AS THE CHURCH BUILT ON PETER PICKS A POPE By ENA OFUGARA

AS THE CHURCH BUILT ON PETER PICKS A POPE

The biggest miracle of this generation continues to be just how powerful the Pope and the Vatican is. Considering just how much religion has been relegated to the background, where schools are sharing condoms to teenagers  but are legally banned from saying the Lord's prayer or giving out Bibles, makes it more amazing. Seriously a lecturer that strips naked in class at worst will be said to have had a "meltdown" but any teacher who add  "Jesus" to his math or chemistry class, even if it is in reference to turning water to wine in a chemistry class, if it does not disparage the miracle, that teacher will most likely lose his or her job.  Pictures of Jesus and a Mary with a halo around their heads have been pulled down in all public schools. A group of cheerleaders that decided to make Christian songs their routine was sued by a few parents and community members while a picture of Jesus that has hung in another school for decades was almost brought down if the school authority had not argued that it was "artistically and historically symbolic and not religious. There are organizations that exist to ensure that suits are brought against such public organizations that dares mention Jesus or God. Indeed you can have posters of naked women and the cheer leaderscan sing about sex but not about God.
What I can never understand is how an America and a Europe that was formed and flourished on Christianity decided arbitrarily that it was time to give  God the pink slip I do not know. My friend Edwin Dico would say END TIMES.
With all the assault on everything God, the Pope continues to be huge. I do not get it at all. When Pope John Paul 11 died, over four former American Presidents....Democratic and Republican knelt down at the side of his dead body. These are people who require nothing of the world anymre. Their political career is over. A few of them are not even Catholic. The vatican even trimmed them down to eight or so with their wives AND THEY KNELT. The most powerful people in the world knelt for a dead pope.
And again, yes. The Popes views continue to be powerful... though sometimes antediluvian. People will use a condom. Women and will commit abortion. Men will marry men and women women. But doess it not feel good that there still is a "representative of God" that reminds us that a few things still displeases the creator?
Now I can hear all the criticisms you are about to level against the Catholic Church. Yes they did the crusades and burnt witches. Yes a few popes had sons and plundered the church treasury. yes they burnt women and men for the flimsiest reasons including that they were witches. Yes they made chairs of nails and said it was to give u salvation or something. Yes a lot of homosexuals and misogynists  who so as not be forced to marry, find the priesthood a refuge and have continued in their very nefarious and despicable act of sleeping with little boys and girls. yes the Church did try and still does try to cover the sins and secretly make payments to little children whose rectums have been assailed. Yes there is great fraud and embezzlement as the Vatican is stupendously rich and yes the pope blessed Hitler for a promise not to attack the Vatican.
I am certain you have a lot more dung to throw at the catholic church and the Pope. I am sure you have the record of the many sins that happened at santa Fe and other places. But we all forget one minute detail that is yet so powerful, THE CHURCH WAS BUILT ON PETER.

Why don't we study Peter for a while and then closely compare with the Catholic Church and see indeed Jesus did not build his church on Peter.

PETER DIDN'T GO IT ALONE

Peter was a Fisherman. On his own he did not catch any fish. Then Jesus met him and the fish he caught he could not handle alone. Today the Catholic church cannot have gotten this powerful, this strong without God. And yes like others had to help Peter, some other great churches have also helped to rein in the net with the fish. So to Catholics who sneer at other churches....Peter could not take care of all the fish himself. (Luke 5:6)

PETER WAS VIOLENT

Jehovah Witnesses spend so much time just criticising the Catholic Church on their warlike stance. Does anyone remember that a certain disciple caught off the ear of the High Priests servant? Do you know the amount of readiness to fight that it takes to strike even as you are surrounded by Romans fearing a Jewish revolution from a "Messiah"? Do you know what 30 pieces of silver was worth and how planned the attack on Jesus must have been and the sheer numbers...yet Peter struck. In fact, while jesus was preaching peace and love and forgiveness, Peter was ready for any "cassala". John 18:10 "Then Simon Peter, WHO HAD A SWORD, drew it and struck the high priest's servant, cutting off his right ear." Peter did not go looking for a sword, nor did he snatch it from anyone. HE WAS ARMED THE WHOLE TIME HE WAS WITH CHRIST.
The catholic Church and their Crusades are today frowned on by history. But is that not the violence that was in Peter and yet the church was built upon him? Now here is the sweet part. Jesus stopped him and healed the Servant Malchus. Now has the Catholic church not been trying to heal the wounds she has caused and then some? Is there anyone who has today preached more peace than the Pope? In fact the Pope invited all religious leaders, from Imams to Krishna Monks and they all prayed to their gods and then they met and discussed world peace and they still do. Yes Peter BECAME peaceful just as the Catholic Church has BECOME peaceful.

