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Guess what--this was published in the May 3 issue of the Northwest Christian College school newspaper! Thanks, Kyri!
Crash Course in Catholicism (and Orthodoxy)
It is my belief that the vast majority of Christians (Protestant, Orthodox, and Catholic) are clueless as to what the heck Catholicism (and Orthodoxy) are all about! "Why do they believe, act, and worship the way they do?" many Christians, including myself, wonder. It is also my belief this lack of information (along with misinformation) is responsible for anti-Catholicism or a simple suspicion of the Church. So, because I find this all so fascinating, here is my Crash Course in Catholicism (and Orthodoxy)! So-called Bible-believing Christians may be shocked to find a biblical reason, but not complete justification, behind every Catholic doctrine! Before I begin, though, let it be known I am not trying to convert anybody to Catholicism. I myself am not even Catholic, although I am considering becoming one this summer when I get baptized. I just want people to understand where the Church is coming from and why she doesn't deserve the uneducated beating she often suffers.PART 2 -- The Sacraments
I. Baptism
Salvation through water
A) Babies can't repent and have nothing to repent from, so why baptize them?
Most of the Apostles were Jewish and were accustomed to admitting infants into the faith community right away. Even Jesus was circumcised as recorded in Luke 2.21 when he was eight days old, bringing him into the covenant of the Jewish people. Scripture also offers indirect support of the practice. At Philippi, St. Paul baptized Lydia and her household in Acts 16.15. Later in verse 33 he baptized the jailer "and all his family." The church is God's chosen people. As Bishop Michael J. Sheehan wrote in his apologetic tract Why Be A Catholic?, "whoever heard of a people without children?"
C) Jesus preached a baptism of repentance, not of initiation.
Every Christian knows salvation is a gift! St. Paul says in Ephesians 2.8-9, "For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith --and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God-- not by works, so that no one can boast." Why should we try and exclude children from this priceless gift when in Mark 10.14 Jesus himself said, "let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these"?
D) Baptism is only an outward symbol of our inward salvation and so does not need to be performed for someone to share in God's saving grace.
Catholic and Orthodox tradition teaches that baptism literally imparts God's saving grace. For infants, it washes away the original sin spoken of in Romans 5.12. For adults repenting and turning to God for the first time, it saves the sinner from both original sin and every sin he has ever committed. Justification for this literal power can be found in Scripture according to Catholic and Orthodox interpretation. Romans 6.4 says "we were therefore buried with him through baptism into death," which is repeated in Colossians 2.12. 1 Peter 3.21 probably supports it the most saying, "[Noah's flood] symbolizes baptism that now saves you also--not the removal of dirt from the body but the pledge of a good conscience toward God. It saves you by the resurrection of Jesus Christ." Notice that twice he asserts "baptism saves you." Either way, all Christians can agree it is Jesus Christ who saves us, "for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved" (Acts 4.12).
II. The Eucharist
Salvation through theophagy
A) What is transubstantiation?
To put it simply, transubstantiation is the belief that the communal bread and wine literally become Jesus' body and blood under the appearence of bread and wine. It is reminicent of Jesus' first public miracle of turning water into wine (John 2.1-11).
B) That seems far-fetched. Why do Catholics and Orthodox (and even some High Church Anglicans and Lutherans) believe in transubstantiation?
Christianity is far-fetched! Catholic and Orthodox interpretations takes Jesus quite literally (interesting fundamentalists haven't restored this doctrine!) when he says in Matthew 26.26-27, "Take and eat; this is my body" and "Drink from it, all of you. This is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins" (cf. Mark 14.22-24 and Luke 22.19-20). The Eucharist is the ultimate sacrament by which a Catholic or Orthodox becomes and stays united to Christ. This is why it is celebrated weekly or even daily. It is the heart and soul of the Mass.
C) Once again, we Protestants have trouble understanding why Catholics and Orthodox believe the sacraments literally impart grace.
That will always be a point of schism between the churches, but we can at least understand the Catholic tradition. They believe the Holy Eucharist imparts grace because Christ himself said in John 6.51 and 53-56, "I am the living bread that came down from heaven. If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever. This bread is my flesh, which I will give for the life of the world...I tell you the truth, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you have no life in you. Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day. For my flesh is real food and my blood is real drink. Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood remains in me, and I in him." Notice especially verse 55, which twice uses the word "real" as in the "real" presence of the Eucharist. Also, Jesus expressly says those who don't eat his flesh and drink his blood will have no life.
III. Reconcilliation
Salvation through priests
A) A priest is not Jesus. For him to pardon sins is blasphemy.
Priests do not mediate between God and man or between Jesus and man, but they do acts as vicars, standing in for Jesus while he's in heaven in the same way the pope does (see Part 1 on the Bishop of Rome). They do this only because they believe Jesus appointed them to do so. The key verses of the Bible to defend this are John 20.21-23 which read, "Again Jesus said, 'Peace be with you! As the Father has sent me, I am sending you.' And with that he breathed on them and said, 'Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive anyone his sins, they are forgiven; if you do not forgive them, they are not forgiven.'" 2 Corinthians 5.18-20 has a similar theme, though only loosely. This priestly power must always be understood in context of verses like Luke 9.1, Luke 10.19, and Acts 1.8 in which Jesus commissions his Apostles with his heavenly power. Indeed, every Christian draws his power and salvation from Christ, who draws it from the Father.
B) If only priests can forgive sins, only Catholics and Orthodox are going to heaven.
