Katholisch Leben: The Jesus Brothers!

Katholisch?

Warum gibt es so viele Menschen, die anti-katholisch eingestellt sind?

1) Weil sie nicht wirklich den katholischen Glauben kennen (sie denken, die Katholische Kirche sei zu gesetzlich und außerdem abergläubisch)

2) Weil wir Katholiken den katholischen Glauben nicht richtig kennen!

(Frei nach Prof. Dr. Scott Hahn, "Evangelizing the Baptized", erhältlich bei www.saintjoe.com)

Eines wurde mir im Laufe der Zeit bewusst:

Der Grund, warum so viele Menschen die Katholische Kirche verlassen oder gar nicht dorthin finden liegt hauptsächlich darin, dass sie überhaupt nichts über den katholischen Glauben wissen. Sie mögen vielleicht ein ganzes Leben lang in die katholische Kirche gegangen sein, aber tatsächlich haben sie keine Ahnung, was der Katholizismus wirklich lehrt. Jeder glaubt ein wenig zu wissen - in Wirklichkeit aber sind das meist Vorurteile oder vage Vermutungen. Leider muss man auch sagen, dass viele Katholikinnen und Katholiken - Laien wie Geistliche - kaum in der Lage sind, ihren Glauben zu begründen und gegen Angriffe zu verteidigen. Und so haben "bibeltreue" Christen (dieser Ausdruck ist keineswegs als Schimpfwort gedacht!) leichtes Spiel, uns und andere zu verunsichern.

Kaum jemand lehnt die Katholische Kirche als solche ab. Viele aber lehnen das ab, was sie für die Katholische Kirche und deren Lehren halten.

Selbstverständlich gibt es da eine Menge konfliktbeladener Bereiche, mit denen viele Menschen Probleme haben: Maria, die Heiligen, den Papst usw.

Ich nehme die Kirche beim Wort, die so oft betont hat, dass die Kirche - Laien wie Geistliche! - sowohl eine lehrende wie eine lernende Kirche ist.

Zu beiden will ich meinen Beitrag leisten.

Katholisch?

"Katholisch" bedeutet von seinem griechischen Ursprung her erstmal "universal" oder "allumfassend".

Dies heißt nicht nur, dass die Katholische Kirche die ganze Welt umfasst - Menschen verschiedener Völker, Geschlechter, Gesellschaftsschichten, Rassen, Herkunft, Charaktere usw., sondern auch, dass alle im Grunde dasselbe glauben, in mehr oder weniger derselben Art und Weise Gott anbeten (natürlich mit kulturellen und sonstigen Unterschieden. Am Grundsatz halten aber alle fest).

Es heißt auch, dass bei uns viele Richtungen ihre Heimat finden - von sehr konservativen Christinnen und Christen bis zu eher "liberalen" Menschen, die moderne Strömungen mit aufnehmen möchten. Von der Heiligenverehrung, Pilgerfahrt bis hin zu charismatischen Versammlungen.

Es bedeutet ferner, dass bei uns die gesamte Kirche lehrende und lernende Kirche ist. Das jede Katholikin und jeder Katholik gerufen ist, selbst zu lernen sowie den Glauben weiter zu geben - in Wort und Tat.

Dass wir glauben, was alle Katholikinnen und Katholiken überall und zu allen Zeiten geglaubt haben.

Und dass wir alle denselben irdischen Hirten - den Papst - haben, sowie Jesus Christus als Zentrum unseres Glaubens.

Dass wir uns mit anderen christlichen Brüdern und Schwestern im Glauben und in Liebe verbunden fühlen.

Dass wir schließlich ein Herz haben, dass groß genug ist für alle.

Auf dem Altar wird unsere Zukunft entschieden!

"Jesus brach auf und zug von dort in das Gebiet von Tyrus. Er ging in ein Haus, wollte aber, dass niemand davon erfuhr; doch es konnte nicht verborgen bleiben. Eine Frau, deren Tochter von einem unreinen Geist besessen war, hörte von ihm; sie kam sogleich herbei und fiel ihm zu Füßen. Die Frau, von Geburt Syrophönizierin, war eine Heidin. Sie bat ihn, aus ihrer Tochter den Dämon auszutreiben. Da sagte er zu ihr: lasst erst die Kinder satt werden; denn es ist nicht recht, das Brot den Kindern wegzunehmen und den Hunden vorzuwerfen. Sie erwiderte ihm: Ja, du hast recht, Herr! Aber auch für die Hunde unter dem Tisch fällt etwas von dem Brot ab, das die Kinder essen. Er antwortete ihr: Weil du das gesagt hast, sage ich dir: geh nach Hause, der Dämon hat deine Tochter verlassen. Und als sie nach Hause kam, fand sie das Kind auf dem Bett liegen und sah, dass der Dämon es verlassen hatte." (Mk 7,24-30 - Einheitsübersetzung)

Vom Tisch fallen also Brotkrumen ab - aber um diese Brotkrumen zu bekommen, muss erst einmal Brot auf dem Tisch sein! Und wieviele Kirchen kennst du, bei denen wirklich Brot auf dem Tisch liegt?

Jesus hatte bestimmte Vorstellungen, wie der Gottesdienst und die Liturgie ablaufen sollte - und die Kirchenväter geben uns hierzu ein ausführliches Zeugnis.

Denkst du nicht, dass die Art und Weise, wie die Menschen Gott anbeten, auch Auswirkungen auf die Gesellschaft hat, in der sie leben? Wenn ja, meinst du dann nicht, wir sollten zu der Art von Gottesdienst und Liturgie zurückkehren, die ursprünglich geplant war?

Die katholische Messe entspricht im Wesentlichen genau dem Aufbau der Messe des Urchristentums. Und sie hat "Brot auf dem Tisch" - den Leib und das Blut Christi! Sie hat die apostolische Sukzession, das heisst die ungebrochene Nachfolge seit Jesu Zeiten. Und wie die Apostel damals das Brot brachen, brechen heute deren Nachfolger, die Priester und Bischöfe, das Brot!

1.500 Jahre lang haben Christen in genau derselben Weise (nichts anderes heisst "katholisch"!) die Eucharistie gefeiert, bis neue Ideen aufkamen.

Sollten wir dann nicht zur alten Form der Liturgie zurückkehren, um unsere Gesellschaft zu retten?

(Quelle: www.saintjoe.com - "The Michael Cumbie Story" - DVD)

Apostolisches Glaubensbekenntnis

¹Ich glaube an Gott,
den Vater, den Allmächtigen,
den Schöpfer des Himmels und der Erde,

²und an Jesus Christus,
seinen eingeborenen Sohn,
unseren Herrn,
³empfangen durch den Heiligen Geist,
geboren von der Jungfrau Maria,
⁴gelitten unter Pontius Pilatus,
gekreuzigt, gestorben und begraben,
⁵hinabgestiegen in das Reich des Todes,
am dritten Tage auferstanden von den Toten,
⁶aufgefahren in den Himmel;
er sitzt zur Rechten Gottes,
des allmächtigen Vaters,
⁷von dort wird er kommen,
zu richten die Lebenden und die Toten.

⁸Ich glaube an den Heiligen Geist,
⁹die heilige katholische Kirche,
Gemeinschaft der Heiligen,
¹⁰Vergebung der Sünden,
¹¹Auferstehung der Toten
¹²und das ewige Leben.

Amen.

¹Credo in deum patrem omnipotentem,
creatorem coeli et terrae;

²Et in Iesum Christum,
filium eius unicum,
dominum nostrum,
³qui conceptus est de Spiritu sancto,
natus ex Maria virgine,
⁴passus sub Pontio Pilato,
crucifixus, mortuus et sepultus,
⁵descendit ad inferna,
tertia die resurrexit a mortuis,
⁶ascendit ad coelos,
sedet ad dexteram dei patris omnipotentis,
⁷inde venturus est iudicare vivos et mortuos;

⁸Credo in Spiritum sanctum,
⁹sanctam ecclesiam catholicam,
sanctorum communionem,
¹⁰remissionem peccatorum,
¹¹carnis resurrectionem,
¹²et vitam aeternam.

Amen.

(Quelle: www.kathpedia.com)

Worin unterscheidet sich die Katholische Kirche eigentlich von anderen christlichen Kongregationen?

Vor allem durch die Eucharistie.

Ohne die Eucharistie wären wir nur eine von vielen christlichen Kongregationen.

Ja, Jesus ist spirituell überall gegenwärtig. Aber Seine einzigartige körperliche Gegenwart kann nur in der Eucharistie gefunden werden. Hier kommt es zur Wesensverwandlung von Brot und Wein in Leib und Blut Jesu Christi. Nichts kommt dem gleich, und gerade deshalb ist es so gefährlich, wenn sogar katholische Theologen diese Glaubenswahrheit verwässern wollen - selbst wenn dies in der guten Absicht geschieht, offener für die Ökumene zu sein.

