Catholic Priest acts like a CLOWN / Preacher gives FINAL WARNING - Ash Wednesday LENT
Author Comments: My goal is to point out issues with what this street preacher is saying in the video and his non-Christ like approach. Remember, I am a Catholic convert with a 40+ year Protestant background.
First: The title of the video "Catholic Priest acts like a CLOWN / Preacher gives FINAL WARNING - Ash Wednesday LENT" - I don't see how the Catholic Priest acted like a clown. I'm thinking the street preacher just wanted something in his YouTube title to help get attention. Being dishonest and disrespectful in his title is not a good start in my book. Even if I thought the late Billy Graham acted like a clown, I wouldn't put that in my title out of Christian love and respect for his position. I sure wouldn't mislead my viewers by falsifying that in my title. The other part of the title "Preacher gives FINAL WARNING" is to help get attention most likely. Oh and the FINAL WARNING is "Your blood be upon your own hands."
The text below is under the video on YouTube in the description section:
Speak not in the ears of a fool: for he will despise the wisdom of thy words. Proverbs 23:9
Give not that which is holy unto the dogs, neither cast ye your pearls before swine, lest they trample them under their feet, and turn again and rend you. Matthew 7:6
And whosoever shall not receive you, nor hear your words, when ye depart out of that house or city, shake off the dust of your feet.
Verily I say unto you, It shall be more tolerable for the land of Sodom and Gomorrha in the day of judgment, than for that city. Matthew 10:15
Author Comments:
I assume the street preacher is using the verses above to show his lack of respect for Catholics: "Speak not in the ears of a fool." Based on this video, the street preacher obviously doesn't see Catholics as fellow brothers and sisters in Christ. He gives a great example on the video of how NOT to share the Gospel.
The last comment under the description is:
"Most Street Preachers can't preach Acts 2:38 ( link to another video )"
Author Comments:
Acts 2:38 is "And Peter said to them, “Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit." Based on how the street preacher speaks in this video, the statement of faith on the his Youtube and one other video on his channel that I came across, he could be a "Oneness Pentecostal ( also known as Apostolic or Jesus' Name Pentecostalism and often pejoratively referred to as the "Jesus Only" movement in its early days )." But I may be wrong.
Quotation marks below reference some of the street preachers words from the start of the video to the end.
Street Preacher:
"Bow down to Mary, bow down to statues, say the rosary, that's idolatry."
Author Comments:
Let's Define Idolatry: It's the "worship" of idols or icons or extreme admiration, love, or reverence for something or someone. Billy Graham said "Idolatry is anything that comes between us and God."
If we use Billy Graham's definition, could TV? Facebook? secular work? sports? secular music? social media? smart phone? a new car? and any other number of things be Idolatry? I'm convinced beyond a doubt that many professing Christians spend more time on Facebook than they do praying to God or in church.
Since the word "worship" is used in the definition, what is worship? The feeling or expression of reverence and adoration for a "deity" or show reverence and adoration for (a "deity").
Catholics DO NOT believe Mary is a deity. Mary is NOT equal with God, with Christ or with the Holy Spirit. That is NOT a teaching of the Catholic Church.
Define Venerate ( Veneration ): It is to regard with great respect.
This is direct from the Catechism of the Catholic Church:
2132 The Christian veneration of images is not contrary to the first commandment which proscribes idols. Indeed, "the honor rendered to an image passes to its prototype," and "whoever venerates an image venerates the person portrayed in it." The honor paid to sacred images is a "respectful veneration," not the adoration due to God alone:
Religious worship is not directed to images in themselves, considered as mere things, but under their distinctive aspect as images leading us on to God incarnate. The movement toward the image does not terminate in it as image, but tends toward that whose image it is.
2133 "You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul and with all your strength" (Deut 6:5).
2134 The first commandment summons man to believe in God, to hope in him, and to love him above all else.
2135 "You shall worship the Lord your God" (Mt 4:10). Adoring God, praying to him, offering him the worship that belongs to him, fulfilling the promises and vows made to him are acts of the virtue of religion which fall under obedience to the first commandment.
