What the catholic church is and what she teaches

Love God, Love your neighbor as yourself. Forgive others who have wronged you. Love your enemies.

MARK 12: 30-31

There was an Angligan bishop that visited New York City one day. He took a cab and ask the taxi driver to take him to Christ’s Church. After driving for a spell the taxi stopped in front of Saint Patrick’s Cathredal,and told the Priest if Jesus Christ is in town you can find him here.

WHAT THE CATHOLIC CHURCH IS AND WHAT SHE TEACHES

BY ERNEST R. HULL S.J.

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THE AIM OF THIS ARTICAL

Clear ideas of Catholic doctrine rather than proofs—such is the aim of this little work. For unless the doctrine itself be presented in a reasonable light, the most convincing proofs will be thrown away. Again, clear ideas can often be expressed in a few words, whereas the real strength of a proof may be lost by compression. Moreover, the real difficulties felt against the Church are not generally due to want of proof, so much as to want of correct information as to what “The Church is and what it teaches”. This has therefore been written with a view of enabling non-Catholic inquirers to obtain concise and correct information about our Catholic position and teaching. Those interested in its contents will have no difficulty in obtaining references to larger works by which to carry on their inquiries.

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I WHAT DOES SHE TEACH
II THE CHURCH OR THE BIBLE
III THE CATHOLIC CHURCH
IV THE TEACHING OF THE CHURCH
V THE SACRAMENTS OF THE CHURCH
VI PRACTICES AND DEVOTIONS OF THE CHURCH
VII MISELANEOUS ARTICLES

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I WHAT DOES SHE TEACH

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THE GREATEST MAN IN HISTORY WAS NAMED JESUS

He had no servants, yet they called Him master.

He had no degree, yet they called Him teacher.

He had no medicine, yet they called Him Healer.

He had no army, yet Kings feared Him.

He won no military battles, yet He conquered the world.

He committed no crime, yet they crucified Him.

He was buried in a tomb, yet he lives today!

The chief teachings of the Catholic church are: God’s objective existence; God’s interest in individual human beings, who can enter into relations with God (through prayer); the Trinity ; the divinity of Jesus; he immortality of the soul of each human being, each one being accountable at death for his or her actions . . .

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SHORT ARTICLES WHAT CATHOLICS ARE TAUGHT

a) What are 3 Catholic beliefs?

b) What Must I Believe To Be Catholic.

c) What Were Some Of The Main Teachings Of Jesus?

d) Whatsoever Were Some Of The Main Teachings of Jesus?e)What the Catholic Church teaches?

f) Its Principal Points.

g) What makes a person Catholic?

h) What it means to be Catholic?

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a) What are 3 Catholic beliefs?

The existence of the Holy Trinity — one God in three persons. Catholics embrace the belief that God, the one Supreme Being, is made up of three persons: God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Ghost.

b) What Must I Believe To Be Catholic

The central statement of Catholic faith, the Nicene Creed, begins, “I believe in one God, the Father Almighty, maker of heaven and earth, of all things visible and invisible.” Thus, Catholics believe that God is not a part of nature, but that God created nature and all that exists.

c) What Were Some Of The Main Teachings Of Jesus?

In Christianity, Jesus is the Son of God and the second person of the Holy Trinity. Christians believe through his crucifixion and subsequent Resurrection, God offered humans salvation and eternal life.

d) Whatsoever Were Some Of The Main Teachings of Jesus?

In Christianity, Jesus is believed to be the Son of God and the second Person of the Holy Trinity. Christians believe that through his crucifixion and subsequent resurrection, God offered humans salvation and eternal life.

e) What the Catholic Church teaches?

The Catholic Church teaches that it is the One, Holy, Catholic and Apostolic church founded by Jesus Christ in his Great Commission, that its bishops are the successors of Christ’s apostles, and that the pope is the successor to Saint Peter upon whom primacy was conferred by Jesus Christ.

f) Its Principal Points
Belief in God the Father, Jesus Christ as the Son of God, and the Holy Ghost The death, descent into hell, resurrection and ascension of Christ. The holiness of the Church and the
communion of saints. Christ’s second coming, the Day of Judgment and salvation of the faithful.

g) What makes a person Catholic?

h) What it means to be Catholic?

Well, it means that you live the life of the Catholic community. Most especially it means that you attend the sacraments, especially the mass . . . Many former Catholics still understand themselves in relationship to something they used to be.

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PART II—THE CHURCH OR THE BIBLE

From a Catholic’s point of view, which is more important, the Bible or the Church itself?

From the Catholic point of view, the church and its doctrines are paramount to the Bible. Look back at the history of the Roman Empire and you see that their power and the church were intertwined in a very negative way. Doctrines were created to rule the people, not to enrich their spiritual life.

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1 HOW PROTESTANTS REGARD THE BIBLE

2 HOW CATHOLICS REGARD THE BIBLE

3 CHRIST FOUNDED AN APOSTOLIC TEACHING BODY

4 HOW THE APOSTLES REGARDED THE NEW TESTAMENT

5 THE EARLY CHURCH CARRIES ON THE APOSTOLIC SYSTEM OF TEACHING

6 HOW THE CONTENTS OF THE NEW TESTAMENT WERE DETERMINED

7 THE APOSTOLIC TEACHING BODY CONTINUES DOWN TO THE PRESENT DAY.

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1 HOW PROTESTANTS REGARD THE BIBLE

Protestants generally take it as a principle that the Bible is the sole and adequate Rule of Faith. This is only natural, since rejecting the authority of the Catholic Church, there is no other rule to be found. Yet the results of this view is calculated to raise serious doubts of its correctness. In the New Testament even the most essential points of doctrine are touched on so incidentally and require such careful study and balancing of different texts, that it is and extremely delicate matter to arrive at any definite conclusion. Most Protestants believe that the divinity of Christ is clearly taught in the Bible; yet the Socinians have argued with apparent sincerity that the New Testament presents merely as an inspired man. Protestants also forget how much of their firm conviction is due to early education, and to a traditional interpretation of the Bible,rather than to any critical investigation of their own. And, if this is the case with regard to fundamental doctrines,much more is it so with those points which are hinted at rather than expressed in the sacred text, and upon which the sects cannot come to any agreement.

In such a state of uncertainty, the only resource left to the inquirer is to suppose that Christ meant us to believe only what is clearly taught in the Bible, and left us free to form our own opinions as to the rest. But ye, in such of these disputed points, Christ must have taught either one thing or the other; and whatever He taught He must have intended us to believe. Hence it seems strange that He should have left us without the means as ascertaining which of the two doctrines we ought to believe. As the case stands, an earnest man can only throw in his lot with the sect whose views of Bible teaching approach nearest to his own, without the least guarantee that is doing so he has embraced Christ’s real teaching, and not the exact contrary.

Again,the New Testament does not bear the marks of having been drawn up to serve as a code to christian belief. Neither does it anywhere direct us to take Scripture as our sole Rule of Faith, or free us from the obligation of believing, more than is clearly taught in its pages. Therefore, to assume that the Bible is the sole and adequate rule of Christian Faith may perhaps be the only alternative left,after rejecting the authority of the Catholic Church; but neither Scripture not history seem to afford any warrant for such an assumption.

2 HOW CATHOLICS REGARD THE BIBLE

Catholics on the other hand cherish the highest esteem and veneration for the Bible inspired Word of God, and regard it as a treasure of unique value; First, because of the vivid picture of Christ’s life and character which it presents; Secondly, because of the rich spiritual suggestiveness of its writings; Thirdly as a precious storehouse of dogmatic and moral instruction; Fourthly, as a historic witness to the claims of the Catholic Church Still consider that the Bible was never intended for the sole and adequate Rule of Faith; partly because its expression of doctrine are often ambiguous, and require authoritative interpretation. At the same time they believe that the New Testament itself points to another means provided by Christ for the preservation of His full teachings through the ages,and that means is the authority of the Catholic Church. The facts alleged to show this will be frankly, admitted by Protestants themselves,even if they hesitate to agree with the conclusions drawn from them.