Sehen wir uns das Alte Testament an: Das Volk Israel wurde in Ägypten aufgerufen, ein Lamm zu opfern, das Blut an den Türpfosten zu streichen und das geopferte Lamm zu essen. So ging der Todesengel an ihren Häusern vorbei und tötete nicht - wie bei anderen Häusern - die Erstgeborenen.

Hätten Sie aber das Lamm nicht gegessen, wären ihre Erstgeborenen getötet worden!

(Quelle: Fr. Bill Casey: "Mission for Truth - The Quest in an Age of Compromise")

kathpedia.com über "Katholizismus"

Begriff

Um das zentrale Stichwort, dem sämtliche Beiträge zur Kathpedia zuzuordnen sind, in angemessen kurzer Form zu erläutern, nämlich den Katholizismus als Begriff, sei es gestattet, auf einige Gedanken zu verweisen, die Jean Guitton auf dem Höhepunkt der nachkonziliaren Krise 1972 formulierte.

Wir können den Katholizismus verstehen als geistlichen Raum, der sich durch dreierlei Dimensionen auszeichnet: Zuerst ist derselbe als eine Lehre aufzufassen, diesbezüglich erinnert der Katholizismus an sämtliche Philosophien und Ideensysteme. Zum andern ist der Katholizismus aber auch ein Gott verehrender Kult. Insofern erinnert er an alle anderen Religionen. Schließlich ist der Katholizismus auch eine sichtbare, in der Geschichte greifbare Organisation, ein durch die Hierarchie gegliedertes Volk. Also erinnert er auch überdies an andere Gewalten.

Die katholische Kirche ist somit zugleich eine Schule, ein Tempel und eine Herde, sie vereinigt mithin Lehre, Kult und Volk zu einer "ethnischen Entität sui generis" (so Papst Paul VI., 23. Juli 1975). Sie ist ein wirkliches Volk eigener Art. Die in ihr zuverlässig verfasste geistliche Anleitung (Hierarchie) wirkt folglich zugleich lehrhaft, priesterlich und pastoral. Der Katholizismus ist als Wahrheit, geistliches Leben und verantworteter Weg in der Zeit zu charakterisieren.

"Celui qui ne peut pas suivre en esprit cette triple histoire à la fois et maintenir ces trois aspects sous un même regard ne comprendra jamais pleinement la réalité catholique." (Guitton)

Um die katholische Wirklichkeit vollends zu erfassen, ist es unabdingbar, diese dreifache Geschichte stets unter dem gemeinsamen Aspekt der Nachfolge Christi gleichermaßen zu betrachten.

Herkunft

Die Geschichte der Glaubensspaltungen der Christenheit ist von daher auch als die Geschichte der unterschiedlichen Wertung dieser drei Aspekte zu erklären. Während die Orthodoxie die Einheit der Kirche als supranationale "Herde" verlor, hat die Reformation überdies die priesterliche Dimension des Katholizismus abgeschwächt, so dass (in den diversen protestantischen Konfessionen) die christliche Lehre ganz stark in den Vordergrund tritt. Diese kann aber als ausdifferenzierte Gelehrsamkeit keine kultische Einheit mehr bewahren. (Das erklärt die relativ unproblematische Integration des fortan subjektiv vollzogenen protestantischen Bekenntnisses in das Gefüge moderner Monarchien.)

Der Katholizismus der Gegenwart hält daran fest, dass die Autorität des Evangeliums für die Lebenswirklichkeit der Menschen nur dann erkennbar, erfahrbar und wirksam ist, wenn das kirchliche Leben sich in dieser dreifachen Dimension vollzieht, die das II. Vatikanum auf die Ämter Christi bezog. Doktrinär, liturgisch und organisatorisch ruht der Absolutheitsanspruch des Glaubenslebens, in der Nachfolge der Apostel, mithin auf dem supranationalen und weltweit präsenten Kollegium der Bischöfe, die diese universale Realität jedoch nur ins Werk setzen können, wenn und soweit sie die Einheit mit dem Papst als Nachfolger Petri wahren (vgl. Lumen Gentium, insb. Nr. 23). Nur so ist der "katholische Internationalismus" möglich und wirksam. Nur eine Verständigung über den Episkopat wird sich so auch als Schlüssel zur sichtbaren Ökumene erweisen können.

Zukunft

Bereits in seiner ersten Enzyklika Ecclesiam Suam hat Konzilspapst Paul VI. 1964 dazu aufgefordert, das Selbstbewusstsein der Kirche zu vertiefen. Dies aber nicht als Selbstzweck: Die erste Frucht der Vertiefung des Bewusstseins der Kirche von sich selber ist die erneute Entdeckung ihrer lebendigen Beziehung zu Christus.

Aus diesem Grund ist der Katholizismus wesentlich als sakramentale Tradition zu begreifen, da die Kirche aus ihrer Beziehung zur realen Gegenwart Christi zu allen Zeiten lebt. Die Kirche ist tatsächlich Kontinuität des Gotteswortes; und in dieser dürfen die Konzilien der letzten beiden Jahrhunderte ebensowenig fehlen wie wesentliche Aussagen des päpstlichen Lehramts, etwa von Leo XIII. die Enzyklika Satis cognitum von 1896 oder Mystici corporis von Pius XII. (1943). Die Bischofssynode von 1985 prägte daher im Rückblick auf das II. Vatikanum zur Identität des Katholizismus die kurze Formel: "Die Kirche unter dem Wort Gottes feiert die Geheimnisse Christi zum Heil der Welt."

Mehr denn je zuvor in der Kulturgeschichte der Menschheit hat das Werk des großen Papstes Johannes Paul II. das Wesen des Katholizismus weltweit präsent gemacht. Nicht obwohl, sondern weil "Papstkirche" ist die katholische auch volksfähige Kirche, also die vermutlich einzige Form wahrer Religion, die der Vielfalt der Lebenswelten den Weg in die Einheit eröffnen kann. Vielleicht wurde der Christ in der Gegenwart zum Zeugen einer Aussaat, deren Früchte der Zivilisation nach und nach immer mehr zugute kommen werden. Denn die Welt von heute ist einerseits zwar gekennzeichnet durch die erstmalige Fähigkeit der Menschen, die Schöpfung zu zerstören, aber auch andererseits ausgezeichnet durch die nie dagewesene Chance, das gemeinsame Leben unter das Wort Christi zu stellen. Um es zu vervollkommnen, ruft die Kirche die Katholiken im Namen des Herrn dazu auf, ihren Glauben im Dialog zu bewähren.

Die drei Charakteristika des Katholischen

Es gibt Merkmale, die einen katholischen Christen gegenüber anderen christlichen Konfessionen auszeichnen. Darunter sind stets:

Papsttreue: Sie bedeutet, dem Lehramt des Papstes und der mit ihm verbundenen Bischöfe geistlichen Gehorsam entgegen zu bringen. Der Katholik folgt also der wahren Lehre.
Eucharistie: Die rechte Feier der Sakramente, insbesondere der Heiligsten Eucharistie in Theorie und Praxis auszuüben. Die Katholiken praktizieren mithin den wahren Kult.
Marienverehrung: Auch in der Verehrung der Mutter Jesu lebt der Katholizismus als ein wahres Volk in der Nachfolge Christi, "der Dich, o Jungfrau, im Himmel gekrönt hat".

Literatur

G. Jaquemet (Hg.), Catholicisme. Hier- aujourd'hui- demain, Paris 1948 ff. (Lexikon)
Jean Guitton, Le catholicisme hier, aujourd'hui et demain, Paris 1972.

(Quelle: http://www.kathpedia.com/index.php?title=Katholisch)

Wir sind das Licht der Welt!

Reden wir ueber Glaubensverkuendigung. Ueber unsere geliebte Katholische Kirche und unseren katholischen Glauben. In 1 Petr 3, 15-16 lesen wir: „Seid stets bereit, jedem Rede und Antwort zu stehen, der nach der Hoffnung fragt, die euch erfuellt; aber antwortet bescheiden und ehrfuerchtig, denn ihr habt ein reines Gewissen.“ (Einheitsuebersetzung).

Tun wir das? Begreifen wir tatsaechlich die Notwendigkeit des Ganzen?

Die groesste Kirche in den USA ist – noch – die Katholische Kirche. Die zweitgroesste christliche Gruppierung sind Ex-Katholiken, also Katholiken, die die Kirche verlassen haben. Bei uns duerfte die Tendenz nicht viel besser aussehen.

