naijadeyhia: Please all my catholic apologetics please indulge me by answering this question:

WHO IS THE HOLY SPIRIT AND WHY IS THE HOLY SPIRIT GIVEN TO BELIEVERS (THE CHURCH)?

The Holy Spirit is the 3rd person of the Blessed Trinity, and the one most active in the world today. He is the Paraclete of the Church Militant. The Bible says that the Holy Spirit created the world (Genesis 1:2), led Jesus into the desert (Matthew 4:1), comes to us at Confirmation (Acts 8:18), and intercedes for us in sighs that we cannot understand (Romans 8:26). In Luke 1:35, The Holy Spirit came upon Mary,and the power of the Most High overshadowed her; therefore the child she bore was called holy,the Son of God."

Here's Why the Church is given the Holy Spirit
John 16:13: When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth; for he will not speak on his own authority, but whatever he hears he will speak, and he will declare to you the things that are to come. Does this sound like you should read the Bible alone and interpret it the way you understand? NO.

Need healing of mind/body/soul/tongue/emotions? Invoke the Holy Spirit. Inviting the Holy Spirit to take over your life is strength for the journey of the rest of your life! Just look at how Peter's life (he went from being a weak Jesus-denying coward to become a totally fearless evangelist) was changed when the Holy Spirit took over his life. The same thing can happen to each and every one of us ! All of these changes may not happen overnight, but in God's good time.

Always remember that The Holy Spirit is a person, like Jesus, and like God the Father. The Holy Spirit is not some kind of generic force, like lightning or love. The Holy Spirit IS A PERSON.

Thou Art Peter
One of the great divides between Catholics and protestants (those who protest against the Catholic Church) is the role of Peter. Catholics claim that Jesus himself made Peter his earthly successor as the leader of His newly created Church, while protestants believe that Peter was just another apostle. Let’s check out these claims using sacred scripture as our guide.

In John 1:42, Jesus changes the Apostle Simon’s name to Cephas, or Peter, a name which means “Rock”. Now we know from scripture that Jesus is the Rock, or Cornerstone (1 Corinthians 10:4). Therefore, it can be assumed from this name change that Jesus is handing on to Peter what He Himself is, Rock.

John 1:41-42: He first found his brother Simon, and said to him, "We have found the Messiah" (which means Christ). He brought him to Jesus. Jesus looked at him, and said, "So you are Simon the son of John? You shall be called Cephas" (which means Peter).

(**NOTE - The above scripture totally negates the protestant argument that Jesus called Peter "petros" or "petras", which is Greek. Jesus spoke Aramaic, which means that he called Peter "Cephas", which means "Rock" in Aramaic.)

The difference, of course, is that Jesus is “The Rock”, while Peter is “A Rock”. This changing of names follows a very important pattern in scripture – Abram (father) became Abraham (father of many nations). Jacob (He who grasps the heel) became Israel (Ruling with God) when his mission was changed when he become the father of 12 tribes of the nation of Israel. Notice carefully that Abraham and Jacob became leaders and fathers following their name change. A male name change in the bible indicates leadership and fatherhood.

In Matthew 16:18, Jesus creates and builds His Church (not "churches" on Peter, the Rock. Notice also that even hell can't stop the everlasting existence of His Church.

"And I say to you, that you are Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hell shall not prevail against it. "

In the following verse 19, Jesus gives Peter the keys to the kingdom.

"And I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven. And whatever you shall bind on earth shall be bound, even in heaven. And whatever you shall loose on earth shall be loosed, even in heaven.”

This is a direct parallel with the Old Testament Isaiah 22:20-24:
And this shall be in that day: I will call my servant Eliakim, the son of Hilkiah. And I will clothe him with your vestment, and I will strengthen him with your belt, and I will give your authority to his hand. And he shall be like a father to the inhabitants of Jerusalem and to the house of Judah. And I will place the key of the house of David upon his shoulder. And when he opens, no one will close. And when he closes, no one will open. And I will fasten him like a peg in a trustworthy place. And he will be upon a throne of glory in the house of his father. And they will suspend over him all the glory of his father’s house: various kinds of vessels and every little article, from the vessels of bowls even to every instrument of music.

