Sola Ecclesia?

[Lion_Heart]

How? I like to look at it this way…

The United States is governed by a Government that enforces and interprets a document.

If the good citizens of the U. S. of A. were all handed a copy of the United States Constitution, and then told to go out there and live your lives according to this document… we’d have anarchy.

If the United States had a govenment that had NO codified laws to govern it, and the gov’t had free reign to do as it pleased; I think you know what kind of nation we’d have…

The United States NEEDS WRITTEN LAWS AND A GOVERNMENT TO INTERPRET AND ENFORCE THOSE LAWS. The two go hand-in-hand. Our lives as Christians are much like our lives as Americans.

To live our lives the most fully, and to achieve the ULTIMATE goal of joining Christ in His Heavenly Kingdom; we need the TEXTBOOK (the Holy Bible), and the TEACHERS (the clergy).

The Holy Bible is a GOLDMINE of holiness; to get the MOST from it, why not be taught by men who have dedicated their LIVES to STUDYING, LIVING, PREACHING, AND TEACHING from that most sacred book? The Church can NOT change the Good Book; ONLY TEACH FROM IT. That’s all it is! That’s all it ever was!!!

Greetings in Christ Rfournier103,

In your post the explanation is excellent and it is very clear.
The only problem with your explanation, it is only a part of the truth.

Rfournier103, you explained only one side of the coin.
We cannot over emphasize: Lack of knowledge of the other part of the truth can lead us into false security and to hell.

THE OTHER PART OF THE TRUTH/THE OTHER SIDE OF THE COIN:-

REPEATED and CONTINUED warnings throughout the Scripture that the Church has been infiltrated by Satan’s agents from the beginning.

FOR EXAMPLE:-
Acts 20:29-32; Matt.7:15-16; Matt.24:4, 11, 24; 2 Cor.11:13-15; 1 Tim.4:1-3; 2 Pet.2:1-3; Jude 4.

Acts 20:29-32; “ … After My departure savage wolves will come in AMONG you … to draw away the disciples after themselves.”

Matt.7:15-16; “Beware of false prophets, who come to you IN SHEEP’S CLOTHING, but inwardly they are ravenous wolves.”

Matt.24:4, 11, 24; “And Jesus answered and said to them: ‘Take heed that no one deceives you. … many false prophets will rise up and DECEIVE MANY … so as to DECEIVE, if possible, even the ELECT.”

2 Cor.11:13-15; “For such are false apostles, deceitful workers, TRANSFORMING THEMSELVES into apostles of Christ.”

2 Pet.2:1-3; “But there WERE also false prophets among the people, even as there WILL BE false teachers AMONG YOU, who will SECRETLY bring in destructive HERESIES, … and MANY will follow their destructive ways.”

Jude 4; “Certain people have SECRETLY INFILTRATED AMONG YOU.”

The infiltration of the Church FROM THE BEGINNING is NOT an accident. From this infiltration, throughout the Scripture we can read REPEATED and CONTINUED warnings.

For our protection we all have a DIVINELY GIVEN COMMAND to test all thing. 1 Thess.5:21 + Acts 17:11 + 1 John 2:26-27.
This is NOT a suggestion from God but a COMMAND OF GOD for every Christian TO OBEY IT FOR OUR PROTECTION!!!

The Catholic Church has the BEST doctrines of salvation. We even can say concerning our doctrines of salvation, we have the fullness of the truth.
Yet most Catholics believe some form of a “do it yourself salvation” described in Gal. 1:6-9. For what reason???

The Church is doing her duty:- Teaching the fullness of the truth about salvation. THIS IS ONE PART OF THE TRUTH.

Our “uninvited guests/darnel (Matt.13:24-30, 36-43)” are doing their duty:- Teaching lies/false doctrines about salvation. – 2 Pet.2:1-3. THIS IS THE OTHER PART OF THE TRUTH.

We should be doing our duty:- Obey God’s COMMAND as described in 1 Thess.5:21 + Acts 17:11 + 1John 2:26-27.
Allowing us the ability to distinguish between the Church’s doctrines and the false doctrines of the false apostles. (2 Cor.11:13-15; 2 Pet.2:1-3)

The devil comes up with every kind of lie, as to why we cannot obey the above COMMAND of God.

For example:
a. God didn’t give you the mental ability to understand His Word.
b. The Holy Spirit doesn’t help you to understand the Word of God and doesn’t teach you concerning all things.
c. So you can’t obey God’s command to test first what you believe.

