My inbox: Some questions and answers about Catholicism

I get a LOT of email from people (both friends, acquaintances, and people I have never met) who have an interest in trying to UNDERSTAND Catholicism but who just can't for whatever reason. I'll admit, I am pretty swamped these days with the rigorous demands of being a stay-at-home mom to two toddlers, being about to pop with #3, and my wifely and Carmelite duties. But even in the midst of that, I have a hard time saying no to answering these questions. I know how important it was for ME to have these questions answered when I was pondering the salvation of my Catholic family members. So with that in mind, I give you the latest installment of questions from my inbox:

My dear friend Barbie,

I think of you often and was glad to see your post on facebook this evening. You referred to many of the questions I often contemplate and still struggle with at times concerning your going back to the Catholic church.I love your zeal to live for Jesus and I am happy to have a friend that I can go to freely with my questions. I do not speak as eloquently as you do and I know you are well researched, so please forgive me as I try and formulate my thoughts in a rational way. There is something in my spirit that is troubled by many of the practices of the Catholic church. You gave answers to the questions people ask, but I do not believe it reaches the heart of many of the issues. My first struggle with what you said is that the Catholic church has perfect doctrine. I do not understand this since the Pope is able to change certain doctrine. I do believe the Bible is inerrant. I am unclear if this is something you still believe?? I also have a hard time with your creation vs. evolution argument and believe there are many scientific facts that indeed point to creation. Check out www.answersingenesis.com. I do not understand why there are so many lost and confused Catholics that convert to Christianity. I do agree that denominations are a tool of Satan, but I also believe the church is neither a building or a denomination, but a people who are chosen by Christ, who chose Christ...which, like you said is a combination of both predestination and free choice. I actually can relate more to the church with sinful leaders, than a church that claims perfection but has hidden secrets. Both point to a fallen man. Your right about becoming frustrated with wondering if there is a place where anyone is living as a Christian should. I truly believe that it is in Christ alone that we can hope to be something more than we are as a new creation through Jesus' perfect sacrifice. I know we both love Jesus and you are my sister in Christ, but it scares me that so many in the Catholic church find Mary, but miss Jesus. That is what is the hardest thing to overcome. I know you say that it is a misconception of the Catholic doctrine, but why do so many of the Catholics I know believe it or used to believe it. And isn't the Catechism of the Catholic church adding something to the Holy Scriptures? Sorry, a little lengthy and I am sure I didn't word everything exactly right, but you know I love you and I do want to come to a better understanding.

The woman who wrote this email means a great deal to me. She is one of those rare gems we encounter who wholeheartedly commited herself to Christ and to the family He entrusted her with, and I hope and pray that my answer, albeit brief, will be helpful to her.

