February | 2011 | Blogger Priest

The Church is APOSTOLIC

Posted on February 12, 2011 by Father Joe

Titus 1:5: This is why I left you in Crete, that you might amend what was defective, and appoint elders (in other words, priests) in every town as I directed you . . .

Acts 13:2-3: While they were worshipping the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said, “Set apart for me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them.” Then after fasting and praying they laid their hands on them and sent them off.

The apostles passed on their responsibility and authority to others. The bishops of the Catholic Church are their lawful successors. Even St. Paul, blinded by the light of Christ and called to bear his Gospel to the Gentiles, had to be ordained by the apostolic men already ministering. Where do modern Protestant ministers get their authority to teach, preach, and govern? The answer is, only from men. The shepherds of the Catholic Church receive their authority from Christ.

For more such reading, contact me about getting my book, DEFENDING THE CATHOLIC FAITH.

Filed under: Anti-Catholicism, Apologetics, Bible, Catholic, Church, Evangelization, Faith, Magisterium, Pope, Priests | Leave a comment »

The Church is CATHOLIC

Posted on February 11, 2011 by Father Joe

Matthew 28:18-20: And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, to the close of the age.”

Mark 16:15: And he said to them, “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to the whole creation.”

Acts 1:8: “But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria and to the end of the earth.”

Romans 10:18: But I ask, have they not heard? Indeed they have; for “Their voice has gone out to all the earth, and their words to the ends of the world.”

The Church has always had a universal mission. In every time and place, she is the established means of salvation, the faith community instituted by Christ. The word “catholic” itself means universal or worldwide. While biblical interpretations and belief divide Protestant churches and Orthodox churches are distinguished by national affiliation and origin— the Catholic Church is given to all men and women as the most legitimate and unified voice of Christ in our world.

For more such reading, contact me about getting my book, DEFENDING THE CATHOLIC FAITH.

Filed under: Anti-Catholicism, Apologetics, Bible, Catholic, Church, Evangelization, Faith, Holy Spirit, Jesus, Uncategorized | Leave a comment »

Sinners & Christ’s Church

Posted on February 10, 2011 by Father Joe

2 Corinthians 5:15: And he died for all, that those who live might live no longer for themselves but for him who for their sake died and was raised.

Romans 5:6-21: While we were yet helpless, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly, etc.

1 John 2:2: . . . and he is the expiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the sins of the whole world.

1 Timothy 2:4: . . . who desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth.

Christ died to redeem all men and women. Some Protestant groups contend that he only died for a select few predestined for salvation. A radical variation of Calvinism claims as much. Theirs is an angry God who has also predestined many for hell. They are even punished in this world by misfortune, poverty and sickness as a sign of their eternal depravity. Catholics, on the other hand, acknowledge that while Christ has died for all, human freedom still gives us the ability to accept or reject the gift of salvation. God’s passive will allows this, but his direct will makes salvation available to all. Poverty and sickness in this world is not a sign of our status with God; indeed, many have chosen to be poor in the sight of men so as to be rich in the eyes of God. The most wicked war criminal, psychotic serial killer, and abortionist are given God’s fatherly attention and, if they should want to avail themselves of it, can claim the boundless mercy of Christ. It may be that many follow the example of the good thief Dismas on the cross.

Matthew 22:1-14: The parable of the king who made a marriage for his son.

Matthew 13:24-32: The parable of the field in which grew both grain and cockle.

2 Timothy 2:20: In a great house there are not only vessels of gold and silver, but also of wood and earthenware, and some for noble use, some for ignoble.

Matthew 18:15: “If your brother sins against you, go and tell him his fault, between you and him alone. If he listens to you, you have gained your brother.”

Matthew 13:47-50: Parable of the net that was cast into the sea, and gathered every kind of fish, savory and unsavory.

Membership in the Church is retained for the righteous and sinners alike. Thus, it is possible for both good and evil men to claim to be Catholics. Of course, such Christianity for wicked men and women would be in name only. It is such a terrible tragedy. Some of the saints have claimed that there are even priests in hell. It is a prospect that sickens us. But, it is a possibility.

For more such reading, contact me about getting my book, DEFENDING THE CATHOLIC FAITH.

Filed under: Anti-Catholicism, Apologetics, Bible, Catholic, Discipleship, Eschatology, Evangelization, Faith, Forgiveness, God, Providence, Redemption, Repentance, Sin, Uncategorized | Leave a comment »

Christianity is a New People of God, A Visible Community

Posted on February 9, 2011 by Father Joe

Romans 12:5: . . . so we, though many, are one body in Christ, and individually members one of another.

Ephesians 4:3-5: . . . eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called to the one hope that belongs to your call, one Lord, one faith, one baptism . . .