Bereits Erzbischof Fulton Sheen hat seinerzeit darauf hingewiesen, dass viele Menschen zwar angeben, gegen die Katholische Kirche zu sein, aber nur wenige tasaechlich aus tiefstem Herzen gegen diese Kirche sind. Die meisten haben etwas gegen das, was sie fuer die Katholische Kirche halten.

Aus eigener Erfahrung kann ich nur sagen, die Tatsache, dass viele Menschen die Katholische Kirche verlassen, hat letztere – und damit meine ich jeden einzelnen Glaeubigen! – mit verschuldet. Viele Menschen suchen eine enge Beziehung zu Jesus Christus und eine lebendige, familiaere Gemeinde. Eine Gemeinde aber auch, die aus dem geschriebenen Wort – der Bibel – ihre Kraft findet. Nun wissen wir als Katholiken, dass das ueberlieferte Wort – die Tradition und das kirchliche Lehramt – ebenso biblische Saeulen der Kirche sind, aber leider ist der Vorwurf vieler Nicht-Katholiken, die Katholiken wuerden die Bibel und ihren eigenen Glauben nicht kennen, nur allzu oft richtig. Die wenigsten Katholiken sind in der Lage, sich und anderen gegenueber ihren Glauben zu begruenden. Und letztlich kann ich aber nur lieben, was ich kenne. Wenn nun etwa evangelikale Christen zwei, drei aus dem Zusammenhang gerissene Bibelverse (wenn auch mit den besten Absichten!) zitieren, werde ich schnell aus dem Konzept gebracht (etwa der Vorwurf, wir duerfen doch niemand Vater nennen, oder wir wuerden Maria und die Heiligen anbeten, oder die Katholische Kirche haette vieles erfunden und sei vom „Urchristentum“, vom „wahren“ Glauben also, abgefallen). Hinzu kommt die sehr familiaere Atmosphaere in evangelikalen Gemeinden, die man in katholischen Gemeinden oft vergeblich sucht.

Waehrend viele evangelikale oder fundamentalistische Christen fuer ihren Glauben brennen und sich nicht schaemen, diesen immer und ueberall zu verkuenden, findet man aehnliches bei Katholiken nur selten. Tatsaechlich aber hat jede und jeder einzelne Katholik von Gott Gaben und Talente erhalten, um diese zum Ruhm des Herrn und fuer Seinen Leib - die Kirche – einzusetzen. Jeder unter uns ist gerufen, unseren katholischen Glauben in Wort und Tat zu verkuenden und fuer den Herrn zu brennen! Wir sind das Licht der Welt und duerfen dieses Licht nicht unter den Scheffel stellen!

Dazu gehoert aber auch, dass ich lerne, mit Argumenten umzugehen, die sich gegen die Katholische Kirche richten. Dass ich lerne, unseren Glauben zu erklaeren – immer unter dem Vorsatz der Liebe und Demut. Wir sind nicht gerufen, auf andere herabzusehen oder diese argumentativ „niederzumachen“, sondern die frohe Botschaft zu verkuenden!

Ein anderer Ausdruck der Tatsache, dass wir unseren katholischen Glauben weder kennen noch richtig zu lieben scheinen, ist das, was man gemeinhin als „Auswahlchristentum“ bezeichnet: man sucht sich das aus dem eigenen Glauben heraus, das einem gefaellt und mischt es mit Elementen aus anderen christlichen Konfessionen, anderen Religionen – oder einfach mit den persoenlichen Vorlieben und Vorstellungen. „Moralischer Relativismus“ hat das der Papst auch genannt – jeder definiert fuer sich selbst, was gut, wahr und richtig ist. Der Untergang jeder Gesellschaft.

Das kirchliche Lehramt (Bischoefe, Papst) sowie der Katechismus wird selbst von vielen Theologinnen und Theologen kaum mehr beachtet. Viel mehr zaehlt das, was man selbst fuer richtig haelt. So wird dann auch die Bibel ausgelegt. Man dreht und wendet es so lange, bis es passt – wenngleich auch meist mit den besten Absichten.

All dies ist aber nicht das, was den katholischen Glauben ausmacht. Als jemand, der einige Jahre in freikirchlichen Gemeinden verbracht hat und immer noch viele Freunde dort hat, kann ich nur sagen, dass Menschen, die (zurueck) zur Katholischen Kirche kommen, nicht selten hoechst erstaunt darueber sind, dass viele Katholiken weder ihren eigenen Glauben noch die Bibel, das Lehramt und die Tradition zu kennen scheinen oder sich daran halten, noch danach brennen, anderen die frohe Botschaft in Wort und Tat zu verkuenden. Viele der Menschen, die (zurueck) zur Katholischen Kirche finden, merken, dass es die Kirche, die sie so lieben gelernt haben und fuer die sie innerlich brennen, kaum mehr zu existieren scheint.

So wird in nicht wenigen Gemeinden und Gremien bzw. Arbeitsgemeinschaften die Notwendigkeit einer zeitgemaessen und kreativen Glaubensverkuendigung und Glaubensbegruendung nicht gesehen. Mangels Personal beschraenkt man sich lieber auf „oekumenische“ Aktivitaeten und kuerzt dafuer charakteristisch katholische, als sich um den eigenen Glauben zu kuemmern (der durch viele dieser wohlgemeinten oekumenischen Aktivitaeten immer mehr verwaessert). Und dann wundert man sich, warum einem die Leute davon laufen und neue erst gar nicht kommen. Warum sollten sie auch? Viele sehen von aussen, was hier geschieht und denken sich, warum sollte ich etwas beitreten, das ich woanders besser haben kann!

Beweisen wir ihnen das Gegenteil! Kehren wir zurueck zu unseren katholischen Wurzeln!

Brennen wir fuer unseren katholischen Glauben!

KONGREGATION FÜR DIE GLAUBENSLEHRE

Die Kongregation für die Glaubenslehre, ursprünglich "Congregatio Romanae et universalis Inquisitionis" genannt, wurde von Papst Paul III. mit der Konstitution Licet ab initio vom 21. Juli 1542 gegründet, um die Kirche vor Irrlehren zu schützen. Sie ist die älteste der neun Kongregationen der römischen Kurie.

Papst Pius X. hat mit der Konstitution Sapienti consilio vom 29. Juni 1908 den Namen des Dikasteriums abgeändert in "Sacra Congregatio Sancti Officii". Gegen Ende des Zweiten Vatikanischen Konzils hat Papst Paul VI. mit dem Motu Proprio Integrae servandae vom 7. Dezember 1965 die Kompetenzen und die Struktur der Kongregation neu geordnet und ihr den heutigen Namen gegeben. Gemäß Artikel 48 der von Papst Johannes Paul II. 1988 promulgierten Apostolischen Konstitution über die römische Kurie Pastor bonus hat die Kongregation für die Glaubenslehre "die Aufgabe, die Glaubens- und Sittenlehre in der ganze katholischen Kirche zu fördern und schützen."

Die aus 23 Mitgliedern —Kardinälen, Erzbischöfen und Bischöfen aus 14 verschiedenen Nationen— bestehende Kongregation wird gegenwärtig vom US-amerikanischen Erzbischof von San Francisco, Kard. William Levada geleitet. Sekretär ist Erzbischof Mgr. Luis F. Ladaria, S.I., Untersekretär P. Joseph Augustine Di Noia O.P., Promotor Iustitiae Mons. Charles Scicluna. An ihr sind zur Zeit 37 Mitarbeiter beschäftigt. Entsprechend der unterschiedlichen Kompetenzbereiche ist das Dikasterium in drei Sektionen aufgeteilt: die doktrinelle, disziplinäre und die Ehesektion; letztere beschäftigt sich mit allem, was mit dem "privilegium fidei" zu tun hat.

Das Dikasterium wird beraten von einem Kollegium von 33 Konsultoren, die aus verschiedenen Ländern stammen. Sie sind in der Regel als Professoren an den Päpstlichen Fakultäten in Rom tätig und vertreten unterschiedliche theologische Disziplinen.

Bei der Erfüllung dieser Aufgabe, die katholische Glaubenslehre zu fördern und die Studien, die zum Wachstum des Glaubens beitragen, zu unterstützen, «damit auf die durch den Fortschritt in Wissenschaft und Forschung entstandenen Probleme eine angemessene Antwort im Licht des Glaubens gegeben werden kann» (vgl. Pastor bonus, Art. 49), bedient sich die Kongregation auch «wissenschaftlicher Symposien und Zusammenkünfte, die sich mit Fragen von lehrhafter Bedeutung beschäftigen» (vgl. Regolamento proprio, Art. 76) sowie «verschiedener Initiativen zur Verteidigung der wahren Lehre, der christlichen Tradition und des Lehramtes» (vgl. Attività della Santa Sede, Città del Vaticano 1997, S. 669)

Anläßlich der alle fünf Jahre in Rom stattfindenden "ad limina Apostolorum" Besuche empfängt das Dikasterium die Bischöfe «zu einem gegenseitigen Informationsaustausch, zur Besprechung der in den verschiedenen Ländern bestehenden aktuellen Probleme und zur gemeinsamen Klärung und Lösung der hauptsächlichen Probleme in den jeweiligen Gebieten» (vgl. ebd., S. 671).

