Pope Francis Portrait Painting (Photo credit: Dan Lacey)
"At his weekly general audience June 25, Pope Francis continued his series of audience talks about the church, telling an estimated 33,000 people that there is no such thing as 'do-it-yourself' Christians or 'free agents' when it comes to faith … Pope Francis described as 'dangerous' the temptation to believe that one can have a personal, direct, immediate relationship with Jesus Christ without communion with and the mediation of the church."
"These are dangerous and harmful temptations. These are, as the great Paul VI said, absurd dichotomies." (source)
Many people think that the Catholic Church has changed, and yet we can clearly see that she is still the same today, teaching a different gospel and a different Jesus. This man of sin 'appears' to be a good and humble man, but his teachings are of the devil. To say that we cannot have a personal, direct relationship with Jesus apart from the Roman Catholic Church is completely against the Word of God.
Revelation 3:20 …'Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me.'
Jesus Christ is waiting for a PERSONAL relationship with you.
Our Holy Father is exactly right. I say this as a former Protestant of 25 years who finally saw the truth of the Catholic faith. There is no room for this idea of “me and Jaysus.” If you were not blind, you would see exactly what it has done in the world — thousands of churches, each one saying that they are teaching the truth because they have a “personal relationship with Jesus” and yet each one of them disagreeing with the other.
The way to know Christ is through His Church. He died for His Bride, the Church, salvation is through the Church, and God is not interested in Lone Rangers for Jayzuz!!
As for me, I follow the Bible, not some Holy Joe in Rome, with a history of atrocities. But to each their own…
Jesus uses parable to teach us. What do you learn from the Parable of the Lost Coin, Parable of the Lost Sheep & Parable of the Lost Son? One soul is important to Christ, even if that soul if not in a Church.
That’s NOT what Jesus said: Read the Bible:
Matthew 13:10-15King James Version (KJV)
10 And the disciples came, and said unto him, Why speakest thou unto them in parables?
11 He answered and said unto them, Because it is given unto you to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it is not given.
12 For whosoever hath, to him shall be given, and he shall have more abundance: but whosoever hath not, from him shall be taken away even that he hath.
13 Therefore speak I to them in parables: because they seeing see not; and hearing they hear not, neither do they understand.
14 And in them is fulfilled the prophecy of Esaias, which saith, By hearing ye shall hear, and shall not understand; and seeing ye shall see, and shall not perceive:
15 For this people’s heart is waxed gross, and their ears are dull of hearing, and their eyes they have closed; lest at any time they should see with their eyes and hear with their ears, and should understand with their heart, and should be converted, and I should heal them.
No where in the Bible does it say we have to pray through Mary. Jesus is the intercessory with the Father. The Pope can not forgive sins. Only Jesus can wipe them away when you ask him to come into your heart and to forgive your sins and guess what, it is free!!!
Different churches disagree with each other due to different interpretations of the Bible not because they have a personal relationship with Jesus. The way to know Christ is by reading the Bible, his Holy word…not from a minister’s interpretation of the Bible.