac “signs”) will exhibit certain distinct personality traits. Astrologers claim to be able to predict the future for individuals based upon their sign or ascertain favorable or unfavorable conditions for supplicants in connection with various endeavors. Daily horoscopes are published in newspapers, which give advice for each sign group. Studies reveal that around 30% of Americans believe in astrology to some degree. One of the favorite ice-breaker “pick-up” lines in American society is “What’s your sign?” Argh!

Why do I bring this up? The other day, I was perusing through some blog posts written by Roman Catholics and one person wrote a post sharing 26 personal items about herself on her 26th birthday. Item # 13 was as follows:

“I am pretty sure my zodiac sign is a Taurus, however, my birthday falls on the cut-off date, so certain charts will show my birthday as Aries.”

Most Catholics have only a shallow understanding of the Bible. For them, mixing a little astrology in with their works religion is good, clean fun and nothing to be embarrassed about. I’m reminded of my deceased mother-in-law* who wasn’t a practicing Catholic (she was excommunicated in the 1950s for remarrying after a divorce), but still considered herself a member of the church and made sure her daughters were educated at Catholic schools. She read her horoscope daily and occasionally had her palms “read” by an astrologer. Catholicism itself is a syncretic mixture of paganism and (c)hristianity, so it magnanimously “looks the other way” in regards to these excursions into “harmless” amusements.

Could a blood-bought, born-again follower of Jesus Christ become enmeshed in the Zodiac and horoscopes? Why would they? Does not compute. If a person is walking with the Lord and filled with the indwelling Holy Spirit, the last thing they would need or want to do is consult with the pagan Zodiac and horoscopes. Who would choose to eat out of a maggot-infested garbage can when they’re seated at THE wedding feast?

“And beware not to lift up your eyes to heaven and see the sun and the moon and the stars, all the host of heaven, and be drawn away and worship them and serve them, those which the LORD your God has allotted to all the peoples under the whole heaven.” – Deuteronomy 4:19

*Praise God, my mother-in-law accepted Jesus Christ as her Savior by faith alone shortly before her death.

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What does the Bible say about astrology or the zodiac? Is astrology something a Christian should study?
https://www.gotquestions.org/astrology-Bible.html

Ruminations on All Saints and All Souls Days

The Roman Catholic church’s yearly liturgical calendar is full of solemnities, feast days, and memorials. If you don’t know the difference between the three categories, you need to consult the Catholic encyclopedia. Anyway, yesterday Catholicism celebrated All Saints Day (a solemnity) and today it marks All Souls Day (a feast day). In brief, on All Saints Day, Catholics pay homage to ALL the “saints” who allegedly merited Heaven by living holy lives. Catholics celebrate the feast days of certain very popular saints throughout the year and All Saints Day gives them a chance to honor all the lower-profile, “bench-warmer” saints who don’t merit individual feast days on the official church calendar.

Today, All Souls Day, Catholics pray for the souls of the deceased who are allegedly in purgatory. Catholicism teaches purgatory is a way station for those souls who need to be cleansed of venial sins or for the remaining temporal punishment for forgiven mortal sins before they can enter Heaven. Catholics arrange for masses to be offered up as indulgences to shorten the time a deceased loved one must endure purgatory. Various other indulgences can also be applied. Many souls do not have family or friends assisting them out of purgatory, so the indulgences from the masses and prayers on All Souls Day are applied to the forgotten suffering souls in purgatory.

[Sigh]

Of course, none of the above is Scriptural. The Bible says everyone who accepts Jesus Christ as Savior by faith alone is a saint. The Bible speaks of no intermediate cleansing station like purgatory. The doctrine of purgatory denies the ability of Christ to cleanse those who trust in Him as Savior from all sin.

“But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin.” – 1 John 1:7

In the Gospel of Luke 23:39-43, Jesus told the repentant thief on the cross that He would bring him into Paradise that very day. There is no purgatory for those who have accepted Jesus Christ as Savior by faith alone.

Most American Catholics have no clue about the meaning of All Saints Day and All Souls Day. Yesterday, All Saints Day, was a holy day of obligation, meaning all Catholics were required to attend mass under pain of mortal sin and eternal damnation, but of course, the VAST majority didn’t bother. They can’t make it to mass on Sunday let alone during the week.