Der Präfekt ist von Amts wegen auch Präsident der Päpstlichen Bibelkommission und der Internationalen Theologenkommission, deren Sekretariat und Sitz bei dem Dikasterium ist. Die Tätigkeit beider Kommissionen ist sehr eng mit der Glaubenskongregation verbunden. Bei ihr ist auch die von Papst Johannes Paul II. im Februar 1993 errichtete und unter der Präsidentschaft des Kardinal Joseph Ratzinger stehende interdikasterielle Kommission angesiedelt, die mit der Redaktion und Veröffentlichung des Katechismus der Katholischen Kirche beauftragt ist.

In Zusammenarbeit mit der Libreria Editrice Vaticana veröffentlicht das Dikasterium seit einigen Jahren in der Sammlung "Documenti e Studi" seine eigenen Dokumente, meistens begleitet durch entsprechende im "Osservatore Romano" erschienene Artikel oder Kommentare.

Adresse: Palazzo del Sant'Uffizio, 00120 Città del Vaticano

E-mail: cdf@cfaith.va

(Quelle: http://www.vatican.va/roman_curia/congregations/cfaith/documents/rc_con_cfaith_pro_14071997_ge.html)

What are We?

Are we Catholic Americans or American Catholics?

Which one is the noun?

(Frei nach Prof. Dr. Scott Hahn in "Evangelizing the Baptized" , erhältlich bei www.saintjoe.com)

Müssen wir als Katholiken alles annehmen, was die Kirche lehrt?

Wenn du dich Katholik nennen willst, aber selbst diejenigen kirchlichen Lehren herauspicken willst, die du annimmst bzw. diejenigen, die du ablehnst, gibst du damit auch jeden anderen, der sich Katholik nennt, das Recht, dasselbe zu tun.

Zum Beispiel glaubst du vielleicht, dass Frauen Priesterinnen werden sollten. Im Paragraph 1577 des Katechismus der Katholischen Kirche heißt es aber, dass nur ein getaufter Mann gültig die Weihe empfangen kann. Deshalb ist die Weihe von Frauen auch nicht möglich. Du glaubst das nicht? Nun gut, reiße einfach diese Seite aus deinem Katechismus – du hast gerade den Katechismus deiner Katholischen Kirche daraus gemacht – aber nicht meiner.

Denke aber daran, wenn du irgendwelche Doktrinen rauswerfen kannst, die dir nicht passen, dann kann das auch jeder andere, der sich Katholik nennt. So kann Hans Huber von der Pfarrei St. Josef etwa die Soziallehre der Kirche rausschmeißen – er hat vielleicht keine Lust, die Hungrigen zu ernähren, für die Armen zu sorgen und das ganze andere herzergreifende Zeug. Die Paragraphen 2401 – 2463 müssen also verschwinden. Er hat also gerade den Katechismus seiner Katholischen Kirche gemacht – aber nicht deiner oder meiner.

Du denkst vielleicht, Empfängnisverhütung sei in Ordnung? Paragraph 2370 des Katechismus der Katholischen Kirche verurteilt dies aber ausdrücklich! Was soll’s – weg damit. Anton Schmid aus der Pfarrei St. Rupert mag vielleicht die kirchliche Lehre zum Thema Todesstrafe nicht – also weg mit den Paragraphen 2266 – 2267. Dir gefällt vielleicht nicht, was auf den Seiten 55-60 steht? Weg damit. Er mag nicht, was auf den Seiten 128-140 gelehrt wird? Weg damit.

Siehst du nun, was dann geschieht? Es hat mal jemand gesagt, dass es einen Rückgang der Berufungen zum Priester gibt, aber keinen Rückgang der Berufungen zum Papst! Wenn wir nicht alles glauben, ernennen wir uns alle selbst zum Papst und werfen hier und da eine Doktrin raus. Dann aber ist unser Glaube alles Mögliche – aber nicht mehr katholisch.

(Quelle: Dr. John Martignoni www.biblechristiansociety.com)

Why be Catholic?

This article assumes that you already are a Christian, a Messianic Jew, or believer in Yeshua (Jesus), however you wish to call yourself. See the last page of this article for links to articles that may be more relevant to you if you do not believe in Jesus.

Why Be Catholic?

Perhaps you think that the idea of becoming Catholic is the most absurd idea you have ever heard.
Perhaps you think that the Bible alone is sufficient for you to know God's will for your life.
Perhaps you think that God is not interested in 'religion' or institutions but merely wishes to have a personal relationship with you.
Perhaps you think that the only thing really necessary to be saved is to receive Jesus into your heart as Lord and Savior.
Perhaps you are Jewish and think that to become Catholic would amount to a betrayal of your Jewish faith and heritage.
Perhaps you even hold anti-Catholic views and think that Catholicism is a pagan corruption of the pure biblical faith.
Yet perhaps you feel that there is "something missing" to your faith.
Perhaps you feel that God has "something more" for you, but you haven't quite figured out yet what this is.

Looking back through history, from the first to the twenty-first century, from the ancient Mediterranean world to modern America, countless people have thought like you - either mildly curious, indifferent, distrusting or even despising the Catholic Church... until one day they decided to seriously investigate the Church's claims. Again and again, an inquiry which began out of curiosity or even animosity toward the Church ended as a wondrous love story: the story of a God so passionately in love with us that He offered His only Son to die for us in order that we may have eternal life, and formed his human family, the Catholic (universal) Church for the purpose of sharing with His children His own divine life, most especially in the sacrament of the Eucharist.

In this article, as well as through the other resources available on this website, you can discover how:

God has never said that the Bible alone is enough to know His will, but rather has set up, both in the Old and New Testaments, a visible, hierarchical institution and endowed it with His own divine authority to guide us and lead us into His way of salvation.
God is indeed very interested in 'religion' today, just as He was interested in it when He set up the Tabernacle and Temple worship in ancient Israel. A genuine, honest, humble and well-informed personal relationship with the Father through the Son and in the Holy Spirit should logically and eventually lead you to seek full communion with His Body, the Catholic Church.
To "receive Jesus as Lord and Savior" by faith alone is not enough to be saved; for Jesus imparts his grace, his power, and his life to us chiefly through the Church, her teachings, her liturgy and sacraments, and her communion of saints.
The Catholic faith is the perfect and complete fulfillment of Judaism - yet this does not abolish the particular calling of the people of Israel nor the special vocation of Jews who enter the Church. As Rosalind Moss, who is Jewish-Catholic, has said, "you can't be more Jewish than to be Catholic!"
The Catholic faith is the most biblical form of Christianity, whereas other denominations have generally compromised important gifts that Jesus has given us.

What does it mean to be "Catholic"?

Perhaps you, like many other Christians, consider yourself to be "catholic" with a small "c", in the sense that you are a member of the universal (catholic), invisible community of followers of Christ, but not "Catholic" with a capital "C", in the sense of being a formal member of the Roman Catholic Church.
In a sense, it is true that if you are a baptized believer in Jesus, you are already a member of the Body of Christ, and the Holy Spirit certainly can work through you and your community in furthering the work of the Gospel. As the Church teaches:
"All who have been justified by faith in Baptism are incorporated into Christ; they therefore have a right to be called Christians, and with good reason are accepted as brothers in the Lord by the children of the Catholic Church." (CCC 818)

"Furthermore, many elements of sanctification and of truth are found outside the visible confines of the Catholic Church: the written Word of God; the life of grace; faith, hope, and charity, with the other interior gifts of the Holy Spirit, as well as visible elements. Christ's Spirit uses these Churches and ecclesial communities as means of salvation, whose power derives from the fullness of grace and truth that Christ has entrusted to the Catholic Church. All these blessings come from Christ and lead to him, and are in themselves calls to 'Catholic unity.'" (CCC 819)
However, the One Church that Christ has founded truly is the Catholic Church, united and governed by the successor of Peter, the pope. In it alone can be found "the fullness of the means of salvation":

"The sole Church of Christ [is that] which our Savior, after his Resurrection, entrusted to Peter's pastoral care, commissioning him and the other apostles to extend and rule it. . . . This Church, constituted and organized as a society in the present world, subsists in the Catholic Church, which is governed by the successor of Peter and by the bishops in communion with him... For it is through Christ's Catholic Church alone, which is the universal help toward salvation, that the fullness of the means of salvation can be obtained. It was to the apostolic college alone, of which Peter is the head, that we believe that our Lord entrusted all the blessings of the New Covenant, in order to establish on earth the one Body of Christ into which all those should be fully incorporated who belong in any way to the People of God." (CCC 816)
As we will see below, by remaining outside of the Catholic Church you therefore remain only in partial and imperfect communion with the Messiah's Church, and you are missing out on many of the great blessings that God wishes to give you:
"The Church knows that she is joined in many ways to the baptized who are honored by the name of Christian, but do not profess the Catholic faith in its entirety or have not preserved unity or communion under the successor of Peter. Those who believe in Christ and have been properly baptized are put in a certain, although imperfect, communion with the Catholic Church." (CCC 838)
Let us now examine some of these blessings that God wishes to give you.