Modern day bible readers may not understand the meaning of what giving Peter the keys to the kingdom means, but the people who were actually there when Jesus said it understood it completely. The Old Testament parallel which they were all familiar with in Isaiah said that Eliakim would have the complete authority of King David, the ultimate great ruler of Israel. He would have his throne of glory while ruling in his place. Being a peg in a trustworthy place is akin to the center pole of a tent that holds up the entire tent. It has to stand tall and straight for the entire tent to stand up. And besides being a ruler, he would also be a father, or papa. Catholics refer to this “papa” figure as Pope. According to Matthew 16:19, Jesus said that Peter would have the power to bind and loose anything on earth, and Peter’s decision would also be bound and loosed in heaven. Most protestant churches do not believe in that kind of authority by any man on earth, but there it is, right there in the Bible. In Matthew 14:29, we learn that the only apostle to walk on water like Jesus was Peter!

In John 21:15-17, Jesus directs Peter to feed his sheep.

Then, when they had dined, Jesus said to Simon Peter, “Simon, son of John, do you love me more than these?” He said to him, “Yes, Lord, you know that I love you.” He said to him, “Feed my lambs.” He said to him again: “Simon, son of John, do you love me?” He said to him, “Yes, Lord, you know that I love you.” He said to him, “Feed my lambs.” He said to him a third time, “Simon, son of John, do you love me?” Peter was very grieved that he had asked him a third time, “Do you love me?” And so he said to him: “Lord, you know all things. You know that I love you.” He said to him, “Feed my sheep."

Notice that Jesus tells this to Peter three times, the exact number of times that Peter denied him. The fact that Jesus told Peter this, and no other, indicates that Jesus considers Peter to be the leader of His Church on earth, not John, James, or Matthew.

In Luke 22:31-32, Jesus tells Peter that satan wants to sift him like wheat.

“And the Lord said: “Simon, Simon! Behold, Satan has asked for you, so that he may sift you like wheat. But I have prayed for you, so that your faith may not fail, and so that you, once converted, may confirm your brothers.”

Notice satan didn’t ask for any other apostle to sift. Why? Because satan knows that if he gets the leader, the rest will scatter (remember how the Philistines scattered after David killed Goliath? Remember how the apostles took off after Jesus was captured in the Garden of Gethsemane? (And by the way, Satan is using that exact same method today; using church scandals with the leaders to make the rest of us flee The Church). Jesus then tells Peter that He has prayed for HIM, so that HIS faith will not fail, so that he can be completely converted, and then HE can strengthen the other apostles. Sounds like a leadership conference, doesn’t it?

In John 20:3-6, the younger John and the older Peter both run to the tomb of Jesus to see for themselves if Christ had risen or not. The younger John gets there first, but deferring to his leader, does not go in, leaving that honor to Peter.

"Peter then came out with the other disciple, and they went toward the tomb. They both ran, but the other disciple outran Peter and reached the tomb first; and stooping to look in, he saw the linen cloths lying there, but he did not go in. Then Simon Peter came, following him, and went into the tomb; he saw the linen cloths lying"

In Acts 1:15-26, a meeting is held to replace Judas, led by Peter.

In those days, Peter, rising up in the midst of the brothers, said (now the crowd of men altogether was about one hundred and twenty): “Noble brothers, the Scripture must be fulfilled, which the Holy Spirit predicted by the mouth of David about Judas, who was the leader of those who apprehended Jesus.

This is a proof text for apostolic succession, by the way. The leader of this meeting is none other than Peter. Matthias is chosen as the new 12th apostle.

In Acts 2:14, at Pentecost, it is Peter preaching the sermon, after all of the apostles were empowered by the Holy Spirit.

But Peter, standing up with the eleven, lifted up his voice, and he spoke to them: “Men of Judea, and all those who are staying in Jerusalem, let this be known to you, and incline your ears to my words."

