Hi, Erick —
Thanks for the question.
The confusion here is due to two
different presumptions.
Most non-Catholic Christians, believe
the Bible and the Bible alone is
the sole foundation for all truth.
They don't believe in the authority
of any one Church. For that reason,
most of their church services are
based solely on Bible readings and
the personal interpretations from
their preacher. Nevertheless, nowhere
in the Bible does it say: The
Bible is the sole rule of faith.
- She believes in the traditions
of men.
- Catholics believe in the Traditions
of God!
The Catholic presumption, which is
based on historical fact, is that
Jesus founded one Church, (Matthew 16:13-20, Isaiah 22:15-25, 1 Timothy 3:15), against which the gates of
Hell will not prevail.
Yes, the Word is useful for correction,
instruction and proper behavior,
See 2 Timothy 3:15-16,
but in that verse, nowhere does it
say that the Scriptures are:
1. required for salvation, or
2. the only source for correction,
instruction and proper behavior.
Remember, at the time Timothy was
writing his letter, the Canon (or
group of Bible books) of Scripture had not been determined yet. No Christian
would know the books of the Bible
until 382 A.D. when
the Catholic Church finally decided
which books are part of the Written
Word of God. Timothy's reference
to the Scriptures were the Old Testament Scriptures.
Every time your girlfriend opens
her Bible, whether she knows it or
not, she is saying:
I trust the Catholic Church and
the decision that the Pope and
Catholic bishops made, guided
by the Holy Spirit, on deciding
which books to include and which
books to exclude from the Bible. She
believes, as we do, they are the
Holy Word of God.
- If she trusts the Church back
then, why can't she trust that
same Church now?
She will say the Bible is the foundation
of Truth, but the Bible says:
The Church of the Living God is
the foundation of Truth. (1 Timothy 3:15)
Because the authority of the Bible
comes from the authority of the Catholic
Church, one has to read it with Catholic
eyes in order to understand
it correctly.
If you don't use this approach, it
is like George Washington saying:
"Here
is the Constitution, interpret it
for yourself!"
If America did
that, we would be in chaos. This
is why we have one Supreme Court — to
interpret the Constitution for all
Americans and all Americans must
accept its interpretation.
You said in your e-mail:
She asked me because it was her perception
that we read little fragments from the Bible,
and that's not enough to understand it completely.
She told me their group read a verse, then another,
and so on, to really understand the Word of
God.
Practicing Catholics who attend Mass
every Sunday hear the entire Bible
over a three year period. Practicing
Catholics who attend daily Mass hear
the entire Bible over a two year
period. Faithful Priests give sermons and comment
on the passages of the Holy Scriptures in line with the traditional interpretation of the Church's Teaching authority going back to 33 A.D.
If your friend is reading one verse,
then another verse, then another
verse, but taking them all out of
context, she, like any other Protestant
minister or Protestant lay person
can interpret the Bible to say whatever
they want. The end result is they
establish their own set of personal
moral principles.
That's why we have so many
Protestant denominations today.
One area in which I will agree with
your friend, is the need for Catholics
to study and read the Holy Scriptures
more than they do. When they do that,
they will find that the Holy Scriptures are not the pillar and foundation
of truth, but the Church, who gave
us the Holy Scriptures, is.
In addition, the Catholic form of worship is based
on the words of Christ, Our Lord,
in the Scriptures themselves. Here
are the important passages:
You want to share with your girlfriend
that what St. Paul is describing
here is what true Christian worship
was meant to be:
1 Corinthians 11:23-24
Note: In Luke and 1 Corinthians,
Our Lord says:
Do this,
as often as you drink it, in
remembrance of me.
- What is one of the reasons why
Catholics go to Mass on Sunday?
To Do this and renew our baptismal
covenant with the Lord Jesus.
One of the most important faith-sharing
points for showing that Catholic
beliefs are truly Christian beliefs,
is the fact that the immediate followers
of the Apostles were practicing what
Catholics believe today!
In fact the word, "Catholic", means in its totality so the Catholic faith is the Christian faith, in its totality so, to be fully Christian (in our words and deeds),
is to be Catholic!
Here are some Early Church quotes from one of our first martyrs of the faith, St. Justin Martyr:
Justin Martyr — The First Apology of Justin — Written in 148 A.D. To 155 A.D.
Chapter LXVI. — Of the Eucharist.
