At long last here is
the absolute truth about the
The Catholic Church
bases her teaching upon one source: The word of God. This divine revelation is
transmitted in two ways: through Scripture and apostolic tradition. Many assume
that only the writings of the apostles are the word of God. However, their oral
transmission of the faith is also considered the word of God (1 Thess. 2:13).
Few Protestant groups today accept the validity, let alone the authority, of
tradition. In fact, many believe that Scripture is the only definitive source
of divine truth. For this reason, they are critical of certain doctrines of the
Catholic Church, which, according to them, have no basis in Scripture. In fact,
those who embrace the theory of sola scriptura attempt to use the Bible to
contradict, to prove baseless, certain Church teachings, such as the Real
Presence and the existence of purgatory. However, these teachings are reflected
in Scripture, as the passages we will look at illustrate.
Our purpose here is
not to dissect the opposition. Rather, our purpose is to provide a scriptural
evidence for these doctrines. Under each Catholic doctrine in the list that
follows are passages from Scripture that witness to the doctrine’s divine
origin. For the Catholic, what follows will make clear the harmony of Scripture
and tradition: truth cannot contradict truth. Whether God speaks to us through
the Bible or through the voice of tradition, the word spoken is always a true
and steadfast guide.
Please note that all
scriptural citations are taken from the Revised Standard Version: Catholic Edition of the Holy Bible.
Scripture and
Tradition
"I commend you
because you remember me in everything and maintain the traditions even as I
have delivered them to you" (1 Cor. 11:2).
"Follow the
pattern of the sound words which you have heard from me, in the faith and love
which are in Christ Jesus; guard the truth that has been entrusted to you by
the Holy Spirit who dwells within us" (2 Tim. 1:13-14).
"So then,
brethren, stand firm and hold to the traditions which you were taught by us,
either by word of mouth or by letter." (2 Thess. 2:15)
"You, then, my
son, be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus, and what you have heard
from me before many witnesses entrust to faithful men who will be able to teach
others also" (2 Tim. 2:1-2).
"First of all you
must understand this, that no prophecy of Scripture is a matter of one’s own
interpretation, because no prophecy ever came by the impulse of man, but men
moved by the Holy Spirit spoke from God" (2 Peter 1:20-21).
"‘Though I have
much to write to you, I would rather not use paper and ink, but I hope to come
to see you and talk with you face to face, so that our joy may be
complete" (2 John 12).
Faith and Works
"‘Not everyone
who says to me, "Lord, Lord," shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but
he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven’" (Matt. 7:21).
"‘Why do you call
me "Lord, Lord," and not do what I tell you?’" (Luke 6:46).
"For he will
render every man according to his works . . ." (Rom. 2:6-8).
"For it is not
the hearers of the law who are righteous before God, but the doers of the law
who will be justified" (Rom. 2:13).
"For if we sin
deliberately after receiving the knowledge of the truth, there no longer
remains a sacrifice for sins, but a fearful prospect of judgments . . . (Heb.
10:26-27).
"What does it
profit, my brethren, if a man says he has faith but has not works? Can his
faith save him?" (Jas. 2:14).
"So faith by
itself, if it has no works, is dead" (Jas. 2:17).
"But some one
will say, ‘You have faith and I have works.’ Show me your faith apart from your
works, and I by my works will show you my faith. . . .Do you want to be shown,
you foolish fellow, that faith apart from works is barren? (Jas. 2:18-20).
"You see that a
man is justified by works and not by faith alone" (Jas. 2:24)
The Trinity
"Then God said,
‘Let us make man in our image, after our likeness . . .’" (Gen. 1:26).
"Go therefore and
make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of
the Son and of the Holy Spirit" (Matt. 28:19).
"In the beginning
was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God." (John 1:1)
"But Peter said, ‘Ananias,
why has Satan filled your heart to lie to the Holy Spirit and to keep back part
of the proceeds of the land? While it remained unsold, did it not remain your
own? And after it was sold, was it not at your disposal? How is it that you
have contrived this deed in your heart? You have not lied to men but to
God.’" (Acts 5:3-4)
"The grace of the
Lord Jesus Christ and the love of God and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be
with you all" (2 Cor. 13:14).
Christ’s Divinity
"For to us a
child is born, to us a son is given; and the government will be upon his
shoulder, and his name will be called ‘Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God,
Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace’" (Is. 9:6).
"Simon Peter
replied, ‘You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.’ And Jesus answered
him, ‘Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jona! For flesh and blood has not revealed
this to you, but my Father who is in heaven’" (Matt. 16:16-17).
"In the beginning
was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God" (John 1:1).
"Jesus said to
them, "Truly, truly, I say to you, before Abraham was, I am" (John
8:58).
"‘I and the
Father are one’" (John 10:30).
"For in him
[Christ] the whole fulness of deity dwells bodily" (Col. 2:9).
"In many and
various ways God spoke of old to our fathers by the prophets; but in these last
days he has spoken to us by a Son, whom he appointed the heir of all things,
through whom also he created the world. He reflects the glory of God and bears
the very stamp of his nature, upholding the universe by his word of power . .
." (Heb. 1:1-3).
"But of the Son
he says, "Thy throne, O God, is for ever and ever, the righteous scepter
is the scepter of thy kingdom. . . . And, "Thou, Lord, didst found the
earth in the beginning, and the heavens are the work of thy hands." (Heb.
