As I study the Catholic Catechism this week in an effort to complete my homework for next week’s class on the Catechism of the Catholic Church, the following question is of special interest: How can Catholics make the claim that a church full of sinners is holy? I would like to share some of what I learned, as well as my personal thoughts with you. Paragraphs for study are nos. 811-870.
The Church is holy because Christ loves her as His bride, He gives himself up for Her, joins Her to Himself as His Body, and endows Her with the gift of the Holy Spirit. The Church is sanctified by the Grace of Christ and the Church is sanctifying because it is in the Church that the ‘full means of salvation’ has been deposited. (830) Though Her members are imperfect, it is through Her that Christ calls all men to perfect holiness (825). All sinners in the Church are on their way to salvation, and if the sinners live in Her, She will sanctify them with Her Grace. Like Christ, the Church suffers and does penance for the sins of Her members. (827). Read more...
From time to time, I participate in an online theology discussion, but as one of a only a handful of Catholics sharing my opinion on a website designed by Protestants, I can sometimes really feel out of place. Indeed, even the questions posed on this site used to generate thought and discussion appear, to a cradle Catholic like myself, to come from a foreign nation out of touch with what many of us believe is the Kingdom of God. One such question was as follows: "What things do you look for when trying to find a church?"
Now, I can’t speak for all Catholics, but most Catholics I know don’t fret a whole lot over the parish community they decide to join. Our faith is not really about our local parish community. There is something much bigger in play here.
Protestants are the ones who go on a search for that church which supports their own individual beliefs and philosophies, that church that makes them feel welcome, and that church that houses people they feel comfortable being around. It is said that there are some 33,000 plus Protestant denominations, but I believe that when you consider all of the differing Protestant views, the actual number might be much bigger. There could indeed be a different denomination for every individual Protestant in the world. No two people ever think exactly alike. Each individual Protestant becomes his own infallible authority guiding his moves upon what suites his tastes. But truth, by its very definition, must be objective and independent of the individual's own system of beliefs if it is to be regarded as real truth. There can only be one truth. Read more...
Often, non-Catholics will attempt to use scandal and corruption to discredit the Church. How should you respond?
It is a shame that grave sin seeps into the Catholic Church from time to time, and it hurts us all deeply, especially the vast majority of priests who are truly holy men of God. But, the Church has never claimed that those who have been entrusted to lead the flock will never sin. Our priests are fallible men. Even our popes are sinners who participate in the Sacrament of Confession just like the rest of us do. Some are great sinners and we have had throughout the years about ten evil Popes. (out of 265 Popes, that is not a bad record). But, this should come as no surprise. Jesus tells us in Scripture that there indeed will be weeds among the wheat
Jesus told them another parable: "The kingdom of heaven is like a man who sowed good seed in his field. But while everyone was sleeping, his enemy came and sowed weeds among the wheat, and went away. When the wheat sprouted and formed heads, then the weeds also appeared.
"The owner's servants came to him and said, 'Sir, didn't you sow good seed in your field? Where then did the weeds come from?' 'An enemy did this,' he replied. The servants asked him, 'Do you want us to go and pull them up?' Matthew 13:24 Read more...
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