Wednesday, July 4, 2012

An Act of Faith

Lord, I believe in You and all that Your Church teaches, because You have said it and Your Word is true.


I remember those words from A Simple Prayer Book. 


When, or if, we say that we believe in all that the Church teaches, are we thinking of what the Church has always taught, or the kind on 'nuancing' indulged in by ++s Nichols (speaking of mortal sin), Muller (writing about Our Lady's perpetual virginity and about Transubstantiation), and others whose names I cannot recall?


Or, to put it more flatly, whom is the simple layman to trust, because for the life of me, I do not know.

2 comments:

Brian H. Gill said...

About who can "the simple layman" trust?

I suggest these resources:

Der Heilige Stuhl/The Holy See/ La Santa Sede/...
http://www.vatican.va/

Catechism of the Catholic Church
(English translation, official)
http://www.vatican.va/archive/ENG0015/_INDEX.HTM

Some of it's not light reading: but I've found that what the Church teaches is available, fairly easily, to anybody who takes the time to look.

("Easily" from my point of view: 'your experience may vary.' ;) )

Left-footer said...

You are, of course, quite right in what you say, but I am more worried about the simple layperson who believes what he or she reads in the press and is afraid, or just gives up.

For many people, the Church is a bit like a piece of knitting. You pull at a loose end, and the whole thing unravels.