[Apologetics] Ten Facts Most Catholics Don’t Know (But Should!)

[Dianne Dawson]

(I know this is preaching to the choir but I think it's a good article to pass 
along. - Dianne)
Ten Facts Most Catholics Don’t Know (But Should!)
July 9th, 2010 by Gary Zimak


Every time I hear someone claim to be an "ex-Catholic", a sense of sadness comes 
over me. In just about every case, people leave the Catholic Faith due to a lack 
of understanding. After all, if Catholics truly believed that they were members 
of the one, true Church founded by Christ (and necessary for their salvation), 
nobody would ever leave! In an effort to help clarify what the Catholic Church 
teaches, I have compiled a list of 10 important facts that every Catholic should 
know. More than simply Catholic trivia, these are important concepts that can 
help us to better understand and defend our beliefs. In no particular order, 
these items have been compiled based upon my work at Following The Truth and my 
own study of the Catholic Faith.
　1. Women Will Never Be Priests
　2. Fridays Are Still Days Of Penance
　3. The Bible Is A Catholic Book
　4. The Mass Is The Same Sacrifice As Calvary
　5. Annulments Are Not Catholic Divorces
　6. In Vitro Fertilization Is Morally Unacceptable
　7. There Is No Salvation Outside Of The Catholic Church
　8. In An Emergency, Anyone Can Baptize
　9. Hell And Purgatory Still Exist
　10. Catholics Don’t Worship Mary And The Saints
　
While the above list only scratches the surface of the robust Catholic Faith, it 
provides a glimpse into the depth of Catholic teaching. Further explanation on 
these and other topics can be found by examining the Code of Canon Law and the 
Catechism of the Catholic Church, both of which can be found online at the 
Vatican website (www.vatican.va). Not only will studying the teachings of the 
Catholic Church enable us to better defend her when challenged, it will help us 
to become closer to Our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, who founded our Church 
2,000 years ago.Gary Zimak is the founder of 