If this was the case; God made a mistake because God didn’t give us the mental ability and the aid of the Holy Spirit to do His COMMAND to test all things before we believe them.

With other words: God has given us a COMMAND FOR OUR PROTECTION without Him giving us the ability to obey and to do His COMMAND.

Continued on the next post.

 

[Lion_Heart]

Continuation

REFER TO MATTHEW 13:24-30, 36-43; 2 Cor.11:13-15; 2 Pet.2:1-3:-
The false apostles will be among us UNTIL the harvest.

A true Catholic protects the Church and exposes the undercover agents who have infiltrated our Church and try to mislead her people.

Someone may say: This is an exaggeration, we have no problems.
If someone thinks we have no serious problems, please meditate on the following quote.

YOU CAN UNDERSTAND THE BIBLE By Peter Kreeft pages 230, 248, 249.
If someone doesn’t know: Peter Kreeft is one of the most popular and widely read Catholic authors today.

“Highly recommended to all those who want to deepen their spiritual lives. The beauty of this book is that it literally makes the [Bible] come alive.” – John A. Harden, S.J.

Quote: “The mistakes of the Corinthians were mistakes of addition; the mistakes of the Galatians was subtraction. The Corinthians had polluted the gospel. The Galatians had abandoned it for another religion, “a different gospel.”

No mistake could be more serious. Yet as we shall see, this is the single most common mistake in the Church today.

Galatians, like Romans, is about SALVATION BY FAITH.
The Galatians so missed this CENTRAL POINT that Paul called their heresy of self-salvation “another gospel” that is another religion, NOT Christianity.

MANY RELIGIOUSLY UNEDUCATED CATHOLICS still believe this Galatian heresy today.

Not a small minority but a large majority of the Catholics today not only don’t know the basic doctrines of the Catholic theology anymore, they don’t even know how to get to Heaven!

Until this unbelievable failure is remedied, it is pointless to pray to God for ecumenical peace and reunion between Christian churches.

It is not clear that one who does not even know how to get to Heaven can accurately be called a Christian.

I am not suggesting, as many Protestant Fundamentalists do, that most Catholics are not saved.

But I am suggesting that perhaps most will be saved as good pagans, as “anonymous Christians” rather than as Catholic Christians.” End quote. Emphasize mine.

IN THE ABOVE LIGHT:-
Members of the CAF do you believe the CONTINUED and REPEATED warnings throughout the Bible addressed only the hierarchy of the Church or the laity as well?

FOR EXAMPLE: Acts 20:29-32; Matt.7:15-16; Matt.24:4, 11, 24; 2 Cor.11:13-15; 1 Tim.4:1-3; 2 Pet.2:1-3; Jude 4.

Members of the CAF do you believe, God’s COMMAND for our protection, described in 1 Thess.5:21 + Acts 17:11 + 1 John 2:26-27 has been given only to the hierarchy of the Church or the laity as well?

Members of the CAF, according to John 5:24 our faith in the Word of God is a condition of our salvation and according to John 12:44-50 if we reject the Word of God, we will be judged by the Word of God.

So, can anyone even imagine that a just God could judge us according to His Word if He didn’t give us the mental ability and the aid of the Holy Spirit to understand His Word? If we could not understand what we reject, we could not be guilty.

With love in Christ,
LH

 

[Lion_Heart]

How?
Acts 8:27-31 ~
So he got up and set out. Now there was an Ethiopian eunuch, a court official of the Candace, that is, the queen of the Ethiopians, in charge of her entire treasury, who had come to Jerusalem to worship, and was returning home. Seated in his chariot, he was reading the prophet Isaiah. The Spirit said to Philip, “Go and join up with that chariot.” Philip ran up and heard him reading Isaiah the prophet and said, “Do you understand what you are reading?” He replied, “How can I, unless someone instructs me?” So he invited Philip to get in and sit with him…

Bear in mind that this argument will not satisfy anyone who absolutely does not want to be convinced. Good luck, my friend.

Greetings in Christ Rfournier103

I suppose you have quoted Acts 8:27-31 to prove that the laity are not able to understand the Word of God.

If we take out Acts 8:27-31 from the context of the whole Bible, we can prove: The laity are not able to understand the Word of God.

But if we interpret Acts 8:27-31 in the context of the whole Bible we can see: The reason the Ethiopian eunuch couldn’t understand the Word of God.

