Understanding Catholics

Some questions came up in an adult Bible study at my church regarding faith and practices of the Roman Catholic Church. A couple of us felt a little uncomfortable, as former Catholics ourselves, because of an undercurrent of Catholic-bashing that both of us sensed, and a lack of real knowledge on the subject.

So I fired off an e-mail to a couple of the knowledgeable Catholic bloggers I’ve come to know. (Ain’t the blogosphere a beautiful thing?) Bill Luse of Apologia and Alicia the Midwife of Fructus Ventris. Bill really went to town, in that comprehensive way that we know and love, and posted my question and his response over at his site. You can see some other helpful answers in the comments section.

I’m sure Alicia wouldn’t mind if I share her answer with you. I for one am grateful for capable and compassionate apologists, and I hope that I can do the same when I am asked honest questions about my faith.

Catholics definitely do Bible study, plus we study the Catechism because it is the authentic compendium of how the Bible has been interpreted by the Church through the ages. I became a Catholic at least partly through Bible study.

A catechism is actually a question and answer formatted learning tool. Catechisms have been used not just by Catholics but by many other faith traditions (as well as in secular institutions) to reinforce teaching - much as memorization of Bible verses is done. (Ed. Oh -- like the Heidelberg Catechism or the Shorter and Longer Catechism in the Presbyterian Book of Confessions?)

Additionally, every observant Catholic listens to at least 4 selections from Scripture being read or proclaimed every Sunday at Mass. There is a reading from the Old Testament, a Psalm, a reading from one of the Epistles or the Acts, and a reading from one of the 4 Gospels. Also, the priest is MANDATED to preach from at least one of the Bible readings for that day (I admit that sometimes the connection is rather tenuous). The effect is that every Mass with a homily (that is to say pretty much every Mass) is a teaching on a bit of Scripture. The priest can't easily avoid teaching on a bit of scripture by picking and choosing.

Much of the language of the set prayers of the Mass are taken directly from the Bible - the words of consecration, the prayers of the priest and people, etc. An interesting challenge is to take the outline of the Liturgy of the Eucharist and find the Biblical sources for all the language! So Catholics love the Bible, too, and study it as well.

There are many Catholics who don't read the Bible as much as the church recommends that they do - but I imagine one could say the same about many Protestants.

Lee Anne - I suggest that you spend the $5 on a small copy of the Catechism of the Catholic Church - and if some one starts bashing Catholics on any issue, look up what the CCC actually says on that issue and also if the CCC makes reference to biblical sources as well as the other historical sources.

Oh - another interesting thing - there are many Christians who don't believe that Catholics are Christian - but every Catholic acknowledges that all who are baptized in the name of the Father, Son and Holy Ghost are Christian. Catholics just think that other Christians are missing some of the bits of truth. I, and most Catholics with whom I associate, are content to leave the judgment of the belief of others to the Mercy of God.

Comments

[Rosemarie O.]

Alicia's final comment... "content to leave the judgment of the belief of others to the Mercy of God" is exactly the way I feel.

[Julie (a protestant)]

Oh argh. In all my years as a christian there has never been anything more discouraging and unproductive and generally icky then the propensity of one denomination to compare and contrast their intellectual/spritual/political/biblicaly cool superiority over another.

It's a little like being married. I love my husband. He is (IMHO) the best and most superior husband in world. Do I need to bash other ladies' husbands to know this fact? Do I need to announce at nauseating length my husbands virtues to anyone with earshot to know this fact? Nope, such love and assurance is a fact confirmed between myself and I.

If one has the greatest faith in the world, let the light of that faith shine...and let any shadows it casts be evident unto themselves.

[cindy]

i couldn't have said it better myself, julie. i hate the catholic bashing i hear so often in churches. i was raised in a catholic home, but because of my life choices, i could not stay and be in full communion with the church. so i left. it hurt at the time, but Jesus found me anyway. the one thing i can say about the catholic church is that at least they stuck by their beliefs and the tenets of their church and were not swayed. i admire that.

[Camassia]

In my Bible study there's an embittered ex-Catholic who spends a lot of time bashing his old church. In fact, last night I found him out of choir practice early because they were rehearsing for an interfaith performance at a Catholic church, and he refuses to go. I can't deny the amount of pain he went through over there, but I hate hearing this. Both out of respect for my Catholic blogger friends and because I fear he's giving everybody else in Bible study a distorted image of Catholicism.

I'm still not sure what to do about it.

[Dale Price]

Since William kindly referred to me by name, I left a rather lengthy comment on the issue over at his blog. The upshot is, I think the critics are on to something--too few Catholics study the Bible--but things are changing.

Anyway, I won't clog your box here with a rehash. I hope it helps.

[cre clardy]

I want to know more about catholics and there interputations of the bible I'm very interested in becoming a catholic and I just need an understanding of there religon

[William McVay]

Being raised in the Church of the Nazarene, and having attended most of the "protestant" churches, I would just like to say what a "breath of fresh air" that I find the Catholic Church to be. I am currently in the RCIA process and can't wait for my confirmation this Easter. I find the Catholic faith to be a beautiful thing with all the rituals, prayers, the liturgy in general. I realize now how my whole life I have only been taught about one half of the teachings of Christ and the bible. The Catholic church is taking care of that for me. I thank God for the Catholic Church.