One



		One, Universal and Apostolic



�� Today, according to the U.S. government, there are literally thousands of different denominations of Christianity in America. This makes it hard to imagine that for the first 1,500 years or so of Christianity, there was only one Church to which every Christian belonged from Ireland to Russia: the one, holy, catholic (universal) and apostolic church. Since the time of Christ until the time of Martin Luther there was only one recognized church and doctrine, which stood above, overcame or outlasted all minor dissentions. The Church could trace its episcopal ancestry all the way back to the apostles of Christ.

�� Due to this history, the only defense of those who have broken away from the Church and adopted new or divergent doctrines is to argue that the church institution does not matter and that, when Christ spoke of the church, he was not being specific but rather was speaking about anyone of any church which believed in him. However, the New Testament is full of evidence that the Church was of paramount importance, that it was one, that it was given truth by Christ and the apostles, was given authority and understanding to correctly interpret Scripture and sound doctrine.

�� "I have given them the glory that you gave me, that they may be one as we are one: I in them and you in me. May they be brought to complete unity to let the world know that you sent me and have loved them as you loved me" (John 17:22-23) "If your brother sins against you, go and show him his fault, just between the two of you. If he listens to you, you have won your brother over. But if he will not listen, take one or two others along, so that 'every matter may be established by the testimony of two or three witnesses.' If he refuses to listen to them, tell it to the church; and if he refuses to listen even to the church, treat him as you would a pagan or a tax collector. I tell you the truth, whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven" (Matthew 18:15-18) "I urge you, brothers, to watch out for those who cause divisions and put obstacles in your way that are contrary to the teaching you have learned. Keep away from them" (Romans 16:17) "they were continually devoting themselves to the apostles' teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. Everyone kept feeling a sense of awe; and many wonders and signs were taking place through the apostles" (Acts 2:42-43).

�� Jesus clearly intended a formal organization by choosing the twelve apostles and giving to them, and them alone, special power and authority to carry on his work. "He called his twelve disciples to him and gave them authority to drive out evil spirits and to heal every disease and sickness" (Matthew 10:1). Jesus never gives anyone else this special role other than the apostles. Jesus gave this authority to them, passing on his work to them to carry on after his ascension. Likewise, the apostles passed it on to their own successors as the bishops of the early Church, most well known being St Linus, Bishop of Rome, who was the successor of St Peter, chosen by the apostles Peter and Paul before their deaths at the hands of Nero. The New Testament tells how the early Church was structured with bishops (in their language overseers or elders), priests (presbyters), and deacons to lead the people in spiritual matters.

In I Timothy 3:14-15 it is clearly written that the Church itself is important, "Although I hope to come to you soon, I am writing you these instructions so that, if I am delayed, you will know how people ought to conduct themselves in God's household, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and foundation of the truth." Clearly, the attitude that the Church, of finding the right Church, is not so important is totally wrong. The Bible does not say that the Bible itself is "the pillar and foundation of truth" or that the judgment of each individual is "the pillar and foundation of the truth". Verse 15 says that the Church is the pillar and foundation of the truth.

All those who are saved are saved by Christ, and can only be saved by Christ. But, when the first Protestants split from the Catholic Church they separated themselves from the Church that Jesus started and that He wished to be one. Paul's warning to those in Ephesus tells of people leading the flock astray. Acts 20:28-30 says, "Be on guard for yourselves and for all the flock, among which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers (bishops), to shepherd the church of God which He purchased with His own blood. I know that after my departure savage wolves will come in among you, not sparing the flock; and from among your own selves men will arise, speaking perverse things, to draw away the disciples after them." This passage also reveals that not everyone in the church will be flawless and impeccable when St Paul says some of these wolves will arise "from among your own selves". Martin Luther, an Augustinian priest, is such a case.

