November Newsletter: Why is knowing Papal Authority Important to Salvation?

Hey Folks,

Just a reminder that this Saturday is another Fidei Defensor Meeting. 8-9:30a  at the Gehl Center (right behind the Cathedral in Green Bay)  The group that was there in Oct. decided that we should still hold a meeting in Nov. but take Dec. off.

Last month we had a guest host: my wife, Tricia.  She is a convert to Catholicism from the Reformed tradition (very similar to Presbyterian).  She walked us through a memorization visualization on how to remember why we believe Peter was made the first Pope by Christ.

A very good and important question was brought up: why is this important to salvation?  Shouldn't we just focus on helping people believe in Jesus?

Again this is a very good and important question.  Let me try to answer in part by analogy.  Let's say we wanted to travel to Madison.  First, we need to know which Madison we wanted to get to (WI? GA? MN? AL?) because it makes a difference. (I once booked a hotel at the wrong "Maryville".  I wanted IL, but I booked it in MO, 300 miles away...)  We'd have to consult something to find out which Madison it is we're trying to get to. 

Next, we need to know how to get there.  Even if we have a rough idea of which way to go (Southwestern WI)we'd have to consult something in order to find the correct way to get there.  In addition to all that, we have to rely on the assumption that we have traffic laws and everyone else is going to obey them as well - if people were driving on both sides of a highway, or across fields, lawns etc; were not obey traffic signals and speed limits we'd have a lot tougher time getting to Madison wouldn't we?

It's the same in the Spiritual life.  We want to know Jesus.  But which "Jesus"?  I could say, "I've met Jesus and he's changed my life!  I want you to meet him too.  He's a Hispanic guy living down the street and prefers if you pronounce it "Hey-Zeus." 

Mormons say he's an "exaulted man" but not the same as "God the Father".  Jehovah Witnesses say he's St. Michael the Arc Angel.  Many people today say he's "just a good moral teacher".  Is he God?  Is he Man?  Is he both? 

Some Christian denominations say he wasn't "God" until his baptism.  Some say it was only "the Human Jesus" that died on the Cross, not "the Divine Jesus."

Some Christian denominations over emphasize his help of the poor and say "He's only about Social Justice."  Some say we shouldn't mention "sin" ever because Jesus didn't condemn the woman caught in adultery.  Some Christians over emphasize Jesus' overturning of the tables in the temple and say "We need to be asking 'Who would Jesus Whip?'" - I read a whole book about this when I was Protestant.  Some take his condemnations of the Sadducees too far and start a conversation by telling everyone they're going to hell! (Anyone remember the "One Sorry B_stard" signs?)

Which Jesus are we to follow?

It has been the Authority of the Church, led by the Holy Spirit, through the Apostles and Bishops - with Peter and the Popes at their head - who have told us "which Jesus" we need to follow.

So now we know where we're going.

But HOW do we follow him?

Some say we start with Baptism which is necessary for salvation and open to infants.  Some say if you baptize an infant it "didn't count" and you could be going to hell for it.  Some say we must receive the "Lord's Supper" to get to heaven; some say we do not.  Some say we must believe only and everything else is all set - we could murder 100 times a day and still get to heaven.  Some say we can lose our salvation by sinning.  Some say we must do good works.  Others say if you do good works, you're going to hell - yes you read that right.

Some say, none of this matters.  Just have a "good heart" - whatever that means - and Jesus will understand.

In a sense, we have people going in every direction saying they're headed to Madison (and all claiming to read the same map)!

It has been the Authority of the Church, led by the Holy Spirit, through the Apostles and Bishops - with Peter and the Popes at their head - that interpret the Scriptures correctly and tell us the correct way to follow Jesus.

This can be said also of the Traffic Laws.

We can only "Triangulate" our proper position and destination using the Scriptures, the Tradition and the Authority of the Catholic Church.

I hope this helps answer the question.
God Bless, hope to see you at the meeting!

In this edition:
1) Sept meeting wrap up
2) Oct meeting agenda
3) ***New from Fidei Defensor: Pamphlets!*

Sept Meeting Wrap up

The Sept meeting was out first meeting using The Essential Catholic Survival Guide.  There were many positive comments about the reading.  We never quite got to formulating the information into a memorable conversation - that will be part of next months meeting.  We ended up having a great conversation about talking to people with little or no faith at all.  Here's a blog I did a while back that covers much of what we talked about: http://fideidefensorgb.blogspot.com/2015/09/street-evangelization-are-you.html

Oct meeting: **Next Meeting is Oct 24th.  8:00, Gehl Center**  Mark your calendars!

Agenda:  1) How to easily remember and talk about Peter's authority
Reading about it is one thing, but actually explaining it to another person is quite another.  We'll explain how to do it and even practice a bit.

2) Grace: How we are saved.  ***Reading Assignment Chapters 28, 29, 30 and if we get time 31.
Getting a proper understanding of what Grace is and what it does helps us have conversations with people about things like: Salvation, Justification, Sanctification, Baptism, the Eucharist, being "Born Again" etc.  In the spirit of putting first things first, we're going to be learning about Grace - God's life living in us.

 **New** we now offer pamphlets. 

We have quite a number on various topics from St. Paul Street Evangelization but we're just rolled two pamphlets of our own: "Abortion: Some Questions to Consider" and " 'Rome vs the Bible' vs Reality"

"Abortion: Some Questions to Consider" takes the emotion out of the equation.  It deals with the intellectual arguments, agreeing with the valid concerns of Pro-choice advocates, where possible, but showing how those concerns actually point to a Pro-Life view.  Great to hand out at Pro-Life rallies.

" 'Rome vs the Bible' vs Reality" is a response to the popular anti-Catholic pamphlet "Rome vs the Bible".  It takes each argument and shows where the writers of the pamphlet failed to either present actual Catholic teaching, or failed to take into account the Whole Bible... or both.  Great to have at Catholic events, like Walk to Mary, where anti-Catholics will be handing out the error filled pamphlet.

Coming soon:  "Sola Scriptura vs the Bible and History"; "Sola Fide vs the Bible and History" and "Protestantism vs the Bible and History"

For information on how to get one of these, or any of the St. Paul Street Evangelization pamphlets on a huge variety of topics, just contact us at this email address.

"Be ever ready with a response for the hope that is in you" can mean having a pamphlet to hand to someone!

