Catholic Apologetics questions from my email, part One: Unity and Authority

NOTE: BEFORE I EVEN BEGIN TO RESPOND TO THE QUESTIONS I'VE BEEN ASKED BY MY PROTESTANT FRIENDS AND READERS REGARDING CATHOLIC DOCTRINE, I MUST LAY A FRAMEWORK FROM WHICH TO WORK. THIS BLOG IS AN ATTEMPT TO LAY SUCH A FOUNDATION OF MUTUAL UNDERSTANDING.


When I first came back to the Church I was so grateful to have the opportunity to return to the Sacraments and the "fullness" of the Truth that I waxed poetic about it at every opportunity and spent a great deal of time berating protestantism because it was just so silly to me to go around with only HALF the picture and feel so..... unfulfilled.... all the time. (I should specify.... I mean "for me." Who had left the Church in the first place to BE a protestant looking for fulfillment. I found it terribly ironic that I found that fulfillment in the place I walked away from, and that I had spent YEARS as a strong, bible- believing protestant searching for the right way to "do Church.")

Nowadays, I still get asked the same exact questions over and over again that I was asked when I crossed the Tiber: "What about the Pope?" "How can you pray to dead people if you believe the Bible?" "Why do you worship Mary if you say Jesus is Lord?" etc etc etc.

However, I've noticed that instead of being thrilled to have the opportunity to answer like I used to as an uber-enthusiastic, bible-believing apologist (:P) I now get more than a little frustrated (read indignant) in my heart when I get asked the same questions over and over and over. Particularly the ones about Mary, who I have grown to love so much I don't know how I ever got on without her. (I can see my protestant readers starting to twitch! But rest assured, I will explain using my Bible in an upcoming blog.)

This isn't because I fault those protestants who are asking as if they knew better (they don't! and I love them!) But it is because with my appreciation for Catholicism has grown a sense of "Truth" with a capital T-ness in which I find it absolutely appalling that Catholics should have to explain their position all the time in order to be "approved" as it were by fundamentalist Christians. Why? Because the Catholic Church is the parent of protestantism, it is the root from which they have sprung, and it is the source to which they owe the very life of the Spirit they covet and who gave them the very Word of God they think they can use to destroy it. It's just so silly. If anything, protestants should be explaining to Catholics just how on earth they can call themselves Christian when they deny mystical Body of Christ and the Authority which Christ Himself has given. BUT... Catholics don't do that. We call protestants "separated bretheren," and we acknowledge that they have a vivid, if unfocused, picture of the Gospel and the salvation of Christ our Common Lord.

Now, granted, most of my protestant friends feel that it is THEY who are "inclusive" and the ones who make the efforts towards unity when the Catholics instead are dis-unifying by their unflinching.... well....Catholicness. I've been there many times when a protestant friend or family member realized they weren't allowed access to our communion table and had an absolute fit.

And it's a tricky thing. Because in our heart of hearts, every Catholic has a technical right to be as mystified as I am that we must somehow "explain ourselves" in order to be coined "Christian--" the very thing which we have handed down for two thousand years from Jesus Christ Himself. But I also know that my protestant brothers and sisters are doing the same thing I am: journeying. And in that pilgrimmage, they are doing what they can with what they know. Been there.

You see, it is Catholics who say that you must BE a Catholic. Or rather, that if it is possible for you, you SHOULD be a Catholic. It isn't necessary for salvation, but it gives you that blessed assurance.

Protestants, however, are in two camps about the Catholic Church.

Camp One says that the Catholic Church is the Whore of Babylon of the end times- an abomination before the Lord and anethema. They base this idea on complete misunderstandings of Catholic doctrine (not being Catholic themselves NOR QUOTING ACTUAL CATHOLICISM but instead feeding each others' distaste for said Whore with experiential and outlandish claims they find on youtube and in the corner baptist church that-- to a Catholic-- are laughable enough that we may just let them go on thinking what they are thinking just to have a giggle, if you know what I mean.

