Many Catholics become unsettled when somebody challenges the Church with one Bible quotation after another. We can find it embarrassing, not because the Catholic faith has no answer, but because many of us do not know our own faith well enough to answer. We do not read. We would rather have somebody tell us things than make the effort to understand them for ourselves. Then, when someone says the Church is unbiblical or the Sacraments have no foundation in Scripture, we can easily get carried away.
We need to know what we believe. Do not accept a negative idea about the Church simply because somebody presents it confidently or attaches a Bible verse to it. Search. Read. Understand the biblical foundations of the Church, the place of Tradition, and the Sacraments the Lord has given us. There are real human faults in the Church, and we should never pretend otherwise. But before deciding that the Church has no meaning, first understand what the Church actually is.
Christ Gave Us the Church
Some people say Jesus never intended to establish a Church and that the institution came later. But Matthew 16 gives us something very clear. Jesus asks the disciples, "Who do you say that I am?" Peter answers, "You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God." Jesus replies that this has been revealed by His Father and then says, "You are Peter, and on this rock I will build My Church, and the gates of Hades will not prevail against it" (Matthew 16:16-18).
The foundation of the Church comes from Jesus Himself. Some arguments focus on the Greek words used for Peter and rock and claim that the two have no connection. But Jesus spoke Aramaic, and in Aramaic the same word is used for Peter and rock. This is where the foundations of the Church were laid by Jesus. Jesus continues immediately: "I will give you the keys of the Kingdom of Heaven, and whatever you bind on earth will be bound in Heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in Heaven" (Matthew 16:19).
The image of the keys becomes clearer when we look back to Isaiah 22. There the king gives authority to Eliakim and places "the key of the house of David" upon his shoulder. He will open and no one shall shut; he will shut and no one shall open (Isaiah 22:20-22). The person who held the key had authority because that authority came directly from the king. That is what we see in Matthew 16 when Jesus gives Peter the keys of the Kingdom.
St Paul later calls the Church "the Church of the living God, the pillar and bulwark of the truth" (1 Timothy 3:15). That is strong language. The Church is not an optional religious club that can be discarded whenever we become irritated with it. The institution comes from Jesus Himself.
Scripture and Tradition Belong Together
Another common challenge is the claim that Christians should believe only what is explicitly written in Scripture and reject Tradition. Certainly Scripture is inspired. Second Timothy says, "All Scripture is inspired by God and is useful for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness" (2 Timothy 3:16). No Catholic needs to deny that. The Word of God is true and inspired.
But that verse does not say that the Christian faith comes through written Scripture alone. St Paul tells the Thessalonians, "Stand firm and hold fast to the traditions that you were taught by us, either by word of mouth or by our letter" (2 Thessalonians 2:15). There is what was written, and there is what was handed on by word of mouth.
Think about your own family history. Much of what you know about earlier generations may never have been written down. You know it because your parents or grandparents told you, and they received it from those before them. In the family of the Church, the apostolic faith was also handed on. The Church Fathers received, guarded and transmitted what had come before them.
The faith was being spoken and handed on before all of it was written down. St John speaks of what the Apostles had heard, seen and touched (1 John 1:1), and later tells us that Jesus did many other signs that were not written in his book (John 20:30). Some things came down through word of mouth before they were written.
This is why Scripture and apostolic Tradition are not enemies. They belong together in the life of the Church. If somebody tells you that Catholic Tradition is automatically contrary to the Bible, do not simply accept the claim. Learn what the Church actually means by Tradition and where it comes from.
There have been times when there was decadence in the Church and reform was needed. That is true. But the sad fact is that many Catholics are taken in by arguments against the Church because we do not know the Tradition of our Church, the history of our Church or the scriptural basis of our Church. The fault lies within. We should search within ourselves and understand our Church.
The Sacraments Have Biblical Roots
The Sacraments are another area where Catholics are often challenged. People say, "Show me where all seven Sacraments are in the Bible." We should not be frightened by that question. The sacramental life of the Church has deep biblical roots and comes from Christ.
Baptism is given directly in the Lord's command: "Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptising them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit" (Matthew 28:19). The Eucharist comes to us from the Last Supper, when Jesus takes bread and says, "This is My Body," and gives the cup as the new covenant in His Blood (Luke 22:19-20).
Reconciliation is rooted in the risen Christ breathing the Holy Spirit upon the Apostles and saying, "If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them; if you retain the sins of any, they are retained" (John 20:22-23). Matthew also records the authority to bind and loose (Matthew 18:18).
The gift of the Holy Spirit lies at the heart of Confirmation. Holy Orders belongs to Christ's commissioning of those who are to feed His people and continue His ministry. Matrimony is upheld by Jesus when He says, "What God has joined together, let no one separate" (Mark 10:9). The Church's ministry to the sick grows from Christ's healing mission and the apostolic ministry of prayer for the sick.