God Bless,
Fidei Defensor

"Rome vs the Bible" vs Reality

A Critical Review of a Popular Anti-Catholic Pamphlet

        

       What would you do if you discovered the majority of the bad things you were taught about Catholicism were incorrect and meant to deceive you?

 

 

      The pamphlet “Rome vs the Bible” has many factual errors both blatant and more subtle.  In discovering these errors, will you continue to spread them, or correct them?

 

Authority

 

 

"Rome vs the Bible" (RvB) claims that "the Bible teaches Scripture has authority over the church" and cites 2Tim3:16.  RvB then claims "Catholicism teaches the Church has authority over Scriptures" and cites the Catholic Catechism (CCC) paragraphs 100 and 119.

 

 Reality shows Catholicism teaches that the Church is the authoritative interpreter of Scripture (85, 100, 119) by the power of the Holy Spirit (109-114) but clearly teaches “the Church is the servant of Scripture. "(86)  RvB doesn’t report accurate Catholic teaching.   Why?

 

Also 2 Tim 3:16 says nothing about the church.  It merely shows the high authority, inerrancy and inspiration of Scripture , something that Catholicism teaches (101-141).  But is that the only thing that has authority according to Scripture? 

 

Ask yourself: what do I believe has the authority to decide between arguing Christians?

 

What do I believe is the pillar and foundation of truth for the Christian?

 

What did God plan to use, from the beginning of time, to make known His entire wisdom?

 

RvB would like you to believe it is The Bible.

 

Reality shows, according to that Bible, it is:

 

The Church (Mt 18:15-18; 1Tim3:15; Eph 3:10)

 

 Also ask: How do I know what books belong in Scripture?   Scripture cannot tell you.

 

Salvation / Justification

 

RvB implicitly denies that one can lose salvation.  RvB then derides Catholicism for believing in Mortal sin and the ability to lose salvation.

Reality shows that the Bible explicity teaches there is Mortal sin, or the “sins that lead to death” ('death' = 'mortal' in Latin)(1Jn5:17) meaning a spiritual death.  The Bible teaches that a Christian can, indeed, lose salvation through sinning. Take heed you who think you stand secure, lest you fall.  (1Cor 10:6-8; 11-12) (Rom 11:22; Gal 5:6; 2 Pet  2:20-22) RvB doesn’t address these verses.  Why not?

 

RvB states “man is Justified once by faith”.  RvB then condemns Catholicism for teaching that Salvation and Justification are a process, with a one-time event to begin them, but then cooperation needed to continue progressing in them.

Reality shows the Bible says both Salvation and Justification are processes with a past completed event (Rom 8:24; Eph 2:5-8 etc), present application (1Cor1:8; 2Cor2:15; Phil 2:12), and future cooperation needed to get to heaven (Rom 5:9-10; 1Cor 3:12-15).RvB doesn’t address the rest of these Biblical passages.  Why not?

 

RvB implies that faith alone is what saves someone and works will come afterward, but does not have anything to do with salvation.  RvB then claims Catholicism teaches that one can earn “their own salvation” through good works.

 

 Reality is Catholicism teaches that no one can earn their own salvation(2010) .  Catholicism teaches that we are justified entirely by Grace (1996).  Catholicism teaches Grace / Justification is the work of Christ's atoning death on the Cross and by His Blood (1992).  Catholicism teaches that we must have faith in Christ to be saved (161).  Catholicism recognizes that once we have Grace, we must cooperate with God to continue walking in the Light, so that the blood of Christ continues to cleanse us (2006-2029, cf 1Jn 1:7)

 

RvB again does not report accurate Catholic teaching.  Why not?

  

Reality shows the Bible teaches we are saved by Grace which no one can earn (Eph 2:8-9).  But once we are “in Christ” we are commanded to do good works (Eph 2:10).  If we disobey this command, we cannot be saved (Jn 3:36); If we rely only on faith, without good works, that faith cannot save us.  Good works complete our faith, as it did with Abraham, and therefore it was credited to him as righteousness.  Just as a body cannot be alive first and the soul comes later, faith without good works is dead. The only place in Scripture the phrase “Faith Alone” appears it says:  We are justified by works and NOT BY FAITH ALONE (Ja 2:14-24). 

 

 We must work out our salvation with fear and trembling for it is God who works in us (Grace) both to will (faith) and to work (good works) (Ph 2:15-16).  We must keep the Commandments to go to heaven (Mk 10:17-22)

 

 Reality is everywhere in Scripture where people are judged to heaven or hell, they are judged by their works (Rom 2:5-11; Mt 25-31-46; Rev 20:12 among many others). 

 

RvB neglects to mention any of these Bible passages.  Why not?

Baptism

 

RvB states that only the Holy Spirit regenerates people.  RvB then implies that Catholicism is opposed to this by teaching Baptism regenerates people.

 

Reality is that Catholicism teaches Christ empowered Baptism to bring the Holy Spirit, which is why it regenerates people (1225; 1987; 2017).

Reality shows that Christ said exactly that.  (Jn3:5) Reality also shows that the Bible teaches Baptism is necessary for salvation and forgives sins (1Pet 3:21-22; Act 2:38-39

 

RvB again fails to give accurate representation of Catholicism and ignores Scripture.  Why?

 

Eucharist / The Lord's Supper

 

RvB states, “the Lord’s Supper is a memorial” implying an intellectual recollection only and cites 1Cor11:24-25.  RvB then implies that the Catholic Mass is re-sacrificing Christ.

Reality shows that the word for “remembrance” (anamnesis) means making a past event present today.  Also the word for “do” implies sacrifice.  Christ also said, “This IS my Body” and “This IS my Blood” not "this represents" (Lk 22:19-20; paralleled in Mk, Mt; 1Cor11:24-25).  Christ also commands us to “Eat My Flesh” and “Drink My Blood” numerous times using language that can only be interpreted literally without doing violence to the text. (Jn 6:51-56).  Paul also tells us this is a literal participation in Christ's Body and Blood (1 Cor 10:16) and to receive without discerning Christ's Body, is to be guilty of His literal Body and Blood i.e. of murder (1 Cor 10:27-30).

Reality is Catholicism teaches Christ’s sacrifice was Once-For-All, and the Eucharist is making that One Sacrifice present today (re-presenting) (1362-1363).

