Dear Michael,
I’ve noticed you been coming to Mass for quite some time. I was hoping you would soon come into the true Church. However, as Easter rolls around, thousands of converts worldwide, including many protestant ministers of the last few years have embraced the true faith. But something seems to be holding you back. I’m wondering what it is. You seem not to understand the necessity of the Church for salvation. Even the Scripture says that those who were saved were added to the Church. ‘’The Lord added daily to the church such as should be saved.’’ Acts 2:47. Which Church is this scripture talking about? It’s going to necessarily be talking about the one Jesus established when He walked on earth, of which He said, “The gates of hell shall not prevail against my church.’’ St. Matthew 16:18. So if the gates of hell cannot overcome it, ask yourself, “Which church has been around for 2,000 years?” and the answer is, the ROMAN CATHOLIC. How do we know that? Well, there are many proofs but the easy one is to trace the popes back to St. Peter. How long has the U.S. been a free nation? Since 1776. How do you prove that? Trace the presidents back to George Washington. The Church itself has declared no less than three times, Ex Cathedra, that there is no salvation outside the true Church. Why do we hear the Church? First, because it upholds the truth, for St. Paul said it is ‘’the pillar and ground of truth,’’ 1 Tim. 3;15. A building is held up by the pillars and foundation. Secondly, because Jesus had commanded us to hear the Church, and threatened us with damnation if we do not. “If he will not hear the church, let him be to thee as the heathen, and the publican.” St. Matt. 18:17.
Remember, the Bible itself declares those were saved who joined the Church. ‘’The Lord added daily to the church such as should be saved.’’ Acts 2:47. So you may be asking yourself, ‘’How do I know it’s the true church?’’ Well, there are actually many ways of determining that.
First off, what did the apostles say in the Apostles Creed, the Creed formed by the Apostles? They said, “I believe in the holy Catholic Church.’’ They were actually the first ones to name the Church. Thus the title, the Apostles Creed. This is also revealed in THE MYSTICAL CITY OF GOD from the Blessed Mother herself, to Venerable Mary of Agreda, Spain. Secondly, Jesus himself said He would build his church on the rock of Peter, and the gates of hell would not prevail against it. “ And I say to thee: That thou art Peter; and upon this rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it’’ St. Matt. 16:18. For an explanation of St. Peter’s leadership role in the beginning of the Church, there is an excellent Catholic book called THIS IS THE FAITH by Canon Francis Ripley. He points out many Bible passages that prove that St. Peter was the first pope, the head of the Church, but you won’t understand these passages when you read them on your own because St. Peter himself said, ‘’No prophecy of scripture is of any private interpretation.’’ 2nd letter, 1:20. St. Peter also warns in his second letter of the damnation of the soul for those who wrestle with the scriptures who think they understand them , but don’t. “Also in all his epistles, speaking in them of these things; in which are certain things hard to be understood, which the unlearned and unstable wrest, as they do also the other scriptures, to their own destruction. 3:16. “Their own destruction,’’ you see.
Protestants think they can pray to the Holy Spirit to guide them in reading the scriptures, but the Holy Spirit doesn’t work that way. The proof is in the pudding, as they say. St. Paul says the spirit is a spirit of unity. ‘’ Careful to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. One body and one Spirit; as you are called in one hope of your calling. One Lord, one faith, one baptism.’’ Ephesians chapter 4. One faith, but the protestants have thousands of denominations. They not only disagree with the Catholic Church, they can’t even agree among themselves! This proves beyond a shadow of a doubt that the Spirit does not guide them by reading the Bible alone, private interpretation. Martin Luther, after he turned away the Church, and many others with him, said, “When we have heard or learned a few things about Holy Scripture, we think we are already doctors and have swallowed the Holy Ghost, feathers and all.” By the way, where was the Bible for 1500 years, when there were no printing presses? How did the people get to heaven, since they couldn’t read the Bible? I guess they all went to hell, since the protestants think the Bible is the guide to heaven. No, ‘’faith cometh by hearing,’’ not by reading. They were following the Church,’’ the pillar and ground of truth,’’ 1 Timothy 3:15. The Church Christ sent ‘’to preach and teach,’’ and warned us we better listen to his Church if we didn’t want to be like the heathen and the publican.” If he will not hear the Church, let him be to thee as the heathen and the publican.’’ St. Matthew 18:17.
