What's next?

Saint Augustine (420ac) said, 

The miracles of the visible world of nature have lost their value for us because we see them continually... God does not disdain to work miracles, which he arouses the soul, hitherto preoccupied with visible things, to the worship of himself, the invisible God... He moves events in time, while himself remains unmoved by time.   

Book: City of God by Augustine of Hippo  

Spiritual transformation is the result of such miracles. So many! All linked to Christianity... but why?

Christianity has faced sustained criticism and opposition for centuries. In an age saturated with anti-religious media, misleading online content, false visionaries, emerging belief systems, and rapidly advancing scientific narratives, many people gradually distance Christianity from their lives. This cultural shift often leads to the belief that moral decency alone, paired with a vague acknowledgment of God, is sufficient for salvation. However, accounts such as the reported observation of an incorrupt saint turning away from a professed religious sister living in a state of grave sin challenge this assumption and invite serious theological reflection.

When uninfluenced by competing voices or external viewpoints, we can begin to grasp the truths of Christianity by adhering closely to the teachings and witness of the saints. In doing so, many encounter three spiritual realities articulated by the saints that are often found to be deeply unsettling:

(1) Christian denominations - Christianity is a narrow gate, testified to by at least 500 saints. Through visions, Jesus explained His sufferings at Gethsemane to Blessed Anne Catherine Emmerich in 1820. He explained the negative impact of Christian denominations that are not Roman Catholic:

The Lord passed in review all the future suffering of the ...church... he saw heresies and schisms entering her fold, and the sin of Adam repeated by pride and disobedience in all forms of vanity and delusive self-righteousness...the deceptive subtlety of all proud teachers; the sacrilegious crimes of all wicked priests with their frightful consequences... the pretended reformers... each wanted to have a Redeemer other than he who had delivered himself through love... Jesus saw them abandoning his wounded Church like faithless children... pitching their tent far away from the true vine, wandering sheep becoming prey of wolves, straying homeless, driven by changing winds; but they would not see the house of the Church, built upon a rock...promised until the end of time, against which hell shall never prevail...they would not enter through the narrow gate...they built upon the sand perishable huts of all kinds, without altar or sacrifice, to which their doctrine were ever changing... intoxicated with self-esteem... declaring the church of the Word made flesh is invisible.

Book: The Life, Passion, Death, and Resurrection of Jesus Christ Book IV: A Chronicle from the Visions of Anne Catherine Emmerich 

As Jesus declared only one Church in His ministry (Bible Gospels, Matthew 16:18):

And I tell you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build My church, and the gates of Hades will not prevail against it.

Book: Ignatius Catholic Study New Testament-RSV by Ignatius Press

Historical evidence demonstrates that Roman Catholic saints were executed under the authority of the Anglican Church following England’s separation from Rome, notably Saint Thomas More (1535) and Saint Bishop John Fisher, Bishop of Rochester (1535). During this period, widespread dissolution of monasteries and churches occurred, resulting in the destruction of numerous Catholic relics and incorrupt remains as ecclesiastical property was seized.

In 1950, another Catholic saint, Saint Padre Pio, offered a strong critique of Christians who claimed the ability to receive divine guidance independently of submission to papal authority, warning of serious spiritual consequences and dire prophetic consequences for their followers. Earlier, in 1883, Blessed Clotilde Micheli likewise addressed these questions through a reported angelic apparition that occurred while she was, unknowingly, praying within a Protestant church,

Her Guardian Angel came to her and said: Arise for this is a Protestant church. But I want to make you see the place where Martin Luther was condemned and the pain he suffered as a punishment for his pride"; Micheli saw demons who had forced Luther to his knees and confirmed he was consigned to the fires of Hell.

The logical conclusion is that non-Roman Catholic Christian congregations are avoided by angels of God. Consequently, since protestantism is not governed by the Holy See, its sacraments are not conducive to salvation*, as supernaturally confirmed by Blessed Anne Catherine Emmerich (1820), Blessed Clotilde Micheli (1883), and Saint Pio of Pietrelcina (1950).

*Exceptions: Some churches, like the Coptic Catholic Church, are in full communion with the Catholic Church. Baptism is accepted in most denominations by the Roman Catholic Church (Canon Law).

Saint Gregory the Great (540-604) wrote of one of the first schismatic churches,

An Arian church...when it was decided to dedicate it to the Catholic faith... God helped to realize that the unclean spirit had departed from the building... from the terrible noise we can judge under what overwhelming power the Devil was forced to leave the place he had so long occupied.

Book: Dialogues by St Gregory the Great

According to the prophets of the Old Testament (800–400 BC), God was offended by Israel's sacrifices. They were distributed on hilltops behind arbitrary trees rather than at the Jewish temple in Jerusalem. The primary reason for these pride-based offenses was the animosity, with deep political and religious divisions, between the Jewish tribes from the northern and southern kingdoms of Israel. The Temple in Jerusalem—located in the southern tribe of Judah— was divinely appointed by God as the center of worship. Do you recognize this? These days, a large number of non-Roman Catholic Christian churches sell Christ as a baseless sacrifice, in a variety of denominations. Is God happy with this outcome? Based on the Old Testament and Israel's destruction in 722 BC and 587 BC, I would say "no".