John 10:16: “And I have other sheep, that are not of this fold; I must bring them also, and they will heed my voice. So there shall be one flock, one shepherd.”

Romans 12:4-5: For as in one body we have many members, and all the members do not have the same function, so we, though many, are one body in Christ, and individually members one of another.

John 17:21: “. . . that they may all be one; even as thou, Father, art in me, and I in thee, that they also be in us, so, that the world may believe that thou hast sent me.”

The Christian faith was never intended to be a strictly personal and individualistic affair. Christ establishes a new People of God, a new Israel— the Church. This community of the faithful is a visible organization with certain marks or traits from God. Sometimes the Bible compares the Church to a house, a body, a city built on a hill, a flock, etc. These are all visible images. The unity of this one body compares favorably against all the various argumentative sects and Protestant organizations. The Catholic Church puts them to shame.

For more such reading, contact me about getting my book, DEFENDING THE CATHOLIC FAITH.

Filed under: Anti-Catholicism, Apologetics, Bible, Catholic, Church, Evangelization, Faith, Holy Spirit, Jesus | Leave a comment »

The Gates of Hell Shall Not Prevail Against the Church

Posted on February 8, 2011 by Father Joe

Matthew 28:18-20: And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, to the close of the age.”

Matthew 16:18: “And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the powers of death (gates of hell) shall not prevail against it.”

The Scriptural testimony is clear, and is confirmed by history, the Church endures century after century despite all obstacles. Christ’s Church did not cease to exist and have to be reinvented at a later date. Such a hypothesis is ridiculous! Man-made religions cannot compete against the divine institution of the Catholic Church.

For more such reading, contact me about getting my book, DEFENDING THE CATHOLIC FAITH.

Filed under: Anti-Catholicism, Apologetics, Bible, Catholic, Church, Evangelization, Faith, Magisterium | 1 Comment »

Remembering the Religious Nuns & Sisters

Posted on February 7, 2011 by Father Joe

I have always had the deepest respect for women religious. It seems to me that we unjustly joke about them or ridicule them. Critics will complain about sister hitting them with a ruler but say nothing about the learning and discipline that made their later successes possible. (By the way, a nun who is four-foot-something tall controlling a class of 50 plus boys might take a broken ruler or two!) These women often did without so that they might make a difference in people’s lives. They gave themselves to God’s service as his brides. Now that so many of them are elderly and sick, we need to remember them with love and respect. They pray in worship to God and in petition for those whom they love.

COMMENTS ABOUT THIS POST

Gladys

I so agree with you, Father!

Randall

The trouble is not that religious communities are dying and the membership is aging but rather that they are not dying off fast enough. Given that this situation most afflicts the dissenting nuns, the Church will be better off without them.

Gladys

I will be sad to see them go.

Randall

While the numbers of women religious is way down, the national collection to support them goes up. If it were just for nursing care it would not be so bad but the news has been leaked that radical sisters have used some of this money for their activist agenda. That is stealing, pure and simple!

Gladys

Mostly this is not the case.

Randall

The consecrated religious women who signed the NETWORK letter in support of Obama’s pro-abortion healthcare plan should be censured by their bishops and by Rome. Those who dissent on abortion and mock ecclesiastical authority should be stripped of canonical status and shown the door.

Gladys

Maybe we could dialogue with them first?

Randall

I do not know why the Church plays games with these women. The Pope should pointedly tell them, “Wear your habits and live in community or else!” Some like that nun who insulted Pope John Paul II back in 1979 should have been forcibly stripped of her status. Instead, she has gathered admirers and has sowed the seeds of rebellion for 20 years.

Gladys

He probably forgave her and daily prayed for her.

Terry

Father, I am very glad to see that you are back in the Land of Blog. Your humor and common sense have been greatly missed. Ad multos annos!

Thomas

I was educated in the 1960′s by the Sisters of St Joseph (Boston) through 8th grade. They displayed exceptional dedication, as well as wearing full habits. We are lucky (in NH) to have the Sisters from the Missionary Sisters of the Word order locally. They wear habits and are quite orthodox. They are missionaries here from Mexico to the U.S. And it’s sad to say, they are desperately needed.

Filed under: Religious | Leave a comment »

Infallibility

Posted on February 5, 2011 by Father Joe

John 14:26: “But the Counselor, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, he will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you.”

Acts 1:8: “But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria and to the end of the earth.”

Matthew 28:18-20: And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, to the close of the age.”

John 14:16-17: “And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Counselor, to be with you forever, even the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees him nor knows him; you know him, for he dwells with you, and will be in you.”

