Well I've finally managed to post something here.
If there is one thing that reading Carthusian spiritual books has taught me, it is the necessity to be succinct and to the point. That is exactly what an apologist should be.
The Catholic apologist should not be out for an argument, or even 'intellectual trophies'. His task is to present and prevent. He is to present in the sense that he is to give the reasons for believing a particular part of the Catholic faith. He is to prevent in that he must seek to charitably correct common (and not so common) misconceptions about Catholic belief and practice. In these two ways, he may contribute to the bringing of souls closer to God.
The purpose of this post is to get straight into apologetics. It is for this reason, that I would like to consider firstly the issue of authority.
Many people consider the Bible to be authoritative. As a Catholic, I believe this too. However, the Bible is not easy to read and interperate, nor is it the sole authority. There are, for example, many instances where the Biblical authors assume you know things.
At this point, many go on to say that the Holy Spirit teaches us as individuals, in order that we may understand Scripture. However, no two Christian denominations seem to be able to agree on what Scripture means. What does this tell us about the Holy Spirit? 1 Corinthians 14:33 tells us that God is not the author of confusion. Is He not able, therefore, to confer the Truth to each one of us? What is going wrong that so many followers of Christ can be led into confusion, when claiming to be led by the Holy Spirit?
Knowing that God's Truth is one, that we are called to a unity of belief (Phil. 1:27, 2:2) and that understanding the meaning of His Revelation is not easy, wouldn't it make sense that Christ, the loving Shepherd would provide means for his sheep to understand and know his voice? Just as a concept alone, this makes sense. But is it in the Bible? Did Jesus actually provide any means? Is it what the apostles and earliest Christians believed?
The answer is simple. When we read the New Testament, we see that God prepared aid for the Christians of every subsequent century until the end of the world. He prepared a vessel that would receive this Spirit of Truth - a vessel that would in fact have the Holy Spirit as her soul. Through her we recieve guidance and assurrance in matters of faith and morals. That aid is the Church - the pillar and bulwark of truth (1 Tim. 3:15), built upon the foundation of apostles (Eph. 2:20).
- Jesus designated the apostles as the first leaders in the Church
- Jesus assured the apostles that "he who hears you, hears me" (Lk. 10:16) and that His Church would be led into all truth (Jn. 16:12-13).
- Since He promised aid "even until the end of the world" (Mt. 28:20), the office of the apostles was designed to continue after their death.
- Those same apostles, led by the Holy Spirit, ordained successors (Bishops) in order to secure the preservation of the faith.
- That line of succession brings us to the Catholic Bishops of today, who contuinue to faithfully hand on to us the teachings of Christ.
This is the basic outline I wish to work from in subsequent postings. My treatment of the subject matter is purposefully brief, and later exposition of the facts will consider biblical and historical details in more depth.
So what does this mean for us? It means that God is a good God, who looks after His flock, by providing shepherds to ensure we do not stray from the truth. It means God wants us to have assurance in that truth, and has given us the means to do so.
Consider in the meantime the following verses: Eph. 2:19-20, 4:11; 1 Tim. 3:1, 8, 5:17; Jn. 10:16, 20:21, 21:17; Lk. 22:29-30, 32; Tit. 1:5. You may also wish to consider the Catechism of the Catholic Church 857-865 or the shorter Compendium Catechism 174-176.
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