Hail holy queen part II

and nowhere is it stated that Mary has shared in Christ's sufferings. Isaiah 28:16 states that God will lay a precious corner stone [Jesus, Ephesians 2:20] which will be tried. It does not say that He and His mother will be tried (see also I Peter 1:9-10). Prophecy consistantly speaks of Christ, be it His Life, His Glory, His Suffering, His Redemption etc. but nowhere in Biblical prophecy, which is the proving ground of supernatural claims, is it stated that Mary will share in Christ's suffering, or His Glory. See also Isaiah 43:4, Psalm 115:1)

7. Only in heaven will we see how central is the role of Mary in the divine plan of redemption. (Not found in Scripture.)
8. The angels and saints longed for the coming of her whose heel crushes the head of the serpent. (Not only is this not found in Scripture, but Genesis 3:15 says that the male seed of the woman will crush the serpents head, not the woman herself. This is actually contrary to Scripture.)
9. Mary pleads our cause as a most powerful Queen and a most merciful and loving Mother. (Not only is this not found in Scripture, it is also contrary to Scripture. I Timothy 2:5 says that there is One Mediator metween God and man, and it is Jesus Christ, not Mary. If Scripture specifically says that there is one mediator, then it is contrary to Scripture to say that there is another, or even a helper, aka a co-mediatrix.)
10. A great sign appeared in heaven; a woman clothed with the sun, the moon under her feet, and on her head a crown of twelve stars. (This woman is not Mary, it is Israel. First off, the crown of twelve stars is a representation of the twelve tribes of Israel. Secondly, in Revelation 12:6 it says that the woman flees into the wilderness, which is a picture of Israel being kicked out of their land, which happened around 70 A.D. Also, Israel is called many times in the Old Testament by the title of God's wife, the most clear picture of this can be found in Jeremiah 3. Also see Exodus 34:14-16, Isaiah 30, 31, 50:1, and Hosea. If Israel (or believers) are God's proverbial wife, then she is also Jesus' mother. Jesus Himself said that those who do the Will of His Father, are his brother's, sister's, and mother's, see Mathew 12:46-50.)
Spiritual Fruit: Grace of Final Perseverance

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***Section 3***

What does it all mean?

We've seen that an incredible amount of these claims do not come from Scripture, and that many of them explicitly contradict Scripture, but where then do these things come from? The Bible says that satan can parade himself as a being of light, II Corinthians 11:14, and the consistant report of Scripture is that false signs and lying wonders are available for some to weild, Exodus 7:22, 8:7 & 18, Mathew 24:24, Mark 13:22, Revelation 13:13-15. How then can we discern between apparitions from God, and those who are demonic? Deuteronomy 13:1-5, "(1. If there arise among you a prophet, or a dreamer of dreams, and giveth thee a sign or a wonder, (2. And the sign or the wonder come to pass, whereof he spake unto thee, saying, let us go after other gods, which thou hast not known, and let us serve them; (3. Thou shalt not harken unto the words of that prophet, or that dreamer of dreams: for the LORD your God proveth you, to know whether ye love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul. (4. Ye shall walk after the LORD your God, and fear Him, and keep His Commandments, and obey His Voice, and ye shall serve Him, and cleave unto Him. (5. And that prophet, or that dreamer of dreams, shall be put to death; because he hath spoken to turn you away from the LORD your God, which brought you out of the land of Egypt, and redeemed you out of the house of bondage, to thrust thee out of the way which the LORD thy God commanded thee to walk in. So shalt thou put the evil away from the midst of thee."

If the Rosary itself says that Mary is sinless (point 8 & 9 of the fourth glorious mystery, and point 5 of the fourth joyful mystery), yet Jesus Himself says that no one is good except God (Mathew 19:17), then deduction would tell us that the Catholic reasoning indeed does claim Mary's status as a god. Since a series of seemingly legitimate signs and wonders promote another god, Mary, then are these the lying signs and wonders spoken of in Deuteronomy 13:1-5, Mathew 24:24, Mark 13:22, and Revelation 13:13-15?

The following information was copied from a site called gotquestions dot Oh aRe Gee. My notes will be in red, and enclosed in parentheses. Also, important information will be sandwiched in between three red exclamation points in parentheses. For example, (!!! Jesus is the ONLY means of salvation for mankind !!!)