3 CHRIST FOUNDED AN APOSTOLIC TEACHING BODY

We find that Jesus Christ, without saying a single recorded word about a written creed or code appointed twelve apostles to carry on the work He had begun. Invoking the power which had been given Him in heaven and on earth, He bade them go and teach all nations, baptizing those who should believe, and teaching them to observe whatsoever He had commanded. The apostles were sent, not as a mere messengers, but as ambassadors bearing Christ’s authority and power, and teaching and ministering in His name and person; so that in hearing them men were hearing Him, and in despising them they were despising Him. (Matthew XXXVIII,I8-20)- (Mark XVI, I5) – (Luke X. I6) Besides the office of teaching and baptizing, they were entrusted with the celebration of the Lord’s Supper, and received a special power from the Holy Ghost to remit and retain sins. (Luke XXII, I9) – (John XX. 2I). In order that they might infallibly carryout this commission, Christ promised them the spirit of truth, which should lead them unto all truth, and bring to their minds whatever He had said to them. (John XIV I7-26, XVI, 13.) Finally He promised to be m in person, not for a few years or a generation, but for the indeterminate future; thereby seeming to imply that the apostolic order should last beyond the lives of its present members, even to the end of time. (Matthew XXVIII-20) In thus constituting the apostolic body, Christ was in reality constitution His Church. The Church was no me recollection of individual believers, but a definite organization, which was to be the pillar and ground truth. (I,Timothy III, I5). It was to be founded on a rock, and the gates of hell should not prevail against it. (Matthew XVI I8). The Church, taken as a whole, comprised the teaching body and a body of lay believers; but its essential constitution lay in the existence of that teaching body, authorized and guaranteed by Christ. Such was the original constitution of the Church; and as the Church was to last for all ages, it is natural to suppose that it should always to continue to exist according to its original constitution-that is to say, as an apostolic teaching-body. The burden of proof lies on those who deny so obvious an inference. There are no signs that this organization was a temporary expedient to die out after a few years, and leave a totally different system in its place.

4 HOW THE APOSTLES REGARDED THE NEW TESTMENT

Following the career of the apostles as they carry out their work, we find these conclusions confirmed. There occurs no mention of any scheme for producing a written code to dispense with the authority of apostolic preaching. The apostles show no signs of regarding it as a duty to leave behind them a full written legacy of their teaching. They write to meet incidental occasions and local needs. The evangelists seem to think it an important matter to leave us, in outline, their recollections of Christ’s life and character, but they make mo pretense of giving us a complete scheme of His dogmatic teaching.Saint John himself declares the impossibility of writing anything like an exhaustive account of all that Christ did. There appears nowhere in the New Testament a consciousness that its writers were thereby supplying Christendom with the one sole and adequate rule of faith, which should supersede the need of appeal to their oral teachings. As far as we can gather, nearly Saint Peter nor Saint Paul were alive when Mark and Luke wrote. There is no clear evidence to prove that any of the apostles saw each each other’s writings, with one or two exceptions. None of them except the author himself, ever saw the gospel of Saint John. Only Saint John lived long enough to see the whole series which make up the New Testament: but there is no evidence to show what he actually did see. The only clear allusion made by on apostle to another apostle’s writings is that of Saint Peter, who tells us how hard Saint Paul’s epistles were to understand, an how some had wrested them to their own destruction. On the other hand, we find many illusions to Christian doctrine as derived from oral teachings. The Thessalonians are told to “hold fast the traditions which

they have been taught, whether by word or by epistle.” (II Thessalonians 11. 15.) Timothy, who had been ordained Bishop of Ephesus by Saint Paul (cf. Note at end of 2^nd Epistle, Authorized Version), is instructed to “hold fast the form of sound words which he had heard from his teacher among many witnesses”; “to continue in the things learned” (viz., “the gospel which was committed to his trust”), “knowing from whom he had learned them,” “and to commit the same to faithful men who shall be able to teach others,” (I Timothy I. ii; iv-16; vi. 20; II. Timothy I. 6,13; ii. 2; iii,10, 14; iv. 2, etc.) all of which certainly stands in favor of the Catholic idea of apostolic authority transmitted to a line of successors, and against the Protestant idea of substituting the Bible as the sole and adequate rule of faith.

5 THE EARLY CHURCH CARRIES OF THE APOSTOLIC SYSTEM OF TEACHING

Still following the course of history, the Catholic view receives yet further confirmation. The various parts which now make up the New Testament were carefully treasured and read in the local churches where they had been received, and it was only by degrees that copies were spread to other places, and the whole series came to be circulated throughout Christendom. Though held in highest authority, we find no signs of the Scriptures being substituted for traditional teaching as a sole rule of faith. The bishops were regarded as the authoritative successors of the apostles, responsible for the preservation of Christian doctrine, and the people looked to them for the true interpretation of Scripture. Belief did not follow interpretation of Scripture, but interpretation of Scripture followed belief. When heretics cited Scripture in support of novel views, the fathers denied them the right to do so, reserving the interpretations of Scripture to the Church. On the other hand, the Church quoted Scripture against the heretics, not as the sole basis of its teaching, but as inspired witness to it correctness. Moreover, it is remarkable how clear the Church was in it traditional teaching even before the evidence of Scripture and been fully discussed, I refer to such questions as the nature and person of Christ. What the heretics regarded as disputable on Scripture grounds, the Church regarded a indisputable on grounds of tradition. In short, the general impression given by the history of the third and fourth centuries shows us still in operation the idea of and apostolic teaching-body, authorized and guaranteed by Jesus Christ, to provide the rule of faith, while Scripture is still regarded as a witness to the correctness as a witness to the correctness of the Church’s teaching, but not as a sole and adequate rule of faith to be put in its place.

6 HOW THE CONTENT OF THE NEW TESTAMENT WERE DETERMINATED

Moreover, during the first four centuries of the Church, it remained an unsettled question what belonged to the sacred Scripture and what did not. There were many gospels current besides the four we now acknowledge, and a few other works like the epistles of Clement and Barnabas, and the Pastor of Hermas. Of these, several were regarded by certain of the fathers as parts of Scripture, and were publicly read in local churches. On the other hand, the Epistle to the Hebrews, Revelation, James, Jude, second Peter, second and third John, were called in question in some parts of the Church. It required much discussion to arrive at a final conclusion. But when in the synods of Hippo and Carthage, about A.D. 393-397, a list of authentic books was agreed upon and Pope Innocent I., and afterwards Pope Gelasius (A.D. 494) confirmed this list, the discussion was closed; and for the first time the New Testament was capable of being bound up into one book as we have it now.

But how was this question settled after so long discussion? Purel and simply by an appeal to the traditions existing in local churches where each document had been preserved, and by the authoritative verdict of the Church judging according to those traditions. Other historic evidence deciding the question in all its details, we do posses. So that Protestants, in accepting the New Testament as it stands, are implicitly reposing the highest confidence in the authority of the Catholic Church in the fifth Century; and some of them have candidly acknowledge this (cf. Preface to Revised Version). These facts seem fatal to the idea that Scripture was intended by Christ and His apostles to be the sole and adequate rule of faith; since our very assurance as to what the New Testament contains rests historically on the the teaching authority of the bishops of the fifth century, the successors of the apostles commissioned and guaranteed by Christ.

7 THE APOSTOLIC TEACHING BODY CONTINUES DOWN THE PRESENT DAY

Passing on through the ages, we find the same system at work. Down to the sixteenth century there existed in Christendom no other than this idea. The bishops were looked upon as successors of the apostles, and their unanimous teaching was regarded as absolutely trustworthy–as truly representing the doctrine of the Christ. The Church, as a whole, could not possibly fall in error; for this was guaranteed by the promises of Christ. And those who claimed Scripture in support of their new doctrine, and against the prevailing doctrine of the Church, were regarded as heretics and rebels against Christ, and against His authority delegated to the Church. It was not till the 16^th century that this state of things received a rude shock. The radical principal of the Protestant Reformation lay in the rejection of the living authority of the Catholic Church, and the substitution of the Bible, interpreted by each individual, in its place. Receiving the consequences of this experiment, and the absence of all warrant for it is Scripture itself, and considering that it runs counter to the unanimous conviction of Christendom for 150 years, it can only be prudent for Protestants to reconsider their position; and to ask themselves whether after all, the conviction of Christendom for 1500 years may not be right. If at length they come to this conclusion, their plain coerce will be submission to the authority of the Catholic Church.

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PART III THE CATHOLIC CHURCH

WHAT DOES THE CATHOLIC CHURCH BELIEVE?

Catholics are, first and foremost, Christians who believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God. Catholicism shares some beliefs with other Christian practices, but essential Catholic beliefs include the following: The Bible is the inspired, error-free, and revealed word of God.