Camp Two says "hey man, you believe in Jesus and that's good enough for me." They are very relaxed about Catholics, assured of individual Catholics' salvation and completely OK with saying that "Catholics are one denomination among many." Most of my friends fall into Camp Two (MOST) but therein lies the problem. Because as a Catholic, I recognize the historical fact that Catholicism is outside denominations. We ARE the Faith, and from "THE FAITH" sprang splintered groups which evolved to look more or less "like us" and which are, in fact, denominations. It's touchy, but it's true. So while we may all belong to the "Body of Christ" or the "Church" in the sense of all being believers who love and serve the Lord, we don't all belong to the ACTUAL unbroken apostolic line which He set in place to go forth from Him until the time of His return. We are NOT all serving the same spiritual / earthly authority. Therein lies the problem.

Because there is ROOM inside Catholicism for sooooooo many different "ways" of living out our Catholic faith, there is room for everyone who calls on the name of Jesus to get into the same boat and to submit to the same apostolic authority, who got where he is by the laying on of hands from a loooong line of other apostolic authorities which can literally be traced ALL THE WAY BACK to Jesus Christ Himself. This is why having a pope is awesome. You can be a Catholic and never say a prayer to Mary in your life if you don't want to. the Rosary is NOT a requirement for Catholicity. :P
But you must recognize apostolic authority, and that is the one thing I find fascinating.

I have been to many different churches with different opinions about apostolic authority. I believe, like all of you, in the five fold ministy gifts--- giftings from the Holy Spirit for particular offices (teacher, prophet, apostle, etc) Thus, like them, Catholics believe that "apostleship" is a gift of the Holy Spirit, an annointing for a particular person. Like them, we believe-- as Scripture clearly lays out-- that apostolic authority is passed on from one believer in authority to another by the laying on of hands. AND like them, we believe that God will confirm with other witnesses who He will call to the next apostleship.
I was a member for a long time of another church which believed the things i've just laid out about apostles, but it went further still. Because the Bible is clear that apostles must be APPOINTED--- and here's the kicker--- BY OTHER APOSTLES IN AUTHORITY, this particular church had to basically make up a teaching about apostleship and make a case for apostleship not being able to come through the unbroken line anymore because times have changed.

I don't know about you, but I think God is unchanging. And I'm pretty sure my Bible says so too. So while I think it's all fine and dandy to raise up strong leaders in these protestant Churches to guide and shepherd the people, I and the rest of the Catholic Church are sitting back wondering how on earth you can call these people apostles when apostleship is clearly a gift which is handed on and confirmed with ACTUAL spiritual authority-- not imaginary spiritual authority, not spiritual authority which is given by a believer but which is given by CHRIST, conferred by those whom HE has chosen to select the next apostles and shepherds.

So that's the first thing I think I will say in this tricky business of trying to defend / explain Catholic beliefs to inquiring minds. This whole thing is tricky, because in the end, you'll either believe and agree with what I will say in the next few blogs as I answer these questions, or you will totally reject what I am saying as Truth. And the implications of each are pretty staggering.

Let's keep in mind a few things as we go into it:

1. I (personally) love you very much. Chances are, if you are protestant reader you are someone I consider a sister in the faith, an inspiration and an encouragement. I am NOT by any means writing these blogs so that you will convert (although I think you should ;)) but rather so that you will set your mind at ease that I have thoroughly thought all of these things through and that I am STILL READING MY BIBLE AND HEARING (and I should specify, from JESUS) every day.

2. The Catholic Church, for 1500 years, WAS the sole "container" in which the Gospel message spread. Until the protestant reformation occurred, we had perfect unity. The protestant reformation was NOT, I don't believe, intended to be a bad thing-- the Church was in need of renewal. But there is a difference between Renewal AND reformation, and I strongly believe that Satan used something which we could have greatly benefited from to separate us so that he could attack us better (you know ,the old "divide and conquer" method.) Christ is CLEAR as crystal in scripture when he prays for us to have unity. We MUST find a way to work towards that unity somehow. I do NOT hold you personally responsible for the protestant reformation. I do, however, imply often in my blog that you haven't totally thought out some pretty basic aspects of theology, else you would be a Catholic (or at least an orthodox Christian.)I will say that being a Catholic MAKES SENSE, at the end of the day, when you know your Bible and you apply logic to it. That is the argument I will use again and again to defend it.

3. Scripture is explicit:
"let each one be convinced in his own mind."
I cannot change your mind nor can you change mine. Thus, I ask only that you read these blogs with an open mind and pray about them before you cast them away as garbage. Likewise, I pray that I will be NOT A STUMBLING BLOCK to you but a blessing.

See you next blog.<3