THE CATHOLIC CHURCHis the world's largest, and Christianity's oldest, religious body. Her 1 billion membersinhabit the width and breadth of the earth, comprising almost one-fifth of thetotal human population. She is far and away the most popular religious conceptthe world has ever known. Paradoxically, however, the Catholic Church is alsothe world's most controversial religious concept. Catholic belief is different,too different to be orthodox, say Protestants and Christian cultists. Catholicbelief is too ethereal to be logical, and too strict to be enjoyable, say thehumanists and agnostics. Hence to millions of people, Catholicism is not only acolossal success, it is also a colossal enigma. Of course, there has to be anexplanation for these contradictory opinions -- and there is an explanation:Protestants and others who have questions about Catholic belief too often makethe mistake of going to the wrong place for the answers. Too often bookswritten by religious incompetents are consulted. The result is incomplete anddistorted information. With such information, one cannot help but see theCatholic faith as a colossal enigma. The right place to go for informationabout Catholic belief -- in fact the only place to go for complete andauthoritative information -- is the Catholic Church herself. As any detectivewill tell you, no investigation is quite so complete as an on-the-spotinvestigation. Hence, dear reader, if you are a Protestant, an unaffiliatedChristian, or an agnostic, who wants to know the truth about Catholic belief,take this friendly advice: Seek out a Catholic priest and put your questions tohim. You will find him a very understanding and obliging person. Or read thislittle booklet. This booklet was written by a Catholic who knows the questionsyou are likely to ask, as well as the answers, because once he, too, wasoutside of the Catholic Church, looking in. The questions in this booklet arebasically the same ones he put to a Catholic priest, and the answers arebasically the same ones given him by that priest. Read this booklet; thenforget all the fiction you have heard about the Catholic Church, for you willhave the gospel truth.

Catholics believethat the universe is the creation, and the exclusive dominion, of an infinitelypowerful Spirit Being, called God, because the evidence which points to thatconclusion is so overwhelming that there is no room left for even the slightestvestige of doubt. First, there is the evidence of logic. Through the process ofsimple mathematical-type reasoning, man inevitably comes face to face withcertain indisputable principles: Everything has a cause; nothing can bringitself into existence. Obviously there is a long chain of causes in theuniverse, but ultimately there must be a first cause, an uncaused cause. Thisuncaused cause we call "God." (The theory of evolution, even if it could beproved, would not explain the origin of anything; evolution simply deals withwhat may have happened after matter came into existence.) Further, 1) personalcreation (man) presupposes a superior Personal Creator, 2) universal orderpresupposes a Universal Orderer, 3) cosmic energy presupposes a CosmicEnergizer, 4) natural law presupposes a Universal Law Maker. Basic principlesof reason such as these explain why so many of the world's leading scientistsare firm believers in God. Then, there is the evidence of divine revelation --on countless occasions God has revealed Himself by voice, vision and apparition(by means which are receptive to the human senses), and demonstrated HisOmnipotence by stupendous, obviously supernatural miracles. Many of theserevelations are a matter of authenticated historical record. The Scriptures,for example, are full of such accounts; and in modern times the world has beenwitness to such Heaven-sent miracles as those at Fatima , Lourdes , and St. Anne de Beaupr' in Quebec,Canada, where the cured have left a forest of crutches in testimony. (TheLourdes Medical Bureau is open for examination by any doctor.) In addition,there is the liquefaction of the blood of St. Januarius which still takes placein Naples each year on September 19, his feastday; the incorruption of thebodies of many Catholic saints (such as St. Bernadette, who died in 1879); andthe miraculous Eucharistic Host of Lanciano, Italy, which has beenscientifically proven to be human flesh and human blood, type AB--to mentiononly a few of the miracles still on-going in the 20th century, which point tothe existence of a God. And lastly there is the evidence of human intuition.Psychologists have long known that every human being -- the atheist included --intuitively seeks God's help in times of great calamity, and instinctivelypleads for God's mercy when death is imminent. Hence the renowned Voltaire, whowas so eloquent in his denial of God while he enjoyed health, fame and fortune,repudiated all of his atheistic writings on his deathbed and frantically soughtthe ministrations of a Catholic priest. Nikolai Lenin, as he lay on hisdeathbed, looked around him and frantically asked pardon of the tables andchairs in the room. For as hunger for food proclaims the existence of food,man's intuitive hunger for God proclaims the Reality, the Omnipotence and theJustice of God. Catholic belief in God, therefore, is purely and simply anexpression of intellectual sanity.

Catholics believethere is one God consisting of three distinct and equal divine Persons --Father, Son and Holy Spirit -- because on numerous occasions God has describedHimself thus. The Old Testament gives intimations that there are more than onePerson in God. In Genesis 1:26, God says, "Let us make man to our image andlikeness." In Isaias 9:6-7, God the Father revealed the imminent coming intothe world of God the Son. In Psalms 2:7, we read, "The Lord hath said to me:Thou art my son, this day have I begotten thee." And in the New Testament, Godreveals this doctrine even more clearly. For example, at the baptism of JesusChrist, the Holy Spirit appeared in the form of a dove, and the voice of Godthe Father was heard: "This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased."(Matt. 3:16-17). In Matthew 28:19, God the Son commanded the Apostles tobaptize "in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost." Andin 1 Cor. 12:4-6, the Bible refers to God with three names: Spirit, Lord, andGod -- corresponding to the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Three divinePersons in one Godhead may be incomprehensible to the human mind, but that isto be expected. How can man fully comprehend God's infinite make-up when hecannot fully comprehend his own finite make-up? We have to take God's word forit. Also, we can satisfy ourselves as to the feasibility of God's triunemake-up by considering various other triune realities. The triangle, forexample, is one distinct form with three distinct and equal sides. And theclover leaf is one leaf with three distinct and equal petals. There are manyphysical trinities on earth, therefore a Spiritual Trinity, who is God inHeaven, is not against human reason -- it is simply above human reason.

Catholics believethat Jesus was God the Son, incarnate in human flesh, firstly because God'sphysical manifestation on earth, plus all the circumstances of thatmanifestation, were prophesied time and again in Divine Revelation, and Jesusfulfilled that prophecy right to the letter; secondly, because He claimed thatHe was God (John 10:30, 14:9-10 and numerous other passages), and He neverdeceived anyone; thirdly, because He proved His divinity by His impeccableholiness and the flawless perfection of His doctrine; fourthly, because onlyGod could have performed the miracles He performed miracles such as walking onthe sea, feeding five thousand people with five loaves of bread and two fish,and, after His death on the Cross, resurrecting Himself from His own tomb;fifthly, because only God could have, in the brief space of three years,without military conquest, without political power, without writing a singleline or traveling more than a few score miles, so profoundly affected thecourse of human events; sixthly, because only God can instill in the soul ofman the grace and the peace and the assurance of eternal salvation that Jesusinstills.

Catholics believethat theirs is the one true Church of Jesus Christ, firstly, because theirs isthe only Christian Church that goes back in history to the time of Christ;secondly, because theirs is the only Christian Church which possesses theinvincible unity, the intrinsic holiness, the continual universality and theindisputable apostolicity which Christ said would distinguish His true Church;and thirdly, because the Apostles and primitive Church Fathers, who certainlywere members of Christ's true Church, all professed membership in this sameCatholic Church (See Apostles' Creed and the Primitive Christian letters).Wrote Ignatius of Antioch, illustrious Church Father of the first century:"Where the Bishop is, there let the multitude of believers be; even as whereJesus is, there is the Catholic Church." Our Lord said: "There shall be onefold and one shepherd", yet it is well known that the various Christiandenominations cannot agree on what Christ actually taught. Since Christ roundlycondemned interdenominationalism ("And if a house be divided against itself,that house cannot stand." Mark 3:25), Catholics cannot believe that He wouldever sanction it in His Church.

