January 1, 2025 • 12 mins
150 years ago, James Cardinal Gibbons said, “The Catholic Church is persistently misrepresented by the most powerful vehicles of information,” and “Those who make these slanderous statements are surprised if we feel indignant… We have been vilified so long, that they think we have no right to complain!” I’m sorry to say that both statements still ring true today. The question is, "With so much good information so readily available these days, why are anti-Catholics still so surprised when Catholics defend their faith??
https://youtu.be/b5JguX4u9io
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
(00:00):
I'm holding in my hands the first book
on Catholic apologetics I ever bought,
Faith of Our Fathers by James Cardinal Gibbons.
It was first published in 18/76.
And by the time I purchased my copy
in 1995,
it was in its 111th
printing.
In the introduction, cardinal Gibbons makes two statements
that are every bit as true today as
(00:21):
they were a 150 years ago.
First, he said the Catholic church is persistently
misrepresented
by the most powerful vehicles of information.
And 2, he said those who make these
slanderous statements are surprised if we feel indignant.
We have been vilified so long
(00:42):
that they think we have no right to
complain.
I'm sorry to say that both statements still
ring true today. And if you don't believe
me, you'll discover abundant evidence on the social
media platform of your choice.
So I guess the question is, with so
much good information so readily available these days,
why are anti Catholics still so surprised when
(01:04):
Catholics defend their faith?
Welcome to the maiden voyage of the Matthew
Arnold podcast, No Nonsense Catholic, or perhaps Test
Flight would be more accurate.
We're still getting things up and running here.
But I've been involved full time in Catholic
evangelization,
catechesis, and apologetics for over 25 years.
(01:26):
And I can tell you from experience that
one reason that non Catholics may be surprised
when we defend our faith is that they
still harbor misconceptions
or misunderstandings
about Catholicism.
You know, bishop Sheen once said, there are
not 100 people in the United States who
hate the Catholic church, but there are millions
who hate what they wrongly perceive the Catholic
(01:48):
church to be.
And often these misconceptions
stem from stereotypes and misinformation
or simple ignorance of the actual teachings of
the Catholic church precisely because
the Catholic church is persistently misrepresented
by the most powerful vehicles of information as
cardinal Gibbons pointed out.
(02:08):
At the same time, however, we live in
an age where good information about the Catholic
faith is more readily available than ever before.
The holy bible in various Catholic editions,
the catechism of the Catholic church, the documents
of Vatican 2 and other church councils, papal
encyclicals, etcetera, etcetera, are all available online for
(02:29):
free.
What this means regarding the faith is that
invincible ignorance is much harder to claim,
and common bigotry even less excusable than ever
before.
Now another possible reason for their surprise, and
this applies mainly to fundamentalist Christians and other
door to door evangelists,
is the assumption that Catholics are not well
(02:50):
versed in the bible, or that they blindly
follow the pope without understanding their own faith.
And, unfortunately, there may be some evidence to
back up that assumption.
However,
the reality is that the Catholic church consistently
encourages all Catholics
to deepen their knowledge and understanding of the
faith.
Catechism of the Catholic church, for example,
(03:12):
serves as a comprehensive guide to the teachings
of the church, and is meant to be
studied and understood by all Catholics.
Now I don't expect anybody to change their
religion in the course of a single conversation,
and, frankly, I don't understand why some door
to door evangelists do.
But if you pray daily and study your
catechism and read your bible
(03:33):
and maybe even memorize a few verses,
then at least the fundamentalist who knocks on
your front door will discover that there are
Catholics who both love Jesus and know the
scriptures.
Because they've likely been taught that their supposedly
biblical objections to Catholicism admit of no answer
at all, much less a biblical one. And
(03:54):
it is a surprise for them to discover
how wrong they are.
Another reason for surprise at Catholics defending ourselves,
and this applies mainly to secular anti Catholics,
is the belief that Catholicism is outdated
or irrelevant in today's world.