"Quote

Question: "Are apparitions of Mary, such as Lady Fatima, true messages from God?"


Answer: In Catholic tradition, there are many reported occurrences of Mary, angels, and/or saints appearing and delivering a message from God. It is likely that at least in some of these cases, the people were genuinely seeing something supernatural. While some of what is seen in various places is perhaps the work of charlatans, other apparitions were apparently authentic. However, with that said, an apparition being authentic does not mean it is a message from God or a genuine appearance of Mary, an angel, or a saint. Scripture declares that Satan and his demons masquerade as angels of light (II Corinthians 11:14-15) Satanic deception is just as possible an explanation for the apparitions.

The only way to determine whether an apparition is a "lying wonder" or a genuine message from God is to compare the apparition with Scripture. If the teachings that are attached to these apparitions are contrary to the Word of God, the apparitions themselves are then satanic in nature. A study of the teachings of Our Lady Fatima with its "Miracle of the Sun" is a good example.

A webpage containing detailed descriptions of the “Miracle of the Sun” can be found at: religion-cults dot Cee Oh eM fatima/sun dot H Tee eM. It would indeed seem that something spectacular happened on October 13, 1917 (Deuteronomy 13:1-5, Mark 13:22, Revelation 13:13-15, 13 being the number for rebellion in Biblical numerics); the “something” did in fact appear and deliver a message. The fact that its timing coincided with what had been told to the shepherd children three months earlier would seem to tie this event with the apparitions they had been seeing over the previous months, first of the angel, and later of the "Lady of Fatima."

When one compares the message of Fatima to what the Bible teaches, it is evident that the message of Fatima combines some biblical truth with several unbiblical practices and teachings. The following paragraphs are quoted directly from a website dedicated to the "Lady of Fatima," fatima dot Oh aRe Gee. Specific words or sentences are underlined (They will be light blue in this diary entry, since underlining is not possible with Hatena diary)to indicate them to be unbiblical (not taught by the Bible), or anti-biblical (contradictory to the Bible). Following the lengthy quotations, more information will be given with specific reasons for classifying these apparitions as "lying wonders." Here then is a quoted summary of the overall message given by the Lady of Fatima:

The Message in General
"The general Message of Fatima is not complicated. Its requests are for prayer, reparation, repentance, and sacrifice, and the abandonment of sin. Before Our Lady appeared to the three shepherd children, Lucy, Francisco and Jacinta, the Angel of Peace visited them. The Angel prepared the children to receive the Blessed Virgin Mary, and his instructions are an important aspect of the Message that is often overlooked.

"The Angel demonstrated to the children the fervent, attentive, and composed manner in which we should all pray, and the reverence we should show toward God in prayer. He also explained to them the great importance of praying and making sacrifices in reparation for the offenses committed against God. He told them: 'Make of everything you can a sacrifice and offer it to God as an act of reparation for the sins (Romans 12:1, Philippians 2:17, Hebrews 7:27, 9:28, (!!! 10:26 !!!), 13:15, I Peter 3:18, I John 2:2) by which He is offended, and in supplication, for the conversion of sinners. In his third and final apparition to the children, the Angel gave them Holy Communion, and demonstrated the proper way to receive Our Lord in the Eucharist: all three children knelt to receive Communion Lucy was given the Sacred Host on the tongue and the Angel shared the Blood of the Chalice between Francisco and Jacinta.

"Our lady stressed the importance of praying the Rosary in each of her apparitions, asking the children to pray the Rosary every day for peace. Another principal part of the Message of Fatima is devotion to Our Lady’s Immaculate Heart, which is terribly outraged and offended by the sins of humanity, and we are lovingly urged to console Her by making reparation (Romans 12:1, Philippians 2:17, Hebrews 7:27, 9:28, (!!! 10:26 !!!), 13:15, I Peter 3:18, I John 2:2). She showed Her Heart, surrounded by piercing thorns (which represented the sins against Her Immaculate Heart), to the children, who understood that their sacrifices could help to console Her.