Legitimacy is always given preeminence in the Bible and Christian tradition over personal character, in both the Old and New Testaments. "But you have rejected the Lord's priests, the children of Aaron and the Levites" (whom you yourselves recognize with us, and to whom you well know God has given the priesthood through Moses), "and you have made yourselves priests, like the other peoples of the earth" (without succession, without God's order). "The first to arrive is made a priest. For us, our Lord is God himself, whom we have not abandoned; and we continue to recognize the priests he has given us, who are the children of Aaron and the Levites, each in his station. Thus God is in our army with the priests he established. Children of Israel do not fight against the Lord, your God; that would be of no use to you" (II Chronicles 13:9,10,12).

The same is expressed in the New Testament when St Jude talks of those who are "separating themselves" (Jude 19) and he then reiterated the teaching of the apostles to all the Church. "For you, my beloved, remember the words of the apostles' prediction: that deceivers would come lately, who would walk in their blasphemies according to their desires" (Jude 17-19). Jesus addressed the issue of those who have broken from the true succession when he spoke of the Samaritans. The Samaritans worshiped the one and only God, they knew the law, the prophecies and looked for the Messiah. The Samaritan said, "Our fathers worshiped on this mountain" (John 4:20) and also said, "Christ shall come and shall teach all things" (John 4:25). Yet, because the Samaritans were separated from the true Church established by God, because they were separated from the Temple by the rebellion of Jeroboam, Jesus said to the Samaritan woman, "You worship what you do not know: as for us (as for us other Jews), we worship what we know, and salvation comes from the Jews" (John 4:22). It had been established long before that there was one true succession of priests who would preserve God's religion and that there was one true royal dynasty, the House of David, which would produce the Savior Jesus Christ. Only by remaining true to these established successions could one find salvation.

The most visible and recognized symbol of this established organization, hierarchy and apostolic succession is the Bishop of Rome, the Pope. The full title of the Pope is "Bishop of Rome, Vicar of Jesus Christ, Successor of the Prince of the Apostles, Supreme Pontiff of the Universal Church, Patriarch of the West, Primate of Italy, Archbishop and Metropolitan of the Roman Province, and Sovereign of the State of Vatican City". Many people claim that the Pope is assuming too much power by using these titles, however, they are simply explanations of offices, which many servants of God have held throughout the Bible. For example, the term "Vicar of Christ" simply means one who speaks on behalf of Christ. Pontiff is an ancient Roman word meaning "bridge builder". None of these are innovative titles, but a continuation of the system used by God even in the Old Testament.

The ancient prophets, like Samuel, Isaiah, Ezekiel etc could all be called pontiffs and vicars of God. Very little of what the prophets did fits the common image of "prophesying" or foretelling future events. Most often, they were acting as a pontiff, as a bridge builder between Heaven and earth, or as a vicar, speaking on behalf of God. God would tell these men what He wished them to know and they would then pass on to the people the instructions, warnings or admonishments which God had told them. Often, this was because the people were misunderstanding or ignoring the written word of God given in the Torah. Since the nature of man has not changed since the life of Christ, there are still and will always be confusion, misunderstandings and other events which require the person of the Pope to carry on the role of the prophets of old.

We see this more formalized office, founded by Christ when St Peter, the first among the apostles, recognized Jesus as the Son of God. "And Jesus said to him, 'Blessed are you, Simon Barjona, because flesh and blood did not reveal this to you, but My Father who is in heaven. 'I also say to you that you are Peter (Rock), and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of Hell will not overpower it. I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven; and whatever you bind on earth shall have been bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall have been loosed in heaven" (Matthew 16:17-19). The symbol of the keys clearly denotes a special authority, of which there is evidence throughout the Bible, such as in Isaiah 22:20-22, "Then it will come about in that day, That I will summon My servant Eliakim the son of Hilkiah, And I will clothe him with your tunic And tie your sash securely about him. I will entrust him with your authority, And he will become a father to the inhabitants of Jerusalem and to the house of Judah. Then I will set the key of the house of David on his shoulder, When he opens no one will shut, When he shuts no one will open."