Later on, in Acts 3:6-8, the first post-Pentecost miracle is performed by Peter.

But Peter said: “Silver and gold is not mine. But what I have, I give to you. In the name of Jesus Christ the Nazarene, rise up and walk.” And taking him by the right hand, he lifted him up. And immediately his legs and feet were strengthened. And leaping up, he stood and walked around. And he entered with them into the temple, walking and leaping and praising God.

When Ananias and Sapphira lied about the money they were giving to the Church, in Acts 5:1-10, it was Peter who inflicted their punishment (death).

When God decided that all foods were now okay to eat, God revealed it to Peter in a dream, Acts 10:9-16. The doing away with Kosher food dietary laws was a VERY big deal in Jewish culture. The fact that it was revealed to Peter indicates leadership.

It was Peter who baptized the first Gentiles into His Church, in Acts 10:44-48.

Whenever the list of Apostles is given it is always Peter who is listed first, in Matthew 10:2-4, Mark 3:16-19, Luke 6:14-16, and Acts 1:13.

In Galatians 1:18, we learn that St. Paul, before beginning his public ministry, spent 15 days with Peter. Wouldn't you have loved to hear those conversations!

Then after three years I went up to Jerusalem to visit Cephas, and remained with him fifteen days.

In the Old Testament, there was the authoritarian Seat of Moses (Matthew 23:2), which was handed down to Joshua and subsequent Jewish leaders after Moses’ death. The New Testament Chair of Peter is directly analogous to the Old Testament Seat of Moses.

Let no one fool you brethren.

naijadeyhia:


The remarkable thing, however, about Peter’s alleged bishopric in Rome, is that the New Testament has not one word to say about it. The word Rome occurs only nine times in the Bible, and never is Peter mentioned in connection with it. There is no allusion to Rome in either of his epistles. Paul’s journey to that city is recorded in great detail (Acts 27 and 28). There is in fact no New Testament evidence, nor any historical proof of any kind, that Peter ever was in Rome. All rests on legend. The first twelve chapters of the book of Acts tell of Peter’s ministry and travels in Palestine and Syria. Surely if he had gone to the capital of the empire, that would have been mentioned. We may well ask, if Peter was superior to Paul, why does he receive so little attention after Paul comes on the scene?

Are you kidding! Do you know that the Bible is not mentioned anywhere in the Bible and yet many people say they are Sola Scriptura (Bible Alone) Christians? Can you please show me where the Holy Trinity is mention anywhere in the Bible? Yet you have believed it hook line and sinker. We need to wake up.

naijadeyhia: CATHOLIC BELIEFS AGAINST NEW TESTAMENT CHRISTIANITY


Catholic Faith

The church defines the Bible

Church Organization supreme over the Bible

Only Popes, bishops and priests can correctly interpret the Bible

The Supreme doctrinal authority of Catholics is the Pope!



New Testament Christianity
The Bible defines the church

The Bible supreme over the church

Anyone can understand the Bible, As
the Holy Spirit gives understanding

The Supreme doctrinal authority of
Christians is Jesus Christ through
the Bible only!

We should never put our own personal interpretation on scripture, unless it agrees with the Tradition of the Catholic Church. St. Peter himself warns against this practice in 2 Peter 1 and 2 Peter 3. After over 1600 years of Catholic Biblical history (Pope Damasus I and the Catholic Church approved the canon of the bible in the late fourth Century), the great scholars of the bible like St. Jerome, St. Augustine, and St. Thomas Aquinas have already got everything figured out for you. Believing that our small 21st century minds can figure out 4000 year old verses that were written in a very different language and culture, in a very different time, and with very different idiomatic expressions and meanings is the height of pride. You might as well say that you can understand physics on your own without first reading the writings of Einstein and Newton. That is why the Magisterium is needed to interpret scripture.

Jesus took the Kingdom away from the Jews in Matthew 21:43, "Therefore say I unto you, The kingdom of God shall be taken from you, and given to a nation bringing forth the fruits thereof" and gave it to the Church in Matthew 16:19. "And I will give unto thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven." That is why Pope Damasus had the power to approve the Canon, in the fourth century long after Jesus had risen.

