Where Have All the "Followers" Gone?

A woman wrote these two analogies in a comment and I thought they were great and had to 'borrow' one of them. Judy's analogies:
"Can a well produce polluted water and pure water? Can a bad root produce a good crop?"

I guess I can use the 'well' analogy as the Church (the most Pure Well if you will) that Jesus built, on Peter and declared He would "Never leave or forsake." But strange as it seems, she is then thought to have gone miserably 'off the rails!' Huh?? I believed it too, for many years. The Church Jesus HIMSELF built, founded is believed by so many in Protestantism/Evangelicalism, etc. to have 'gone off the rails" and became "corrupted" by men and their 'traditions' and 'rituals.'
Forgive me, but that is in all truth, ludicrous, folly and purely absurd!

Well-meaning as they are, they hold to that misguided notion so fiercely, thinking that this Church went "off the rails" and became 'corrupt' but they don't see it in their OWN 'churchlings' (like saplings, they "plant" churches you know) Believing such a thing, one really would have to think -- the Church founded by Jesus Himself -- was in fact "left" by Jesus, and wasn't led by the Holy Spirit any longer, but went 'down the tubes!!' Pray tell, how on earth can that be the case and believed so fiercely? Then after some 2000 years, "Mr. So & So" or "Ms. So & So" w/ his/her "Message Bible" can NOW have it [the message] so crystal clear and so pure as the driven snow and maintain the notion that they're now just like the "Early Church" was??

Here, in 2010, in their independent little sect,they 'have it down??!!" It's sad and laughable at the same time! And if they don't 'have it down' completely, no prob. they just move on to another little group, or even feel confident enough in their "OWN" interpretation and start another little "churchette" where they can gather with 'like-minded' ones, until they have to split again to go to or form another group that's even 'more pure' than the one they apparently had to leave, due to a "falling out" among some, and/or theological disputes and disagreements. THAT IS PURITY? That is the "pure remnant" of the faithful??? Give me a break!!

A little "house church," or a huge "mega church" doesn't much matter, it's still only a 'church' started by a SINNER(S) and his or her bible!!! PURE??? Hardly!!! Pastor Murdoch, Pastor Les, Pastor Rob, Pastor Gene (all the pastors we sat under over 26 years) were only MERE men! Sinners, w/ only their opinions and their own interpretations of scriptures to preach! Not that they were 'bad men' not at all, but they weren't as PURE as CHRIST either!

Why, it just BOGGLES my mind to ponder that now! Sorry to rant, but it really is stunning to me -- all of the arguments against the Church Jesus established, seem so valid in these peoples' eyes, while they proclaim to "love" the "Word of God" so much, yet harbor such disgust and hatred for the Catholic Church, even some despising viciously the Church that gave them that "Word of God they love to quote!!" It all rather makes my brain spin dizzily and my heart hurt and ache severely. I feel worthy to type all of this, because having 'been there, done that' as an "evangelimentalist" for so many years.

Yes, I pray for our 'separated' brothers and sisters to come Home to Rome Sweet Home. That is not arrogance, but a deep longing and desire put in my heart BY the Holy Spirit, who Jesus gave HIS CHURCH to "guide us, members of His Body, into ALL TRUTH!" The word 'separated' isn't spoken as a derogatory or condescending term, either. It is simply true. They even separate from themselves from their evangelical "brothers and sisters" all the time w/out so much as a blink, and yet continue to be "ok" with all of the factions and divisions. How? By "ignoring" them and leaving them! How is that true Christian 'Agape' at all?? How does that even resemble the doctrine given by Christ Jesus, our Lord and Savior? It doesn't! Not one whit!! It's just mind boggling and heart-wrenching! God gave us brains. We really do need to cooperate with the Holy Spirit and "use" them...and think PAST 1500. The CHURCH is ever ANCIENT ever NEW. She's NEVER been 'off one rail' let alone both and She never will be! Jesus would NEVER let that happen!

But what do I hear? Silence. I hear crickets chirping when I ask questions. I mostly get ignored when I bring up the subject of our return to the CC and ask sincere, honest questions of some of my evangelical friends these days. These friends that I used to share on a spiritual level would choose now to simply "not go there." Ok. But how can one who loves to think and ponder, like a couple of my friends in the past love to do, "NOT" think and ponder the deepest truths that lead to the Church Jesus founded on Peter and w/ documented, proven apostolic succession???? :o If you ask the Father for a loaf of bread is He going to give you a serpent? No! He'll give you JESUS, the BREAD OF LIFE! The Eucharist!! Mass!

What is Mass? Heaven ON and COME to earth! Every hour of every day!! Jesus giving us HIMSELF, feeding us His Flesh 'for the Life of the world! Giving Himself to us so intimately at Holy Communion. True food and True drink given though his CHOSEN priest to the 'faithful remnant' of HIS CHURCH every single day! Not as a 'symbol' either! The FULLNESS of TRUTH in the Eucharist is shared at only ONE CHURCH, the Catholic Church. His Holy Spirit is in other churches, of course, trying to WOO they HEARTS of those 'faithful to His Voice' back Home. Jesus is present IN the Eucharist because He IS the Eucharist! He give Himself in that special Communion in only ONE PLACE, the Church that has stood for over 2000 years, not Pastor Joe Blow's who's 'here today, gone tomorrow!'

Oh well. Jesus was ignored, too. All is well. God be praised.

As John Lennon sang, "I hope someday you'll join us, and we will all be as One." Kind of like Jesus prayed in John 17, isn't it? Of course, Jesus meant a HOLY, PURE unity of God's children, in ONE CHURCH, not the "Brotherhood of man" in the Communist sense, but you get the idea.

Time for breakfast. Nectarines and Cheerios. Yay!

Cheerio!

PAX CHRISTI~