THE REASON IS:-
Before baptism the Ethiopian eunuch was on the spiritual position of the fall IN ADAM. Which position is:

a. He is under God’s CONDEMNATION. – Rom.5:18a; John 3:18b.

b. He is in BONDAGE OF CORRUPTION. – Rom.8:19-21.

c. He is a residents of the KINGDOM OF SATAN. – Luke 4:5-7.

d. He is SPIRITUALLY DEAD in sins. – Eph.2:1b; Col.2:13a.

e. He is ENEMIE of God. – Rom.5:10.

f. He is NOT SUBJECT to the law of God, nor indeed he can be. – Rom.8:7.

g. He is a SLAVE OF SIN. – Rom.6:17a.

h. He can do NOTHING.– John 15:5.

j. He “does NOT accept anything from the Spirit of God: he see it all as nonsense; it is BEYOND his UNDERSTANDING because it CAN ONLY be understood by means of the Spirit.” – 1 Cor.2:14 (Jerusalem Bible) Emphasize mine.

According to the New Testament: This is above the PRESENT SPIRITUAL REALITY of those who are on the spiritual position of the fall IN ADAM. – Up to date for today.

The NEW spiritual position of the Ethiopian eunuch after Baptism on the spiritual position of the Body of Christ, which is IN CHRIST:-

By prevenient grace, God has justified him, re-created him/he is born again and sanctified.
God also simultaneously delivered him from the spiritual position of the fall IN ADAM to the spiritual position of the Body of Christ, which is IN CHRIST JESUS.
These are God’s parts to do in our Baptism into Christ.

Below we can see the fine details of the work of God in our Baptism:-

a. RE-CREATED/BORN AGAIN:- At our re-creation God has MADE us sons of God. – Ez.36:26-27; Eph.2:1; Col.2:10-13.
From SPIRITUAL DEATH God has made us SPIRITUALLY ALIVE IN CHRIST JESUS. – Eph.2:1; Col.2:13; 1 Cor.15:22b.

This above is THE FIRST step in baptism. God makes the candidate SPIRITUALLY ALIVE IN CHRIST. – This first step in baptism, enable the candidate to receive the things from the Spirit of God.

b. Conversion into Christianity is always a two person job.

• One is a Christian who explains the Word of God to the candidate.
• The other person is God who gives His gift of formed faith, by His prevenient grace opens the candidate’s heart and mind and prepares his will to freely accept the gift of formed faith. – Canon 4 Council of Orange (529 AD); John 6:44-45.

c. JUSTIFIED:- At our justification God has DECLARED us just and declared us to be sons of God. – Rom.3:24.

d. SANCTIFIED:- At our sanctification God has MADE us holy. – 1 Cor.6:11; Rev.1:5.

e. God has taken us out from the power of darkness/Satan’s kingdom and raised us up together, and made us sit together IN THE HEAVENLY PLACES IN CHRIST JESUS – Eph.2:6; Col.1:13.

To clearly understand our Baptism:-

At the BEGINNING of God’s work/process in our baptism we are IN ADAM and we are on the spiritual position of the fall in the kingdom of Satan.

At the COMPLETION of God’s work/process in our baptism we are sit together IN THE HEAVENLY PLACES IN CHRIST JESUS, we are on the spiritual position of the Body of Christ and we have the mind of Christ. – 1 Cor.2:12-13, 15-16.

Quote: “AUGUSTINE’S CONTRIBUTION TO OUR UNDERSTANDING OF WHAT IT MEANS TO BE IN THE BODY OF CHRIST.
We are inserted into the Body of Christ by our baptism and become members united to the Head, so that while our feet may be on earth we are already in heaven.” End quote.
The above quote taken from a public letter of Paul Maloney OSA Written September 19th 2012

Continued on the next post.

 

[Lion_Heart]

Continuation

Conversion and Baptism practically a short event.

Please see Acts 2:41-47 the 3000 new Christians. + Added to the Church daily those who were saved. Please see also: Acts 8:27-31.

They were all baptize ASAP as they should, because God has already done His part of their Baptism, by Baptizing them into the Body of Christ/into Christ and justified them, re-created them and sanctified them.
2 Cor.5:17; “If ANYONE is in Christ he is a NEW CREATION.”

Justification, re-creation/born again and sanctification is one composite with three parts in it.
If we understand the function of each part, we can have a deeper understanding.

These theological facts above the REASON the Ethiopian eunuch before his Baptism COULDN’T UNDERSTAND the Word of God.

After baptism the Ethiopian eunuch UNDERSTOOD the Word of God including Isaiah.