And this food is called among
us Eucharisti'a (5) [the Eucharist],
of which no one is allowed to
partake but the man who believes
that the things which we teach
are true, and who has been washed
with the washing that is for the
remission of sins, and unto regeneration,
and who is so living as Christ
has enjoined. For not as common
bread and common drink do we receive
these; but in like manner as Jesus
Christ our Saviour, having been
made flesh by the Word of God,
had both flesh and blood for our
salvation, so likewise have we
been taught that the food which
is blessed by the prayer of His
word, and from which our blood and flesh by transmutation are
nourished, is the flesh and blood
of that Jesus who was made flesh. (6)
For the Apostles, in the memoirs
composed by them, which are called
Gospels, have thus delivered unto
us what was enjoined upon them;
that Jesus took bread, and when
He had given thanks, said, "This
do ye in remembrance of Me, (7)
this is My body;" and that,
after the same manner, having
taken the cup and given thanks,
He said, "This is My blood;" and gave it to them alone. Which the
wicked devils have imitated in the mysteries of Mithras, commanding
the same thing to be done. For,
that bread and a cup of water
are placed with certain incantations
in the mystic rites of one who
is being initiated, you either
know or can learn. |
Justin Martyr Dialogue with Trypho written in 155 A.D.
Chapter XLI. — The Oblation Of Fine Flour Was A Figure Of The Eucharist.
"And the offering of fine
flour, sirs," I said, "which
was prescribed to be presented
on behalf of those purified from
leprosy, was a type of the bread
of the Eucharist, the celebration
of which our Lord Jesus Christ
prescribed, in remembrance of
the suffering which He endured
on behalf of those who are purified
in soul from all iniquity, in
order that we may at the same
time thank God for having created
the world, with all things therein,
for the sake of man, and for delivering
us from the evil in which we were,
and for utterly overthrowing (4)
principalities and powers by Him
who suffered according to His
will. Hence God speaks by the
mouth of Malachi, one of the twelve
[prophets], as I said before, (5) about the sacrifices at that time
presented by you: 'I have no pleasure
in you, saith the Lord; and I
will not accept your sacrifices at
your hands: for, from the rising
of the sun unto the going down
of the same, My name has been
glorified among the Gentiles,
and in every place incense is
offered to My name, and a pure
offering: for My name is great
among the Gentiles, saith the Lord: but ye profane it.' (6) [So] He then speaks of those Gentiles, namely us, who in every place
offer sacrifices to Him, i.e.,
the bread of the Eucharist, and also the cup of the Eucharist,
affirming both that we glorify
His name, and that you profane
[it]. The command of circumcision,
again, bidding [them] always circumcise
the children on the eighth day,
was a type of the true circumcision,
by which we are circumcised from deceit and iniquity through Him
who rose from the dead on the
first day after the Sabbath, [namely through] our Lord Jesus Christ. For the first day after the Sabbath,
remaining the first (7) of all
the days, is called, however,
the eighth, according to the number of all the days of the cycle,
and [yet] remains the first. |
Justin Martyr — The First Apology of Justin — Written in 148 A.D. to 155 A.D.
Chapter LXVII. — Weekly Worship of the Christians.
And we afterwards continually
remind each other of these things.
And the wealthy among us help
the needy; and we always keep
together; and for all things wherewith
we are supplied, we bless the
Maker of all through His Son Jesus
Christ, and through the Holy Ghost. And
on the day called Sunday, (1) all
who live in cities or in the country
gather together to one place,
and the memoirs of the Apostles
or the writings of the prophets
are read, as long as time permits;
then, when the reader has ceased,
the president verbally instructs,
and exhorts to the imitation of
these good things. Then we all
rise together and pray, and, as
we before said, when our prayer
is ended, bread and wine and water
are brought, and the president
in like manner offers prayers
and thanksgivings, according to his ability, (2) and the people
assent, saying Amen; and there
is a distribution to each, and
a participation of that over which
thanks have been given, (3) and
to those who are absent a portion
is sent by the deacons. And
they who are well to do, and willing,
give what each thinks fit; and
what is collected is deposited
with the president, who succors
the orphans and widows and those
who, through sickness or any other
cause, are in want, and those
who are in bonds and the strangers
sojourning among us, and in a
word takes care of all who are
in need. But Sunday is the day
on which we all hold our common
assembly, because it is the first
day on which God, having wrought
a change in the darkness and matter,
made the world; and Jesus Christ
our Saviour on the same day rose
from the dead. For He was crucified
on the day before that of Saturn
(Saturday); and on the day after
that of Saturn, which is the day
of the Sun, having appeared to
His Apostles and disciples, He
taught them these things, which we
have submitted to you also for
your consideration. |
My sources:
- The Early Church Fathers on CD-ROM by Harmony Media.
- Faith of the Early Fathers by
William Jurgens (3 books)
If she doesn't believe in Catholic
sources, tell her to go to a secular
library and look up the same quotes
from the same people there!
- Does this mean private Bible
reading is not important?
No, the Church has always encouraged
Bible reading by the faithful, both
the New Testament and the Old Testament.
The Bible was written
by Catholics for Catholics in the
Catholic worship service, Holy
Mass.
Hope this helps,
Mike
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