They may view the Catholic church as an
(04:14):
institution that's old fashioned,
resistant to change, or against progress.
In other words, they think that the church
doesn't keep up with the times.
And in the best sense, of course, this
is true.
Christ is the truth. He is the same
yesterday, today, and forever,
which is why Catholics often defend their faith
(04:35):
by highlighting the timeless and universal truths that
Catholicism offers.
In other words, they demonstrate that the teachings
of the church are not arbitrary or outdated,
but rather provide a solid foundation for a
deeper understanding of mankind,
morality,
and the meaning and purpose of life.
And therefore, a foundation that is not subject
(04:56):
to the latest trends.
Furthermore,
anti Catholics may be surprised when we defend
our faith because they fail to fully grasp
the depth and richness of Catholic theology and
philosophy.
Catholicism has a long tradition of intellectual rigor
and has produced some of the greatest thinkers
and scholars in the history of history.
(05:19):
Catholics who engage in defending their faith often
draw upon this rich intellectual tradition
of using reason,
logic, and evidence to support their beliefs.
Three things often conspicuously
absent from the false claims of anti Catholics.
Lastly, they may be surprised when we defend
our faith precisely because they don't expect the
(05:41):
level of conviction and passion that Catholics can
have for their beliefs.
Catholicism
is not just a set of abstract ideas
or religious rituals,
but a lived faith that shapes the lives
of its adherents.
Catholic believers who defend their faith do so
out of a deep love for god,
a desire to proclaim the truth, and a
(06:02):
commitment to the teachings of Christ and his
church.
And in this last sense, an attack on
Catholicism can well be understood
as an attack on reality.
Because God, the creator of all things, has
revealed himself to us through Jesus Christ and
the deposit of faith he entrusted to the
church.
(06:22):
This this deposit of faith, which includes sacred
scripture and sacred tradition,
provides a comprehensive
understanding of the meaning and purpose of life,
the nature of God, the human person, and
the moral order.
God is the source of all truth, and
the truth revealed by God is objective and
universal.
(06:43):
God's revelation in Christ is not just a
collection of subjective beliefs and opinions,
but on the contrary, a coherent and comprehensive
understanding of reality,
all of reality,
including the spiritual and moral as well as
the natural dimensions of human existence.
Thus, any attack on Catholicism is at bottom
(07:04):
an attack on this understanding of reality and
the truth that it reveals.
Furthermore, Catholicism holds that human beings are created
in the image and likeness of God,
endowed with inherent dignity and worth,
and recognizes the objective moral order established by
God, which provides a framework for understanding right
(07:25):
and wrong, good and evil.
Now, attacks on Catholicism often involve challenges to
its moral teachings,
such as those related to the sanctity of
life, marriage, human sexuality.
And those who attack these teachings are essentially
rejecting the objective moral order and distorting the
reality of human nature and the purpose of
(07:45):
human life.
But more than this,
Catholicism affirms the existence of the supernatural realm
encompassing the reality of heaven, hell, purgatory, and
the communion of saints.
It teaches that the sacraments,
prayer, and the life of grace are means
by which we can participate
in this supernatural reality.
(08:07):
So secular attacks on Catholicism
often involve dismissing or denying the very existence
of the supernatural,
reducing reality to a
a purely materialistic
perspective.
But by doing so, overlooks or outright rejects
a fundamental aspect of Catholic belief,
which makes a true understanding of the fullness
(08:29):
of reality impossible.
Catholicism claims to reveal the ultimate truth about
the nature of reality,
including the existence of God, the meaning and
purpose of life, the moral order, and the
supernatural realm.
So an attack on Catholicism is an attack
on this comprehensive understanding of reality,
a rejection of the objective truth revealed by
(08:50):
God,
and a rejection of the fullness of human
existence.
I said before that the truth of cardinal
Gibbon's statement that the Catholic church is persistently
misrepresented by the most powerful vehicles of information
can easily be verified today by a visit
to social media.
