This post is for all those disciples of Jesus Christ who truly want to open their mind to how God wants to be worshiped. May Our Holy Lord bless you to understand His will.

Many people reject what they refer to as “organized religions”. In this post I will argue that God’s plan for His people is very structured and indeed organized and if we want to truly embrace and love Jesus as He desires we need to worship Him as He requested. Read carefully as we explore God’s truth in the Holy Scriptures.

Let’s start in the first Book of the Bible, the Book of Genesis. God created Adam and Eve and they had two children, Cain and Abel. Right from the beginning we see evidence of God’s blessing resting upon the child worshiping Him as He desires. Both Cain and Abel brought offerings to God: “In the course of time Cain brought some of the fruits of the soil as an offering to the LORD. And Abel also brought an offering–fat portions from some of the firstborn of his flock. The LORD looked with favor on Abel and his offering, but on Cain and his offering he did not look with favor. So Cain was very angry, and his face was downcast. Then the LORD said to Cain, “Why are you angry? Why is your face downcast? If you do what is right, will you not be accepted? But if you do not do what is right, sin is crouching at your door; it desires to have you, but you must rule over it. Now Cain said to his brother Abel, “Let’s go out to the field.” While they were in the field, Cain attacked his brother Abel and killed him.” Genesis 4: 3-8

So right from the beginning we see that God demonstrated a preference over which offering would please Him. God’s counsel to Cain was “do what is right” and indeed throughout the Scripture God teaches us what is righteous in His eyes. Cain goes on to commit the ultimate evil and kills His brother Abel. If we want to live righteous lives and not fall into the grip of the evil one we need to understand and embrace God’s plan of salvation with humility and reverence.

The blood offering that Abel brings to God is a prefiguration of the ultimate blood offering that Jesus Himself offers to God for the salvation of all. Jesus becomes the “sacrificial lamb” offered to God for the redemption of mankind. “Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.” John 15:13 We will never find a greater testimony of love and mercy than the testimony of Jesus Christ. The Sacred Blood of Jesus purchases for us the gift of eternal life.

In recognition of the great sacrifice of Our Lord Jesus we are called to repent of our sins and worship as He desires in the Church that He Himself founded on St. Peter: “Now I say to you that you are Peter (which means ‘rock’), and upon this rock I will build my church, and all the powers of hell will not conquer it.” Matthew 16:18

This Church was founded upon the Sacred Blood of Our Redeemer Jesus Christ and the Church grew as many Christian martyrs died for their faith in Jesus. The Church that Jesus established is the Catholic Church and that Church was given specific orders: 1. To Baptize; 2. To Teach 3. To Give Thanks and to Pray; 4. To Reconcile and Create Peace; 5. To Feed His flock with His Body & Blood; 6. To Serve and 7. To Heal and to Bless in the Holy Name of Jesus

Let’s look at the Scripture that accompanies each of these instructions.

Baptism

Before Jesus ascended into heaven, He gave His apostles these instructions: “Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” Matthew 28-19-20

This Baptism was the one that St. John the Baptist spoke of when he said, “After me comes the one more powerful than I, the straps of whose sandals I am not worthy to stoop down and untie. I baptize you with water, but he will baptize you with the Holy Spirit.” Mark 1: 6-7

Baptism is the beginning of our communion with Jesus Christ. We receive His Holy Spirit and we become His disciples. We are sanctified by His infinite love and we become “new creations” born of His Spirit, purified by His Holiness. “For we were all baptized by one Spirit so as to form one body–whether Jews or Gentiles, slave or free–and we were all given the one Spirit to drink.” 1 Corinthians 12:13

The Origins of the Church – Teaching, Praying, Giving Thanks, Creating Fellowship, Feeding the Body of Christ

Jesus ascended into heaven and the apostles filled with the Holy Spirit gave glory to God by following His instructions: “They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer.” Acts 2:42  St. Paul encouraged all to “Give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.” 1 Thessalonians 5:18 and to “pray without ceasing”  1 Thessalonians 5:17

The apostles understood that they were to Baptize and build up the Body of Christ, communities reconciled to live in peace, in fellowship with one another sharing one faith in Christ Jesus.

How to Worship God – Guidance from St. Paul

St. Paul taught the new Christians the way they should worship “Follow my example, as I follow the example of Christ.” 1 Corinthians 11:2

“For I received from the Lord what I also passed on to you: The Lord Jesus, on the night he was betrayed, took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and said, “This is my body, which is for you; do this in remembrance of me.” In the same way, after supper he took the cup, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood; do this, whenever you drink it, in remembrance of me.” For whenever you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes.

So then, whoever eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty of sinning against the body and blood of the Lord. Everyone ought to examine themselves before they eat of the bread and drink from the cup. For those who eat and drink without discerning the body of Christ eat and drink judgment on themselves.” 1 Corinthians 11:23-29

St. Paul cautioned people to receive the Body and Blood of Our Lord Jesus with reverence and understanding so as to not bring judgment on themselves.