"The children also saw that God is terribly offended by the sins of humanity (Ephesians 2:15-16), and that He desires each of us and all mankind to abandon sin and make reparation for their crimes through prayer and sacrifice (Romans 12:1, Philippians 2:17, Hebrews 7:27, 9:28, (!!! 10:26 !!!), 13:15, I Peter 3:18, I John 2:2). Our Lady sadly pleaded: 'Do not offend the Lord our God any more, for He is already too much offended!'

"The children were also told to pray and sacrifice themselves for sinners, in order to save them from hell (Isn't that Jesus' job?). The children were briefly shown a vision of hell, after which Our Lady told them: 'You have seen hell where the souls of poor sinners go. To save them, God wishes to establish in the world devotion to My Immaculate Heart. If what I say to you is done, many souls will be saved and there will be peace.' (II Peter 1:3, "According as His Divine Power hath given (past tense, and said before the vision of Fatima) unto us all things (not some things, or even most things) that pertain unto life and godliness, through the knowledge of Him that hath called us to glory and virtue:")

"Our Lady indicated to us the specific root of all the troubles in the world, the one that causes world wars and such terrible suffering: sin. She then gave a solution, first to individual people, then to the Church’s leaders. God asks each one of us to stop offending Him. We must pray, especially the Rosary. By this frequent prayer of the Rosary, we will get the graces we need to overcome sin (Ephesians 2:8-9, (!!! Revelation 12:10-11 !!!). God wants us to have devotion to the Immaculate Heart of Mary and to work to spread this devotion throughout the world. Our Lady said, 'My Immaculate Heart will be your refuge (Deuteronomy 33:27, II Samuel 22:3, Psalm 9:9, 14:6, 46:1 & 7 & 11, 48:3, 57:1, 59:16, 62:7-8, 71:7, 91:2 & 9, 94:22, Proverbs 14:26, Isaiah 25:4, Jeremiah 16:19) and the way that will lead you to God.' (John 14:6 "I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life: No man cometh unto the Father but by Me.") If we wish to go to God, we have a sure way to Him through true devotion to the Immaculate Heart of His Mother.

"In order to move ever closer to Her, and therefore to Her Son, Our Lady stressed the importance of praying at least five decades of the Rosary daily. She asked us to wear the Brown Scapular. And we must make sacrifices, especially the sacrifice of doing our daily duty, in reparation for the sins committed against Our Lord and Our Lady. She also stressed the necessity of prayers and sacrifices to save poor sinners from hell. The Message of Fatima, to individual souls, is summarized in these things."

On the same website, there is recorded an interview between Sister Lucy (the 10 year-old shepherd girl who was among the three children who saw the apparitions in 1917) and a Father Fuentes. The interview took place in 1957. In this interview focusing on Fatima and its message, Sister Lucy says the following:

"Father, the devil is in the mood for engaging in a decisive battle against the Blessed Virgin, and the devil knows what it is that most offends God, and which in a short space of time will gain for him the greatest number of souls. Thus the devil does everything to overcome souls consecrated to God (I Peter 1:5), because in this way the devil will succeed in leaving the souls of the faithful abandoned by their leaders, thereby the more easily to seize them.

"Father, the Most Holy Virgin did not tell me that we are in the last times of the world, but She made me understand this for three reasons. The first reason is because She told me that the devil is in the mood for engaging in a decisive battle against the Virgin. And a decisive battle is the final battle where one side will be victorious and the other side will suffer defeat. Hence from now on we must choose sides. Either we are for God or we are for the devil; there is no other possibility.

"The second reason is because She said to my cousins as well as to myself, that God is giving two last remedies to the world (II Peter 1:3, "According as His Divine Power hath given (past tense, and said before the vision of Fatima) unto us all things (Not some things, or even most things, but ALL things) that pertain unto life and godliness, through the knowledge of Him that hath called us to glory and virtue:"). They are the Holy Rosary and devotion to the Immaculate Heart of Mary. These are the last two remedies which signify that there will be no others.