Revelation 1:17-18 says, ?When I saw Him, I fell at His feet like a dead man. And He placed His right hand on me, saying, "Do not be afraid; I am the first and the last, and the living One; and I was dead, and behold, I am alive forevermore, and I have the keys of death and of Hades." Revelation 3:7-8 also says, "And to the angel of the church in Philadelphia write: He who is holy, who is true, who has the key of David, who opens and no one will shut, and who shuts and no one opens, says this: 'I know your deeds. Behold, I have put before you an open door which no one can shut, because you have a little power, and have kept My word, and have not denied My name."

Jesus calls the Church his flock, of which he is shepherd, moreover that it is "one flock and one shepherd" in John 10:16. And, because Jesus is the good shepherd, he makes arrangements for another shepherd to take over after his ascension, to lead and care for the Church when he is gone. In John 21:15-19, Jesus tells St. Peter, "Simon, son of John...Feed my lambs...Tend my sheep...Feed my sheep." Clearly he was giving to Peter a special role with special authority to be the leader of the Church on earth while he remained the supreme head of the Church in heaven. When the Church leaders came together at the first "council of bishops" at Jerusalem in Acts 15, it is Peter who finally makes the final pronouncement that, "God made a choice among you that the Gentiles might hear from my lips the message of the gospel and believe" in verse seven.

It is a common argument that Christ was not speaking directly to Peter when he passed on this authority, but was speaking to all the apostles and further, anyone who made the same pronouncement that Peter had made, that he was the son of God. However, if this is true, why was Peter the only one given a new name, and is it only coincidence that he was given a name meaning "rock" before Jesus said he would build his Church upon "this rock"? Is it also purely coincidence that Peter is always listed first among the apostles, that it was Peter who always spoke on behalf of the others and that it was Peter who Christ asked to tend his flock? As already shown in John 10:16 Christ made it clear that his flock was to have one and only one shepherd.

In order to have a substitute for this authority, Protestants have advanced the belief in sola scriptura or "scripture alone" as the only authority Christians can have. From this idea came the belief that the Bible is all that is necessary to gain salvation. The Catholic Church, however, teaches that there must be more than this. Catholics believe that the Bible is the perfect, inerrant word of God or, as is written in II Timothy 3:16, "All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness". Yet, you will notice that this passage does not say the Bible is the only thing you need, in fact, nowhere in the Bible is it written that the Bible alone is necessary for salvation. In fact, the Bible states, as the Catholic Church teaches, that sacred scripture and sacred tradition must both be kept and followed.

St Paul said that we must obey both what is written as well as what is handed down by word of mouth, "Therefore, brothers, stand firm and hold fast to the traditions that you were taught, either by an oral statement or by a letter of ours" (2 Thess 2:15). The Bible cannot possibly contain every single detail we need; otherwise Paul would not have stressed the need to also "hold fast" to the traditions. This fact is plainly stated in John 20:30, "Now Jesus did many other signs in the presence of (his) disciples that are not written in this book", as well as in John 21:25, "There are also many other things that Jesus did, but if these were to be described individually, I do not think the whole world would contain the books that would be written."

It is made clear that an authority must be in place to correctly interpret scripture for a number of reasons. Catholics believe the Bible to be free from error, but it is clear that great error can exist in Biblical interpretation and how scripture is used. In Matthew 4:6 Satan himself quotes the scriptures as a tactic in the temptation of Christ. Scripture can be misused, misinterpreted and taken out of context and twisted to convey messages completely opposed to the true religion of God. People have used Biblical passages to justify slavery as well as to condemn it, to argue in favor of the death penalty as well as to argue against it. All throughout the ministry of Jesus he was forced to correct those who had read and studied the scripture all their lives but had still missed the true meaning and importance of what God intended.

There can only be one, true belief and Christ established his Church to protect and promote it. Remember that Christ said the gates of Hell would not prevail over his Church, and it is only of the Church he established that he ever made this claim. Such could certainly not be said of our own personal judgment. In fact, the Bible clearly states, "Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight. Do not be wise in your own eyes; fear the Lord and shun evil" (Proverbs 3:5-7). People are weak, sinful and fallible, but Christ promised his Church and teaching would stand forever with Hell having no victory over it. It is also worth remembering that the New Testament was not written until well after all the events therein had taken place. It was the Church which decided what books should and should not be included in the modern Bible in a Church council in 397 AD.

