It is that time of year when it is useful to remind people that christmas means Christ’s mass.

That is, the Roman Catholic mass. Some Dutch people call it Kerstfeest ‘Christ’s Feast’ to avoid the element of the Roman Catholic mass. Scotland used to celebrate the New Year more than christmas until commercialisation took over, promoting anything that would make money, such as halloween, etc. 

The first holiday was given to us by God, the Sabbath Day, but most people ignore it and are not thankful for it. They prefer annual religious celebrations like christmas and easter instead of the regular weekly rest that God gave to mankind. The Christian Sabbath commemorates Christ’s resurrection on a weekly basis, instead of an annual easter celebration.

Today’s issue is that the Lord Jesus Christ has no part in the Roman Catholic mass.

Roman Catholic dogma teaches that:

1. the Roman Catholic mass is a re-enactment of Christ’s sacrifice to atone for sin, not symbolically but actually.

2. the wafer and the wine in the Roman Catholic mass are changed into the body, blood, soul and divinity of the Lord Jesus Christ. If you do not know this already, it will come as a surprise to you. You might think, surely it is not as blunt as that? Surely, the Roman Catholics mean that it represents Jesus? Not at all. They call it transubstantiation, imagining that the ‘substance’ has ‘changed’ or converted from bread and wine into the body, blood, soul and divinity of Jesus Christ. They mean what they teach, and this is reinforced in the next point.

3. this ‘changed’ piece of bread is called the ‘host’, and during the Roman mass, this ‘host’ is then elevated for all to see. The Roman Catholic priest declares “Behold the Lamb of God” and then the congregation is expected to adore and worship this piece of bread as if it is God. This is making an idol (an image of God) and then worshipping that idol (idolatry).

Dogma

Transubstantiation is a dogma of Roman Catholicism, meaning that it is foundational and unchangeable.

Roman Catholicism distinguishes pious belief from doctrine, and each of these from dogma.

Pious belief refers to the Roman Catholic belief about relics and other things of doubtful authenticity.

Doctrine is what Roman Catholics should teach and believe.

But dogma is top dog – this is teaching that cannot be changed and must be believed by Roman Catholics if they are to be considered faithful. Conservative Members of the UK Parliament Sir Jacob Rees-Mogg, Sir Edward Leigh and Sir Bill Cash believe these dogmas. Jacob Rees-Mogg said on his State of the Nation programme broadcast by GB News last summer: “I am not a biblical Christian; I take church teaching as authoritive. … I accept everything that comes ex cathedra on a matter of faith and morals as established by the First Vatican Council.” He also said: “I am quite in favour of indulgences.” There are other prominent people who have abandoned the Church of England to become Roman Catholics, such as Ann Widdecombe, a former Conservative cabinet member, who protested against female priests in the Church of England, as did Charles Moore, former editor of several UK newspapers, but what do they think about worshipping bread? Many surveys show that a significant percentage of Roman Catholics do not believe in transubstantiation and Richard Dawkins challenges those who do. However, how does this compare with the current UK Prime Minister who worships a cow? Does this make religion irrelevant in public life and politics, or does it mean that we should pay more attention to the religious worldview of public figures?

When you examine these Roman dogmas in the light of Scripture you will see that they do not stand up to scrutiny.

Many are deceived by the use of Christian terminology, but we need to go behind the words to discern the meaning. We live in the age of political correctness when words are changing their meaning, but when one understands the meaning attached to such Roman dogmas, one will see that Jesus Christ has no part in Christ’s mass. Jesus does not use nor need the Roman Catholic mass and neither do you need it.

Let us rejoice that Christ’s sacrifice is complete and finished Heb 7:27, Heb 9:28 and Heb 10:12,14. It is not repeated, but it is remembered – “This do in remembrance of Me” Lk 22:19 and 1Cor 11:24-25.

Every blessing to my readers for the New Year when it comes, D.V.

Links:

7 Dec 2023: here is a recent video on the current pope in Rome’s agenda and his syncretism of transgender and American evangelicals along with their prophets. He thinks one of the sins of the church is its masculinisation (says the man whose priests do not marry).

18 Dec 2023: pope Francis in Rome has permitted Roman Catholic priests to ‘bless’ same-sex couples, whatever that means.

25 Dec 2023: in his GB News broadcast today, Jacob Rees-Mogg said 20:39 “we need that restoration in our constitution as well as in our christmas”, referring to the rollback of the Protestant Reformation towards the former set-up in what he called “Catholic England”. In effect, as he supports the union of the United Kingdom, he wants the UK, not just England, to return to the dominance of Roman Catholicism. His programme gave a selected and potted history of christmas, ignoring the pre-Roman Celtic Church in Britain, described and dismissed by Rees-Mogg as “some elements that had been before”, beginning “the origins of Christianity in England” with Augustine of Canterbury, ignoring the fact that Augustine’s work in Britain began when Columba‘s work in Ireland and Scotland was finishing, and ignoring the latter’s Celtic influence that resulted in the Synod of Whitby when Roman dominance took over from Celtic practices. Dr David Starkey had to correct some of his Roman prejudices.