Catholics refuseto concede such a thing out of faith in Jesus Christ. Christ solemnly pledgedthat the gates of Hell would never prevail against His Church (Matt. 16:18),and He solemnly promised that after His Ascension into Heaven He would send HisChurch "another Paraclete... the spirit of truth," to dwell with it forever(John 14:16-17), and He inspired the Apostle Paul to describe His Church as"the pillar and ground of the truth." (I Tim. 3:15). If the Catholic Church(which Protestants admit was the true Church of Jesus Christ before Luther'srevolt) became doctrinally corrupt as alleged, it would mean that the gates ofHell had prevailed against it -- it would mean that Christ had deceived Hisfollowers. Believing Christ to be the very essence of truth and integrity,Catholics cannot in conscience believe that He could be guilty of suchdeception. Another thing: Catholics cannot see how the division of Christianityinto hundreds of rival camps and doctrinal variations can be called a"reformation" of the Christian Church. In the Catholic mind, hundreds ofconflicting interpretations of Christ's teachings do not add up to a trueinterpretation of Christ's teachings.

A careful,objective investigation of Catholic history will disclose these facts: Theso-called worldly popes of the Middle Ages -- three in number -- were certainlyguilty of extravagant pomposity, nepotism and other indiscretions and sinswhich were not in keeping with the dignity of their high church office -- butthey certainly were not guilty of licentious conduct while in office, nor werethey guilty of altering any part of the Church's Christ-given deposit of faith.The so-called bloody Inquisitions, which were initiated by the civilgovernments of France and Spain for the purpose of ferreting out Moslems andJews who were causing social havoc by posing as faithful Catholic citizens --even as priests and bishops -- were indeed approved by the Church.(Non-Catholics who admitted they were non-Catholics were left alone by theInquisition.) And the vast majority of those questioned by the Inquisition(including St. Teresa of Avila) were completely cleared. Nevertheless, thepopes roundly condemned the proceedings when they saw justice giving way tocruel abuses, and it was this insistent condemnation by the popes which finallyput an end to the Inquisitions. The so-called selling of indulgences positivelydid not involve any "selling" -- it involved the granting of the spiritualfavor of an indulgence (which is the remission of the debt of temporalpunishment for already-forgiven sins) in return for the giving of alms to theChurch for the building of Christendom's greatest house of prayer -- St.Peter's Basilica in Rome. One must understand with regard to indulgences thatthere are always two acts to be fulfilled by the one gaining the in-dulgence:1) doing the deed (e.g., alms-giving) and 2) saying of some prescribed prayerswith proper spiritual dispositions. In the case in point, the first act forgaining the indulgence was "giving alms." If the almsgiver thereafter failed tosay the requisite prayers, he would not receive the indulgence because he hadfailed to fulfill both required acts. The indulgences therefore were not"sold"; the very giving of money was itself the first of two requisite acts forgaining the indulgence in question. The so-called invention of new doctrines,which refers to the Church's proclamation of new dogmas, is the most baselessand ridiculous charge of all -- for those "new" dogmas of the Church wereactually old doctrines dating back to the beginning of Christianity. Inproclaiming them to be dogmas, the Church merely emphasized their importance tothe Faith and affirmed that they are, in truth, part and parcel of divinerevelation. The Catholic Church followed the same procedure when, in the fourthcentury, she proclaimed the New Testament to be divinely revealed. Hence it isobvious that the Catholic Church did NOT fall into error during the Middle Agesas some people allege, for if she had, she could not have produced thosehundreds of medieval saints -- aints the calibre of St. Francis, St. Bernard,St. Bonaventure, St. Clare, St. Anthony, St. John of the Cross, St. ThomasAquinas, St. Elizabeth and St. Vincent Ferrer (who performed an estimated40,000 miracles).

True, the word"Pope" doesn't appear in the Bible -- but then neither do the words "Trinity,""Incarnation," "Ascension" and "Bible" appear in the Bible. However, they arereferred to by other names. The Bible, for example, is referred to as"Scripture." The Pope, which means head bishop of the Church, is referred to asthe "rock" of the Church, or as the "shepherd" of the Church. Christ used thatterminology when He appointed the Apostle Peter the first head bishop of HisChurch, saying: "Blessed art thou, Simon Bar-Jona . . . Thou art Peter, andupon this rock I will build my church." (Matt. 16:17-19). "There shall be onefold and one shepherd." (John 10:16). "Feed my lambs . . . feed my sheep."(John 21:15-17). The words "rock" and "shepherd" must apply to Peter, and theymust distinguish him as the head Apostle, otherwise Christ's statements are soambiguous as to be meaningless. Certainly the other Apostles understood thatPeter had authority from Christ to lead the Church, for they gave him thepresiding place every time they assembled in council (Acts 1:15, 5:1-10), andthey placed his name first every time they listed the names of the Apostles.(Matt. 10:2, Mark 3:16, Luke 6:13-14, Acts 1:13). In addition, there is thetestimony of the Church Fathers. In the second century St. Hegessipus compileda list of Popes to the time of Anicetus (eleventh Pope) which contained thename of St. Peter as first. Early in the third century the historian Caiuswrote that Pope Victor was "the thirteenth Bishop of Rome from Peter." In themiddle of the third century St. Cyprian related that Cornelius (twenty-firstPope) "mounted the lofty summit of the priesthood . . . the place of Peter."Even Protestant historians have attested to Peter's role as first Bishop ofRome, first Pope of the Catholic Church. Wrote the eminent Protestant historianCave in his Historia Literaria: "That Peter was at Rome, and held the See therefor some time, we fearlessly affirm with the whole multitude of the ancients."Hence the source of the Pope's authority to rule over the Catholic Church isquite obvious: It was given him by none other than Jesus Christ -- by GodHimself.

The doctrine ofPapal Infallibility does not mean the Pope is always right in all his personalteachings. Catholics are quite aware that, despite his great learning, the Popeis very much a human being and therefore liable to commit human error. On somesubjects, like sports and manufacturing, his judgment is liable to be veryfaulty. The doctrine simply means that the Pope is divinely protected fromerror when, acting in his official capacity as chief shepherd of the Catholicfold, he promulgates a decision which is binding on the conscience of allCatholics throughout the world. In other words, his infallibility is limited tohis specialty--the Faith of Jesus Christ. In order for the Pope to beinfallible on a particular statement, however, four conditions must apply: 1)he must be speaking ex cathedra . . . that is, "from the Chair" of Peter, or inother words, officially, as head of the entire Church; 2) the decision must befor the whole Church; 3) it must be on a matter of faith or morals; 4) the Popemust have the intention of making a final decision on a teaching of faith ormorals, so that it is to be held by all the faithful. It must be interpretive,not originative; the Pope has no authority to originate new doctrine. He is notthe author of revelation -- only its guardian and expounder. He has no power todistort a single word of Scripture, or change one iota of divine tradition. Hisinfallibility is limited strictly to the province of doctrinal interpretation,and it is used quite rarely. It is used in order to clarify, to "define," somepoint of the ancient Christian tradition. It is the infallibility of whichChrist spoke when He said to Peter, the first Pope: "I will give to thee thekeys of the kingdom of heaven. And whatsoever thou shalt bind upon earth, itshall be bound also in heaven." (Matt. 16:19). Certainly Christ would not haveadmonished His followers to "hear the church" (Matt. 18:17) without somehowmaking certain that what they heard was the truth -- without somehow making theteaching magisterium of His Church infallible. For a complete understanding ofthe Pope's infallibility, however, one more thing should be known: His excathedra decisions are not the result of his own private deliberations. Theyare the result of many years -- sometimes hundreds of years -- of consultationwith the other bishops and theologians of the Church. He is, in effect, voicingthe belief of the whole Church. His infallibility is not his own privateendowment, but rather an endowment of the entire Mystical Body of Christ.Indeed, the Pope's hands are tied with regard to the changing of Christiandoctrine. No Pope has ever used his infallibility to change, add, or subtractany Christian teaching; this is because Our Lord promised to be with His Churchuntil the end of the world. (Matt. 28:20). Protestant denominations, on theother hand, feel free to change their doctrines. For example, all Protestantdenominations once taught that contraception was gravely sinful; but since1930, when the Church of England's Lambeth Conference decided contraception wasno longer a sin, virtually all Protestant ministers in the world have acceptedthis human decision and changed their teaching.