When the Protestant rebellion began, the authority of the Church was rejected in favor of personal interpretation. As a result, the Bible as it had been for centuries was also not left intact. A number of books from the Old Testament were removed by Martin Luther because they contained certain items he did not believe and disproved certain things he did. In addition, Luther also attempted to remove the books of James, Jude, Revelation, and Hebrews but was finally persuaded not to, after making a few minor subtractions. These books from the Old Testament, which Luther removed, were from what was called the Septuagint, which was accepted in the time of Christ and which was even quoted from by Jesus and the apostles. Ironically, Luther, who was extremely anti-Semitic, justified his removal of these books based on the decision of a group of Pharisaical Jews, who naturally did not believe in Christ at all, around the year 100 AD. Considering all of this, simply believing in the Bible to be the only thing needed for salvation becomes quite a questionable theory. "Scripture alone" can be used to justify or condemn almost any practice imaginable.

It is true that, much of what is most opposed by Protestants because of this, such as devotions like the rosary, are not regarded as essential for salvation even by the Catholic Church. However, it has led to the loss of some things, which are of the greatest importance, particularly, belief in the real presence of Christ in the communion service. This is the center of Catholic worship, the belief that at every mass all around the world, a miracle occurs which makes Christ present on the altar. The bread is not treated as a symbol, but as the actual body of Christ. In the form of the Eucharist he is present and is received, body, blood, soul and divinity at each communion.

The Bible makes it abundantly clear that this is the case, and is absolutely essential. Jesus said, "I am the bread of life. Your fathers ate the manna in the wilderness, and they died. This is the bread which comes down out of heaven, so that one may eat of it and not die. I am the living bread that came down out of heaven; if anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever; and the bread also which I will give for the life of the world is my flesh." Then the Jews began to argue with one another, saying, "How can this man give us His flesh to eat?"� So Jesus said to them, "Truly, truly, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink His blood, you have no life in yourselves." He who eats My flesh and drinks My blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day. "For My flesh is true food, and my blood is true drink. "He who eats my flesh and drinks my blood abides in me, and I in him. "As the living Father sent Me, and I live because of the Father, so he who eats Me, he also will live because of Me." �� "This is the bread which came down out of heaven; not as the fathers ate and died; he who eats this bread will live forever." These things He said in the synagogue as He taught in Capernaum. Therefore many of His disciples, when they heard this said, "This is a difficult statement; who can listen to it?" But Jesus, conscious that His disciples grumbled at this, said to them, "Does this cause you to stumble?" What then if you see the Son of Man ascending to where He was before? It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh profits nothing; the words that I have spoken to you are spirit and are life. But there are some of you who do not believe. For Jesus knew from the beginning who they were who did not believe, and who it was that would betray Him. �� And He was saying, "For this reason I have said to you, that no one can come to me unless it has been granted him from the Father." As a result of this many of His disciples withdrew and were not walking with Him anymore. So Jesus said to the twelve, "You do not want to go away also, do you?" Simon Peter answered Him, "Lord, to whom shall we go? You have words of eternal life. "We have believed and have come to know that you are the Holy One of God." (John 6:48-69)

When Jesus said, (verse 63) "It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh profits nothing; the words that I have spoken to you are spirit and are life." He was not implying symbolic language. Paul stated 1 Corinthians 3:3 "For you are still of the flesh. For while there is jealousy and strife among you, are you not of the flesh, and behaving like ordinary men?" This is the same sense which Jesus was speaking in. This is not an easy teaching to accept, so thinking in an ordinary, earthly way will not benefit us. Jesus was saying, "Is this teaching hard to accept? It does not help you to be ordinary (to think in an earthly way). The words I have spoken are from Heaven and they will give you life."