"The third reason is because in the plans of Divine Providence, God always, before He is about to chastise the world, exhausts all other remedies. Now, when He sees that the world pays no attention whatsoever then, as we say in our imperfect manner of speaking, He offers us with a certain trepidation the last means of salvation, His Most Holy Mother ((5) (a) Acts 2:21, 4:12, 15:11 & 31, 16:31, Romans 5:9-10, 10:9 & 13, I Corinthians 15:1-2, Ephesians 1:21-22, 2:4-9, 5:20 & 23, Philippians 2:9-10, 3:20, Colossians 3:17, I Thessalonians 5:9, II Thessalonians 2:10-13, II Timothy 1:9-10, 2:10, 4:10, Titus 1:3-4, 2:13, 3:5-6, Hebrews 2:10, 5:8-9, 9:28, 10:39, I John 4:14, Revelation 7:10. (b) And specifically see II Peter 1:3, which says, "According as His Divine Power hath given (past tense, and said before the vision of Fatima) unto us all things (Not some, or even most, but ALL THINGS) that pertain unto life and godliness, through the knowledge of Him that hath called us to glory and virtue:"). It is with a certain trepidation because if you despise and reject this ultimate means, we will not have any more forgiveness from Heaven, because we will have committed a sin which the Gospel calls the sin against the Holy Ghost. This sin consists of openly rejecting, with full knowledge and consent, the salvation which He offers (This is a blatently incorrect assessment of the unforgivable sin. Mark 3:22-30 shows us definitively that when we see someone who is using the powers of the Holy Spirit, and then we say that they are doing so by an evil spirit, thereby calling the Holy Spirit an evil spirit, then we have blasphemed the Holy Ghost. Mark 3:29-30, "29. But he that shall blaspheme against the Holy Ghost hath never forgiveness, but is in danger of eternal damnation: 30. Because they said, He hath an evil spirit."). Let us remember that Jesus Christ is a very good Son and that He does not permit that we offend and despise His Most Holy Mother. We have recorded through many centuries of Church history the obvious testimony which demonstrates by the terrible chastisements which have befallen those who have attacked the honor of His Most Holy Mother, how Our Lord Jesus Christ has always defended the honor of His Mother.

(5) "The two means for saving the world are prayer and sacrifice. [Regarding the Holy Rosary, Sister Lucy said:] Look, Father, the Most Holy Virgin, in these last times in which we live, has given a new efficacy to the recitation of the Rosary to such an extent that there is no problem, no matter how difficult it is, whether temporal or above all spiritual, in the personal life of each one of us, of our families, of the families of the world or of the religious communities, or even of the life of peoples and nations, that cannot be solved by the Rosary. There is no problem, I tell you, no matter how difficult it is, that we cannot resolve by the prayer of the Holy Rosary. With the Holy Rosary we will sanctify ourselves ( (a) The Father sanctifies, I Thessalonians 5:23, Jude 1. (b) The Holy Spirit sanctifies, Romans 15:16, I Corinthians 6:11, II Thessalonians 2:13, I Peter 1:2. (c) Jesus sanctifies, John 17:19, I Corinthians 1:2 & 30, 6:11, Hebrews 2:10-11, 10:9-10, 10:29, 13:12. (d) Faith in Christ sanctifies, Acts 26:18. (e) Unbelieving men and women are sanctified by their believing spouses, I Corinthians 7:14. (f) The Word of God sanctifies, John 17:17, Ephesians 5:26, I Timothy 4:5. (h) We can sanctify God in our hearts, I Peter 3:15. But nowhere in Scripture does it say or suggest that we can sanctify ourselves.). We will console Our Lord and obtain the salvation of many souls. "Finally, devotion to the Immaculate Heart of Mary, our Most Holy Mother, consists in considering Her as the seat of mercy((a) God's Mercy is on them that fear Him, and keep His commandments, Exodus 20:6, Deuteronomy 5:10, I Kings 8:23, II Chronicles 6:14, Nehemiah 1:5, Psalm 25:10, 33:18, 103:11 & 17, 147:11, Daniel 9:4, Luke 1:50. (b) God's Mercy endures forever, I Chronicles 16:34 & 41, II Chronicles 5:13, 7:3 & 6, 20:21, Ezra 3:11, Psalm 100:5, 103:17, 106:1, 107:1, 118:1-2 & 29, 136:1-26, 138:8, Isaiah 54:8. (c) Mercy is with God, Exodus 33:17, 34:6-7, Numbers 14:18, Psalm 130:7, Isaiah 49:10 & 13, 54:10, 55:7, 60:10, Jeremiah 30:18, 31:20, 33:11, 42:11-12, Ezekial 39:25, Hosea 1:7, 2:23, Zechariah 10:6, (!!! Romans 9:15-18 !!!), 15:9, Ephesians 2:4, Philippians 2:27, I Timothy 1:2, II timothy 1:2 & 16 & 18, Titus 1:4, 3:5, James 5:11, I Peter 1:3, II John 3. (d) God's Mercy is to those who trust in Him, Psalm 32:10, 86:5. (e) God's Mercy is to those who hope in Him, Psalm 33:18 & 22, 147:11. (f) (!!! God will perform !!!) the Mercy that He has promised, Micah 6:20. (g) Mercy is with Jesus, Mathew 9:27, 15:22, 17:15, 20:30, Mark 10:47, Luke 17:13, 18:38, Jude 21. (h) The merciful recieve Mercy, Mathew 5:7. (i) Those who confess and forsake their sins will recieve Mercy, Psalm 25:7, 51:1, Proverbs 28:13) of goodness (Only God is good, Mathew 19:17) and of pardon (Only God is said to pardon sins against Him, Number 14:19-20, II Chronicles 30:18, Nehemiah 9:17, Psalm 25:11, Isaiah 55:7, Jeremiah 5:1, 33:8, 50:20, Micah 7:18), and as the sure door of entering Heaven (Jesus is the only Door to enter in, John 10:1-18)."