Ten good reasons for becoming Catholic

Jesus has founded one Church* (not a collection of denominations), and it is His will that all would be part of His one Church.
Jesus founded a visible Church* with visible leaders, not an invisible body with no real authority.
Through apostolic succession and apostolic tradition*, the Church hands down the authentic teachings of Christ and his apostles.
Jesus gave to His Church a charism of infallibility* which gives us certainty in important matters of faith and morals and enables us to know with confidence what to believe and how to live.
In the Catholic Church alone can be found the fullness of the means of salvation* and all of the means to grow in holiness and in virtue*.
The Church's Sacred Liturgy* inserts us into the Paschal Mystery and joins us with the heavenly worship of the angels and saints.
The Church mediates to us Christ's sacraments*: the channels of God's grace, God's life and God's love poured out into us.
In the Church you can receive the Eucharist*, the Body and Blood of the Lord and the source and summit of the Christian life.
In the Catholic Church you become fully united with our earthly and heavenly family: the communion of saints*.
Jesus has given us His mother Miriam* (Mary) as mother of the Church and as our own mother who loves us and watches over us.

1. Jesus founded One Church*, not a collection of denominations

We know from the Gospel of John how serious was Jesus' desire that his followers be united. He prayed that all believers "may be one, as You, Father, are in Me, and I in You; that they also may be one in Us, that the world may believe that You sent Me" (Jn 17:20-21). When we read the New Testament, we see that Jesus founded only one Church, united under the leadership of Peter and the apostles. He never established a loose collection of denominations as they exist today, each one differing and disagreeing with the other on important doctrines and moral issues. The Eastern Orthodox Churches broke away from unity with the pope in 1054. The protestant denominations further damaged the unity of Christianity when they began to break away from the Catholic Church in the sixteenth century, and they continue to fragment themselves to our own day. Even the newer "non-denominational" churches, although they avoid labeling themselves under a particular denominational name, really are another form of evangelical denomination. And the Messianic Jewish movement, while pursuing the noble goal of rediscovering the Jewish roots of Christianity, is plagued by the same lack of unity as the Protestant communities.
The one, universal Church which Jesus has founded and which has preserved its unity now for 2,000 years, all while spreading to all times and places, is the Catholic Church.
By remaining outside of the Catholic Church you are therefore contributing, even if unconsciously and through no fault of your own, to the disunity of the body of Christ. By joining the Catholic Church you join the original Church that Jesus the Messiah founded, and you contribute to the unity of the Church for which He prayed!

2. Jesus founded a visible Church* with visible leaders

Why is there such a lack of unity among Protestant / Evangelical / Messianic communities? Because of the absence of legitimately ordained authority. Often it is said that the church is simply the invisible union of all believers, led by the Holy Spirit and whose head is Christ, but left without any ultimate human authority here on earth. This theory, however, is not biblical and does not work in practice. In fact, it has caused tremendous confusion and division in the Body of Christ.
When one looks at the Bible one finds a completely different picture: At the time of the Exodus, God's people were united under the leadership of Moses and seventy elders, who transmitted the Word of God to the people, interpreted it, and settled disputes (Exo 18:13-26, Num 11:16-25). This continued at the time of the Davidic Kingdom, when the nation was united under the king's authority, subject to the words of the Prophets.
The picture is similar in the New Testament: Jesus gave to His Church a real human leader in the person of Peter. Jesus said that Peter would be the rock on his He would build his Church. He gave him the keys of the kingdom of heaven (Mat 16:17-19), appointed him as chief shepherd of the Church (Jn 21:15-17), and commissioned him to strengthen the other apostles in their faith (Lk 22:31-32). In addition, Jesus also gave his own authority to the other apostles, telling them "he who hears you, hears me" (Lk 10:16) and empowering them to forgive sins (Jn 20:23). You can read in the book of Acts how Peter and the apostles led the Church in proclaiming the gospel and in making important decisions (Acts 2:1-41, 15:7-12).
By joining the Catholic Church you become a part of the Church modeled after God's people in the Bible and you place yourself under the authority which Jesus himself appointed.

3. Jesus established an apostolic succession and apostolic tradition* which hands down His authentic teachings and those of the apostles

But, you may ask, has this divinely appointed authority been preserved in the Church until our own day? Yes it has, through apostolic succession and apostolic tradition. After Judas died, Peter and the apostles immediately chose a successor to replace him (Acts 1:15-26). We also see in the New Testament the apostles ordaining presbyters (Acts 14:23, Tit 1:5), and handing down their own authority to their successors: "what you heard from me entrust to faithful teachers who will be able to teach others also" (2 Tim 2:2). We also read of a triple structure of authority in the New Testament which includes bishops, presbyters (priests) and deacons (1 Tim 3:1,8, 5:17). From the earliest times, bishops have been considered to be the successors of the apostles, with the bishop of Rome being the successor of Peter, who died in Rome. And so the unity of the Church is safeguarded through the passing down of Christ's teachings by the apostolic succession of the bishop of Rome, the pope, in union with all the other bishops, the successors of the other apostles.
The first and most natural reaction to this claim is often: "why should I submit myself to the authority of these men? History has shown how people can abuse their authority and make errors of judgment!" It is true than whenever people exercise positions of authority there is a danger of abuse of authority. Yet we are never totally free of human authority in spiritual matters. The moment we attend a church, we begin to submit to the pastor's authority and teachings - which can also stray from truth and charity. And if we entirely reject authority and accountability, then we become our own authority, with our own fallibility, limitations and blind spots. In other words, we must chose the authority under which we submit: either it will be the authority that Christ himself appointed, under which he promised that "the Spirit of truth will guide you into all truth" (Jn 16:13) and against which "the gates of Hades will not prevail" (Mat 16:18), or it will be the fallible authority of someone else. Rejecting the authority of the pope means that every pastor, or even every individual becomes his own 'pope'. This is not a recipe for unity but for anarchy. Much better is to accept the authority which Christ has appointed and which faithfully guards Christ's teachings, as He has promised!
By joining the Catholic Church you get to tap into the authentic teachings of Jesus and the apostles as passed down through apostolic tradition!