So we see that Jesus is building his church on a firm foundation, on a rock. Then he goes on to say that the gates of hell will not prevail against it. That means, that no matter how hard the devils in hell try to destroy his church, it’s not going to happen. It also means that his church will stand till the end of time, and that it will exist in all centuries. Never will it be non-existent or the gates of hell will have prevailed. So here is where we can find the proof that the Roman Catholic Church is the true Church established by Jesus Christ. The proof is in the continual existence of the popes all the way back to Peter. St. Peter was chosen to lead the Church after Christ went back to heaven. We see this in many of the Scriptures, beginning at Pentecost, when St. Peter was the one who stood up and addressed the crowd. And through his first sermon, he converted three thousand souls. Wow! For a full explanation of St. Peter’s role as the first pope, I would again encourage you to get a copy of THIS IS THE FAITH by Rev. Canon Francis Ripley. This is a clear explanation of the Church and what it teaches, with the Bible proving all points. If you really want to know the truth, you need to read that book.
But you may say, “I’m reading the Bible. That’s enough for me.” For being a non-Catholic, most people believe the Bible is their guide to heaven. However, the Bible is not our guide to heaven. The 70,000 protestant denominations prove that! The Bible says, the Spirit is a spirit of unity, and that there is one Lord, one faith, and one baptism, Eph. 4:5, yet the protestant private interpretation of the Bible has created 70,000 different so-called Christian religions, all disagreeing as to what the scriptures are saying. This is why we see St. Peter saying, “no prophecy of scripture is of any private interpretation.” 2 Peter1:20. And also warning those who do so that the scriptures are hard to understand, and people are damning themselves interpreting them wrongly. “As also in all his epistles, speaking in them of these things; in which are certain things hard to be understood, which the unlearned and unstable wrest, as they do also the other scriptures, to their own destruction.” 2 Peter 3:16. “To their own destruction,” he says. St. Francis de Sales, commenting on the words of St. Paul in Hebrews, about the Word of God, more piercing than any two-edged sword, said, “You would not put a sharp two-edged sword into the hands of just anyone, lest they kill themselves with it.” Thus, we have the Ethiopian saying to Philip, when Philip asked him about the scriptures he was reading, “Thinkest thou that thou understandest what thou readest?’’ and the Ethiopian replied, “But how can I, unless some man show me?” Acts 8:30-31.
So in order to find the truth, we must go to where the foundation of truth is. Where is that? It’s the church. St. Paul says, “the church of the living God, the pillar and ground of truth.” 1 Tim. 3:15. When an architect constructs a building, he starts on the ground, which is the foundation, and then he begins to build the pillars to frame it up. You take away the pillars and the foundation, and the structure falls. You take away the Church, like Martin Luther, that arch-heretic, and the truth falls. Martin Luther was the first protestant. He rejected the Church, told people to just read the Bible, which many did, and after that, one protestant religion sprang up after another. Before he died, he saw his terrible mistake, and he said every man thought he was his own pope , because every man was going by his own head, and not the guidance of the Church. In St. Matthew 18:17, Jesus gives a warning, and a threat of damnation, if we refuse to hear the Church. He said, “And if he will not hear the church, let him be to thee as the heathen and the publican.” The heathen and the publican cannot be saved if they do not convert, and Our Lord said we would be in a class with them if we would not hear the Church. Theologians tell us this is a threat of damnation if we refuse to hear the Church. We refuse to hear the Church if we leave it, like Martin Luther, or if we refuse to come into it and follow its guidance. Father Leslie Rumble of Radio Replies, said, “Our Lord could not command us to hear the Church in all places and all times, if it were ever going to lead us astray.” If a Catholic cannot be saved who leaves the Church, how can a protestant who refuses to come in? Did not Our Lord set up his law for all men, or is he a respecter of persons?
So you may say, “Well, I’m trying to follow the Lord, and stay away from the evil road. All well and good. However, our religion consists of faith and morals, like two tires on a bike, they both have to be good to get you there. A protestant may have good morals, but if he has bad faith, (wrong doctrine), he will still be lost. A Catholic who has right faith but bad morals will be lost. St. Paul speaks of “spirits of error and doctrines of devils,” 1 Tim. 4:1, and also good doctrine. “Take heed to thyself and to doctrine: be earnest in them. For in doing this thou shalt both save thyself and them that hear thee.” 4:16. He insists on St. Timothy keeping a watch over himself, and also good doctrine, saying it will save his soul, and also those who hear him. So not just any belief in Jesus Christ will save a man.