Catholics believein seven sacraments because Christ instituted seven; because the Apostles andChurch Fathers believed in seven; because the second Ecumenical Council ofLyons (1274) defined seven; and because the Ecumenical Council of Trent(1545-1563) confirmed seven. In short, the enumeration, seven, arises from theperpetual tradition of Christian belief -- which explains why that enumerationis accepted not only by Catholics, but by all of the other ancient andsemi-ancient Christian communities -- Egyptian Coptic, Ethiopian Monophysite,Syrian Jacobite, Greek Orthodox and Russian Orthodox. To understand what asacrament is, and what it does for a person, one must know the correct, thetraditional Christian, definition of a sacrament. Properly defined, a sacramentis "an outward sign instituted by Christ to give grace" (holiness) to the soul. . . that is to say, it is a divinely prescribed ceremony of the Church inwhich the words and action combine to form what is at the same time both a signof divine grace and a fount of divine grace. When this special grace --distinct from ordinary, inspirational grace -- is imparted to the soul, theHoly Spirit of God is imparted to the soul, imbuing the soul with divine life,uniting the soul to Christ.

As the Scripturespoint out, this grace is the grace of salvation -- without it man is, in a veryreal sense, isolated from Christ. And as the Scriptures point out, Christ gaveHis Church seven sacraments to serve as well-springs of this ineffable,soul-saving grace, the grace which flows from His sacrifice on Calvary: BAPTISM-- the sacrament of spiritual rebirth through which we are made children of Godand heirs of Heaven: "Amen, amen I say to thee, unless a man be born again ofwater and the Holy Ghost, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God." (John 3:5.Also see Acts 2:38, Rom. 6:2-6). CONFIRMATION -- the sacrament which confersthe Holy Spirit to make us strong and perfect Christians and soldiers of JesusChrist: "Now when the apostles, who were in Jerusalem, had heard that Samariahad received the word of God, they sent unto them Peter and John. Who, whenthey were come, prayed for them, that they might receive the Holy Ghost. . . .Then they laid their hands upon them, and they received the Holy Ghost." (Acts8:14-17. Also see Acts 19:6). The EUCHARIST -- the sacrament, also known asHoly Communion, which nourishes the soul with the true Flesh and Blood, Souland Divinity of Jesus, under the appearance, or sacramental veil, of bread andwine: "And whilst they were eating, Jesus took bread; and blessing, broke, andgave to them, and said: Take ye. This is my body. And having taken the chalice,giving thanks, he gave it to them. And they all drank of it. And he said tothem: This is my blood of the new testament, which shall be shed for many."(Mark 14:22-24. Also see Matt. 26:26-28, Luke 22:19-20, John 6:52-54, 1 Cor.10:16). PENANCE -- the sacrament, also known as Confession, through whichChrist forgives sin and restores the soul to grace: "Receive ye the Holy Ghost.Whose sins you shall forgive, they are forgiven them; and whose sins you shallretain, they are retained." (John 20:22-23. Also see Matt. 18:18). EXTREMEUNCTION -- the sacrament, sometimes called the Last Anointing, whichstrengthens the sick and sanctifies the dying: "Is any man sick among you? Lethim bring in the priests of the church, and let them pray over him, anointinghim with oil in the name of the Lord . . . and if he be in sins, they shall beforgiven him." (James 5:14-15. Also see Mark 6:12-13). HOLY ORDERS -- thesacrament of ordination which empowers priests to offer the Holy Sacrifice ofthe Mass, administer the sacraments, and officiate over all the other properaffairs of the Church: "For every high priest taken from among men, is ordainedfor men in the things that appertain to God, that he may offer up gifts andsacrifices for sins . . . Neither doth any man take the honor to himself, buthe that is called by God, as Aaron was." (Heb. 5:1-4. Also see Acts 20:28, 1Tim. 4:14). Also: "And taking bread, he gave thanks, and broke; and gave tothem, saying: This is my body, which is given for you. Do this for acommemoration of me." (Luke 22:19). MATRIMONY -- the sacrament which unites aman and woman in a holy and indissoluble bond: "For this cause shall a manleave father and mother, and shall cleave to his wife, and they two shall be inone flesh. Therefore now they are not two, but one flesh. What therefore Godhath joined together, let no man put asunder." (Matt. 19:5-6. Also see Mark10:7-9, Eph. 5:22-32). There you have it, the Word of Christ and the example ofthe Apostles attesting both to the validity and the efficacy of the sevenSacraments of the Catholic Church. In truth, every one of them is an integralpart of Christ's plan for man's eternal salvation.

If the CatholicChurch discourages Bible reading, the Pope, the thousands of Catholic Bishops,and the many millions of Catholic lay people, are not aware of it. For thePopes have issued pastoral letters to the whole Church, called encyclicals, onthe edifying effects of Bible reading. The Catholic Bible far outsells allother Christian Bibles worldwide. In fact, it has always been thus. The veryfirst Christian Bible was produced by the Catholic Church -- compiled byCatholic scholars of the 2nd and 3rd century and approved for general Christianuse by the Catholic Councils of Hippo (393) and Carthage (397). The very firstprinted Bible was produced under the auspices of the Catholic Church -- printedby the Catholic inventor of the printing press, Johannes Gutenberg. And thevery first Bible with chapters and numbered verses was produced by the CatholicChurch -- the work of Stephen Langton, Cardinal Archbishop of Canterbury. Itwas this perennial Catholic devotion to the Bible which prompted Martin Luther-- who certainly cannot be accused of Catholic favoritism -- to write in hisCommentary on St. John: "We are compelled to concede to the Papists that theyhave the Word of God, that we received it from them, and that without them weshould have no knowledge of it at all."

Catholics fullyrecognize that Jesus Christ died on the Cross for their sins and thus "openedthe gates of Heaven," and that salvation is a free gift which no amount ofhuman good deeds could ever earn. Catholics receive Christ's saving andsanctifying grace, and Christ Himself, into their souls when they are baptized.Yet they also know that Christ has established certain conditions for entryinto eternal happiness in Heaven -- for example, receiving His true Flesh andBlood (John 6:54) and keeping the commandments (Matt. 19:17). If a Christianrefuses or neglects to obey Our Lord's commands in a grave matter (that is, ifhe commits a mortal sin), Our Lord will not remain dwelling in his soul; and ifa Christian dies in that state, having driven his Lord from his soul by serioussin, he will not be saved. As St. Paul warned the Galatians with regard tocertain sins: "They who do such things shall not obtain the kingdom of God."(Gal. 5:21). It must be added that Christ will always forgive and return to asinner who approaches Him with sincerity in the Sacrament of Penance. Catholicsfollow St. Paul, who did not think that his salvation was guaranteed once andfor all at the moment he first received Christ into his soul; for he wrote: "Ichastise my body, and bring it into subjection: lest perhaps, when I havepreached to others, I myself should become a castaway." (I Cor. 9:27). Also:"With fear and trembling work out your salvation. For it is God who worketh inyou..." (Phil. 2:12-13). "And unto whomsoever much is given, of him much shallbe required." (Luke 12:48). "He that shall persevere unto the end, he shall besaved." (Matt. 10:22). Nevertheless, Catholics realize that even the fulfillingof Our Lord's requirements for salvation is impossible without the free gift ofHis grace.