In the above paragraphs concerning the message that Sister Lucy felt that the apparition wished to communicate to the world, there are so many things that are not only not found in Scripture but are contrary to Scripture.

1) Mary is referred to as the "Most Holy Mother" and having an "Immaculate Heart." By this they are not meaning that she is given the righteousness and holiness given to saints through the imputed righteousness of Christ (II Corinthians 5:17-21) but rather that she was saved from sin in every form through having been conceived in her mother's womb without the stain of original sin. Never does the Bible refer to Mary as being sinless. Never does it refer to her having an immaculate heart. Rather, she refers to God as her Savior (Luke 1:47) This places her with the rest of humanity, as a sinner needing a Savior, but the Catholic Church holds that Mary was saved from sin through the merits of Christ by being conceived without sin and then living a sinless life. Again, never is this taught in Scripture. Rather, what Scripture teaches is that there is only one exception to the truth that we are all sinners (Romans 3:10, 23 etc.) That single exception is Jesus Christ ((Mathew 12:7)II Corinthians 5:21, I Peter 2:22, I John 3:5.)

2) Sister Lucy speaks of devotion to the "Immaculate Heart" of Mary and saying the rosary as the "last two remedies to the world." She also states that there is no problem that cannot be solved by saying the Rosary. It is the teaching of Fatima that saying the Rosary will lead to the salvation of many souls. Again, never is such a teaching found in Scripture. The Rosary's main prayer is the "Hail, Mary" which is repeated fifty times. The first half of it is a quote from Scripture of the greeting of the angel to Mary, "Hail, Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee, blessed art thou among women and blessed is the fruit of thy womb..." but the second half says, "...Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners now and at the hour of our death." Besides giving Mary a title which Scripture does not, it then asks Mary to pray for us. Indeed, Catholics not only see Mary as the one through whom ALL of God's grace flows, and the one who intercedes to her Son on our behalf, but Catholics also direct prayers to her to deliver people from sin, from war, etc. Pope Paul II's prayer from the early 1980's to Mary is an example of such. In this prayer he repeatedly pleads to Mary to "deliver us" from nuclear war, famine, self destruction, from injustice, etc.

Again, never do you find a godly person in Scripture praying to anyone but God or asking for intercession by anyone but those still living on this earth. Prayer to Mary or to saints is not found in the Bible. Rather, Scripture directs us to pray to God (Mathew 6:6-9, Luke 10:2, 11:1-2, Act 8:22, Philippians 4:6) He entreats us to come boldly unto the throne of grace (His throne) that we may find grace and help in time of need (Hebrews 4:14-16) God promised us that the Holy Spirit makes intercession for us according to the will of God with groanings that cannot be uttered (Romans 8:26) Why do we need to go through a saint, angel or Mary, especially considering the fact that neither the example of doing so nor the command of doing so is ever given in Scripture? There is only the repeated example of two things in Scripture:

a) Prayer is made to God alone (Jonah 2:7, 4:2, Zechariah 8:21-22, Acts 1:24, 8:24, 10:2, 12:5, Romans 10:1, 15:30, I Corinthians 11:5)

b) Requests for prayer are made only to the living (I Thessalonians 5:25, II Thessalonians 3:1, Hebrews 13:18 etc.)