The Church does not limit the Gospel with such a doctrine. The official doctrine can best be found in Pope John Paul II's Decree on Ecumenism which he made at the Second Vatican Council. Here is an excerpt which explains the Catholic position:
Men who believe in Christ and have been truly baptized are in communion with the Catholic Church even though this communion is imperfect. The differences that exist in varying degrees between them and the Catholic Church-whether in doctrine and sometimes in discipline, or concerning the structure of the Church-do indeed create many obstacles, sometimes serious ones, to full ecclesiastical communion. The ecumenical movement is striving to overcome these obstacles. But even in spite of them it remains true that all who have been justified by faith in Baptism are members of Christ's body, and have a right to be called Christian, and so are correctly accepted as brothers by the children of the Catholic Church.
Moreover, some and even very many of the significant elements and endowments which together go to build up and give life to the Church itself, can exist outside the visible boundaries of the Catholic Church: the written word of God; the life of grace; faith, hope and charity, with the other interior gifts of the Holy Spirit, and visible elements too. All of these, which come from Christ and lead back to Christ, belong by right to the one Church of Christ.
The brethren divided from us also use many liturgical actions of the Christian religion. These most certainly can truly engender a life of grace in ways that vary according to the condition of each [Orthodox] Church or [Protestant] Community. These liturgical actions must be regarded as capable of giving access to the community of salvation.
It follows that the separated [Orthodox] Churches and [Protestant] Communities as such, though we believe them to be deficient in some respects, have been by no means deprived of significance and importance in the mystery of salvation. For the Spirit of Christ has not refrained from using them as means of salvation which derive their efficacy from the very fullness of grace and truth entrusted to the Church.
Because the Catholic Church can see Christ in the midst of Protestants and Orthodox, they know they are a part of his church, though they firmly believe baptism, or at least a desire to be baptized, is a necessity of salvation. By this recognition, the true message of the Gospel is not corrupted to exclude certain people from placing their faith in Jesus Christ and finding the salvation of their souls.
PART 1 -- The Papacy
Who does he think he is?
A) Catholics believe the pope is infallible. What does that mean?
"Infallibility means more than exemption from actual error; it means exemption from the possibility of error" (www.newadvent.org). It does not assert sinlessness or godly perfection.
B) The pope is only considered infallible when speaking ex cathedra. What does that mean?
Literally "from the chair," the First Vatican Council defines "ex cathedra" as "when in discharge of the office of pastor and doctor of all Christians by virtue of his supreme Apostolic authority."
C) Who told the Bishop of Rome he has "supreme Apostolic authority?"
According to Catholic Bible interpretation, Jesus did! In Matthew 16.17-19, Jesus says to St. Peter, "Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah, for [me being the Christ] was not revealed to you by man, but by my Father in heaven. And I tell you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not overcome it. I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven; whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven." As most Christians know, Peter means "rock." These verses of Scripture tell us several things. First, Blseed Peter's power came from God, not from man. Secondly, he was the physical head of the church. Thirdly, Jesus gave him special power in the kingdom of God.
D) Was St. Peter really the head of the Apostles and all Jesus' disciples?
Blessed Peter's "supreme Apostolic authority" can be seen in the Acts of the Apostles when he exercises that authority over the other Apostles. For instance, in Acts 2.14-40 St. Peter is the one who "raised his voice and addressed the crowd" after the Holy Spirit came at Pentecost. In Acts 3.4-6, he is the one to tell the man crippled from birth, "Silver or gold I do not have, but what I have I give you. In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, walk." Afterwards in verses 12-26 he is the one who speaks to the onlookers telling them to "Repent, then, and turn to God." Because of this John and he are taken before the Sanhedrin, at which time it is he who, "filled with the Holy Spirit," speaks to the priests resulting in release. In Acts 10.13-15 it is he whom Jesus commands, "Do not call anything impure that God has made clean." In Acts 12.3-10 it is he whom King Herod arrests. Finally, St. Peter's headship over all the church can be seen in John 21.15-17 when Jesus commissions him to "feed my lambs...take care of my sheep...feed my sheep."
E) Peter is in heaven now and Pope John Paul II isn't him reincarnated.
Though the title "pope," which means "papa," wasn't established for many yeras, the position of leadership has been passed on since New Testament times in the same way all priests become successors of the Apostles by the sacrament of Holy Orders. This is called papal succession and apostolic succession and is why Protestant ministers who convert to Catholicism must be ordained even if they have been pastoring for years. The Church boasts an unbroken succession of a clergy which can be traced all the way back to the original church. The complete list of all 265 popes to date can be found at www.newadvent.org/cathen/12272b.htm.
F) What about the bad popes?
Nowhere in Catholic dogma is it written the Vicar of Christ has to lead a holy life to hold and pass on the keys to the kingdom. This shouldn't be hard for a Christian to swallow because we are all saved and live by grace. Catholics believe the pope's power comes from God and is passed on by God regardless of what any man does to try and stop it. Any proclamations made by corrupt pontiffs ex cathedra are still valid and none have ever contradicted the Bible.
G) Jesus is the head of his church and the sole mediator between us and God. Why do we need a vicar, pontiff, or pope?
By definition a vicar is a representative, a pontiff a bridge, and a pope a father. To Catholics, the pope is all three of these things as are all the clergy and perhaps all mature Christians should be thought of this way, too. A vicar does not claim to be anyone or mediate for anyone, but is simply a stand-in for a higher authority. The word "pontiff" is trickier. However, Catholics and Protestants can confess together belief in a single, ultimate pontiff, the true bridge between God and man: Jesus Christ. Catholics also apply the term in much less significant ways to clergy, and this will no doubt always be a point of schism within the catholic, or universal, church. This usage, though, must always be applied with regard to Christ's granting of his power to his disciples as found in verses like Luke 9.1, Luke 10.19, and Acts 1.8. Every clergy- and layman's power comes from Christ, whose power comes from God the Father.
All Scripture is taken from the New International Version of the Bible, a Protestant translation.