Well, week four is come and gone; we're a third of the way through already! Let's recap week four, covering chapters 9-12.
Chapter Nine:
Chapter Nine discusses the role of the Holy Spirit in the Church and believers. Jesus says in John 16:7, "I tell you the sober truth: It is much better for you that I go. If I fail to go, the Paraclete will never come to you, whereas if I go, I will send Him to you."
Remarkable that Jesus thought our receiving the Holy Spirit was more important to us than Jesus remaining on earth. Our need for the Holy Spirit is so critical to our lives that Jesus died for Him to be sent. Ponder this...Is the Holy Spirit this important to you? My prayer for you is that He is this important.
Also, the Holy Spirit is the One who guides the Church into all truth, whereby all the doctrines of the Church regarding her infallibility in faith and morals, her indestructibility and indefectability. The Holy Spirit resides in the Church as a temple, the one who make the sacraments so efficacious. Without the Holy Spirit, we have NO SACRAMENTS AT ALL.
Our relationship to the Holy Spirit is indispensable. We must cultivate a sensitivity to His leading, guard our hearts and lives so as not to frustrate or grieve Him. We are to be filled with the Spirit by our reciting and singing psalms, hymns, spiritual songs, our prayers, both the prayers of the Church and our own mental prayers. We are to walk with Him, stand in Him, allow Him to move and motivate us to do God's will. Be not afraid, God the Holy Spirit is with you!
Chapter Ten and Eleven:
These chapters were combined into one segment Thursday evening due to time. Ten deals with the Church as the light and reflection of Christ and the Holy Trinity. The activity of the Holy Spirit spills into the life and work of the Church. The Church is a sacramental of the Holy Trinity. The Church was born out of the precious bleeding side of Jesus, when Longinus thrust the spear into Christ's side after he expired. From the cross, the living Church came forth from the side of our dead Savior. Sobering, inspiring love and gratitude within us, eh?
Therefore, the Church, which is both human and divine, becomes the saving agent for the human race. Any salvation that comes to humankind, comes through the activity of the Church and her members. Amazing the mystery of God, that he would choose a lowly people, in ourselves, unable to do anything for ourselves let alone others. Yet, with the sacrifice of Jesus, and the power he provides us in the gift of the Holy Spirit, we participate in Christ's Mandate. Again, sobering and awe-inspiring!
Chapter Eleven covers the four marks of the Church, which are realities we can bank on, yet are a challenge we must continue to maintain in our lives. The marks are:
1. One
2. Holy
3. Catholic
4. Apostolic
1. One: the Church is one since she reflects the unity of the Trinity in whose life she shares. There is no alternative Gospel, or a democratic choosing of Truths. As God is One, so is His Church.
2. Holy: the Church is Holy because her origin is from the Trinity, who is holy. Though the Church is both human and divine, God allows his graces to flow to us through his members, however flawed we are.
3. Catholic: Like friendship bread, though passed from person to person, to whatever location on earth, or to whatever time period in the future, if the recipe remains the same, the bread is the same, no matter when or where. This is how the Church is Catholic. Her identity is in the Holy Trinity. Her life, no matter what century or continent, is a share of the nature of the Holy Trinity. That would mean that the Trinity is Catholic. Jesus Christ is Catholic; the Eucharist as his flesh and blood, baptism for the remission of sins, every thing that is Catholic is such because Jesus is Catholic, the Father is Catholic, the Holy Spirit is Catholic. Everything Catholic is God's idea. Who are we to argue, right?
Next week:
We will be looking at chapters 12-14, with the emphasis being on fourteen, "Celebrating the Paschal Mystery." We will be going over the Virgin Mary's role in the Church, and will also see her action in the Paschal mystery. You will not want to miss this important lesson next week!
God bless!!!!
Just Another Beggar
Saturday, September 27, 2008
Wednesday, September 24, 2008
If You Want to Know More About Limbo...
Since the topic of Limbo is such a controversial one, it may be good for you to read more on what the Vatican says about it. I'm sure you will be encouraged. Check out "The Hope of Salvation For Infants Who Die Without Being Baptized." It's a long one, but if you read the summary at the beginning, you'll see why the Church is taking the stance it does.