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1 WHAT SUBMISSION TO AUTHORIY MEANS

2 HOW THE TEACHING OF THE CHURCH IS TO BE ASCERTAINED

3 HOW DOES THE POPE STAND IN RELATION TO THE TEACHING BODY

4 A MISTAKE ABOUT INFALLIBILITY

5 DOES THE CHURCH ADD NEW DOCTRINES TO THE FAITH?

6 HOW THE CHURCH REGARDS THE USE OF THE BIBLE.

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1 WHAT SUBMISSION TO AUTHORITY MEANS

The idea of authority in matters of religion has circumscribed down in modern times, as if it were injurious to liberty of conscience. It will be well to remove this prejudice before going further. Submission to the authority of another, in matters of thought, may be justly objected to, especially when half the advantage lies in the intellectual exercise of thinking such matters out for oneself. But when it is a case of ascertaining facts which some one else knows, and which we cannot find out ourselves; then we must, whether we like it or not, take them on the authority of another, if we wish to acquire them at all. The only important condition is to make sure that our authority is reliable. On one believing in the trustworthiness of Jesus Christ would refuse submission to His authority, in matter of revelation; for everything He teaches just be true,no matter what our previous ideas on the subject may have been; and submission to His authority means acquisition of the truth. The same holds good as regards the apostles, when once we have ascertain that they are reliable witnesses to the teaching of Christ. Every Protestant accepting the statements of the Bible as correct, submits to the authority of those who wrote the books of the Bible. Finally, once being convinced that the living voice of the Catholic Church is authorized and guaranteed by Christ, the only rational course is to accept that authority as a means of entertaining Christ’s teaching; and instead of resenting it, we ought to be thankful.

Some further apprehension may, however, be felt about the Church extending her authority beyond the limits of revealed

dogma, and fettering the mind in fields where Christ has left it free. This is not really the case. The Church naturally expects the prevailing Catholic lines of thought and feeling outside the strict limits of faith, to be treated with respect, especially in public writing and speaking; and her general policy is to be cautious and slow in taking up novel views,such as tend to shock and alarm the simple minded, until such views have been firmly established by evidence. But as for firmly established by evidence. But as for freedom of private thought and opinion and taste, in all matters outside the strict limits of faith, Catholics (even though some of the more simple may not realize it) enjoy the fullest liberty. The great richness of Catholic theological speculation, compared with that of Protestants, is a proof which will appeal to those who have studied in both schools.

2 HOW THE TEACHING OF THE CHURCH IS TO BE ASCERTAINED

In communicating his teachings to mankind, Christ has made use of the most natural means at his command. Even the apostles did not grasp their Master’s full doctrine at once, or without thinking over what they had learn and asking further questions. Thus also an inquirer coming to the Catholic Church would naturally begin by studying the penny Catechism; which represents the doctrine taught in the schools and churches of the diocese in which he lives. His further questions would be answered by reading or by instructing from a priest. Continued study will carry him deeper into each subject, but will not require a departure from simple Catechism. It is not essential that he should be a master of theology imbued with the principal of belief in the authority of the Church; and to be ready to accept, in general, whatever the Church teaches as belonging of the deposit of Faith.

So far in practice; but speaking more scientifically, twill be necessary to go further afield, to explain constitutions of the teaching-body of the Catholic Church. If we trace back to its source the authority of the Catechism and of the priest who explains it, we shall come untimely to their bishop of the diocese, who is responsible for the teaching of the faith within the limits of his own jurisdiction. The Catechism of one diocese is practically the same as that of every other; and thus the Catechism represents substantially the unanimous teaching of the bishops all over the world. Catholic Bishops are now mere “ornamental heads of churches”, as Jacob Primmer calls them, but the responsible guardians of the deposit of faith. They are the successors of the apostles, endowed with their authority and power to teach and govern the Church. Taken singly, they do not inherit the person endowments of the apostles; they have neither the gift of inspiration, not of miracles, not of personal infallibility, not of universal jurisdiction. They receive no new Revelations repetitions of old ones; and yet the are infallible this sense, that the cannot collectively be guilt of false teaching, ans so lead the whole Church astray. It is possible for individual bishops to desert their duty and fall into heresy, as some have done in times past. But such are quickly cutoff from the Church, and lose their position in the teaching-body. For a bishop can retain his office only be remaining in communion with his fellow-bishops and with the pope; separated form this communion, he ceases to be a member of the teaching Church.

It is in this collective body of bishops in communion with each other and with the pope, that the teaching Church properly consists. Hence it is this collective body that the promises of Christ apply. Consequently it is believed that any doctrine unanimously taught by this collective body, as part of the deposit of faith, must be infallibly correct; since other wise the whole Church, clergy, and faith (whose belief is simply, a reflection of the teachings of the bishops), would be committed to a false doctrine, and so the gates of Hell would have prevailed against the Church. It will be seen that everything works in the most natural manner possible;and the only effect of Christ’s promise is, that it grantees the unanimous teaching and belief of the Church

3 HOW DOES THE POPE STAND IN RELATION TO THE TEACHING BODY?

The pope besides holding the position of bishop over the local Church of Rome, enjoys the twofold prerogative of supreme ruler and the supreme teacher of the whole Church. These prerogatives are believed to have been bestowed on Saint Peter by Christ (Matthew XVI, 13-19; Luke XXII. 31-33; John XXI. 15-17) and to have been inherited by his successors in the see of Rome. As supreme ruler, the pope has power to make discip- linary laws binding on the whole Church. As supreme teacher, he possesses authority to settle disputed points of faith and morals. It is with the last-named prerogative that we are chiefly concerned. Under favorable circumstances, when the teaching of bishops is unanimous and the belief of the people undisturbed, no ulterior guarantee is needed beyond this fact. But when a heresy arises, and the unanimity of the bishops is disputed; or when the traditional doctrine has been imperfectly transmitted in some part of the Church,and a dispute arise on this or any other account, an authoritativ- ness may be needed to close the question in a manner which admits of no evasion. It is then that the decision of the supreme teacher is called for. Now Catholic believe that in these decisions, and in these alone, the pope is infallible. For it is of the nature of these decisions to bind the whole Church, irrevocably to teach- ing and to believing as part of Christ’s revelation the doc- trine proclaimed by them. Hence, unless the pope were absolutely reliable in such decisions, the faith of Christ might be corrupted by an error, and so the gates of Hell would prevailed against it.

From this it will be clear what papal infallibility means. The pope is not inspired; he revives no private revelations; he does not carry in his mind the whole of Christ’s teachings as a miraculous treasure on which to draw at will. He has learn the faith as we learn it, from his Catechism and from his theology. If he wishes to know the two sides of a dispute he must study it as we must. Even when preparing to make a definition in his office of supreme teacher, he can count on no new revelation or inspiration a a personal kind. But when he comes finally to the act of definition when, acting in his highest official capacity of teacher of the Universal Church, he defines a point of faith or morals with the intent of binding the whole Church, the we believe, by virtue of Christ’s promise, the the decision will be infallibly right.

4 A MISTAKE ABOUT INFALLIBILITY

Protestants find a difficulty in believing that infallibility means no more than this, (Doctor Salmon) for instance, thought that if the Pope is infallible at all he must be infallible in all his acts. This is simply refusing to accept the Catholic’s account of his own belief. But it is a groundless objection. King Edward VII does not always act like a king. No one would attribute royal authority to his views on hunting, or yachting, or on the drama. Even when he presides over a court function, he is not always using his royal prerogatives, no one would attach the full authority of the crown to the remarks he makes to a deputation of Presbyterians, Jews, or Catholics Even when speaking in Privy Council, or making his official speech at the opening of Parliament, he does not intend to throw the full weight of his authority into he utterances. It is only when signing an Act of Parliament, or a treaty with some foreign nation, that the full and highest exercise of his royalty comes into play. Then and then alone does he act as ruler of the empire, committing to crown to the deed, and binding the whole nation. As it is with the king of England, so it is with the pope. In his private acts as a Christian, in his official acts as a bishop, in his official acts in the government of the Church, he might make a mistake or fail to in prudence, and no great harm would be done.

But if he made an error in committing the whole Church to a point of faith and morals, the damage would be irreparable; the teaching of Christ’s revelation would be adulterated, and the Church would cease to be a guaranteed delegate of Christ. Hence in these acts only is it necessary for the pope to be infallible,according to Christ’s promise that the gates of hell shall not prevail against the Church.

