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Freedom from Religious
Bondage and Deception
by Mike Gendron of Proclaiming the Gospel-http://proclaimingthegospel.org/
Former Catholics have described their experience of participating in the weekly Sacrifice of the Mass as a "prison sentence" that was, for the most part, repetitious and boring. They remember attendance at the Mass as being a requirement to avoid committing a mortal sin and incurring the penalty of eternal damnation. The expression on the long, drawn faces of many Catholics during Mass revealed their lack of joy for having to be there. They were not there to worship God in spirit and truth but to fulfill the unbiblical laws of their religion. According to the Catechism of the Catholic Church (CCC, para. 2180), "On Sundays and other holy days of obligation the faithful are bound to participate in the Mass." Why is this law so demanding? Why are Catholics compelled to participate in the mindless ritual of standing, sitting, kneeling and genuflecting as priests perform their religious duties? Why are Catholics not given the freedom to attend religious services out of love and adoration for their god? The answers are found in the deceptive dogmas of the Catholic Church.
Catholics must attend the weekly sacrifice of the Eucharist in order for the sins committed during the previous week to be forgiven. According to the Catechism, "The Eucharist is a sacrifice because it re-presents the sacrifice of the cross...the sacrifice of Christ and the sacrifice of the Eucharist are one single sacrifice: The victim is one and the same. In this divine sacrifice...the same Christ who offered himself once in a bloody manner on the altar of the cross is contained and is offered in an unbloody manner...this sacrifice is truly propitiatory" (CCC para. 1366,1367). In other words, Catholics are taught that divine justice (for their sins) is satisfied every time the Eucharist is offered to God.
Catholics are also taught that their redemption comes through the ongoing sacrifice of the Eucharist. "Every time this mystery is celebrated, the work of our redemption is carried on" (CCC, para. 1405). This blatantly denies the testimony of Scripture.
When Jesus ascended into heaven, He "entered the holy place once for all, having obtained eternal redemption" (Heb. 9:12).
Catholics are given no choice but to believe these deceptive teachings. If they deny the physical presence of Jesus in the Eucharist, they are condemned by their religion. "If anyone denies, that in the sacrament of the most Holy Eucharist, are contained truly, really and substantially the body and blood together with the soul and divinity of our Lord Jesus Christ, and consequently the whole Christ...let him be anathema" (Canon 1, Council of Trent).
Only the truth of God's Word can set Catholics free from religious bondage (John 8:31-32). "The God who is Lord of heaven and earth, does not dwell in tabernacles made with hands; neither is He offered with human hands...the Divine Nature is not like gold, or silver or stone" (Acts 17:23-29). In other words, the divine nature of Christ is not like flour and water, or an image formed by the thoughts of ungodly men. The Lord Jesus Christ cannot be offered by the hands of sinful priests. Jesus Christ, the perfect High Priest, offered Himself, the perfect sacrifice, once for all sin for all time, to a perfect God who demands perfection. He then cried out in victory, "It is finished!" There are no more offerings for sin (Hebrews 10:18). We must call our Catholic friends and loved ones to repentance and faith in the true Christ who must be worshipped in Spirit and truth (John 4:24). It was through Christ's once-for-all death, burial and resurrection, divine justice was satisfied, redemption was paid, sins were forgiven, reconciliation was achieved, death was conquered, and salvation was secured for His people! What a glorious Savior!