Reality also is all Christians writings from the first EIGHT CENTURIES taught the literal interpretation of Christ’s words.  One cannot find a single Christian writer who states what RvB believes about the Lord’s Supper for 800 years after Christ’s Ascension.

Reality also shows RvB's idea of "the Lord's Supper" was made up by men in the 16th Century.   A warning from Scripture is appropriate here: Gal 1:8.

 RvB only cites one of the dozens of paragraphs of the CCC dealing with this; only one of the Bible verses above and doesn't tell you what those words actually mean.  Why?

Anathemas

  

Anathema merely means to not belong to the community.  RvB would like you to believe it means "condemned to hell." 

 

RvB's own teachings (Faith Alone, Scripture Alone, Symbolic Only Lord's Supper, Once Saved Always Saved, the Rapture etc) were made up by men in the 16th Century or later. Protestant Historians like JMD Kelly acknowledge this.

 

RvB's own warning (Gal 1:6-9) applies to them, not to the Catholic Church whose biblical teachings have stayed consistnent for 2000 years.  One only need to read the writings of the students of the Apostles to see this is true.

 

By believing - and pushing -  these brand new, non-biblical teachings RvB proves they 'do not belong' to the Church Christ founded.

 Saints / Priests

RvB claims that Catholicism doesn’t teach that all Christians are priests and saints.

 

Reality: The Catholic Church explicitly teaches the priesthood of all believers and that all Christians are saints (priesthood: 1141; 1268; 1546 / saints: 946-962).  RvB did not bother to take 10 seconds on a internet search to find this out. Why Not?

 

Reality: Recognizing what Scripture tells us, Catholicism teaches  Christ also set up a ministerial priesthood by giving it much of His Authority (Lk 10:16; Jn 20:21-23 cf. 2Cor 5:18; Mt:18:18 and many others) and that the “Holy Ones” in heaven (1 Thes 3:13) (the Latin word ‘holy’ is where ‘saint’ comes from) / the souls of Just men made perfect can now, because of Christ, be address and approached (Heb 12:22-24).  Since: the Church is the Body of Christ(Col 1:18); Christ only has one Body, not multiple (1Cor 12:12); Death cannot separate us from Christ (Rom 8:37-38); and we, in Christ, are commanded to pray for one another (1Tim2:1-4), therefore those members of the Church in Heaven are praying for us, and presenting our prayers before the Throne of God (Rev 5:8).

RvB does not present the full Biblical picture and presents a completely FALSE representation of Catholic teaching.  WHY?

 

 Final Thoughts

RvB does NOT want to present accurate Catholic teaching, nor the full Biblical teaching on these topics.  WHY?

They have believed the Traditions of Men: Martin Luther, John Calvin, Ulrich Zwingli, John Smyth, John Wesley, and the tens of thousands after them.  They have not held fast to the Traditions of God, which includes Sacred Scripture, (2Thes2:15; 3:6; 1Thes3:13; 2Tim2:2; 1Cor11:2) passed on faithfully for 2000 years by the Catholic Church!

 

We encourage you to read your denomination's teaching charters / documents / confessionals and compare them to   1) History: the writings of the 1st Christians after the Apostles 2) The WHOLE Bible 3) The Catechism of the Catholic Church.

We welcome your charitable comments or questions.

Fidei Defensor


Bulk pamphlets available upon request.Pamphlets coming soon:  Sola Scriptura vs the Bible, History and Logic; Sola Fide vs the Bible; Protestantism vs. the Bible and History.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Statues and Icons and Art... OH MY!

Talking about the Catholic Practice of Statues

"What don't you Catholics understand about Exodus 20:4-5?  'You shall not make for yourself an idol, whether in the form of anything that is in heaven above, or that is on the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth.   You shall not bow down to them or worship them...'  You guys have statues and you bow to them!"  Catholicism has also been charged with changing the commandments to hide this from the people.

          This is a great topic and is often a starting point in conversations with non-Catholic Christians (Protestants).  This article is broken up into three parts: a 'bumper sticker' answer; a mid-length explanation; and an in-depth yet still remember able answer.

The "Bumper Sticker" Answer

          As a practicing Catholic, I have never worshiped a statue; I have never seen anyone worship a statute; I have never been taught or counseled to worship a statue.

          A full study of  Scripture shows that God was not forbidding the making of art, but was forbidding Idolatry  [the worship of that stone, wood, metal or paint in and of itself as a god] .  Catholicism uses religious art as many use family pictures -  to remember family and events better than they would without them - or as an instrument to teach the stories of the Bible to the illiterate.

The Mid-Length Answer

          Catholicism has always taught that the first Commandment is "You shall have no other gods before me.  You shall not make for yourself a graven image, or any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth; you shall not bow down to them or serve them."  Ex. 20:3-5.  However a close look at Scripture will show that shortly thereafter (5 chapters) God commanded the making of 2 gold cherubs (Ex 25:18).  There is also the story of the Brass Serpent in which God, again, commands the making of a Brass or Bronze Serpent where anyone who looks upon it will be saved.  Jesus uses this as an example of himself.

          We can also see from Scripture that bowing is not reserved for worship alone.  Jacob bowed low to Esau seven times (Gen 33:3) and Solomon - a prefigurement of Christ - bowed to his mother, the queen (1 Kgs 2:19).

          Some may ask: 'Show me one place in Scripture where someone bows to a statue?'  Joshua 7:6 shows Joshua and the Elders prostrating themselves (a form of  bowing) in front of the Arc of the Covenant.  What is on the Arc?  Those two gold cherubim mentioned before.

          In Exodus 20:3-5, God was not forbidding the making of art, or forbidding honoring anyone the art depicted.  He was forbidding Idolatry.  Catholicism uses religious art as many use family pictures -  to remember family and events better than they would without them - or as an instrument to teach the stories of the Bible to the illiterate.

The In-depth Answer

          Look around yourself right now.  Are there any images " of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth"?  Any pictures of family?  Any paintings?  Carvings?   Look carefully: children's toys, food labels, movies, T.V.... Are these all forbidden by this commandment? 