In addition, nowhere is it taught that Mary is all-seeing, all-hearing, and omniscient (or nearly so) as she would have to be to hear and respond to the multitude of prayers that are directed toward her from the many Catholics who pray to her simultaneously around the world. Instead Scripture teaches that both angels and the spirits of the dead are finite beings, able to only be in one place at a time (Daniel 9:20-23, Luke 16:19).

3) One of the repeated messages of Fatima is the call for personal "reparation" or "penance." This Catholic concept teaches that we must make amends to God and to Mary for the sins we have committed against them. Repeating one of the phrases from "The Message in General," the angel told the children to "Make of everything you can a sacrifice and offer it to God as an act of reparation for the sins by which He is offended..." Reparation is defined as "an expiation ... something done or paid as amends; compensation." This ties in with the Roman Catholic teaching of temporal punishment which a person can take care of through penance now or through time spent in purgatory later. The Bible NEVER speaks of the need to make "reparation" for our sins or doing "penance" to pay for our sins. Rather, what it teaches is that we are to offer our lives as living sacrifices to God in response and in gratitude for all of the mercies He has shown us in salvation (Romans 12:1-2). When a person becomes a Christian, his sins are forgiven and paid for in full by Christ. There remains no further payment that can be made for them, no further expiation required.

4) A key aspect of the Lady of Fatima is the bowing down before and venerating the images associated with the apparition. Throughout the entire Bible, you will find that any time someone bows down before one of the "saints" or angels, they are told to get up and to stop. Only when done to "the Angel of the Lord" (a pre-incarnate appearance of Christ) or before Jesus or God the Father is such veneration accepted. (!!! Catholics make a distinction between worshiping God and "venerating" Mary and the saints, but when John the Apostle prostrates himself before an angel, the angel does not ask, "Are you worshiping me or venerating me?" The angel simply tells him to stop and to "worship God" (Revelation 19:10). Likewise, when Peter was being "venerated" (prokuneo - the Greek word that the Catholic Church uses for "veneration" as opposed to "adoration" which only God deserves) by Cornelius in Acts 10:22, Peter tells Cornelius, "Stand up, I myself am also a man." It should be noted that this same word is used in the Revelation passage as well. Thus, the repeated example that we have of an angel or saint being "honored" is accompanied by a command to stop doing so! !!!)

Thus, praying to Mary is contrary to the scriptural admonition to pray to God and the scriptural example to do so. It is also illogical to substitute praying to an all-loving, omniscient, omnipotent God (Psalm 139; Hebrews 4:14-16), to pray to some saint or Mary, when there is no scriptural evidence that they can even hear prayers. To pray to saints and to Mary on a worldwide basis is to ascribe to them the attributes of omnipresence and omniscience which God alone possesses...this truly is idolatry!

5) Lastly, concerning the "Miracle of the Sun," there are repeated cases in which "lying wonders" are spoken of in Scripture (Exodus 7:22, 8:7 & 18, Mathew 24:24, Mark 13:22, Revelation 13:13-14) God even tells us in Deuteronomy 13:1 that when someone makes a prediction that comes true or gives a seemingly miraculous sign, but he is teaching the worship of strange gods, not to give heed to him but rather to treat him as a false prophet.

For a Christian, the "content of faith" ought to be the Bible and what it teaches (Isaiah 8:20, II Timothy 3:16) And while Catholics may argue that the "Lady of Fatima" is not calling on us to worship "strange gods" but to worship the true God, the idea of venerating Mary to such an extent that her "Immaculate Heart" is put on the same level of devotion as Jesus' "Sacred Heart" is undeniably the exaltation of a woman to a position never given to her in Scripture equality with God. To honor her as one would honor Christ, is to exalt her. (!!! Likewise, to focus on Mary to such an extent that we spend more time praying to her than to God is also idolatrous, especially in light of the direct commands of Scripture to pray to God and the complete silence in Scripture concerning any exaltation of, or prayer to, Mary. !!!)

