Cafeteria Christians pick and choose the Scriptures they believe. Most schismatics love parts of this week's Sunday Reading: 2 Gal 2:16, 19-21 "Brothers and sisters, We who know that a person is not justified by works of the law but through faith in Jesus Christ, even we have believed in Christ Jesus that we may be justified by faith in Christ and not by works of the law, because by works of the law no one will be justified. For through the law I died to the law, that I might live for God. I have been crucified with Christ; yet I live, no longer I, but Christ lives in me; insofar as I now live in the flesh, I live by faith in the Son of God who has loved me and given himself up for me. I do not nullify the grace of God; for if justification comes through the law, then Christ died for nothing. (Schismatics find their beliefs justified by this reading. It is mother's milk to them. They get to repeat their great love for Jesus, their boundless belief in Him, and go on and on about how important Jesus is to "me, personally". Catholics ask: "If you 'live by faith in the Son of God', why do you ignore what Jesus says." Schismatic: "I don't ignore what Jesus says." Catholic: "Jesus said to the first Pope, "Thou art Peter, and on this rock, I build My Church." If you 'lived by faith in the Son of God', wouldn't you be in His Church?" Schismatic: I am in His Church. Catholic: You are in one of over 30,000 schisms. Do you believe Jesus was telling the truth when He said: "If you do not eat My Body and drink My Blood, you do not have life in you."? Schismatic: "I live by faith in the Son of God." Catholic: Let me ask again: "Do you believe Jesus was telling the truth when He said: "If you do not eat My Body and drink My Blood, you do not have life in you."? This conversation can go on and on and on. As it progresses, the schismatic is increasingly unable to deal effectively with "If you do not eat My Body and drink My Blood, you do not have life in you." Soon, the schismatic will begin quoting almost random passages. You will notice that they do not "live by faith in the Son of God." They live in faith of a selective belief in a selective number of passages that ignore the need for The Sacraments. Why are they so selective? Why can't they see that their selectivity keeps every schismatic from greater truths? This Sunday's Gospel Reading, includes Luke, 8:2 "Accompanying him were the Twelve and some women who had been cured of evil spirits and infirmities, including Mary, called Magdalene, from whom seven demons had gone out," It is clear that Mary,called Magdalene had not followed Jesus while she had seven demons twisting her thoughts. Once those demons were gone, she was able to follow Jesus all the way to His death and Resurrection. When the schismatics get their demons out, they can follow Jesus. They can receive The Sacraments. They can take Communion, His Body and Blood, in the only place on earth it can be found. They can have life in them.