The form in which the Sacraments are celebrated has changed over time. But every Sacrament has biblical origins. They have all come from Jesus.
Many of us might ask: if the Sacraments are biblical, why do I not receive anything through them? I go to Mass. I go to Confession. I receive the Sacraments, but I do not feel anything. Then I go to praise and worship or a prayer service and there is a beautiful feeling. Before blaming the Sacrament, look at our approach. Many times our approach to the Sacraments is very casual.
What Do Our Priorities Say About the Sacraments?
Think about Baptism. Most of us know that we were baptised, but how often do we stop and think about what happened? We were baptised into Christ. We became part of His Body and were received as children of God. Yet the event can occupy almost no place in our memory or imagination.
Compare that with a wedding or a graduation. Marriage photographs are enlarged and displayed. Graduation certificates are framed. Photographs of children wearing gowns and caps are proudly placed around the house. But how many Catholic homes display anything that reminds the family of Baptism? I am talking about priorities. For us, our priorities are different.
I once heard about Baptisms where the parents, godparents and child went to church while everyone else stayed at home waiting for the reception. Then we wonder why there is no experience in Baptism. A child is being brought into the Christian community. The whole community should gather and rejoice. It depends on how we approach the Sacrament.
The same problem appears at Confirmation. I remember preparing children for Confirmation and watching how much attention could go into gowns, pleats, appearance and photographs. Not one parent insisted that the children close their eyes and pray, but if even one pleat went wrong, a mother would immediately put it straight. It depends on our priorities. These are our priorities.
Confession is similar. People sometimes say that a Confession made during a retreat was beautiful but Confession in the parish is boring. Why? During a retreat they may spend hours examining their lives, praying, reflecting and preparing themselves. At home they may give preparation five minutes and then complain that the experience lasted only five minutes. Five minutes of preparation, five minutes of experience. It is all in our approach.
Even marriage can be approached this way. Every tiny detail of the wedding can be put in place, while one of the last things considered is the Church and the Sacrament itself. Years later, people may remember the dress, the photographs, the reception and the decorations, but barely remember what happened before God. Everything else dies out after that one day. Only the Sacrament remains.
Even the Anointing of the Sick can be approached as though it were simply the last Sacrament before death. But it is a Sacrament of healing. It is not a Sacrament of death. Yet we gather with mournful faces as if to say, "How sad. You are going to die." And if that person does not die because of the sickness, he will look at our faces and die. There is no joy in it because we do not believe in the power of the Sacrament.
No experience at all, not because there is a fault in the Sacrament. The fault is in our approach. When our approach is wrong, why blame the Sacrament? Why blame the Lord who gave the Sacrament?
The Church Is Your Home
There are faults in the Church. I do not deny that. Priests and religious have made mistakes. People in positions of responsibility have made mistakes. The Church has two dimensions: a divine dimension and a human dimension. The divine dimension is the Holy Spirit. The human dimension is us. We are faulty, and those faults will show up somewhere or other.
But what do we do when we see them? If you consider the Church your family, work towards making your family better. If you see faults and mistakes within the Church, work towards making the Church better. Do not keep looking at the faults and saying, "There are faults there all the time." Look within yourself and see: how can I make my Church better?
St Paul describes the Church as the Body of Christ. The hand cannot tell the leg, "You are not important." The eye cannot tell the ear, "You are not important." Every part is important, and only when every part works together does the Church rise up. We have a responsibility towards the Church.
There are faults. I agree. There are mistakes, even in the hierarchy of the Church. As priests and religious, we have made mistakes. I do not say that all are good. Real failures must be faced honestly. But just because you find mistakes in the Church, do not abandon it and walk away. We have a responsibility towards the Church, a responsibility given to us by God.
When people speak against the Church, do not keep quiet. I do not say fight with them, but know your Church, learn to defend your Church, and learn to love your Church. If a question is raised, go and search your faith. Understand your Catholic faith, and then question it. Do not walk away merely because somebody has given you a negative idea that you have never examined.
The Church has nourished us in ways we may easily forget. She received us as little children in Baptism, when we had nothing, and she kept nourishing us in her own little ways through different individuals. She fed us with a spirituality that carried us through difficult moments and through the brokenness we struggled with.
So look into your own heart. Have I spoken against the Church without first trying to understand? When others threw stones, did I simply pick up another stone? Have I allowed the failures of human beings to make me forget everything the Lord has given me through His Church?
Make a decision to search. Learn what your Church means. Discover the beauty that is there. Do not be ashamed to stand before the world and say, "I am a Catholic." And pray for those who have moved away from the Church. They have gone on a journey. Pray that they find their way back home.