2136 The duty to offer God authentic worship concerns man both as an individual and as a social being.
2137 "Men of the present day want to profess their religion freely in private and in public" (DH 15).
2138 Superstition is a departure from the worship that we give to the true God. It is manifested in idolatry, as well as in various forms of divination and magic.
2139 Tempting God in words or deeds, sacrilege, and simony are sins of irreligion forbidden by the first commandment.
2140 Since it rejects or denies the existence of God, atheism is a sin against the first commandment.
2141 The veneration of sacred images is based on the mystery of the Incarnation of the Word of God. It is not contrary to the first commandment.
I took the pictures below with my cell phone a the Catholic Cathedral that my wife and I attend in Raleigh, North Carolina.
Here are quick things that come to my mind when I see the statues and images above: The first and second are statues of Mary and Peter. Mary - Said Yes to God. I want to say Yes to God. Peter - Quick to speak, said some crazy stuff, but loved the Lord. Kind of reminds me of myself in some ways. Peter asked to be crucified upside down because he didn't deserve to be crucified as His Lord - Our Lord Jesus Christ. I don't worship either of those statues, but I would like to be more like Mary who was at the foot of the cross and more like Peter. The third and fourth images are stations of the cross. I'm reminded of Christ death and how he carried his cross. I want to carry my cross for the Lord. He died for my sins on the cross of calvary. I need to remember what he did for me and the world. I don't worship those images, but I do worship Jesus Christ who is depicted in them. The fifth and final image is a stained glass window which many churches have. It looks like Jesus is surrounded by some of the apostles. I don't worship the stained glass window, but I do want to walk with the Lord as best I can like the apostles did. I could say a lot more than I'm saying here, but hopefully, any reasonable person can understand my point. I DO NOT WORSHIP STATUES AND I DO NOT WORSHIP IMAGES.
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"There is only one mediator. That's Jesus Christ."
Author Comments:
Catechism of the Catholic Church:
480 Jesus Christ is true God and true man, in the unity of his divine person; for this reason he is the one and only mediator between God and men.
Oh, but the argument from non-Catholics is Catholics pray to Mary. Many Catholics do ask Mary to pray for them. This was not a hard concept for me to grasp for two reasons: 1) It's NOT uncommon at all for Protestant Christians to ask fellow Christians to pray for them or to get the prayer chain going with many earthly Christians praying for them. 2) Is Mary who is in heaven with Christ more alive and closer to Christ than any of my fellow Christian brothers and sisters here on earth? Seems like an easy answer for me. I don't have a problem as a Catholic saying "Mary, pray for me" - "Saint Peter, pray for me" - "Saint Paul, pray for me" which to me is no different than calling my mom, dad, sister, friend, etc. and saying "Mom, pray for me" - "Dad, pray for me."
There is still only ONE mediator: Jesus Christ. But the New Testament says in James 5:16 "pray for one another."
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"You are in Tradition. You are not really serving God in Spirit and in Truth."
Author Comments:
Does the street preacher think there is a problem with tradition? 2 Thessalonians 2:15 "So then, brothers and sisters, stand firm and hold fast to the traditions that you were taught by us, either by word of mouth or by our letter."
Is the street preacher referring to John 4:24? "God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth."
Why does the street preacher say, ""You are in Tradition. You are not really serving God in Spirit and in Truth?" I think it's because he doesn't know Catholicism. He is speaking out of ignorance and I mean that in Christian love. I'm not saying the street preacher is a bad person. He has good intentions, but is not well informed.
I am a former fundamentalist Pentecostal turned evangelical Southern Baptist who is now a PROUD CATHOLIC. I love Catholic worship because I understand. I have felt God move in my life many times in the Catholic Church. I know how I worship.