What could any Christian do as Christ’s ambassador if he is a Bible illiterate and how could he obey God’s COMMAND given to him for his own protection in 1 Thess.5:21 + Acts 17:11 + 1 John 2:26-27?

Today as we have the Bible, the God given ability to understand His Word and the aid of the Holy Spirit to teach us concerning all things, we can obey God’s command given to us for our protection in 1 Thess.5:21 + Acts 17:11 + 1 John 2:26-27.

As it is described in 1 John 2:26-27, Bible study is always a two persons job.
A Christian who studies the Bible and the Holy Spirit, who teach and interpret the Word of God for the Christian. – Conditions: No private interpretation, we need to accept the interpretation of the Holy Spirit.

Then and ONLY THAN is a Christian able to distinguish between Church doctrines and the doctrines of the false apostles who are among us in sheep’s clothing. – 2 Cor.11:13-15; 2 Pet.2:1-3.

Quote: CATHOLIC SENSIBILITY, DEI VERBUM 21

The Church has always VENERATED the divine Scriptures JUST AS she VENERATED the body of the Lord, since, especially in the sacred liturgy, she unceasingly receives and offers to the faithful THE BREAD OF LIFE from the table of BOTH of GOD’S WORD and of CHRIST’S BODY.

For in the sacred books, the Father who is in heaven meets His children with great love and speaks with them; and THE FORCE AND POWER IN THE WORD OF GOD IS SO GREAT THAT IT STANDS AS THE SUPPORT AND ENERGY OF THE CHURCH, THE STRINGS OF FAITH for Her (children), THE FOOD OF THE SOUL, THE PURE AND EVERLASTING SOURCE OF SPIRITUAL LIFE.

“For the WORD OF GOD IS LIVING AND ACTIVE” (Hebr.4:12) and it HAS THE POWER TO BUILD YOU UP and give you your heritage among all those who are sanctified. (Acts 20:32) End quote. Emphasize mine.

[CCC 108]; Still, the Christian faith is not a “religion of the book.”
Christianity is a religion of the “Word” of God, “not a written and mute word, but incarnate and living.”
If the Scriptures are not remain a dead letter, Christ, the eternal Word of the living God, must, through the Holy Spirit, “open [our] minds to understand the Scriptures.”

Quote: The Catholic Understanding of the Bible by Fr. John Harden SJ.

“The Scriptures are holy because their main author is the all-holy God. But they are also holy because they are able to sanctify those who READ the Bible as NO OTHER LITERATURE in the world is capable of doing.

St. Thomas does not hesitate to speak of the Scriptures as a KIND OF SACRAMENT.
SIMULAR to what happens when we receive BAPTISM or the EUCHARIST.

The same Holy Spirit who first inspired the Bible CONTINUES TO ENLIGHTEN those who now READ the Bible.” End quote. Emphasize mine.

When in faith; READING or HEARING the Word of God we are consuming the BREAD OF LIFE, in which He (Jesus), Himself is consumed.

With love in Christ,
LH.

 

[spina1953]

Hi Lion Heart: I like what you posted and it is the best post so far that I have seen in this forum. Keep up the heard work you are doing as even for us Catholic’s we can learn and understand better our faith. Thank you for your post!!!

 

[shawnbm]

It seems strange to me there is so much hand wringing over the original post. The reality is that Catholicism is the vehicle in question, not the bible. The bible is a liturgical and teaching took of the ecclesia. The bible reflects that which the Catholic Church says is key to salvation. It helps the Church convey it’s message, therefore, it’s never inconsistent with what the magisterium teaches to the faithful. So, yes, Catholics value the church over the bible, for the bible SERVES THE CHURCH, not the other way around. Shalom.

 

[Your_Servant]

Lion Heart wrote in part:
“As it is described in 1 John 2:26-27, Bible study is always a two persons job.
A Christian who studies the Bible and the Holy Spirit, who teach and interpret the Word of God for the Christian. – Conditions: No private interpretation, we need to accept the interpretation of the Holy Spirit.”

Bear in mind that this does not work in practicality, unless, one concedes that the Church, not the individual, authoritatively discerns, supports and defends the truth. See 1 Tim 3:15
“…if I am delayed, you may know how one ought to behave in the household of God, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and bulwark of the truth”

Also, bear in mind that having the holy spirit is not an “Interpret the Bible without Error” card. Refer to 2 Peter 3:16:
“…as also in all his (St. Paul’s) epistles, speaking in them of these things; in which are some things hard to be understood, which they that are unlearned and unstable wrest, as they do also the other scriptures, unto their own destruction.”