Limbo was never a defined doctrine of the Church, though the theory has been mentioned in Church writings up to Vatican II. The conclusion of the discussion of the idea of Limbo is this, that though it exists as a possibility, it also is too restrictive of the mercy of God, especially when we know through revelation that God wills that all humankind be saved. Does God's mercy apply to helpless infants incapable of using will or reason? Of course!
Be blessed and be at peace...Mother Church comes through again!!!
Pax!
Limbo was never a defined doctrine of the Church, though the theory has been mentioned in Church writings up to Vatican II. The conclusion of the discussion of the idea of Limbo is this, that though it exists as a possibility, it also is too restrictive of the mercy of God, especially when we know through revelation that God wills that all humankind be saved. Does God's mercy apply to helpless infants incapable of using will or reason? Of course!
Be blessed and be at peace...Mother Church comes through again!!!
Pax!
The Dictatorship of Relativism
The title I have here comes from how Pope Benedict XVI describes relativism. Since the topic of Relativism was a part of our discussion last Thursday, check out this great article by Christopher Cuddy, "The Year of St. Paul in an Age of Relativism" in the National Catholic Register.
In this article, Cuddy gives us disturbing trends that must be addressed by Catholics. Results from a Pew Research Institute poll cites 77% of Catholics thinking that "there is more than one true way to interpret my religion"; 57% believe that Catholic teaching "should adjust to fit new circumstances." Bewildering to say the least. There is no doubt that relativism is a dominant philosophical idea; an illogical one at that, but dominant.
This is why I think attending the class "The Four Pillars of Faith" is so important. The Bishops of the United States have a good thing going; we need to learn our faith so that we can counter the spread of relativism.
If you have comments about this article, feel free to jump on board. Pax!
In this article, Cuddy gives us disturbing trends that must be addressed by Catholics. Results from a Pew Research Institute poll cites 77% of Catholics thinking that "there is more than one true way to interpret my religion"; 57% believe that Catholic teaching "should adjust to fit new circumstances." Bewildering to say the least. There is no doubt that relativism is a dominant philosophical idea; an illogical one at that, but dominant.
This is why I think attending the class "The Four Pillars of Faith" is so important. The Bishops of the United States have a good thing going; we need to learn our faith so that we can counter the spread of relativism.
If you have comments about this article, feel free to jump on board. Pax!
Saturday, September 20, 2008
This is the End and the Beginning
Brothers and Sisters in Christ:
I hope that this Saturday will be a time for you to prepare to receive our Lord in Holy Sacrament. To assist you, I've embedded a Matt Maher music video of his song, "End and the Beginning", which proclaims and praises our God who is present in the Holy Eucharist.
Be blessed and hey, if you got time, go to confession!!! It'll do your heart good!
God bless and peace!
Sam
I hope that this Saturday will be a time for you to prepare to receive our Lord in Holy Sacrament. To assist you, I've embedded a Matt Maher music video of his song, "End and the Beginning", which proclaims and praises our God who is present in the Holy Eucharist.
Be blessed and hey, if you got time, go to confession!!! It'll do your heart good!
God bless and peace!
Sam
Lesson III Recap: Four Pillars of Faith
There is a lot of material to cover in these lessons, which can be a bit overwhelming. If you find yourself becoming dismayed, never fear. Adult faith formation is a lifelong process that requires continual revisiting of topics and doctrines. Here's an analogy: Learning is like throwing gobs of paint (teachings, doctrines, etc.) on a blank wall (our mind)...much of the paint globs fall to the ground, but still some paint sticks to the wall. The more paint to toss on the wall, the more will stick. For example, in the evening class, you students are submerged in the idea of Trinitarian self-donation--the Persons of the Trinity give of themselves in complete donation to each other, which colors and defines how God creates, sustains, and covenants with us. It describes the nature of discipleship and lengths we must go in love for each other and for our neighbor. The Christian life is participation in Trinitarian life.
Here's the breakdown of Lesson III:
Review: The Catholic Church's authority does NOT come from the Bible. In fact, anyone who places the Catholic Church in opposition to the Scripture create a false comparison. The existence of the Church precedes the existence of sacred scripture. This does NOT deny the infallible and inspired nature of scripture, but the source, power and inspiration of scripture flows from the authority of Christ and the Trinity. Jesus calls, confirms, installs, gives prophetic authority, sacramental authority, etc. to the apostles 35 years before the New Testament was written. The Church's authority, flowing from the authority of Christ, created the Scriptures, where holy men, mostly the apostles, wrote the letters which were eventually put into a Canon by 413 A.D. This does not mean the scriptures are subservient or inferior to the Church...the Bible is the Catholic Church's book.