          But some may object, God was speaking of religious objects in a religious context.  Unfortunately Scripture does not make this distinction.  But even if it did, look around many Protestant church buildings:  there are images and statues of Jesus, Mary, the Apostles, doves, grapes, angels, lambs, etc.  Even the most Fundamentalist of denominations will have at least a cross.  How about Cress Scenes?  Children's Picture Bibles?  The movie, "The Passion of the Christ?"  Are not all of these, including the cross, an image of anything that is in heaven, in the earth or in the water?

          But the objection continues, Catholics kneel before, bow to and even kiss these images.  Again, in everyday life we recognize that kneeling, bowing and kissing do not equate to worship:  Do soldiers worship the American Flag (another image) when they salute it?  Or when the same soldier, deployed, talks to and kisses a picture of his family he is separated from?  Do the Japanese and Chinese people worship each other when they bow in greeting?  Did Reformers commit idolatry when they kneeled before the princes and kings supporting their efforts?  I've talked to Protestants who love the Bible so much, they kneel before it as they read it.  Are any of these committing Idolatry? 

          Through Scripture we can see that God was not forbidding art and other images in general, nor was He forbidding using gestures to give honor to people or situations even those depicted in art.  He was forbidding the worship of those images in-and-of-themselves; in a word: Idolatry. 

          The Catholic Church has always recognized and taught this distinction.  In Part 3, Chapter 1, Article 1 of the Catholic Catechism, the Catholic Church teaches that the First Commandment is " I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery; you shall have no other gods before me.  You shall not make for yourself an idol, whether in the form of anything that is in heaven above, or that is on the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth.  You shall not bow down to them or worship them..."

          However, that is not the last word, or only word, Scripture has on images.  In Exodus 25:18, a mere five chapters later, God commands the making of statues:  "And you shall make two cherubim of gold; of hammered work shall you make them, on the two ends of the mercy seat [of the Arc of the Covenant]."

          In Exodus 26:1God commands that cherubim be woven into the tabernacle curtains.

          In Numbers 21:8-9 God again commands the making of a bronze image:  "And the LORD said to Moses; 'Make a fiery serpent, and set it on a pole; and everyone who is bitten, when he sees it, shall live.'  So Moses made a bronze serpent, and set it on a pole; and if a serpent bit any man, he would look at the bronze serpent and live."  Christ later uses this as a prefigurment of himself (Jn 3:14).

          Some objections then say we are only to make religious art / statues when God commands us to.  This also does not take into account all of Scripture:  1 Kings chapters 6 and 7 describe the temple with many images in it:  cherubim, palm trees, flowers, gourds, oxen, lions, and wreaths (6:23,29,32, 35, 7:24, 25, 29, 36).  None are explicitly commanded but God blessed the temple by His presence. Even in Ezekiel's vision of the heavenly temple, Ezekiel also sees many statues and carvings: palm trees, cherubs, a man's face, a lion's face, leaves etc.  Can God be contradictory?  Catholicism recognizes that especially since Jesus became the "icon" of the Father, He blessed all art, even religious art in churches (Col 1:15).

          But, some continue, it's the bowing, kneeling and kissing of these images that make the problem.  I would ask: is bowing, kissing or kneeling always "worship" in Scripture?  Did not Jacob bow himself to the ground seven times to Esau (Gen 33:3)?  Did not Solomon, a prefigurement of Christ, and the King of all Israel, bow down to his mother (1 Kgs 2:19)?  Was Judas' kiss worshiping Christ or betraying Him?

          But can you show me, says the objector, even ONE place in Scripture where someone bows to a statue?  Joshua 7:6 shows Joshua and the Elders going prostrate - an extreme bow - before the Arc.  But don't forget what's on the Arc: two 5' tall gold statues.  To the Protestant onlooker this would be Joshua bowing to a statue.

          What's the difference?  The difference is in the heart.  The Catholic Church is clear that if someone bows before a statue thinking it, in-and-of-itself is the source of power, that is Idolatry and in the Catholic Church that person could lose their salvation for doing so.  But one can also, properly disposed, bow before a statue to honor, not worship, the person or situation that statue or artwork depicts.

          If an objector is still insistent that a Catholic is committing the sin of Idolatry after this explanation, the objector is claiming to read hearts, something only God can do, and is therefore setting themselves up equal to God, which is Idolatry of self.

          Why do Catholics have artwork, statues and other images?  Catholicism uses religious art as many use family pictures -  to remember family and events better than they would without them - or as an instrument to teach the stories of the Bible to the illiterate.  The Catholic Church recognizes that throughout the history of the world, and even world-wide today, the majority of people cannot read.  The Catholic Church is committed to getting Scripture to the people anyway possible.  So, in addition to reading it to them every day [at a rate of virtually the whole Bible per year] the Catholic Church puts art and statues that depict the various people, places and events from the Bible in the churches so the illiterate can still learn the stories and teach them to their children.  We can thereby honor and worship God more fully through the honor of the people and events depicted, than we could without these pieces of art.

          I hope this helps you understand the Catholic Church's possession on religious statues and artwork.  For further information please go to www.catholic.com keyword search 'statues'.



Street Evangelization: Are you fullfilling Christ's last command?

Street Evangelization!

     This past Summer, Fidei Defensor took our faith to the streets!  Unlike what most people think of, the style of Evangelization we use is the St. Paul Street Evangelization style: No bullhorns, No yelling, No telling people their going to hell, No cornering people and asking them if they've accepted Jesus' Church as their personal Church or whatever...

     This is a Non-Confrontational, Non-Approach, No Pressure street evangelization and it's taking the Catholic Faithful - and the people we talk to - by storm.  St. Paul Street Evangelization started 2 or so years ago with two guys in Lancing MI.  Today they have chapters in almost all 50 states and over a dozen countries.

How do you do it?

1) We set up a table somewhere where people are going to be: a farmer's market, a fair, a sporting event etc.  On the table are the free flyers and C.D.s provided by St. Paul Street Evangelization.  All the pamphlets and C.D.'s are reviewed and approved for faithful content - meaning to the best of the reviewer's ability, they are accurate Catholic teaching.

2) We place a sign in front of the table that has Jesus Christ lifting the Host at the Last Supper on one side and Our Lady of Guadalupe on the other.  Both sides say: "Catholic Truth: Need Prayer?  Have Questions?  Free Materials.  Find True Joy!"

3) We pray and wait for people to come up to us.  That's it.  We're the fishing lure in the water waiting for the fish to come by.  Some groups wiggle the lure a bit by offering free Rosaries or Miraculous Metals. 