The Church has always taught that as “there is no prophesy or scripture that is a matter of personal interpretation; (not coming by) human will, but rather by people moved by the Holy Spirit” (2 Pet 1:20), then similarly the understanding of the same likewise is not subject to personal interpretation. Or as said by the US Council of Catholic Bishops:
" [1:20–21] Often cited, along with 2 Tm 3:16, on the “inspiration” of scripture or against private interpretation, these verses in context are directed against the false teachers of 2 Pt 2 and clever tales (2 Pt 1:16). The prophetic word in scripture comes admittedly through human beings (2 Pt 1:21), but moved by the holy Spirit, not from their own interpretation, and is a matter of what the author and Spirit intended, not the personal interpretation of false teachers.”

 

[Lion_Heart]

Hi Lion Heart: I like what you posted and it is the best post so far that I have seen in this forum. Keep up the heard work you are doing as even for us Catholic’s we can learn and understand better our faith. Thank you for your post!!!

Greetings in Christ Spina1953,

Thank you for the kind comments.
We are all on this learning journey together.

With love in Christ,
LH.

 

[spina1953]

Lion Heart: Thanks for your reply. I thought after reading your posts that in Acts several thousand were baptized and also in the Gospel accounts several thousand were fed loaves of bread and fish by Jesus. What Acts and the Gospels accounts do not say but I think was very much understood was that women and children were there, even though it was not said, but think it was implied and I also think that the readers and hearers of that time understood it that way, I could be wrong about it but can’t at this point see any differently concerning it. I also want to say that your posts have been giving much to chew over as they make a lot of sense and its always good to be able to learn something that increases my understanding of our history and of our faith.

 

[Lion_Heart]

It seems strange to me there is so much hand wringing over the original post. The reality is that Catholicism is the vehicle in question, not the bible. The bible is a liturgical and teaching took of the ecclesia. The bible reflects that which the Catholic Church says is key to salvation. It helps the Church convey it’s message, therefore, it’s never inconsistent with what the magisterium teaches to the faithful. So, yes, Catholics value the church over the bible, for the bible SERVES THE CHURCH, not the other way around. ������ Shalom.

Greetings in Christ Shawnbm,

CCC 86 “Yet this Magisterium is NOT superior to the Word of God, but IS ITS SERVANT. It teaches only what has been handed on to it. At the divine command and with the help of the Holy Spirit, it listens to this devotedly, guards it with dedication and expounds it faithfully. All that it proposes for belief as being divinely revealed is drawn from this single deposit of faith.”

The Bible is the teaching book for EVERY Christian.
What the Bible teaches IS the key to salvation. – For example: John 5:24; 1 John 5:13; Rom.11:5-6.
Of course the Catholic Church teaches salvation as it is described in the Bible.

FOR EXAMPLE:
JUSTIFICATION BY FAITH ALONE by James Akin

Quote: “In fact, in TRADITIONAL WORKS OF CATHOLIC THEOLOGY, one regularly encounters the statement that FORMED FAITH IS JUSTIFYING FAITH. If one has formed faith, one is justified. Period. End quote. Emphasize mine.

JUSTIFICATION IN CATHOLIC TEACHING by Jimmy Akin

Quote: “The essence of supernatural love is unselfishness—doing something NOT BECAUSE IT WILL HELP US SOMEHOW, but because we want to do it out of SHEER LOVE for the other person, whether that person is God or one of our fellow human beings out of the love of God.

This is THE ONLY KIND of love that ultimately pleases God and therefore the ONLY KIND that ultimately gets us a reward IN heaven.” End quote. Emphasis mine.

If we believe: Work is condition of our salvation, then our works can NEVER BE UP TO THE ABOVE STANDARDS because we do it for ourselves to purchase salvation not for love and for the Glory of God, and ALL our work goes up in smoke at the judgment. In reference 1 Cor.3:11-15.

CANNOT BE OVER EMPHASIZE: This is THE KEY to do supernatural merit that God accepts and recognize!!! – There is NO other way to achieve supernatural merit which is the only good works.

Continues on the next post

 

[Lion_Heart]

Continuation

Quote from your above post: “The reality is that Catholicism is the vehicle in question, not the Bible.”

I wholeheartedly agree with you Shawnbm.
So, please meditate on the following two quotes.

