As Catholics do we believe in the Church or in the Bible more?
The two can't be pitted against each other.
We believe in the Bible BECAUSE we believe in the Church - and what the Church believes is always rooted in the Bible.
Jesus didn't leave us with a book ("See you guys later. Read my book. I'll sign it when I return…good luck!"), in fact, he never wrote anything for his followers. He left us with a Church. When St. Paul was writing his 1st letter to the Corinthians and Mark was writing his Gospel there was no Bible…only a Church guided by the Holy Spirit.
Long before the Bible was fully compiled, St. Paul wrote that the Church is the "pillar and foundation of truth" (1 Timothy 3:15) - something the Bible never says about itself. Jesus gave us a Church with a visible structure/hierarchy to lead us and authoritatively teach us about faith and morals. (Check out the Q&A re. the pope and re. organized religion to find out why we believe in the Catholic Church's authority.)
As Catholics we believe in the authority of the Bible because the Church Jesus founded authoritatively teaches us that it is the word of God.
The Bible didn't drop out of the sky. That Church that St. Paul was talking about, guided by the Holy Spirit, gave us the Bible. In the early Church there were numerous books being circulated and read from at Mass. At the council of Hippo in 393 AD, Catholic Bishops, together with the Pope, speaking with the authority given to them by Jesus, said that out of the many books being circulated, only the 73 books that today are called "the Bible" are written in such a way that God Himself is the primary authority…in other words, those 73 books aren't just inspired words about God, or even infallible words about God - they are the words of God Himself.
We've been reading from those 73 books (the Bible) at Catholic Churches ever since. (Note: In the 1500's Luther and Calvin ousted some of those books, which is why the protestant bible doesn't have all 73 books.)
As Catholics, the Bible is our book!
Jesus is THE Answer!
Chris Stefanick
Where is there a Pope in the bible?
1st 2 paragraphs taken from Q&A about organized religion.
Jesus set aside 12 men as Apostles to lead the Church (John 15:16, 20:21, Luke 22:29-30). Those Apostles appointed other men to lead the Church in the same capacity as them as the Church grew, and to replace them as they died. We call these men "bishops". (See the ordination of Matthias in Acts 1. Bishops are also mentioned in 1 Timothy 3:1, and in Titus 1:5.) Every Bishop today could trace back their authority to one of the 12 apostles.
Over those 12 Apostles Jesus appointed one head honcho, Peter, thus giving further structure and unity to His Church. In Matthew 16:19 Jesus gives Peter the "keys of the kingdom". In biblical terms, "keys" = authority (see Isaiah 22:22). Peter was the Bishop of Rome. Peter's God given authority was passed down to our present day Pope Benedict XVI, the 265th Bishop of Rome.
The word "pope" simply comes from an affectionate term for a dad…papa. ("Bishop of Rome" doesn't sound quite as "cuddly".)
We can see from scripture that our first pope, Peter, acted as the "chief" of the apostles.
" Every single time the apostles are listed by name Peter is listed first. Coincidence? I think not.
" In John 21:15-17 Peter is taken aside and asked by Jesus three times to feed his sheep…to act as shepherd of His flock.
" In Acts 1 Peter led the meeting where Matthias was chosen as a bishop.
" In Acts 2 Peter was clearly the Church's chief leader at Pentecost.
" Check out the Council of Jerusalem in Acts 15. There was a debate over whether or not new Christians had to be circumcised as the Jews were. (This was a sign of being part of the covenant between God and Moses for Jews). After the other Apostles discussed the issue, Peter gave the final word, and then "the whole assembly fell silent." Acts 15:12
" Peter's name is in the bible 195 times - which is more than all the rest of the Apostles put together. Again - coincidence? I think not.
The bishops (successors of the Apostles) united with the pope (successor of the Apostle Peter) are often referred to as the Magesterium, that is, the official teaching authority of the Church.
When the Pope (intentionally speaking as the successor of Peter), or all of the Bishops united with the Pope, are giving the "final word" on a matter of faith or morals, that "final word" is infallible, meaning it is without error.
But wait! Weren't some popes major sinners?
Sure they were. "Infallible" does not mean "impeccable" (without sin). A pope can be full of personal sin, and he can even teach very poorly, but thanks to the Holy Spirit's guidance of the Magesterium, he can't teach an error about the Faith when he's speaking as pope.
