We see what happened when The First Protestant Establishment met The First Catholic Pope and Christ’s “most beloved” Catholic Disciple/Bishop in Jerusalem!
“Observing the boldness of Peter and John and perceiving them to be uneducated, ordinary men, the leaders, elders, and scribes were amazed, and they recognized them as the companions of Jesus.”
The Bible tells us in Acts 4:13-21 that those in what had become The First Protestant Establishment were “Struck Dumb”: “Then, when they saw the man who had been cured standing there with them, they could say nothing in reply.”
The First Protestant Establishment did what they always do! They have “meetings” with each other: “So they ordered Peter and John to leave the Sanhedrin, and conferred with one another, saying, ‘What are we to do with these men? Everyone in Jerusalem knows that a remarkable sign was done through them, and we cannot deny it.”
Those in The First Protestant Establishment could have believed The Church-Creating Word of He Who Fulfilled the Messianic Prophecies that still leaves them speechless: “And 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.”
The First Protestant Establishment, like the 5,000 men and families in Jerusalem, could have stopped arguing with God and His Prophets. They could have become Catholic. They could have gotten their immortal souls into Heaven with The Seven Catholic Sacraments: Baptism, Confession/Absolution, Communion, Confirmation, Marriage, Healiing, and God’s Holy Orders that brought God’s “keys to The Kingdom of Heaven” to earth.
Despite their disrespectful disobedience to their own Prophets, they could understand what every Catholic knows: “Everyone living in Jerusalem knows that a remarkable sign was done through them, and we cannot deny it.” So, they did what Every Protestant Establishment does, and decreed: “But so that it may not be spread any further among the people, let us give them a stern warning never to speak to anyone in This Name.”
Those leaders of what The Messiah had turned into The First Protestant Establishment were, as every Catholic knows, referring to “This Name” of Jesus, identifying He Who Fulfilled The Messianic Prophecies. They could not sanely argue with His Healing Power, especially with the living miracle of the “man born crippled” literally dancing in joy in front of them!
For 2,000 years, Every Protestant Establishment in the world has “threatened them (Catholics!) further” because “they could find no way to punish them” for putting the love of God’s Word “before” them. History tells us how often extreme Protestant Establishments, like Episcopalians in England and Muslims in Africa, who say they “honor Jesus as a prophet”, persecute and kill as many Catholics as they can.
The Sacrament-Receiving souls are all in Heaven. There, they ask God: “Please, be patient with those confused by 2,000 years of Protestant Establishments! Many of them regret not Being Catholic. May they all be blessed to ask You to forgive their disrespectful disobedience before their souls leave their bodies.”
~
Today’s Simple Rhyme: “The First Commandment Catholics see: / ‘Have no gods before Me!’ / says The Holy Trinity!”
~