Was the "Miracle of the Sun" a lying wonder? Based on biblical teaching, it would certainly seem so. Satan has no problem mixing enough truth to make a teaching seem right with just enough error to damn souls to hell. Where is the Gospel of salvation by grace through faith in Christ the message repeated throughout the New Testament ever mentioned throughout the whole message of Fatima? Where is it ever mentioned that salvation is only through faith in Christ's finished work on Calvary and that our works have no merit apart from Him (Ephesians2:8-9)? (!!! Penance and making offerings for reparation of our sins are antithetical to Christ's finished work on Calvary and of our need for salvation by grace alone through faith in Him alone. The calling upon Mary and her “Immaculate Heart” and the saying of the rosary as the ultimate and final means of saving souls flies in the face of such biblical truths as Acts 4:12 and I Timothy 2:5. "To the law and to the testimony! If they do not speak according to this word, it is because there is no light in them" (Isaiah 8:20). !!!)

Recommended Resource: The Gospel according to Rome: Comparing Catholic tradition, and The Word of God
by James McCarthy

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***Section 4***
What is Catholic Mass/Eucharist?

The following is taken verbatum from the website gotquestions.Oh aRe Gee


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Question: "What is the Catholic sacrament of Holy Eucharist?"

Answer: For Catholics, the Holy Eucharist / Catholic Mass is considered the most important and highest form of prayer. In fact, attending Mass is an obligation, under penalty of mortal sin, each Sunday and on certain other Holy Days of Obligation. The Mass is divided into two sections, the Liturgy of the Word and the Liturgy of the Eucharist. The Liturgy of the Word consists of two readings (one from the Old Testament and one from the New Testament), the Responsorial Psalm, the Gospel reading, the homily (or sermon), and general intercessions (also called petitions).

The center of the Mass is its second part, the Liturgy of the Holy Eucharist. During this time, Catholics share in the body and blood of Jesus in the form of the bread and wine passed out to the congregation. According to the Bible, this is done in remembrance of Christ (I Corinthians 11:23-25, cf. Luke 22:18-20 and Mathew 26:26-28) However, according to the Catechism of the Catholic Church, paragraph 1366, "The Eucharist is thus a sacrifice because it re-presents (makes present) the sacrifice of the cross, because it is its memorial and because it applies its fruit." The Catechism continues in paragraph 1367:

The sacrifice of Christ and the sacrifice of the Holy Eucharist are one single sacrifice: "The victim is one and the same: the same now offers through the ministry of priests, who then offered himself on the cross; only the manner of offering is different." "And since in this divine sacrifice which is celebrated in the Mass, 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."

In the book of Malachi, the prophet predicts elimination of the old sacrificial system and the institution of a new sacrifice: I have no pleasure in you, says the Lord of hosts, and I will not accept an offering from your hand. For from the rising of the sun to its setting my name will be great among the nations, and (6) (!!! in every place !!!) incense will be offered to my name, and a pure offering. For my name will be great among the nations, says the Lord of hosts (Malachi 1:10-11) This means that God will one day be glorified among the Gentiles, who will make pure offerings to Him in all places. The Catholics see this as the Eucharist. However, the apostle Paul seems to have a different slant on it: "I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship" (Romans 1:10-11) (6) (!!! The Eucharist can only be offered in select places !!!): Churches consecrated and blessed according to Catholic Canon Law. The idea of offering our bodies as living sacrifices fits better with the language of the prediction, which says that the sacrifices will be offered "in every place."

The Roman Catholic Church believes that the bread and wine of the Holy Eucharist become the actual body and blood of Jesus. They attempt to support their system of thought with passages such as John 6:32-68; Mathew 26:26; Luke 22:17-23; I Corinthians 11:24-25. In 1551 A.D., the Counsel of Trent officially stated: "by the consecration of the bread and wine there takes place a change of the whole substance of the bread into the substance of the body of Christ our Lord and of the whole substance of the wine into the substance of his blood. This change the holy Catholic Church has fittingly and properly called transubstantiation" (Session XIII, chapter IV; cf. canon II). By sharing in the Eucharistic meal, the Church teaches that Catholics are fulfilling John 6:53: "Truly, truly, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you have no life in you." What does that really mean? Jesus goes on to say that "It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh is of no avail. The words that I have spoken to you are spirit and life" (John 6:63-64) So, if "the flesh is of no avail," why would we have to eat Jesus' flesh in order to have eternal life? It does not make sense, until Jesus tells us that the words He speaks are "spirit." Jesus is saying that this is not a literal teaching, but a spiritual one. The language ties in perfectly with the aforementioned statement of the apostle Paul: "present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship" (Romans 12:1).