So Mr. Street preacher, I say to you in Christian love, Matthew 7:1-5 "“Judge not, that you be not judged. For with the judgment you pronounce you will be judged, and the measure you give will be the measure you get. Why do you see the speck that is in your brother’s eye, but do not notice the log that is in your own eye? Or how can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ when there is the log in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your brother’s eye."
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Street Preacher puts on the screen:
"The little jester approaches"
Author Comments:
A jester is a professional joker or “fool” at a medieval court, typically wearing a cap with bells on it and carrying a mock scepter just to put into perspective what this street preacher is calling an ORDAINED PASTOR. Is that how he treats all ORDAINED MEN OF GOD?
Jesus speaking in John 13:34-35 "A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; even as I have loved you, that you also love one another. By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.”
Paul speaking in 1 Corinthians 13:13 "So faith, hope, love abide, these three; but the greatest of these is love."
Is "The little jester approaches" a loving comment? Since the street preacher loves to quote scripture in the video, what about the verses above?
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Tells the priest, "You need to repent. You are leading these people astray. A man must be born again the bible says."
Author Comments:
I'll refer back to "judge not." The street preacher is using his private interpretation of scripture to say to the priest "You are leading these people astray."
Yes, Mr. Street preacher, if you want to quote the bible and say one must be born again, let's get down to it when Jesus said in John 3:5 "...Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God." But what does being born again mean?
Catholics are saved by grace through faith in Jesus Christ and it's nothing they do to earn the initial grace of God. The Catechism of the Catholic Church states " No one can merit the initial grace which is at the origin of conversion."
Unlike the "Once Saved Always Saved" belief of some, Catholics believe as Jimmy Akin states it ""I have been saved; I am being saved; and I will be saved." It embraces all three of the aspects of salvation which are present in the biblical literature." ( Romans 8:24, I Corinthians 1:18 and Romans 5:9 ).
Catholics believe in, worship and love the same exact Jesus that you do Mr. Street Preacher. Yes, "I believe in one Lord Jesus Christ, the Only Begotten Son of God, born of the Father before all ages. God from God, Light from Light, true God from true God, begotten, not made, consubstantial with the Father; through him all things were made. For us men and for our salvation he came down from heaven, and by the Holy Spirit was incarnate of the Virgin Mary, and became man. For our sake he was crucified under Pontius Pilate, he suffered death and was buried, and rose again on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures. He ascended into heaven and is seated at the right hand of the Father. He will come again in glory to judge the living and the dead and his kingdom will have no end."
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The street preacher mentions to not put the sign of the cross on your chest and along with other things. They are formalities, rituals and from pagan Rome.
Author Comments:
There is nothing wrong with the sign of the cross. Here are 21 things we do when we make the sign of the cross: 1. Pray. 2. Open ourselves to grace. 3. Sanctify the day. 4. Commit the whole self to Christ. 5. Recall the Incarnation. 6. Remember the Passion of Our Lord. 7. Affirm the Trinity. 8. Focus our prayer on God. 9. Affirm the procession of Son and Spirit. 10. Confess our faith. 11. Invoke the power of God’s name. 12. Crucify ourselves with Christ 13. Ask for support in our suffering. 14. Reaffirm our baptism. 15. Reverse the curse. 16. Remake ourselves in Christ’s image. 17. Mark ourselves for Christ. 18. Soldier on for Christ. 19. Ward off the devil. 20. Seal ourselves in the Spirit. 21. Witness to others. ( Source )
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Around the 2 minute mark, "We don't venerate Mary. She's dead. We venerate Jesus Christ."
Author Comments:
Define Venerate: It is to regard with great respect.
Are you saying Mr. Street Preacher that you "DO NOT HAVE GREAT RESPECT FOR MARY?"
I think the street preacher needs to learn what venerate means. Personally, I give great respect to many people in this world and have great respect for many that have gone on before me. Giving great respect does NOT mean that I worship anyone that I venerate. There is nothing wrong with showing great respect.
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"Jesus Christ is going to be your judge. He'll tell you to enter in or depart not Mary." and "When God says depart from me, it's final."
