What the Apostles Did and Believe, That's What We Do and Believe

+JMJ+

On the Commemorative Celebration of St. Irenaeus, Bishop and Martyr
Introit: Mal.ii.6
Epistle: 2 Tim iii 14-17; iv. 1-5
Gospel: Matthew x. 16-22

“For there shall come a time when they shall not endure sound doctrine; but according to their own desires shall heap up to themselves teachers, having itching ears, and from the truth, indeed, will turn away their hearing and be turned unto hearing and be turned unto fables.” -- as taken from today’s Epistle.

“Fear ye not them that kill the body and are not able to kill the soul; but rather fear him that can destroy both soul and body in hell.” – as taken from today’s Gospel.

Last night I had a conversation with a (non-traditional) religious who says that the Dogma of the Catholic Church can “evolve”. That was news to me. His point was regarding the “ecumenism” movement within the Church since Vatican II. Specifically, he claims that the Church (“pre-Vatican II”) was not well informed enough to be able to state that there is no salvation outside the Catholic Church.

This conversation came up when I had mentioned what I had heard on live “catholic” radio just Thursday evening coming home from work. A certain apologist had a caller asking about hell, and making the comment that it seems that a larger percentage of people might in fact be heading in that direction in our current times. The apologist pointed out what our Lord had said was probably only reflecting the times in which he was living. This apologists further explained his own take by suggesting that many more people were probably going to be saved because there are many more “monotheists” in this day and age than there were percentage-wise back in the time of Christ.

Interesting. I’m no apologist of theologian, but Jesus was a Jew, was he not? Jesus knew that the Jews only believed in one God, yet did he not warn them?

Oh yes, back to my conversation with my religious friend. All I can say simply is this: he’s wrong.

A good priest I know speaks truthfully, “What the Apostles did and believe, that’s what WE do and believe in the Roman Catholic Faith.”

In the book, Fundamentals of Catholic Dogma, by Tan Publishers, there are loads of citations refuting such heresy. As-a-matter-of-fact, the issue of salvation from the Catholic Church and only from the Catholic Church was a non-issue, so to speak, among every single one of the Church Fathers. They all agreed on this issue, which was clearly the teaching of the Apostles. “The Apostles teach the necessity of the Church for salvation by promulgating Faith in Christ and His Gospel as a condition for salvation. Peter confesses before the High Council: “Neither is there salvation in any other””. (Fundamentals, pg. 312) Further reading is in: Acts 4. 12, Gal. 1,8; Tit. 3,10 et seq.; 2 John 10 et seq.

Our Church, the only Christian Church with the fullness of the Faith, is the only Church that can trace it’s roots with the Apostles. St. Irenaeus himself was a student of the Bishop of Polycarp, who himself was a student of St. John the Evangelist.

What the Apostles did and believe, that’s what WE do and believe in the ROMAN CATHOLIC FAITH.

St. Ireneaus, pray for us.

Tomorrow’s Collect:

“We beseech Thee, O Lord, mercifully to receive the prayer of Thy Church: that, all adversity and error being destroyed, she may serve Thee in security and freedom.”