Take note that many people like you at that time did not accept the Bible as the divinely inspired word of God. Their arguments were similar to yours, so you are not alone, many have gone before you.

"Repent, for the Kingdom of God IS AT HAND!", He said!

naijadeyhia:


[b]The apocrypha contains offensive materials unbecoming of God's authorship.

Ecclesiasticus 25:19 Any iniquity is insignificant compared to a wife's iniquity.

Ecclesiasticus 25:24 From a woman sin had its beginning. Because of her we all die.

Ecclesiasticus 22:3 It is a disgrace to be the father of an undisciplined, and the birth of a daughter is a loss.

It teaches immoral practices, such as lying, suicide, assassination and magical incantation.

The apocryphal books themselves make reference to what we call the Silent 400 years, where there was no prophets of God to write inspired materials.

And they laid up the stones in the mountain of the temple in a convenient place, till there should come a prophet, and give answer concerning them. (1 Maccabees 4:46)

And there was a great tribulation in Israel, such as was not since the day, that there was no prophet seen in Israel. (1 Maccabees 9:27)

And that the Jews, and their priests, had consented that he should be their prince, and high priest for ever, till there should arise a faithful prophet. (1 Maccabees 14:41)[/b]

Yea, Like Martin Luther tried to peel off James 2:24-26
You see that a man is justified by works and not by faith alone. And in the same way was not also Rahab the harlot justified by works when she received the messengers and sent them out another way? For as the body apart from the spirit is dead, so faith apart from works is dead.

I figure out that when scripture does not suit some of our interpretation we simply get rid of it, however this does not change what God says, or who he is. Something is basically wrong with selective interpretation.

khiaa:

That is only your interpretation, it doesn't say she was without sin.

Grace is the very reason anybody is saved! It is an unmerited favour, it is infused by the Spirit and received in Baptism; is sanctifying and deifying. "Therefore, if any one is in Christ, he is a new creation" (2 Cor 5:17). If anyone is full of Grace, the person has Grace in its fullness all time. This means that the person is without grace, don't forget that it may not have been merited, like in the case of the BVM.

khiaa:

That does not tell me her qualities that no other woman has ever had. God blesses people everyday, I know God has truly blessed me, he has brought me through alot.

“FULL OF GRACE!” That is the term that the archangel Gabriel used when addressing Mary, in Luke 1:28. Notice that Gabriel does not call her by her name of Mary, but instead calls her “Full of Grace.” Because Mary had a quality of full grace, there is no room left over for anything else. Therefore, Mary, who was full of God’s grace, could not sin, or have the stain of original sin on her soul, because there was no room for any of that.

jusRadical: The truth is that there no place, I repeat NEVER ANY place in the scriptures where JESUS referred to mary as HIS mother.

PLEASE, MY CATHOLIC FRIENDS WHY DID CHRIST ALWAYS ADDRESSES TO MARY AS 'WOMAN'

(3) When the wine was gine, JESUS' mother said to Him, "They have no more wine."
(4) "Dear WOMAN, why do you involve me? JESUS replied. "My time time has not yet come."
(John 2:3-4)

Some of you that are making analogy with your mothers, will you address your mother as woman when she brings a request to you? If JESUS had said "Dear mother", it would have been a different case.

Secondly in John 19:26,
When JESUS saw his mother there, and the disciple whom He loved standing by, he said to His mother, "Dear WOMAN, here is your son,"

Catholics, answer me!!!! Will you addresses your beloved mother as WOMAN!!!!!

HE never addressed her as mother to avoid what you catholics are doing now!!!!!

The Woman?
Genesis 3:15 verse reads as follows from the RSV:
“I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your [b]seed [/b]and her seed; he shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise his heel." Since Eve was in compliance with the devil, and not at enmity, THE WOMAN could not refer to her, but rather a future “WOMAN” who would have enmity (lifelong hatred) with Satan.