4. The infallibility* of the Church gives us certainty in what to believe and in how to live

The best reason for submitting to the authority of the Catholic Church is because Jesus has endowed it with a special charism of infallibility which safeguards doctrinal unity and guarantees certainty in her teachings. If you have been a Protestant, Evangelical Christian or Messianic Jew for a while, you will probably have heard hundreds of different sermons and teachings interpreting the Bible in different ways that sometimes seriously contradict each other. Perhaps you count yourself among the many believers who feel more confused and less certain about your faith now than a few years ago because of all the different and contradictory teachings, theories, and interpretations of the Bible that you have heard.
Jesus never intended for it to be that way. Nowhere in the Bible do we see every believer consulting his/her Bible and deciding for himself/herself what to believe without appealing to a higher authority. Believers in the first four centuries of the Church did not even have a New Testament they could consult (the NT canon was only closed in 393-397 AD). Their ultimate authority in matters of faith and morals was the authority of the apostles and their successors. We have just seen how Jesus promised to the apostles that "the gates of Hades will not prevail" against the Church, and that the Holy Spirit would lead them into all truth and "will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all things that I said to you" (Jn 14:26). Indeed, the Church is called in the New Testament the "pillar and foundation of truth" (1 Tim 3:15).
Though our post-modern society exalts skepticism and uncertainty, it is impossible to build one's life without a solid foundation. Bible believers do have a foundation in Christ and in the Word of God, but this foundation is often undermined by all the conflicting interpretations of Scripture. By contrast, it is a wonderful thing to be certain about what to believe and how to live. The Holy Spirit has faithfully guided the Church for two thousand years so that we can know with confidence how the apostles and the first believers understood and interpreted the Scriptures. Read for yourself the Catechism of the Catholic Church (or its shorter Compendium) to gain clarity on what the Scriptures really say in light of the Church's tradition about important matters such as God's revelation, creation, the nature of man, the Trinity, the divinity of the Messiah, his expected second coming, the Holy Spirit, the nature of the Church, Mary the mother of Jesus, life after death, the effects of baptism, the Lord's Supper, how we are saved, and much more.
Equally as important is the question of how we are to live, or important moral issues. Though the Bible is clear on certain moral issues, on others it is not. Which commandments were preconditioned by time and culture, and which ones are absolute and unchanging? For example, the Bible forbids the shaving of the corners of one's beard, the printing of tattoos, and the eating of shrimp, and it commands women to cover their heads when praying; yet it has nothing to say against abortion, slavery, artificial insemination or human cloning. How are we to interpret the Ten Commandments today? Without authoritative tradition, believers remain at the whim of their pastor's interpretation of the Scriptures; or they must rely on their own private judgment, easily prone to error, and they will find it very difficult to clearly know what is right or wrong. The result can fluctuate between individualistic moral anarchy, where one falls into many sins out of ignorance, and slavish moral legalism, where one abstains from many good things through the fear that they may be sinful. Much better is to draw from the well of the Church's timeless wisdom, guided by the Holy Spirit, in order to really know what is right and wrong and thus find joyful freedom in living out a holy life.
Of course, the infallibility of the Church does not mean that its leaders will always lead an impeccable life. The pope, bishops and priests are sinners too, and they are not immune against moral failure, as this has often happened and, sadly, will happen again. Yet this is another testimony of God's faithfulness and greatness, that He infallibly guides in matters of faith and morals a Church made of fallible sinners like you and me.
By joining the Catholic Church you can know for sure what to believe and how to live regarding the most important matters of life!

5. The Church conveys to us the fullness of the means of salvation* and of the means to grow in holiness and in virtue*

If you believe in Christ and have been baptized, then you are already on the road to salvation. However, accepting Christ by faith as Lord and Savior is not enough to be saved, according to the Bible. Jesus himself said that "not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven" (Mt 7:21), and that only "he who endures to the end shall be saved" (Mt 24:13). Paul, the great apostle, warned believers to remain in God's goodness, "otherwise you also will be cut off" (Rom 11:22). He exhorts us to "work out your salvation in fear and trembling" (Phil 2:12) and speaks of disciplining his own body and bringing it under subjection "lest, when I have preached to others, I myself should become disqualified" (1 Cor 9:27). Our works also play an important role towards our salvation, since "God will repay each one according to his works" (Rom 2:5-8, 2 Cor 5:10, 1 Pet 1:17, Rev 20:12-13).
We are saved entirely by God's grace, with no initial merit on our part (Eph 2:8). However, we must also work out our salvation in fear and trembling, and "must through many tribulations enter the kingdom of God" (Acts 14:22). As a believer in Jesus, you already have many of the "tools" that help you to work out your salvation in cooperation with God's grace: through faith in Christ and baptism you have had your former sins washed away and received His forgiveness; by reading the Word of God you learn His will to some degree and follow His guidance; through prayer you receive God's help and strength; through praise He touches you with His joy; through works of charity you grow in his likeness and in His selflessness.
However, by remaining outside of the Church, you are missing out on many of the "tools" that Jesus has given us to advance our salvation and that of the world, and to help us grow in holiness. You are continuing on the road to salvation with only "partial equipment" to reach the goal, and thus this goal will be much more difficult to reach. We have already discussed the importance of authority: detached from the Church's authoritative tradition you are exposed to false teachings which may slow you down and even stop you on your way to salvation. You are missing out on the Eucharist, Christ's own body and blood and the most intimate union between the Bridegroom and His bride (see below). You are also deprived of most of the other sacraments which the Lord has given us and which convey to us his power and his grace in a very real way. You do not fully benefit of the protection and intercession of our mother Mary and of the full communion of the saints in heaven and on earth, since possibly you do not even believe in them - and much more!
By joining the Catholic Church you get to tap into the fullness of the blessings that the Lord has given us for our salvation and sanctification!

6. The Church's Sacred Liturgy* inserts us into the Paschal Mystery and joins us with the heavenly worship of the angels and saints

If you have been going to an Evangelical church or Messianic congregation for a while, you have no doubt gotten accustomed to loosely structured meetings, perhaps charismatic, with much emphasis on lively praise and worship, and extensive preaching from the Bible. Though there is nothing wrong with this format, it does bear the problem that it is heavily dependant upon the quality of the ministers. If the worship team is lousy and the preacher boring or irrelevant, there is hardly any point in showing up there. It may well be more beneficial to stay at home and pray alone or with a few friends. Many believers who have been exposed to evangelical/messianic worship for a while begin to feel a need for worship which is less centered upon man and more centered upon God, with less talking, less activities and programs, less novelty, less hype, but rather more depth, more reverence, more mystery and more awe before our Maker. In other words, they long for liturgy.
Often, when we pray to God in our own words we run out of things to say. This is quite normal, for everyone feels at times spiritually weak, tired, uninspired, or dry. In this case, you may have picked up a Bible and prayed the psalms out loud, and felt how the inspired words of Scripture, turned into your own prayer, lifted your soul and expressed things that you could not have come up with on your own. This is the power of the liturgy: the lofty words of prayer uttered by the inspired biblical authors or the spiritual masters and saints, drawn from the rich spiritual treasures of the Church, become your own words. These words unite your mind and heart with the great spiritual figures that preceded us and draw you into the Church's timeless liturgy, united with the heavenly liturgy which transcends time and space.
Liturgical prayer, of course, has been the traditional and historical way of common prayer in both Judaism and Christianity since the origins of the two faiths. While it is important to always nurture a personal, spontaneous dialogue with the Lord in one's private prayer life, the public prayer of God's people has always been primarily liturgical.
By joining the Catholic Church you become a part of the rich Sacred Tradition of the Church and an active participant in her Sacred Liturgy, the very heart of Christ's Paschal Mystery celebrated in union with all the angels and saints in heaven and on earth!

7. The Church mediates to us Christ's sacraments*: the channels of God's grace, God's life and God's love poured out into us

The greatest and most powerful gifts that the Lord has given us, and the most amazing testimony of His love are the seven sacraments which He instituted. Through the seven sacraments the Messiah endows us with His very life and love. One could say that they are like "channels" connecting heaven and earth by which God pours out His grace onto His children. They fill us with the Holy Spirit; they heal us, cleanse us, feed us, and strengthen us. Since they impart to us God's life, they are the most effective means by which we are made holy; they are also the most powerful weapons by which we wage spiritual warfare. The sacraments are not just symbols but signs that actually convey God's grace and love. The seven sacraments are:
Baptism*: the new birth that washes away our sins (Tit 3:5), gives us the Holy Spirit, and baptizes us into Christ's death and resurrection (Rom 6:3-7).
Confirmation*: the fullness of the outpouring of the Holy Spirit which strengthens us and inserts us fully into the Church's mission (Acts 8:14-17).
The Eucharist*: the greatest of sacraments where the Messiah feeds us with His own Body and Blood, soul and divinity (Mark 14:22-24, Jn 6:53).
Reconciliation (Confession)*: the way to receive forgiveness for sins committed after baptism, entrusted by Jesus to the apostles (Jn 20:22-23).
Anointing of the Sick*: grants us help to endure illness and sometimes heals us, cleanses our soul, and helps us to prepare to meet God (Js 5:14-15).
Matrimony*: In marriage, husband and wife become a living sign of the faithful relationship between Christ and the Church (Eph 5:21-33)
Holy Orders*: Jesus called certain men to a special priestly ministry, in addition to our own role as 'kingdom of priests' (Rom 15:15-16).
Tragically, at the time of the Protestant reformation, large numbers of Christians lost five of these seven sacraments, and this sad situation remains to our own day. These sacraments were lost partly because the reformers lost faith in them, and partly because they rejected the priesthood (Holy Orders) upon which they are dependent, for the sacraments of confirmation, the Eucharist, reconciliation, and the anointing of the sick require a validly ordained priesthood (and apostolic succession) to be validly administered. Only the sacraments of baptism and matrimony remain among those believers who have not retained apostolic succession. Even worse, an increasing number of Messianic groups who baptize only in the name of Jesus rather than in the name of the Father, of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, do not even have a valid baptism. The Orthodox churches, by contrast, though they are not in union with the papacy, have retained valid apostolic succession and Holy Orders, and therefore still have seven valid sacraments.
By joining the Catholic Church you get to receive the fullness of Christ's power and love that he gives us through the seven sacraments!

8. In the Church you can receive the great gift of the Eucharist*: the Body and Blood of the Lord and the source and summit of the Christian life.

