He Who Fulfilled the Prophecies was Truth, or He wasn’t. Each chooses to obey all, some, or none of His instructions.
His most repeated instruction? Jesus repeated one instruction, despite hostile disagreement from followers, twelve times in the short passage between John 6:33 and John 6:66. He repeated it at least six more times in The Last Supper Accounts of Matthew, Mark, and Luke.
He said, 18 times, “If you do not eat My Body and drink My Blood you do not have life in you.” His specific instruction tells us to receive Catholic Communion. Jesus said, 18 times: “Be Catholic!”
Catholics believe and obey. Our priests are Ordained in Living Link with His Ordination of The Apostles. In Mt 16: 18-20 and John 20:23, Jesus gave those He Ordained the power to forgive sins so the obedient could be made fit for the Holy Food they were authorized to provide by His empowerment: “Do this in memory of Me.”
The Big Questions for Protestantism in every generation:
“If I have knowingly refused to receive His Body and Blood from a Catholic priest empowered to provide it, can my soul have ‘life in’ it?” and “If my soul is ‘dead’ can it get into Heaven?”
Those who fear the pains of hell connect “If you do not eat My Body and drink My Blood you do not have life in you.” with “Verily, verily I say unto you thou art Peter and on this rock I build My Church and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. I give you the keys to The Kingdom of Heaven.” We ask the frightening question: “Can those keys be used to open the door for those who refused to obey He Who ordained the doorkeeper?”
Those who follow His instruction to worthily receive His Body and Blood are among those of whom He says: “You are My friends if you obey My commands.”
We may be on the fringes, but we are there!