First, on the question of Doctrine.
Doctrine is simply the set of beliefs that Catholics must universally hold, and that the Church as an entity has determined to be "True." While all Christians believe that the Bible, in it's entirety, is "True," the thing which (rightly) divides us is doctrine, since doctrine is the interpretation of the Scriptures and Spiritual laws which guide us in our lives of faith. Thus, "purity of doctrine" is a very important thing to have-- we need to be in Churches where they teach the Truth, and we need to, when we see falsehoods being taught as truth, correct them. This was one of my hardest difficulties as a protestant-- I never 100 percent agreed with ANY of my pastors on EVERY issue of biblical relevance. There was always something they believed that I thought was dead wrong. As a Catholic, I can honestly say I no longer have that problem, and I can also say that it is an amazing and glorious thing-- to have achieved perfect unity of the faith with so many of my brothers and sisters in Christ!
So how did the Catholic Church develop the "doctrines of the Catholic faith?"
The beliefs of our Church are based on two things: Holy Scripture, and Holy Tradition. Scripture is the Word of God, handed down to us. Tradition is the teachings of the initial "Fathers of the Faith," handed down to us. In other words, when the Bible is "unclear" or leaves a certain question relatively open to interpretation, we use the interpretation that was at the root of the Christian faith, and that continues to be accepted by those who hold the spiritual authority bestowed upon them by the laying on of hands of the initial apostles, and of course, Christ Himself.
To understand the role of the Pope, we cannot see him as "the guy who makes the rules," but rather as the supreme protector and defender of the Faith we already have--- He may not change or alter doctrine, but may CLARIFY or further explain something which we already hold to be true. (for example, we knew that God was pro-life. It was only as the question of life was examined by theologians over time that HOW THAT PLAYS OUT in our lives was clarified and determined.) Further, the pope is not infallible. He is a human being, a sinner, and like all of us capable of profound error. What the Catholic Church does allow for, however, is that if a question of particular relevance comes up, and the question is examined and thoroughly investigated, the Pope has the ability to represent Christ AND the Church by making an infallible declaration. This is not something that happens regularly, nor is it something that anyone takes "lightly." And while this idea might seem foreign, consider that it resembles something like this: there is a debate amongst Christians in the middle east where Islam is the norm, and the question refers to Christ's actual death. Some Christians, like their muslim counterparts, begin to believe that Christ did not actually DIE on the cross. The question is examined, and the pope might infallibly declare that Christ did, indeed, DIE for our sins and that this an infallible truth. Never does infallibility refer to statements like "we will all wear purple on Thursdays from now on because Jesus says so." Hopefully, that clarifies the question of the Pope's role, how doctrine is determined, and what infallibility actually IS. I absolutely still believe that the Word of God is free of error.

Regarding Creation vs Evolution. I may not have been as clear and concise as I could have been in my last blog, but I will attempt to do so now. As I am about the farthest thing from a scientist that is out there, I will say that I am particularly challenged by the task of explaining this since I really don't know much about it. What I do know is this: There are two "sectors" of understanding when it comes to Christian thought about Evolution. One says that we evolved, the other says that we were created as we are. Both schools of thought have scientists who offer various proofs and explanations for their beliefs. Generally, Christians tend to be pro-Creationist and extremely anti-Evolution, going as far as to take their children out of schools for the sole purpose of avoiding the Evolution scenario, etc.
My earlier statement was simply that within Catholic thought, there is room for dialogue and for the very healthy response that "we just don't know." There is compelling evidence on both sides of the argument (if there weren't, the argument would not exist, right?) which makes a person like me, who examines both sides, sort of scratch my head. What we DO know, as Catholics, is that God created us. Thus IF (and that's a big, HUGE monster IF) evolution DOES exist, God made it and it's a part of His plan. Further, our evolution would have no effect on the reality of the Creation story as it is laid out in the Bible, etc. So basically, Evolution (which is a MAKE OR BREAK deal for many scientifically minded people who would LIKE to believe in God but just can't if Creationism is the only option) can be encouraged to consider that there is nothing in Catholic doctrine that says that Evolution is false, simply that if it does exist, it is a product of God's plan and has no bearing whatsoever on His purpose for us Humans.