5 DOES THE CHURCH ADD NEW DOCTRINES TO THE FAITH ?

But the doctrines of the pope’s power is open to another objection; for it seems as if, by means of it new doctrines were periodically added to the Church’s teaching. Certainly more doctrines are taught as of faith to-day than we were taught as of faith a thousand years ago; and therefore, presumably, more that were taught as of faith by the apostles.

This question leads to the idea of development of doctrine. Catholics believe that the Church never develops into a doctrine of faith anything that was not originally part of Christ’s revelation. But a development can take place in clearness and definiteness of expression. Saint Peter would have told us that our Lord was God and Man, but he would hardly have been able to express hid doctrine in the terms of the Nicene or Athanasian creed, because that kind of language was not in use in Saint Peter’s time. This is an example of development from less scientific to a more scientific form of expression. Take another example. None of the apostles, except Saint John, lived long enough to see the whole of the New Testament written. Probably Saint John informed the Church of his own time that certain writings, and no others, were inspired. But this knowledge was not so spread thought the Church as to make it universally known. It took some centuries for this tradition to become unanimous and universally in Christendom. Then only could the canon or list of the New Testament books become recognized dogma of faith. This is and example of development from local knowledge to the universal know- ledge, by the complete spread of the original traditional to all parts of the Church.

Protestants have accepted the results if these two examples of development. But the same principal applies to the cases which Protestants do not usually admit. The fathers were quite clear in teaching that the consecrated bread and wine were not common bread and wine, but became by God’s mysterious power, the real body and blood of Christ. When the scholastic divines invented the philosophical word “Transubstantiation,” they merely brought about a development of expression, the doctrine remaining the same. Again, the fathers were exceeding strong in asserting Mary’s absolute freedom from sin, or from any touch of the devil’s power. Yet it was only by gradual process that the term “Immaculate Conception” was invented; and expression meaning substantially the same thing. Besides, the tradition of Mary’s Immaculate Conception was current at Rome, and in other places, before it became clear in all parts of the Church. Hence arose theological disputes, which lasted till the belief had to be accepted almost universally by clergy and people ; and the final definition by Pope Pius IX, in 1845, confirmed the doctrine as part of the traditional faith. Lastly, the Church is accused of inventing the papal infallibility in 1870. Yet this doctrine is found clearly taught by the scholastic divines centuries back (cf. Suarez for example) and an examination pf history will show that it was clearly supposed by the Church from the very early times. A section of the Gallican clergy resisted it for a time, but this opposition soon died down sufficiently to allow a practical unanimity to be arrived at and the definition of 1870 closed the discussion once for all. All these things are regarded as examples of legitimate development, in the sense of an advance in clear- ness of expression or unanimity, but not an invention of new doctrines, beyond those revealed and traditionally handed down from the first. This being the case, converts need entertain no fear of the pope capriciously springing new and unheard doctrines upon them for subsequent belief. There exists in history no case of a final definition made without accurate previous knowledge of the state of belief in the Church at large. And when we con- sider the numberless snares into which a pope left without divine assistance might have fallen, by making definitions based on the imperfect state of knowledge in his own times, at the risk of being proved wrong afterwards; we can say that history affords a strong support for our doctrines,that s special providence had watched over the pope from the very beginning, and will not fall us in the end.

6 HOW THE CHURCH REGARDS THE USE OF THE BIBLE

The depositor Faith preserved by the Catholic Church: (1) Doctrines clearly taught in the New Testament; (2) Doctrines obscurely taught in the Bible; and requiring the authority of the Church to decide their true interpretation;(3)Doctrines not mentioned in the Bible at all—erg., the abrogation of the Jewish Sabbath, with the obligation of observing Sunday instead; the practice of eating meat with blood, which is forbidden for a time by the apostles (Act xv.20); the inspiration of each and every part of the New Testament. It is not that thee is any antagonism between the Church and the Bible, as Protestants imagine, but that the two stand on a different footing. The Church derived its doctrine from the apostles before the New Testament was written and has followed the law of oral transmission ever since. The fact the New Testament was afterwords written does not interfere with this principal, and historic witness to the claims of the Church, an, in many points, to the accuracy of her teaching, without, however, supplying a substitute for her authority.

It is however, sometimes alleged that the Church confesses a fear of the Bible discouraging its use. This charge is entirely untrue. The Church never did discourage the use of the Bible,

but only its abuse. Probably Saint Peter would of recommended those who misunderstood Saint Paul’s Epistles to leave such

difficult writing alone until they could use them with better discretion.

No book has ever been so badly abused as the Bible. There is no heresy which has not claimed Scripture in its own support against the doctrine of the Church. The Arians and Socinians both relied strongly on the Holy Writ. When it becomes a fashion to use the Scripture in this way for the support of private views, the Bible, instead of being a help to faith, is converted into the sources of confusion. Again, modern scholarship has proved the enormous textual difficulties which bound in the Scripture,and which require all the apparatus of science and Oriental languages to master. Simple Protestants think the Bible is easy to understand, because they can find some meaning or other in every verse. It is quite a different matter to find the true original meaning.The most extraordin-ary ideas can be dawn out of an English translation, which reference to the original Hebrew or Greek will show not to be in the text at all.

No wonder then if the Church considers the Bible anything but an easy book. Which he who runs may read. The infinite capacity of the human mind to go wrong is sufficient reason for caution but, in spite of this, Catholics have always been free to read the Bible, and encouraged to do so, provided they use the original text or an authorized translation. No one can accuse the Douay Version of being a garbled version, though not with out the defects incidental to all translations. Nor does the obligation of accepting the Church’s interpretation, in those few dogmatic texts about which she has declared her mind, hamper or stultify the mind. For nowhere does such an interpretation do violence to the text, and in each case it will be found reasonable and likely, to say the least; and given that the Church is what Catholics believe she is, it is a distinct advantage to have a authoritative decision, where the wise all would be left to uncertain speculation. But these decisions are comparatively few and far between; and the freedom of discussion which exists in our theological and scriptural schools would surprise Protestants if they come to

realize it.

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IV THE TEACHING OF THE CHURCH

WHAT ARE THE TEACHINGS OF THE CATHOLIC CHURCH?

The chief teachings of the Catholic church are: God’s objective existence; God’s interest in individual human beings, who can enter into relations with God (through prayer); the Trinity ; the divinity of Jesus; thisimmortality of the soul of each human being, each one being accountable at death for his or her actions.

1 PARTICULAR DOCTRINES AN OBSTACLE TO ENTERING THE CHURCH.

2 CHRIST SOUL MEDIATOR AND SOURCE OF MERIT.

3 PREDESTINATION AND REPROBATION.

4 WHAT IS JUSTIFICATION.

5 BABTISM MEANS OF JUSTIFICATION.

6 APPRECHENDING CHRIST OF FAITH.

7 ONCE JUSTIFIED, ALWAYS JUSTIFIED. 8 FINAL PERSERVERANCE.

9 SANCTIFICATION AND MERIT.

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1 PARTICULAR DOCTRINES AN OBSTACLE TO ENTERING THE CHURCH.

One who believes in the authority of the Church will naturally argue that therefore whatever the Church the Church teaches must be true. But Protestants sometimes reverse the argument, by saying that the doctrines taught by the Church are superstitious, or corrupt, or anti-scriptural; and therefore the Catholic Church cannot be the true Church of Christ, no matter what arguments may be brought in it favor; and so they cannot accept its authority. Hence, after expounding the Catholic view of the Church, it is necessary to show that those doctrines of the Church which run counter to Protestant ideas are not what Protestants imagine them to be, ought to afford no obstacle to accepting the authority of the Church, as explained in the previous section.

2 CHRIST OUR SOLE MEDIATOR AND SOURCE OF MERIT

The Church strenuously maintains the Christ is our sole Redeemer, Mediator of reconciliation, and source of merit. Without the free gift of grace we can do nothing towards salvation, nor can we purchase the least title to grace by any exertion of our own. Our good works derive all their value from the grace which moves us to perform them, and any merit they possess or heavenly reward the secure, springs entirely from the merits o Christ. The only way in which merit can be called our own lies in this, that by our free co-operation with grace we have fulfilled the conditions attached to Christ’s promise of eternal life, ant thus deserve to receive the fulfillment of that promise which God has freely vouchsafed to make. In this way Saint Paul speaks to make. In this way Saint Paul speaks of the crown of righteousness laid up for him by the Just Judge, because he had finished his course and kept the faith.

