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DOES SALVATION COME THROUGH CATHOLIC MASS?

DOES GIVING MONEY TO CHURCH SAVE US?

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“Is Catholic Mass Necessary to Go to Heaven?” - Passages of The Catechism of the Catholic Church to Consider:

  • “the Church, a pilgrim now on earth, is necessary for salvation” (CCC 846)

  • “They could not be saved who, knowing that the Catholic Church was founded as necessary by God through Christ, would refuse to enter it or to remain in it” (CCC 846)

  • “The liturgical celebration involves signs and symbols relating to creation (candles, water, fire), human life (washing, anointing, breaking bread), and the history of salvation (the rites of Passover)…these cosmic elements, human rituals, and gestures of remembrance of God become bearers of the saving and sanctifying action of Christ” (CCC 1189)

  • “the faithful are bound to participate in the Mass” (CCC 2180)

  • “the faithful are bound to participate in the Eucharist on days of obligation…those who deliberately fail in this obligation commit a grave sin” (CCC 2181)

  • “the Church grants us the mercy of God which prevails over all our sins and is especially at work in us in the sacrament of reconciliation” (CCC 2040)

  • “The first precept ‘You shall attend Mass on Sundays and on holy days of obligation and rest from servile labor’” (CCC 2042)

  • “The second precept ‘You shall confess your sins at least once per year’ ensures preparation for the Eucharist by the reception of the sacrament of reconciliation, which continues Baptism’s work of conversion and forgiveness” (CCC 2042)

  • “The third precept ‘You shall receive the sacrament of the Eucharist at least during the Easter season.’ guarantees as a minimum the  reception of the Lord’s Body and Blood in connection with the Paschal feasts, the origin and center of the Christian liturgy.” (CCC 2042)

  • “The fourth precept ‘You shall observe the days of fasting and abstinence established by the Church’ ensures the times of ascesis and penance which prepares us for the liturgical feasts and helps us to acquire mastery over our instincts and freedom of heart.” (CCC 2043)

  • “The first precept ‘You shall help to provide for the needs of the Church’ means that the faithful are obliged to assist with the material needs of the Church, each according to his own ability.” (CCC 2043)

  • Tobit 4:11 "For alms deliver from all sin, and from death, and will not suffer the soul to go into darkness."  

  • Tobit 12:9 "For alms delivereth from death, and the same is that which purgeth away sins, and maketh to find mercy and life everlasting.”

  • 2 Maccabees 12:43 "And making a gathering, he sent twelve thousand drachms of silver to Jerusalem for sacrifice to be offered for the sins of the dead, thinking well and religiously concerning the resurrection."

“Is Catholic Mass Necessary to Go to Heaven?” - Scriptures to Consider:

  • Romans 10:9–10 “because, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. [10] For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved.” (ESV)

  • Ephesians 2:8–9 “For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, [9] not a result of works, so that no one may boast.” (ESV)

  • Romans 10:17 "So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ." (ESV)

  • 1 John 1:7 “But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin.”

  • Matthew 23:4 “They tie up heavy burdens, hard to bear, and lay them on people's shoulders, but they themselves are not willing to move them with their finger.” (ESV)

  • Luke 11:46 “And he said, “Woe to you lawyers also! For you load people with burdens hard to bear, and you yourselves do not touch the burdens with one of your fingers” (ESV)

  • Acts 15:28–29 “For it has seemed good to the Holy Spirit and to us to lay on you no greater burden than these requirements: [29] that you abstain from what has been sacrificed to idols, and from blood, and from what has been strangled, and from sexual immorality. If you keep yourselves from these, you will do well. Farewell.” (ESV)

  • 1 Timothy 4:1–4 “Now the Spirit expressly says that in later times some will depart from the faith by devoting themselves to deceitful spirits and teachings of demons, [2] through the insincerity of liars whose consciences are seared, [3] who forbid marriage and require abstinence from foods that God created to be received with thanksgiving by those who believe and know the truth. [4] For everything created by God is good, and nothing is to be rejected if it is received with thanksgiving” (ESV)

  • Philemon 8–9 “Accordingly, though I am bold enough in Christ to command you to do what is required, [9] yet for love's sake I prefer to appeal to you—I, Paul, an old man and now a prisoner also for Christ Jesus” (ESV)

  • 2 Corinthians 9:5 “So I thought it necessary to urge the brothers to go on ahead to you and arrange in advance for the gift you have promised, so that it may be ready as a willing gift, not as an exaction.” (ESV)

  • 2 Corinthians 9:7 “Each one must give as he has decided in his heart, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.” (ESV)

“Is Catholic Mass Necessary to Go to Heaven?” - Questions to Consider:

  • Is there a Bible verse that you can find that says the Church is “necessary for salvation” (CCC 846)?

  • Why would the Catholic Church say that “they could not be saved” who “refuse to enter … or to remain in” the Catholic Church?  Do we lose our salvation because of not being a member of the Catholic Church?

  • Why would the word “obligation” be used in so many ways with parts of the Mass?

  • When is our “conversion” complete according to the Bible?  At what point are we totally saved and forgiven according to Romans 10:9-10?  Why would the Catholic Church add so many more requirements to salvation?  How is that different than Acts 10:42-44?

  • What are the warnings of Matthew 23:4 and Luke 11:46? Why does Paul warn Timothy about those who require “abstinence from foods” and “forbid marriage”? Do these warnings apply to the Catholic Church?

  • Why does Paul describe giving as something to do as a “willing gift” and “not under compulsion” (2 Corinthians 9:5-7?  How is this different than being “obliged” (CCC 2043) and that “alms deliver from all sin” (Tobit 4:11) and that “alms delivereth from death” (Tobit 12:9)?  Does this difference concern you? Why?

  • What do you think of 2 Maccabees 12:43?