New Management
I’ve mentioned before about being rather mystified about how people talk contrast Pope Francis with Pope Benedict as though Pope Francis is doing something utterly different from his predecessors…
Category: Apologetics
Peter and the Fathers
The new pastor at my parish has taken to regularly including quotations from the Early Church Fathers. Here are the quotations on the feast of St. Peter and Paul:
Accept our counsel and you will have nothing to regret. If anyone disobeys the things which have been said by [Jesus] though us, let them know that they will involve themselves in no small danger. We, however, shall be innocent of this sin and will pray with entreaty and supplication that the Creator of all may keep unharmed the number of his elect
– St. Clement of Rome, Letter to the Corinthians 58:2, 59 (AD 95)
The Lord says to Peter “I say to you that you are Peter and upon this rock I will build my Church” On him he builds the Church and to him he gives the command to feed the sheep (John 21:17), and although he assigns a like power to all the apostles, yet he founded a single chair [cathedra], and he established by his own authority a source and an intrinsic reason for that unity. Indeed the others were also that which Peter was [i.e. apostles], but primacy is given to Peter, whereby it is made clear that there is but one Church and one chair. So too all [the apostles] are shepherds, and the flock is shown to be one, fed by all the apostles in single-minded accord. If someone does not hold fast to this unity of Peter, can he imagine that he still holds the faith? If he should desert the chair of Peter upon whom the Church was built, can he still be confident that he is in the Church?
– St. Cyrpian of Carthage, The Unity of the Catholic Church (AD 252)
For the Father gave to Peter the revelation of the Son; but the Son gave him to sow that of the Father and that of Himself in every part of the world; and to a mortal man He entrusted the authority over all things in heaven, giving him the keys, who extended the Church to every part of the world, and declared it to be stronger than heaven
– St. John Chrysostom, Homily LIV on Matthew 16:2,3
Baptism Series Update
In response to some recent conversations regarding infant baptism, last night I updated one of the posts in my series on infant baptism, in an attempt to explain more clearly the implications of the link between Old Covenant circumcision and New Covenant baptism:
Pope Benedict on “Faith Alone”
Today I want to share a quotation I often refer to on the subject of justification and the Protestant doctrine of Sola Fide. Often non-Catholics will tell us (incorrectly) that we believe in salvation by works. For this reason, I think it’s useful to hear what Pope Benedict has to say on the primacy of faith in salvation, and even the sense in which Luther was right, that we are saved by “faith alone”…
Being “just” simply means being with Christ and in Christ. And this suffices. Further observances are no longer necessary. For this reason Luther’s phrase: “faith alone” is true, if it is not opposed to faith in charity, in love. Faith is looking at Christ, entrusting oneself to Christ, being united to Christ, conformed to Christ, to his life. And the form, the life of Christ, is love; hence to believe is to conform to Christ and to enter into his love. So it is that in the Letter to the Galatians in which he primarily developed his teaching on justification St Paul speaks of faith that works through love
– Pope Benedict XVI, Wednesday Audience, 19th November 2008
More arguing with Catholics
As a follow-up to my post earlier this week, here’s Soul Device‘s take on “Arguing with Catholics”:
Does God share His glory?
There are some posts to which I regularly refer/hyperlink during apologetic discussions. Many of these kinds of posts are now found in this blog’s sidebar.
I link to such posts because it saves me from repeatedly writing the same explanation, and it also helps limit the highjacking of the discussion thread with side issues. If someone wants to dispute the particular assertion then they have an entire blog post in which to do it where I make my case.
Today’s post is one of those posts which I think I’ll be linking to regularly…
Last week I was dialoguing with a commenter by the name “Sola Fide” and he made the assertion which I’ve heard many times before:
Sharing the glory of Christ with a human is idolatry… You are sharing the glory of Christ with Mary…
– User “Sola Fide”
Although it comes from admirable intentions, statements like this are rather mind-boggling when one considers the Biblical data available. Does the Bible ever speak about God sharing His glory with mere creatures? The short answer is, yes…
Arguing with Catholics
I recently had a discussion about the Faith with someone who was a former Catholic. After making several (factually incorrect) assertions about Catholic belief, she said something like this:
“Look, I know what I’m talking about. I was brought up Catholic. I was baptized, received my First Communion and was Confirmed. I went to Mass every Sunday….every Sunday! Not only that, I was in Catholic education for all high school…all of high school. Trust me, I know Catholicism…”
Now, I know my friend thought she was presenting me with some particularly impressive Catholic credentials, but I have to admit that (at least internally) I was smirking a bit as I heard all this…