3 PREDESTINAION AND REPROBATION

But although grace is a free gift, the Church repudiates the idea that God acts so unequally in its distribution as to predestine some souls to salvation and others to damnation. God wills all men all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth. He wills also that no man shall perish (I.Timothy ii. 4; Roman viii, 32; II Peter iii. 9.) Consequently God will never allow any man to fall into Hell for for want of grace, but only through his own fault in refusing to take use of it. The lowest degree of grace ever offered to any an s amply sufficient for his salvation; and this grace is offered to all

4 WHAT IS JUSTIFICATION ?

Justification consists in the infusion of grace into the soul, by which we are put into a new relation with God—raised from the state of original sin to the state of grace, from the position of servants into that of adopted sons, brethren of Christ and children of God. God is no longer merely our Crater and Lord; He becomes our Father and our Friend. We are made heirs of God of God and co-heirs with Christ, and our inheritance is the enjoyment of God face to face for all eternally.

5 BAPTISM THE MEANS OF JUSTIFICATION.

The divinity-appointed means of justification is regeneration by water and the Holy Ghost in Baptism. Since justification is a free gift not depending on the act of any creature for it bestowal, even infants can and ought to be baptized. Being baptized, these children art put into the stat of jurisdiction, and would enter heaven if they died in infancy.

On coming to the age of reason the Church denies the need of any further justification, and only requires them to cherish and preserve the grace already possessed by avoiding grievous sin. A grown-up person approaching baptism must do so with faith, sorrow for sin, and a desire to receive the grace of the sacrament. These dispositions of soul do not give any right to grace, but are the requisite conditions for the worthy reception of the sacrament. It is possible for those who cannot be baptized to receive the grace of jurisdiction without it, but only supposing they would be willing to receive baptism if they could do so; and the obligation remains of receiving it when it becomes possible. *

*In case of invincible ignorance of this doctrine institution,submission of the will to God’s known laws is understood to simply the requisite desire, when Baptism cannot be received. Only the some applies to the Sacrament of Penance.

6 ”APPREHENDING CHRIST BY FAITH.”

It will be seen that Catholic teaching about jurisdiction differs from the view common among Protestants that justification consists of a subjective “apprehending of Christ by faith,” and a conscience sense of being justified. According to the Church, justification is quite an objective thing—viz., the infusion of grace; and the best means we have of knowing whether this has taken place is the external act of Baptism, to which the grace has been attached by Christ. The Church allows that justification may be attended by a sense of confidence; but such sentiments are not an infallible sign of jurisdiction, just as their absence does not prove the absence of jurisdiction.

7 ”ONCE JUSTIFIED ALWAYS JUSTIFIED.”

Again the Church does not admit the maxim sometimes used by Protestants, that “once justified means always justified.” The state of justification may be forfeited at any time by the commission of a grave sin. Moreover, the state of justification thus lost can, through God’s mercy, be revered by sincere repentance, and by the Sacrament of Penance. During this life no man is in absolutely assured position of being guaranteed for eternal happiness,since he always retains his power of freely co-operating with grace or rejecting it, of sinning or abstaining from sin. Therefore, we must all work out our salvation with fear and trembling-not fear lest God should fail us, but fear lest by our negligence we should abandon Christ and fall away into sin.

8 FINAL PERSERVERANCE

Hence it is possible for a soul once justified to end by falling into Hell. The final destiny of each man is directly determined by the goo0d or evil state in which he dies. Theoretically speaking, an evil may end with a good death, and a good life with an evil death. But practically, the probabilities are against this. It is not only risky, but criminal, to count of a death-bed repentance, and every Catholic is urged to make his last end as secure as possible by an earnest life, which is the highest assurance we possess of final perseverance.

9 SANCTIFICTION AND “MERIT.”

Besides putting us in a new relation to God, justification carries with it a true quality of holiness or sanctification, but no such as to dispense with the need of spiritual efforts to grow to holiness. We must stir up the grace within us, and use it as a means of advancing in God’s service. The Church also holds that our reward in heaven will increase of holiness in this life. Catholics ordinarily speak of this growth in grace and good works as growth in “merit;” but with the explanation already given, that all the “merit” springs fromthe grace by which we perform these works. The only credit due to ourselves is our willingness too-operate with grace instead of rejecting it. Thus the faithful servant who gained the ten talents deserved his reward, not for the talent he used, which were not his won, but because of the good use he made of them, instead of putting them into a napkin.

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V THE SACRAMENTS OF THE CHURCH

THE LIST OF THE 7 SACRAMENTS

Baptism: Cleanse the soul from Sin. Confirmation: To be a soldier of Christ. The Holy Eucharist: Jesus is presented in this Sacrament. Penance: Consists is the turning of our whole soul to God. Extreme Unction: A Priest anoints and prays and for the salvation of souls. Matrimony: is a lasting commitment of a man and a woman to a lifetime partnership. Holy Orders: Serve the spititual needs of those in the Catholic Church.

WHY DO NEED THE SEVEN SACRAMNENTS?

Christ instituted all seven sacraments as ways in which He could be present to His people even after His Ascension into Heaven. The sacraments are also entrusted to the Church. Christ gave the sacraments to the Church so that the Church could dispense.

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1 THE NUMBER AND MEANING OF THE SACRAMENTS.

2 BAPTISM, CONFIRMATION, MATTRIMONY AND UNCTION.

3 ORDINATION. “SACERDOTALISM.

4 THE LORD’S SUPPER.

5 ADORATION OF THE BLESSED SACRAMENT.

6 COMMUNION IN ONE KIND.

7 THE SACRIFICE OF THE MASS.

8 AURICULAR CONFESSION OR PENANCE.

9 NOT A BARRIER BETWEEN THE SOUL AND GOD. 10 NOT A DANGER TO MORALS. 11 THE PRACTICE OF CONFESSION

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1 THE NUMBER AND MEANING OF THE SACRAMENTS

According to Catholics, certain definite means of grace have been provided by Christ in the seven Sacraments of the Church. Of these serve, Protestants usually admit only two, viz., Baptism and the Lord’s Supper. The description of a sacrament, as this term is used in the Church, is as follows:-”A perceptible ceremony, instituted by Christ, to which He has attached some definite gift of grace, of which the ceremony is an outward sign.” It is by tradition of the Church and its constant practice that these five ceremonies. (Confirmation, Confession, Ordination, Extreme Unction, and Matrimony) are included with Baptism and the Lord’s Supper in the list of Sacraments Catholics do not believe that the Sacraments are anything of the nature of magical charms, or objects for superstitious reverence. They are reverenced simply as functions instituted by Christ, to which He has attached the promise of grace to those who receive them worthily.

2 BAPTISM, CONFIRMATION, MATRIMONEY, & EXTREME UNCTION

The meaning and effect of Baptism: has been already explained. It is only needful to add that certain symbolic ceremonies, performed over and above the principal rite, are due to custom and Church law, but are not essential, and in cases of urgency to salvation.

Confirmation: is identified with the apostolic practice of laying on hands, whereby we receive the grace of the Holy Ghost to stand firm and true in the manly service of Christ. This sacrament is not essential to salvation.

Matrimony: was elevated into a sacrament by attaching to it definitely the grace required for fidelity and mutual helpfulness in the marriage state.

Extreme Unction: as described by (Saint James v.14), has been kept in practice by the Church ever since the apostolic age. It is Saint James implies, a means of grace to the sick and the dying, and may even tend to promote recovery, but does not necessarily do so.

3 ORDINATION “SACERDOTALISM.”

The Sacrament of Holy Orders conveys the graces and powers required for the ministrations of the clergy. Bishops thereby acquire grace to at as trusty guardians of the faith and rulers of the Church, and the power of administering all the sacraments. Priests receive power to consecrate the Eucharist and offer the Holy Sacrifice, and to administer Penance and Extreme Unction. Without sacramental ordination, the sacraments peculiar to each office have no validity, as not proceedingfrom ministers deputed by Christ. This idea if a privileged class possessing powers not enjoyed by the laity, is sometimes contemptuously branded with the name of “sacerdotalism.” If it were the usurpation of power by a caste of clique of men claiming for themselves a position of superiority, nothing could be more objective. But Clergy and laity alike believe that such offices are of Christ’s institution, for the depression, but for the service of the laity; offices to be undertaken in the spirit of humble ministers of Christ, rather that that of proud masters of the people; nor is any one able to assume these offices to himself, but only those who are excepted, ordained and commissioned by the authority of the Church in the name and person of Christ.