1:8, 10)
Real Presence in the
Eucharist
"‘Truly, truly, I
say to you, he who believes has eternal life. I am the bread of life. Your
fathers ate the manna in the wilderness, and they died. This is bread which
comes down from heaven, that a man may eat of it and not die. I am the living
bread which came down from heaven; if any one eats of this bread, he will live
for ever; and the bread which I shall give for the life of the world is my
flesh.’ The Jews then disputed among themselves, 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
you; he who eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise
him up at the last day. For my flesh is food indeed, and my blood is drink
indeed’" (John 6:47-55).
"For I received
from the Lord what I also delivered to you, that the Lord Jesus on the night
when 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 also the cup, after supper, saying, ‘This cup is the new covenant of
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" (1 Cor. 11:23-26).
"Whoever,
therefore, eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner
will be guilty of profaning the body and blood of the Lord" (1 Cor.
11:27).
The Papacy
"And he called to
him his twelve disciples and gave them authority over unclean spirits, to cast
them out, and to heal every disease and every infirmity. The names of the
twelve apostles are these: first, Simon, who is called Peter . . ." (Matt.
10:1-2).
"And I tell you,
you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my Church, and the powers of death
shall not prevail against it. I will give you the keys of the kingdom of
heaven, and whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever
you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven’" (Matt. 16:18-19).
"‘Simon, Simon,
behold Satan has demanded to have you, that he might sift you like wheat, but I
have prayed for you that your faith may not fail; and when you have turned
again, strengthen your brethren’" (Luke 22:31-32).
"He brought him
to Jesus. Jesus looked at him, and said, ‘So you are Simon the son of John? You
shall be called Cephas’ (which means Peter)" (John 1:42).
"When they had
finished breakfast, Jesus said to Simon Peter, ‘Simon, son of John, do you love
me more than these?’ He said to him, ‘Yes, Lord; you know that I love you.’ He
said to him, ‘Feed my lambs.’ A second time he said to him, ‘Simon, son of
John, do you love me?’ He said to him, ‘Yes, Lord; you know that I love you.’
He said to him, ‘Tend my sheep.’ He said to him the third time, ‘Simon, son of
John, do you love me?’ Peter was grieved because he said to him the third time,
‘Do you love me?’ And he said to him, ‘Lord, you know that I love you.’ Jesus
said to him, ‘Feed my sheep’" (John 21:15-17).
Purgatory
"For if he were
not expecting that those who had fallen would rise again, it would have been
superfluous and foolish to pray for the dead. But if he was looking to the
splendid reward that is laid up for those who fall asleep in godliness, it was
a holy and pious thought. Therefore he made atonement for the dead, that they
might be delivered from their sin" (2 Macc. 12:44-45).
"Make friends
quickly with your accuser, while you are going with him to court, lest your
accuser hand you over to the judge, and the judge to the guard, and you be put
in prison; truly, I say to you, you will never get out till you have paid the
last penny" (Matt. 5:25-26).
"Each man’s work
will become manifest; for the Day will disclose it, because it will be revealed
with fire, and the fire will test what sort of work each one has done. If the
work which any man has built on the foundation survives, he will receive a
reward. If any man’s work is burned up, he will suffer loss, though he himself
will be saved, but only as through fire" (1 Cor. 3:13-15).
"For Christ also
died for sins once for all, the righteous for the unrighteous, that he might
bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh but made alive in the spirit;
in which he went and preached to the spirits in prison, who formerly did not
obey . . ." (1 Peter 3:18-20).
"But nothing
unclean shall enter it [heaven] . . ." (Rev. 21:27).
Honor Due to the
Virgin Mary
"And when
Elizabeth heard the greeting of Mary, the babe leaped in her womb, and
Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit and she exclaimed with a loud cry,
‘Blessed are you among women and blessed is the fruit of your womb! And why is
this granted me, that the mother of my Lord should come to me?’" (Luke
1:41-43).
"And Mary said,
‘My soul magnifies the Lord, and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior, for he
has regarded the low estate of his handmaiden. For behold, henceforth all
generations will call me blessed; for he who is mighty has done great things
for me, and holy is his name’" (Luke 1:46-49).
"If one member
suffers, all suffer together; if one member is honored, all rejoice
together" (1 Cor. 12:26).
Praying to the Saints
"‘And as for the
dead being raised, have you not read in the book of Moses, in the passage about
the bush, how God said to him, "I am the God of Abraham, and the God of
Isaac, and the God of Jacob"? He is not God of the dead, but of the living
. . .’" (Mark 12:26-27)
"Therefore, since
we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every
weight, and sin which clings so closely . . ." (Heb. 12:1).
"And when he had
taken the scroll, the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders fell
down before the Lamb, each holding a harp, and with golden bowls full of
incense, which are the prayers of the saints" (Rev. 5:8).
NIHIL OBSTAT: I have concluded that the materials
presented in this work are free of doctrinal or moral errors.
Bernadeane
Carr, STL, Censor Librorum, August 10, 2004
IMPRIMATUR:
In accord with 1983 CIC 827
permission to publish this work is hereby granted.
+Robert
H. Brom, Bishop of San Diego, August 10, 2004
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