Source:  
http://catholicexchange.com/2010/07/09/132128/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+catholicex+%28Catholic+Exchange%29Following
 The Truth Ministries, a lay apostolate created to assist Catholics in learning 
more about their Faith. He is a frequent guest on EWTN's "Son Rise Morning Show" 
and has appeared on Sirius Radio's "Seize The Day" with Gus Lloyd as well as 
several local Catholic radio shows. In addition to writing for Catholic 
Exchange, Mr. Zimak speaks at various parishes, updates The Catholic Truth 
website and posts frequently on his blog, Facebook and Twitter. He is a member 
of Catholics United For The Faith, an officer in the Knights of Columbus and 
resides in New Jersey with his wife Eileen and twin daughters, Mary and 
Elizabeth. They are actively involved in Sacred Heart Parish in Riverton, NJ.  – 
Many Catholics are confused about the role of the Blessed Mother and the Saints. 
Should we pray to Mary and the Saints or should we go "right to the top" and 
pray to God? In a nutshell, the Catholic Faith teaches that we must worship God 
alone. Mary and the Saints are to be honored, not worshipped. However, their 
intercession can be extremely powerful and emulating their virtues can put us on 
the road to Heaven. – Contrary to the belief of many Catholics, the Church still 
teaches that "the souls of those who die in a state of mortal sin, descend into 
hell, where they suffer the punishments of hell, eternal fire" (CCC 1035) 
Furthermore, "all who die in God’s grace and friendship, but still imperfectly 
purified, are indeed assured of their eternal salvation, but after death they 
undergo purification, so to achieve the holiness necessary to enter the joy of 
heaven." (CCC 1030) This purification process, formally declared by the Church 
at the Councils of Florence and Trent, is known as Purgatory. – Although the 
ordinary ministers of Baptism are bishops, priests and deacons, anyone can 
baptize in an emergency, even a non-baptized person. This extraordinary decision 
can be attributed to the necessity of Baptism for salvation and the Church’s 
desire to make it readily available to all. – Originally stated by St. Cyprian, 
the Latin axiom "Extra Ecclesiam nulla salus" reminds us that there is no 
salvation outside of the Catholic Church. This dogma was declared at the Fourth 
Lateran Council and is a source of confusion for Catholics and non-Catholics 
alike. According to the Catechism, all salvation comes from Christ the Head 
through the Church which is His Body. It does not mean that non-Catholics cannot 
achieve salvation. Individuals who are unaware that the Catholic Church is the 
one, true Church may still achieve salvation through the merits of the Church, 
despite their lack of knowledge. – Many Catholics suffering from infertility 
utilize this process in the hopes of conceiving children, while remaining 
unaware that the Catechism of the Catholic Church (CCC) declares it "morally 
unacceptable"(CCC 2377). In the Vatican Instruction, Donum Vitae, the Church 
states "…in conformity with the traditional doctrine relating to the goods of 
marriage and the dignity of the person, the Church remains opposed from the 
moral point of view to homologous ‘in vitro’ fertilization. Such fertilization 
is in itself illicit and in opposition to the dignity of procreation and of the 
conjugal union, even when everything is done to avoid the death of the human 
embryo." – Unlike the legal process known as "divorce" (in which a marriage is 
terminated), a declaration of nullity (annulment) states that a valid marriage 
never existed. This decision is based upon the finding that on the day that 
marriage vows were exchanged, some essential elements were lacking. This process 
is completely in conformity with the Catholic teaching regarding the 
indissolubility of marriage. Incidentally, the granting of an annulment does not 
render children illegitimate. – The biggest mistake that many Catholics make is 
treating the Holy Mass as "just another church service", similar to those held 
by other religions. In the Mass, Christ’s Sacrifice on the Cross is made 
present, its memory is celebrated and its saving power is applied. The Council 
of Trent teaches that Christ left a visible sacrifice to His Church "in which 
that bloody sacrifice which was once offered on the Cross should be made 
present, its memory preserved to the end of the world, and its 
salvation-bringing power applied to the forgiveness of the sins which are daily 
committed by us." When we attend Mass, we are mystically transported to Calvary, 
where we can unite ourselves with the Lord’s Sacrifice to the Father! – Did you 
ever wonder how the Bible came into being? A little known, but easily documented 
fact is that the books of the Bible were compiled by the Catholic Church. For 
many years after Christ ascended into Heaven, there was debate about which 
scriptural writings were inspired by God. The canon of Scripture (the books of 
the Bible) was first formally decided at the Synod of Rome in 382. This decision 
was upheld at the Councils of Hippo (393) and Carthage (397). At these Catholic 
Church councils, the same 46 Old Testament and 27 New Testament books that 
appear in today’s Catholic Bibles were declared to be inspired by God. As a side 
note, approximately 1200 years after this decision was made, Martin Luther and 
the Protestant reformers removed 7 books from the Old Testament. As a result, 
most Protestant Bibles are still missing these 7 books. – Ask almost anyone and 
they will tell you that Catholics are no longer required to abstain from meat on 
Fridays throughout the year. However, the current Code of Canon Law (CIC) states 
that, with the exception of solemnities, "All Fridays through the year and the 
time of Lent are penitential days and times throughout the entire Church." (CIC 
1250) Furthermore, "Abstinence from eating meat or another food according to the 
prescriptions of the conference of bishops is to be observed on Fridays 
throughout the year unless they are solemnities." (CIC 1251) In the United 
States, the bishops have declared that it is permissible to substitute some 
other form of penance, but we are still urged to fast from "something" in 
remembrance of the Lord’s death on the cross. – Often incorrectly lumped in with 
the subject of married priests, this is a doctrine that has been infallibly 
decided and will not change. In 1994, Pope John Paul II issued an Apostolic 
Letter, Ordinatio Sacerdotalis, in which he declared once and for all that "the 
Church has no authority whatsoever to confer priestly ordination on women and 
that this judgment is to be definitively held by all the Church’s faithful." 
Unlike the issue of married priests (which could possibly change), women’s 
ordination is an impossibility that will not happen. It is not a "glass ceiling" 
or the Church’s attempt to hold back women. Instead, it is an infallible 
recognition that men and women have different roles and that Christ instituted a 
male priesthood.


Like a deer that longs for running waters so my soul longs for you, O God.
Ps 42:1


      
-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <http://gathman.org/pipermail/apologetics/attachments/20100710/d4de0e5f/attachment.html>