USCCA Chapter Six:
This chapter sets the stage for the good news of the Gospel of Jesus. God creates all things good, in harmony, and with original justice and holiness. The fall, the sin of Adam and Eve, is an act that ruptures creation's trinitarian harmony, injecting selfishness, suffering, pain and death into the world. Original sin, is not an act that we commit, but a state in which all humankind are now born. This enmity is removed at baptism.
USCCA Chapter Seven:
Jesus Christ enters into the stream of humanity, which is described in the theological concept of "recapitulation." Jesus, by becoming man, becomes the Head of a new race of human beings where humanity and divinity are united as one. The paschal mystery, described in all four Gospels, is the core event of Christ. The teachings, actions, and miracles of Jesus are wrapped around Christ's passion and death, and as we see in each of the four gospels, uniquely as each of the authors saw Jesus and try to relate His life to specific readers: Matthew to Jewish Christians; Mark to Roman Christians, Luke to a larger Greek readership in the Roman Empire; and John, to the Church at the end of the First Century, who were to face intense persecution and temptations to deny the divinity of Jesus Christ.
USCCA Chapter Eight:
The Royal Road of the Cross is THE event in human history that makes our faith possible. It is both the death of Christ on the cross, AND Christ's resurrection. You must embrace both. To overplay one over the other distorts the meaning of the Cross and our response to Christ. Emphasize the Passion and death of Christ over the Resurrection, you can become despondent and overwhelmed with life's sorrows and sufferings, a joyless figure that sees no hope. Emphasize the resurrection, and your aim in life becomes a matter of imitating the triumph of Christ and sees all the ills, set-backs, and sufferings of life as a beneath your dignity as one who shares in the glory of Christ. This is why the Church emphasizes BOTH. We are to carry our crosses as did Jesus, in the grace and strength that Christ gives; we are citizens of heaven, participating RIGHT NOW in the life of the Trinity in the obscurity of faith. In fact, as our first Pope, St. Peter says, "Do not be surprised, beloved, that a trial by fire is occurring in your midst. It is a test for you, but it should not catch you off guard. Rejoice instead, in the measure you share Christ's sufferings. When his glory is revealed, you will rejoice exultantly. Happy are you when you are insulted for the sake of Christ, for then God's Spirit in its glory has come to rest on you."
Since our world is upside down, the sign of our sharing in the glory of Christ in His resurrection is the matter of suffering we participate in here on earth. Our lives are to embrace BOTH the cross and resurrection of Jesus. How we live this life depends on an integral event and Person...the Sacrament of Confirmation and living our lives filled with the Holy Spirit.
Come next week for Lesson IV having read Chapters 9 through 12. And if you have any questions, let handle them here. The peace of Jesus Christ be with you ALL!!!
Here's the breakdown of Lesson III:
Review: The Catholic Church's authority does NOT come from the Bible. In fact, anyone who places the Catholic Church in opposition to the Scripture create a false comparison. The existence of the Church precedes the existence of sacred scripture. This does NOT deny the infallible and inspired nature of scripture, but the source, power and inspiration of scripture flows from the authority of Christ and the Trinity. Jesus calls, confirms, installs, gives prophetic authority, sacramental authority, etc. to the apostles 35 years before the New Testament was written. The Church's authority, flowing from the authority of Christ, created the Scriptures, where holy men, mostly the apostles, wrote the letters which were eventually put into a Canon by 413 A.D. This does not mean the scriptures are subservient or inferior to the Church...the Bible is the Catholic Church's book.
USCCA Chapter Six:
This chapter sets the stage for the good news of the Gospel of Jesus. God creates all things good, in harmony, and with original justice and holiness. The fall, the sin of Adam and Eve, is an act that ruptures creation's trinitarian harmony, injecting selfishness, suffering, pain and death into the world. Original sin, is not an act that we commit, but a state in which all humankind are now born. This enmity is removed at baptism.
