What is the purpose of Apologetics?

[Pace]

What is the purpose of apologetics? What is the faith we are defending?

What would God do if every Catholic were receiving Communion “to their condemnation”, not perceiving the body of the Lord?

 

[StCsDavid]

Pace:

What is the purpose of apologetics? What is the faith we are defending?

What would God do if every Catholic were receiving Communion “to their condemnation”, not perceiving the body of the Lord?

Vatican II calls for renewed evangelization in the faith. I suppose apologetics are part of that. In my humble opinion, it’s not so much defending the faith but spreading the awesome, wonderful news about the gift our Lord Jesus Christ has given to the world.

I can’t begin to speak for what God would do if no one believed in the body, blood, soul and divinity of the Eucharist. Given the million plus kids I see rejoicing in the Lord at the World Youth Day conference…I feel pretty safe that He won’t experience that kind of abandonment anytime soon.

 

[Sherlock]

The purpose of apologetics is to explain and defend the teachings of Christ and His Church.

As for your second question: I’m not God, and so I have no idea how every Catholic receiving unworthily will be judged by God. Perhaps some will be less culpable because of their poor catechesis. I will pray for their souls—that much I can say for sure.

 

[Fidelis]

Pace:

What is the purpose of apologetics? What is the faith we are defending?

What would God do if every Catholic were receiving Communion “to their condemnation”, not perceiving the body of the Lord?

Apologetics has two purposes, in my mind.

The first is as a handmaiden to evangelization. Because of centuries of predjudice and misinformation, many people cannot not be brought to a point of considering Catholicism until certains barriers in their thinking are torn down. Apologetics helps do this.

The second is it helps keep people who might leave Catholicism from doing so because no one ever explained one or more facets of the Faith to them. Many people leave Catholicism because no one was ready, willing and/or able to explain something. This should never happen. If someone is going to reject the Faith, they should reject the real thing, not out of miscomprehension of it.

 

[Pace]

StCsDavid:

Vatican II calls for renewed evangelization in the faith. I suppose apologetics are part of that. In my humble opinion, it’s not so much defending the faith but spreading the awesome, wonderful news about the gift our Lord Jesus Christ has given to the world.

I can’t begin to speak for what God would do if no one believed in the body, blood, soul and divinity of the Eucharist. Given the million plus kids I see rejoicing in the Lord at the World Youth Day conference…I feel pretty safe that He won’t experience that kind of abandonment anytime soon.

But, in a way, doesn’t the Lord we receive in the Eucharist change with each new day? The Lord we receive is active in that very day, doing surprising things in the world. Some of us might even be surprised at the things he allows to occur. So, what happens when the seemingly unjust things that we see occuring in the world don’t at all resemble the Lord we think we are receiving in Communion?

 

[banjo]

Pace:

But, in a way, doesn’t the Lord we receive in the Eucharist change with each new day? The Lord we receive is active in that very day, doing surprising things in the world. Some of us might even be surprised at the things he allows to occur. So, what happens when the seemingly unjust things that we see occuring in the world don’t at all resemble the Lord we think we are receiving in Communion?

My response to your first question would be no; God is unchangeable. Concerning your second question, I don’t understand what you mean when you ask, “So what happens…”

 

[Sherlock]

Pace:

But, in a way, doesn’t the Lord we receive in the Eucharist change with each new day? The Lord we receive is active in that very day, doing surprising things in the world. Some of us might even be surprised at the things he allows to occur. So, what happens when the seemingly unjust things that we see occuring in the world don’t at all resemble the Lord we think we are receiving in Communion?

God is unchangeable—that’s a very basic understanding of Christians. It comes with being a Perfect Being and Infinite. Sorry, but I don’t know what it is you are trying to say. Nor do I understand what you mean when you say that events in the world don’t resemble the Lord in the Eucharist.

 

[adnauseum]

The events in the world as I see them bear no resemblance to the reality Mister Einstein described.

I have two options:

Claim that Mister Einstein must be wrong.
Admit that I don’t know enough to make that judgment.

Obviously you should take the second route.

In other words, if there’s something you don’t understand, bury yourself in it by praying and studying.

Do I have an answer for you?

No but I tend to be the trusting sort when it comes to divine providence, and if I were really troubled by the question I would seek.

 

[Pace]

Sherlock:

Nor do I understand what you mean when you say that events in the world don’t resemble the Lord in the Eucharist.

I meant that today’s world is very psychologically trying for the professed Christian. Many feel that they have found some comfort in The Passion of the Christ. But cetainly, before that, there was a lot of confusion (and anger) about why the Lord wasn’t taking any action. (My view, which is well known by many here, is that He had indeed been active all these years in the art of Lynch and von Trier.)

But my point is, what happens when that attitude of frustration we feel toward God contrasts with the communion we are called to in the Eucharist? It can torment us to such a degree that we come to feel that we are communing with someone who is a silent and willing witness to our molestation, or abuse.

There is a world of difference between believing that God has only recently taken action (The Passion), and believing that God has been nothing but active all these years - even to the point of exhaustion (Lynch and von Trier).

 

[Sirach14]

There is a whole laundry list of anti-Catholic garbage in my post “In defense of former Jesuit Alberto Rivera” Our purpose is to defend our Church against these accusations.
Who would join a church if he thought these charges were true?