Why are so many Catholics lost and confused and converting to nondenominational Christianity? As one of those "lost sheep" myself, I can certainly relate to this question and have had to ponder it myself... what caused me to walk away from the Church? The answer, I think, is a composite of three very serious problems the Church faces. First, the post-Vatican II confusion. Before Vatican II, there was very little "wiggle room" or room for interpretation as far as what being a Catholic meant, what Catholics believed, and what they did. After the second Vatican council, the entire world went into the turmoil of the sixties. Because the council was not EXPLICIT as far as maintaining some of the most basic aspects of the faith, and because of the stress and emphasis placed on lay participation with a TOTAL lack of clarification regarding spiritual authority etc, in a time when ALL authority was put into question, the climate of the last thirty years of Catholic life, particularly in the West, has totally declined. The Seminaries were full to overflowing with people who really have no business becoming priests, thus exacerbating the problem and setting the stage for a climate of "change" which ultimately wounded the Church. Truth suddenly began to be watered down, and watered down, and the influences of protestantism ("everybody think for themselves," etc) seeped in in major ways. This caused confusion among the faithful, many of whom do not regognize the TRUTH the Church teaches "officially" in what they see displayed at their local Parish. Secondly, the sixties and seventies brought with them a rise in the culture of death, the proliferation of methods of Birth Control, and the "Me Generation." These things contributed to the destruction of the family unit and ultimately to the crisis we have in the worldwide Church today--- Children are not being Catechized, and if they ARE being Catechized (taught the faith) they are rarely seeing it lived out in their homes. People have become Cultural Catholics, Catholic by name only, as opposed to living as they are called, For the glory of Christ. Lastly, there has been, in the past few years ,a strong "return" to the Faith and to adherence to scripture in the generation who suffered from their parents' generational failures. These young people are absolutely ON FIRE for Christ, but because of the previous two reasons I just described, are not finding that thirst satiated within the Church because there are so FEW examples of radical Christian living. With the decline of vocations to the Priesthood and in particular to religious life, we find around us so few examples of RADICAL FAITH. Thus, I think many young Catholics are drawn to the easily accessible role models of radical faith they see in their local megachurches, who are actively evangelizing and testifying of their radically changed lives ALL the time.

Finding Mary, but missing Jesus. Devotion to Mary, from a Protestant perspective, makes absolutely no sense unless one examines the doctrine of the Communion of Saints (which I don't have time for right now, but I have blogged about in the past and will continue to blog about in the future) I will say, though, that those who find the REAL Mary: ie. the Woman who bore Christ in her womb and who said "yes" to God every step of the journey of her life, will never miss Christ. The Mary of Scripture and Church Tradition is the Mary who says: "I am with you, now look to my Son." Without exception.
Anyone who finds Mary will find Christ at every step of their relationship with her. YES, there are PLENTY of freaky deaky wierdoes out there who venerate Mary above and beyond the Lord God Almighty. But those people are not practicing the true Faith of Catholicism. If we want to know what the CHURCH teaches about Mary, we need only to look to the Catechism.

Which brings me to the last question: Isn't the Catechism adding to Scripture? The Catechism of the Catholic Church is a statement of Faith that is so in depth it covers absolutely every question of doctrine that has ever been adressed. When protestant Churches are built, created, etc, they MUST post a statement of faith, which is what we use to determine: "Is this a Bible-believing Church that my family can attend?" A bad statement of faith sets off red flags that I don't want to be going there to learn from something outside a source of truth. This is what the Catechism is and does-- it teaches the Faith of Scripture and Traditions of the Church in a systematic way. It is not an addition to scripture but an elaboration on how we are to understand what we read in scripture-- think of it like a Bible Commentary that everyone should know. (in fact, when I win the lottery I will commission someone to create a Catholic Bible that contains ONLY commentary from the Catechism ;))

I hope that all of your questions have been somewhat clearly addressed. As I am sure there will be more, I look forward to hearing from you again and again as I never tire of talking about these things. SO much love!!!

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I have a question. How does the passage 1st Timothy 3 about Bishops , Pastors and Decons fit into the preisthood? Since it says husband of one wife. I'm confused and still studying.