Just so you know, women don’t have “seeds”, but eggs, this is very peculiar wording. Most biblical scholars believe that “the seed” is Jesus Christ”, and that He bruised satan’s head at the place of the skull, called Golgotha, at the crucifixion. If that is so, then Catholics believe that “THE WOMAN” could only refer to the Blessed Virgin Mary, who gave birth to Jesus, her “seed”. This is why Jesus always referred to Mary as “Woman”, rather than Mom or Mother.

Because she had a solid role in God's plan of salvation, she is not just Jesus' mum but the WOMAN prefigured in Genesis, the first book of the Bible and she appears again in Revelation (the last book of the Bible) 12:1, the scripture reads,
“And a great portent appeared in heaven, a woman clothed with the sun, with the moon under her feet, and on her head a crown of twelve stars.”

The first clue is the term “a great portent”. In Isaiah 7:14 in the Old Testament, it says, “Therefore the Lord himself shall give you a sign. Behold a virgin [/b]shall conceive, and bear a son and his name shall be called Emmanuel.”

The rest of [b]Revelation 12 talks about the enmity prefigured in Genesis 3:15 between the devil and THE WOMAN, and how satan can’t get to her. In Revelation 12:17, it says that we are her children if we follow the commandments and bear testimony to Jesus.

khiaa:

Please tell ne the qualities Mary had that no other woman has ever had? I don't mean her giving birth to Jesus, I mean her own personal qualities.

The Blessed Virgin Mary is the one woman in the entire Bible who makes the claim, “All generations to come shall call me blessed” (Luke 1:48). And why is that? Well, Catholics believe it is because she was preserved from all time from sin by a special privilege of God. God got to create His own mother on earth.

Iyfe Namikaze:
what did i just read?

" In Luke 1:35, the Bible says:

"And the angel said to her, "The Holy Spirit will come upon you,and the power of the Most High will overshadow you;therefore the child [/b]to be born will be called [b]holy,the Son of God."
You still don't get?

Non Catholics find it difficult to understand Mary and her role in the salvation story. This is understandable if one does not stretch back to the old testament. To the Jews, the ark of the covenant was the most important visible presence of God:

EXO 25:22 "And there I will meet with you; and from above the mercy seat, from between the two cherubim which are upon the ark of the testimony, I will speak to you about all that I will give you in commandment for the sons of Israel.

2 Sam 6:3 And they set the ark of God upon a new cart, and brought it out of the house of Abinadab that was in Gibeah: and Uzzah and Ahio, the sons of Abinadab, drave the new cart. 5 And David and all the house of Israel played before the Lord on all manner of instruments made of fir wood, even on harps, and on psalteries, and on timbrels, and on cornets, and on cymbals.

The ark was not a symbol of God, it was the presence of God the Father himself and he could take care of himself because he is God.
6 And when they came to Nachon's threshingfloor, Uzzah put forth his hand to the ark of God, and took hold of it; for the oxen shook it.7 And the anger of the Lord was kindled against Uzzah; and God smote him there for his error; and there he died by the ark of God.

You can continue reading through this chapter of 2 Samuel to learn more from the story

Here's catch: Mary is the Ark of the new covenant which is Jesus Christ, God the Son. Have you got that?
Matthew 26:27-28 "Then He (Jesus) took the cup, and gave thanks, and gave it to them, saying, 'Drink from it, all of you. For this is My blood of the NEW COVENANT, which is shed for many for the remission of sins.' "

The New covenant is the fulfillment of the old.
Matthew 5:17: "Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them.

Lets go to Revelation to see what John saw at the Island of Pathmos
Rev. 11: 19 And the temple of God was opened in heaven, and there was seen in his temple the ark of his testament: and there were lightnings, and voices, and thunderings, and an earthquake, and great hail. Then go to 12:1 And there appeared a great wonder in heaven; a woman clothed with the sun, and the moon under her feet, and upon her head a crown of twelve stars: 12:5 And she brought forth a man child, who was to rule all nations with a rod of iron: and her child was caught up unto God, and to his throne.

