Matthew 23:14 Missing in Catholic Translations But Not Mark 12:40 and Luke 20:47

One of the issues of the Catholic Bible is that there are some whole verses that are found in the King James Version (KJV) but not in their translations. It's also common not to have Matthew 23:14 in the other translations used by born-again Christians such as the New International Version (NIV) or the English Standard Version (ESV). Some versions do put a footnote which indicates that other manuscripts have them. Some amateur Catholic apologists (or better called Catholic fake defenders) tend to say that Matthew 23:14 is not in the Catholic translations. However, Mark 12:40 and Luke 20:47 do appear even in the Catholic translations. I will cite them from the Good News Translation (GNT) since it's one of the most commonly used Bible for Roman Catholics. 

Mark 12:40 - They take advantage of widows and rob them of their homes, and then make a show of saying long prayers. Their punishment will be all the worse!”

Luke 20:47 -  who take advantage of widows and rob them of their homes, and then make a show of saying long prayers! Their punishment will be all the worse!”

Just because Matthew 23:14 has been put into question in Catholic translations didn't mean that Mark 12:40 and Luke 20:47 aren't. The practice of the Vatican has been making a show of long prayers. Martin Luther in his pilgrimage to Rome already saw the show that was going on. Before Luther, other Christian figures like Jan Hus and Girolamo Savonarola already saw the abuses. Both Has and Savonarola were put to death by papal decree - something that's very well-hidden from Catholics to this day. The average Catholic today has no idea about these atrocities.

It made me think of the sad fact about prayers for the dead that lasts for decades. I'm reminded of how masses are still offered for my great-grandfather (who died during the Second World War) until today. Many of my relatives have been dead for decades yet masses were still said. Prayers and petitions are still continued believing that they're still waiting for prayers in Purgatory. Back then, a well-hidden secret was that of Johannes Tetzel. Tetzel profiteered out of people with the slogan that deceased loved ones can have a shorter time in Purgatory but it'll cost them money. I remembered a pastor who shared with me the Gospel (and became my mentor for some time) that Purgatory is from the Gospel of money. To say that dying in God's grace isn't enough is tantamount to saying that Christ's sacrifice on the cross wasn't enough. 

Today, the show business of making long prayers is no different than it was in the days of the Pharisees. The Pharisees themselves were making people think they were men of God with long prayers. Today, you've got the Catholic priests doing so with their long prayer vigils. How often does the average Catholic end up paying money in exchange for prayers? It's a sad fact that the average Catholic is unaware of their religion's history. What's even sadder is that Catholics are fooled into believing that the long prayers done by the priests will save their souls. What Catholics need to do is to really read the Bible for themselves and see if it matches with what the priests say. They still have Mark 12:40 and Luke 20:47 to see if it really matches up with the priests' long prayers.