What about all the questions?  I don't know that much!

     For the most part, what people really want is to know:  1) What was your life like before you had an encounter with Christ  2) What was that encounter like?  (Slow, fast, all at once, or a series of small experiences etc)  3) How has your life changed since then?

     People also want to know the Good News.  What is the Good News?  We can sum it up in a few steps: 1) God Loves You: God Created You, personally, out of Love, for the purpose of Loving Him.  2) Because of our Sin, we have walked away from God  3) God still Loves us even in our sins and made a way back to Him  4) He Came down (He sent His Son) to show us how to live, to die for our sins and rise to give us new life and new hope  5) We must respond:  Repent, Believe and Be Baptized  6) Then we must continue to grow in Holiness, and doing Good Works 7) We receive our ability to become holier, continue in Good Works, and the ability to endure to the end through the Sacraments (especially the Eucharist and Confession) given through the Church He established.

     THAT'S IT!  The founders of St. Paul Street Evangelization both have Master's Degrees in Theology and had studied apologetics for a long time before starting street evangelization.  They thought they needed all of that.  However, both of them say, now, they're completely rusty on their apologetics and deep theology because all people want is to know their story and to hear the Good News.

What do I do when people come up to the table?

     Typically, if not engaged in conversation, a person will be at your table for less than 30 seconds.  The Holy Spirit put them there.  Now it's up to us to meet them where their at and invite them further on.

     When a person comes to the table the first thing we do is genuinely greet them.  Next, we ask them a few questions.  "Do you have any questions?"  Usually people say, 'No' but it's a conversation starter:  Do you have any children?  What do you do for a living?  Etc.

     Eventually turn the conversation towards religion.  We ask something like: "Do you go to church anywhere?"  If the answer is 'yes', we usually ask where.  Where ever they're going (a Protestant church, an LDS temple, a Synagogue or Masque) respond in a positive manner, because we can agree with all of those religions on many truths.  We're responding positively to those truths they already have.  

   Continue to ask questions to find out where they are in their faith:  do you go regularly?  Etc.

   If they haven't started to ask you about your faith, we can ask:  "Have you ever considered becoming Catholic?"  For most the answer will be 'no' but then we can say, "We'd like to invite you to explore and consider becoming Catholic."

     Most people will start asking you about the Catholic Faith by then.

What if they do have questions I don't know?

     First, "I don't know, but I'll find out for you." is a great answer (have a note book so you can get some contact info from them).  Second, that's partially what all the pamphlets are about: you can read them yourself (even while you're waiting) and you can give them one on the topic they asked about.  Then, research the topic a bit so you can give some sort of cursory answer next time.

What if they're already Catholic?

     We've had numerous ex, lapsed, lax and faithful Catholics talk to us.  With Catholics, after finding out their Catholic, we ask if they're receiving the Sacraments frequently.  Whatever their response we encourage them to return and / or receive the Eucharist and go to Confession more - or if their doing this already, affirm their practices.  If you do have a faithful Catholic, encourage them to join the St. Paul Street Evangelization group in their home area, because that is one thing we are commanded to do, by Christ, that almost no Catholic is doing.

What we don't do....

1) We don't get into arguments.  We can present reasons why the Catholic teaching on something is true, but always with kindness and respect.  If you find yourself getting angry, it is better to end the conversation or turn it over to your partner than start showing anger to the person you're evangelizing.

2) That brings up another point:  We don't go out alone, unless we're really well formed.  Even Christ set out the Apostles 2x2.  If you're interested but scared, rest assured that for your first few times we'll have you partnered with one or two experienced evangelists.

3) We don't get into ANY  Catholic vs Catholic discussions:  We don't argue vernacular mass vs latin mass; which bishop messed up where; what priest is bringing in more "change" or which is more "orthodox" than another.  CHANGE THE TOPIC!

4) We don't get into religion bashing: Atheist, Agnostic, Jewish, Muslim, Hindu, Protestant or Catholic, we don't bash their religion.  We can point out errors in theology, if the conversation goes that way, but always in a loving, respectful manner.

5) We don't EVER accept donations while evangelizing.  If someone wants to give us a donation while we're evangelizing, direct them to the St. Paul Street Evangelization site.

That's Fine, but why do it at all?

     It's about saving souls and obeying Christ's last command to us: Go make disciples; teach them everything I have commanded; preach the Gospel to all living things (Mt 28:18-20; Mk 16:15).  This is the Fulfillment of what it means to be Christian!  Sharing the Good News so that others may go to heaven as well!
     We must grow in holiness.  Many Christians don't try this at all.  The ones who do often times increase their prayer time - AWESOME!  Others perform acts of social justice - PHENOMINAL!  But after all that, some begin to feel that their faith is plateaued.  That this is it, I just do more and more of the above.  Yes, in some respects this is true, but there is at least one more thing we MUST do - Verbally Evangelize! 
     When we share our faith, it comes back to us increased!  This is the parable of the talents!  Share what God has given you.  Share it freely, often and with joy.  DON"T BURY IT IN THE GROUND! 
     Christ makes it clear: this is not an option.

Final Though...

     Steve Ray, Catholic Convert, world renown speaker and apologist, tells this story; I'll paraphrase it:  At the end of your life, you go to your personal judgment.  Maybe you wait in line for a while, hearing other names called.  Finally, you hear your name called.  You step up to the gate.  Off to one side is a glorious set of stairs going up; off to the other a very dark, scary set of stairs going down.  Your life is reviewed and it is announced that you get to go to heaven!  Angels come down and begin to guide you to the stairs up.  Just then, another name is announced.  You recognize it as your friend, or neighbor, or coworker, or family member.  You say to the angels, "Please wait one second, I want to hear this."  Your friend shuffles forward.  His / her life is reviewed and it is announced, "Away from me!"  Devils come up and begin to guide your friend to the other stairs.  Suddenly your friend sees you.  He / She, turns towards you and yells, "You were a Christian?  You were my friend / coworker / neighbor for all that time and you never told me about this?  You could have told me and you didn't!  Why didn't you tell me?"  Your friend continues to yell "Why didn't you tell me?" as he is dragged to the other stairs...
   This is about offering the possibility of SALVATION FOR ALL ETERNITY to those who may otherwise not have it.  This is what all our prayers, practices, and everything is leading to: getting as many people to heaven as possible.
     What are you doing with your "Talent"?

