"A Humble Servant's Catholic Blog"

It’s not so uncommon to run into a fundamentalist Christian who celebrates the reformers for leaving the “Roman” Catholic Church and “reforming” it. What IS uncommon, however, is running into a fundamentalist Christian who knows what these “reformers” actually taught and believed. Obviously, not all that they taught would be surprising, and less surprising is the fact that some of them disagreed with one another. But there are a few things that seem to shock some Protestants when they realize what their predecessors believed. I believe the reason it can be shocking is because Protestantism is an ever-changing thing, with no actual authority to draw a line anywhere on any topic, because every person is essentially free to interpret Scripture however they see fit, or however they feel the Spirit is guiding them, regardless of conflict with others. There is no basis at all for any person within Protestantism, including the so-called “Pillars of the Reformation”, to say what is or is not T...

Over the past few years I have lost count of how many times I've heard various prophesies, dreams and visions from Scripture get tossed around to 'prove' that " the world will end on [such-n-such date]", or " Rome is the great harlot ", or " the rapture will leave the sinners behind [in such-n-such fashion for such amount of time]".  Of course, it only takes a closer look at Scripture and history to see that these assertions are a gross misapplication of Scripture.  But there is one prophecy in particular that seems to get ignored.  While hunting through the various prophesies to 'prove' one thing or another, this one, for whatever reason, is simply overlooked by those folks who otherwise 'seem' like they are out to uncover the truth.  It is a prophecy tucked into the first chapter of the book of Malachi while the Israelites were being reprimanded by God. “ For from the rising of the sun to its setting my name is great among...

I've heard it said before that Catholics don't hear as much of the Bible during our services, nor do we read the Bible as much as non-Catholics. I've even heard that the Church doesn't want Catholics to read the Bible. While I believe that ALL Christians can and should read their Bibles more often and learn the Scriptures, I will say these statements are false. I do have a feeling that if you asked the average Catholic if he/she reads the Bible regularly, you’d get a “no”. But, I think it’s likely that a non-Catholic would say the same thing, and I don’t think this speaks to the character of the Church, rather to the fallen nature of people who have not put God’s Word high up on their priority reading list. A set of polls [1] last year on Catholic Answers Forums showed that the Catholics there spend at least as much energy and time in learning the Scriptures as the non-Catholics. While these polls are limited in what they convey, reaching only a small audience,...

Not too rarely, depending on where you attend Mass on any given day, you may see Catholic women with their heads covered, or even fellow Catholics kneeling for Communion while receiving on the tongue rather than while standing and in the hand. Two questions: Why do they do that, and is this even allowed anymore? Let’s look at the second question first. The covering of a woman’s head while assisting at/participating in the Mass was once required in the Church. The 1917 Canon Law, 1262§2, stated that women "… shall have a covered head …". However, in 1983 the Church released a new Canon which abrogated that law. So, head coverings are no longer required, though some churches ask that women cover as a sign of reverence (such as when you visit the Vatican, or when you attend the ancient form, or Traditional Latin Mass). Some women also choose to cover their heads when they enter ANY church, which they are free to do. You certainly won’t see anything saying they should not d...

It’s the beginning of the Lenten Season and you have no doubt heard Catholics talk about fasting, abstaining from meat, and doings acts of charity during Lent. You might even hear other Christians speak of doing these things. What are they talking about, and why do they do this when the Bible clearly says, “.. in later times some will depart from the faith by giving heed to deceitful spirits and doctrines of demons, through the pretensions of liars whose consciences are seared, who forbid marriage and enjoin abstinence from foods which God created to be received with thanksgiving by those who believe and know the truth. ”? (1Tim 4:1-3) To understand why a Bible-believing Christian would read this verse, and then see no problem at all with fasting and abstinence, it might help to understand what these things mean to a Catholic (or to a non-Catholic who also practices these). Lent is the [approximately] 40 day period before Easter. Easter is the most important holy day of the Christ...

Well, for starters, no, it isn't. "Veil" is the wrong word altogether, and if you don't know what I'm talking about, I'm referring to the traditional Catholic discipline where women assist at/participate in Mass with their heads "covered", to use the words of the old Canon. You see, the old Canon Law 1262 § 2 stated that women " shall have a covered head and be modestly dressed ", but there was never a specification as to what that cover could be. So, the more appropriate question would be: "to cover, or not to cover?". But to answer my own question, again, no it's not the question. I think a better question would be, " why DON'T you cover? " or " why DO you? ". But, since " veil " has a nicer ring to it and it's a familiar term to many, I went ahead and used " veil " in my questions. A little background before going further: In 1983, the Church released a new Code of Canon La...

I am in the process of putting together an article about why women choose to wear head coverings , despite the abuses they suffer for this humbling act of reverence. But while researching some background information, I have found at least 2 traditional Catholic websites using faulty logic to make a claim that head coverings are actually still required by the Church. They put forward several great arguments (it almost seems as though 1 of them might have copied from the other), but one of the arguments is simply false and seriously diminishes their credibility in their witness. Don't get me wrong. I am 100% in support of women wearing veils at Mass. But trying to force the issue with this faulty logic will only harm credibility and potentially push people away. One argument hinges on Paul's First Epislte to the Corinthians. While it's a good argument for head coverings in a subjective sense, there is nothing there that currently obligates, per se , a Catholic woman to co...

It can happen in ANY argument. You and your friend/spouse/opponent/whatever are discussing or arguing a topic, and suddenly you find that the terms have been redefined, presumably so one of you doesn't have to admit to being wrong. Most people reading this may actually be guilty of this...I know I have in the past. Here's a recent example of what I'm talking about. In the Catholic Church (since 33 AD) we have been charged with the mission to "go and preach the Gospel to all nations [to all creation/creatures]..." (Mk 16:15-16). We see examples of this in the Epistles of the New Testament. How it looks in the NT, and how it has looked for 2,000 years, is the Church meeting people where they are and bringing them to Truth for the purpose of Christian unity. The Church has used the term "ecumenism" to describe this effort (cf. Catechism of the Catholic Church, paragraphs 816 and 821). "Ecumenism", as it has been explained in the Church an...

When I first heard the term, it was worded as “Apologist for the Catholic Faith”. I couldn’t help the thoughts of some guy walking around apologizing for his Christian views popping into my head. I wanted to ask what exactly he’d be apologizing for…maybe for offending people with his beliefs? Usually when you hear the term “apologist” or “apologetics”, a name is associated with it. You might be familiar with Peter Kreeft, Scott Hahn, Tim Staples, John Martignoni or William Lane Craig. And most people who have done any historical research will have heard of Augustine of Hippo, Justin Martyr, Thomas Aquinas, or Ignatius of Antioch. These men could all be considered apologists in one way or another. But what does that mean, and where does the word come from? Apologetics involves giving a reasoned defense for one's faith, and apologists are people who do that. The word comes from the Greek "apologia", which means to make a defense for one's opinions, position, or acti...