USCCA Chapter Seven:
Jesus Christ enters into the stream of humanity, which is described in the theological concept of "recapitulation." Jesus, by becoming man, becomes the Head of a new race of human beings where humanity and divinity are united as one. The paschal mystery, described in all four Gospels, is the core event of Christ. The teachings, actions, and miracles of Jesus are wrapped around Christ's passion and death, and as we see in each of the four gospels, uniquely as each of the authors saw Jesus and try to relate His life to specific readers: Matthew to Jewish Christians; Mark to Roman Christians, Luke to a larger Greek readership in the Roman Empire; and John, to the Church at the end of the First Century, who were to face intense persecution and temptations to deny the divinity of Jesus Christ.
USCCA Chapter Eight:
The Royal Road of the Cross is THE event in human history that makes our faith possible. It is both the death of Christ on the cross, AND Christ's resurrection. You must embrace both. To overplay one over the other distorts the meaning of the Cross and our response to Christ. Emphasize the Passion and death of Christ over the Resurrection, you can become despondent and overwhelmed with life's sorrows and sufferings, a joyless figure that sees no hope. Emphasize the resurrection, and your aim in life becomes a matter of imitating the triumph of Christ and sees all the ills, set-backs, and sufferings of life as a beneath your dignity as one who shares in the glory of Christ. This is why the Church emphasizes BOTH. We are to carry our crosses as did Jesus, in the grace and strength that Christ gives; we are citizens of heaven, participating RIGHT NOW in the life of the Trinity in the obscurity of faith. In fact, as our first Pope, St. Peter says, "Do not be surprised, beloved, that a trial by fire is occurring in your midst. It is a test for you, but it should not catch you off guard. Rejoice instead, in the measure you share Christ's sufferings. When his glory is revealed, you will rejoice exultantly. Happy are you when you are insulted for the sake of Christ, for then God's Spirit in its glory has come to rest on you."
Since our world is upside down, the sign of our sharing in the glory of Christ in His resurrection is the matter of suffering we participate in here on earth. Our lives are to embrace BOTH the cross and resurrection of Jesus. How we live this life depends on an integral event and Person...the Sacrament of Confirmation and living our lives filled with the Holy Spirit.
Come next week for Lesson IV having read Chapters 9 through 12. And if you have any questions, let handle them here. The peace of Jesus Christ be with you ALL!!!
Friday, September 12, 2008
The Beauty and Love of Total Self-Giving
Periodically, I embed videos that show beyond mere words the love that Christ has for us. In "The Four Pillars of Faith", we've been studying how the doctrines of the Catholic Faith flow from the central mystery of the Dogma of the Trinity. The Persons of the Trinity, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, are in complete self-giving love and unity with each other, who also beckon us to join them in the same unity. The call upon us is incomparably awesome, the priviledge is too much to speak of, and yet the call for us is there just the same. The means by which we participate with the Trinity comes from Jesus' self-giving love of Himself for us to the Father.
The video below is a video clip from "The Passion of the Christ," with the musical score done by Darlene Zcheck and Hillsong. On this day of penance, let's draw near the Sacred Heart of Jesus and worship Him for his total self-giving to us in the cross. And let's remember, this Mass is the re-presenting of the same sacrifice on Calvary. Let's prepare our hearts for total giving of ourselves back to Christ. God bless you all in the peace of Christ...
The video below is a video clip from "The Passion of the Christ," with the musical score done by Darlene Zcheck and Hillsong. On this day of penance, let's draw near the Sacred Heart of Jesus and worship Him for his total self-giving to us in the cross. And let's remember, this Mass is the re-presenting of the same sacrifice on Calvary. Let's prepare our hearts for total giving of ourselves back to Christ. God bless you all in the peace of Christ...
Summary of Lesson II
Well, Lesson Two has come and gone and below is a synopsis of Chapters 2,3, & 4 of the USCCA Study "Four Pillars of Faith." Before we do, the review to yesterday's lesson reflected the Trinitarian nature of the Catholic Faith. John Paul II oft used phrase Totus Tuus ego sum, "I am totally yours" reflects the nature of the Divine Persons of the Trinity in relation to each other, a total and complete self-giving to each other in infinite love. The Trinity's desire is for us, we humans, to enjoy forever the unity they enjoy. The Trinity is inviting us into their Totus tuus, a covenantal bond with us through Jesus Christ, who says to us, "I am totally yours."