God Bless,
Fidei Defensor



Do Catholics Just Assume the Assumption?

Where in the Bible is the Assumption of Mary?

     Many of our non-Catholic brothers and sisters-in-Christ have many misunderstandings and misconceptions about the Blessed Virgin Mary and what the Catholic Church teaches about her.  (It doesn't help that many Catholics have the same misconceptions or do not know how to explain these truths.)  Out of the three Catholic Dogma's about Mary (her Immaculate Conception, being Ever Virgin and being Assumed body and soul into heaven) I think the one that seems the strangest to most people is the Assumption of Mary.  The idea of this is so strange, that most people, Catholics and non-Catholics alike, just avoid it all together. 

     "Catholics just assume the Assumption." many will say as a way of just dismissing the whole thing without even knowing what it is, let alone considering if there's any truth to it at all.  It's assumed it's false and assumed it's leading Catholics to hell.  If you don't believe me, just come to the next "Walk to Mary" or come to the Shrine of Our Lady of Good Help this Saturday and observe the protesters.  If anyone were to ask them, my guess is some might be able to tell you what the Assumption is in general - though there will be at least one thing wrong - and NONE will be able to tell you what verses from Scripture the Catholic Church read to come to this conclusion.

     So, this is where we will begin: 

What is the Assumption of Mary?

       

     Many people get the "Assumption" of Mary and the "Ascension" of Jesus Christ mixed up in two ways:

1) Believing the "Assumption" is the "Ascension".  These are two distinct events and are very (infinitely) different. 

2) Believing that Mary did this of her own power.

     To answer both at the same time, "Ascension" is something someone does for one's self:  we ascend the stairs.  "Assumption" is something someone has done to them: the cow ate the grass and assumed it into itself.  The grass did not - nor is it capable of - force itself into the cow's stomach.

     Jesus, being all God (and all man minus sin) Ascended into Heaven.  He did it of His own Power.  Mary was Assumed into Heaven.  She did not have the power to do this herself.  It was done to her by God.  This is why I said before these two events are infinitely different.

So... What is the Assumption then?

    I've said what the Assumption is not, but I have not said what it is.  The Catholic Catechism paragraph 966 says: 

"Finally the Immaculate Virgin, preserved free from all stain of original sin, when the course of her earthly life was finished, was taken up body and soul into heavenly glory, and exalted by the Lord as Queen over all things, so that she might be the more fully conformed to her Son, the Lord of lords and conqueror of sin and death." The Assumption of the Blessed Virgin is a singular participation in her Son's Resurrection and an anticipation of the resurrection of other Christians...

   Again, just to point out that the Assumption was done TO Mary, not of her own power.  This is important to point out to non-Catholics who believe the Catholic Church teaches that Mary is another member of the Trinity or otherwise deified.

Where is this in the Bible?

     It is argued by detractors, that if Mary's Assumption is so important why isn't it mentioned explicitly in Scripture?  The first response is that many important things are not mentioned in Scripture: the Trinity, the Hypostatic Union etc.
     Unfortunately, though, most Catholics believe because of this, that the Assumption is just Tradition - which many errantly think is some sort of secret rules and teachings passed on in a secret game of 'telephone' from bishop to bishop.  I won't stop to correct that here.  I've even heard some Catholic apologists say that there's nothing in the Bible regarding Mary's Assumption.  I believe they miss some very important verses in Scripture.
     But there is some truth in what people say about not finding the Assumption in Scripture.  If we recall, Mary was given to St. John, by Jesus - in the apex of Salvation history, I might add, making that an extremely important event that most ignore (I sense a future post...).  Mary lived for many years after, with St. John, in Ephesus and later, possibly went back to Jerusalem with him for the 1st Ecumenical Council detailed out in Acts 15.  It is argued whether or not she stayed in Jerusalem or traveled back to Ephesus.  There are two graves claiming to be Mary's grave: one in Ephesus, one in Jerusalem.  BOTH ARE EMPTY.
     The whole point is that Mary was still alive when the vast majority of the New Testament was written so her Assumption COULDN'T have been mentioned.

The Assumption Revealed...

     One of the few books of the New Testament not yet written prior to Mary's Assumption was Revelation.  Interestingly, it is written by St. John, the one who lived with Mary.  So wouldn't we expect him to mention it?  He does.
     Starting at Rev 11:19, St. John states he saw the Ark of the Covenant in Heaven.  He then says the Ark is a woman (Rev 12:1).  Most people miss this because of the chapter break.  Now we know from our study of the Immaculate Conception of Mary that she is revealed as the Ark of the New Testament.  So this is no surprise to knowledgeable Catholics that John sees the Ark as a woman.
     This woman is no ordinary woman though.  She is clothed in the sun, has the moon under her feet and is wearing a crown of 12 stars.  She also bears Jesus: the one who is to rule the world with a rod of iron (Rev 12:5).  Even though Revelation is written in a very symbolic language and each passage can have multiple meanings at the same time, this does not mean that we can't know some of the meanings, or that if we figure out one meaning that's the ONLY meaning to the passage.  On the literal level, there is only one woman this woman could be: Mary.  If we continue to read carefully, we see that this woman is one of the only ones mentioned in Heaven to have body parts (head, feet).  The others in Heaven are mentioned only as 'Souls' (Rev 6:9).  Mary is also taken away from Satan by 'two wings of the great eagle' (Rev 12:14).
     There is one more verse that must be taken into consideration when speaking of Mary's Assumption.  As I mentioned before, Mary is revealed in Scripture as the Ark of the New Covenant.  Once we see this, Psalm 132:8 becomes very interesting: 

"Rise up, O Lord, and go to your resting place,

    you and the ark of your might."

So what?

Unfortunately even many Catholics have this attitude towards the Marian dogmas:  'How does this help me get to heaven?'

Almost all Christians agree that at the end of the world, our earthly bodies will be raised and rejoined to our souls.  For those going to heaven, our earthly bodies will be glorified and what they will become, we cannot conceive of. 