Catholics in America are generally very casual about All Saints-All Souls but that’s not the case in some countries. In Poland, the land of my paternal ancestors, they celebrate/reverence All Saints and All Souls Days with a devotion that would shock American Catholics. During “Zaduszki” (the day of prayer for dead souls), the entire country shuts down and millions visit the graves of family members to pray and leave behind flowers and lighted candles. A great amount of superstition and pagan-(c)hristian syncretism marks these two “holy days.” The dead spirits are believed to visit their old homes and warm themselves while enjoying the commemorative meal left for them. A bench is provided close to the hearth with a dish of water, a comb, and a towel so that the dead souls can wash themselves and comb their hair. Household activities are restricted so as not to interfere with the movements of the dead spirits. Bread is brought to the cemeteries along with the flowers and candles for the deceased to enjoy.

For more on the customs of Zaduszki, see here. The citizens of predominantly Catholic countries are notorious for mixing overtly pagan practices with their (c)hristian religion.

What does the Bible say about Purgatory?
https://www.gotquestions.org/purgatory.html

Curious minds want to know: Are blessings transferable?

Catholics are taught that their priests are endowed with unique powers to bless material objects. When a priest blesses an object he allegedly imparts spiritual qualities to the item, which then bestow physical and spiritual benefits to the owner. Catholics bring their religious objects like rosaries, crucifixes, candles, medals, scapulars, prayer books, and statues to their parish priest for his blessing. Once an item has been blessed by a priest, it is considered to be a “holy” sacramental. A sacramental that is no longer wanted or is in poor condition may not be disposed of in the trash but must be buried or incinerated. Catholics also arrange for their priests to bless non-religious items like their houses, cars, and boats.

Today I was listening to the 5/12/17 podcast of the “Calling All Catholics” talk radio show (The Station of the Cross, WLOF, 101.7 FM, Buffalo, NY) featuring moderator Mike Denz and priest host, Dave Baker, taking questions from the listening audience and there was an interesting query about priestly blessings:

Mike Denz: We have a question about blessings from one of our listeners who emailed in. It starts off, “If your car has been blessed and you sell it, does the blessing expire or end with the new owner?”

Priest Baker didn’t sound all too sure in his response but conjectured that the blessing upon the car and anyone who travels in it remains intact even after the transfer of ownership UNLESS the new owner does something “to kick the blessing out” by being involved in a way of life that is “completely out of synch with the spirit of Christ.” Baker admitted that he wasn’t sure in such a case if the blessing leaves immediately or gradually fades away over time.

Denz then referred to the second part of the same listener’s question, which asked why the mandatory rule regarding burying or burning of unneeded or worn out blessed religious objects doesn’t also apply to unwanted homes, cars, boats, motorcycles (or airplanes, farm tractors, space shuttles, nuclear submarines, etc.) that were also blessed?

Priest Baker got a condescending chuckle over that one and patiently explained that religious objects are blessed and “consecrated” as items used in worship while blessed dwellings and vehicles aren’t consecrated and therefore don’t have to be ceremonially disposed of.

Is your head spinning yet? All of these teachings and regulations about blessings are man-made and nowhere to be found in the New Testament. Come out of ritualistic religion and accept Jesus Christ as your Savior by faith alone.

“If I take off my scapular prior to surgery and die on the operating table, will I still go to Heaven?”

This morning I was listening to the 1/13/17 podcast of the “Calling All Catholics” talk radio show broadcast on the Station of the Cross, 101.7 FM, Buffalo, NY, with Catholic priest, Dave Baker, and moderator, Mike Denz, taking questions from listeners.

