When we compare the Catholic Church with 43,000 schisms, it is clear that one bet is best. As far as having our souls attain eternal joy, it’s safest to be Catholic. The Bible tells us so! Today’s reading includes the Response from 1 John 2:5, “Whoever keeps the word of Christ, the love of God is truly perfected in him.”
That brief passage reminds us of one thing: It’s safest to be Catholic! Consider some passages that describe “the word of Christ” we are called to keep.
1. John 6: 53 “If you do not eat My Body and drink My Blood you do not have life in you.” Only Catholics may keep His Word by receiving His Body and Blood in Holy Communion.
2. Mt. 16: 18-20 “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.” Only those who are in The Only Church He Founded keep this word of Christ. Those in man-made schisms cannot completely keep Christ’s word.
3. John 20-: 21-13 “. . . and He said to them ‘Peace be with you. As The Father has sent me, so I am sending you.’ After saying this He breathed on them and said: ‘Receive The Holy Spirit, for those whose sins you forgive they are forgiven; for those whose sins you retain, they are retained.'” Only Catholics may receive Absolution after making a good Confession.
4. Luke 6: 45 “Why do you call me ‘Lord, Lord!’ and not do what I tell you?” Nearly every non-Catholic Christian calls Jesus “Lord.”, but none of them “keeps the word of Christ”.
And, that brings us back to Today’s Response and the passages that precede it:
Warning to non-Catholics: 1 John 2: 1-5 “Those who say ‘I know Him.’ but do not keep His commandments are liars and the truth is not in them. But, whoever keeps the word of Christ, the love of God is truly perfected in him.” As we see in the four preceding passages, only Catholics may “keep the word of Christ”.
Today’s Gospel Reading goes into greater detail about the basic natures of those who pretend to “keep the word of Christ” but do not. Just as scribes and Pharisees claimed to be faithful, even while plotting to kill Jesus, so those who do not ‘keep the word of Christ” today, but pretend to do so, are described. Those in 43,000 schisms water down His words in favor of their own:
Mt 23:27-32 Jesus said, “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, you hypocrites. You are like whitewashed tombs, which appear beautiful on the outside, but inside are full of dead men’s bones and every kind of filth. Even so, on the outside you appear righteous, but inside you are filled with hypocrisy and evildoing.”
And, what happens to these people? Jesus says they are doomed to “woe”.
“Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, you hypocrites. You build the tombs of the prophets and adorn the memorials of the righteous, and you say, ‘If we had lived in the days of our ancestors, we would not have joined them in shedding the prophets’ blood.’ Thus you bear witness against yourselves that you are the children of those who murdered the prophets; now fill up what your ancestors measured out!”
In every age since Jesus, those who have eyes cannot help but see that it’s safest to be Catholic.
