12 Claims Every Catholic Should Be Able to Answer

Catholic Educators ^ | Deal Hudson

[tlRCta]

You: "I know how the Church condemns abortion--I was just wondering whether or not it is clearly held to be an infallible teaching."

Me (earlier): "Yes, it is to be held by all the faithful."

Sorry: I was not quite clear. "it is to be held by all the faithful" is Catholic-high-falutin-talk for "infallible." You will usually see the longer phrase in an official document, like "Ordinatio Sacerdotalis" (JPII) or "Munificentissimus Deus" (Pius XII) where neither Pope, if I remember correctly, uses the word "infallible," but proclaims "infallibly."

[mike182d]

Its actually quite easy to explain this one. Refer to John 20:22-23

"And when he had said this, he breathed on them and said to them, 'Receive the holy Spirit. Whose sins you forgive are forgiven them, and whose sins you retain are retained.'"

The Apostles were given not just the power to forgive sins but the power to retain them. If it were possible for man to confess directly to God, it renders the power to forgive sins useless as well as denies the power given to them by God to retain it. Therefore, if we are to believe that Christ isn't a liar, the Apostles not only had the power to forgive other people's sins but also retain someone's sins despite their confession directly to God.

[mike182d]

Psalm 32:5 Then I acknowledged my sin to you and did not cover up my iniquity. I said, "I will confess my transgressions to the LORD "— and you forgave the guilt of my sin. Selah

Sure, you can confess your sins to the Lord but, according to John 20:22-23, the Apostles have the power to retain your sins despite your efforts. In order to receive absolution was must receive this Sacrament as ordained by Christ, through the hands of the Apostles.

[mike182d]

Correction to my last post:

It is not necessary to receive absolution from a priest for one's sins, as the mercy of God is without bounds, but Christ most certainly provided us with the proper means to do so on earth and it would do us well to both acknowledge and partake of that.

[x5452]

Its not that I don't buy it, I do but generally those brought up that 'confessing your sins to a man is some sort of evil pagan idea' I sort of need a brunt evidence.

[rzeznikj at stout]

Gotcha. Although I always thought that infallibilty had to be invoked when the Pope teaches ex cathedra, and this was last used by Pius XII and the dogma on the Virgin Mary.

[NYer]

I found going to confession to be the most difficult adjustment.

Many people never hesitate to pay hundreds of dollars to tell their 'sins' to a psychotherapist ... and not receive absolution :-). For us to hear the priest say: "I absolve you of your sins" - what an awesome and beautiful Sacrament.

[NYer]

I'm not sure where exaclty you would find the first explicit condemnation of abortion

You have to go back to the Jews wandering in the desert. It's one of the 10 commandments: - "Thou shall not kill!"

[NYer]

BTW: Wasn't Deal fired from Crisis due to flirting a little too much with female staffers?

Yes.

[spunkets]

"1.) “There’s no such thing as absolute truth. What’s true for you may not be true for me.”"

LOL!

[stever5758]

The catholic church is just really starting to see the effects of what vat II has produced. Many people say that the catholic church must adjust to the modern times and that tradition is wrong. I feel that it is tradition that has kept out the very things we are seeing today in our church.

[Desdemona]

So does your priest confess his sins to you also?

Priests confess to other priests. When you are behind the screen, a priest generally doesn't know who you are.

[NYer]

I feel that it is tradition that has kept out the very things we are seeing today in our church.

Bless you! For those of us who remember pre-VCII days and have watched in shock awe as tradition was stripped from the Latin Mass, only to be replaced with 'novelties', 40 years feels like such a long time. Yet, as you pointed out, it was 'tradition', locked for 500 years, that hindered the flow of fresh air into the Roman Church. In the span of 2000 years, 40 is no more than a drop in the bucket.

[ShihanRob]

Its not that I don't buy it, I do but generally those brought up that 'confessing your sins to a man is some sort of evil pagan idea' I sort of need a brunt evidence.
The authorization is from Christ himself, where he tells Simon Peter, "I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heavin, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven." CCC 1444, Mt. 16:19
Rob

[magisterium]

No. The point to the Romans 14 passage is primarily about people who are "weak in faith" and the obligation of the Christian not to welcome such a person just to have an occasion for "disputes over opinions," as is plain from verse 1. One example about such contentiousness involves dietary concerns, as you have said. But he gives a second example about the dispute over the Lord's Day in verses 5 and 6. At the time, the dispute between the Hebrew Christians and Gentile Christians over which day was to be observed as the Lord's Day was still ongoing. Sure, the Sabbath is not explicitly mentioned, but it is clear enough that that is what is referred to in vv. 5 & 6. St. Paul didn't have to even mention the Sabbath by name, as ALL of his hearers knew quite well what he was talking about.

[Flightdeck]

The answer to #1 doesn't jive with special relativity.

[ShihanRob]

I was in an RCIA class, last Tuesday when the leaders of the class said that all religions are pathways for salvation. Catholic, Protestant, Muslim, Hindu, Buddhist, whatever. Not only that, a sponsor of one of the catechumens spoke up and expressed that all of the other religions are equally valid as far as holding God's truth. I can't begin to express my disappointment. Thank God, that the person I'm sponsoring had done his homework and wrote these people off as sadly misinformed and, in one case, a crank.

Rob

[tlRCta]

"You have to go back to the Jews wandering in the desert. It's one of the 10 commandments: - 'Thou shall not kill!'"

Of course....how could I forget that one! Thanks :)

I was refering to the Church Fathers though. The Didache, a fairly early text, does specifically mention it. (The Didache, at the Catholic Encyclopedia: http://www.newadvent.org/fathers/0714.htm).

BTW, that is a great cartoon. The sad thing is some people want "something more progressive."

[magisterium]

We all know that you're Orthodox. Don't you confess your sins to the priest before the icon of Christ at the iconostasis? Certainly that's what we all did when I was attending the Melkite liturgy for years before I returned to my "roots" at the indult Tridentine Mass. It's my understanding that the Orthodox use John 20:23 in their theology of the sacrament just as the Catholics do. So nothing could be less "pagan," no?

[NYer]

Certainly that's what we all did when I was attending the Melkite liturgy for years before I returned to my "roots" at the indult Tridentine Mass.

Interesting! I did not realize you once attended the Melkite Church. We have several Melkite families in our Maronite parish. I'm the one who comes from Indult Tridentine roots :-). We even have a Greek Orthodox family that occasionally celebrates our liturgy because the wife is from Jordan. One big "catholic" family.