25 Dec 2023 – 7 Jan 2024: the politicizing of religion continues, with Ukraine’s President Zelenskyy changing the Julian calendar, thereby moving the celebration of christmas from the Orthodox date of 7th January to the Gregorian date of 25th December. This is interpreted as a snub of Russia, but changing the date has caused division among the churches in Kiev, Ukraine, just as it did in Celtic Christianity in Britain after the Synod of Whitby in 664AD.  The Ukrainian Orthodox Church, accused of links to Russia, will continue to celebrate the former date. 

22 Jan 2024: Jacob Rees-Mogg MP has used his GBNews programme [at 8:53 p.m.] to promote the campaign to canonise Mary Ward into Roman Catholic sainthood. He introduced it as “the most important subject of all, canonisation”. How convenient if a few Roman Catholic “miracles” could be discovered in time for the 2029 centenary of the campaign, especially after such a long time without them. For those who need some biblical guidance, they might want to consider why “Elijah said unto Elisha, Ask what I shall do for thee, before I be taken away from thee” 2K 2:9. Why so, if he could simply pray to Elijah in heaven? More particularly, they might consider that the Bible has no example of anyone praying to those who have left Earth for heaven. Of greater relevance is Paul’s teaching that “there is one God, and one Mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus” 1Tim 2:5, contrary to Rees-Mogg’s encouragement that people should pray to Mary Ward for her intercession, but presumably not to protect them from the current measles epidemic for which he told us that all six of his children have had their MMR vaccines.  We are all responsible for our own beliefs and Roman Catholics can only blame themselves for subscribing to such opinions from their teachers, but contrary to Jesus’ advice.

5 Feb 2024: Jacob Rees-Mogg MP continues to use his GBNews programme [at 8:55 p.m.] to promote Roman Catholicism. Finishing a programme discussing today’s publication of the cancer diagnosis of the UK King Charles III, Rees-Mogg prayed: “St Peregrine, pray for us”. Roman Catholics think that Peregrine can hear and answer their prayers, and somehow they have decided that he is the patron saint for cancer sufferers.  It is strange that if one saint can hear their prayers, do the others not hear? Why should only one saint pray for them? How much better to listen to the Scriptures and pray to “the one Mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus” 1Tim 2:5. However, the more Roman Catholic saints, the merrier for Roman Catholics, rather like packing the House of Lords or like handing out honours and favours to favourites. 

29 Feb 2024: in discussing euthanasia, Jacob Rees-Mogg MP said that “if you are a Catholic you have to follow the teaching of the church” [at 20:41 hours]. Yet again Roman Catholics are subject to their religious masters instead of the teaching of the Bible.

11 Mar 2024: Jacob Rees-Mogg hopes for his niece “as long as she knows the Hail Mary, that’s the key” [at 20:29 hours]. This is part of the Roman Catholic imagination that praying to the Virgin Mary will benefit them.

28 Mar 2024: GB News continues to promote Roman Catholicism particularly through Jacob Rees-Mogg and his State of the Nation nightly programme. This evening [at 20:46 hrs till 20:53 hrs] he had an interview with a Roman Catholic priest. The biblical Gospel was not explained but there were repeated references to Roman Catholic ceremonies such as the veneration of a piece of wood identified in the 4th century as the cross upon which Christ died, such is the Roman Catholic capacity to believe fables. This was followed by the typical false doctrine that one can expect from Roman Catholic priests. The priest extolled the chant that accompanies this fable – “Behold the wood of the cross upon which hung the salvation of the world.” We were told that everyone in the church is invited to venerate that cross. Of course – let everyone present, as many as possible, buy into this gruesome ceremony. Then we were told [20:52 hrs]: “He [Christ] died for all without exception.” So why are there people in the Roman Catholic hell? Those who know their Bibles know how false this is – but it is promoted on GB News against a background of repeated Roman Catholic imagery of the crucifixion constantly assaulting our senses. Rees-Mogg helpfully reminded his audience [20:51 hrs] that the Roman Catholic mass is itself “a sacrifice” although his words were slightly ambiguous. When he quoted Jesus’ words on the Cross “It is finished” Jn 19:30, it would be well for Roman Catholics to realise that there is no further need for a Roman Catholic mass with its pretended repetition of Christ’s sacrifice, because such is the efficacy of Christ’s sacrifice that it was needed only once Heb 9:26. At the end, Jacob Rees-Mogg confirmed the usual Roman Catholic teaching that “you are, of course, as a priest the representative of Christ at the sacrifice of the mass, which is very important” [20:53 hrs]. As he believes this, it is no wonder he was so deferential to his guest. While Rees-Mogg is using his GB News show to showcase Roman Catholicism, at least the public can see what he and other diligent Roman Catholics believe. Sadly, there are few who will deconstruct it in public for the public.