Mary's Assumption is that promise fulfilled at an earlier time so that we may believe in the resurrection of the dead.  To deny that it is possible that Mary was Assumed into Heaven is to deny that we, as Christians, can hope for the resurrection of the dead.  After all, Mary was the first person to accept Jesus, His Word and follow it so well she manifested, physically, Jesus to the world.  If she is denied the bodily resurrection of the dead, what hope do we have?

How do I have this conversation?

1) Remain calm.  Let them have the last word before you get upset.
2) Listen to their question / statement.
3) Start with a positive phrase: "This is a Great Question"
4) Explain what the Assumption is not and how it differs from Christ's Ascension
5) Explain what the Assumption IS (CCC 966)
6) Explain that Mary was alive for most of the writing of the New Testament so the Assumption, like many other important teachings, is not explicitly mentioned in Scripture
7) Take out your Bible (have a Bible with you) or use theirs and turn to Rev 11:19 through Rev 12:14
8) Show them how 'the woman' is Mary, she has body parts, she is seen in Heaven.
9) You may have to take a large detour to explain Mary as the Ark of the New Covenant
10) Show them Psalm 132:8
11) Point out that this is just an early fulfillment of the promises of Christ.  If the possibility of Mary's Assumption is denied, then there's no way we gain it either.
12) End with, "I hope this helps you see that the Catholic Church has biblical reasons for her teaching on the Assumption of Mary."

Let us rejoice in the Power and Glory of Christ in bringing His mother into Heaven, this Aug 15th!



How do we even know God exists?

Questions from Teens continues

 

     This is a great question.  First let me take this from the exact opposite angle: How do we know God or a god DOESN"T exist?  Is there any proof for the non-existence of God or a god?  Quick answer: No there isn't ANY proof for the non-existence of God.  Christopher Hitchens, one of the 4 horsemen of the 'New Atheism' - he's deceased now, God rest his soul - said as much in his debate with Dr. William Lane Craig, a Christian apologist who specializes in debating atheists.  Mr. Hitchens did not present one single argument for atheism.  He said that Christians behave badly - yes, I behave against God's Will usually daily.  He said that the universe would be destroyed in several billion years - yes, all Christians believe in the End of the World, some day.  He said that evil exists and a God that's all-good, all-knowing and all-powerful would want to do something about evil, would know that evil exists and would be able to do something about it.  But evil exists therefore there is no 'god'. 
     However, the most this can show - and I mean the absolute most - is not that a god doesn't exist, but that God is either not all-knowing, not all-powerful or not all-good.  On the other hand, this argument is also a 'false dichotomy', meaning, it presents two choices and pretends those are the only two choices available.  The two choices are: either evil exists or God does.  But there is at least one more choice:  That God exists and has good reasons for allowing, temporarily, evil to exist in our world.

     Near the end of the debate, after being asked several times by Dr. Craig for a single argument for the non-existence of God, Mr. Hitchens stated, "I don't have to give any."  He then went on to say that everyone is born an atheist so it is up to the theist to convince us, but he just hasn't found any of the arguments compelling.

     Several things here: 1) Note that he agrees that he did not present ANY arguments for atheism.  In saying, "I don't need to give any [reasons]."  Mr. Hitchens is also saying, "I didn't give any." 

2) The idea that everyone is 'born' an atheist assumes atheism is the norm.  This is entirely false.  I believe the last I saw it, atheism comprises about 1 to 2 percent of the population - I think it would be reasonable that if atheism were true, we'd see a higher percentage of atheism. 
      Also, if everyone is born an atheist, how did we go from 0 to 1?   In other words, how did the first person begin to believe in God or a god?  Some would argue that a cave man saw lightning and couldn't explain it so he assumed some powerful being in the sky made it.

     This is also problematic.  Why would early man make up an explanation for something that was a regular, natural occurrence in his experience?  Lightning isn't a one-in-a-lifetime thing that is so shocking - pun intended - that demands a unique, radical, crazy, never-been-thought-of-before answer.  You might as well say rain was so shocking it needed someone to make up a god to explain it. 
      In addition, if there is no idea of God, why would someone make it up?  And it had to be so convincing that 90+% of people he told believed him - who all held the opposite opinion to begin with.  I might as well make up, right now, that some sort of invisible pen is writing these letters on my screen as I press the corresponding key on the key board.  Who's going to believe that?
      But, Mr. Defensor, we have modern science.  Primitive Man could not have been able to understand such things and therefore needed to make up a god to explain it...  Says who?  Primitive Man had their five senses and a brain.  If someone were to start telling Primitive Man about some source of all being that was an invisible, intelligent source of all existence... they'd tell that person to go take a long half-erect walk off a short stone pier... Unless it reflected a truth engrained in us. 

3) I highly doubt Mr. Hitchens had read all the full arguments for the existence of God, with an open mind evaluating both sides for what is true.  In some of his other writings, as quoted by other Christian apologists, he seems to have many misunderstandings of the arguments and especially of what Christians mean by "God."

 

Ok then how do we know God or 'a god' exists?

     You may have noticed that both Mr. Hitchens and Dr. Craig talk about the arguments FOR God's existence.  In the book, Handbook of Catholic Apologetics Dr. Peter Kreeft lists 20 arguments.  I'm only going to detail out one.

 

The Cosmological Argument

    Premise #1:  Nothing that has a beginning, began itself.

Ok what?  Well let's think about it.  Look out your window and look at a tree.  Did that tree have a beginning?  Yes.  Did that tree decide when it was going to begin?  No.  Another example would be yourself.  Did you have a beginning?  Yes.  Did you, in your non-existent state, decide when you were going to exist?  No.  Everything that has a beginning needs something else to cause it to begin.

 

     Premise #2:  The Universe had a beginning.

Science shows that the Universe indeed began about 13.7 billion years ago.  Interestingly, even though today many atheistic scientists assume that the Big Bang theory disproves the existence of God - and many Christians reject the science (and science in general) believing that to be true - the theory was first proposed by a Catholic priest, Fr. George Lematre (also a friend of Albert Einstein's).  Atheistic scientists at first opposed the theory vehemently realizing it sounded way too much like Genesis.

     Back on topic: a simple definition of the Universe is all time, energy, space and matter.

 

Conclusion:  Something outside of time, matter, energy and space began the Universe.