God cannot lie. If the Holy Spirit is the true teacher of the apostles and the guardian of the truth in the Catholic Church, as the Bible indicates, then we can be confident in the matters of faith and morals the Church offers us. The Church must be infallible if we are to be assured in not losing our way. Those who contend that the Catholic Church fell into error and adulterated the Gospel should be made aware that they insult both our Lord and the Holy Spirit. Fidelity to Christ and the Church, “the pillar and ground of truth” is urged by St. Paul, especially since even early on he could write: “For some have already strayed after Satan” (1 Timothy 5:15). This is often the case for those deafened and blinded to the Catholic Church’s message.

For more such reading, contact me about getting my book, DEFENDING THE CATHOLIC FAITH.

Filed under: Anti-Catholicism, Apologetics, Bible, Catholic, Church, Evangelization, Faith, God, Holy Spirit, Magisterium, Pope, Uncategorized | 1 Comment »

Church Authority

Posted on February 4, 2011 by Father Joe

Hebrews 13:17: Obey your leaders and submit to them; for they are keeping watch over your souls, as men who will have to give account. Let them do this joyfully, and not sadly, for that would be of no advantage to you.

Matthew 18:17: “If he refuses to listen to them, tell it to the church; and if he refuses to listen even to the church, let him be to you as a Gentile and a tax collector.”

Luke 10:16: “He who hears you hears me, and he who rejects you rejects me, and he who rejects me rejects him who sent me.”

Matthew 16:19: “I will give you (Peter) the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.”

Galatians 1:8-9: But even if we, or an angel from heaven, should preach to you a gospel contrary to that which we preached to you, let him be accursed. As we have said before, so now I say again, if anyone is preaching to you a gospel contrary to that which you received, let him be accursed.

The claims of authority for the leadership of the Catholic Church find verification in the Scriptures. It is given by Christ and affirmed by the apostles. Since the Church acts in the name of our Lord, we even back up the Decalogue with the precepts of the Catholic Church. Chapter 15 of Acts gives a wonderful instance of leadership among “the apostles and the elders” over the community against those who “troubled [them] with words.” This troubling continues today in the voices of secularism and anti-Catholic fundamentalism.

For more such reading, contact me about getting my book, DEFENDING THE CATHOLIC FAITH.

Filed under: Anti-Catholicism, Apologetics, Bible, Catholic, Church, Discipleship, Evangelization, Faith, Jesus, Magisterium, Pope | Leave a comment »

Institution of the Catholic Church by Christ

Posted on February 3, 2011 by Father Joe

Matthew 28:18-20: And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, to the close of the age.”

Unlike the Protestant churches, the Catholic Church traces its history all the way back to Christ, himself. Martin Luther, an excommunicated Catholic priest, established his breakaway church in 1517. Thousands of Protestant sects have formed subsequently from his move of rebellion.

For more such reading, contact me about getting my book, DEFENDING THE CATHOLIC FAITH.

Filed under: Anti-Catholicism, Apologetics, Bible, Catholic, Church, Evangelization, Faith, Jesus | 2 Comments »

The Bible Belongs to the Catholic Church

Posted on February 2, 2011 by Father Joe

Sometimes anti-Catholics talk as if the Catholic Church is the enemy of the Bible. The contrary is true; the Bible is the Catholic Church’s book! The late Paulist priest, Fr. Alvin A. Illig, CSP, joked, “It is a shame we never got a copyright on OUR book.” The Bible did not suddenly come into existence or out of bondage with Martin Luther. Prior to the invention of the printing press, bibles were produced by hand and could be quite expensive and time consuming to create. For this reason they were often secured in churches with locks and chains. A theft could cost the entire faith community its copy of the Scriptures. Many people were illiterate and thus received their bible instruction in preaching and in religious art. The first book printed with the new technology devised by John Gutenberg was probably the Catholic Bible. This was done under the auspices of the Church. Prior to Luther’s German bible in 1534, some 626 bible editions (or portions thereof) were printed in nations where the Catholic Church held sway. Many of these were in the vernacular languages of the day. Today, the lectionary used at Mass insures a wide exposure to Scripture in our worship. There is a papal indulgence available for faithful bible reading. Every Catholic home probably has a bible, or at least, is supposed to have one. The so-called Catholic hostility to the Bible during the Middle Ages and later to bible study groups or societies is a deliberate distortion of the facts by anti-Catholics. The Church was not against the Bible; rather, she was opposed to faulty and dangerous translations as rendered by the Waldensians, Albigensians, Wycliff and Tyndale. The fact that churchmen may have gone to unnecessary extremes in combating heretical versions of Scripture does not invalidate their overriding concern. Bible societies, just as they can be today, posed a danger in that false interpretations to bible passages were given to proselytize Catholics from the true faith.