The Eucharist is called "the sacraments of sacraments" and is "the source and summit of the Christian life." It is such a great gift that it is a reason in itself - indeed perhaps the greatest reason - for joining the Catholic Church. At the Last Supper - a Passover Seder - Jesus said to his disciples after he blessed the bread and the wine: "Take and eat; this is my body... this is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins" (Mt 26:26-28). He then commanded them: "Do this in memory of me" (Luke 22:19). At the first Passover, which initiated the Exodus out of Egypt, God commanded the Israelites to sacrifice a lamb and sprinkle its blood on the doorposts as protection against the angel of death. Then they ate the lamb as a sign of their covenant with God. At the Last Supper Jesus revealed himself as the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world, seals a new covenant with us and protects us from eternal death.
Now we also must eat the lamb - the body and blood of the new Paschal sacrifice which becomes present before us at every Mass. Jesus himself had previously said: "unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you have no life in you. Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life... For my flesh is real food and my blood is real drink" (Jn 6:53-55). This was a shocking statement, and as a result many of his disciples left him (Jn 6:66). Sadly, this is similar to what happened at the Reformation, when many Christians decided they could no longer accept the words of the Savior. Since then, a large part of Christianity has tragically been deprived of the Eucharist, God's greatest gift to us, either because they don't have faith in the Real Presence or because they have no valid priesthood, necessary to consecrate the bread and wine so that they become the body and blood of the Lord. And so they remain with a communion service which, though it may remember the Lord's Passion in a beautiful way, merely consists of bread and wine rather than the Lord's true and substantial presence given to them. As a result, since non-Catholic believers do not accept the full teachings of the Catholic Church, they are not permitted to occasionally go to a Catholic church and receive the Eucharist. This is because the sacrament is a sign of full communion and full unity between believers (CCC 1400), and sharing the Eucharist together with those who do not fully accept the authority and teachings of the Church would falsely give the impression that there exists a full unity between us, while in reality we have not yet attained this full unity of faith. This is not a rejection of our non-Catholic brothers and sisters in Christ, but rather an invitation to them to learn more about the Catholic faith so that they too may come to full unity with the Church and partake of the Lamb’s banquet!

The loss of the Eucharist to so many believers is particularly sad because the Real Presence of Christ in the Eucharist was uncontested for the first millennium of Christian history. Paul himself wrote that "whoever eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty of sinning against the body and blood of the Lord" (1 Cor 11:27). About 50 years later (107 AD), bishop Ignatius of Antioch wrote that "heretics abstain from the Eucharist and from prayer because they do not confess that the Eucharist is the flesh of our Savior Jesus Christ" (Letter to Smyrnaeans 6,2,2). Many other Church Fathers used equally strong language testifying of the Real Presence of Christ in the Eucharist.
By joining the Catholic Church you get to partake of the marriage supper of the Lamb and eat at the Lord's Table at every Mass. You get to receive God's greatest gift, the Eucharist - the body and blood, soul and divinity of the Lord who loved you and gave himself for you. This is the most possible intimate union on earth between God and man, a kiss between heaven and earth which nothing else can replace. When you receive the Eucharist, you receive God's very life of love which supercharges you with His power and His grace. Is this really something that you want to do without?

9. In the Catholic Church you become fully united with our earthly and heavenly family: the communion of saints*.

God does not only save us as individuals. He saves us "in bunches" - as a family, a community, a people, a kingdom. Many believers have a rather individualistic view of salvation, seeing it as primarily "me and Jesus." They do ask others here on earth to pray for them, but deny that any help from the saints in heaven is possible or desirable. They see such mediation as a form of spiritism condemned in Deut 18, or a violation of 1 Tim 2:5 which states that there is "one mediator between God and man, the man Christ Jesus." Jesus is of course our one mediator before God, but this does not mean that we can't participate in this mediation. Every time you pray for someone, you are actually mediating for him/her before God. God in fact encourages this type of intercessory mediation (1 Tim 2:1), and we can see in the New Testament that it also continues after death, where the saints who have gone to be with the Lord continue to be with us and help us along the way towards our final goal. They are a "great cloud of witnesses" (Heb 12:1) that surrounds us, the "spirits of just men made perfect" to whom we come in the heavenly Jerusalem (Heb 12:22-23). Even the rich man who suffers in Hades intercedes for his brothers still alive and asks Abraham to send Lazarus to his father's house to warn them (Luke 16:19-31). The rich man plays here - in purgatory? - an intercessory role, and Abraham acts as mediator between him, God, and his brothers. In the book of Revelation we also see elders and angels bringing to God bowls of incense, which are the prayers of the saints on earth (Rev 5:8, 8:3), and the souls of martyrs supplicating God: "how long, O Lord, holy and true, until You judge and avenge our blood on those who dwell on the earth?" (Rev 6:9)
God is interested in the personal salvation of each one of us, but He is just as interested in the communion of love between us, a communion which cannot be broken by death (Rom 8:35-39). God's family includes all members of His Church, whether on earth, in heaven, or those still being purified in purgatory (1 Cor 3:12-15). The saints who have preceded us are our examples in holiness; there in heaven their love has become complete, and they are in an even better position to help us with their prayers than when they were on earth. They pray for us from above, we can ask for their help from here below, and we are also called to pray for those who suffer in purgatory. If you have ever had a loved one pass away, is it not one of the most natural and human reactions to pray for him/her or to ask for his or her help from heaven?
By joining the Catholic Church you take a full part in the eternal, loving communion of saints in heaven, on earth and in purgatory.

10. Jesus has given us His mother Miriam* (Mary) as our own mother who loves us and watches over us

God has given us a mother. When Jesus, a few moments before his death, saw His mother Mary and his disciple John at the foot of the cross, he said to Mary "behold your Son" and to John "behold your mother" (Jn 19:26). In His hour of agony, Jesus was doing more than a private family arrangement. He was making Mary the mother of all humanity.
When the eternal Son of God became man, he dwelt in the womb of this young Jewish virgin for nine months. Just as the Ark of the Covenant had previously been a holy vessel containing the true presence of God in the Tabernacle and Temple, God chose Mary to be His holy "Ark of the New Covenant" containing His very presence. In order to prepare her for such a noble task, he gave her the fullness of His grace and saved her from all sin. This is why the angel greeted her with the words: "Hail, full of grace" (Luk 1:28).
God's 'business' throughout Scripture is to humble the proud and to exalt the lowly, as Mary herself said: "He has scattered the proud in the imagination of their hearts. He has put down the mighty from their thrones, and exalted the lowly" (Luke 1:51-52). God chose to enter humanity through this most humble young woman. In the Gospels her role is modest and self-effaced. Her greatness is not revealed through great words or actions, but rather through her quiet faith and obedience to God's Word, and her faithfulness in raising Jesus and in giving herself entirely to His person and work. Yet with prophetic foresight she also saw that God would give her an exalted place in the story of salvation when she said: "all generations will call me blessed" (Luke 1:48).

We can catch a glimpse of Mary's exalted role in the book of Revelation. In a heavenly vision, John sees the Ark of the Covenant appear in the heavenly temple (Rev 11:19). Immediately afterward, he sees "a woman clothed with the sun, with the moon under her feet, and on her head a garland of twelve stars," who "being with child... cried out in labor and in pain to give birth" to "a male Child who was to rule all nations with a rod of iron" (Rev 12:1-2,5). This child is the Messiah Jesus, and his mother, the woman, is Mary, daughter of Israel and mother of the Church. She is also the woman whose seed would bruise the head of the serpent, as God promised after the Fall of Adam and Eve (Gen 3:15). Mary plays a key role in spiritual warfare against the devil: "And the dragon was enraged with the woman, and he went to make war with the rest of her offspring, who keep the commandments of God and have the testimony of Jesus Christ" (Rev 12:17). Who are "the rest of the woman's offspring"? We are. Mary is our loving mother, our model, and our advocate. She prays for us and helps us along the way to heaven. She does not take Jesus' place but rather leads us to Him. By following her example of humility, obedience, faithfulness, holiness and love, we will grow in her likeness and in the likeness of Jesus.
By joining the Catholic Church you come into full communion with God's human family whose mother and model is Mary: daughter of Israel, mother of the Messiah, and mother of the Church.