On the priesthood and the celibate life. While the subject of the priesthood is an extraordinarily wide reaching one with many things to take into consideration, I will try to be as brief as I can. My temptation, when returning to the Church, was to think of the priest as "officially ordained" Pastors of the Catholic Church. And while that is true, the priesthood is so much more than that.
AMong other things, priests are specifically set apart BY GOD to perpetually offer sacrifices as well as to represent Him on behalf of His Bride. Thus, the priest is spiritually married to the Church, His bride. Because of the Nature of the Holy Trinity, the Priests also share in the Fatherhood of God--- in Spiritually nurturing and Fathering the people of God. Because they are human, believing men, they are also Sons of God and thus, our brothers.
Each of these roles are vital in understanding who they are. You are right, Scripture clearly lays out the specifics that say how a married priest, bishop etc is to act and what can be expected of Him. But because we believe the WHOLE Bible, we must also take into consideration the passages where St Paul, for example, tells us that it is better to be single than to be married. With this in mind, the Church, in her wisdom, makes a distinction between what is blessed and what is "MORE" blessed. We do have married priests in the Catholic Church. (not many, but there are some.) These priests are certainly blessed to have these families. However those priests who are NOT married are certainly MORE blessed to be able to complete their ministerial duties in a far less taxing manner. It's important to stop here and recognize why Priests are more like superheros than pastors. They are on call (and busy!) not just 12 but 24 hours a day, serving the people of God by bringing the sacraments to them. They have MUCH more to do than offer a good sermon once a week (try once a day!) and visit the sick in the congregation. They are literally slaves of the Lord, and as such, those types of responsibilities require the ability to NOT have to spend any precious energy on a wife, or children, who would (and do!) undoubtedly suffer greatly at the rigorous demands of the priestly calling.
So it is not that it would be WRONG for a priest to be married, it is that it is so much BETTER for him not to be married, and as such, the Church holds men to that "HIGHER" calling.

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I just wanted to pop in and say I've been watching EWTN and they have 2 programs that oddly addressed the questions I kind of listed in my last message. So I understand how the laws were never meant for gentiles and how our salvation in through trust in Jesus rather than works on the side. I guess the law remains for the Jew though, because how can something be eternal in one covenant and then abandoned in the next? ahh confused lol

I bought a catechism too so I'll be reading from that. However, I did want to ask how you wear a headcovering to church. I'm nervous of doing it, but I feel it is soooo essential, I cannot pray without it...and being in the house of God without one is silly. I don't know if you have a certain style or anything, I don't want all eyes on me ya know? And also...the lady of fatima sightings I believe it was, didn't the apparition say in her 15 promises that if you recite the rosary you are safe from hell, or something to that effect? Isn't this blasphemous? I know most of the rosary is scripture from the bible, I'm just hesitant to pray it...being it isn't straight to Jesus.

Re: headcovering You absolutely do NOT have to wear a chapel veil or mantilla to church if you are interested in fulfilling the biblical mandate to cover your head. In fact, I often don't! mantillas are the traditional Catholic option for women who grew up in the West and were influenced by the traditions of Spain and Italy. In France, where I grew up, women simply wear baboushkas (square scarves folded into a triangle and knotted behind the neck or under the chin) and in most middle eastern areas, women wear long rectangular scarves, loose hijab style, wrapped around the head and neck. If you don't want to stand out, then observe what the women in your parish might be wearing. However, I will say that in most American Churches (unless you attend a predominantly ethnically diverse parish) the women who DO cover will be wearing Chapel Veils (which a friend of mine calls doilies :P) and so that is probably the less conspicuous option. In many parishes, you will be hard pressed to find ANYONE who covers their head, in which case, I say, just go for whatever makes you feel comfortable!

On the Rosary. The Rosary is first, and foremost, a meditation: it is a prayer, yes, but a prayer rooted in placing ourselves in the figurative shoes of Mary as she watched her Son and Savior fulfill his mission. It might take a while to get accustomed to praying the hail mary (Which is a prayer taken directly from Scripture) but you will already feel comfortable praying the Our Father or the Glory Be. In the Rosary, then, we both pray verbally, with our hands, and with your minds.
We both give to God in prayer and receive from Him in meditation. It's like 20 minutes a day of perfect peace and time alone with Him. I have blogged before several times about the Rosary and you can certainly find those blogs in my search bar. But the thing I would say to you is this: God knows your heart. He knows that you desire to worship Him alone, and He knows that you desire also to draw closer to Him. Pray the Rosary a few times, and ask the HOLY spirit to be your guide as you do so. He will let you know if it is something pleasing to Him or not. I agonized for a while between a desire to pray the rosary and a fear that I was doing something spiritually incorrect by doing so. I took my own advice and asked God to guide my rosary meditations, and found the practice to be so fruitful that I recommend it to all I meet. More than any other "method" of prayer, the Rosary is truly COMPLETE in itself. We will always be praying and doing and learning God's will when we pray the rosary, because we are literally step by step WITH Him.