Author Comments:
Yes, Catholics know Christ is the judge not Mary and once Christ says depart from me in the final judgment that it's final.
Catechism of the Catholic Church:
1034 Jesus often speaks of "Gehenna" of "the unquenchable fire" reserved for those who to the end of their lives refuse to believe and be converted, where both soul and body can be lost.614 Jesus solemnly proclaims that he "will send his angels, and they will gather . . . all evil doers, and throw them into the furnace of fire,"615 and that he will pronounce the condemnation: "Depart from me, you cursed, into the eternal fire!"616
1035 The teaching of the Church affirms the existence of hell and its eternity. Immediately after death the souls of those who die in a state of mortal sin descend into hell, where they suffer the punishments of hell, "eternal fire."The chief punishment of hell is eternal separation from God, in whom alone man can possess the life and happiness for which he was created and for which he longs.
1036 The affirmations of Sacred Scripture and the teachings of the Church on the subject of hell are a call to the responsibility incumbent upon man to make use of his freedom in view of his eternal destiny. They are at the same time an urgent call to conversion: "Enter by the narrow gate; for the gate is wide and the way is easy, that leads to destruction, and those who enter by it are many. For the gate is narrow and the way is hard, that leads to life, and those who find it are few."
Since we know neither the day nor the hour, we should follow the advice of the Lord and watch constantly so that, when the single course of our earthly life is completed, we may merit to enter with him into the marriage feast and be numbered among the blessed, and not, like the wicked and slothful servants, be ordered to depart into the eternal fire, into the outer darkness where "men will weep and gnash their teeth."
681 On Judgment Day at the end of the world, Christ will come in glory to achieve the definitive triumph of good over evil which, like the wheat and the tares, have grown up together in the course of history.
682 When he comes at the end of time to judge the living and the dead, the glorious Christ will reveal the secret disposition of hearts and will render to each man according to his works, and according to his acceptance or refusal of grace.
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"Are you going to be ready sir? Are you going to be ready maam? All you do is go inside there and do your little traditional worship where you don't have no spiritual relationship with Jesus Christ. You better turn."
"You better turn to Jesus Christ and repent..., repent..., repent...."
Author Comments:
The street preacher continues to be disrespectful "do your little traditional worship" and judgmental "You don't have no relationship with Jesus Christ." Does the street preacher know the hearts of those entering in the Catholic Church he is outside of? Is he God almighty?
Let's look at Catechism of the Catholic Church and what it says about Christ:
619 "Christ died for our sins in accordance with the scriptures" (I Cor 15:3).
620 Our salvation flows from God's initiative of love for us, because "he loved us and sent his Son to be the expiation for our sins" (I Jn 4:10). "God was in Christ reconciling the world to himself" (2 Cor 5:19).
621 Jesus freely offered himself for our salvation. Beforehand, during the Last Supper, he both symbolized this offering and made it really present: "This is my body which is given for you" (Lk 22:19).
622 The redemption won by Christ consists in this, that he came "to give his life as a ransom for many" (Mt 20:28), that is, he "loved [his own] to the end" (Jn 13:1), so that they might be "ransomed from the futile ways inherited from [their] fathers" (I Pt 1:18).
623 By his loving obedience to the Father, "unto death, even death on a cross" (Phil 2:8), Jesus fulfills the atoning mission (cf. Is 53:10) of the suffering Servant, who will "make many righteous; and he shall bear their iniquities" (Is 53:11; cf. Rom 5:19).
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As the street preacher talks to the police..........
"God sent us out here to preach to these idolaters. They are supporting that which God hates. God is tired of it. He despises it."
Author Comments:
So Mr. Street Preacher, are you saying you speak for God? Are you sure God told you to go outside a Christian Church and call them idolaters, call the priest a little jester, tell the priest he needs to repent and use amplified audio on the sidewalk as they enter their Church to worship? Are you sure your non-loving, judgmental approach is what God wants you to do? Do you truly know the Catholic faith? Are you doing what you want to do or what God wants you to do? I'll let my readers decide.