Catholics believethat faith and good works are both necessary for salvation, because such is theteaching of Jesus Christ. What Our Lord demands is "faith that worketh bycharity ." (Gal. 5 :6).&NBSP; Read Matthew 25:31-46, which describes theLast Judgment as being based on works of charity. The first and greatestcommandment, as given by Our Lord Himself, is to love the Lord God with allone's heart, mind, soul, and strength; and the second great commandment is tolove one's neighbor as oneself. (Mark 12:30-31). When the rich young man askedOur Lord what he must do to gain eternal life, Our Lord answered: "Keep thecommandments." (Matt. 19:17). Thus, although faith is the beginning, it is notthe complete fulfillment of the will of God. Nowhere in the Bible is it writtenthat faith alone justifies. When St. Paul wrote, "For we account a man to bejustified by faith, without the works of the law," he was referring to workspeculiar to the old Jewish Law, and he cited circumcision as an example. TheCatholic Church does NOT teach that purely human good works are meritorious forsalvation; such works are NOT meritorious for salvation, according to herteaching. Only those good works performed when a person is in the state ofgrace -- that is, as a branch drawing its spiritual life from the Vine which isChrist (John 15:4-6) -- only these good deeds work toward our salvation, andthey do so only by the grace of God and the merit of Jesus Christ. These goodworks, offered to God by a soul in the state of grace (i.e., free of mortalsin, with the Blessed Trinity dwelling in the soul), are thereby supernaturallymeritorious because they share in the work and in the merits of Christ. Suchsupernatural good works will not only be rewarded by God, but are necessary forsalvation. St. Paul shows how the neglect of certain good works will send evena Christian believer to damnation: "But if any man have not care of his own,and especially of those of his house, he hath denied the faith, and is worsethan an infidel." (1 Tim. 5:8). Our Lord tells us that if the Master (God)returns and finds His servant sinning, rather than performing works ofobedience, He "shall separate him, and shall appoint him his portion withunbelievers." (Luke 12:46). Furthermore, Catholics know they will be rewardedin Heaven for their good works. Our Lord Himself said: "For the Son of man . .. will render to every man according to his works." (Matt. 16:27). "Andwhosoever shall give to drink to one of these little ones a cup of cold wateronly in the name of a disciple, amen I say to you, he shall not lose hisreward." (Matt. 10:42). Catholics believe, following the Apostle Paul, that"every man shall receive his own reward, according to his own labor." (1 Cor.3:8). "For God is not unjust, that he should forget your work, and the lovewhich you have shown in his name, you who have ministered, and do minister tothe saints." (Heb. 6:10). "I have fought a good fight, I have finished mycourse, I have kept the faith. As to the rest, there is laid up for me a crownof justice, which the Lord the just judge will render to me in that day: andnot only to me, but to them also that love his coming." (2 Tim. 4:7-8). Still,Catholics know that, strictly speaking, God never owes us anything. Even afterobeying all God's commandments, we must still say: "We are unprofitableservants; we have done that which we ought to do." (Luke 17:10). As St.Augustine (5th century) stated: "All our good merits are wrought through grace,so that God, in crowning our merits, is crowning nothing but His gifts." HadSt. Paul meant that faith ruled out the necessity of good works for salvation,he would not have written: ". . . and if I should have all faith, so that Icould remove mountains, and have not charity, I am nothing." (1 Cor. 13:2). Iffaith ruled out the necessity of good works for salvation, the Apostle Jameswould not have written: "Do you see that by works a man is justified; and notby faith only'? . . . For even as the body without the spirit is dead; so alsofaith without works is dead." (James 2:24-26). Or: "What shall it profit, mybrethren, if a man say he hath faith, but hath not works? Shall faith be ableto save him?" (James 2:14). If faith ruled out the necessity of good works forsalvation, the Apostle Peter would not have written: "Wherefore, brethren,labor the more, that by good works you may make sure your calling and election.For doing these things, you shall not sin at any time. For so an entrance shallbe ministered to you abundantly into the everlasting kingdom of our Lord andSavior Jesus Christ." (2 Peter 1:10-11). If faith ruled out the necessity ofgood works for salvation, the primitive Christian Fathers would not haveadvocated good works in such powerful words. Wrote St. Irenaeus, one of themost illustrious of the primitive Christian Fathers: "For what is the use ofknowing the truth in word, while defiling the body and accomplishing the worksof evil? Or what real good at all can bodily holiness do. If truth be not inthe soul? For these two, faith and good works, rejoice in each other's company,and agree together and fight side by side to set man in the Presence of God."(Proof of the Apostolic Preaching). Justification by faith alone is a newdoctrine; it was unheard of in the Christian community before the sixteenthcentury.

Catholics DO NOTworship Mary, the Mother of Christ -- as though she were a deity. Of all themisconceptions about Catholic belief and practice, this one is the most absurd.Catholics are just as aware as Protestants that Mary was a human creature, andtherefore not entitled to the honors which are reserved to God alone. What manynon-Catholics mistake for adoration is a very profound love and veneration,nothing more. Mary is not adored, first because God forbids it, and secondlybecause the Canon Law of the Catholic Church, which is based on Divine Law,forbids it. Canon Law 1255 of the 1918 Codex strictly forbids adoration ofanyone other than the Holy Trinity. However, Catholics do feel that Mary isentitled to a great measure of exaltation because, in choosing her as theMother of Redemption, God Himself exalted her -- exalted her more than anyother human person before or since. Catholics heap tribute and honor on Marybecause they earnestly desire to be "followers of God, as most dear children."(Eph. 5:1). Mary herself prophesied: "For behold from henceforth allgenerations shall call me blessed. Because he that is mighty, hath done greatthings to me; and holy is his name." (Luke 1:48-49). Catholics know that everybit of the glory they give to Mary redounds to the glory of her divine Son,just as Mary magnified God, not herself, when Elizabeth blessed her. (Luke1:41-55). They know that the closer they draw to her, the closer they draw toHim who was born of her. In the year 434 St. Vincent of Lerins defendedChristian devotion to Mary this way: "Therefore, may God forbid that anyoneshould attempt to defraud Holy Mary of her privilege of divine grace and herspecial glory. For by a unique favor of our Lord and God she is confessed to bethe most true and most blessed Mother of God." Today 75% of all Christiansstill hold to this same view.

When Catholicspray to Mary and the other saints in Heaven they are not bypassing Christ, whomthey acknowledge as the sole Mediator between God and man. They are going toChrist through Mary and the other saints. They are asking Mary and other saintsto intercede for them before the throne of Christ in Heaven. "For the continualprayer of a just man availeth much." (James 5:16). How much more availing isthe unceasing prayer of the sinless Mother of Our Lord Jesus Christ! St. Paulasked his fellow Christians to intercede for him: "Brethren, pray for us." (2Thess. 3:1). And again: "I beseech you therefore, brethren, through our LordJesus Christ, and by the charity of the Holy Ghost, that you help me in yourprayers for me to God . . ." (Rom. 15:30). Christ must particularly approve ofour going to Him through Mary, His Blessed Mother, because He chose to come tous through her. And at Cana, He performed His first miracle after a word fromHis Mother. (John 2:2-11). It is clear in Sacred Scripture that the saints inHeaven will intercede for us before the throne of Christ if they are petitionedin prayer (Apoc. or Rev. 8:3-4), and it is clear in the records of primitiveChristianity that the first Christians eagerly sought their intercession. WroteSt. John Chrysostom in the fourth century: "When thou perceivest that God ischastening thee, fly not to His enemies, but to His friends, the martyrs, thesaints, and those who were pleasing to Him, and who have great power." If thesaints have such power with God, how much more His own Mother.