Chapter Two: God reveals himself in covenant, a covenant that forms a family bond between himself and his human creatures. The Bible has six main covenants God made with humanity, each building on each other until the final covenant, Jesus and His Church, a covenant that fulfills all the previous coventants. He doesn't destroy these previous coventants, but fulfills them. His love is entire and complete and covenantal, a bond that makes an exchange of persons, and this Trinitarian self-giving is the basis of God's revelation. He desires to love us and gives himself entirely to us, and in return, requires that we give of ourselves entirely to Him. The conditions of self-giving must be mutual. Though God gives of himself entirely to us, if we refuse to respond accordingly, we break covenant with Him. This is why the phrase "unconditional love" should never be used of God's love for us; it distorts the covenantal nature of God's love and the mutual self-giving that is the condition for this love exchange. "Unconditional Love" really allows the perception that there are loop holes in our response to God. "Unconditional Love" should ONLY describe our loving response to God...a response that is unconditional, total self-giving on our part. This is a trinitarian response on our part.
Let's face it folks, if we are going to be in unity with the Holy Trinity forever in eternal bliss, we must begin to act out the life God is pouring into us!
Chapter Three: This chapter gets more lively, in that it shows us how the Word of God is transmitted AND interpreted, lively in that we as human beings like to be in charge of our lives, and interpret reality that best fits what we want out of life. What makes the Catholic faith so transformative is that it is the life of the Trinity that begins to animate our life. There is nothing that we can do naturally to live out this life, and there is no right given to us to redefine who Jesus is, or what He expects from us. Anything other than what Jesus describes and teaches is a false Catholicism.
The Word of God according to the Catholic Church is both Sacred Tradition And Sacred Scripture. The two cannot be separated but function as a whole. Reason being, you cannot read or understand scripture without an interpretation. And since interpretation is an act of the mind, we need the mind of Christ to help us understand God's Word correctly. The perfect illustration is the "Road to Emmaus" discourse, where to followers of Christ were sadly leaving Jerusalem for Emmaus, lamenting the failure of Jesus Christ, having been crucified just a couple of days prior. Jesus, who appears to the men, walks along side of them conversing about the previous events that last Friday. The two men did not recognize Jesus. Jesus corrected their gloomy outlook by explaining the Scriptures, from the beginning of Genesis through the prophets. And the two men's hearts burned within them.
Jesus Christ was interpreting the Scriptures with HIS understanding of them. The Scripture is explained in and with the mind of Christ. It is here that we must understand that this is how the role of the Church's Magesterium plays out in our life. In the name of Christ, and with His mind, the Church teaches the Scriptures to us with the understanding of Christ. The only True interpreter of Scripture is Jesus Christ. It is never, EVER left to individual Christians to decide for themselves who Jesus is, or what He means by what He says. To do so is to invite heresy, a term which means "to choose for oneself."
Private interpretation that deviates from the authority of Christ is virulent and pervasive in the Church today, among both Protestants AND Catholics. Protestantism, as a movement, prides itself of the right and freedom of private interpretation with the doctrine of Sola Scriptura (SS)which holds that the Scripture ALONE is the final infallible authority of faith and morals. But as we discussed above, interpretation is always involved in the reading and studying of Scripture, because reading and studying requires a mind. What SS really does is it cloaks human authority as infallible, saying that the views expressed are "backed by scripture." Who can argue with the Bible? So the Bible is espoused but human authority is the source, and this doctrine then, becomes a principle of division. You can bet that when there is any division in the Church, there is a human authority that is vaunting itself as Christ, destroying the precious unity that is to be a hallmark of Christ's followers, a unity that expresses THE ultimate unity of the Trinity.
In dealing with a small minority of Protestants who are anti-Catholic, we Catholics need to know the real issue at hand. If we are approached aggressively by these type of people, remember that we do not need to answer their questions that are devised to cause doubt in our lives. The challenges they pose is based on a human authority somewhere in their lives. WE ARE UNDER NO OBLIGATION TO SUCCUMB TO THIS AUTHORITY. It is a false authority.