Jesus taught us that “For my flesh is real food and my blood is real drink. Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood remains in me, and I in them. Just as the living Father sent me and I live because of the Father, so the one who feeds on me will live because of me.” John 6:55-57

Purification, Reconciliation and Confession

There are many people who are not comfortable with the concept of confessing one’s sins to a priest in the Sacrament of Confession. We must understand that we are confessing to Jesus and we will receive forgiveness from Jesus. “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.” 1 John 1:9

So you may wonder if we are confessing to Jesus, then why does the priest have to be involved at all? Jesus gave His apostles the authority to forgive sins in His name. Jesus said, “If you forgive anyone’s sins, their sins are forgiven; if you do not forgive them, they are not forgiven.” John 20:23 So in the Sacrament of Reconciliation we receive the pardon of Our Lord and are purified so that we can receive His Body & Blood in a worthy fashion.

Service, Healing and Blessing

Jesus calls us as His apostles to serve one another and through the Church as well as other organizations we can be involved in many ministries to help one another. Some of the ministries may be spiritual in nature where we teach and evangelize. Some are more corporal in nature where we feed the poor and assist the disadvantaged.

In the Catholic Church we also see the continuation of the use of holy oils as part of the Sacraments of Baptism and Confirmation and in the Sacrament of the Anointing of the Sick.

God Himself requested that holy oils be used in worship. God said, “Take the anointing oil and anoint him by pouring it on his head.” Exodus 37:29

The apostles did as Jesus asked: “They went out and preached that people should repent. They drove out many demons and anointed many sick people with oil and healed them.” Mark 6:12-14 And still today the Church is commissioned to the same original mission: to preach repentance, to drive out evil and to anoint and heal people. This healing is both a spiritual healing as we repent, confess our sins and amend our lives and can also include the grace of physical healing in accordance to God’s holy will.

We are blessed to understand these truths friends of Christ. God has been at work since the beginning of creation teaching His creatures to worship Him and honour Him as He desires. If we choose to create our “own religion” based on our own desires we fail to show God the reverence and obedience He rightfully expects from His creatures.

Private Revelations from Jesus to His Saints

In private revelations to His Saints, Jesus has spoken of His sorrow that He is not loved in the Blessed Sacrament of the Altar. To St. Margaret Mary Alacoque, Jesus said “I thirst with such terrible thirst to be loved by men in the Blessed Sacrament that the thirst consumes me.” To St. Faustina Jesus said, “…My great delight is to unite Myself with souls…when I come to a human heart in Holy Communion, My hands are full of all kinds of graces which I want to give to the soul. But souls do not even pay any attention to Me; they leave Me to Myself and busy themselves with other things. Oh how sad I am that souls do not recognize Love! They treat Me as a dead object.” (Diary of St. Faustina 1385)

It was through St. Faustina that Jesus asked that we remember Him at the time He died for us, 3pm.  Jesus said,  “At three o’clock, implore My mercy, especially for sinners; and, if only for a brief moment, immerse yourself in My Passion, particularly in My abandonment at the moment of agony. This is the hour of great mercy for the whole world. I will allow you to enter into My mortal sorrow. In this hour, I will refuse nothing to the soul that makes a request of Me in virtue of My Passion…immerse yourself in prayer there where you happen to be, if only for a very brief instant.”  Diary of St. Faustina 1320, 157

Apostasy, Faith and the Immutability of God

Some people say I am leaving the Catholic Church because it’s full of sinful priests, apostates.

It’s true there are some apostates in the Church. Satan has strategically placed them there and we need to address this problem. It’s also true that priests are not the only people who are guilty of sin. “If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us.” 1 John 1:8

Remember what Jesus said, “For where two or three gather in my name, there am I with them.” Matthew 18:20 If there was no real faith in the congregation then Jesus would not be present, but if we come with faith to worship and honour Jesus as He desires then Jesus will do what He promised He would do. Through His Holy Word, He will teach us. When we repent and confess our sins, He will forgive us. Through the Holy Eucharist, He will nourish us and strengthen us with His Sacred Body and Blood. Through the Sacrament of Reconciliation Jesus will heal us spiritually and purify us. Jesus will never abandon us. The blessing of Our Lord and Saviour will always be upon those who strive to do His holy will! BUT please understand God has specific preferences on how He wants us to worship Him.  

Remember this, the sins of man defile man, but not God. God cannot be corrupted by man, for God is always HOLY, HOLY, HOLY!  This is truth.  God does not change; He is immutable!  So sinful priests cannot render the Catholic Church unholy.  Jesus will always be present in the Holy Sacraments that He established and continues to provide to us.

Be reconciled to Jesus for He is faithful and true and He wants to save you and love you! Receive His Body and Blood with faith and thanksgiving, with reverence and holy desire. Allow Jesus to live in you, to love through you, to save through you, to inspire and enlighten those around you. Be a source of hope, for Jesus is hope everlasting and He wants to work through YOU! Love Him as He desires to be loved!