Catholics DO NOTjust repeat the same prayer over and over again when they pray the Rosary. TheRosary is a progression of many prayers -- the Apostles' Creed, the Lord'sPrayer, the Gloria, the Hail Mary and the Salve Regina -- and these prayers areaccompanied by many holy meditations. As the Rosary progresses, Catholicsmeditate on the joyful, the sorrowful, and the glorious mysteries of the lifeof Christ and His Mother. True, the Hail Mary is repeated many times during thecourse of the Rosary, and some of the other prayers are repeated several times,but this is not "vain" repetition, certainly not the vain repetition condemnedby Our Lord. The vain repetition He condemned is that of people who praystanding "in the corners of the streets, that they may be seen by men." Noprayer is vain, no matter how often repeated, if it is sincere, for ChristHimself engaged in repetitious prayer in the Garden of Gethsemani (". . . hewent again: and he prayed the third time, saying the selfsame word" -- Matt.26:39, 42, 44), and we are informed in the Apocalypse (Revelations) 4:8 thatthe angels in Heaven never cease repeating, night and day, the canticle: "Holy,Holy, Holy, Lord God Almighty, who was, and who is, and who is to come." Thepublican humbly repeated the prayer: "O God, be merciful to me, a sinner," andhe went away justified; whereas the pharisee went home unjustified after hislong-winded extemporaneous prayer. (Luke 18:9-14). God was likewise pleasedwith the repetitious prayer of the three young men in the fiery furnace, whomHe preserved miraculously untouched by the flames. (Dan. 3:52-90). Protestantsalso engage in repetitious prayer: the same prayers at mealtime grace, the sameprayers at Benediction, etc. The time lapse is no factor; it is stillrepetitious.

The main body ofChristians have always believed in the exist ence of a place between Heaven andHell where souls go to be punished for lesser sins and to repay the debt oftemporal punishment for sins which have been forgiven. Even after Moses wasforgiven by God, he was still punished for his sin. (2 Kg. or 2 Sam. 12:13-14).The primitive Church Fathers regarded the doctrine of Purgatory as one of thebasic tenets of the Christian faith. St. Augustine, one of the greatest doctorsof the Church, said the doctrine of Purgatory "has been received from theFathers and it is observed by the Universal Church." True, the word "Purgatory"does not appear in the Bible, but a place where lesser sins are purged away andthe soul is saved "yet so as by fire," is mentioned (1 Cor. 3:15). Also, theBible distinguishes between those who enter Heaven straightaway, calling them"the church of the firstborn" (Heb. 12:23), and those who enter after havingundergone a purgation, calling them "the spirits of the just made perfect."(Heb. 12:23). Christ Himself stated: "Amen I say to thee, thou shalt not go outfrom thence till thou repay the last farthing." (Matt. 5 :26). And: "Every idleword that men shall speak, they shall render an account for it in the day ofjudgment." (Matt. 12:36). These are obviously references to Purgatory. Further,the Second Book of Machabees (which was dropped from the Scriptures by theProtestant Reformers) says: "It is therefore a holy and wholesome thought topray for the dead, that they may be loosed from sins." (2 Mach. 12:46). AncientChristian tomb inscriptions from the second and third centuries frequentlycontain an appeal for prayers for the dead. In fact, the custom of praying forthe dead -- which is meaningless if there is no Purgatory -- was universalamong Christians for the fifteen centuries preceding the ProtestantReformation. Furthermore, ordinary justice calls for a place of purgationbetween Heaven and Hell. Take our own courts of justice, for example. For majorcrimes a person is executed or sentenced to life imprisonment (Hell); for minorcrimes a person is sentenced to temporary imprisonment for punishment andrehabilitation (Purgatory); for no crime at all a person is rewarded with theblessing of free citizenship (Heaven). If a thief steals some money, thenregrets his deed and asks the victim for forgiveness, it is quite just for thevictim to forgive him yet still insist on restitution. God, who is infinitelyjust, insists on holy restitution. This is made either in this life, by doingpenance (Matt. 3:2; Luke 3:8, 13:3; Apoc. 3:2-3, 19), or in Purgatory. Also,what Christian is there who, despite his faith in Christ and his sincereattempts to be Christlike, does not find sin and worldliness still in hisheart? "For in many things we all offend." (James 3:2). Yet "there shall notenter into it [the new Jerusalem, Heaven] anything defiled." (Apoc. or Rev.21:27). In Purgatory the soul is mercifully purified of all stain; there Godcarries out the work of spiritual purification which most Christians neglectedand resisted on earth. It is important to remember that Catholics do notbelieve that Christ simply covers over their sinful souls, like covering amanure heap with a blanket of snow (Martin Luther's description of God'sforgiveness). Rather, Christ insists that we be truly holy and sinless to thecore of our souls. "Be you therefore perfect, as also your heavenly Father isperfect." (Matt. 5:48). This growth in sinlessness -- in Christian virtue andholiness -- is of course the work of an entire lifetime (and is possible onlythrough the grace of God). With many this cleansing is completed only inPurgatory. If there is no Purgatory, but only Heaven for the perfect and Hellfor the imperfect, then the vast majority of us are hoping in vain for lifeeternal in Heaven.

Catholics confesstheir sins to priests because -- as it is clearly stated in Sacred Scripture --God in the Person of Jesus Christ authorized the priests of His Church to hearconfessions and empowered them to forgive sins in His Name. To the Apostles,the first priests of His Church, Christ said: "Peace be to you. As the Fatherhath sent me, I also send you... Receive ye the Holy Ghost. Whose sins youshall forgive, they are forgiven them; and whose sins you shall retain, theyare retained." (John 20:21-23). Then again: "Amen I say to you, whatsoever youshall bind upon earth, shall be bound also in heaven; and whatsoever you shallloose upon earth, shall be loosed also in heaven." (Matt. 18:18). In otherwords, Catholics confess their sins to priests because priests are God's dulyauthorized agents in the world, representing Him in all matters pertaining tothe ways and means of attaining eternal salvation. When Catholics confess theirsins to a priest they ARE, in reality, confessing their sins to God, for Godhears their confessions and it is He who, in the final analysis, does theforgiving. If their confessions are not sincere, their sins are not forgiven.Furthermore, Catholics DO confess their sins directly to God as Protestants do:Catholics are taught to make an act of contrition at least every night beforeretiring, to ask God to forgive them their sins of that day. Catholics are alsotaught to say this same prayer of contrition if they should have the misfortuneto commit a serious sin (called a "mortal sin" by Catholics).