All questions that aim at us trying to prove our doctrines from the Bible reverses the nature of Scripture and the authority of the Church. Remember, the Church precedes the Scriptures, the Bible is the Catholic Church's book. To stand upon the written Word of God is to stand with and under the authority of the Catholic Church. You do NOT have to prove from Scripture why we believe what we believe. We believe it because the authority of the Church beckons us to do so. The anti-Catholic has to show why they can privately interpret, and show us where they get this authority. They will NEVER be able to do this, which leads to greater frustration for them. The best thing to do is to push the onus of proof onto the anti-catholic to prove their right to privately interpret. Don't bother getting into Bible sword play. It's a waste of time and you'll be frustrated.
A word about difficult areas of teaching...sometimes we face some king-size boulders in the soil of our souls. Whether it be because we were told to be conciliatory to keep the peace by others over us in authority, or if you are just plain afraid of confrontation, if you give in to the attacks of those who wish to proseltyze you into the Protestant faith, then you need to do some soul searching. We are, in charity, supposed to love everyone around us as brothers and sisters, even our enemies. When an anti-Catholic attacks your Catholic faith, you must, IN LOVE, oppose his or her tactics. For confounding and destroying the tactics they use on you will not only save you from doubt, but will show these dear committed folks that the Catholic faith is no wimpy faith. It can withstand the very gates of hell. Don't wimp out and concede to these people! Follow the example of Jesus; do what he did and stand up to them in love! Be loving, but be tough!
Chapter Three: This section can be summed up as follows: our only adequate response is faith, which works through obedience. We cannot prove the existence of God, we cannot come up with ANY scientific means to know why we believe is revelation; reason must take a back seat to faith. Faith is not resistant to reason and is friends with it. But reason must never rule, Faith rules. All faith in God submits to the authority of God in the Church. It never deviates from this. Why? As the Baltimore Catechism defines faith: "Catholic faith believes everything the Church teaches without doubt, for it is impossible for God to be deceived or to deceive."
Lesson Three for next week: Read Chapters six, seven and eight. It looks to be wonderful, fast moving expose of the heart of the Gospel dealing with the topics of Creation, the Fall and sin, and the sacrifice of Jesus to restore humanity. Don't miss this one if you can; it lays the foundation of the Catholic Gospel we are to be proclaiming!
Chapter Two: God reveals himself in covenant, a covenant that forms a family bond between himself and his human creatures. The Bible has six main covenants God made with humanity, each building on each other until the final covenant, Jesus and His Church, a covenant that fulfills all the previous coventants. He doesn't destroy these previous coventants, but fulfills them. His love is entire and complete and covenantal, a bond that makes an exchange of persons, and this Trinitarian self-giving is the basis of God's revelation. He desires to love us and gives himself entirely to us, and in return, requires that we give of ourselves entirely to Him. The conditions of self-giving must be mutual. Though God gives of himself entirely to us, if we refuse to respond accordingly, we break covenant with Him. This is why the phrase "unconditional love" should never be used of God's love for us; it distorts the covenantal nature of God's love and the mutual self-giving that is the condition for this love exchange. "Unconditional Love" really allows the perception that there are loop holes in our response to God. "Unconditional Love" should ONLY describe our loving response to God...a response that is unconditional, total self-giving on our part. This is a trinitarian response on our part.
Let's face it folks, if we are going to be in unity with the Holy Trinity forever in eternal bliss, we must begin to act out the life God is pouring into us!
Chapter Three: This chapter gets more lively, in that it shows us how the Word of God is transmitted AND interpreted, lively in that we as human beings like to be in charge of our lives, and interpret reality that best fits what we want out of life. What makes the Catholic faith so transformative is that it is the life of the Trinity that begins to animate our life. There is nothing that we can do naturally to live out this life, and there is no right given to us to redefine who Jesus is, or what He expects from us. Anything other than what Jesus describes and teaches is a false Catholicism.
The Word of God according to the Catholic Church is both Sacred Tradition And Sacred Scripture. The two cannot be separated but function as a whole. Reason being, you cannot read or understand scripture without an interpretation. And since interpretation is an act of the mind, we need the mind of Christ to help us understand God's Word correctly. The perfect illustration is the "Road to Emmaus" discourse, where to followers of Christ were sadly leaving Jerusalem for Emmaus, lamenting the failure of Jesus Christ, having been crucified just a couple of days prior. Jesus, who appears to the men, walks along side of them conversing about the previous events that last Friday. The two men did not recognize Jesus. Jesus corrected their gloomy outlook by explaining the Scriptures, from the beginning of Genesis through the prophets. And the two men's hearts burned within them.