4 THE LORD’S SUPPER.

The Eucharist (or Lord’s Supper as it is called by Protestants) is the sacrament for supply our souls with the nourishment of spiritual food. It is believed that when the formulas of consecration are pronounced, the words of Christ, “This is my body,” “This is my blood,” are literally fulfilled, so that what were previously bread and wine become really and truly Christ’s body and blood. There is no deception of the senses; for all the properties of bread and wine that can be discovered by inspection remain as before; and yet the things themselves are no longer bread and wine, but Christ;s body and blood concealed under those appearances. It is an invisible miracle and a mystery; but still greater is the mystery of divine condescension, which thus brings Christ down among us, and into a most real, intimate, and mystical union with our souls.

5 ADORATION OF THE BLESSED SACRAMENT

It follows that since Christ is really present in the sacred elements, He can and ought to be adored if He came again on earth in His natural human form. Hence the Church causes the sacred host to be reserved in the tabernacles of the churches, not only for the use of the sick, but to enable the faithful to pay their devotions to Christ there present. The service of Benediction is an act of this kind of reverence; the sacred host being then exhibited on the altar for adoration. Processions of the Blessed Sacrament are another form of this devotion. Clearly the adoration of the Blessed Sacrament cannot be charged with superstition or idolatry; for all the worship is directed t Christ’s person which is believed to be present by virtue of Christ’s own express words, understood in their plan literal sense.

6 COMMUNION IN ONE KIND.

According to the present principal of the Church, the Blessed Sacrament is received in two kinds by the celebrant, but distributed in one kind only to the faithful. Protestants regard the refusal of the cup to the laity as something counter to Christ’s institution, and as mutilating the sacrament. Yet the practice of the early Church shows clearly that reception under one kind was sufficient. It was usual to communicate infants after baptism under the species of wine only. It was also common, in time of persecution, for the faithful to take the spices of bread to their homes and administer communion to themselves and there families under one kind alone. The same was done with regard to the sick. History affords us striking examples to show how Church discipline could be varied cording to circumstances. Those who were infected by the Manichean heresy used to abstain from receiving the cup, on the principal that wine was evil. In order to expose these secret heretics, the Church left it no longer optional to communicate under one

kind, but require all to partake of the cup also. Later on, the risk of accidents to the chalice and other considerations caused the use of one kind only to prevail. It was not until a sect arose which insisted on the necessary of both kinds that the Church , in protest, and in defenc3e of a doctrinal principle, made it a law that the only kind should be distri- buted. No Catholic believes that he is there by deprived of any of the benefits of the sacrament, since under either kind he truly receives communion with the living Christ, whole and entire, which is the very idea of this sacrament. The purpose of the two species is found in the mystic representation of Christ’s death signified thereby, and both are therefore necessary in the celebration of the Eucharist as a comemoration of Christ’s passion in the Sacrifice of the Mass. In the course of controversy with Protestants, the text (I. Cor. xi. 27) “Whosoever shall eat this bread or drink the chalice of the Lord unworthily, etc.” has been used to prove the need of both kinds, But the argument is an unfair one, simply because the Authorized Version has mislead has misled its readers by using and in places of or. Protestants scholars admit this rendering to be an error,which has in fact corrected in the Revised Version; and hence the inference fall to the ground.

7 THE SACIFICE OF THE MASS.

Besides being a sacrament, the Lord’s Supper is a commemoration of the death of Christ; not however, a mere historic commemoration, but a sacrificial commemoration, in which, while the human minister is performing the visible rite, Christ the great High Priest of the new covenant offers Himself to the Father in the attitude of a victim for our redemption. The idea is sublime, but difficult to explain. There are many passages scattered through the New Testament which seem to regard the ace redemption as no mere momentary act, exercising an influence over the future and past, bust as an act mystically and yet truly eternal (cf. I. Peter i-20 with reference there given; also many passages in Hebrew).

Not only did Christ enter once into the holy place, obtaining in the act of entering (such means to be the sense of the Greek) an eternal redemption (Hebrew ix-12), but this entrance into the holy place appears to be Christ’s entrance into heaven (Hebrew ix-24); thus exercising forever His unchangeable and eternal priest-hood by a continuous mediation, and carrying on forever, though not repeating, the sacrifice once offered on the Cross (Hebrews vii-24 and chapter v.). Hence in the book of Revelations the lamb is represented as alive, and yet standing as it had been slain (Greek standing as slain) (Revelation v.-6). Certain obscure passages seem even to go so far as to remove Redemption out of connection with any particular time, as in (Revelation xiii-8), which read as if the Lamb had been slain from the beginning of the world. There are other places which treat Christ’s appearance on earth as the manifestation of a mystery kept secret form the beginning of the world, by which, those who lived before His coming had been redeemed (cf. Again I. Peter i-20 and refs.) Without pressing this mysterious language too far, it may at least serve to illustrate the idea underlying the Catholic doctrine of the Mass; in which Christ’s eternal intercession as the victim of redemption is, as it were directed to His Father fro the local center of an earthly altar (and that we have an altar is clearly emphasized in (Hebrews xiii-10). In this manner the mystery of redemptio0n is, as it were, brought nearer to us through the ages and made sensibly real to us in our midst here and now. By this continual priestly function is fulfilled that prophecy of (Malachi (I,11) which tells of a clean oblation (minchah) to be offered in every place among the Gentiles, from the rising of the sun unto the going down of the same.

The correctness of any attempt to conceive this sublime idea will be safeguarded by the following theological propositions;- (1) In the Mass, Jesus Christ is the Priest, offering Himself as the victim of Redemption to the Father (2) Christ’s offering of Himself is identically the same as that as Calvary, but the

manner is bloodless and mystical: (3) The human minister acts in the name and person of Christ, being strictly only Christ’s deputy or instrument for the performance of the external rite, (4) The Mass is a local application of the on great sacrifice of Calvary to particular groups of souls, in divers times and places, rather than a repetition of the sacrifice itself. Any idea, therefore, which Protestants have conceived of the Mass being derogatory to the one sacrifice or to the priesthood of Christ, is due mainly to the difficulty of understanding this very deep subject, and is not to be wondered at. A careful study of the above remarks will, at least, clear us of the charge.

8 AURICULAR CONFESSION, OR PENANCE.

In pronouncing the words “Receive ye the Holy Ghost; whose sins ye shall forgive shall be forgiven, and whose sins you retain are retained” (John xx 19-20), Christ bestowed on the apostles that power which is exercised in the Sacrament of Penance. This sacrament is the outward and visible means by which those who after baptism have lost the grace of God by grave sin may through repentance, confession and absolution receive pardon and reconciliation with God. As in case of the other sacraments, the value of the outward sigh of the for- giveness we have received, instead of leaving the repentant soul in a state of harrowing uncertainly. Sincere sorrow and sincere confession, and a purpose of avoiding sin for the future, are the conditions for a valid reception of the Sac- rament. Confession is, therefore, no magical means of getting rid of sin; for instead of dispensing with repentance, it is valueless without repentance; and if this is wanting, the priest may be deceived, but God is not mocked, and the Sacra- ment is worse that useless. The priest acts the part of the intermediary as regards hearing the confession; but as far as the effect are concerned, it is a matter entirely between the soul and God.

9 NOT A BARRIER BETWEEN THE SOUL AND GOD.

Hence the favorite objection, that confession places a barrier between the soul and God, is quite fallacious. The office of a confessor is that of a helper, for his training enables him to solve doubts, to ease difficulties, to offer advise as to the way of avoiding sin, and to give encouragement to the weak. Many a soul has felt the need of some one who, from his position, can receive confidence in a purely professional, and at the same time sympathetic spirit, and discuss difficulties and trouble in the light of a wide experience, and yet never betray outside the confessional any consciousness of having received such confidence at all-and this is the function which a confessor exercises for those who wish it. On the other hand, those who need no such help can make their confession in a business like manner, without question, or discussion, or comment, except of the briefest kind, selecting, if the like, a confessor noted for taciturnity. It is true that a sensitive subject sometimes finds an ordeal in barely mentioning sins committed; but the felling wears off when it is found that an experienced confessor is surprised at nothing, having often heard every kind of sin in the course of his experience; that he is never supposed to scold his penitents, but to direct all his remarks towards their help and encouragement.