But remember too that when the books of the Bible were first written, they were not divided into chapters, so Rev. 11:-12:1 will be a straight read.

By the way Catholics read the Bible through Typology, this is when a person or an event in the Old Testament foreshadows a person or an event in the New Testament. So you will find things like:
In the Old Testament, the Ark of the Covenant contained 3 items – The Word of God (the 10 Commandments), manna (bread from heaven), and the rod of Aaron, which came back to life and re-sprouted (Hebrews 9:4).
In the New Testament, the Blessed Virgin Mary’s womb contained Jesus Christ, the Word made flesh, who is The Bread of Life, and who is a ruler with an iron rod that came back to life after being crucified ( Luke 1:31, John 6:48, Revelation 12:5).

In Psalm 22:1, David says “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” Psalm 22:16 says that "They have pierced my hands and my feet". Psalm 22:18 also talks about casting lots for his clothes.
In the New Testament, Jesus Christ repeats "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me", after they pierce His hands and His feet. (Matthew 27:46) And the Roman soldiers cast lots for the clothes of Jesus (Matthew 27:35).

2 Sam 6:9 And David was afraid of the Lord that day, and said, How shall the ark of the Lord come to me? 10 So David would not remove the ark of the Lord unto him into the city of David: but David carried it aside into the house of Obed–edom the Gittite.11And the ark of the Lord continued in the house of Obed–edom the Gittite three months: and the Lord blessed Obed–edom, and all his household.Luke 1:43 And whence is this to me, that the mother of my Lord should come to me? 44 For, lo, as soon as the voice of thy salutation sounded in mine ears, the babe leaped in my womb for joy.45 And blessed is she that believed: for there shall be a performance of those things which were told her from the Lord.

On the case of intercession?
The saints of the Holy Catholic Church lived exemplary lives, giving up the temporary pleasures of earth for the eternal joy of Heaven. Their lives were marked by a sincere wish to imitate the life of Christ. St. Paul says in Hebrews 13:7 to imitate them.

And the really good news is that each and every saint is waiting for you to ask him/her to pray for you
Rev. 5:8 And when he had taken the book, the four beasts and four and twenty elders fell down before the Lamb, having every one of them harps, and golden vials full of odours, which are the prayers of saints.

Rev. 8:3 And another angel came and stood at the altar, having a golden censer; and there was given unto him much incense, that he should offer it with the prayers of all saints upon the golden altar which was before the throne.

Why should you do this? Because, according to James 5:16, the prayers of a holy person are very powerful. And no one on earth is more holy than someone already in heaven.

Of all the saints, Mary stands out because she is the Mother of God.

If you find these teachings difficult to believe, it is because you have been working too hard to decode a rich history of over 2000 years. You may need help going forward, DONT BE ASHAMED, everyone needs help once in a while.
feel free to visit, www.catholicscomehome.com or other catholic websites rich with information that will nourish your soul. You can be courageous visit a catholic church where you can talk to a priest about your concerns.
Best wishes.

Non Catholics find it difficult to understand Mary and her role in the salvation story. This is understandable if one does not stretch back to the old testament. To the Jews, the ark of the covenant was the most important visible presence of God:

EXO 25:22 "And there I will meet with you; and from above the mercy seat, from between the two cherubim which are upon the ark of the testimony, I will speak to you about all that I will give you in commandment for the sons of Israel.

2 Sam 6:3 And they set the ark of God upon a new cart, and brought it out of the house of Abinadab that was in Gibeah: and Uzzah and Ahio, the sons of Abinadab, drave the new cart. 5 And David and all the house of Israel played before the Lord on all manner of instruments made of fir wood, even on harps, and on psalteries, and on timbrels, and on cornets, and on cymbals.

The ark was not a symbol of God, it was the presence of God the Father himself and he could take care of himself because he is God.
6 And when they came to Nachon's threshingfloor, Uzzah put forth his hand to the ark of God, and took hold of it; for the oxen shook it.7 And the anger of the Lord was kindled against Uzzah; and God smote him there for his error; and there he died by the ark of God.