PETER DID WHAT HE HAD TO SO AS TO SURVIVE

Before we criticise the Pope for "blessing" Adolph Hitler, be aware that Peter, seeing that there was no way he could fight the Roman with their superior weapons of war and since the Jewish leadership was in cahoots with them, he had to seek his survival SO HE CAN FIGHT ANOTHER DAY. And so Peter denied Jesus three times AS JESUS PREDICTED.
For those who may not know, Mussolini the Italian Fascist leader and the Nazist Totalitarian Hitler were toether the strongest forceinall of Europe.But for American intervention and the Russian cold, Africa would be a farm for the racist Adolph Hitler. There would be no jews on the planet etc. The Vatican like Peter against the Roman army stood no chance and so she did the unthinkable JUST LIKE PETER. And did they both live to fight another day? YES. Are they both relevant till today? Of course yes.

PETER MADE VOWS HE COULD NOT KEEP.

"Truly I tell you," Jesus answered, "this very night, before the rooster crows, you will disown me three times."
But Peter declared, "Even if I have to die with you, I will never disown you."
Now does this not remind you of the vows of the priests and how they break it?
But you have to understand Peter and a large percentage of the priests. Peter was zealous. He wanted to worship God. When he made the statement that he would NEVEr disown Christ, he meant it, just like the father that slept with that widow etc. You have all either read or saw the miniseries "Thornbird". That is exactly what sinning priests go through....a desire to serve God and a weakness of the flesh.

IS ABSTINENCE NOT AS BIG A MIRACLE AS WALKING ON WATER?

Indeed it is. Like Peter did walking on water, many priests actually are able to abstain while others like Peter, at the halfway point they lost the faith and begin to sink in wetness (couldn't resist the pun). Few are able to say "Jesus save me".

PETERS WAYS WERE NEVER CRITICISM-FREE  even as he parleyed with the gentiles....From Paul

Galatians 2:11-16 tells how Paul the Evangelist (to me the Protestants and Pentecostal) criticized Peter. Peter parleyed with the gentiles as easily as the Pope parleys with world leaders....to the criticism of many.

PAUL MADE ALL THE NOISE YET IT IS TO PETER THE GREATEST VISION WAS SHOWN, the message that makes the whole world able to be called "Children of God" Acts 10:1-11:18 is the greatest vision in the whole Bible after Isaiah's "unto us a child is born" vision. It is that vision that is Christianity as opposed to Judaism. It is what declared the whole world "clean". I do not remove from Paul. I only show Jesus was/is no liar for "Upon this Rock (Peter) will I build my church)

THE ONLY REAL DAMAGE THE CATHOLIC CHURCH DOES TO CHRISTIANITY

"Let no man call you father, for you have just one father in heaven" I guess Jesus knew exactly what he was saying. Jesus knew that people would take advantage of the appelation or title "father". He spent his time showing that even his mother Mary was nt special. It is not because he did not honour his mother....a woman that sped up his ministry by forcing him to turn water to wine, but so people may not take whatever Mary does with her life and ascribe it to God. Yes Jesus understood the need for a leader and made Peter one. He did not take all the disciples for the transfiguration so he wanted us to have leaders. However he never wanted those laders to be "representative of God on earth" He didnt want some demi-gods in some distant parishes sleeping with children using the toga "father". He didnt want all those corrupt popes to be regarded as "Representative of God". He knew someday a pope may resign and threaten Christendom with all the scandals

So as you read the many attacks on the Catholic church, seeking to rubbish  "God's representative on earth" know this "For ALL have sinned and come short of the glory of the lord".Romans 3:23  And also "our righteousness is but as filthy rags" (even while wearing a priests clothes) Isaiah 64:6 and that it is GRACE and that the Pope also is using that grace as ALL HAVE SINNED. So FORGIVE THE FATHER FOR HE HAS SINNED

As the World gathers in  Saint Peter Square waiting to see their new pope, we continue to be grateful to the catholic church for their role in converting and educating half the world and their unparalleled showing of Charity to all of humanity and may the Cardinals choose a better Pope this time.

(And thanking my Baptist Deaconess mom for making us attend SUNBEAM which is a Baptist pre-teen church organization that made us know the Bible a bit today enough to appreciate Peter and his church)

















So as white smoke appears, as the Pope will appear from