10 NOT A DANGER TO MORALS.

As for alleged moral unhealthiness of priest and penitent dealing in matters of a delicate nature, this objection comes only from those who know nothing of the confessional in practice. If the matter is plain and straightforward no question or discussion is needed. If the penitent needs advice or help, it can be given in the same professional way as a doctor would give it. But confessors are trained to great prudence in this matter, and are taught that “it is better to fall short by reserve a thousand times than to go beyond the mark by a single superfluous question.” They are cautioned never to say a word which will convey fresh knowledge of sin to innocent minds; and a bishop who came across a case of prudence in this matter would take active measures.

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VI PRACTICES AND DEVOTIONS OF THE CHURCH

EXAMPLES OF CATHOLICS DEVOTIONS

Common examples of Catholic devotions include the Rosary, the Stations of the Cross, the Sacresd Heart of Jesus, the Holy Face of Jesus, the various Scapulars, theImmaculate Heart of Mary, Our Lady of many titles,the Seven Sorrows of Mary, , Novenas to various saints,Pilgrimages, Devotions to the Blessed Sacrament, and the Veneration of Saintly images.

1 DIFFICULTY OF TAKING UP NEW PRACTICES.

2 THE WORSHIP OF OUR LORD.

3 REVERENCE FOR THE SAINTS.

4 PRAYING TO THE SAINTS.

5 DEVOTION TO OUR LADY.

6 THE DOGMAS OF OUR LADY.

7 STATUES, PICTURES AND RELICS.

8 INDULGENCES,THE IDEA OF TEMPORAL PUNISHMENT.

9 THE USE OF INDULGENCE.

10 PRUGATORY AND PRAYER FOR THE DEAD.

11 THE COMMUNION OF SAINTS.

12 FASTING AND ABSTINENCE.

13 CHURCH CEREMONIES.

14 THE USE OF THE LATIN TONGUE.

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1 DIFFICULTY OF TAKING UP PRACTICES

Those who, by reading the foregoing pages, have come to see the main doctrine of the Church in a reasonable light, may still be kept back by difficult of taking up certain practices and devotions of Catholics which they have been used to regard as object able. These it is now necessary to explain, together with the doctrinal basis on which the rest. To smooth down difficulties at first it may be remarked, in general, that no convert is obliged ti plunge at once into the practice of every kind of Catholic devotion. He must begin by acknowledging the doctrine on which they rest, and the legitimacy of their practice. In course of time he will find himself naturally drawn rather to one devotion than another; and need have no fear of following his preferences, since the choice of devotions is largely a matter of taste.

2 THE WORSHIP OF GOD

Obviously, devotion in some form or another to Christ our lord is the essential part of a Catholic life. Two special forms of devotion alone need explanation. Devotion to Christ in the Blessed Sacrament ans pray and worship directed to Him as being really present on the altar of the Church, and in a spirit of gratitude for the gift of this great sacrament. Devotion to the Sacred Heart regards Christ specially in the aspect of His human nature, and the affectionate love of His human heart for mankind. It will be seen from these examples that devotion to Christ only differ from each other by the particular line of thought which dominates our prayers to Him. The worship directed to Christ is of the highest kind, such as is due to God alone; since He is the second person of the Blessed Trinity.

3 REFERENCE FOR THE SAINTS

The subsidiary devotion now to be considered are of a totally different kind, and stand on one another footing. They concern our fellow creatures in the household of God. If the word “worship” is ever used in the wide sense in which our forefathers used to speak of the “worshipful company of fishmongers,” or as we now address a judge as “your worship.” It is practically better not to use the word ”worship” at all, and to take in its place the more ordinary terms “reverence” or “honor.” No one can object to Catholics reverencing Mary or honoring saints. The only complaint which might be raised is against regarding this reverence and honor as part of religion. To this the answer is quite clear. Religion is necessarily concerned with many objects besides God. It involves the love of others for God”s sake. To love our neighbor as ourselves is a part of religion. Saint Paul teaches that it is part of the Christian religion to honor the king. Our Lady herself declares that all generations shall call her blessed. To honor those whom God has delighted to honor those whom God has delighted to honor is to reverence God Himself in His noblest works.

4 PRAYING TO THE SAINTS

But we go a step further in praying to them; and it imagined that prayer ought to be directed to God alone. Yet prayer only means asking for what we want; and provided those in heaven take an interest in us on earth, and can hear us when we speak to them—as the Church teaches to be the case—there is no more objection to our asking them to help us by their prayers that there was to Saint Paul asking the Ephesians and other Christians to pray for him (Mph. Vi 19; Phillip, I Thessalonians v.25”: II Thessalonians iii. I). If the saints on earth can be asked for prayers, why not the saints in heaven? If Saint Paul’s request for the prayers of his fellow Christians on earth does not encroach on Christ’s sole mediator ship, neither does our request for the prayers of the blessed in heaven. No Catholic can be so ignorant or stupid as to imagine that in praying to the saints he is praying to God. Nor can it be objected that we pray too much to the saints and too little to God. The whole Mass and Communion, Vespers, Benediction, attestations of the Cross, Devotions to the Sacred Heart, the use of all the sacraments; these one and all are acts of the direct worship of God; prayers to the saints are, as it were, thrown in incidentally and now and then. And hold the subsidiary place to which the are entitled. Even the Rosary is not mainly an act of devotion to Mary, but more properly a rapid review of the chief events of the Life of Christ. Only two out of the fifteen mysteries concern our Lady alone. In the rest, Mary only figures as she figures in the gospel; and in several she does not appear at all. As for the recitation of the Hail Mary, this is mainly repetition of the greetings addressed by the angel Gabriel and Saint Elizabeth to our Lady; a practice to which no one can reasonably object.

5 DEVOTION TO OUR LADY.

The main idea being clear we can deal more in detail with the Church’s doctrine concerning our Lady. It may be summed up briefly under three heads: First Mary is mother of the God-Man Jesus and is most eminent saint, dear to God and man. Secondly, she takes an interest in the faithful on earth, redeemed like herself by the blood of her Son, and prays for them in heaven. Thirdly, it is legitimate and becoming to honor her, and to ask for her prayers. On the other hand the Church repudiates all idea that Mary is more than a creature on the same level or in any was means the same thing as the intercession of her Divine Son. Any language used by foreign devotional writers which seems to English ears to suggest otherwise, would be condemned by the Church if intended to bear such an objectionable sense; but such expressions ought rather to be taken in a rhapsodical and poetic sense, and not to be regarded of taste, it might be better to restrict in some way the use of words. For it is in this case as in the abuse of superlative; if we exhaust our highest language over Mary, we shall have no higher language left to apply to our Lord. But matters of taste are not matters of dogma.

6 THE DOGMAS OF OUR LADY

WHAT ARE THE 4 (four) DOGMAS OF MARY ?

The four dogmas of Mother of God, Immaculate Conception perpetual virginity, and Assumption form the basis of Mariology. However, a number of other Catholic doctrines about the Virgin Mary have been developed by reference to sacred scripture, theological reasoning and Church tradition.

MOTHER OF GOD

Mary’s mothership of God is a dogma of the Catholic Church. “The Virgin Mary, who at the message of the angel received the Word of God in her heart and in her body and gave Life to the world, is acknowledged and honored as being truly the Mother of God and Mother of the Redeemer.” Was defined as dogma at the Council of Ephesus in 431 AD.

IMMACULATE CONCEPTION

Immaculate Conception, Roman Catholic dogma asserting that Mary, the mother of Jesus, was preserved free from the effects of the sin of Adam (usually referred to as “original sin”) from the first instant of her conception.

Was defined as dogma by Pope Pius IX in 1854.

PERPETUAL VIRGINITY THE ASSUMPTION

The perpetual virginity of Mary is the doctrine that Mary, the mother of Jesus Christ, was a virgin ante partum, in partu, et post partum – before, during and after the birth of Christ. … Mary’s pre-birth virginity is attested in the New Testament, but there is no biblical basis for her perpetual virginity.

The usage of this triple formula to express the fullness of this mystery of faith became standard with St. Augustan [354-430AD], St. Peter Chrysologus [c. 400-450AD], and Pope St. Leo the Great [440-461AD]. See CCC # 496-507; 964. CCC499:

THE ASSUMPTION

In the light of a long history of Christian belief since patristic times, in 1950, Pope Pius XII defined Mary’s Assumption into Heaven as a dogma of Roman Catholicism: “the Immaculate Mother of God, the ever Virgin Mary, having com- pleted the course of her earthly life, was assumed body and soul into heaven.” Was defined as dogma by Pope Pius XII in 1950.