But his second statement,
(09:11):
that those who make these slanderous statements are
surprised if we feel indignant.
We've been vilified so long, they think that
we have no right to complain.
Well, that is not only still true, but
the situation is worse now than when he
said it.
Because those same social media platforms that consistently
attack fatherhood and the nuclear family and the
very definition of what it means to be
(09:33):
a man or a woman,
in those forums, often to defend reality and
the honor of God has been branded hate
speech.
But lay Catholics have a duty to respond
to anti Catholic misconceptions,
stereotypes, and ignorance of the truth.
Saint John Paul the second said, lay Catholics
(09:53):
must be strong enough and sufficiently catechized
to testify how the Christian faith constitutes the
only valid response
to the problems and hopes that life poses
to every person in society.
In other words, today, as always, Jesus Christ
remains the only answer to the deepest longings
of the human heart, mind, and soul.
(10:17):
Not one answer among many, not the preferred
answer,
the only answer.
And the secret to the surprising longevity of
the church and the ongoing resilience of Catholics
in defending our faith stems from the transformative
power of the gospel in our lives.
Our faith is not just a set of
doctrines, but a way of life.
(10:38):
It shapes our values, informs our decisions, and
guides our actions.
When we experience the profound love and mercy
of God, it becomes only natural for us
to wanna stand up for our faith and
share it with others.
And that's
no nonsense.
Okay. Later this week, I will do a
(10:59):
podcast reflecting on the mass readings for the
upcoming Sunday, which is the epiphany of the
lord,
which will also give us an opportunity to
talk about the star of Bethlehem and what
it may or may not have been.
Also, the feast of the holy name is
coming up on January 3rd. We'll talk about
that.
In the meantime, I encourage you to visit
my website, no nonsense catholic.com.
(11:19):
There you will find links to all my
social media,
including x and Facebook and Instagram.
Pretty much every day, I post at least
a brief reflection of the day's gospel as
well as notifications on new articles and YouTube
videos as they become available.
Speaking of which, if you're watching on YouTube,
please like and subscribe,
and be aware that these podcasts are also
(11:42):
available on Iheartradio
or your favorite podcast platform.
Okay. That's it for now. Until next time.
Thanks for listening, and may God richly bless
you and your family.
I'm holding in my hands the first book
on Catholic apologetics I ever bought,
Faith of Our Fathers by James Cardinal Gibbons.
It was first published in 18/76.
And by the time I purchased my copy
in 1995,
it was in its 111th
printing.
In the introduction, cardinal Gibbons makes two statements
that are every bit as true today as
(00:21):
they were a 150 years ago.
First, he said the Catholic church is persistently
misrepresented
by the most powerful vehicles of information.
And 2, he said those who make these
slanderous statements are surprised if we feel indignant.
We have been vilified so long
(00:42):
that they think we have no right to
complain.
I'm sorry to say that both statements still
ring true today. And if you don't believe
me, you'll discover abundant evidence on the social
media platform of your choice.
So I guess the question is, with so
much good information so readily available these days,
why are anti Catholics still so surprised when
(01:04):
Catholics defend their faith?
Welcome to the maiden voyage of the Matthew
Arnold podcast, No Nonsense Catholic, or perhaps Test
Flight would be more accurate.
We're still getting things up and running here.
But I've been involved full time in Catholic
evangelization,
catechesis, and apologetics for over 25 years.
(01:26):
And I can tell you from experience that
one reason that non Catholics may be surprised
when we defend our faith is that they
still harbor misconceptions
or misunderstandings
about Catholicism.
You know, bishop Sheen once said, there are
not 100 people in the United States who
hate the Catholic church, but there are millions
who hate what they wrongly perceive the Catholic
(01:48):
church to be.
And often these misconceptions
stem from stereotypes and misinformation
or simple ignorance of the actual teachings of
the Catholic church precisely because
the Catholic church is persistently misrepresented
by the most powerful vehicles of information as
cardinal Gibbons pointed out.
