Wednesday, August 15, 2012

NO APOLOGETICS COURSE IN PARISHES : CATHOLICS ARE DEFENCELESS

Today I tried a new approach with the Jehovah Witnesses(JWs). Instead of they asking me first where is the word Trinity in the Bible I stopped two of them and asked them why don’t they believe in the Trinity when the Bible mentions God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit.


These were two young men near the Baldo Degli Ubaldi Station, Rome. They have a center in front of  the metro station. There are centers all over Rome.


The two young men were new recruits. A few minutes earlier I came across two Filipino girls quoting passages from their open Bible and confidently trying to convince a Filipino young boy, speaking their language.Today is a public holiday, the Feast of the Assumption so they are out on the streets on mission.


In this area last Saturday there were two young ladies possibly Italians, distributing the JW magazine.Usually the same questions are asked and points brought up so their formation is standard.They will keep insisting that something is in the Bible when it is not there in the Bible but it is their personal interpretation.


I make sure that they know about the Catholic dogma extra ecclesiam nulla salus and that this is the teaching today according to magisterial texts.It usually surprises them since they were not taught about the dogma as Catholics.


There are so many Catholics in that area but they do not have basic courses in apologetics in the parishes.That Filipino boy did not have a chance.He will probably end up distributing the JW literature like the two girls who were probably former Catholics.


Nearby is the Church of San Giuseppe al Aureleo managed by the Oblates of St.Joseph.The Assistant Parish Priest from India cannot say that the JW’s are all oriented to Hell because he does not believe in the dogma nor does he consider Catholic Faith as the ordinary means of salvation.(AG 7).


An American Rector of the Oblates seminary alongside the Church agrees that we do not know any one saved in invincible ignorance and the baptism of desire. So invincible ignorance etc cannot be cited as an exception to the dogma, I ask him ? He refuses to answer.He says this is what the Church teaches today. So he will proclaim the necessity of Jesus for salvation without the necessity of the Church for salvation.


Jesus without the Church!The young man I spoke to today morning said he was a Christian since he believed in Jesus ( who is one with St. Michael the Archangel). I told him that he was not a Christian since he did not believe in the Church, the Catholic Church.


The word Christian originally belonged to Catholics before the Orthodox Schism and the Protestant revolt.


Those Filipino girls also probably believe they are Christians and at the same time  JWs.The Vatican and the Rome Vicariate could invite them for their ecumenical meetings since their policy is only a belief in Jesus is necessary for salvation.The Church is not necessary.


In spite of these difficulties there is  apologetic material available here. I read some with the Franciscan Friars of the Immaculate in Italian and some in English published by Our Sunday Visitor. This material is not available in an organised way in  the parishes here. Catholics have not also been trained on how to use it.The Oblates of St.Joseph do not have any such course.


An apologetic course could have these few points covered.


1. God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit is mentioned in different passages of the Bible.(Check the Index of the JW Bible).


2. The Catholic Church’s doctrines are the same as the Church Fathers, the Catholics in the catacombs before Constantine and those held by the Catholic Church today.The JWs and their doctrines are not there in the teachings of the Church Fathers.


3. The Bible they are using comes to them from the Catholic Church.It was inspired originally by the Holy Spirit. It was a Church Council that approved the Bible.


4. Nowhere does the Bible say Sola Scriptura, that one must depend only on the Bible for all answers, excluding Tradition and the Catholic Magisterium.


5. Jesus founded only one Church and the Holy Spirit guides the Church to teach extra ecclesiam nulla salus.This is the teaching of Vatican Council II and other magisterial documents.We do not know any exceptions to this traditional teaching.So the JW’s are outside the Church, they do not have Catholic Faith (AG 7) and so are on the way to Hell if they do not convert into the Catholic Church.
-Lionel Andrades