The Church teaches, and the Bible teaches, and many Eucharistic miracles confirm it, that Jesus Christ’ true body and blood are present in the bread and wine at Mass after it has been consecrated by a priest. All three of these agree. But, what do the protestants say? It’s only a symbol. Really? Here, the protestants contradict 2,000 years of Church teaching, they contradict their own Bibles, and they deny the proof of the Eucharistic miracles! Only a fool would believe it is symbolic. As St. Paul said, “They have changed the truth of God for a lie.” Romans 1:25. Furthermore, they make Jesus Christ a liar. “He that believeth not the Son, maketh him a liar.” 1 John 5:10. And St. John affirms in his Gospel that such a one will not see life, but has incurred the wrath of God. “But he that believeth not the Son, shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth on him.” John 3:36. So even if we profess belief in Jesus Christ, we must still believe all his doctrine, and keep all his commands. “Charity…believeth all things.” 1 Cor. 13:4-6.
Here is an example of a man who was trying to learn good morals, yet still had a bad faith: Once there dwelt on the sacred river Jordan a certain old man, Cyriacus by name, of great merit before God. To him came a stranger named Theophanes, to ask advice concerning temptations against purity. The old man began to encourage him with talk about temperance and chastity. Greatly edified and strengthened, he said to the old man, “Truly, my father, if it were not that in my own country I communi-cate with the Nestorians, I would remain with you.’’ Now when the aged man heard the name ‘Nestorians,’ distressed for the ruin of a brother, he began to rebuke him, and entreated him to withdraw from that most evil and baneful heresy, and to seek admission into the holy, Catholic and Apostolic Church, telling him at the same time that there is no other hope of salvation. “But, my father and master,” said the brother, “surely this is what all heretics say; that, “Unless you communicate with us, you will not be saved.” “Miserable that I am, I do not know what to do. Therefore beseech the Lord to make me know for certain which is the true faith.” The old man was full of joy, and said to him, “Come. Sit in the cave with me, and have complete hope in God, for His goodness will discover to you the true faith.” Then, leaving him in the cave, Cyriacus went forth to the Dead Sea to pray to God for him. Now, about the ninth hour the following day, the brother beheld someone standing before him of terrible appearance, who said: “Come and see the truth.” And, taking him , he led him to a darksome and fetid place where there burned fire and flames; and in these flames he saw Nestorious, Eutyches, and certain others. And he who had appeared to him said, “This place is prepared for heretics and for those who follow their teachings. If this place pleases you, then continue in your present doctrine; but if you do not want to undergo this punishment, join yourself to the holy, Catholic and Apostolic Church which that old man is teaching you to do. For I tell you, although a man should practice all virtues and yet not believe rightly, he will have to suffer in this place.” At these words, the brother regained consciousness, and told Cyriacus, on his return, all that he had seen. And then he joined the holy Catholic Church. This man, you see, was a heretic. He had the wrong faith, and St. Paul says a heretic is condemned, by his own judgement. Titus. 3:10-11. This vision confirmed what St. Paul taught. So you see Michael, faith and morals. Faith is what we believe, and morals is how we live. Like two tires on a bike, they both have to be good to get you there. So if you want to save your soul, it is imperative to come into the Church without further delay, and keep the commandments as well. As the Scripture says, “The Lord added daily to the Church, such as should be saved.” What good would it be for me to be chaste, and make Jesus a liar about Holy Communion (bad doctrine)? Or what good would it be for me to be a Catholic in the true Church while committing adultery (bad morals)?
But, in order to know the faith, you must study the faith. You need to study good catechisms which explain the faith, because the Bible does not explain itself. We need good priests to also explain it to us, because scripture says of them in the Old Testament, “The lips of the priest shall keep knowledge, and they shall seek the law at his mouth.” Malachy 2:11. Why his mouth? Because ”faith cometh by hearing,” not by reading. Also, St. Paul reiterates this in 1 Cor. 4:1: “Let a man so account of us as the ministers of Christ, and the dispensers of the mysteries of God.” God has set up his priests to dispense the mysteries of God, “To you,” Jesus says to his Apostles, “Is given to know the mysteries of the kingdom, but to them it is not given.” St. Matt. 13:11.