Towards the end of the show, Mike read a question sent in from “Kim” in Rochester, NY regarding the brown scapular. But first, a little background:

Catholic tradition posits that the Blessed Virgin Mary appeared to Carmelite friar, Simon Stock, in Aylesford, England in 1251 and presented him and his religious order with a brown scapular (a ceremonial apron), proclaiming, “the one who dies in it will be saved.” A smaller version of the scapular, basically two strings with patches of wool on each end that is draped over the head and rests on the shoulders (see photo of Catholic traditionalist, Mel Gibson, wearing his scapular), was created in the late-1500s so that lay people could also benefit from the scapular. A priest must first bless the scapular in order for it to transmit its advantages to the wearer. Untold millions of Catholics have worn the small, brown scapular over the last 430 years, believing that wearing the sacramental would earn or help earn their salvation as the Marian apparition had allegedly promised.

Okay, now let’s get back to Kim’s question. She asked, “If you have the brown scapular but you are having surgery and aren’t allowed to wear it, do the protections and benefits that it provides still apply if something happens?”

Priest Dave and Mike discussed this one for several minutes and concluded that while it’s extremely important to wear the scapular in order to gain Mary’s promise of salvation, there are probably some circumstances when it’s permissible to remove it temporarily such as during surgery, taking a shower, or while swimming. However, they acknowledged that some priests would advise that the benefits of the scapular would only be in effect if it was being worn. Dave and Mike also made sure to add in that the scapular wouldn’t do a person any good if they weren’t following the other teachings of the church. Dave also said that if a scapular becomes worn out, it can be replaced with a new one which does not need to be blessed. The blessing of the old one is grandfathered to the new. But hold on!!!! If the wearer of a brown Carmelite scapular switches to a different color scapular (red, black, blue, white, or green), Dave said they will need to have a priest bless the new one because each of the different colored scapulars has its own distinct protocols. Got that? Are you dizzy yet?

Can this ex-Catholic and born-again follower of Jesus Christ ask just a couple of questions?

1) Dave and Mike said a person needs to be following the prescribed teachings of the church for the scapular to be effective, but if a Catholic were already following the teachings of the church  – receiving the sacraments and obeying the Ten Commandments (impossible!) and church rules – why would they need a scapular? Well, in works-righteous Catholicism the thinking goes that every little bit helps.

2) Dave opines an individual who dies without the scapular can still earn the promise of salvation if it was removed for a “legitimate” reason (surgery, swimming, showering, etc.), but other priests disagree and say the promise is null and void as soon as the scapular is removed. Who is right?

If you’re a blood-bought, born-again follower of Jesus Christ, you know all of the above is sheer anti-Scriptural superstition. But to a Roman Catholic trying to merit their way to Heaven, it all makes perfect sense.

“This people honors me with their lips, but their heart is far from me; in vain do they worship me, teaching as doctrines the commandments of men. You leave the commandment of God and hold to the tradition of men.” Mark 7:6-8

Come out of religious legalism and ritualism and accept Jesus Christ as your Savior.

https://www.gotquestions.org/sinners-prayer.html

Fragment of “true cross” stolen from a Catholic church?

News sources report a fragment of the “True Cross” was recently stolen from St. Dominic’s Roman Catholic church in San Francisco, California (photo shows empty case after theft). See one of the news stories far below.

According to legend, Helena, the mother of Roman Emperor, Constantine, traveled to Palestine around 326-328 AD in search of relics associated with Jesus Christ and allegedly discovered the actual cross that Jesus was crucified upon. She supposedly took a portion of the cross back to Constantinople but left the majority of it in Jerusalem. The invading Catholic crusaders of the Middle Ages were said to have taken fragments of the cross from Constantinople back to Europe. Many Catholic churches claimed to have a fragment of the cross. John Calvin coyly remarked:

“There is no abbey so poor as not to have a specimen. In some places there are large fragments, as at the Holy Chapel in Paris, at Poitiers, and at Rome, where a good-sized crucifix is said to have been made of it. In brief, if all the pieces that could be found were collected together, they would make a big ship-load. Yet the Gospel testifies that a single man was able to carry it.”

What are Christians to make of all of this? Did Helena actually discover Jesus’s actual cross 300 years after His crucifixion? The chances of that happening would have been most assuredly less than zero. But this whole “true cross” business is an interesting example of Catholic syncretism. Roman paganism relied heavily on amulets, talismans, and other good luck charms. Possessing such articles portended good health and prosperity. As the early church transitioned from simple, saving faith in Jesus Christ to institutionalized religious legalism, it borrowed from paganism and proclaimed that relics and other physical objects (candles, holy water, medals, crucifixes, etc.) would obtain blessings for the possessor or worshipper. Consequently, religious objects and ritual became the focus rather than seeking a right spiritual relationship with the Creator. Accumulating a few famous relics assured a church a steady stream of money-paying pilgrims eager to receive blessings.

