Partaking of the Eucharist purportedly gives Catholics who are still alive an opportunity to help the dead:
| "The Eucharistic sacrifice is also offered for the faithful departed
who 'have died in Christ but are not yet wholly purified, so that they
may be able to enter into the light and peace of Christ.'" Pg. 345,
#1371
"In the Eucharist, the Church expresses her efficacious communion with the departed..." Pg. 420 #1689 |
This heart-tugging doctrine indoctrinates Roman Catholics with the belief that regularly receiving the Eucharist will help their departed loved ones reach heaven faster.
If this doctrine is of God, then you should obey it. But if it' s a tradition devised by men to keep people in bondage to a church, then it is a cruel and heartless method of controlling people. Let's see what God says about it.
Never mentioned
You can search the Scriptures from beginning to end, but you will not find the Eucharist helping a single dead person. And not one Bible character ever received the Eucharist on behalf of a departed loved one.
As you may suspect, this Catholic tradition is not only absent from God's Word, it directly violates it as well. The Bible teaches that we will each give account for our own life:
| "So then every one of us shall give account of himself to God." Romans 14:12 |
Jesus did all the work
People enter heaven solely because of the good work Jesus Christ did on the cross. Salvation is a gift from God, not an item earned by our righteousness or the righteousness of friends and loved ones.
Death, then judgment
The Bible declares that after death, everyone faces God for judgment. There are no more chances:
| "And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment:" Hebrews 9:27 |
Those who do not put their faith in Christ while they are alive are already condemned to hell:
| "He that believeth on him (Jesus) is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God." John 3:18 |
The wrath of God abides on those who die without Christ:
| "He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life: and he that believeth not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth on him." John 3:36 |
The Bible says nothing about God's wrath being pacified because someone received the Eucharist on behalf of departed loved ones. The only way to avoid the condemnation of God is by placing your faith in Jesus Christ while you are alive. Jesus declared:
| "... He that heareth my word, and believeth on him that sent me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation; but is passed from death unto life." John 5:24 |
Conclusion
Once again, you are left with several questions which must be answered:
- Why is this tradition of the Catholic church so diametrically opposed to God's Holy Word?
- Why does the Catholic church want members performing rituals for the dead, when God's Word says such practices are useless?
- Is this but another method of keeping people in bondage to the Catholic church?
Most importantly, you need to understand that to continue practicing this man-made tradition, you must reject the very words of Jesus Christ. Are you sure you want to do this?
| "Beware lest any man spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit, after the tradition of men, after the rudiments of the world, and not after Christ." Colossians 2:8 |
Understanding Roman Catholicism © 1995 by Rick Jones
