Sunday, January 29, 2012

BAFFLING MYSTERY

CATHOLIC DOCTRINES THAT ARE
MYSTERIOUS AND CONFUSING

TOMAS C. CATANGAY

“GOD IS NOT the author of confusion, but of peace…” (I Cor. 14:33, King James Version).   This is according to Apostle Paul in his first epistle to Corithians.
If the Roman Catholic Church was truly established by our Lord Jesus Christ and is therefore of God, then it should be devoid of doctrines that are confusing. Otherwise, the Catholic Church is neither of God nor of Christ.
            The Mass is the heart of Catholic worship. Catholics taught that it was instituted by our Lord Jesus Christ and, therefore, it is of God. If such a claim is true, then the Mass should not be confusing to Catholics laymen, especially to Catholic teachers.
But what does the Catholic Church say regarding the Mass? “…you cannot be a mere spectator at mass. You cannot simply watch the mass being offered. You must offer God to God and be offered by God to God in ‘Christ Jesus”.
“The last point is the crucial point: you are offered to God even as you offer God to God. For mass is what ‘for God. But you also place yourself in God’s hand to be offered by God to God. That is mass.” (This Is Love. p. 138). wondrous exchange’. God places himself in your hands so that you may have a fit offering
Catholics should not be mere spectators of the Catholic Mass. They should offer God to God, even as they are offered by God to God.
How is God offered to God, and how are Catholics offered by God to God? It seems that “God places himself “in the hands of the Catholics attending Mass. Simultaneously, Catholics place themselves in God’s says “That is Mass.” This is nonetheless confusing: What makes the Mass confusing?
“The words of commemoration, four bold, hard words which rage against the senses, are insignificant…There is something terrible in the words, something fearful beyond seeming contradiction between what I say with my mouth and what I see with my eyes. On that day it was though I had bent over a piece of bread and had told a lie, a monumental lie…
“I did not fully understand what I did as I said Mass that day. I did not fully understand the power that is mine, I do not understand it now. It is a mystery…
“’The priest does not understand himself; if he did, he would die’…” (The Restless Christian, pp. 170-171)
This is quite a frank confession! The priest is utterly bewildered-he does not understand what he does during Mass, nay he does not even understand himself. What he says during Mass, the “four fold, hard words” (This is My Body”) rage against his senses. There is a “seeming contradiction” between what he says with his mouth and what he sees with his eyes. Hence, the priest could not understand, he could not comprehend. He is utterly confused.
If a learned Roman Catholic priests are utterly confused regarding the Catholic Mass, how much more are ordinary Catholics?

ANTOHER FRANK AFFIRMATION BY A CATHOLIC PRIEST

“The word of consecration by themselves really do have the power to put Christ to death and should be conceived as really trying to do so. However, this effect is impeded by the miracle which has been worked upon Christ’s body which is now glorified and so cannot suffer…
“This theory is ingenious, but it is open to serious objections.
“First, as unsuccessful attempt at destruction is no destruction at all. Since these theologians deny that the symbolic death is considered independently of its aim (physical death), suffice for the sacrifice even though it contains no immolation at all…
“Second, it is hard to believe and cannot be proved that God conferred upon the words of commemoration and inherent powers which they can never carry into effect. This would seems to be irrational procedure on God’s part…
“Hence the actual death of Christ on Calvary is, in some mysterious and supernatural way brought to the altar. The redemptive mystery of the cross emerges into time at each Mass. Each Mass is an image containing, nor merely reflecting, the exemplar, Calvary.
“This theory has the merits of reminding us that the sacrifice of the Mass is a profound mystery which we shall never completely understand.” (Sacramental Theology, pp. 219-220)
            The Mass is a profound mystery which Roman Catholics, including their learned mentors, will never come to understand. So many theories were advanced by Catholic theologians regarding the ‘mystic death’ or 'unbloody immolation' made allegedly by Christ in the sacrifice of the Mass. No unity or agreement was achieved for the simple reason that the theories advanced contradict logical reasons. To wit: “…it is hard to believe and cannot be proved that God conferred upon the words of consecration and inherent powers which they can never carry into effect…”

