PRAYER FOR THE PROTECTION OF THE HOLY ROMAN CATHOLIC CHURCH

PRAYER FOR THE PROTECTION OF THE HOLY ROMAN CATHOLIC CHURCH

Lord Jesus Christ,
Son of The Almighty God and Father,
please protect and defend
Your Holy Roman Catholic Church
in these times of heresy, apostasy and scandal.

Guard it from external and internal
enemies, even from followers of Satan
working from outside and inside the Church.

Protect our Pope, Benedict XVI, and
the good cardinals, bishops, priests,
deacons, brothers and sisters, and missionaries and laity
from spiritual and physical harm.
Protect, champion, and heal sexual abuse victims.
Judge all clergy accused of sexual abuse.

Urge the Pope to consecrate Russia
to the Immaculate Heart of Mary as soon as possible so
that Russia may be converted and world peace may result.
In this way, Our Lady's repeated requests will finally be honored.

Lessen the probabilities of prophesied and unprophesied
calamities and chastisements, even world war.
Eliminate Communism, atheism, terrorism, the New World Order, the New Age movement,
homosexuality, abortion, embryonic stem cell research, cloning, and euthanasia from the world.. Amen

Truth Seeker

We are in the Midst of the Apostasy

We are in the Midst of the Apostasy

2 Thes 2:1-4 NIV
The Man of Lawlessness
1 Concerning the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our being gathered to him, we ask you, brothers, 2 not to become easily unsettled or alarmed by some prophecy, report or letter supposed to have come from us, saying that the day of the Lord has already come. 3 Don't let anyone deceive you in any way, for (that day will not come) until the rebellion occurs and the man of lawlessness is revealed, the man doomed to destruction. 4 He will oppose and will exalt himself over everything that is called God or is worshiped, so that he sets himself up in God's temple, proclaiming himself to be God.

2 Tes 2:1-4 (Reina-Valera 1995)
Manifestación del hombre de pecado
1 Con respecto a la venida de nuestro Señor Jesucristo y nuestra reunión con él, os rogamos, hermanos,
2 que no os dejéis mover fácilmente de vuestro modo de pensar, ni os conturbéis, ni por espíritu ni por palabra ni por carta como si fuera nuestra, en el sentido de que el día del Señor está cerca.
3 ¡Nadie os engañe de ninguna manera!, pues no vendrá sin que antes venga la apostasía y se manifieste el hombre de pecado, el hijo de perdición,
4 el cual se opone y se levanta contra todo lo que se llama Dios o es objeto de culto; tanto, que se sienta en el templo de Dios como Dios, haciéndose pasar por Dios.

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1 Timothy 4:1 NIV
1 The Spirit clearly says that in later times some will abandon the faith and follow deceiving spirits and things taught by demons.

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Everywhere we look nowadays we see people
not content with their previously held religious beliefs
The present Roman Catholic Church crisis
is the main example but there are other creeds in flux
As the passages above cite, the apostasy is a vital part
of the end time before the Antichrist appears

>>>>>Another source of end time prophecy is Fatima:<<<<<<

Our Lady of Fatima told the children that war is a punishment for sin. She warned that God would penalize the world for its disobedience to His will through war, hunger, and persecution of the Catholic Church, the Pope, and the faithful.

"If My (Our Lady's) requests are not granted, Russia will spread its errors throughout the world, raising up wars and persecutions against the Church. The
good will be martyred, the Holy Father (Pope) will suffer much and various nations will be annihilated."

Truth Seeker

Misplaced Trust

Misplaced Trust

John 21:15-17 NIV
15 When they had finished eating, Jesus said to Simon Peter, "Simon son of John, do you truly love me more than these?"
"Yes, Lord," he said, "you know that I love you."
Jesus said, "Feed my lambs."
16 Again Jesus said, "Simon son of John, do you truly love me?"
He answered, "Yes, Lord, you know that I love you."
Jesus said, "Take care of my sheep."
17 The third time he said to him, "Simon son of John, do you love me?"
Peter was hurt because Jesus asked him the third time, "Do you love me?" He said, "Lord, you know all things; you know that I love you."
Jesus said, "Feed my sheep."

Act 20:28-30 NIV
28 Keep watch over yourselves and all the flock of which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers. Be shepherds of the church of God, which he bought with his own blood. 29 I know that after I leave, savage wolves will come in among you and will not spare the flock. 30 Even from your own number men will arise and distort the truth in order to draw away disciples after them.

1 Cor 6:18 NIV
18 Flee from sexual immorality. All other sins a man commits are outside his body, but he who sins sexually sins against his own body.