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"Must have a one-on-one relationship with Jesus Christ and be filled with the Holy Ghost. If you have the Holy Ghost, you cannot go in a church like this."
Author Comments:
Yes, all Christians should have a relationship with Jesus Christ whether Catholic, Protestant, etc.
Who are you to say these Catholic Christians do not? Who are you do say they are not filled with the spirit? And, oh, I beg to differ that if you have the Holy Ghost ( Spirit ) that you cannot go into a Church like this.
I love the local Catholic Church that my wife and I attend. I go inside to worship Jesus, to sing songs of praise, to pray, to hear the word of God read and preached and to receive in Holy Communion ( The Eucharist ). I'm not hung up on me. I'm sold out on Jesus Christ: King of Kings, Lord of Lords, Savior of the World. Seeing the Crucifix reminds me of what Christ did for me. Seeing statues reminds me of those who have gone on before me who lived faithful lives for the Lord that I hope to emulate for His glory.
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"I didn't know it was loud!" when told by the police he couldn't amplify.
Author Comments:
Hmmmm... Really, you didn't know you were amplifying and were loud as you raised your voice calling these Catholics idolaters and saying they needed to repent?
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"If you don't leave, the priest wants to press charges against you." Then he says, "We'll leave. We are going to shake the dust off our feet."
Tells the priest, "Your blood be upon your own hands."
"I think God I'm not a Catholic." - "I worship God in spirit and in truth." - "You need to repent before you perish."
Author Comments:
I'll just leave most this alone as this point in the article with the exception of "I DO THANK GOD THAT I'M A CATHOLIC." Being a Catholic has made me a better Christian. Being a Catholic has also taught me to be a more loving Christian and less judgmental. That doesn't mean that I overlook sin. But there is a right way and a wrong way to go about things as a Christian. I'm convinced this street preacher has the wrong approach.
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"You hide behind a priest. You hide behind a confessional booth. God doesn't hear your prayers. He doesn't hear the prayers of an idolater. He doesn't hear the prayer of a Mary worshipper. He doesn't hear the prayer of one who bows before the priest."
Author Comments:
"You hide behind a priest." - Don't know what that means and I'm a faithful Catholic.
"You hide behind a confessional booth." - I guess he's trying to say something bad about a confessional booth. My first confession and my wife's were AMAZING. Does the street preacher know about an act of contrition in the confession booth? "My God, I am sorry for my sins with all my heart. In choosing to do wrong and failing to do good, I have sinned against you whom I should love above all things. I firmly intend, with your help, to do penance, to sin no more, and to avoid whatever leads me to sin. Our Savior Jesus Christ suffered and died for us. In his name, my God, have mercy." I completely lost it during this prayer. I felt the presence of God during my first Catholic Confession as strong as I ever have in my life.
"God doesn't hear your prayers. He doesn't hear the prayers of an idolater. He doesn't hear the prayer of a Mary worshipper. He doesn't hear the prayer of one who bows before the priest." - My assumption is that he is calling ALL these Catholics sinners and is likely referring to John 9:31 "We know that God does not listen to sinners, but if any one is a worshiper of God and does his will, God listens to him." Mr. street preacher, you are confused about faithful Catholics as you have clearly shown throughout your video.
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In Closing - Author Comments:
I hope that I have been loving above. The old CHRISTIAN me would have lashed out at this street preacher in the kind of tone that he is using. The new Catholic Christian me tries to have a more loving approach.
I have come up with 5 ways to evangelize and none of them include using amplified audio outside a Christian Church or for that matter a non-Christian Church like the example in this video.
Here are my 5 ways:
1- Loving - Love Others
2- Living - Live The Faith
3- Sharing - Share The Faith In A Loving Way
4- Inviting - Invite Others To Mass and Other Church Functions
5- Praying - Pray For Yourself and Others