Check out John 14:26: Jesus said to the Apostles that the Holy Spirit would instruct them "in everything". And in Matthew 16:19 Jesus told Peter, "whatever you declare bound on earth shall be bound in heaven." Those are some pretty hefty words given with some pretty hefty "keys" (Matthew 16:18).
This gift of infallibility is not just a gift to Peter, but a gift to us!
In John 8:12 Jesus said "whoever follows me will never walk in darkness". Jesus didn't want us to be wondering what his will is regarding the countless moral dilemmas we face today that weren't around in biblical times. He didn't want us to wonder if the bible really implies that there is a Trinity, saints who we can pray to for help, or a purgatory. He didn't want us to divide every time there is a disagreement over how to interpret scripture.
So he gave us a "rock" in Peter (Matthew16:18). And on that rock he built his Church, and the "gates of hell won't prevail over it" (ibid.).
Jesus is THE Answer!
Chris Stefanick
Question & Answer
Back to Q&A Page
Did Jesus really intend for there to be organized religion?
1st 2 paragraphs same as intro from Q&A about the Pope.
(Let me preface this by saying that I love our protestant brothers and sisters in Christ. And I have met many who surpass me in holiness and in zeal. That being said…)
The only alternative to organized religion is disorganized religion.
It was very important to Jesus that his Church be unified. In fact, that was part of his last prayer in the Gospel of John (see John 17). In order to ensure that His people would believe and work as one Jesus started a structured Church.
Bill Gates would never have said "I have a great idea - lets make programs for computers...ok....GO!" He made a structured organization.
The Founding Fathers of the US didn't just write a Constitution and tell everyone to go home and interpret it for themselves. They set up a structured Government to interpret the Constitution and apply it to our lives authoritatively.
Without structure Microsoft would have gone nowhere and the US would be in anarchy.
Jesus was at least as smart as Bill Gates and the founding fathers of America.
Right from the first days of Christianity we can see that the Church Jesus founded had structure. It was organized. Bishops, Priests, and Deacons are all mentioned in the Bible and in countless writings from the early Church.
(The next 2 paragraphs are repeat from Q&A re. the pope…I just couldn't say it better!)
Jesus set aside 12 men as Apostles to lead the Church (John 15:16, 20:21, Luke 22:29-30). Those Apostles appointed other men to lead the Church in the same capacity as them as the Church grew, and to replace them as they died. We call these men "bishops". (See the ordination of Matthias in Acts 1. Bishops are also mentioned in 1 Timothy 3:1, and in Titus 1:5.) Every Bishop today could trace back their authority to one of the 12 apostles.
Over those 12 apostles Jesus appointed one head honcho, Peter, thus giving further structure and unity to His Church. In Matthew 16:19 Jesus gives Peter the "keys of the kingdom". In biblical terms, "keys" = authority (see Isaiah 22:22). Peter was the Bishop of Rome. Peter's God given authority was passed down to our present day Pope Benedict XVI, the 265th Bishop of Rome.
If I stick my left hand in a light socket and my right finger up your nose - you'll get a shock. The power is passed on. Peter & the apostles received authority from Jesus - and passed it on. That passed on authority to govern the Church is called "Apostolic succession."
The Magesterium, that is, the Bishops united with the pope - much like the Apostles united with Peter, have the authority to give us the "final word" on matters of Faith and morals. When there is a debate about scripture, the Magesterium has the final word. When there is a debate about how scripture applies to a confusing issue of today (such as "the pill" for example - see my Q&A on contraception), the pope and Bishops with him have the final word.
We can see this in action in Acts 15. There was a debate among Christians. The apostles (bishops) gathered to discuss it. Peter (pope) gave the final word, and then "the whole assembly fell silent" (Acts 15:12). (Check out the Q&A about the pope to learn more about "infallibility".)
What happens when you deny that Jesus founded a structured Church with people appointed to lead us with His authority? Since Luther started the protestant reformation, Protestants have started a new church almost every time they disagree about some big issue.
Today there are almost 30,000 Christian denominations as a result - all disagreeing about certain things and all claiming that they base their beliefs on the Bible. There is no one to give a final word to make "the whole assembly…silent" (Acts 15:12).
Is that what Jesus had in mind when he prayed that we would all be one? I think not. Yet that is what you get when you have no organized religion…you get disorganized religion.
Jesus is THE Answer!
Chris Stefanick
Question & Answer
Back to Q&A Page
Are Catholics able to attend non-denominational camps?
Ultimately that is up to mom and dad - sorry if you were looking for a way around them!