YOU CAN UNDERSTAND THE BIBLE By Peter Kreeft pages 230, 248, 249.
If someone doesn’t know: Peter Kreeft is one of the most popular and widely read Catholic authors today.

“Highly recommended to all those who want to deepen their spiritual lives. The beauty of this book is that it literally makes the [Bible] come alive.” – John A. Harden, S.J.

Quote: “The mistakes of the Corinthians were mistakes of addition; the mistakes of the Galatians was subtraction. The Corinthians had polluted the gospel. The Galatians had abandoned it for another religion, “a different gospel.”

No mistake could be more serious. Yet as we shall see, this is the single most common mistake in the Church today.

Galatians, like Romans, is about SALVATION BY FAITH.
The Galatians so missed this CENTRAL POINT that Paul called their heresy of self-salvation “another gospel” that is another religion, NOT Christianity.

MANY RELIGIOUSLY UNEDUCATED CATHOLICS still believe this Galatian heresy today.

Not a small minority but a large majority of the Catholics today not only don’t know the basic doctrines of the Catholic theology anymore, they don’t even know how to get to Heaven!

Until this unbelievable failure is remedied, it is pointless to pray to God for ecumenical peace and reunion between Christian churches.

It is not clear that one who does not even know how to get to Heaven can accurately be called a Christian.

I am not suggesting, as many Protestant Fundamentalists do, that most Catholics are not saved.

But I am suggesting that perhaps most will be saved as good pagans, as “anonymous Christians” rather than as Catholic Christians.” End quote. Emphasize mine.

THE CATHOLIC ENCYLOPEDIA teaches the same thing as Peter Kreeft. Not exactly in the same diplomatic way.
Quote: “… Most Catholics are doomed to eternal damnation.” End quote.

Shawnbm and members of the CAF, after a wholehearted meditation of the above two quotes:
What are your opinions, what is the reason that “Most Catholics are doomed to eternal damnation?”

Do you think, maybe just maybe because of THE WAY “Most Catholics” view the Bible:
a. “The bible is a liturgical and teaching book of the ecclesia.”
b. The Word of God/Bible is not for the laity.
c. Furthermore, lack of study of the Word of God/Bible?

YET THE CATHOLIC CHURCH CLEARLY TEACHES:

Quote: The Catholic Understanding of the Bible by Fr. John Harden SJ.

“The Scriptures are holy because their main author is the all-holy God. But they are also holy because they are able to sanctify those who READ the Bible as NO OTHER LITERATURE in the world is capable of doing.

St. Thomas does not hesitate to speak of the Scriptures as a KIND OF SACRAMENT.
SIMULAR to what happens when we receive BAPTISM or the EUCHARIST.

The same Holy Spirit who first inspired the Bible CONTINUES TO ENLIGHTEN those who now READ the Bible.” End quote. Emphasize mine.

When in faith, READING or HEARING the Word of God we are consuming the BREAD OF LIFE, in which He (Jesus), Himself is consumed and we unite ourselves to Christ.

[CCC 108]; Still, the Christian faith is not a “religion of the book.”
Christianity is a religion of the “Word” of God, “not a written and mute word, but incarnate and living.”
If the Scriptures are not remain a dead letter, Christ, the eternal Word of the living God, must, through the Holy Spirit, “open [our] minds to understand the Scriptures.”

Greetings in Christ,
LH.

 

[PRmerger]

An argument that many Protestants seem to use is that, although we Catholics claim Scripture, Tradition, and the authority of Church as infallible rules of faith, since the Church interprets the other two, the only thing we really have as an infallible rule of faith is the Church, since the other two are simply reinterpreted by Catholics in light of the teachings of the Church, and thus the other two are subordinate to the authority of the Church. They usually coin a term “sola ecclesia” to describe this supposed view, because they consider it analogous to sola scriptura, which is the doctrine that Scripture is the only infallible rule of faith, and that any other authority must be subordinate to it. How would a Catholic respond to this charge?

If this is what is meant by sola ecclesia (and as there is no Protestant magisterium, but rather tens of thousands of different Protestant denominations, each denying the authority of another denomination to define things for them, there can be no single authoritative definition of SE…but I digress)…

The Church, the Body of Christ, defines the extent of the canon. She is the guardian and final interpreter of this canon. She defines the extent of Sacred Tradition, and interprets Tradition…under the guidance and assistance of the Holy Spirit, serving as her Head.

then I have no problem with declaring Sola Ecclesia to be a valid “sola”.