Jesus not only stated that we must east his flesh and drink his blood to have eternal life, but when others questioned it, he stressed that this was to be taken literally as difficult as it was for them to comprehend. Protestant churches which argue that the bread and wine are only symbolic are following the example of the Jews and disciples who could not accept what Jesus had said, leaving because his teaching was too radical. They left Jesus rather than believe that he could truly give us his flesh to eat and his blood to drink. Jesus stood by this statement, he did not soften it because the people could not accept it, but reaffirmed the literal truth of what he was saying.

Also, the words Jesus spoke could not have been a metaphor. The Semite idiom, "eat the flesh and drink the blood" means to do someone serious injury, especially by slander. Clearly Jesus wasn't ordering us to slander Him. Jesus was speaking literally. He used two different words for "eat" He used the word phago, which is the verb derived from "glutton" It literally means, "to eat meat." The other word He used was trogos, which means, "to gnaw or crunch" In all, Jesus said 12 times that He is the bread of life, the food that endures. He said six times that His flesh and blood are to be eaten. When the time of the Last Supper came, Jesus initiated the Eucharist which Catholics still partake of today.

Luke 22:17-20 says, "Then He took the cup, and gave thanks, and said, "Take this and divide it among yourselves; 18 for I say to you, I will not drink of the fruit of the vine until the kingdom of God comes." And He took bread, gave thanks and broke it, and gave it to them, saying, This is my body which is given for you; do this in remembrance of me. Likewise He also took the cup after supper, saying, This cup is the new covenant in my blood, which is shed for you."

It should be noted that the only time in the four gospels Jesus ever used the word "covenant" was when he was referring to the Eucharist. Also, the word "remembrance" does not imply symbolic language. The term used for "remembrance" is anamnesis, which means, "to make present", exactly what the Catholic Church believes takes place every time mass is celebrated, it being the center and focus of Christian worship. Jesus is our perfect sacrifice. He is the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world. The command to eat His body and blood is in keeping with the established traditions of the Old Testament. "And the flesh of the sacrifice of his peace offerings for thanksgiving shall be eaten on the day of his offering; he shall not leave any of it until the morning"(Leviticus 7:23).

St Paul clearly teaches the belief in the real presence of Christ at communion, and the necessity of believing this. "For I received from the Lord that which I also delivered to you, that the Lord Jesus in the night in which He was betrayed took bread; and when He had given thanks, He broke it and said, This is My body, which is for you; do this in remembrance of Me. In the same way He took the cup also after supper, saying, This cup is the new covenant in my blood; do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of me. For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord's death until He comes. Therefore whoever eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner, shall be guilty of the body and the blood of the Lord. But a man must examine himself, and in so doing he is to eat of the bread and drink of the cup. For he who eats and drinks, eats and drinks judgment to himself if he does not recognize the Lord's body" (I Corinthians 11:23-29).

Another point of importance is the sacrament of confession. Everyone agrees that it is necessary to confess your sins to God and truly repent in order to be forgiven. However, here the authority of the Church through the apostolic succession comes back into play, since God gave special power in this area to the apostles and stressed the need for confessing to each other rather than only to God in private. James 5:16 says, "Therefore, confess your sins to one another, and pray for one another so that you may be healed. The effective prayer of a righteous man can accomplish much." In Acts 19:17-18 we see that it was necessary for people to go to the Church and confess what they had done, "This became known to all, both Jews and Greeks, who lived in Ephesus; and fear fell upon them all and the name of the Lord Jesus was being magnified. Many also of those who had believed kept coming, confessing and disclosing their practices."

�� It is made very clear that God gives forgiveness through the proper Church leaders on earth. II Corinthians 1:10 says, "But one whom you forgive anything, I forgive also; for indeed what I have forgiven, if I have forgiven anything, I did it for your sakes in the presence of Christ." In II Corinthians 5:20 these people are called "ambassadors for Christ" to carry out this work. It is of the greatest importance to know to whom this special role was given. Jesus made it clear that there was one group who would be able to continue doing the same things on earth he had been doing. "So Jesus said to them again, Peace be with you; as the Father has sent Me, I also send you. And when He had said this, He breathed on them and said to them, Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive the sins of any, their sins have been forgiven them; if you retain the sins of any, they have been retained" (John 20:21-23). So, it is clear, especially by verse 23, that if these men or their proper successors, do not forgive our sins, our sins are not forgiven but our retained. Christ said this only to the apostles, not to anyone else he ever spoke to.