The Roman Catholic Church affirms four truths concerning the role of the Virgin Mary in God’s plan of salvation:

7 STATUES, PICTURES AND RELICS

The above remarks will make it superfluous to deal with devotion to other saints in the calendar of the Church. As regards the use of statues, crucifixes, and pious pictures, the Church allows them as means to help the memory and imagination. No one can say that graven images were absolutely forbidden by the laws of Moses,sin graven cherubim and lions,oxen and palms, flowers and pomegranates were freely used in the ornaments of the tabernacle and the temple. Such objects were forbidden to be made for the purpose of idolatry. The Church is quite unnecessarily clear in asserting that we do not pry to images, for they ca neither see, hear, or help us. The same applies to the veneration oi the Cross relics of the saints, which stand on a par with heirlooms and property once belonging to those we love and reverence. As for the act of bending the knee before such objects, it might as a matter of taste be preferable to restrict the kneeling attitude to acts of divine adoration. But so long as Englishmen continue to bend the knee for the king or bow before his throne, there ought to be no difficult in allowing Catholics to do the same before the sigh of redemption, or the relics and images of the saints.

8 INDULGENCES, THE IDEA OF TEMPORAL PUNISHMENT.

In any Catholic prayer book there will be found attached to certain prayers such remarks as the following: “40 overindulgence,”: “100 days indulgence,” or “A plenary indulgence is granted to the devout recital of the following prayer.” It need hardly be said that these indulgences do not mean a privilege to commit sin. To explain what they mean will require a somewhat lengthy consideration.

The root idea underlying the use of the indulgence is that Christ, in freely gaining for us the grace of forgiveness and reconciliation, did not abrogate the law of right order and healthy discipline, which requires that wickedness should never be passed over with impunity, that sin should carry with it some penalty, and that forgiveness should not leave us with out the obligation of making some amends for the past,even after the sin itself has been forgiven. According to this principle, the church teaches that every sin committed after baptism incurs a debt of temporal punishment. This debt or part of it may remain, even after the offense against God has been condoned, and must be paid to the uttermost farthing; either in this life, by penance or other works of Christian virtue, or in that state of purgatory which intervenes between our death and our entrance into heaven. Every act of Christian virtue we perform can be accepted by God as amends for the past sin, whether it be prayer, alms giving, or works of self punishment, such as fasting an other forms of penance, or even the incidental hardship of life borne with patience. This doctrine carries with it double advantage of affording a check on sin and an incentive to earnestness of life. To Protestants it may seem novel, but ought not to seem unreasonable.

9 THE USE OF INDULGENCES

In ancient times the Church used to take the matter in hand, by imposing severe penances for the more grievous sins. The good disposition of the penitent, or the prayers of the confessors and martyrs, sometimes led to a remission or shortening of the penance; and any such remission or shortening of the penance; and any such remission was called an “indulgence.” The ancient discipline in now obsolete, except so far as its practice survives in the short prayers given as a “penance” in the confessional. The Church, however, retains the custom of attaching “indulgences” to certain forms of prayer or other good works which she especially wishes to encourage; and still preserves a relic of ancient forms by assigning numbers of days to the indulgence–”40 days,” “100 days,” or a full and “plenary indulgence.” These numbers have no definite assignable value except for comparing one indulgence with another; since we know neither the measure of the debt due, nor the absolute value of each penance in the sight of God. The power of the Church to assign expiatory value to prayers and good works springs from her jurisdiction over the sins of the faithful, and rests on the belief that the wishes of the Church, expressed is granting an indulgence, will be ratified by application of Christ’s merits to the advantage of those who use them. A plenary indulgence is one in which the wish of the Church is unlimited except by the full needs of the individual soul. And if such an indulgence be performed with the highest devotion, it is believed that God will regard the whole penitential debt as satisfied. But the actual results of indulgences remain a secret known to God. Catholics generally speak of the penitential value of such acts as “satisfaction,” not in any sense which touches the satisfaction made by Christ for the guilt of our sins, but as netting the debt of temporal punishment which, as already explained, God has attached to sin to prevent it from being passed over with impunity,

10 PURGATORY AND PRAYER FOR THE DEAD

Closely allied with this question is the subject of purgatory, where the residue of penitential satisfaction is undergone if full amends for sin have not been made in this life. We know nothing with certainly about purgatory, except the fact of its existence, and that it involves a delay in entering heaven till the last relics of sinfulness are purged away. We are told nothing of the amount, kind, ordination purgative process. We know, however, that by our intercession and other good works we can help those detained there. Hence the practice of prayers for the dead, and the application of indulgence to the soul of the departed.

11 THE COMMUNION OF SAINTS

From what has been said, it will be seen how the Catholic idea of Communion of Saints bring the blessed in heaven, the faithful of the earth, and the souls in purgatory into one great family and household of God, bound together by and intercourse of prayer and intercession; the Church triumphant helping the Church militant, the Church militant helping the Church suffering; all united in the common offices of mutual charity, and all working for the one great end of God’s greater glory and the happiness and well-being of mankind.

12 FASTING AND ABSTINENCE

No one can deny that this is the usage recognized and recommended by Christ and His apostles, and practiced by the early Christians; and that the Church is more Scriptural in retaining it than Protestants are in abandoning it. The only question is whether it suits the present age or not to impose fasting and abstinence as a routine duty, instead of leaving it to each one’s devotion. However, the Church still retains an immemorial custom, which seems strange to Protestants only because they have abandoned its observance. But circumstances have introduced the need for many exemptions and dispensations, at least in this country; and the rigor of ancient discipline has been modified to suit the case. Even for those who through weakness or excessive occupation cannot practice ti, instill serves as a reminder that we do not live for pleasure only, and that self-mortification in moderation is good for the soul.

13 CHURCH CEREMONIES

The liturgical services of the Church are solemn and dignified, but cannot he called simple. They are more or less dramatic, and as far as possible magnificent in their appointments; music, lights and intense, vessels of gold and silver, embroidered vestments all contributing to this effect Protestants have been accustomed the Catholic usage. Let us admit at once that it is no question of divine appointment, and mainly a matter to taste; and the Catholic taste happens to have tended towards making the public functions of the Church as splendid as possible. If this is found attractive to the people and induces them to attend service wit;hour weariness it is difficult to see many objection to it. But when the novelty wars off, these exhibitions of splendor cease to be sensational, and become instead full of interest, religious significance and devotion.

14 THE USE OF THE LATIN TONGUE

The use of Latin is felt to be perplexing to strangers. But to Catholics the difficulty does not occur, as the are accustomed, to following the service with an intelligent knowledge of its meaning, and a translation, or suitable private devotions. Possibly if the English or Scotch people were to come over to the Church in large bodies, the Pope might willingly grant an English liturgy, since he has made similar concession among the English schismatics. There is nothing essential involved, and Latin has its advantages and disadvantages. Convert, as a rule, find their objection vanish almost as soon as they have joined the Church. The movement now afoot in favor of English evening services, and the congregational singing of English hymns, will do something towards meeting the want wherever it is felt.

Question:- In conclusion, can the labor of examining the claims of the Catholic Church, of the trouble of submitting to them, be evaded by thinking that after all, religion itself is very much a matter of taste, and provided a man leads a good life, on religion is as good as another.

Answer:- The labor and the trouble may be evaded, but not the responsibility. If all religions were human inventions, one religion would be good as another. But if Christ has instituted one, and not the rest,one religion is not as good as another; in fact, there can only be on good religion, and one instituted by Christ, taken the way He instituted it.

The foregoing pages will perhaps have shown that the Catholic Church is not what she is believed to be by many Protestants, who in their opposition to her are opposing what is only a creature of the imagination. If this face has been made clear, the reader’s next duty will be to inquire further into the claims of the Church; since, if she is the true Church of Christ, it must be the unquestionably of every man to submit to her authority and enter into her fold.

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VII MISELLANEOUS ARTICLES

I SHORT ARTICLES II SERMON III THE FOUR MARKS

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I SHORT ARTICLES

A) THE TWELVE ARTICLES OF CATHOLIC FAITH

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II SERMONS

Fr. Ramolla’s Sermons

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III THE FOUR MARKS

The Catholic Church is One, Holy, Catholic,and Apostolic.

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