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When I was a child, a priest was someone
you looked up to and respected.
I really felt inadequate, thinking he knew my sins.
He represented Jesus in Confession and Communion.
No one usually questioned his authority
even on non-religious matters.
Still, at such an impressionable age,
I find it hard to believe that I would've
done an unmentionable act at a priest's bidding.
Then, I respected my body above all else
and would never have acquiesced to a lewd act.
These thousands of paedophile victims differ
in their unfortunate stories but I ask...
why didn't they tell their parents?
I can't believe that their respect for the Church
overrode the welfare of their children.
Now, in 2010, most of the parents are dead
and the children are well into maturity.
The victims' cry for justice has been long in coming.
High ranking Church officials will have to fess up their part
in the cover-up of these despicable crimes.
In the end, it's a Higher Authority they'll have to answer to.

Truth Seeker

Fear's Many Faces

Fear's Many Faces

Concern
Anxiety
Agitation
Uneasiness
Apprehension
Worry

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Mat 6:25-34 NIV
25 "Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more important than food, and the body more important than clothes? 26 Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? 27 Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life?
28 "And why do you worry about clothes? See how the lilies of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. 29 Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. 30 If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? 31 So do not worry, saying, 'What shall we eat?' or 'What shall we drink?' or 'What shall we wear?' 32 For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. 33 But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. 34 Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.

Philippians 4:6-7 NIV
6 Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. 7 And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

2 Timothy 1:7 NIV
7 For God did not give us a spirit of timidity, but a spirit of power, of love and of self-discipline.

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Jesus or St.Paul never meant the first two passages to be directed to disaster victims, like the recent ones in Haiti and Chile. The humanitarian efforts take precedence over the spiritual needs. No, these texts are mainly meant for those who have their bodily needs taken care of.

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On the subject of fear, I've wondered for a long time why people feel the compulsion to want to be scared by watching horror films. In 1922 it was Nosferatu; in 1931, Dracula and Frankenstein; in 1980 it was Friday the 13th. A work colleague told me in 1973 not to go see The Exorcist because the Pope had banned it. I told her I'd already seen it and besides, I didn't share the Pope's views. My respect for the Pope has since then increased in proportion to my disrespect for horror films. Back then, I knew very little about demonology or the spirit world and I thought The Exorcist was just a lot of Hollywood schlock. How the years can change a person.

But the point I'm trying to make is... In this day of real earthquakes, multiple shootings, and terrorist bombings, etc. why would people need to make up make-believe disasters? Some would say we need to be in control of the panic button, something which reality doesn't permit us to have.

Truth Seeker

Authority and Succession

Papal Authority

Mat 16:18-19 NIV
18 And I tell you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not overcome it.
19 I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven; whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven."

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Apostolic Authority and Succession

Mat 10:1, 40 NIV
1 He called his twelve disciples to him and gave them authority to drive out evil spirits and to heal every disease and sickness.
40 "He who receives you receives me, and he who receives me receives the one who sent me.

Mat 18:18-20 NIV
18 "I tell you the truth, whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.
19 "Again, I tell you that if two of you on earth agree about anything you ask for, it will be done for you by my Father in heaven. 20 For where two or three come together in my name, there am I with them."

Luke 10:16 NIV
16 "He who listens to you listens to me; he who rejects you rejects me; but he who rejects me rejects him who sent me."

Luke 22:29 NIV
29 And I confer on you a kingdom, just as my Father conferred one on me,

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Other references regarding authority and succession from:
http://www.scripturecatholic.com/apostolic_succession.html

John 5:30 - similarly, Jesus as man does nothing of His own authority, but He acts under the authority of the Father.
John 7:16-17 - Jesus as man states that His authority is not His own, but from God. He will transfer this authority to other men.
John 8:28 - Jesus says He does nothing on His own authority. Similarly, the apostles will do nothing on their own authority. Their authority comes from God.
John 12:49 - The father's authority is transferred to the Son. The Son does not speak on his own. This is a transfer of divine authority.
John 13:20 - Jesus says, "he who receives anyone who I send, receives Me." He who receives the apostles, receives Christ Himself. He who rejects the apostles and their successors, rejects Christ.
John 14:10 - Jesus says the Word He speaks is not His own authority, but from the Father. The gift is from the Father to Jesus to the apostles.
John 16:14-15 - what the Father has, the Son has, and the Son gives it to the apostles. The authority is not lessened or mitigated.
John 17:18; 20:21 - as the Father sends the Son, the Son sends the apostles. The apostles have divinely appointed authority.
Acts 20:28 - the apostles are shepherds and guardians appointed by the Holy Spirit / 1 Peter 2:25 - Jesus is the Shepherd and Guardian. The apostles, by the power of the Spirit, share Christ's ministry and authority.
Jer. 23:1-8; Ezek. 34:1-10 - the shepherds must shepherd the sheep, or they will be held accountable by God.
Eph. 2:20 - the Christian faith is built upon the foundation of the apostles. The word "foundation" proves that it does not die with apostles, but carries on through succession.
Eph. 2:20; Rev. 21:9,14 - the words "household," "Bride of the Lamb," the "new Jerusalem" are all metaphors for the Church whose foundation is the apostles.

Not a Man

Not a Man

Numbers 23:19 NIV
19 God is not a man, that he should lie,
nor a son of man, that he should change his mind.
Does he speak and then not act?
Does he promise and not fulfill?