Earlier, I listed 10 questions “most asked of Catholics.” I was sure you would recognize many of them, but people’s comments to me made me equally sure that you might not feel 100% confident in answering them. Since I didn’t have complete confidence in the answers the pamphlet offered, I thought it my responsibility to offer my own. So in turn, one at a time, let me try to approach the 10 questions with my 10 answers.
1. Are Catholic beliefs found in the Bible?
By and large, they certainly are.
The first point to recall is that “Catholic beliefs” are identical to “Protestant beliefs” in about 85-90% of all “Christian beliefs.” This includes belief in the Virgin Birth, the miracles of Jesus during His public ministry, the institution of the sacraments of Baptism and Eucharist, His atoning crucifixion and His resurrection. We share, in addition, the conviction that He established the Church to preach the Gospel of salvation, that the Holy Spirit is given to the Church to preserve it in truth, and that our Lord will come again at the end of the world to judge and welcome into full salvation those whom He redeemed.
Secondly, however, we declare that as Catholics we are not limited to the Bible even though we are bound to it. How can this be? It’s actually very simple. If “the Bible” means what we now know as “Old Testament” and “New Testament,” then it is clear that the “Bible” as such didn’t exist until sometime in the 4th century or so, when decisions were made by the Church as to which books would be recognized as “Scriptural.” But surely the Church existed all during this time! The New Testament bears witness to this, when we read (II Thess. 2:15) “Therefore, brothers and sisters, stand firm. Hold fast to the traditions you received from us, either by our word or by letter.” Thus, we believe that the Bible is the book of the Church, and not that the Church is the creation of the Bible. We are not a “Bible only” (sola Scriptura) Church. But the Bible is a “Church only” (sola Ecclesia) book!
So it is fair to say that most Catholic beliefs are found explicitly in the Bible, and that all Catholic beliefs are consistent with the Bible, since the Bible is (we believe) the written testimony of the apostolic tradition which existed even before the Bible as we know it was written. This is what Catholics mean when they refer to “Tradition” (with a capital “T”). We therefore believe that while our teachings might not be found in the Bible, they must not be contradicted by the Bible, but they may grow from the teachings of the Bible. This is what Catholics mean by “development of doctrine.”
We can see now that while it is an important and interesting question to ask if one’s beliefs (Catholic or Protestant) are found in the Bible, the far more important question is to ask if our (or their) beliefs are consistent with the Apostolic Tradition handed down by preaching and the written word. This is what we pray for at Mass, when we pray “for all who hold and teach the catholic faith that comes to us from the apostles” (Eucharistic Prayer #1).
2. Why do you obey the Pope?
Jesus promised us that the Holy Spirit would guide us into all truth (Jn. 16:12-13). This promise is important to us, as is the promise that Jesus Himself would be with us always (Matt. 28:20). But how do we recognize the presence of Jesus, or the promptings of the Holy Spirit, in the Church today?
Catholics believe that Simon Peter, the chief of the apostles, was given a special role by Jesus, to be a leader of unity and of faith and of service. Jesus gives this role to Peter at the Last Supper, in Luke’s Gospel: “Simon, Simon, behold, Satan has demanded to sift all of you like wheat, but I have prayed for you [singular], that your [singular] faith may not fail; and once you have turned back, you must strengthen your brothers” (Lk. 22:31-32). A similar role is given to Peter by Jesus in Matthew’s Gospel. There, Jesus promises him the keys of the kingdom, with authority to bind and to loose (Matt. 16:17-19). And at the end of John’s Gospel, Peter is commissioned to feed the lambs and sheep of the Lord’s flock (Jn. 21:15-19).
Catholics also believe that the authority given to Peter was passed down to his successor-bishops in Rome, whose office ultimately has come to be known as the Papacy. And so it is to the successor of Peter, keeper of the keys of the Kingdom, chief shepherd under Jesus the Good Shepherd, who strengthens his brothers and sisters in the faith, that Catholics look for leadership and clear teaching on questions of faith and morals. We believe that when he teaches solemnly, the Holy Spirit keeps the promise of being with us. Sometimes the Popes’ teachings are hard to accept or obey: but then again so were Jesus’ (Jn. 6:60ff.). Would you be content with a spiritual leader whose words never challenged you?
Catholic obedience is never intended to be “blind obedience.” Catholics are expected to study the teachings of the Church (from Popes or Councils) and to strive to understand them. Even when I do not agree completely or understand completely, I am asked to give the benefit of the doubt to the teaching, on the theory that if the Pope and Church on the one hand disagree with me on the other, I just might be the one who is wrong. This is “obedience in humility.”
No doubt you could have guessed most of these questions. You might even be able to add to the list! But could you have given good replies to these questions for your Protestant friends (always presuming they are sincere, not simply argumentative)? What are the Church’s answers, and how well do you understand them?
I would not recommend this little pamphlet as a source of answers for you without reservation. It is well done in places, poorly done in others. For example, in the reply to the question of calling priests “Father,” it refers to the parable of the Rich Man and Lazarus (Lk. 16:19-31), the author states, “…Jesus actually has Lazarus using the address ‘Father Abraham’ twice (Lk. 16:24, 30).” Unfortunately, it’s the Rich Man, buried in hell, who uses this salutation: quite a bit of ammunition for one who wants to condemn that title! Far better would be to refer to I Cor. 4:14-16.
No matter what, as minority Catholics in a majority world of Baptists who are often fundamentalist in approach and absolutely “Bible only” in their faith, good Scripture passages are essential, and good reasoning (from the head and from the heart) is equally important.