Getting back to the Eucharist, which is Holy Communion, Jesus emphatically , and unequivocally, stated we would not have life without it. “Then Jesus said to them: Amen, amen I say unto you: Except you eat the flesh of the Son of man, and drink his blood, you shall not have life in you.” St. John 6:54. These words should be deeply engraved in every Christian’s soul, for if our natural bodies cannot live without food, so also Jesus has unequivocally stated our souls will not have life without the Bread of Life. Jesus calls it ‘’living bread,’’ St. John 6:51, not ‘’symbolic bread.’’ If a Catholic cannot have life in the soul without the Eucharist, how can a protestant? Now if we don’t believe Jesus Christ here, we make him a liar. Either he meant it, or he did not. If he didn’t mean it, why did he say, “There are some of you that believeth not.; verse 65. What did he say of those who believeth not? “He that believeth not, shall be condemned.” St. Mark 16:16. He also ties in Holy Communion with being taken to heaven on the last day, the day of judgement at the end of the world, verse 55, “ He that eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, hath everlasting life: and I will raise him up in the last day.” Do you want to be raised up on the last day? As long as you remain outside the Church, Michael, you remain unable to receive Our Lord’s body and blood in Holy Communion. Do you think he is going to make an exception in your case? I think not. As I said, the Church has always taught this doctrine, that it is truly Christ’s real body and blood present there. All the Apostles in the scriptures affirm it. Even St. Paul, 1 Corinthians 10:16 says, “The chalice of benediction, which we bless, is it not the communion of the blood of Christ? And the bread, which we break, is it not the partaking of the body of the Lord?” St. Paul is affirming the same as the other apostles were teaching. Let us move to the 2nd century. St. Ignatius of Antioch, himself a bishop, and one of the first to speak of the Catholic Church by name, had this to say about those who denied the Eucharist: “Have nothing to do with those who deny the Eucharist to be the flesh and blood of Jesus Christ, but pray for them.” The protestants deny this doctrine. St. Ignatius says ,’’Have nothing to do with them…’’ So we are not allowed to go to their false churches. “Bear not the yoke with unbelievers. For what participation hath justice with injustice? Or what fellowship hath light with darkness?”2 Corinthians 6:14. Fellowship with them? St. Paul says ‘’No.’’
Even though you pray, and are trying to live a good life, let me give you an example of a wonderful godly man in the scriptures. “And there was a certain man in Caesarea, named Cornelius, a centurion of that which is called the Italian band; A religious man, and fearing God with all his house, giving much alms to the people, and always praying to God. Acts 10:1-3. “ … Then Peter, going down to the men, said: Behold, I am he whom you seek; what is the cause for which you are come?” Verse 22. “ …Who said: Cornelius, a centurion, a just man, and one that feareth God, and having good testimony from all the nation of the Jews, received an answer of an holy angel, to send for thee into his house, and to hear words of thee.” Cornelius was a religious man, he feared God; he gave much alms and was always praying to God. He was a just man, it says, in the grace of God. However, as you will see, even though he was a very good Jew, the Jewish religion would no longer save him. He had to join himself to the true Church, therefore, the angel said to him, using words of future tense, “Send to Joppe, and call hither Simon, who is surnamed Peter, Who shall speak to thee words, whereby thou shalt be saved, and all thy house.”Acts 11:13-14. Notice the words, whereby thou shalt be saved, meaning , he was no longer in a religion that was going to save him. He now had to accept Christ as the Saviour of all men, and also his Church, set up to teach men the way to heaven. Who was it that told him? It was an angel from heaven. “And he told us how he had seen an angel in his house, standing, and saying to him: Send to Joppe, and call hither Simon, who is surnamed Peter, Who shall speak to thee words, whereby thou shalt be saved, and all thy house.”
Now how can we prove the Roman Catholic Church dates back to Peter? All you have to do is look at a list of the popes, which go all the way back to St. Peter. Just as you can prove, Michael, that the United States has been a free nation since 1776, with the election of our first president, and tracing all the presidents back to him, you can do the same with the Church. I realize I am repeating myself, but it is good for us to have the truth deeply engrained in our souls. Moreover, if you research THE HANDBOOK OF DENOMINATIONS in the U.S., 4th Edition, which is not a Catholic book, it will tell you: “Across the first 1,000 years of Christendom the principal Church was the Roman Catholic. For the first 1500 years, up to the time of the Protestant Reformation, the Western world was almost solidly Roman Catholic.” Another proof. Why Roman Catholic? Because St. Peter set up the Apostolic See there, and was later martyred there, being crucified upside down, the same day St. Paul was martyred at Tre Fontaine, (THE THREE FOUNTAINS). That’s why we celebrate their feasts both on the same day. Fr. Leslie Rumble said St. Peter wrote his first Epistle from Rome, which at that time was called Babylon. “The church that is in Babylon, elected together with you, saluteth you: and so doth my son Mark.” 1 Peter 5:13. ‘’He was writing from Rome,’’ said Fr. Rumble.
