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How I became a Catholic by conviction

A few of my friends left the Church, to join groups that interpreted the Bible very differently and that disturbed me a lot. They bought up arguments to convince me to leave the Catholic Church and I must admit they managed to fill my head with a lot of doubts, until I found the 'KEY', and from then on there was no looking back.

Most of us have read that the  'keys of the kingdom' were given to Peter by Jesus but what do these keys symbolize. Turn your bible to the Old Testament book of Isaiah 22:15-25 and there you will read the story of King Hezekiah, the heir to Davids throne, electing Eliakim as the new 'master of the household' which is a  position equal to that of  Prime Minister. He is the highest ranking officer, second only to the king. He is to take part in a swearing in ceremony where the kings places on his shoulder the 'key of the house of David' in other words the key of the kingdom. He now has authority over everything in the kingdom. By placing it on his shoulder, the king is letting everyone know who the true authority is. No one shall question his authority any further. 

"22 I will place on his shoulder the key of the house of David; he shall open, and no one shall shut; he shall shut, and no one shall open." (Isaiah 22:22)

In the New Testament which is the fulfillment of the Old, Jesus, the eternal king, son of David, entrusts Peter with the keys of the kingdom thereby placing him in charge of administration here on earth. Did Jesus foresee how people would fall astray if he didn't leave them a rock to lean on? We must take Jesus' advice seriously and have our foundation on the 'rock' (Aramaic kephaʼ) who is Peter (Aramaic kephaʼ).

"18 And I tell you, you are Peter,[a] and on this rock[b] I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not prevail against it. 19 I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven." (Matthew 16:18-19)

It is also important to note that the keys of the kingdom were traditionally passed down to successors, just as it has been done in the Catholic church. The Apostles would set apart members, to be their successors and to carry on their duty of shepherding the community (Acts 20:28). Members were only selected after prayer and the laying of hands, thus empowering them to act with the power of the Holy Spirit. This power can come only from Christ through the Church which he appointed and that is why from the time of  the apostles up to our present day bishops, priests and deacons are ordained by the laying of hands.

 Gates of Hades shall not prevail against it
Most people argue that in spite of having apostolic origins, the church today, is corrupt and my question to them is, are we looking for perfect teachings or perfect people. If we look for perfect people then we are forgetting that Jesus didn't choose saints. Even Peter failed Jesus when he denied him three times. What is from stopping the darkness from attacking the church today? Yet we have this reassurance that the gates of Hades will not prevail (prove more powerful) and the church will defeat the darkness in the world. Just as Jesus prayed for Peter that he may turn back from sin and strengthen his brothers, we must constantly pray for leaders in the church that they may bear witness to Christ by the life they lead.

Karen Sequeira.

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