Mostnon-Catholics do not realize it, but Christ Himself offered the first Mass atthe Last Supper. At the Last Supper He offered (sacrificed) Himself to HisFather in an unbloody manner, that is, under the form of bread and wine, inanticipation of His bloody sacrifice on the cross to be offered on thefollowing day, Good Friday. In the Mass, not now by anticipation, but rather inretrospect, Christ continues to make that offering of Himself to His Father --by the hands of the priest. "And whilst they were at supper, Jesus took bread,and blessed, and broke: and gave to his disciples, and said: Take ye, and eat.This is my body. And taking the chalice, he gave thanks, and gave to them,saying: Drink ye all of this. For this is my blood of the new testament, whichshall be shed for many unto remission of sins." (Matt. 26:26-28). Christordered His Church to perpetuate that sacrificial rite for the continuedsanctification of His followers, saying, "Do this for a commemoration of me"(Luke 22:19) -- so the Catholic Church complies with His order in the Mass. Inother words, every Mass is a re-enactment of Our Lord's one sacrifice ofCalvary. The Mass derives all its value from the Sacrifice of the Cross; theMass is that same sacrifice, not another. It is not essentially a sacrificeoffered by men (although men also join in), but rather it is the sacrifice ofJesus Christ. Christ's bloody sacrifice on Calvary was accomplished "once"(Heb. 10:10), just as Scripture says. The Catholic Church likewise teaches thatthe sacrifice of the Cross was a complete and perfect sacrifice -- offered"once." But the Apostle Paul -- the same Apostle who wrote this text in thebook of Hebrews -- also bears witness that the sacrificial rite which Christinstituted at the Last Supper is to be perpetuated -- and that it is not onlyimportant for man's sanctification, but is the principal factor in man's finalredemption. In 1 Corinthians 11:23-26, St. Paul tells how, at the Last Supper,Our Lord said: "This do ye, as often as you shall drink, for the commemorationof me. For as often as you shall eat this bread, and drink the chalice, youshall show the death of the Lord, until he come." Thus at every Mass theChristian has a new opportunity to worship God with this one perfect sacrificeand to "absorb" more of Christ's saving and sanctifying grace of Calvary. Thisgrace is infinite, and the Christian should continuously grow in this graceuntil his death. The reason the Mass is offered again and again is not from anyimperfection in Christ, but from our imperfect capacity to receive. Finally,the holy sacrifice of the Mass fulfills the Old Testament prophecy: "For fromthe rising of the sun even to the going down, my name is great among theGentiles, and in every place there is sacrifice, and there is offered to myname a clean oblation: for my name is great among the Gentiles, saith the Lordof hosts." (Mal. 1:11). The Sacrifice of the Mass is offered every daythroughout the world, and in every Mass the only truly "clean oblation" isoffered, that is, Christ Himself; thus the Mass is the perfect fulfillment ofthis prophecy.

Catholics believethat their Holy Communion, the Blessed Eucharist, is the actual Flesh and Bloodof Jesus Christ, because that is what Christ said It was: "This is my body . .. This is my blood" (Matt. 26:26-28; see also Luke 22:19-20 and Mark 14:22-24);because that is what Christ said they must receive in order to have eternallife: "... Except you eat the flesh of the Son of man, and drink his blood, youshall not have life in you . . ." (John 6:48-52; 54-56); and because that iswhat the Apostles believed: "The chalice of benediction, which we bless, is itnot the communion of the blood of Christ? And the bread, which we break, is itnot the partaking of the body of the Lord?" (1 Cor. 10:16). "Thereforewhosoever shall eat this bread, or drink the chalice of the Lord unworthily,shall be guilty of the body and of the blood of the Lord. But let a man provehimself: and so let him eat of that bread, and drink of the chalice. For hethat eateth and drinketh unworthily, eateth and drinketh judgment to himself,not discerning the body of the Lord." (1 Cor. 11:27-29). Also, Catholicsbelieve that Holy Communion is the actual Flesh and Blood of Jesus Christbecause that is what all Christians believed until the advent of Protestantismin the 16th century. Wrote Justin Martyr, illustrious Church Father of thesecond century: "This food is known among us as the Eucharist... We do notreceive these things as common bread and common drink; but as Jesus Christ ourSavior, being made flesh by the Word of God." Wrote St. Cyril of Jerusalem,venerable Church Father of the fourth century: "Since then Christ has declaredand said of the bread, 'This is my Body,' who after that will venture to doubt?And seeing that He has affirmed and said, 'This is my Blood,' who will raise aquestion and say it is not His Blood?" In addition to the witness of SacredScripture and Christian tradition, Catholics have the witness of the HolyEucharist itself: On numerous occasions great and awesome miracles haveattended its display, and seldom has its reception by the Catholic faithfulfailed to produce in them a feeling of joyful union with their Lord andSaviour. In the face of all this evidence, Catholics could hardly be expectedto adopt the Protestant position.

In the CatholicChurch the congregation is usually given Holy Communion only under the one formof bread because, if the consecrated "bread" is accidently dropped on the floorin the serving, it can be wholly retrieved -- particles of the Body of Christwould not be left on the floor to be desecrated. If Holy Communion were givenunder both forms, and if the consecrated "wine" were accidentally spilled onthe floor in the serving, it would be a virtual impossibility to retrieve allof the precious Substance -- some part of the Blood of Christ would, throughsmearing and absorption, inevitably be desecrated. By not giving thecongregation Holy Communion under both forms, the Catholic Church is notcheating anyone, because in receiving EITHER the consecrated "bread" OR theconsecrated "wine," the communicant receives the complete Body of Christ,including His Flesh AND His Blood, His Soul and His Divinity. The consecrated"bread" by itself imparts a true Holy Communion with Christ, a full measure ofsanctifying grace, even as Christ said: "The BREAD that 1 will give, is myflesh, for the life of the world.... He that eateth this BREAD, shall live forever." (John 6:52,59). And the Apostle Paul: "Therefore whosoever shall eatthis bread, OR drink the chalice of the Lord unworthily, shall be guilty of thebody and of the blood of the Lord." (1 Cor. 11:27). After the Consecration thepriest receives Holy Communion under both forms, and this suffices to completethe Holy Communion part of the Mass service.

The CatholicChurch began in the days of the Roman Empire, and the language spokenthroughout that Empire was Latin. St. Peter moved the seat of Church governmentfrom Antioch to Rome, and the Catholic Church government remains centered thereto this very day. It was only natural that Latin became the language of theChurch. As the centuries elapsed, for example, Latin still remained thelanguage of the educated classes -- even into the 18th and 19th centuries.Therefore, it is not at all surprising that Latin should still be the officiallanguage of the Catholic Church. It simply always has been. Furthermore, auniversal language greatly facilitates the unity of the Church. EcumenicalCouncils, for example, have always been held in Latin, enabling bishops fromall over the world to communicate with each other easily. Moreover, unlikeEnglish, French, German and the other languages of the Western world, Latindoes not change over the centuries -- it is not affected by national idioms,slang and the like -- therefore, in Western countries Latin is the officiallanguage of the Mass because it helps to preserve the original purity of theMass liturgy -- although today, the Mass is usually said in the language of thepeople. Catholics have always had a complete translation of the Mass Latin intheir missal, or Mass handbook, so they have always been able to understand andfollow everything the priest says and does at the altar, even when the Mass isin Latin. It should also be borne in mind that the Mass is never exclusively inLatin. All sermons, Gospel and Epistle readings, parish announcements andclosing prayers are in the language of the congregation.

Catholics calltheir priests "Father" because in all matters pertaining to Christ's holy faiththey perform the duties of a father, representing God. The priest is the agentof the Christian's supernatural birth and sustenance in the world. "Father" isa title which does not conflict in the slightest with Matthew 23:9. Christforbids the Christian to acknowledge any fatherhood which conflicts with theFatherhood of God -- just as He commands the Christian to "hate" his father,mother, wife, and his own life, insofar as these conflict with the following ofChrist. (Luke 14:26). But Christ does not forbid Christians to call His ownrepresentatives by the name of "Father." Catholic priests share in thepriesthood of Jesus Christ (not a human priesthood), and their sacred ministrypartakes of the Fatherhood of God. Like St. Paul (himself a Catholic priest),every Catholic priest can refer to the souls he has spiritually begotten as hischildren in Christ. (1 Cor. 4:14). St. Paul considered himself to be thespiritual father, in Christ, of the Corinthians: "For if you have ten thousandinstructors in Christ, yet not many fathers. For in Christ Jesus, by thegospel, I have begotten you." (I Cor. 4:15). The title of "Father" is entirelyproper for an ordained priest of Jesus Christ.