You can continue reading through this chapter of 2 Samuel to learn more from the story

Here's catch: Mary is the Ark of the new covenant which is Jesus Christ, God the Son. Have you got that?
Matthew 26:27-28 "Then He (Jesus) took the cup, and gave thanks, and gave it to them, saying, 'Drink from it, all of you. For this is My blood of the NEW COVENANT, which is shed for many for the remission of sins.' "

The New covenant is the fulfillment of the old.
Matthew 5:17: "Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them.

Lets go to Revelation to see what John saw at the Island of Pathmos
Rev. 11: 19 And the temple of God was opened in heaven, and there was seen in his temple the ark of his testament: and there were lightnings, and voices, and thunderings, and an earthquake, and great hail. Then go to 12:1 And there appeared a great wonder in heaven; a woman clothed with the sun, and the moon under her feet, and upon her head a crown of twelve stars: 12:5 And she brought forth a man child, who was to rule all nations with a rod of iron: and her child was caught up unto God, and to his throne.

But remember too that when the books of the Bible were first written, they were not divided into chapters, so Rev. 11:-12:1 will be a straight read.

By the way Catholics read the Bible through Typology, this is when a person or an event in the Old Testament foreshadows a person or an event in the New Testament. So you will find things like:
In the Old Testament, the Ark of the Covenant contained 3 items – The Word of God (the 10 Commandments), manna (bread from heaven), and the rod of Aaron, which came back to life and re-sprouted (Hebrews 9:4).
In the New Testament, the Blessed Virgin Mary’s womb contained Jesus Christ, the Word made flesh, who is The Bread of Life, and who is a ruler with an iron rod that came back to life after being crucified ( Luke 1:31, John 6:48, Revelation 12:5).

In Psalm 22:1, David says “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” Psalm 22:16 says that "They have pierced my hands and my feet". Psalm 22:18 also talks about casting lots for his clothes.
In the New Testament, Jesus Christ repeats "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me", after they pierce His hands and His feet. (Matthew 27:46) And the Roman soldiers cast lots for the clothes of Jesus (Matthew 27:35).

2 Sam 6:9 And David was afraid of the Lord that day, and said, How shall the ark of the Lord come to me? 10 So David would not remove the ark of the Lord unto him into the city of David: but David carried it aside into the house of Obed–edom the Gittite.11And the ark of the Lord continued in the house of Obed–edom the Gittite three months: and the Lord blessed Obed–edom, and all his household.Luke 1:43 And whence is this to me, that the mother of my Lord should come to me? 44 For, lo, as soon as the voice of thy salutation sounded in mine ears, the babe leaped in my womb for joy.45 And blessed is she that believed: for there shall be a performance of those things which were told her from the Lord.

On the case of intercession?
The saints of the Holy Catholic Church lived exemplary lives, giving up the temporary pleasures of earth for the eternal joy of Heaven. Their lives were marked by a sincere wish to imitate the life of Christ. St. Paul says in Hebrews 13:7 to imitate them.

And the really good news is that each and every saint is waiting for you to ask him/her to pray for you
Rev. 5:8 And when he had taken the book, the four beasts and four and twenty elders fell down before the Lamb, having every one of them harps, and golden vials full of odours, which are the prayers of saints.

Rev. 8:3 And another angel came and stood at the altar, having a golden censer; and there was given unto him much incense, that he should offer it with the prayers of all saints upon the golden altar which was before the throne.

Why should you do this? Because, according to James 5:16, the prayers of a holy person are very powerful. And no one on earth is more holy than someone already in heaven.

Of all the saints, Mary stands out because she is the Mother of God.

If you find these teachings difficult to believe, it is because you have been working too hard to decode a rich history of over 2000 years. You may need help going forward, DONT BE ASHAMED, everyone needs help once in a while.
feel free to visit, www.catholicscomehome.com or other catholic websites rich with information that will nourish your soul. You can be courageous visit a catholic church where you can talk to a priest about your concerns.
Best wishes.