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I love your blog and when I read it I miss the RCC tons. But every time I try and return, the same problems stop me. I guess this message is more questions than anything..like why do you take the Pope's word as final? Especially when it contradicts the bible. Like the 10 commandments for instance...they're different in the bible than what the church teaches. Sunday is the sabbath in the church whereas the Christians of Jesus' time kept the saturday sabbath and had an extra celebration on sunday. The church says saints get into heaven and become above us, yet the bible says everyone sins and the penalty for sin is death...we're all on the same playing field. Yeshua's blood will cleanse anyone who asks of it, therefore everyone can be a saint, as the bible says. and the first christians lived a jewish lifestyle because the OT is eternal. If it isn't then God is a liar...his holy heritage is a lie. Catholics say homosexuality and abortion is wrong, but they use proof from the OT. How can this be if they only accept certain parts of the OT laws? Paul is a hard read and that's why I believe it was Peter who says to read his words carefully. He never preaches against abandoning the law, but to do so with faith knowing you can no longer earn salvation. The law teaches sin, we can't just give that up because the Church says so.

thanks for your time, if you can respond!


I gather from this email that you are coming from a Messianic believer type of place, and that the "Jewishness" of the Scriptures are not lost on you--and for that, I am grateful, as the relevance of that Jewishness is lost on many people! You said in your later email that you had uncovered some of the answers to these questions but didn't clarify which ones, so in the interest of saving time I will respond not in a point-by-point but to a few of the ones that really stood out to me.

I covered the Pope's role and infallability as well as Catholic Doctrine in the first letter I answered, so I wont go there again.
The question of the Lord's Day Vs the Sabbath is a very important one to people like Seventh Day Adventists, so I would like to recommend this link, which does a fantastic job of laying out the "why" of Catholic Sunday observance. Remember, though, that many Catholics go to mass EVERY day, and are encouraged to make EVERY day holy. ;)

http://www.catholic.com/thisrock/2004/0403frs.asp

The question of 'who can be a Saint' is a good one--- because there is much confusion about this question. The answer, as you have said, is that ANYONE can be a saint: in fact, the Church teaches that it is the calling of EVERY person who responds to Christ to become a Saint. Those whom the Church has declared a saint are persons who lived such notably Holy lives as to have been distinguished among their peers, and who, from their place in heaven, have visibly affected those on the path to Holiness below. In other words, Saints are those of whom the Church can say definitively that they "have been saved." This doesn't mean that others have NOT, it simply means that we can determine that these have "stayed the course."

With regards to the Old Testament It is very, very important to understand that very few of those "jewish traditions" have been erradicated. Rather, they have simply been modified (over the years but in particular BY THE ORIGINAL CHRISTIANS who walked with Christ Himself) to reflect the reality not just of God the FATHER, but of God the Son and of God the Holy Spirit. The liturgy of the Roman Catholic Church reflects it's jewish counterpart in all it does, however it does not confine itself to what Jews have done and do today, but rather extends itself to glorify the Holy Trinity and to help us enter into the mystery of the reality of Christ's sacrifice, an element which is deeply missing from any Jewish liturgy or tradition. As you study the Catechism of the Church, you will find that the Church does not advocate abandoning the Law in any way, but rather that the Church believes Christ who came to FULFILL the Law (not discarding it) by teaching us the Spirit of the Law and the practical pursuit of the law, which is summed up in this: Love God. Love others.

Hopefully these answers have provided SOME clarification. For those who are serious about the subject of eceumenical dialogue, I strongly recommend the following three books:

The Catholic Survival Guide by Catholic Answers
Catholics and Christians
95 Bible verses that confound Protestants
(although this one is a bit harsh towards protestants and not for the sensitive soul, if you know what I mean. However, it raises some excellent questions over holes in protestant theology...and reminds us that if we really believed the Bible, then quite honestly, we'd all be Catholics. Which is what happened to me!)

May God, who IS Truth, direct our steps always that we might know Him more each day.