The Journey Home

It's 10 PM Pacific Time and I'm just sitting down to watch the show here in the computer room. "The Journey Home" is my favorite EWTN show (but the theme music drives my wife the musician straight up the wall!)

What's also nice is that all the shows, back to 1997 I think, are available for free listening on the Web. A search for "Journey Home Archives" should turn up the site.

 

This is a bit off topic...

But I attended a Saturday morning Mass at the Shrine of the Most Blessed Sacrament in Hanceville, AL (which was founded by Mother Angelica of EWTN, where she also resides), and about 75% of the women were wearing a head covering. It was a Latin Mass, and lasted about an hour and twenty minutes (which really surprised me for a Sat. morning Mass!). But, yeah, the head covering kind of surprised me. I liked it though.

So, that's my story.

God bless,

Grant

 

By coincidence, as I was reading this thread, I was channel surfing on the TV and came across the last five minutes of "The Journey Home". As Marcus Grodi closed the program, some of his last words were, "Trust the Church".

I have been watching "The Journey Home" for a number of years, and it seems that the bottom line for Catholic converts always comes down to this: "Trust the Church". Is my interpretation correct? Is this what ultimately leads people to become Catholic? I'm really struggling to understand as the conversion stories on "The Journey Home" always leave me "not getting it".

Thanks for any insight you can provide.

God Bless!

Priscilla Ann

 

The question you posed I think is what it often comes down to-

Just who gives your own interpertation of scripture authority?

 

Couldn't stay away, eh, Thess...?

 

Cordially in Christ and the Blessed Virgin,

Brother Ed

 

Priscilla Ann:

Just possible that God is protecting you from falling victim to another
Good Soul Done Gone !!

"Trust the Church". Is my interpretation correct? Is this what ultimately
leads people to become Catholic? I'm really struggling to understand as
the conversion stories on "The Journey Home" always leave
me "not getting it".

Confusing; Right ? That's not the nature of God is it?

God speaks to you just fine where you're at. He doesn't need the RCC
to be his spokesman. Christ pulls at your heartstrings even if you have
no church. Salvation comes through believing that Jesus rose from the
dead/having died for your sins which are forgiven if you ask and repent
of them. That is the gospel story. Jesus said "Whosoever believes in me
and lives shall never die".

1 John 5:11,12 "He who has the Son has life".
How do you get the Son?....by believing. Faith comes by hearing and hearing
by the Word of God (believing).

St John 6:29
"This is the work of God; that ye believe on Him whom He has sent."

Believe On Him. Don't "Trust the Church"
There's nothing in the Gospel Story about trusting a church.
That fallacy has come from the RCC...not from the bible.

It's a good thing that you're not 'getting it'. I don't ''get it'' either.
Praise God that He is protecting and keeping you.

Singer

 

The Journey Home is for unstable souls who liked to be told what to believe rather than mining the truths of the Word of God themselves. Unstable souls also get caught up in the cults. This Journey Home is the road to an undisclosed time period at an alleged place called Purgatory. As we see it, there is not much to do with a glad heart at this stop-off place or limbo.

 

Brother Ed:

So, are you saying it was the writings of the early church fathers, Scott Hahn, and Steve Ray that led you to the Catholic Church?

I remember reading Scott and Kim Hahn's book, Rome Sweet Home. Was this one of the books that influenced you?

Blessings to you, Brother Ed!

Priscilla Ann

 

I think what the church actually says is that the ultimate guide for a beleiver is ones own conscience. The Gospel itself is one of the guides utilized in developing a conscience. And because so much emphasis is rightly put on the scriptures as a guide we must endeavor to understand them properly.
A fully developed conscience is what we strive for in our individual attempts to understand the Gospel. We have many claiming the authority to understand the Gospel and thereby influencing our conscience. One is the Church, another is the individual's own intellect and interpretation skills (or lack thereof.)
Both claim the right to interpret scripture from scripture. Both claim the Holy Spirit as their Guide.
One has two thousand years of experience in handling every conceivable aberration of scripture and is still standing and sticking by their original guns.

