June 19, 1999
To the Reader of these “Notes”,
Dear Reader,
Our First Obligation in life, is to save our own souls. Our next obligation is to help others save their souls, particularly those whom we may influence. In fact, the success of our First Obligation may often depend on how well we fulfill our second Obligation. An awesome responsibility for parents. The greatest Gift a Mom and Dad can pass on to their children is The Catholic Faith! Why? The Primary reasons are that only Catholics have access to the Seven Sacraments, which are the main conduits through which our Merciful God intends to give us His “Free Gift of Grace”! Only Catholics have access to the real Body and Blood of Christ through the Holy Eucharist! (For proofs of these Truths, the reader is encouraged to refer to these “Notes”).
Unfortunately, Evil abounds all around us. Some of the Evil looks like Evil and is proud of it! Some of the Evil however looks good and attracts the naïve and innocent into a religious system that does not have the Sacraments or the Holy Eucharist! They promise “Salvation” without using these Vital Aids which “The Master of Deceit” hates. This trap is particularly dangerous to young people. “Suitable” marriage partners are often found in religious systems that have kept much of the Catholic morality from which they sprang. They live good moral lives and speak out against the obvious Evil all around. They thereby attract many, even Catholics. The price of this “Good Life” is often separation from The Catholic Church! Indeed, these religious systems sometimes use half Truths and false Scriptural interpretations, to attack The Catholic Church and many of the Doctrines given to Her by Christ. Many of these “teachers” are very sincere and articulate but are themselves victims of incomplete or erroneous “theology’.
Therefore, even Parents who go to Mass and pray Rosaries often, will find their children attracted to religious systems, that do not understand the vital importance of regular access to The Mass and Sacraments. Many parents themselves do not understand this danger and see nothing wrong when their children leave The One True Faith! Many of us have failed to teach our children to defend their Faith – particularly when the children see not need for it! Which brings us to the question: Which is more Evil? Evil that looks like Evil or Evil that “poses as an Angel of Light”? Many, in order to avoid obvious Evil, fall victim to the ultimate Evil, separation from The Mass and Sacraments!
There are therefore many contradictory ideas all being persuasively presented as Truth. I have very bad news: Contradictory concepts cannot both be true! One Religion is not as good as another! Truth is not determined by how we “feel”. Nor is Truth determined by the number or the prestige of the person advocating an idea. Truth is revealed to us by Christ, through His Apostles and their successors for us to either accept in Its entirety (we cannot pick and choose what we will believe) or to reject it at our peril.
These “Notes on Apologetics” were put together from various sources in order to present the case for various Catholic Beliefs, not only for those who already have the Faith and want to get an introduction into how to defend It (and thereby avoid losing It!), but also for those who sincerely are searching for The Truth.
Of course everything written in these “Notes” is subject to the approval of the Traditional Teachings of the Catholic Church and any errors will be corrected as soon as possible.
Perhaps these “Notes on Apologetics” will make up, at least a little, for past inadequate efforts at meeting my Obligation of teaching those whom I should have influenced.
Yours In Christ,
Bruno