While pointing us to the Bible and encouraging us to love Jesus, the majority of non-Roman Catholic Christian websites ignore the real-life experiences of Roman Catholic saints. At the same time, religious idealism promoted through social media often fuels to this self-delusional self-esteem hamster wheel of misplaced confidence by elevating the self above other people. A stubborn will has led non-Roman Catholic Christians astray by disobeying saints esteemed by God and by embracing their own conception of the divine.

(2) Hell - Save my soul from what? Sister Josefa Menendez, in October 1923, explained:

Today I saw a vast number of people fall into the fiery pit... they seemed to be worldlings and a demon cried vociferously: 'The world is ripe for me... I know that the best way to get hold of souls is to rouse their desire for enjoyment... Put me first... me before the rest... no humility for me! but let me enjoy myself... This sort of thing assures victory to me... and they tumble headlong into hell.'

Book: The Way of Divine Love by Sister Josefa Menendez

Much of our economy is built on vanity, on helping people to maintain the right "image". Vanity springs from insecurities, either to guard a reputation, obtain praise or respect from other people; it places our focus away from God and the needs of others.

Saint Blessed Anna-Maria Taigi, in 1810, took a look into her vision sun, she saw some popes in Purgatory, few religious in Hell, and about the people that died in Rome that day,

Very few, not as many as ten, went straight to Heaven, many remained in Purgatory, and those cast into Hell were as numerous as flakes of snow in mid-winter... salvation is very difficult to speculators, to those who cause famine among the people.

Book: Wife Mother and Mystic: Blessed Anna Maria Taigi by Albert Bessieres

At that time, Italy was predominantly Catholic, yet only a few souls were ultimately saved. Ratifying one of Mary's messages at Fatima in 1917, about a young woman of only 20 years, a friend of Sister Lucia, condemned to Purgatory until the end of time after death. Saint John Vianney in 1840 said, "Oh, my friend, good intentions! Hell is paved with them. "

A person’s journey toward salvation is strengthened through regular participation in the Roman Catholic Church and faithful reception of the sacraments. Gaining an understanding of spiritual realities, including the forces that oppose grace, alongside a deep appreciation of Catholic values as they intersect with contemporary societal norms, is spiritually beneficial. From a Catholic perspective, religions outside of Christianity are generally considered further removed from the path described as the “narrow gate” leading to eternal life.

(3) Other religious beliefs - In 1810, Jesus Christ conversed with Saint Anne-Maria Taigi, allowing us to extrapolate into the acceptability of other religions,

Why have a raised Napoleon? To make him the tool of My anger wherewith to chastise the iniquity of the wicked and to humiliate the proud. One wrongdoer destroys other wrongdoers.

God permits the existence of multiple religions, perhaps as a form of divine judgment or to allow humanity to exercise free will. While every individual possesses the right to make informed decisions, adherence to familial or cultural customs alone is insufficient justification for settling for a less complete understanding of truth.

Saint Thomas Aquinas in 1250, said,

An untrue faith draws man's affections to an untrue representation of God, and separates him from the truth of God...Science and anything else conducive to greatness, is to man an occasion of self-confidence, so that he does not wholly surrender himself to God. The result is that such like things sometimes occasion a hindrance to devotion; while in simple souls and women devotion abounds by repressing pride. If, however, a man perfectly submits to God his science or any other perfection, by this very fact his devotion is increased.

Book: Summa Theologica by Saint Thomas Aquinas

The prophet Jeremiah (around 600 BC, 16:13) said about false gods,

So I (God) will cast you forth out of this land (Israel), into a land which you know not (Babylon), nor you fathers: and there you shall serve strange gods day and night, which shall not give you any rest.

Book: The Holy Bible: Old Testament: Douay-Rheims Version by Catholic Way Publishing

If, according to certain mystical accounts, angels of God avoid non–Roman Catholic Christian churches, one may reasonably ask how much more they would refrain from non-Christian places of worship. Our steadfast God continues to work powerfully within the Roman Catholic Church, irrespective of individual beliefs, busy lifestyles, personal judgments, or differing viewpoints. After death, each person’s authentic charity and moral life will be assessed. While many may resist or question the notion, Catholic tradition holds that religions outside of full communion with the Church are often rooted in human pride or idolatrous practices, which can distract from the pursuit of true holiness and divine truth.

Committing oneself fully to a particular faith can be challenging, particularly for those whose beliefs are shaped by non-Christian family traditions. Nonetheless, every human being deserves respect, regardless of religion, for all are created in the image and likeness of God. Through the Roman Catholic sacraments, individuals can acknowledge past transgressions, turn away from sin, and engage in true reconciliation.

Aware of Judas’ betrayal, Jesus nonetheless washed his feet, demonstrating a desire for repentance and salvation. In a similar spirit, Pope Francis approached followers of all religions with respect and a hope for their conversion toward God’s truth. According to Scripture and Catholic teaching, Judas ultimately faced eternal separation from God after death.

Our salvation, according to Catholic teaching, depends on remaining faithful to the Church and discerning the truth in the face of divergent Christian denominations and other religions. Ignoring historical evidence, documented miracles, or well-attested facts in order to preserve personal prejudices undermines the integrity of historical study and renders it arbitrary. This truth transcends trends, social classes, and historical periods: moral and spiritual judgments of a first-century farmer and a twenty-first-century CEO are equally valid. Likewise, contemporary mass exodus from the Roman Catholic Church does not alter these enduring realities.