"I do not pray for these alone, but also for those who will believe in Me through their word; that they may be one, as You, Father, are in Me, and I in You; that they also may be one in Us, that the world may believe that You sent Me."(John 17:20-21)

This is the prayer that Jesus spoke before his arrest. He prayed first for Himself that having finished the work which His Father had given Him, that now the Father would glorify Him. He prayed then for His disciples that the Father would "keep" them and then thirdly he prayed for those who will believe in Him through their (disciples) word.

KNOWLEDGE

My purpose is to enlighten Catholics as to the simplicity of the gospel...that salvation is not something one can earn and that no amount of sacrifice or effort on our part will make us holy. It starts with knowledge.

"...for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God..."(Romans3:23)

I knew I was a sinner but what I didn't know, wasn't taught, was that there was hope - I could be born again. I would never attain the holiness required to live in God's presense...even if I spent all my waking hours in church. I had to be "born again" just as Jesus told Nichodemus. The second birth, of the spirit, takes place in "real time", the same as the first birth. There was a day when I acknowledged that I was a sinner and that Jesus died for me, Jeane Rogers.

"Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away, behold, all things have become new."(2Cor5:17)

FAITH

"Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen."(Heb 11:1)

"By faith they passed through the Red Sea as by dry land, whereas the Egyptians attempting to do so, were drowned"(Heb11:29)

I needed the kind of faith that it took to cross the Red Sea, that caused the walls of Jerico to fall down in order to live a life that had purpose, victory and a heavenly direction! Faith isn't static. Faith enables us to stand, to walk, to run in the spiritual realm.

"So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God."(Rom10:17)

The Bible tells of ordinary men and women who were bold in faith. David, the Shepherd, was one of them as he faced Goliath. Rahab, the harlot was another. The Roman Centurian was another....of him, Jesus said, "Assuredly, I say to you, I have not found such great faith, not even in Israel!"(Matthew 8:10)

SALVATION

"For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast."(Eph2:8)

As a Catholic, I was taught that I was saved as an infant on account of baptism. If I had died as an infant,I think I would have gone to heaven, baptism or no baptism although the fact that my parents showed responsibility in having their children baptized according to their beliefs was proper.

However, at some point in my growing up, I knew that I was not automatically going to heaven. Inside me there was a battle and the good side was not winning. Did I need to attend Mass more often? I did go and often. It made no difference. I wasn't the most diligent person but had I been, it would have made no difference. Many priests and nuns were as diligent as a human being can be but had to confess that there was an emptiness inside. Martin Luther was a monk who sought holiness -to be worthy- with all his strength and after years had to confess that inside he was no closer to holiness.

"But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us" (Romans 5:8)

We cannot earn our salvation. What is required is to by faith accept that Jesus alone is able to save us from eternal death and grant us newness of life.

The one prisoner who was crucified alongside Jesus recognized that he, himself, deserved punishment for what he did but that Jesus was blameless and he said to Jesus, "Lord, remember me when You come into Your kingdom." And Jesus said to him, "Assuredly, I say to you, today you will be with Me in Paradise."(Luke 23:43)

This criminal recognized that he was a sinner, he knew that Jesus was from God and that Jesus was blameless and that Jesus had the power to save him. It's a simple as that. Simple, yet profound.

Just as we trusted Jesus for salvation, so also it takes the same kind of faith and utter trust in order to grow spiritually. It is not something we can do solo.

"It is Christ who died, and furthermore is also risen, who is even at the right hand of God, who also makes intercession for us." (Romans 9:34)

THE WORD

Psalm 119

"Your word is a lamp to my feet, And a light to my path..."(vs 105) "I rise before the dawning of the morning, And cry for help; I hope in Your word, My eyes are awake through the night watches, That I may meditate on Your word."(vs147-148).

2Timothy2:15

"Be diligent to present yourself approved to God, a worker who does not need to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth."

1Peter 2:2-3

"As newborn babes, desire the pure milk of the word, that you may grow thereby, if indeed you have tasted that the Lord is gracious."

1Thessalonians2:13

"For this reason we also thank God without ceasing, because when you received the word of God which you heard from us, you welcomed it not as the word of men, but as it is in truth, the word of God, which also effectively works in you who believe.

Today the Word of God as contained in the Bible is vital to me. In it I find guidance, comfort, encouragement, admonition, instruction and understanding. Jesus spoke of Moses, Jonah, David and others. He said in John 5:46-47, "For if you believed Moses, you would believe Me; for he wrote about Me. But if you do not believe his writings, how will you believe My words?"

Moses wrote the first 5 books, what the Jews call the Torah.His writings contain the stories of creation and of the flood. I believe those accounts just as they are written. I think it's very important to take the Word of God literally from Genesis to Revelation.

I am not bitter concerning my Catholic upbringing but rather - grateful. The devotion of my parents to God was something which influenced my life positively. I believe that God blessed my parents devotion with further insight into His truth and they embraced the freedom to pray to the Father directly and the Word of God as contained in the Bible.

In the little town where I grew up, the Catholic Church was very visible and the church was viewed with respect as were members of the clergy and it's a pity that we lost that. The knowledge of the way to salvation is there in the Catholic teachings - it has always been there contained in the Holy Word but in the Catholic teachings/dogmas/doctrines the gospel message of salvation is veiled. St.Augustine found the truth...and many, many others in the past and today.

I was taught that the Catholic Church is the one, true church. I'm sure Protestants were told to be very wary of Catholics. Whether Catholic or Protestant, it is necessary to experience rebirth. Jesus said it. Being born again means that we are adopted into the family of God. If you have been born again and you are Catholic, then, you are in the same family as I am. We are members of The Church, the Body of Christ, and that means our citizenship is in heaven. Our Head is Jesus. Without Him we are nothing. We look to Him for our sustenance...no pastor or priest is able to impart life to us. If they belong to the "Good Shepherd", then they are ministers of the gospel, shepherds of the flock, just as Jesus instructed Peter to "feed my lambs." Criticism and finger-pointing is destructive, to the individual and to the church. When Jesus stopped Saul on the road, He said to him, "Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting Me?"(Acts9:4). To criticize the church is to criticize our Lord. The unity of the Body of Christ will not be accomplished by man-made efforts at ecumenenism but when brothers and sisters in Christ look to Jesus as the Head and Jesus alone.

"For without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him."(Heb11:6)

Back to HomePage

Send Mail