(02:08):
At the same time, however, we live in
an age where good information about the Catholic
faith is more readily available than ever before.
The holy bible in various Catholic editions,
the catechism of the Catholic church, the documents
of Vatican 2 and other church councils, papal
encyclicals, etcetera, etcetera, are all available online for
(02:29):
free.
What this means regarding the faith is that
invincible ignorance is much harder to claim,
and common bigotry even less excusable than ever
before.
Now another possible reason for their surprise, and
this applies mainly to fundamentalist Christians and other
door to door evangelists,
is the assumption that Catholics are not well
(02:50):
versed in the bible, or that they blindly
follow the pope without understanding their own faith.
And, unfortunately, there may be some evidence to
back up that assumption.
However,
the reality is that the Catholic church consistently
encourages all Catholics
to deepen their knowledge and understanding of the
faith.
Catechism of the Catholic church, for example,
(03:12):
serves as a comprehensive guide to the teachings
of the church, and is meant to be
studied and understood by all Catholics.
Now I don't expect anybody to change their
religion in the course of a single conversation,
and, frankly, I don't understand why some door
to door evangelists do.
But if you pray daily and study your
catechism and read your bible
(03:33):
and maybe even memorize a few verses,
then at least the fundamentalist who knocks on
your front door will discover that there are
Catholics who both love Jesus and know the
scriptures.
Because they've likely been taught that their supposedly
biblical objections to Catholicism admit of no answer
at all, much less a biblical one. And
(03:54):
it is a surprise for them to discover
how wrong they are.
Another reason for surprise at Catholics defending ourselves,
and this applies mainly to secular anti Catholics,
is the belief that Catholicism is outdated
or irrelevant in today's world.
They may view the Catholic church as an
(04:14):
institution that's old fashioned,
resistant to change, or against progress.
In other words, they think that the church
doesn't keep up with the times.
And in the best sense, of course, this
is true.
Christ is the truth. He is the same
yesterday, today, and forever,
which is why Catholics often defend their faith
(04:35):
by highlighting the timeless and universal truths that
Catholicism offers.
In other words, they demonstrate that the teachings
of the church are not arbitrary or outdated,
but rather provide a solid foundation for a
deeper understanding of mankind,
morality,
and the meaning and purpose of life.
And therefore, a foundation that is not subject
(04:56):
to the latest trends.
Furthermore,
anti Catholics may be surprised when we defend
our faith because they fail to fully grasp
the depth and richness of Catholic theology and
philosophy.
Catholicism has a long tradition of intellectual rigor
and has produced some of the greatest thinkers
and scholars in the history of history.
(05:19):
Catholics who engage in defending their faith often
draw upon this rich intellectual tradition
of using reason,
logic, and evidence to support their beliefs.
Three things often conspicuously
absent from the false claims of anti Catholics.
Lastly, they may be surprised when we defend
our faith precisely because they don't expect the
(05:41):
level of conviction and passion that Catholics can
have for their beliefs.
Catholicism
is not just a set of abstract ideas
or religious rituals,
but a lived faith that shapes the lives
of its adherents.
Catholic believers who defend their faith do so
out of a deep love for god,
a desire to proclaim the truth, and a
(06:02):
commitment to the teachings of Christ and his
church.
And in this last sense, an attack on
Catholicism can well be understood
as an attack on reality.
Because God, the creator of all things, has
revealed himself to us through Jesus Christ and
the deposit of faith he entrusted to the
church.
(06:22):
This this deposit of faith, which includes sacred
scripture and sacred tradition,
provides a comprehensive
understanding of the meaning and purpose of life,
the nature of God, the human person, and
the moral order.
God is the source of all truth, and
the truth revealed by God is objective and
universal.
(06:43):
God's revelation in Christ is not just a
collection of subjective beliefs and opinions,
but on the contrary, a coherent and comprehensive
understanding of reality,
all of reality,
including the spiritual and moral as well as
the natural dimensions of human existence.