In Jewish thought, bread was equated with the Torah, and "eating of it" was reading and understanding the covenant of God (cf. Deuteronomy 8:3). For example, the apocryphal book of Sirach states "'He who eats of me will hunger still, he who drinks of me will thirst for more; he who obeys me will not be put to shame, he who serves me will never fail.' All this is true of the book of Most High's covenant, the law which Moses commanded us as an inheritance for the community of Jacob" (Sirach 24:20-22). Quoting from Sirach here is not endorsing it as Scripture; it only serves to illustrate how the Jewish people thought of Mosaic Law. It is important to understand the equating of bread with the Torah to appreciate Jesus' real point.

In John 6, Jesus is actually telling the crowd that He is superior to the Torah (cf. John 6:49-51), and the entire Mosaic system of Law. In the passage from Sirach, it states that those who eat of the Law will "hunger still" and thirst for more, the language of which is mirrored by Jesus when He says "He who comes to Me will never be hungry, he who believes in Me will never be thirsty" (John 6:35). Jesus is not commanding people to literally eat His flesh and drink His blood, He is telling them the core of all Christian doctrine: belief in Jesus Himself ("The work of God is this: to believe in the One He has sent," John 6:29, emphasis added). Therefore, the Catholic interpretation of John 6 is unbiblical.

Secondly, there is a very clear analogy in John 6 to the days of Moses and the eating of manna. In the days of Moses, manna was God’s provision for food for the Israelites as they wandered in the wilderness. In John 6, however, Jesus claimed to be the true manna, the bread of heaven. With this statement Jesus claimed to be God’s full provision for salvation. Manna was God’s provision of deliverance from starvation. Jesus is God’s provision of deliverance from damnation. Just as the manna had to be consumed to preserve the lives of the Israelites, so Jesus has to be consumed (fully received by faith) for salvation to be received.

It is very clear that Jesus referred to Himself as the Bread of Life and encouraged his followers to eat of His flesh in John 6. But we do not need to conclude that Jesus was teaching what the Catholics have referred to as transubstantiation. The Lord’s Supper / Christian communion / Holy Eucharist had not been instituted yet. Jesus did not institute the Holy Eucharist / Mass / Lord's Supper until John chapter 13. Therefore, to read the Lord’s Supper into John 6 is unwarranted. As suggested above, it is best to understand this passage in light of coming to Jesus, in faith, for salvation. When we receive Him as Savior, placing our full trust in Him, we are “consuming His flesh” and “drinking His blood.” His body was broken (at His death) and His blood was shed to provide for our salvation. I Corinthians 11:26, “For whenever you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord's death until He comes.”

Whether the Catholic definition of Holy Eucharist is a "re-sacrifice" of Christ, or a "re-offering" of Christ's sacrifice - both concepts are unbiblical. Christ does not need to be re-sacrificed. Christ's sacrifice does not need to be re-offered. Hebrews 7:27 declares, "Unlike the other high priests, He (Jesus) does not need to offer sacrifices day after day, first for his own sins, and then for the sins of the people. (!!! He sacrificed for their sins ONCE for all !!!) when He offered Himself." Similarly, I Peter 3:18 exclaims, "For Christ died for sins ONCE for all, the righteous for the unrighteous, to bring you to God..." Christ's once for all death on the cross was sufficient to atone for all of our sins (I John 2:2). Therefore, Christ's sacrifice does not need to be re-offered. Instead, Christ's sacrifice is to be received by faith (John 1:12, 3:16). Eating Christ's flesh and drinking His blood are symbols of fully receiving His sacrifice on our behalf, by grace through faith.

Recommended Resource: Reasoning from the Scriptures with Catholics
by Ron Rhodes.

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