There are some good, truly non-denominational camps and events out there and they are wonderful. That being said, I would advise you to be cautious. There are many "non-denominational" gatherings that are really alldenominationsexceptcatholicismominational gatherings (is that a real word?).
Of course you aren't told that until you are invited to "get saved" (see my Q&A regarding that) and join an evangelical protestant….um…I mean….nondenominational youth group.
I personally wouldn't send my own kids to one unless a very solid Catholic adult were with them as their leader and I called the camp and checked their motives.
Jesus is THE Answer!
Chris Stefanick
Question & Answer
Back to Q&A Page
Why is the Catholic Church so strict?
God has revealed who He is and how He wants us to live. The Church's job in every generation is to faithfully hand on what She has received from God. If we "loosen up" some teachings to attract more followers - that would not only be unfaithful to God - it would be dishonest to people who we are pretending to represent God to.
So why is God so "strict"? Why all of the commandments, rules, and regulations?
God doesn't give us rules to weigh us down. He gives us rules to set us free. The 10 commandments aren't chains - they are wings! Like any loving parent, God gives us rules to keep us away from what might harm us and to guide us to a fulfilling life. Not all of those rules are easy to follow…but dealing with the damaging effects of sin isn't easy either.
Love of God and one another fulfills and sums up all of the rules and regulations ("The Great Commandment" Matthew 22:37-39). If we follow the "rule of love" we'll be obeying all of the commandments naturally.
Jesus is THE Answer!
Chris Stefanick
(Originally posted on the Diocese of La Crosse youth ministry page.)
Why is the Church always referred to as a woman?
Jesus is referred to repeatedly in the Bible as the "groom" and the Church as the "Bride of Christ". This gives us an insight into how deep God's love is for us. Jesus' love for the Church is so intimate that St. Paul holds it up as the ideal model for how a husband should love his wife (Ephesians 5:25-27). Like the perfect groom, Jesus went so far as to lay down his very life for his bride.
It also gives us insight into the nature of the relationship between God and his Church. The Church, like Mary, receives and is filled with the Life of God. We then bring that life into the world.
It isn't a matter of chauvinism. It's a matter of being open to what God revealed. If we aren't in this area - we miss something very beautiful.
Jesus is THE Answer!
Chris Stefanick
Why can't a priest have a wife?
A Catholic priest can have a wife, and a good number of them do.
Sometimes a protestant pastor, when he converts, is given special permission to become a Roman Catholic priest.
In addition, there are many Rites in the Catholic Church besides the Roman Rite. We are Roman Catholic. There is also Byzantine Catholic, Maronite Catholic, etc. These other Rites are just as Catholic and under the Pope as we are. In other countries, these other Rites allow for their priests to be married men as they have for over 1,000 years.
Furthermore - the apostles were married men.
Members of the clergy (Bishops, Deacons, Priests) cannot get married after ordination into the priesthood - so if the wife of a clergyman dies he cannot scope out his congregation for her replacement. This rule is made clear by Saint Paul in 1 Timothy 3:2 and has been followed since the start of the Church in every Rite of the Catholic Church.
Since they technically "can" be married, the more correct question would be "Why does the Roman Catholic Church choose to have its priests make a promise of celibacy (a vow to not get married/have sex/children)?"
I will offer two reasons (though there may be many more):
1) The Roman Catholic Church has chosen to have its priests be celibate so that they can give themselves more fully to their ministry.
In 1 Corinthians 7:32-34 St. Paul says it is better to be single if you are in ministry so that your time and attention is not divided between your ministry and your family.
As a married person in ministry - I can see his point. Celibacy would certainly be the easier route if I were called to it.
2) The Roman Catholic Church has chosen to have its priests be celibate so that they can more fully image Jesus to the world, who, as a celibate man was "married" only to the people he served.
There have been celibates in the Catholic Church since the start - though it became mandatory for all Roman Catholic Priests in the 9th or 11th century.
All Bishops, and many priests and religious in every Rite of the Catholic Church have taken vows of celibacy for the reasons listed above.
The sacrifice of celibacy is a great gift to the Church. In celibacy, a person gives up having a family in order to be a father, brother, sister, or mother to the world.
If you think God may be calling you to that path - check out the VIP page on our Youth Ministry website.
Life is worth giving.
Jesus is THE Answer!
Chris Stefanick
(Originally posted on the Diocese of La Crosse youth ministry page.)