�� Another point of contention is often what is called the "Communion of Saints". It is often mistakenly believed that this means worshiping saints, because people say prayers to saints. This really comes from a misunderstanding of the word "pray". The word does not necessarily imply worship, but in its original form simply means to ask, beg, plea for, request or call upon. Just as we can ask people on earth to pray for us, we can also pray (or ask) for the saints in Heaven to pray for us as well. This also has a clear scriptural basis. "Another angel came and stood at the altar, holding a golden censer; and much incense was given to him, so that he might add it to the prayers of all the saints on the golden altar which was before the throne. And the smoke of the incense, with the prayers of the saints, went up before God out of the angel's hand" (Revelation 8:3-4).

�� It is clearly written how the saints in Heaven continue to play a part in God's plan for salvation. "When He had taken the book, the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders fell down before the Lamb, each one holding a harp and golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of the saints" (Revelation 5:8) "When the Lamb broke the fifth seal, I saw underneath the altar the souls of those who had been slain because of the word of God, and because of the testimony which they had maintained; and they cried out with a loud voice, saying, "How long, O Lord, holy and true, will You refrain from judging and avenging our blood on those who dwell on the earth"(Revelation 6:9-10)? In Job 33:23-24 we also see that angels were able to do the same, "Yet if there is an angel on his side as a mediator, one out of a thousand, to tell a man what is right for him, to be gracious to him and say, Spare him from going down to the pit; I have found a ransom for him".

�� However, no saint's intercession is as much used and talked about as the intercession of the Blessed Virgin Mary. In a way, the exalted place of Mary should need no explanation other than common sense. According to Matthew 22:37-38, "Jesus said unto him, thou shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the first and great commandment". So, the greatest and first commandment is to love God, to love Christ with all of our heart, soul and mind. Now, consider, who could possibly love Christ more than his own mother? Can anyone love a child more than his or her mother? This alone should make Mary stand out as the greatest example of all for Christians to follow.

�� There is though still plenty of Biblical evidence for this devotion. In John 2 we see that the first public miracle performed by Jesus, at the wedding feast of Cana, was done at the request of his mother, even though it was not time for him to do so, but he would not refuse anything his mother asked of him. This is completely in keeping with the Old Testament traditions of the Kingdom of Israel under the House of David. I Kings 2:12-21 shows how those wishing to petition King Solomon had the Queen Mother to intercede for them because Solomon would not deny anything his mother asked of him. It was the long-standing tradition that the second most powerful person in the country, after the king, was the king's mother.

�� There is also the parallel in the Old Testament of the Ark of the Covenant, which was the most sacred object to the ancient Israelites because it carried the hand-written words of God. In an even greater way, the Virgin Mary carried the living word of God, the word of God made flesh inside her own body. This parallel was clearly not missed by the apostles as we can see by comparing the language of II Samuel 6 and Luke chapter 1.

"So David was afraid of the LORD that day; and he said, How can the ark of the LORD come to me? And David was unwilling to move the ark of the LORD into the city of David with him; but David took it aside to the house of Obed-edom the Gittite. Thus the ark of the LORD remained in the house of Obed-edom the Gittite three months, and the LORD blessed Obed-edom and all his household. Now it was told King David, saying, The LORD has blessed the house of Obed-edom and all that belongs to him, on account of the ark of God. David went and brought up the ark of God from the house of Obed-edom into the city of David with gladness. And so it was, that when the bearers of the ark of the LORD had gone six paces, he sacrificed an ox and a fatling. And David was dancing before the LORD with all his might, and David was wearing a linen ephod. So David and all the house of Israel were bringing up the ark of the LORD with shouting and the sound of the trumpet (II Samuel 6:9-15).