Thus, any attack on Catholicism is at bottom
(07:04):
an attack on this understanding of reality and
the truth that it reveals.
Furthermore, Catholicism holds that human beings are created
in the image and likeness of God,
endowed with inherent dignity and worth,
and recognizes the objective moral order established by
God, which provides a framework for understanding right
(07:25):
and wrong, good and evil.
Now, attacks on Catholicism often involve challenges to
its moral teachings,
such as those related to the sanctity of
life, marriage, human sexuality.
And those who attack these teachings are essentially
rejecting the objective moral order and distorting the
reality of human nature and the purpose of
(07:45):
human life.
But more than this,
Catholicism affirms the existence of the supernatural realm
encompassing the reality of heaven, hell, purgatory, and
the communion of saints.
It teaches that the sacraments,
prayer, and the life of grace are means
by which we can participate
in this supernatural reality.
(08:07):
So secular attacks on Catholicism
often involve dismissing or denying the very existence
of the supernatural,
reducing reality to a
a purely materialistic
perspective.
But by doing so, overlooks or outright rejects
a fundamental aspect of Catholic belief,
which makes a true understanding of the fullness
(08:29):
of reality impossible.
Catholicism claims to reveal the ultimate truth about
the nature of reality,
including the existence of God, the meaning and
purpose of life, the moral order, and the
supernatural realm.
So an attack on Catholicism is an attack
on this comprehensive understanding of reality,
a rejection of the objective truth revealed by
(08:50):
God,
and a rejection of the fullness of human
existence.
I said before that the truth of cardinal
Gibbon's statement that the Catholic church is persistently
misrepresented by the most powerful vehicles of information
can easily be verified today by a visit
to social media.
But his second statement,
(09:11):
that those who make these slanderous statements are
surprised if we feel indignant.
We've been vilified so long, they think that
we have no right to complain.
Well, that is not only still true, but
the situation is worse now than when he
said it.
Because those same social media platforms that consistently
attack fatherhood and the nuclear family and the
very definition of what it means to be
(09:33):
a man or a woman,
in those forums, often to defend reality and
the honor of God has been branded hate
speech.
But lay Catholics have a duty to respond
to anti Catholic misconceptions,
stereotypes, and ignorance of the truth.
Saint John Paul the second said, lay Catholics
(09:53):
must be strong enough and sufficiently catechized
to testify how the Christian faith constitutes the
only valid response
to the problems and hopes that life poses
to every person in society.
In other words, today, as always, Jesus Christ
remains the only answer to the deepest longings
of the human heart, mind, and soul.
(10:17):
Not one answer among many, not the preferred
answer,
the only answer.
And the secret to the surprising longevity of
the church and the ongoing resilience of Catholics
in defending our faith stems from the transformative
power of the gospel in our lives.
Our faith is not just a set of
doctrines, but a way of life.
(10:38):
It shapes our values, informs our decisions, and
guides our actions.
When we experience the profound love and mercy
of God, it becomes only natural for us
to wanna stand up for our faith and
share it with others.
And that's
no nonsense.
Okay. Later this week, I will do a
(10:59):
podcast reflecting on the mass readings for the
upcoming Sunday, which is the epiphany of the
lord,
which will also give us an opportunity to
talk about the star of Bethlehem and what
it may or may not have been.
Also, the feast of the holy name is
coming up on January 3rd. We'll talk about
that.
In the meantime, I encourage you to visit
my website, no nonsense catholic.com.
(11:19):
There you will find links to all my
social media,
including x and Facebook and Instagram.
Pretty much every day, I post at least
a brief reflection of the day's gospel as
well as notifications on new articles and YouTube
videos as they become available.
Speaking of which, if you're watching on YouTube,
please like and subscribe,
and be aware that these podcasts are also
(11:42):
available on Iheartradio
or your favorite podcast platform.
Okay. That's it for now. Until next time.
Thanks for listening, and may God richly bless
you and your family.
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