11 Apr 2024: we had some more Roman Catholic obfuscation during Jacob Rees-Mogg’s interviewing Eduard Habsburg tonight on GB News about his book The Habsburg Way [begins at 20:45]. Habsburg described the Roman Catholic “knocking ritual” at the burial of a Habsburg ruler as “a poor sinner”, while avoiding any mention of the figment of the Roman imagination that they must enter the fires of purgatory for an indefinite period. As for trusting in Christ, Habsburg asserted his pride that his ancestor Charles V agreed to the Diet of Worms “to confront that heretic Luther” where “he made a very, very clear statement – I am proud of as a Catholic – for 2000 years, 2500 years the greatest things [sic] of the church have agreed to these points. Why should I follow one German monk on this? [Jacob Rees-Mogg nodding in agreement] My ancestors always stood with Rome [20:50] and that’s what we’ll do.” If he cannot get the number of years correct, it is no wonder that his theology is incorrect as well. It would be well for all concerned to read their Bible and to trust in Jesus Christ instead of the church and certainly not “Rome”, which is what Martin Luther taught the world.

18 Apr 2024: Jacob Rees-Mogg commented that this is “a great week for patriotic English saints” [at 20:22], peddling the Roman Catholic opinion about saints, whereas the Bible shows us that there are plenty of saints on this Earth Ps 16:3, Act 9:13,32, Eph 1:1, et passim to Rev 20:9. Then some twenty minutes later [at 20:42] he told us about the 6th commandment “as you all [sic] know is, Thou shalt not commit adultery”, showing that he thinks his audience are Roman Catholics or that none of them are Protestants or at least Bible students. This mistake is almost a sure-sign that the speaker is a Roman Catholic, for Roman Catholic teaching amalgamates the first two commandments to avoid the accusation that Roman Catholic images are breaches of the second commandment Ex 20:4-6 then it divides the tenth commandment unjustifiably into two commandments Ex 20:17 in order to make up ten commandments. It is a good example of Roman Catholic eisegesis of Scripture, interpreting Scripture through preconceived opinions.

23 Apr 2024: Jacob Rees-Mogg made use of today being called St George’s Day to promote yet again his opinion of Christian saints, this time as an inspiration to us, but he also slipped in the Roman Catholic superstition of the invocation of the saints, which carries on to the present. He said that those in the mediaeval period had a personal relationship with “their saints”, whom they thought intervened in their daily life as a regular occurrence as well as in delivering, rescuing, inspiring, aiding and boosting the morale of the English at various events, mentioning mainly battles. How much better if he would remind his hearers about a personal relationship with God through Jesus Christ rather than this imaginery communication with the dead. He had no programme on St Anselm’s Day, the Archbishop of Canterbury who recovered the correct biblical interpretation of the atonement by Jesus Christ, which corrects the false ideas about the atonement, peddled by Roman Catholicism no less. Rees-Mogg managed also to slip in the Roman Catholic idea of “a celibate” being a holy man. It demonstrates how Roman Catholics think as he discussed the invocation of dead saints with Dr Gavin Ashenden who explained how it helped him to move from Protestantism to Roman Catholicism, supporting my assessment that modern Roman Catholic teaching suits intelligent superstitious people. Rees-Mogg correctly pointed out the peculiarity of the American devotion and oath to ‘the flag’. Misplaced devotion is very much the order of the day, a topic that took up about one third of his hour-long programme on GB News.

25 Apr 2024: Rees-Mogg regulary has Nigel Nelson as one of his panel members, yet there is no WIkipedia entry about him. How does such a significant person manage to avoid a Wikipedia page? Possibly it is because he is such a significant person that he can arrange this.

4 May 2024: Mark Dolan on GB News tonight [22:05-22:11 hrs] related some of the biblical story of the Prodigal Son and applied it to Prince Harry coming to the UK next Wednesday in relation to the Invictus Games. Dolan thought the Royal Family should express unconditional forgiveness, with a series of steps that Harry should take. He concluded: “It is time to welcome back Britain’s Prodigal Son. Amen.” He concluded: “There you go; that [Roman] Catholic education was not wasted – my mother would be proud.” This is Roman Catholic penance theology being promoted and applied politically, another form of virtue signalling, while earlier in the evening the Saturday Five had discussed whether one’s religious views should be incorporated into one’s politics. Yet again Roman Catholics on GB News are promoting their unbiblical theology and practice.