RELATED MYSTERY DOGMAS

“The Incarnation although revealed, remains a mystery….The Blessed Trinity and the Incarnation are connected mysteries. In some sense they are identical. The Blessed Trinity teaches us that in God there is one divine nature, yet three persons. The Incarnation speaks of two natures, one divine and one human, but divine person, that of the God the Son. It is through the Incarnation that God has revealed unto us the Blessed Trinity.” (Whom Do You Say - ?, p. 42)
The study of the works and person of Christ is known as Christology.
“The Blessed Trinity”, “The Incarnation”, and the “Deity of Jesus Christ” are interrelated or so closely related to each other that the falsity of any of the three unavoidably pulls down the other two from their alleged truthfulness to scripture to being false or man-made doctrines! To support their contention that the above mentioned dogmas or doctrines are interrelated, they say that, “It is through Incarnation that God has revealed unto us the Blessed Trinity”. The alleged deity of Christ is “revealed” in the “Incarnation” in the sense that Christ allegedly has a dual nature, one divine and one human, yet they are not two person but one. This one person, a divine one, is allegedly Christ, “God the Son”.
Is this dogma of the “Blessed Trinity” capable of being understood?
“The trinity is a wonderful mystery. No one understands it. The most learned theologian, the holiest Pope, the greatest saint, all are mystified by it as a child of seven.” (God and Myself, p. 118)
The dogma of Trinity is incapable of being understood even by the most learned theologian of the Roman Catholics Church, not even by the holiest Pope, nay even by their greatest saint. The reason is that the Trinity is a mystery.
How about the dogma of Incarnation? What do Catholic authorities reveal regarding this dogma? J.P. Arendzen, D.D.,Ph.D., M.A., Author of Who Do You Say - ? has this to say:
“The doctrine of the Incarnation rests on the distinction between nature and person. In Christ there are two natures, the divine and the human, but only one person, that of God the Son, the second of the Blessed Trinity. The explanation of the mystery is beyond the greatest intellect, but the meaning of mystery is intelligible to the simplest child.” (p. 59)
Since the dogma of the Trinity and the Incarnation are interrelated and are classified as mystery doctrines, could Roman Catholic teachers explain how Christ is God? Let us read again J.P. Andrezen. Says he:
“The Incarnation must for us always remain unintelligible;…in the sense that our human intelligence can never see and therefore never explain how Christ is God.: (Ibid.,p.51)
The dogma of the Trinity, of Incarnation, and of the Deity of Christ are all incapable of being understood or explained, they being classified as mysteries, yet Catholic authors assert that the meaning of the mysteries is intelligible to the simplest child. How can this be? Oftentimes, a careful explanation of a certain belief is being made yet some could not comprehend its meaning, how then could the dogma of the Blessed Trinity, of the Incarnation, of the Deity of Christ be understood by the simplest child if even the greatest intellect among Catholics cannot explain them?
These mystery dogmas are also confusing or baffling:
“The Chalcedon divines were enable, by carefully observing it, to combine all the Scripture data relating to the Incarnation, into a form of statement that has been accepted by the church universal ever since, and beyond which it is probable the human mind is unable to go, in the endeavor to unfold the mystery of Christ’s complex Person, which in some of its aspects is even more baffling than the mystery of the Trinity.” (History of Christian Doctrine, Vol. I, p. 408)
The Trinity dogma is baffling but in some aspects the dogma of the Incarnation is more baffling! Remember the mystery dogmas are interrelated. Hence, the mystery of Christ’s complex Person is related to the Incarnation which is “more baffling than the mystery of the Trinty”.
The Mass, The Trinity, The Incarnation, and the Deity of Christ are all classified as mysteries and are all beyond their comprehension. Apostle Paul is absolutely right in describing those who teach doctrines resulting in confusion:
“Desiring to be teachers of the law; understanding neither what they say, nor whereof they affirm.” (I Tim. 1:7)
Roman Catholic authors desiring to be teachers of the law do not understand what they say and what they affirm. They are according to Christ:
“blind leaders of the blind. And if the blind lead the blind both shall fall into the ditch.” (Mt. 15:15)
“Woe unto you, ye blind guides…” (Mt. 23:16)

 
BIBLIOGRAPHY


Arendzen, J. P. Who Do You Say - ?
                          New York: Sheed & Ward, 1941
McDonnel, Kilian. The Restless Christian
                          New York: Peter W. Bartholome, Sheed & Ward, 1957
McAuliffe, Clarence. Sacramental Theology
                          New York: Vail Ballou Press, 1958
Raymond, M. This is Love.
                          Milwaukee: The Bruce Publishing Co., 1964
Scott, Martin J. God and Myself
                          P.J. Kennedy & Sons, 1917
Shedd, William G.T. A History of Christian Doctrine
                          Vol. I, Minnesota: Klock & Klock Christian Publishers, 1978
Ton, Peter; James D. Spiceland. One God in Trinity
                           Illinois: Cornerstone Books, n.d.