Great Expatiations

Great Expatiations II {too}

Why do Catholics do what THEY do?

By Patrick Miron

For many Catholics, one of the things we have little understanding of with our Christian Brethren who seemingly “just don’t get it,” deals with the Catholic Sacraments. Adding to this confusion is that many of them choose to call themselves “Bible Church‘s”, which we assume means they actually choose to abide by what the bible actually says. Not so!

A few years ago, while visiting my sister who is of the Baptist faith,  begin to discuss religion.

Sister: Are you saved?

Me: yes I am and I’m in the process of being saved

Sister: what kind of answer is that?

Me: the truth

Sister: That’s NOT! What the bible says

Me: Really?

So I asked her if she had a bible in the car, and she told me that she had the New Testament Gospels only. I looked up

John 20:19-23, which I share here from the King James bible: v19 Then the same day at evening, being the first day of the week, when the doors were shut where the disciples [Apostles] were assembled for fear of the Jews, came Jesus and stood in the midst, and saith unto them, Peace be unto you. v21 21 Then said Jesus to them again, Peace be unto you: as my Father hath sent me, even so send I you. v22 And when he had said this, he breathed on them, and saith unto them, Receive ye the Holy Ghost: v23 Whose soever sins ye remit , they are remitted unto them; and whose soever sins ye retain , they are retained” END QUOTE I could have provided other examples; but the clarity of this seemed to me, indisputable.

I then explained to Sis, that Christ here was speaking both directly too, and exclusively too His Apostles

[SEE: Mt. 10: 1-8, Mt. 16:15-19, John 14: 16-17, Mk. 16:14-15, and Mt. 28:16-20 for further evidence of this fact]. Her response was “WELL THAT MAY BE WHAT IT SAY’S, BUT THAT’S NOT WHAT IT MEANS.” When I told her that I could prove biblically that it was; her response was: “I DON’T WANT TO TALK ABOUT It ANY MORE.”

Me: [a silent] Duh: OK?????? She broached the topic, not me.

All of seem to agree WHO God is. And most of us even agree on the Blessed Trinity. But we do not agree on what God is.

Let’s “fast-Forward here.”

I recall some time ago, a Nationally Known and highly respected main Line Protestant Preacher enumerate on Television, “what God is“:

OMNIPOTENCE. [Here’s the Catholic definition: from Father Hardon‘s Catholic Dictionary] “The almighty power of God. He can do whatever does not deny his nature or that is not self-contradictory. Since God is infinite in being, he must also be infinite in power. (Etym. Latin omnis, all + potentia, power: omnipotens, all-powerful.)” End Quote and also: OMNISCIENCE. [again from Father Hardon’s Catholic Dictionary] God’s knowledge of all things. Revelation discloses that the wisdom of God is without measure (Psalm 146:5). And the Church teaches that his knowledge is infinite.

The primary object of divine cognition is God himself, whom he knows immediately, that is, without any medium by which he apprehends his nature. He knows himself through himself.

The secondary objects of divine knowledge are everything else, namely the purely possible, the real, and the conditionally future. He knows all that is merely possible by what is called the knowledge of simple intelligence. This means that, in comprehending his infinite imitability and his omnipotence, God knows therein the whole sphere of the possible.

He knows all real things in the past, present, and the future by his knowledge of vision. When God, in his self-consciousness, beholds his infinite operative power, he knows therein all that he, as the main effective cause, actually comprehends, i.e., all reality. The difference between past, present, and future does not exist for the divine knowledge, since for God all is simultaneously present.

By the same knowledge of vision, God also foresees the future free acts of the rational creatures with infallible certainty. As taught by the Church, “All things are naked and open to His eyes, even those things that will happen through the free actions of creatures” (Denzinger 3003). The future free actions foreseen by God follow infallibly not because God substitutes his will for the free wills of his creatures but because he does not interfere with the freedom that he foresees creatures will exercise. (Etym. Latin omnis, all + scire, to know.) END QUOTE

Now back to this notable preacher who went on for a half-hour about God being all Powerful, All Good, All Perfect and so on. Interspersed in his dialog were a considerable number of derogatory comments about the Catholic Church. I still have not been able to reconcile what he said “GOD IS” and what he claimed the catholic church is.

I have often used this brief definition of God, and in fact shared with my sister. GOD IS ALL GOOD THINGS PERFECTED. Sis agreed with the definition until I attempted to explain just what this brief explanation entails. It is a critical affirmation that God IS Good; and can be only Good, and that God is Perfect, and can only be Perfect. {UNABLE TO ERROR} consequently He is incapable of lying or deceiving. What God CLAIMS is TRUE; MUST therefore actually BE TRUE. [singular]

Now I must confess that not everything the bible “say’s” is in FACT; exactly what the bible means. For example:

Matthew 18:8 “And if thy hand, or thy foot scandalize thee, cut it off, and cast it from thee. It is better for thee to go into life maimed or lame, than having two hands or two feet, to be cast into everlasting fire. & Mark 9:42 “And if thy hand scandalize thee, cut it off: it is better for thee to enter into life, maimed, than having two hands to go into hell, into unquenchable fire.” And here is a personal favorite: Matt.7: 4 “Or how can you say to your brother, `Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ when there is the log in your own eye?”

Obviously, even indisputably, the metaphorical form is a part of the bibles authorship. So HOW THEN DOES ONE KNOW what is a metaphor, and what is literal? Can we actually know? And this my friends get’s to today’s TOPIC. What are our “Good and Perfect God’s” personal expatiations?

In answering this query, it is necessary to have a Foundation from which we can agree as a launching point. Please KNOW, I do intend to enter into an argument here.  I am willing and even excited about discussing with anyone who is charitable, can provide evidence of there position, and is willing to at least entertain, what I share.

There is but one single INFALLIBLE Rule for right understanding of the Bible. It is this:

[Caps used for emphasis not shouting]

NEVER, EVER, CAN MAY OR DOES ONE BIBLE VERSE, PASSAGE OR TEACHING MAKE VOID, INVALIDATE OR OVERRIDE ANOTHER. This, and charity, along with evidence of your positions are the only conditions to our discussion that I must insist upon. Where this Infallible Rule, not logically the fact, the bible would be worthless for teaching or learning ones Faith.

The basis for catholic beliefs evolve around what we hold to be bible truth, and biblically verifiable.

One God

Can have only One set of Faith beliefs

And has always [for reasons only God fully comprehends] just one chosen people.

That Christ is that One God

The Catholic Faith alone [23 branches] is that One true, complete and protected Faith

And today’s Catholic Church is the only Church [thus the “chosen people“] founded and desired by God.

So friends, just what don’t we Catholic understand?