Victor R. Claveau, MJ
Since the time of the Apostles, there has been a continuing onslaught against the beliefs of the Catholic Church. Many and varied heresies have arisen and have been put down by champions of the Faith. Yet like the Hydra of Greek mythology, each heresy confronted and dealt with seems to be replaced by two others.
It is estimated there over 200 distinct Christian denominations in the United States,[i] and perhaps thousands more store-front churches, each vying for converts. Roaming door-to-door, or standing on street corners with a little bag of tracts, the proselytizers and missionaries do their best to convince listeners they have the answers to life’s most difficult questions. “Follow me,” they say, “for I will show you the truth.”
We live not in the Age of Aquarius, but in the age of chaos and anxiety. Many of the values people say they hold dear seem to have gone by the wayside. Many people seem lost, or at least confused, in their search for some meaning in their lives. These people are easy prey for the gurus, charlatans and counterfeits of our age who prey on the lonely, the marginalized or those uneducated in the proper truths of Christianity.
Jesus Christ is “the way, the truth, and the life.” (John 14:6) He established His Church as an avenue of hope for the world. His teaching, as passed on by his Apostles, revealed the Father’s will for our lives.
Through the years, His Church has guarded and defended these truths and will continue to do so until Jesus comes again in the flesh. Now as much as ever, it is necessary and imperative that we Catholics are able to provide an intellectual defense of Catholic doctrines and principles.
Ignorance of fundamental Catholic beliefs is the shoal on which many an individual’s faith has been shipwrecked. It is no longer enough to claim membership in Christ’s Church simply out of habit or because the Faith was inherited from one’s parents. We Catholics often are embarrassed when questioned about our reasons for being Catholic. Many of us have developed a siege mentality, hoping that when confronted by inquiring non-Catholics, we will not be asked questions about Catholicism — or at least not asked a question we are unprepared to answer.
Every Catholic has a responsibility to make the effort to learn the tenets of the Faith in order to be able to explain these truths to others. Every reflecting Catholic must render to himself an account of the faith that is within him. None but an enlightened faith will be proof against the crafty onslaught of modern betrayals and the ignorance of others.
Many harbors in their hearts a secret distrust of their most sacred convictions because they have never taken the time to examine the platforms upon which those convictions rest. Thus, we owe it to ourselves to “test everything; and hold fast to what is good.” (1 Thess. 5:21) A peaceful sense of intellectual assurance will accompany finding a solid foundation for the faith that lies within.
Our religious knowledge must keep pace with the general progress of our education. The little time and effort devoted to such study will be amply rewarded by a deepening conviction that the Catholic Church is the one true Church. For the serious inquirer, the result will be a deep-seated conviction that what the Catholic Church teaches today is exactly what Jesus Christ taught his Apostles and disciples — no more, no less.
The Catholic Church has a right to expect that her sons and daughters will be able to validate her claims against the attacks of her enemies. However, many people leave the Church because of their ignorance of fundamental Church teachings. When confronted with misinformation, it may appear our beliefs are unfounded — and a weakening of the faith will be the inevitable result. Erroneous religious instruction can be the source of much confusion and result in an ominous distrust of God.
[i] Olson, Roger E., Mead, Frank S., Hill, Samuel S., Atwood, Craig D. Handbook of Denominations in the United States, 14th edition, (Nashville, TN: Abingdon Press), 2018.