"Now at this time Mary arose and went in a hurry to the hill country, to a city of Judah, and entered the house of Zacharias and greeted Elizabeth. When Elizabeth heard Mary's greeting, the baby leaped in her womb; and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit. And she cried out with a loud voice and said, Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb! And how has it happened to me, that the mother of my Lord would come to me? For behold, when the sound of your greeting reached my ears, the baby leaped in my womb for joy. And blessed is she who believed that there would be a fulfillment of what had been spoken to her by the Lord.... And Mary stayed with her about three months, and then returned to her home. (Luke 1:39-45, 56) We also see in I Chronicles 15:14, "So the priests and the Levites sanctified themselves to bring up the ark of Jehovah, the God of Israel." It is only logical then that, if those who carried the written word of God in the ark were to be sanctified, how much more should the Blessed Virgin Mary, who carried in her womb the living word of God be exalted and sanctified?

�� Another point, often associated with the Virgin Mary in particular, is the use of icons and statues by the Catholic Church. Despite what some may think, the Church has always taught and upheld the commandment of Exodus 20:4-5 against making graven images and adoring them in place of God. Exodus 32:31 also warns about the great sin of making gods of gold. The important thing to remember though is that anything placed before God in our hearts is an idol, it may not be a picture or a statue, but could be anything. It is also clear, from a number of Biblical sources, that God forbids us to worship images but clearly commands the religious use of images. Certainly, nothing done by the command of God could be inherently wicked or sinful.

�� There are details of the command to make statues for religious use, usually statues of angels, in Exodus 25:18-20 and I Chronicles 28:18-19. In his vision of an idealized temple, Ezekiel writes, "On the walls round about in the inner room and [on] the nave were carved likenesses of cherubim" (Ezekiel 41:17-18). We also see that God had the Israelites actually use images for religious purposes, not just for decoration. In Numbers 21:8-9 God commanded Moses to make a bronze statue of a "fiery serpent" during the plague of poisonous snakes, which anyone bitten would have to go and look at in order to be healed. It is only when images, such as this one, stop being used in the service of God and begin to be worshiped as a god that a great sin is committed. Some also claim that it is idolatry to kneel or bow before a statue or icon. Again, however, this is easily disproven by the fact that people, particularly in Biblical times, made widespread use of such signs of humility, not only in worship.

�� For example, according to I Samuel 24:8 David not only kneeled, but bowed down with his head to the ground before King Saul, who was God's anointed but who David certainly did not mean to worship. In I Kings 2:19 King Solomon bowed down to his mother, even though she was certainly not greater than him, not even equal. He was not worshiping his mother, but simply showing humility and respect as a good son. There are examples such as this all throughout the Bible and still today in the modern world. In Japan for example, bowing to someone is simply the standard form of greeting, much like people in the west shake hands, it certainly does not mean that they worship every single person they greet with a bow.

�� However, ultimately, these issues, and others, ultimately come down to the matter of authority. As has been said, people have using the Bible to support diverse causes and beliefs for many centuries. So, what makes the Catholic Church claim to be the one apostolic church founded by Jesus Christ with authority to decide on these matters? For many people, no evidence will ever be sufficient. The early Church Father St Augustine said that when the will is obstinate it will not accept any proofs no matter how convincing. He adds that the will has to agree to allow a person to follow the intellect's reason/logic and not emotions/attachments. History and archaeology provide evidence for the Church. The apostolic succession can be traced back over a thousand years to the earliest Christian records to the apostles themselves. There is the evidence of longevity, of the fact that corruption within, enemies without, wars and schisms have all failed to bring down the Catholic Church. There is the fact that the Papacy is the oldest unbroken succession still in existence anywhere in the history of the world. There is the fact that even the oldest Protestant churches trace their foundations back to some individual, some mortal man like John Calvin or Martin Luther who broke away from the Catholic Church, which had always been there.

�� Many people though, still may never accept any of this. But, as St. Bernadette of Lourdes once said, "I am obligated to tell the truth but not obligated to make others believe".

Joseph Crisp II

Hosted by www.Geocities.ws