Somebody please help, I need a tailcoat for my wedding in a months time, where can i get a good offer? I appreciate your response

Chris Okotie rejects presidential polls, calls for Interim Govt! Translation If elections were not rigged, he would have emerged the winner! LOL.

[size=8pt][size=8pt][size=8pt]Jega is on air, NTA.[/size][/size][/size]
explaining how the excel form works laying to rest the outrageous allegation of 40% reduction of votes raised by CPC.

Curled from http://www.vanguardngr.com/2011/04/jonathan-sweeps-s-west/

Goodluck2uNigerians. 7 gboza 4 Dr JEGA.
J - Jonathan
E - Ebele
G - Goodluck
A - Azikiwe.

U c how God works? D election wz done 2 fulfil all righteousness. D truth is we already kw dat God had already enthroned him. No man can curse who God has blessed. It's a pity dat dsame Pst Bakare who finished Buhari in University of Ibadan turned out 2 be his running mate. What a shame? God is on d throne & dis is a new dawn 4 Nigeria. God bless u all, yes even ur enemies will come & celebrate with u. Those who laughed @ u will come out in mass 2 laugh & celebrate with u. Goodluck 9ja.

I need quality plain coloured and unbranded t shirts in large quantity. if anyone is a supplier or know one who is, pls contact me on 2348052429505, or mail me at ktjohnpaul@yahoo.com. Thanks.

Success Essentials has created a facebook page and you can now follow our activities on this link -http://www.facebook.com/?ref=home#!/pages/Success-Essentials/135817693124813?ref=sgm

Just over 24 hours after I posted an invitation for NYSC award winners to contact me for discussions about their service year, I completed the first interview with an award winner at exactly 10:56 this morning. The experience was exciting in two ways. For the interviewee, the fact that what he had done 20 years ago remains relevant seems fascinating. On my part I am delighted about the prompt response, which proves that people share our dreams.

Success Essentials is a self help initiative that publishes heartwarming real life stories to inspire millions of Nigerians to succeed in spite of tough times.

We are writing a compendium of success stories about young Nigerian graduates who have served this country with honour. The book acknowledges the hard work and brevity demonstrated by these people in strange lands in service to their fatherland. It is written to rekindle hope, challenge, inspire, and galvanize serving corps members to take proactive action and fulfill their dreams wherever they are posted.

The book has received endorsement from the NYSC NDHQ. The scheme has also provided us with a list of ex-corps members who have received the Presidents Honours Award between the years 1995-2005. However, the list does not include contact addresses obviously because most of these people have become very successful and have moved several times over, changing their contacts in time.

If you are an NYSC merit award winner between the years 1995-2005, or you know someone who is, please feel free to contact us. You can send us a mail at successessentials@yahoo.com; sms us at 07052429505; or reply to this thread. Once we get your contact we will call you for an interview to discuss your service year and develop a story that will feature in the publication FREE OF CHARGE.

You do not have to pay a dime to get your story published.

Please note that your story is royalty free. If it’s chosen by our editors for publication, we will ask you to sign permission forms to this fact. Upon publication, we will send you a plaque of recognition and three copies of Success Essentials.

We invite you to be a part of a new Nigeria that celebrates hard work as a means to success.

Remember you do not have to pay to get your story published. It is ABSOLUTELY FREE of charge. All you need to do is contact us and we will call you.

Once again you can send us a mail at successessentials@yahoo.com; sms us at 07052429505; or reply to this thread.

Kpenkaan T. Johnpaul
Executive Editor
successessentials@yahoo.com
GSM: 07052429505

10 billion Naira is by no means small money. I guess Nigerians need to stop this spending. We need to do so right away, from Nairaland we can take the lead. Apart from the fact that there is nothing to show for our fifty years in the way of development, there is really no need to celebrate, talk less of expending 10 billion naira for such purpose when this money can solve so many lingering problems. PLS LETS ACT NOW. We have a role to play!

@Iseg007, optimistic presentation. I love the high spirit, which is one major component we need in naija to go forward. Will like to see this dicussion intensified, and take from the forum to the table. Pls those with the knowledge and ideas should not hesitate to contribute.

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