Catholics give upeating meat -- for example, on Good Friday -- to commemorate and honor Christ'sSacrifice on that day, and to follow His instruction to deny ourselves, take upour cross, and follow Him. (Matt. 16:24; Mk. 8:34; Lk. 9:23). It is a practicethat dates back to the earliest days of the Christian Church. Tertullian andClement of Alexandria both mention it in their writings. It is a practice whichis thoroughly Christian, for we note that Christ Himself recommended fasting,saying: "When thou fastest anoint thy head, and wash thy face... and thyFather, who seeth in secret, will repay thee." (Matt. 6:17-18). In the samevein the Apostle Paul described his own suffering for Christ: "... in hungerand thirst, in fastings often..." (2 Cor. 11:27). Fasting was practiced both byChrist's followers (Acts 14:22) and by Christ Himself. (Matt. 4:1-2). And OurLord told His disciples that some devils cannot be cast out "but by prayer andfasting." (Matt. 17:20). Paul's denunciation of those who abstain from eatingmeat applies to those who reject the eating of meat entirely, as though it wereevil in itself. His denunciation has nothing to do with the abstinence ofCatholics, for on other days Catholics eat as much meat as do other people.Moreover, the abstinence from meat is not binding on all Catholics. Youngchildren, old people, sick people, and all Catholics in countries where meat isthe principle diet, are excused.

Catholic priestsdo not marry because, while Christ does indeed approve of marriage for theChristian clergy, He much prefers that they do not marry. He made this quiteclear when He praised the Apostles for giving up "all" to follow Him, saying,"And every one that hath left house, or brethren, or sisters, or father, ormother, or wife, or children, or lands for my name's sake, shall receive anhundredfold, and shall possess life everlasting." (Matt. 19:27-29). The ApostlePaul explained why the unmarried state is preferable to the married state forthe Christian clergy: "He that is without a wife, is solicitous for the thingsthat belong to the Lord, how he may please God. But he that is with a wife, issolicitous for the things of the world, how he may please his wife: and he isdivided." (1 Cor. 7:32-33). In other words, matrimony is good -- Christ made itone of the holy sacraments of His Church -- but it is not conducive to thatcomplete dedication which is incumbent upon those who submit themselves toanother of Christ's holy sacraments -- that of Holy Orders. Even so, theunmarried state of the Catholic priesthood is not an inflexible law -- undercertain conditions a priest may be dispensed from this law.

The CatholicChurch baptizes infants because Christ wills it. He must will it because Hesaid, "Suffer the little children, and forbid them not to come to me." (Matt.19:14). According to the Apostle Paul, one cannot truly come to Christ exceptthrough Baptism. (Rom. 6:3-4). Christ must will it because the Apostlesbaptized "all the people" (Luke 3:21) and whole households (Act 16:15, 1 Cor.1:16). Certainly "all the people" and whole "households" included infants.Christ must will it because He stated categorically that Baptism is a necessaryprerequisite for salvation (John 3:5), and He certainly desires the salvationof infants. He must will it because the primitive Christian Church, which hadfresh firsthand knowledge of His Will, baptized infants. In the ancientcatacombs of Rome the inscriptions on the tombs of infants make mention oftheir having been baptized. One such inscription reads: "Here rests Archillia,a newly-baptized; she was one year and five months old; died February 23rd." Anunbaptized infant is not simply in a "natural" state; it is in the state ofreprobation, living under the reign of Satan, with the sin of Adam "staining"its soul. Therefore infants should be baptized as soon as is reasonablypossible -- usually within 2-3 weeks of birth. When children grow up with OurLord dwelling in their souls, they have a powerful protection against sin.Moreover, Our Lord can thereby draw children to a deep love for Himself at avery early age -- as He did with St. Therese, St. Maria Goretti, St. DominicSavio, and Francisco and Jacinta Marto.

The CatholicChurch is not opposed to birth control when it is accomplished by naturalmeans, by SELF control. She is opposed only to birth control by artificialmeans, by the employment of pills, condoms, IUD's, foams, jellies,sterilization, non-completion of the act of sexual union -- or any other meansused to prevent conception from resulting from this act -- because such meansprofane the marital embrace and dishonor the marriage contract. God slew Onanfor practicing contraception (Gen. 38:9-10); the word "onanism" derives fromOnan's deed. In fact, up until the Church of England's Lambeth Conference of1930, which accepted contraception and thus broke with the Christian tradition,contraception had been considered by all Christian churches, both Catholic andProtestant, to be gravely sinful. The Catholic Church does not feel free tochange the law of God, as do Protestants. In the New Testament, there is onlyone instance where sin is punished by God with immediate death, this was thefate of Ananias and Saphira, a husband and wife who went through the motions ofgiving a gift to God but fraudulently kept back part of it. The Bible says theylied to the Holy Spirit. (Acts 5:1-11). In contraception, two people go throughthe motions of an act of self-giving, but obstruct the natural fruition oftheir act, i.e., the conception of children, which is the ultimate purpose forwhich God created sexuality. Sexual union is a gift from God to the married,but by practicing contraception, married couples are accepting the pleasure Godbuilt into the act and yet denying Him its purpose, new people. They are ineffect mocking God. But "Be not deceived, God is not mocked." (Gal. 6:7).Christ cursed the fig tree which, despite a fine external appearance, bore nofruit. (Matt. 21:19; Mark 11:14). Marriage is God's plan for populating Heaven,yet contracepting couples refuse Him the specific fruit of their marriage,which is children, when they engage in the act which should produce childrenyet frustrate the natural, God-intended result. Further, the sin of "sorceries"or "witchcrafts" ("pharmakeia" in the Greek -- Gal. 5:20; Apoc. 9:21; 21:8) --which the Bible condemns along with fornication, murder, idolatry, and otherserious sins -- very possibly includes secret potions mixed to preventpregnancy or cause abortion. Such potions were known and used even in the firstcentury. Common sense and conscience both dictate that artificial birth controlis not only a violation of the Natural Law but is a perfidious insult to thedignity of man himself. For it implies free reign to physical impulses; itimplies total disregard for the fate of the human seed; it implies uttercontempt for the honorable birth of fellow humans, those fellow humans who areborn as the result of a contraceptive having failed and whose very existence istherefore considered to be an unfortunate "accident," rather than a gift ofGod; it implies the most extreme selfishness, for no advocate or practitionerof artificial birth control would have wanted it for his or her own parents.Further, contraception undermines the respect of husband and wife for eachother and thereby loosens the marriage bond. Worst of all, many"contraceptives," such as the IUD and most if not all birth control pills, workby actually causing an abortion early in the pregnancy; thus, this so-called"contraception" is in reality abortion -- the killing of a human being --rather than the preventing of conception. In every age there is some favoritesin which is accepted by "respectable" worldly Christians; in our times the"acceptable" sin is contraception -- a sin which fits in perfectly with theview that the purpose of human life is to attain earthly happiness. The trueChristian couple, on the other hand, will realize that God desires them to havechildren so that these children can come to know Him and love Him and be happywith Him eternally in Heaven. Marriage is God's plan for populating Heaven. Howwise it is to let God plan one's family, since He loves children much more thando their earthly parents, and His plans for them go far beyond any plans ofthese parents. Innumerable stories are told of God's Providence to Christianparents who trusted in Him and obeyed His law. For those who have a true andserious need to space or limit the number of their children, the new methods ofnatural family planning based on periodic abstinence have proven to beextremely reliable (unlike the earlier "rhythm" methods). Finally, theChristian will realize that the self-denial involved in bearing and raisingChristian children is a school of Christlikeness. Our Lord said: "If any manwill come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and followme." (Matt. 16:24). But He also said: "My yoke is sweet and my burden light."(Matt. 11:30). God promises sufficient grace to those who seek to obey Him. Andthe resulting peace of soul which the obedient married couple enjoys is beyondall price.