 

Think about how astounding this is, for a minute.  What, outside of time, matter, energy and space, began the Universe?  Aliens?  Nope they'd be inside of time, matter, energy and space.  The only thing that fits the bill is a timeless (eternal), spirit (non-material).  The Spirit would have to be the source of all existence, energy, and be able to create something from nothing.   That's a tall order... unless it's God.

 

There are objections and the counter points to those objections that could be detailed out.  There are also dozens more arguments for the existence of God that could be made too.  But let me challenge you to think about something:  If someone said, "There's a treasure chest in that cave full of amazing gold, jewels and art."  But someone else says, "No there's not."  When you ask why each believes what they believe, the second person says, "I don't have any reasons; I don't need any reasons."  But the first person says, "I have an old treasure map which shows this is the spot.  The locals have many stories of treasure being hid in this cave.  Several locals have gone into the cave and come out with treasure, and they say there's treasure in there."

Are you going to explore that cave or not?

 

The atheist says, "I don't have to give you any reasons to not believe in God."  The theist says, "Here's twenty based on logic, science and philosophy."  No evidence on one side and evidence on the other.  Even if it's weak evidence, shouldn't you side with the evidence?  That's what we do in courts, the scientific method, and all other rational deduction.

 

But this would mean changing your life, and the way you live... that might be the REAL issue.

 

 



Lifest Wrap-up

This months newsletter: 

1) Apologies
2) Meeting Reminder
3) Lifest

First, I need to apologize for not being as active on the blog / facebook page as you've come to expect, in the last month.  The reason is the same reason why my typing today may not be the greatest ever:  I'm typing one-handed.  No, I didn't get injure d.  My wife and I had our 7th child on the 4th!  (2 boys, 2 girls 3 in heaven due to miscarriage).  Since then things have kind of been a blur and I've dropped the ball on a few things.  Mom and Baby are doing great.  I haven't paused long enough to figure out how I'm doing.

Reminder that if you're in the area, our monthly meeting is this Saturday the 25th, 8:00 am at the Gehl Center - same building Cathedral Book and Gifts is in, directly behind the Cathedral in Green Bay.  We're starting a chapter by chapter study of The Essential Catholic Survival Guide.  Each chapter is a different tract from Catholic Answers so even if you miss a month you won't be off a chapter or anything.  If you can't make the meetings, you can still follow along with our newsletter and if you don't have the book, you can look up a related article - sometimes the same tract - on Catholic Answers' website:  www.catholic.com.

Lifest was a Holy Spirit filled blast!  Our Apostolate spent seven hours answering questions of Non-Catholics and Catholics alike.  99% of the conversations were positive, genuinely pleasant conversations.  Our Apostolate was invited to a non-denominational bible study to present the Catholic position on the various topics being studied there - the jury's still out on whether we can make it or not.  We even had one person call us the following week with follow-up questions!

There was one woman who was just coming back into Christianity from being nothing for years, due in large part to her daughter attending Lifest the last 4 years.  She was upset and concerned that she had been a bad mom for most of her daughter's life.  We spoke to her about forgiveness, love and mercy.  Plus, we added, she made the decision to send her daughter to Lifest the last four years, leading to her coming with her daughter for one day last year which was the catalyst for her coming back into the faith.

Most of the questions we had are ones we've already gone over in class / newsletters: Prayers to Mary and the Saints, use of statues / art in Catholic Churches, Authority of Scripture (Bible: yes.  Bible ALONE: no), why do we call priests 'Father'.  Etc.

One question we had to look up later was a woman who had been studying with some Seventh Day Adventists.  She posed the question of why do we worship on Sunday when the Ten Commandments state clearly to keep holy the Sabbath.  Why did the Catholic Church change the Sabbath to Sunday?

The quick answer is: The Catholic Church never changed the Sabbath.  Catholicism still teaches that the Sabbath is the day before the Lord's Day (CCC 2175).  What the Catholic Church - and the vast majority of Christians - recognizes is that Jesus Christ fulfilled the Old Testament Law and certain aspects of it have been changed (2 Cor 5:17; Heb 7:12 etc).  One aspect is that we, as Christians, are no longer bound by the Sabbath (Col 2:16).  The Sabbath was a mere shadow of what was to come.  What we see in Scripture is the Christians gathering to worship on the Lord's Day, the 1st Day of the week, aka  Sunday (Acts 20:7; 1 Cor 16:1-2; Rev 1:10).  Here's a more in depth treatment of this question by one of the top Catholic Apologists out there today, Tim Staples.

One person we'd like you to pray for is a young woman whom we never even got a name.  Every apologist / evangelist messes up from time to time and I must admit that I violated most of the rules for apologetics on this one.  We were having a pleasant conversation with one woman.  During the conversation.  This young woman came up very impassioned that she overheard us saying that works are necessary for salvation.  Taken a bit off guard, I went into defense mode rather than sticking with what I know is best.  We fired bible verses back and forth, bounced to several different topics.  Eventually I was able to start asking her questions like: Where do you find in Scripture that everything needs to be found in Scripture?  After being unable to answer those question, she left, stating in a huff that she was raised Catholic and almost became a nun, but now she's learned the truth.

 It hit me like a ton of bricks as she was walking away: the vast majority of ex-Catholics have walked away because of an intense negative emotional experience, i.e. they were hurt by someone usually in authority.  They then use anti-Catholic apologetics to justify why they left.  I realized if I had had made the defense with reverence and kindness, instead of trying to win, I may have had the opportunity to help bring some healing to a wound.  Please pray for her.

But the day was not summed up by this, but by our last encounter.  The last people to visit our booth was someone I knew: a Protestant apologist I have had several discussions with in the past.  Because we've both recognized each other's love for Jesus Christ we've developed a mutual love and respect for each other, while still not always agreeing.  He came up to us and enthusiastically said, "It's great to see you guys out here spreading the Good News!"  We had a great conversation about things we agree on: pro-life and real marriage.  We directed him to some great resources on both topics.  At the end, I shook his hand and thanked him for thinking of us Catholics as equal Christians - some denominations, usually the most vocal ones, do not believe Catholics are Christians, or if they are, they're some kind of quasi Christians like Mormons and Jehovah's Witnesses.  He stated, "Oh I've run across enough Catholics now to realize the Catholic Church teaches the Gospel."  AMEN!

We're still looking for one or two more people interested in learning more about Street Evangelization.  Praise God we've had a few people courageously step up and express interest.  Is God asking you to step forward?