Why the Catholic Catechism is so Important
Do Not Let Your Faith Be Stolen
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“See to it that no one takes you captive by philosophy and empty deceit” (Colossians 2:8).
Now, more than ever, we need to understand our faith and protect it against wolves and false prophets who seek to lead us astray from the true faith of Jesus Christ. The closer the world gets to the second coming of Jesus, the greater will be attacks on our faith.
Faith is a gift
Faith is a gift from God. Faith is not a blind following in something we would like to believe or would like to be true. The Greek word used in the New Testament for faith is pistis (pronounced PIS-tis). It describes a moral conviction, a reliance on Christ for salvation, and constancy in our profession of faith. Faith comes from God; and God determines what we should believe.
When we say “salvation comes by faith”, what we mean is God gives us a moral conviction that Jesus is our Savior; that Jesus is the Way; that Jesus is the Truth. When we proclaim our faith in Jesus, what we are really doing is responding to the grace of faith the Father bestows on us. We accept Jesus as Lord, Savior, Master and Teacher.
Faith is more than words
Faith is not a mantra like “Open Sesame!” We do not open heaven just by standing in front of the gates and saying a magic faith phrase. When Jesus preached, and when the apostles preached, the word “repent” always preceded “and believe” or “and be baptized”. It isn’t the profession of faith that saves. It is the response of faith, the conviction to repent and be transformed, which saves. Our profession of faith is merely the words reflecting what is deep in our heart.
The question becomes, “What do we have faith IN?” Is it just faith in Jesus? Is it faith that Jesus died on the cross for the forgiveness of sins? Is it faith that sin doesn’t matter anymore because Jesus said from the cross, “It is finished”?
There is a very telling aspect of faith, forgotten by so many Christians, where Jesus said “If you love me, you will keep my commandments” (John 14:15) and “Teach them to observe all that I have commanded you” (Matthew 28:20). True faith in Christ will always lead us to deny ourself and to follow everything Jesus taught, rather than follow what we want to believe.
The eroding of faith
When faith is nothing more than a belief in “things” or “ideas”, rather than a conviction of what God puts in our heart, faith is lost. We begin to believe what we want to believe, rather than believing the truth. Faith starts to erode when we start believing that our magic mantra, “Lord! Lord!” will gain us entry into the Kingdom of Heaven even if we don’t abide by all, that is everything, Christ taught. Jesus said faith and profession doesn’t work this way (Matthew 7:21-23).
“For the time will come when people will not put up with sound doctrine. To suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear” (2 Timothy 44:3-4). That time, I believe, is now. Of course, it isn’t that things were different back then. Matthew chapter 23 is an entire discourse on Jesus denouncing the leaders of his day.
Christianity wasn’t a hundred years old when Gnosticism reared its ugly head against the Church. Arianism began in the fourth century. Throughout history there has been nothing but one barrage after another of “new ideas” to lure believers away from the true faith of Jesus Christ and the Church he started. I’m not saying things are worse now, but they certainly are not any better.
“Be on your guard; stand firm in the faith” (1 Corinthians 16:13-14). We have to face facts. Our faith is always under attack. Satan disguises himself as an angel of light. Satan tried to fool Jesus in the desert by misusing Scripture. False prophets use that same trick today in trying to persuade us to forsake the true faith of Jesus Christ.
If you don’t want your faith to be stolen or eroded, “Test everything; retain what is good” (1 Thessalonians 5:21).
Test Everything
When Paul says test everything, he means everything. Everything includes both words and deeds of the preachers, teachers and leaders who seek to persuade us in the guidance of our faith. We don’t just test the one verse they quoted to see if it really is in the Bible. We don’t just test a sentence or two. We test everything. And we don’t test to determine if what they say “sounds good.” We test to see if what they say aligns 100% to all Jesus taught. If their words are filled with rhetoric and innuendo, not grounded in the truth of Christ, they must be rejected as heretics. If the fruits of their life are rotten, hurting others and satisfying themselves, they must be rejected as heretics.
Beware of Christian Nationalism and MAGA Catholic
Recently, two heretical sects have emerged in popularity to steal our faith. These heresies are supported by a number of national leaders as being both good for the country and good for God. They claim their philosophies are based in Christianity; because they support salvation through Jesus Christ, attending church regularly, support right to life of the unborn, and condemn certain grave sins. The leaders of these heresies often quote specific verses of the Bible to prove a point they already believe and to prove they know the Bible. These heresies seem to offer nothing more than an additional denomination of Christianity and a way for Christians to express themselves, worship as they wish, and follow what sounds good to them.
When put to the test of abiding to ALL Jesus taught, these sects fail miserably. Here are some examples:
- They proclaim to support Right to Life; but they give rights only to the unborn and people within their circle of friends. They willingly support war to kill people of other nationalities and social statuses. This, in direct contradiction to Scripture…“There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free person, there is not male and female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus” (Galatians 3:28). Thou shalt not kill.
- They twist the Bible to appear religious and support their cause of war. Even when they accurately quote Scripture, such as, “Blessed be the Lord, my rock, who trains my hands for battle” (Psalm 144, 1), their evil intent is to guide the misinformed into supporting their cause. Their warmongering directly contradicts Jesus’s words to love enemies and forgive others (Matthew 5:38-43). It was never okay by Jesus to selectively kill anyone.
- They pretend to support the needs of the poor, yet the poor are well-defined to exclude strangers and foreigners. These are rounded up like cattle and deported. They are separated from their families and left without help. Jesus said, “I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me” (Matthew 25:35). The call to extend hospitality and not oppress strangers is consistent throughout Scripture (Romans 12:13, Exodus 23:9). With Jesus, we do not pick and choose who gets our mercy and who does not.
- They verbally abuse and demean any religious leader who does not support their cause; even when the words of the other person are Scriptural and sound. They call into question the other person’s intelligence and integrity, to make it easier to decry their case (Search the internet for ad hominem fallacy and strawman fallacy). These are meaningless, spiteful attacks used to avoid the real issue and fool others into dropping support of the other person.
There are other examples; but these are already enough to bring to light the foolishness of the Christian Nationalism and MAGA Catholic movements. These movements pit God against Nation, faith in God against trust in leaders, and their leaders relish the high places of esteem and worship which Jesus warned us against seeking. These movements offer the basic tenets of faith only to lure in the weak and naive. Then, they water down and hide the full message of Christ to destroy faith.
Jesus did not call us to follow some of what he taught; but all of what he commanded. If we follow the precepts of men, and not the precepts of the Church given to us by Jesus to guide and protect us, our faith will be lost. Follow only Christ and his Church, not the deceiptful rhetoric, intended to tickle ears, coming from the mouths of wolves.
“For whoever keeps the whole law, but falls short in one particular, has become guilty in respect to all of it” (James 2:1). We can’t partially follow Jesus.
For more articles grounded in faith and the Catholic Church, follow me on my website Catholic Paths.
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About the Author
Each day, we walk our path of life. The path may be easy or strenuous, narrow or wide, short or long. We have the freedom to choose any path, and to change paths at any time.
Those long, strenuous paths require more preparation before taking the first step and periodic renewal of supplies and rest. But, by the end, the walk is much more satisfying and enlightening. The greater the effort, the greater the reward.
Our Lord does not abandon us, regardless of the paths we take. He is there to guide, comfort and heal. But the paths we take and the preparations we make are still of our own choosing.
Catholic Paths was created to help Catholics choose their paths and prepare for their daily walk with teachings, inspirations, meditations and prayer. May each step of your daily walk bring you one step closer to unity and joy in our Lord.
"God only, God everywhere, God always!" - St. Bernadette