An Eleventh Reason: "Outside the Church there is no Salvation"

Having reviewed ten reasons for entering the Catholic Church, it is worth examining an eleventh reason which logically derives from the first ten: the Church is necessary for salvation (though this statement needs to be understood correctly). Some of the Church Fathers expressed this in rather blunt statements. Cyprian of Carthage, for example, wrote in the third century:
"On him [Peter] [the Lord] builds the Church, and to him he gives the command to feed the sheep… he founded a single chair, and he established by his own authority a source and an intrinsic reason for that unity. . . . If someone [today] does not hold fast to this unity of Peter, can he imagine that he still holds the faith? If he [should] desert the chair of Peter upon whom the Church was built, can he still be confident that he is in the Church?" (St. Cyprian of Carthage, De unit. 4; [A.D. 251])

"He cannot have God for his father, who has not the Church for his mother." (St. Cyprian, De unit. 6: PL 4, 519)

Does this mean that anyone who is not formally Catholic, including believing Christians, cannot be saved? No. As we have seen above, if you are a baptized Christian in good faith, you are already in partial communion with the Catholic Church, and you are tapping into Jesus' saving power which He entrusted to the Church.
Objectively, the one Catholic Church which Jesus founded and to which He has given the fullness of truth and of grace is necessary for salvation: "Hence they could not be saved who, knowing that the Catholic Church was founded as necessary by God through Christ, would refuse either to enter it or to remain in it" (CCC 846). In other words, if someone feels genuinely convicted by the Holy Spirit of the truth of the Catholic Church, but willfully and stubbornly resists the Lord's leading and guidance to enter it, then he may indeed be endangering his own salvation.
Subjectively, however, the Lord is merciful and will not condemn those who are not aware, through no fault of their own, of the salvific nature of Christ's Church - and this includes most non-Catholic believers (already in partial, imperfect communion with the Church) who are not fully aware or do not adequately understand the Catholic Church's claims:
"Those who, through no fault of their own, do not know the Gospel of Christ or his Church, but who nevertheless seek God with a sincere heart, and, moved by grace, try in their actions to do his will as they know it through the dictates of their conscience - those too may achieve eternal salvation." (CCC 847)
Ultimately, it is Jesus who saves. The main question here is how does he save us? Is faith in Him enough? There is ample scriptural evidence* indicating that faith alone is not enough and that we will also be judged according to our works. Jesus also emphasized the importance of being baptized (Mark 16:16), of "eating his flesh and drinking his blood" (Jn 6:53-54), and of submitting to the authority of his apostles (Mat 16:19, 18:18, Lk 10:16, Jn 20:23) to receive his forgiveness and eternal life. This means that the fullness of Jesus' gifts has been entrusted to his Catholic Church. This does not mean, however, that Catholics are automatically in better standing with God than non-Catholic believers. On the contrary, Catholics who have received the fullness of truth and grace have a greater responsibility to bring forth fruits for the Kingdom: "to whom much is given, much will be required." On the other hand, there are many non-Catholic believers who live remarkable lives of faith, hope and love. God will surely not fail to reward them, provided they "persevere until the end" in seeking the truth, even if, through no fault of their own, they do not formally find their way into the Catholic Church.

God wants everyone to be Catholic?

What conclusion can we draw from all this? That God wants everyone to be Catholic so that they can have access to the fullness of His blessings and grace! As the Church teaches:
"To reunite all his children, scattered and led astray by sin, the Father willed to call the whole of humanity together into his Son's Church. The Church is the place where humanity must rediscover its unity and salvation. The Church is "the world reconciled." She is that bark which "in the full sail of the Lord's cross, by the breath of the Holy Spirit, navigates safely in this world." According to another image dear to the Church Fathers, she is prefigured by Noah's ark, which alone saves from the flood." (CCC 845)
Such as statement is not likely to be popular in our societies dictated by religious relativism and political correctness. In addition, you may think that the world would be a very boring place if everyone were Catholic. But this is not true: the fact that God is interested in everyone coming to the fullness of truth and salvation does not mean that He enjoys monotony. On the contrary, the unity of the Church leaves full room for the great diversity of peoples, cultures, customs and traditions of the world. "The great richness of such diversity is not opposed to the Church's unity" (CCC 814). Likewise, "the Catholic Church rejects nothing that is true and holy in [other] religions" (NA 2). And so there is ample room for Evangelical, charismatic and even Jewish spirituality and prayer within the one, holy, catholic and apostolic Church.

So... What's the Catch?

At this point you may be wondering: "If the Catholic Church has so much to offer, then... what's the catch? It seems too good to be true." You may have some common objections:
I have read some Church history and know that Catholics have done horrible things in the past...
This is true. No one denies that the Church is made of sinners, some of which have been a terrible scandal to the Christian faith. Pope John Paul II himself has invited the Church to “become more fully conscious of the sinfulness of her children.” She “acknowledges as her own her sinful sons and daughters” and encourages them “to purify themselves, through repentance, of past errors and instances of infidelity, inconsistency and slowness to act” (Memory and Reconciliation: The Church and the Faults of the Past 1.3). Yet the Church has also produced countless extraordinary saints throughout the ages - those who have faithfully lived the Church's life and teachings. They are the true children of the Church who best reflect the Church's nature to be the sacrament of Christ in the world. Despite the faults and weaknesses of Catholics, the Church remains no less the fount and source of Christ's life and love which He wishes to give you.

The Catholic Church just wants to control peoples' lives...

Quite honestly, 99.9999% percent of Catholics, including the clergy, will never know that you entered the Church. The pope does not get lists of names of the Church's latest "catches." The Church is not interested in controlling anyone; rather she is interested in the world's salvation, in obedience to the command of her founder to "go and make disciples of all nations," so that people may "share in the communion between the Father and the Son in their Spirit of love" (CCC 850) and turn from sin and death to joy and hope of eternal life.
I know many Catholics who are lukewarm or not even believers. I find much more life and faith in my Evangelical church...
It is true that many non-Catholic believers seem to have a more vibrant faith than many Catholics. These believers deserve praise for their living faith, hope and charity. Equally true is the fact that many Catholics are in dire need of being evangelized and converted back to God. Yet this does not change the fact that by remaining outside of the Church you are missing out on some of Christ's most important gifts which He gave to us, as we have seen above.
I have been to some Catholic churches where the priest is boring. I am not being spiritually fed by his sermons, and I sometimes wonder if he even has any faith at all...
Sadly, it is true that there are priests who are ineffective preachers, who have lost their own personal faith or even actively dissent from the Church's teachings. This is indeed a tragedy, and we must pray for these priests and even evangelize them if necessary. It is also tragic that there are some who are ineffective in teaching and preaching the Word of God. Sometimes it is possible to find another Catholic church in the area with a better priest. If this is not possible, even though such a situation is indeed a serious problem, it is important to know that even a "bad priest" remains empowered by the Church to validly administer the sacraments. And so it is not quite accurate to say that you are not "spiritually fed", since even a "boring priest" has the power to give you absolution from your sins in confession and to give you the Body and Blood of the Lord at Mass. As for teaching and preaching, the important thing is to be well versed in Scripture and in the teachings of the Church as summarized in the Catechism of the Catholic Church (and its Compendium). There are also countless books, and resources available on the internet, such as Catholics for Israel's Online Course, though which you can learn more about Scripture and the Catholic faith

I am Jewish. I will never betray my Jewish faith and heritage.

"You can't be more Jewish than to be Catholic!" Explore this website to find answers as to why the Catholic faith fulfills Judaism without abolishing it and how you can be fully Catholic and still live as a faithful Jew.

If you do begin to consider entering the Catholic Church, what obstacles and difficulties are you liable to encounter on your way "home"?

Becoming Catholic has a cost. You will need much humility, an open mind, possibly the willingness to let go of old prejudices, and a deep and prayerful desire to receive the fullness of what God has for you. You will need to pray much and study diligently. You will need courage, patience and perseverance, both before and after your baptism and/or formal reception into the Church, to "endure until the end." You may encounter a lack of understanding and possibly rejection and persecution from your family, friends, and current faith community. Or, you may be faced with a lack of encouragement and even apathy coming from Catholics who don't understand your journey of faith and the price that it has cost you.
The journey to God is paved with difficulties, but it is also surrounded by God's infinite grace and all-encompassing love for you. He is calling you to a life of self-giving love. He is calling you to Himself. Will you answer the call?

What should I do now?

If you feel that God may be calling you into the Catholic Church:
Build your relationship with God. Pray daily - speak with Him and ask Him to lead you and guide you into His truth and light.
Study the Catholic faith, either with Catholics for Israel, or through other Catholic resources (see links).
Find a Catholic Church in the area and begin to attend Mass and to learn about Catholic prayer and liturgy.
Get together with faithful Catholics who know and love their faith so that they can help you progress on your journey to God.
Speak with a priest about your desire to become Catholic. Pay close attention to what he says, and make sure he is faithful to the Church. If you find that he dissents from any of the Church's teachings as taught in the Catechism, or tells you that you don't really need to become Catholic, leave and find another priest.
May the Lord bless you and keep you on your journey to God!

(Quelle: Catholics for Israel: http://www.israelcatholic.com/)