The CatholicChurch makes no exceptions when it comes to divorce because Christ made noexceptions. When Christ was asked if it was lawful for a man to put away hiswife "for every cause," He replied that a man "shall cleave to his wife, andthey two shall be in one flesh . . . What therefore God hath joined together,let no man put asunder." (Matt. 19:3-6). And the Apostle Paul wrote: "But tothem that are married, not I but the Lord commandeth, that the wife depart notfrom her husband. And if she depart, that she remain unmarried, or bereconciled to her husband. And let not the husband put away his wife." (1 Cor.7:10-11). In Matthew 19:9 Christ does not permit divorce in cases offornication. He permits separation. This is clear from the fact that those whoseparated were cautioned not to remarry. Read Mark 10-12 and Luke 16:18. Also,we know that divorce is against Divine Law because it is plainly against rightreason. Were it not for our man-made laws which "legalize," popularize, andeven glamorize divorce, discontented married couples would make a moredetermined effort to reconcile their differences and live in peace; they wouldbe obliged by necessity to swallow their false pride and accept theresponsibilities they owe to their spouses, to their children, to society as awhole, and to God. Any sociologist will confirm that there is far lessimmorality, far less suicide, far fewer mental disorders and far less crimeamong peoples who reject divorce than among the so-called "progressives" whoaccept it.

Catholics are notcompelled to pay for Masses offered up for someone's special intention. Theyare simply reminded that giving a "stipend" (usually $5) is the custom. Priestswill oblige without a stipend being paid if the one making the request can illafford it. Giving stipends for special intention Masses is the custom becauseit is only fitting and proper that there should be some token of appreciationfor the special service rendered, especially in view of the fact that theaverage priest draws a very small salary. For many priests these stipends meanthe difference between standard and sub-standard living conditions. And thiscustom definitely has scriptural approval. Wrote the Apostle Paul: "Who servethas a soldier at any time, at his own charges? . . . Who feedeth the flock, andeateth not of the milk of the flock? . . . So also the Lord ordained that theywho preach the gospel, should live by the gospel." (I Cor. 9:7-14). Of coursethe gift of God is not to be purchased with money. But that does not imply thatGod's ministers are free-serving slaves. Protestants will generally agree tothis because within Protestantism it is likewise customary to give the ministerwho performs baptisms, marriages, etc. a token of appreciation in the form ofmoney. Protestants do not call their gift of money a stipend, but that isexactly what it is.

There it is --the truth about Catholic belief and practice. This is the truth which broughtthe author of this booklet into the Catholic Church . . . the truth whichbrings millions of people into the Catholic fold year after year... the truthwhich explains why Newman, Chesterton, Knox, Brownson, Maritain, Mann,Swinnerton, Muggeridge and a host of other world-famous intellectuals chose toembrace the Catholic Faith. This is the truth which inspired the followingconfession by the renowned scientist, John Deering -- a confession whichexpresses in eloquent fashion the fundamental motivation of every Catholicconvert, be he famous or unknown: "I was born and raised in an atmosphere ofproud, agnostic intellectualism. My father, a medical doctor by profession, wasa disciple of Schopenhauer and Freud, and my mother was an ardent disciple ofmy father. My own favorite dish as a youth was Voltaire. Thus by the time Ireached manhood, I was quite thoroughly baptized in the pseudo-religious cultof humanism. I preferred to call it humanism because, unlike the bluntVoltaire, I never could profess publicly to being an out and out atheist, eventhough there really isn't much distinction between the two. "Being of acurious, speculative turn of mind, with strong leanings toward the morechallenging fields of dialectics, I eventually took up the study of metaphysics-- the science of the fundamental causes and processes of things. This subjectintrigued me, indeed obsessed me, as no other subject had before. Here, I toldmyself, was the science of sciences. Here was the supreme test of my personalphilosophy. If God exists, I told myself, metaphysics would reveal Him. EitherI would be justified in my quasi-atheism, or I would be compelled in conscienceto abandon it completely. "Then the inevitable happened. I came face to facewith the proposition, proved by all the principles of logic, that God doesindeed exist. The evidence was so abundant as to be incontrovertible. Just assure as two and two make four, God not only exists, He is existence. To arguethe point would have been tantamount to arguing against all reality! "Toppledat last from the vainglorious perch of agnosticism, I immediately set aboutmaking another intellectual ascent -- this time up the great imposing structureof Christian theology. I procured a Bible and spent every free moment absorbedin its sacred content. I had established the existence of God in my mind; now Imust know something of the nature, the personality, of God. The Bible, Ifigured, would give me a clue. "Much of what I read in the Bible was vague -- Iwas not, after all, familiar with the customs and language idioms of theancient Jews who wrote the Bible -- but I could grasp the central theme. Quiteobviously, the central theme of the Bible portrayed God not only as anOmnipotent, All-lntelligent Spiritual Being, but as the Essence of Love,Essence of Justice and Essence of Mercy. In other words, God is pre-eminently apersonal Being. And Jesus Christ was God personified, come into the world notonly to make atonement for the sin of Adam, but to reassert His Sovereignty,elaborate on His Laws and illuminate with brighter light the pathway toheavenly immortality. And the torchbearer of this light was His Church, foundedon the Apostles. Endowed with the authority of God, and imbued with the HolySpirit of God, His Church was given the holy task of perpetuating His ministryof salvation after His return to Heaven. "There was the divine plan ofredemption, life's real purpose, brought into clear and beautiful focus by theAuthor of the plan -- God Himself. There, in brief, is man's only real hope forhappiness and security. "Only one thing remained to be solved. God's Church --Where amidst the vast galaxy of the world's churches was God's true Church tobe found? Then I recalled something Christ said: 'Seek and ye shall find...knock and it will be opened unto you.' Inspired by these words of divinewisdom, I embarked on the search. I undertook an extensive study of comparativereligion, concentrating on the Christian religions. Since the other religionsrejected the divinity of Christ, they naturally were in default. "Withpainstaking impartiality I held every Christian church up to the light ofScripture, logic and history, checking and double-checking lest I overlook somesmall but significant piece of evidence. Three years of this meticulouschecking, then I found the object of my search. I finished with one namesuperimposed in great bold letters on my conscience -- 'Catholic!' "On everyground I found the claims of the Catholic religion valid and altogetherirresistible. The Catholic Church is the oldest Christian church, I determined;therefore, she is the original Christian Church, the one Church founded,constituted and sanctioned by Jesus Christ Himself. "I had no other recourse inconscience but to embrace the Catholic Faith. And now I must testify that itsatisfies my mind, solaces my heart and gratifies my soul. My blessed CatholicFaith fills my soul with a peace and a sense of security I had never beforethought possible. "Now that I am in the Catholic Church I have a much clearerpicture of its true image. I see in all her vitals the Image of Christ. In thereception of her sacraments I feel His comforting hand; in her pronouncements Ihear His authoritative, cogent voice; in her manifold world-wide charities Isee His love and compassion; in the way she is harassed and vilified I see Hisagony and humility on Calvary; in her worship I feel His Spirit girding mysoul. "This compels my obedience. All else is shifting sand."