The other has an earnestness and zeal but, comparatively speaking, a minute exposure to the subject matter and it's various interpretations and their ramifications, and is potentially as fickle as a reed in the wind,-blowing any way the wind blows. (bv the way, it is my understanding that the name Simon refers to a reed, -makes sense then why Jesus would change his name before his "on this Rock" statement)

As for me, I'll trust the conscience guidance ability of the tried and true.

 

Thess,

Why are you so concerned with what BobRyan thinks about me?

You know, for him to answer you would take an act of judgment on his part, and to be perfectly honest with you, an act of gossip.

Your persistence in seeking his 'opinion' of me is not only diminishing my respect for you, but is in more than one way YOU tempting him to sin.

Just thought you should be aware of that.

God Bless,
Kelly

 

Thess,

You are NOT asking him to judge my words!

What a cop out!

You are asking him to make a SALVIFIC judgment towards someone based on a statement of belief.

No matter how you word it, it is NOT within your capacity as a fellow Christian, to make that sort of judgement!

You are Catholic. According to YOUR logic, I could safely, without fear of sinning ask every person here to judge whether you are saved or not, since you ignore the Commandments of God.

NOW, is that right?

And I am sorry, but no matter how you slice it, my lack of belief in your 'trinity', DOES NOT take away from my belief in GOD.

I have not in any way, shape or form launched an attack on God.

I am attacking what I believe to be a false doctrine.

God is not 'the trinity'.

His name is Yahweh.

God Bless,
Kelly

 

Thess,
I didn't ask you if you would CARE if I asked them. I asked you if I would be SINNING, or tempting others to SIN by asking them.

I DON'T CARE that you are asking him, nor do I care about what he might say.

I am more concerned with the fact that you seem to think that it is ok to pass that kind of judgment.

Yes, we ALL KNOW that only God KNOWS. But that doesn't make it ok to say that we THINK they are or are not saved.

Get it?

 

Dr. William P. Grady was reared in NYC as a strict Roman Catholic. He offers this definition of the Apocrapha. 'From the Greek apokryphos meaning "obscure"; those writings of dubious authenticity belong to the pre-Christian era, yet excluded from the O.T. text. Although declared inspired and canonical by the Roman Catholic Council of Trent in 1546, the Apocrypha has remained unacceptable to Bible-believing Christians. Significantly, these dozen plus books can be found scattered throughout the text of codices Vaticanus (B) and Sinaiticus (X).' He is a graduate of Hyles-Anderson College, earning a B.S. in Pastoral Theology and a M. Ed. In Christian Education. The received a D.D. from Anchor Baptist College in Pisgah Forest, North Carolina and a Th.M. in English Bible from Baptist International School of Theology and a Ph.D. in History from Baptist International Seminary. Quote is from "Final Authority" first page of Glossary of Terms. {end quote} This is why the non-Catholic canon does not include your books smiled on by the Council of Trent.

Scripture must agree with each other and so we find the concept of Purgatory ridiculous.
Why was this alleged doctrine introduced to into the Christian world? I'll let some other non-Catholic give you the reason.

There is no valid reason for Purgatory, because God speaking directly to and through the Apostle Paul has told us that the second that a Christian dies he or she goes into the Presence of Christ above into the place called Heaven. Study II Corinthians 5:8 and Philippians 1:23 either in the Greek or any translation and you will come up with the same clear answer. Jesus is not lying to us when He says in affect, sudden death, sudden glory above. If He is playing games with our minds then this foreboding state of existence, Purgatory, is true and we should welcome this spiritual reality with open arms.

It is my understanding that even priests have to pass through this unpopular limbo and unwarranted entity. I wonder if the pope gets a 'free pass' because he is supposed to be the crème de la crème of the Catholic religion?

Jesus would not be sending us mixed messages as to Purgatory and Heaven in that He tells us that at our death we have a lively hope because He is praying for us in Heaven {Hebrews 7:25; I John 2:2} His intercession get us safely into Heaven, otherwise, what is the purpose of His praying for Christians? He through this ministry is insuring our grand and wonderful admittance into His Presence above, completely bypassing the alleged Purgatory.

Philippians 1:21 suggests to us via Paul that to die is a great, great advantage for the Christian. Let's not take hope away from other brothers and sisters in Christ. The Apostle Paul said, 'For me to live is Christ, and to die is Purgatory.' Wait! I made a mistake, the correct reading is, 'For me to live is Christ and to die is gain.'