Another reason you need to be a Catholic is because a member has to be united to the body to have life. St. Augustine said, “What happens if you lose a finger, a hand or a foot? That separated members dies. In order to have life, it must be united to the body. So too the Christian Catholic. In order to have the life of Christ in his soul, he must be united to Christ’s body, the church.’’ St. Paul, in chapter 1 of Ephesians says Christ is the head of the church, which is his body. And in chapter 5 he says, “We are members of his body.” If we are united to it. If not, we are separated members that are dead. As in the order of nature, God only communicates life to the members through the body, so also in the order of grace, Christians only receive life through being united to Christ’s church. That’s why it is imperative if you want to save your soul Michael, to unite yourself to the true church and embrace the true faith. You can’t be united to the head if you are not united to the body. That’s why St. Paul also said, “He is the savior of the body.” Eph. 5:23. If a Catholic cannot be saved outside the church, then how can a protestant, Jew, or whoever? “He is the savior of the body.” Eph. 5:23. Did you catch that with your private interpretation of the Bible?
THE BIBLE OR THE MASS?
Now let us take a look at the which of the two is more important. Supposing you were in a war, on the battle lines, bullets, bombs and grenades hitting everywhere. One of your buddies gives you a Bible and says, “Here! Read this and you will get back home.’’ You take the Bible and get back to fighting. All of a sudden you and a friend are in a deadly situation, and you are about to get killed. You friend is very aggressive about saving your life. At one point he actually takes the bullet that was meant for you, and dies in your place. Because of his heroic and unparalleled charity, your life is saved and you return home. Which is more importantly to you for returning home to your family? Him taking the bullet for you, or the book? This is what Jesus did for us, as you know, giving His life for us, but what you don’t know is that this holy sacrifice of Our Lord is continuously renewed each day on the altar of the Mass, and this pure offering of Christ’s sacrifice to the Father is predicted in Malachi 1:11: ‘’For from the rising of the sun even to the going down, my name is great among the Gentiles, and in every place there is sacrifice, and there is offered to my name a clean oblation: for my name is great among the Gentiles, saith the Lord of hosts.’’ Instead of Jesus instructing the Apostles to write Bibles and scatter them over the whole earth, He set up the Holy Sacrifice, which was the Last Supper, where he changed bread and wine into his body and blood, St. Matthew 26:26-28. In the Mass each day, He offers himself to the Father in atonement for our sins. The Holy Bible is a very holy book, an incomprehensible treasure God has left to His Church, given through His Church, which we Catholics are encouraged to read daily, so much so that the Church gives special blessings, called Indulgences, to those who do so. However, like the sharp sword put into the hands of the inexperienced, many people damn themselves with it, as St. Peter said, ‘’to their own destruction.’’
The Holy Mass has been in existence since the beginning of the Church, and when the Holy Mass is offered, Jesus’ death is renewed on the cross, not dying again, but Calvary is made present to us in an invisible and unbloody manner, as the Council of Trent stated, and something good happens to everyone in heaven, on earth, and in purgatory. But not all are saved, because they do not correspond with God’s grace. An old saying, “All those in heaven corresponded with God’s grace. All those in hell did not.’’ The Mass is prefigured in the Old Testament. One place we see this is Abraham offering his son Isaac in sacrifice. Isaac carries the wood for the sacrifice on his shoulders. ‘’ And he took the wood for the holocaust, and laid it upon Isaac his son.’’ Gen. 22:6. When Abraham is about to show his total obedience to God, the angel stops him. They even find a ram with his head caught in a thicket of thorns, prefiguring Our Lord with a crown of thorns on his head, ‘’ Abraham lifted up his eyes, and saw behind his back a ram amongst the briers sticking fast by the horns, which he took and offered for a holocaust instead of his son.’’ Verse 13.
