Ec2 wrote:

[quote]“How do I receive the grace of God?” The fact that this question was the driving force of his whole life never ceases to make an impression on me."
...Pope Benedict XVI

"What constantly exercised him (Luther) was the question of God, the deep passion and driving force of his whole life’s journey. “How do I receive the grace of God?”: this question struck him in the heart and lay at the foundation of all his theological searching and inner struggle. For him theology was no mere academic pursuit, but the struggle for oneself, which in turn was a struggle for and with God.The question: what is God’s position towards me, where do I stand before God? – this burning question of Martin Luther must once more, doubtless in a new form, become our question too."
...Pope Benedict XVI/quote]

Just to add a little context to that here is what Pope Benedict had to say on "Faith Alone":

Being “just” simply means being with Christ and in Christ. And this suffices. Further observances are no longer necessary. For this reason Luther’s phrase: “faith alone” is true, if it is not opposed to faith in charity, in love. Faith is looking at Christ, entrusting oneself to Christ, being united to Christ, conformed to Christ, to his life. And the form, the life of Christ, is love; hence to believe is to conform to Christ and to enter into his love. So it is that in the Letter to the Galatians in which he primarily developed his teaching on justification St Paul speaks of faith that works through love

– Pope Benedict XVI, Wednesday Audience, 19th November 2008

doesn't strike me as any kind of endorsement of Luther to me.

I don't agree w/ what Pope Benedict said here. It contradicts other Scripture passages and also things written by the saints.

We have to do more than just be in Christ's presence.. If someone in mortal sin goes into Jesus's Presence.. that is a great thing but the mortal sin is still there. He has to have that mortal sin absolved before he can receive Christ at the Mass.. & b4 he c an get to heaven

Jesus set up the Sacrament of Reconciliation/absolution as the norm in forgiving people their sins. If the person repents but, say, has no time to be sacramentally absolved as Christ prescribes through the Church and dies suddenly, he may still get to Heaven (by way of Purgatory) but that doesn't negate how Jesus set up his Church.. & he will likely get through Purgatory a whole lot faster if he is sacramentally absolved.. not sure what the Church teaches on that last thing but that's what I tend to think

Pope Emeritus Benedict was a Pope and theologian. If I were to disagree with him, I'd have to make a stronger case than that. You do not understand him correctly. In what he says, a state of grace is understood. He has encouraged Confession too.

Right. Benedict is obviously presupposing that the person in in a state of grace when making such a statement.

As for the question regarding the OP, in all honesty the assumption is predicated on the presupposition that the Catholic faith is true.

The problem isn't with the Bible, its a problem of perception.

If one really understands Scripture (and few reading it actually do), well, you can see the Catholic stuff all over the place. I know because years ago I read the New Testament which is easy to understand in MOST parts but not all

then after I returned to the Catholic faith, I read the New T all over again and eventually the whole Bible. by that time I had learned Catholicism, had catechized myself, been to many RCIA classes, etc.. and I saw Catholicism there where I had not been able to see it b4..

the Word clearly says that

He who endures to the end will be saved (not a one time thing)

notice the words here: WILL Be

even enduring to the end does not mean you are "saved" but only "will be"

he who endures to hte end will get to Purgatory and eventually of course to Heaven

hardly anyone escapes Purgatory (goes 2 Heaven immediately @ death). In fact no one does bc we have to go through purgation on Earth. The reason all have to do that is that we are all sinners