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I am sorry I did not pay better attention to Yarelis’ earlier post. It has made me want to research some things. This is what I find on whether or not Peter even went to Rome and whether he was the first Pope. To me, if it’s in scripture that Jesus stated he would build his Church upon Peter, that says it all to me.
It seems meaningless whether or not, as head of the Church, Peter ever made it to Rome. He still could be Head of the Church and the First Pope.
But I found this most interesting in the topic. It seems that archeological evidence exists to support that Peter died in Rome.
http://www.catholic.com/tracts/was-peter-in-rome
I think what Yarelis misses is that for centuries, The Church was the only central authority in Europe. There were no countries, kings or central authorities in Europe — other then the Church for centuries. The Church conducted all aspects of life in a Village and everything centered around the Church. Only the Church could perform marriage, you took oaths at Church, the Church was the law or civil authority as well and settled disputes, and the Church was the socio-economic institution of a village.
Later, as villages grew into cities and borders came into being, countries and princes and kings also come on the scene as society grew — but the Church was still the main governing authority or power, and Kings feared retribution by the Church or jockeyed for favor with the Church — it’s power was that great – greater than Kings.
I would suggest that the Protestant sects, post 1517, could have just as easily re-wrote the commandments (though there were earlier attempts to translate the Bible in the vernacular more than a century before Luther), rather than the Church has altered the commandments.
After Luther, in a short number of years, Protestant sects were coming into existence quickly. Even King Henry VIII authorized a Great Bible when he, too, formed the Church of England. This is not a chicken/egg argument — which came first?
Matthew 16:18 And I say to thee: “That thou art Peter; and upon this rock [u:zccxczdp]I will build my church[/u:zccxczdp], and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.”
As for the Mass being a sacrifice, Luke 22:19; 1 Corinthians 11:24, 25 says: “Do this in [u:zccxczdp]rememberance[/u:zccxczdp] of me.” The Greek word is [i:zccxczdp]anamnesis[/i:zccxczdp] which means remembering or recollection, not sacrifice or re-sacrifice.
Jesus Christ performed ONE eternal sacrifice when he officiated at the Last Supper and was then Crucified. It’s my understanding that we particpate in that one eternal sacrifice when we attend Mass and receive the Eucharist.