“They exchanged the truth about God for a lie, and worshiped and served created things rather than the Creator—who is forever praised. Amen.” – Romans 1:25

Material objects mean nothing. If one person possessed Jesus’s entire cross, His crown of thorns, the whip that shredded His back, and the nails that held Him to the cross it would do them absolutely no good. It’s all worthless garbage. Repent of your sins. Accept Jesus Christ as you Savior by faith.

“God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth.” – John 4:24

“See to it that no one takes you captive by philosophy and empty deceit, according to human tradition, according to the elemental spirits of the world, and not according to Christ.” – Colossians 2:8

“Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal, but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” – Matthew 6:19-21

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Relic Believed to Be Fragment of ‘True Cross’ Missing From Catholic Church
http://abcnews.go.com/US/relic-believed-fragment-true-cross-stolen-catholic-church/story?id=41565832

Read more about the legendary “true cross” here.

Rules about “holy water.” Who knew?!?!

Today, I was listening to the April 8, 2016 podcast of the “Calling All Catholics” talk radio show on the Station of the Cross, 101.7 FM, out of Buffalo, New York. This particular broadcast featured Catholic priest, Dave Baker, and moderator, Rick Paolini, taking questions from listeners.

During the show, Rick related how he and his wife often volunteered at the Divine Mercy Shrine in Stockbridge, Massachusetts. According to Rick, visitors often bring empty receptacles and fill them with blessed “holy water” provided by the shrine from large dispensers kept outside. One winter day, a gentleman showed up with “14 or 15” plastic containers to fill up for his friends, but it was so cold outside that most of the holy water in the shrine’s dispensers had frozen. The gentleman improvised by filling each of his containers with just a little unfrozen holy water, saying he would return home and fill them to the brim with tap water before distributing them to his friends. Rick was troubled by this and asked father Baker if it was copacetic to dilute holy water as the gentleman had done. Father Dave answered that it was okay to dilute holy water, but the ratio of holy water to tap water had to be greater than 50 percent otherwise the holy water would lose its “holiness.”

Huh? Are you serious?

Catholics believe water blessed by a priest can bring great spiritual and temporal benefits to people and objects that come in contact with it. Catholics dip their fingers in holy water fonts at church and make the sign of the cross on their shoulders and forehead. Zealously pious Catholics often have holy water fonts in their homes. At Catholic religious services and events you can often see the officiating cleric blessing the crowd by sprinkling holy water on them.

Holy water has its roots in pagan amulets and talismans. There’s nothing in the Bible that hints at anything like holy water (see the comments section for clarification on Numbers 5). The Bible reader can’t imagine the apostles or disciples of the early church using pagan holy water. Father Dave says holy water can’t be diluted by more than 49 percent tap water. Really? Where do Catholics come up with these exacting ecclesiastical rubrics? The poor, deluded gentleman and his fifteen friends were unknowingly blessing themselves with holy water that had no holiness. Not that the results were ANY different either way.

Friends, none of this scrupulous and superstitious ritualism saves. Salvation is as simple as the story of the thief on the cross. Repent of your sins. Turn to Jesus Christ. Accept Him as your Savior by faith. Then ask the Lord to lead you to an evangelical church in your area that teaches His Word without compromise. You’ll never need another drop of holy water ever again. Jesus is all you need!

“I have spread out My hands all day long to a rebellious people, who walk in the way which is not good, following their own thoughts, a people who continually provoke Me to My face, offering sacrifices in gardens and burning incense on bricks.” – Isaiah 65:2-3

Nope, we’re not done with holy water rules quite yet. How do Catholics correctly dispose of holy water? Since holy water is a blessed sacramental, you can’t just flush it down the toilet like a bad clam. Excess holy water or holy water that’s become foul must be poured directly onto the ground or on plants growing outside.