Later on, God would prophecy that Jesus would be a priest, not according to he Order of Aaron but according to Melchisedech. What did Melchisedech the king of Salem do? He offered sacrifice in the form of bread and wine. ‘’But Melchisedech the king of Salem, bringing forth bread and wine, for he was the priest of the Most High God.’’Gen. 14:18, prefiguring Jesus Our Lord at the Last Supper. The Holy Mass is so powerful that it is only by means of it the world is still standing. St. Leonard said: “I believe the Holy Mass is the powerful prop that sustains the world, and if it were not for the Holy Mass, the world would have sunk into the abyss.’’ St. Padre Pio, the famed Capuchin priest, who bore the wounds of Christ in his body for 50 years, and offered all his sufferings in union with Christ for the salvation of souls, once said: ”It would be easier for the earth to exist without the sun, than without the value of the Holy Mass.” It is said that Our Lord revealed to St. Gertrude about the value of one devoutly received Holy Communion. “When one receives Holy Communion devoutly, something good happens to everyone in heaven, on earth, and in purgatory.” This and many other great blessings are derived from attending Holy Mass.
The Mass and Holy Communion vastly increases our merit for heaven. Supposing you went to a dinner for a rich man. Because you were very poor, you would have to sit in a very low place. But supposing you were close friends with the rich man, he was oftentimes calling you to come and visit him, to do things with him and so forth. You never neglected his invitation when it was possible for you to do so, yet many others at the table had oftentimes ignored his invitation, had offended him by refusing his good graces. They come in and sit in good places. Your friend, who is a king and rich, comes in, and he looks around, and he sees you. He loves you very dearly because you have been so faithful, and he says to you, “Friend, ascend higher.” “But when thou art invited, go, sit down in the lowest place; that when he who invited thee, cometh, he may say to thee: Friend, go up higher. Then shalt thou have glory before them that sit at table with thee.” Luke 14:10. You have merited a higher place by often partaking in the king’s invitations. So shall it be for those who often take part in the wedding feast of the Lamb, which is Holy Communion in the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass.
SOME OF THE GRACES DERIVED FROM ASSISTING AT HOLY MASS
1 The Mass is Calvary continued.
2 Holy Mass is the most powerful atonement for your sins.
3 Mass diminishes much of your temporal punishment due to your sins. Our stay in purgatory is shortened.
4 Jesus supplies for many of your negligences and omissions.
5 You are preserved from many dangers and misfortunes which otherwise might have befallen you.
5 Every Mass wins for you a higher degree of glory in heaven.
6 You receive the priest’s blessing, which Our Lord ratifies in heaven.
7 You are blessed in your temporal goods and affairs.
8 St. John Vianney, who body is incorrupt said, “If we knew the value of Holy Mass, we would die of joy.”
All these blessings and a great number more, are given when we go to Holy Mass. When Jesus died on Calvary, the fullness of grace came upon the world. St. Leonard said, “When we go to Mass, we should go as if we are going to Calvary, and when we go home, beating our breasts “And all the multitude of them that were come together to that sight, and saw the things that were done, returned striking their breasts.” Luke 23:48. Prayer: O Lord, give me the tears of Peter, the contrition of Magdalen, and the grief of all those saints, who once sinners, were afterwards true penitents, in order that in this Mass, I may obtain a general pardon of all my sins.’’ – St. Leonard.
Therefore, when we go to Mass, we should be meditating on the Passion and death of Our Lord. We should be participating and praying in the Mass as much as possible , along with the priest. It is also praiseworthy to obtain a Missal in order to learn the Mass, and the prayers.
Finally, a word should be said about how to understand the Bible. As I stated earlier, the Church encourages reading of the scriptures, and even bestows special blessings, called Indulgences for doing so. However, the scriptures should always be understood in the sense that holy Mother Church gave them to us. This is not arrived at by private interpretation. It is arrived at by reading good catechisms and books written by the saints. The catechisms and the saints explain the meaning of the scriptures, as Philip did to the Ethiopinan. We must seek the law at the priest’s mouth. ‘’ For the lips of the priest shall keep knowledge, and they shall seek the law at his mouth: because he is the angel of the Lord of hosts.’’ Mal. 2:7. Because the divine mysteries are given through Christ’s minister’s, the priests. ‘’Let a man so account of us the ministers of Christ, and the dispensers of the mysteries of God.’’ 1 Cor. 4:1. The odour of knowledge, by them, the ministers: “Now thanks be to God, who always maketh us to triumph in Christ Jesus, and manifesteth the odour of his knowledge by us in every place.” 2 Corinthians 2:14. Amen.