Jesus Christ was interpreting the Scriptures with HIS understanding of them. The Scripture is explained in and with the mind of Christ. It is here that we must understand that this is how the role of the Church's Magesterium plays out in our life. In the name of Christ, and with His mind, the Church teaches the Scriptures to us with the understanding of Christ. The only True interpreter of Scripture is Jesus Christ. It is never, EVER left to individual Christians to decide for themselves who Jesus is, or what He means by what He says. To do so is to invite heresy, a term which means "to choose for oneself."
Private interpretation that deviates from the authority of Christ is virulent and pervasive in the Church today, among both Protestants AND Catholics. Protestantism, as a movement, prides itself of the right and freedom of private interpretation with the doctrine of Sola Scriptura (SS)which holds that the Scripture ALONE is the final infallible authority of faith and morals. But as we discussed above, interpretation is always involved in the reading and studying of Scripture, because reading and studying requires a mind. What SS really does is it cloaks human authority as infallible, saying that the views expressed are "backed by scripture." Who can argue with the Bible? So the Bible is espoused but human authority is the source, and this doctrine then, becomes a principle of division. You can bet that when there is any division in the Church, there is a human authority that is vaunting itself as Christ, destroying the precious unity that is to be a hallmark of Christ's followers, a unity that expresses THE ultimate unity of the Trinity.
In dealing with a small minority of Protestants who are anti-Catholic, we Catholics need to know the real issue at hand. If we are approached aggressively by these type of people, remember that we do not need to answer their questions that are devised to cause doubt in our lives. The challenges they pose is based on a human authority somewhere in their lives. WE ARE UNDER NO OBLIGATION TO SUCCUMB TO THIS AUTHORITY. It is a false authority.
All questions that aim at us trying to prove our doctrines from the Bible reverses the nature of Scripture and the authority of the Church. Remember, the Church precedes the Scriptures, the Bible is the Catholic Church's book. To stand upon the written Word of God is to stand with and under the authority of the Catholic Church. You do NOT have to prove from Scripture why we believe what we believe. We believe it because the authority of the Church beckons us to do so. The anti-Catholic has to show why they can privately interpret, and show us where they get this authority. They will NEVER be able to do this, which leads to greater frustration for them. The best thing to do is to push the onus of proof onto the anti-catholic to prove their right to privately interpret. Don't bother getting into Bible sword play. It's a waste of time and you'll be frustrated.
A word about difficult areas of teaching...sometimes we face some king-size boulders in the soil of our souls. Whether it be because we were told to be conciliatory to keep the peace by others over us in authority, or if you are just plain afraid of confrontation, if you give in to the attacks of those who wish to proseltyze you into the Protestant faith, then you need to do some soul searching. We are, in charity, supposed to love everyone around us as brothers and sisters, even our enemies. When an anti-Catholic attacks your Catholic faith, you must, IN LOVE, oppose his or her tactics. For confounding and destroying the tactics they use on you will not only save you from doubt, but will show these dear committed folks that the Catholic faith is no wimpy faith. It can withstand the very gates of hell. Don't wimp out and concede to these people! Follow the example of Jesus; do what he did and stand up to them in love! Be loving, but be tough!
Chapter Three: This section can be summed up as follows: our only adequate response is faith, which works through obedience. We cannot prove the existence of God, we cannot come up with ANY scientific means to know why we believe is revelation; reason must take a back seat to faith. Faith is not resistant to reason and is friends with it. But reason must never rule, Faith rules. All faith in God submits to the authority of God in the Church. It never deviates from this. Why? As the Baltimore Catechism defines faith: "Catholic faith believes everything the Church teaches without doubt, for it is impossible for God to be deceived or to deceive."
Lesson Three for next week: Read Chapters six, seven and eight. It looks to be wonderful, fast moving expose of the heart of the Gospel dealing with the topics of Creation, the Fall and sin, and the sacrifice of Jesus to restore humanity. Don't miss this one if you can; it lays the foundation of the Catholic Gospel we are to be proclaiming!
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