Answering The Protestant Antagonist

First reading	Hebrews 10:1-10

Christ’s self-offering sanctifies us

Since the Law has no more than a reflection of these realities, and no finished picture of them, it is quite incapable of bringing the worshippers to perfection, with the same sacrifices repeatedly offered year after year. Otherwise, the offering of them would have stopped, because the worshippers, when they had been purified once, would have no awareness of sins. Instead of that, the sins are recalled year after year in the sacrifices. Bulls’ blood and goats’ blood are useless for taking away sins, and this is what he said, on coming into the world:

You who wanted no sacrifice or oblation,

prepared a body for me.

You took no pleasure in holocausts or sacrifices for sin;

then I said,

just as I was commanded in the scroll of the book,

‘God, here I am! I am coming to obey your will.’

Notice that he says first: You did not want what the Law lays down as the things to be offered, that is: the sacrifices, the oblations, the holocausts and the sacrifices for sin, and you took no pleasure in them; and then he says: Here I am! I am coming to obey your will. He is abolishing the first sort to replace it with the second. And this will was for us to be made holy by the offering of his body made once and for all by Jesus Christ.

Not being the sharpest crayon in the box, I tend to steer away from readings from the Book of Hebrews.  The book, for me, goes really deep into some subjects and it hurts my brain!  Today's reading is kind of important because it addresses an issue that Protestants bring up often in their attempt to flay the doctrine off of the Church.  Very often, Catholics will stand there and nervously finger their rosaries, mouth open, and brain in the "off" position when asked if Christ died once for us, (and He really did) how can we kill Christ in our so-called "Holy Sacrifice of the Mass over and over and over again?"  With a smug look, the antagonist steps back and sees the sweat start to form on the head of his latest Papist victim.  The Catholic, red-faced, and trembling before a man that seemingly knows the Bible backwards and forwards swallows, and answers, "Ah, um, I gotta go now."  and he retreats into anonymous safety.  But the damage has been done, a weed has been planted in this poor victims head.  The doubt festers and instead of looking to his parish for an answer he begins to doubt and over time, the Protestant brings up more things that our victim never thought about and finally, he gives up and becomes a Bible-pounding, sola scriptura, and sola fide commando of the Church of What's Happening Now, and he leaves the Catholic Church behind, he gives up the Eucharist, the very Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity of Christ available to him and his soul daily for grape juice and crackers four times a year.  It is like trading a Rolls Royce for a Yugo! 

It is a sad fact that many Catholics are poorly catechized and an awful lot of us left learning behind once confirmation was received and we were "freed" from classes that took us away from important activities like basketball and soccer. We become grist for the Protestant thumpers all because we have not taken time or care to learn more about the Word of God and the way of salvation.  The sad part about is that in this case the answer was given to the victim in the question he was asked.  

We hear often at Church that the Mass is a sacred meal, shared with all and it connects us to one another, to the Holy Church, to the Saints in heaven and to the Souls in Purgatory.  What we do not hear too much anymore is how the Mass is also a sacrifice. So, we do sacrifice Christ over and over and over again!  NO, NO, NO! What we are doing is presenting the sacrifice of Jesus to the Father in an unbloody manner.  We do not kill Jesus again, His death on the Cross happened once and was sufficient.   

My main point today besides an explanation of the passage is to exhort you to quit being lazy about your faith.  You have within you a pearl of great price, membership in the Roman Catholic Church.  Take the time to care for the treasure.  Make sure it is secure behind walls of knowledge. Pick up a book now and then and read about your faith.  If you are cheap, you can read the Catechism of the Catholic Church online, for free.  Haunt CATHOLIC websites.  Be ready at all times to repulse the invaders who want to carry you off into exile and force upon you a spiritual diet lacking in what you need to survive. Do something positive for yourself, a great spiritual workout - read a book, actually listen to the homily this Sunday, like EWTN's tag line says, "Live Truth. Live Catholic."

The Poor Souls in Purgatory are crying for your help.  Please, take a moment and pray for them today.  Remember, tomorrow you might be among them. 

(PS If you stare at the picture above for a minute or two the crosses will merge and appear to be 3D.)