A few days ago, an ambitious young schismatic insulted me for defending The Only Church Jesus Founded. As his arguments were patiently rebutted, his insults increased.
Soon, I found myself in a rare state of grace: Blessed by old Protestant insults. The very worst he thought he could do was to call me “Papist.” When angry extremists in the 43,000 schisms call a Catholic “Papist”, they think they have won the argument. The opposite is true. It’s easy to show how anger destroys the ability to think well.
Both history and The Bible say that the first Pope, even before the name existed, was St. Peter. The other Apostles, appointed and ordained by Jesus, accepted Peter’s authority. The Apostles were the first “Papists”. Do anti-Catholics insult the Apostles by calling them “Papists!”?
Anti-Catholics avoid seeing how very clear Jesus was when He announced that He was putting Peter in charge. His words in Mt. 16: 18-20 are plain and direct: “And so I say to you, you are Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. I will give you the keys to the Kingdom of Heaven. Whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in Heaven; and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in Heaven.”
Jesus clearly appointed one man to lead The Only Church He Founded. He gave Peter and The Only Church He Founded the “keys to the Kingdom of Heaven” He gave him, and The Only Church He Founded, the power to forgive sins on earth that are forgiven in Heaven. Are those who followed The Jesus and the Apostle’s teaching for the next two thousand years all to be derided for being “Papists”?
What drives the pretentious young man who insults me by saying “Papist”. Is the real reason for his anger because Jesus only founded One Church and it wasn’t the one he’s in? Does he think Jesus was wrong because He gave Peter and successive Popes the Keys to Heaven? Is he angry because Jesus only gave The Church He Founded the power to forgive sins?
There is a lump of anger in their hearts. Virulent anti-Catholics are really mad because Jesus didn’t make them Pope. That is at the heart of their rage.
I am grateful that the angry, young schismatic decided I should be: Blessed by old Protestant insults. He, was too angry and self-righteous to realize that Mt. 5:11 is very clear. “Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me.”
Thank you for your blessing, you silly, angry man.
