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Blue Collar Apologetics Session 5Handout Material

“The glory of God is man fully alive” (St. Irenaeus, Lyons).

Website infohttp://www.biblechristiansociety.com/home.php http://www.saintteresahutchinson.com https://www.catholic.comhttp://www.ofcuniversity.com

“The Catholic faith is like a lion in a cage. You don’t need to defend it. You simply need to open the cage door.”

Rules of Engagement

1. Pray2. Learn more about your faith daily…small steps make big changes over time3. Do not be afraid - Luke 5:10 10 (RSV2CE) and so also were James and John, sons of Zebedee, who were partners with Simon. And Jesus said to Simon, “Do not be afraid; henceforth you will be catching men.”4. View questions as opportunities5. Don’t get frustrated6. Don’t be afraid to say, “I don’t know”

Apologetic Strategies

1. The “ignorant Catholic”2. Be “Aw” fensive and not “Uh” fensive3. It’s the principle of the thing4. But that’s my interpretation

Reminder of 2 Essential Layers of Foundation

1. The Bible is a Catholic book!2. There truly is an answer for every intelligible question about our Catholic faith – it is your responsibility to go find it.

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How can anybody, even Protestants, call Mary nothing but an “incubator” for Jesus, that must be challenged by passionate Catholics.

I love John’s response, “I checked and sure enough, right there it was, Luke 1:43 (RSV2CE) 43 And why is this granted me, that the (incubator) mother of my Lord should come to me?

I wouldn’t have accepted that even in the Protestant world, but I sure won’t stand for it as a Catholic…once again how do we defend our faith, with a little come sense, some simple logic, and the Bible (which is a Catholic book).

One error I have heard over and over in my brief Catholic life is the attack on Mary’s perpetual virginity and they always seem to quote Mark 6:3 (RSV2CE) 3 Is not this the carpenter, the son of Mary and brother of James and Joses and Judas and Simon, and are not his sisters here with us?” And they took offense at him.

What is the answer to this, simple, there is no word in the Hebrew or Aramaic languages for cousin or nephew, aunt or uncle, instead all extended family members were called brothers or sisters. But that’s not all, this next passage

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shows that James and Joses were the sons of another Mary, not Our Blessed Mother. Mark 15:40–41 (D-R) 40 And there were also women looking on afar off: among whom was Mary Magdalen and Mary the mother of James the Less and of Joseph and Salome, 41 Who also when he was in Galilee followed him and ministered to him, and many other women that came up with him to Jerusalem.

And yet another scripture to prove the point, John 19:25 (RSV2CE) 25 So the soldiers did this. But standing by the cross of Jesus were his mother, and his mother’s sister, Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary Magdalene. And probably the strongest argument against Jesus having brothers and sisters by Our Blessed Mother, is cultural. If Jesus had a brother, giving His mother over to His disciple John to care for her, would have been a monumental insult.

Here’s another example from the Bible of the limitations of the Hebrew language, Genesis 14:14 (D-R) 14 Which when Abram had heard, to wit, that his brother Lot was taken, he numbered of the servants born in his house, three hundred and eighteen, well appointed: and pursued them to Dan.

But we already know from a previous passage that Lot was the son of Aran, a brother to Abram, making him Abram’s nephew. Genesis 11:27 (D-R) 27 And these are the generations of Thare: Thare begot Abram, Nachor, and Aran. And Aran begot Lot.

In just a few moments, and with the knowledge of just a few scriptures, some common sense, and some history of the culture, we have established that Mary

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was in fact the Mother of God according to her cousin Elizabeth, and that our Catholic faith declaring her perpetual virginity cannot be disproved by scripture. From this point on we can stand strong on these two Marian beliefs that have been part of our Sacred Tradition, long before the Bible was even written.

I misunderstood this next attack on Our Mother for many, many years, the idea of the Immaculate Conception. There are a whole lot of Protestants, and maybe some C and E Catholics that don’t realize this is talking about the conception of Mary without sin. Once I found out what this was, I was totally against it, it just couldn’t be true. I was sure Mary was in the same boat that all of us were in, the SS Original Sin, that everybody is born onto, and it was taking on water. No human being, other than Jesus, has been born without sin. Adam and Eve were created without sin, but anybody but Jesus born without sin, no…case closed. Not so fast Kemosabi, can any of us deny the fact that God could have had Mary conceived without sin, if He wanted to. And this is where, “it’s the principle of the thing” effectively comes into play.

But some Protestants will point out, Mary herself says in the first chapter Luke, Luke 1:46–47 (RSV2CE) 46 And Mary said, “My soul magnifies the Lord, 47 and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior… See there, gotcha, Mary herself says God is her savior, saved from what? It must be original sin, just like the rest of us.

Here is where “the principle of the thing” makes sense. John used the example of someone that could have, but didn’t become a drug addict. You can ask them,

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“did God save you from becoming a drug addict”, and their answer most times is yes. Your common-sense response on the principle of the thing, is, “so God by His grace, saved you from drug addiction, before you became one, right?” Here we have made to two important points, God could have had Mary conceived without sin if He wanted to, and that fact that God saves, by His grace, a lot of people from all kinds of things, before those things happen. Why can’t God, by His amazing grace, save Mary from original sin, before it happened, before she was conceived?

Some more common sense, who is more important Eve who brought sin into the world, or Mary, the Mother of Jesus, whose son came and defeated sin and death? Common sense says Mary, so if Eve was created without sin, doesn’t it make sense that Mary, the Mother of Jesus, as the greater of the two, would be conceived with sin? You may not get an immediate convert, but I promise you will get them to think hard about this…that is what happened to Jackie and me.

But here comes good ole Romans 3:23, (RSV2CE) 23 since all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. Surely that verse settles it, all have sinned. But listen carefully how they speak about this isolated verse, most of them will pluck this verse out of context and try and make it say something other than what the Apostle Paul was trying to say. Two quick questions will reveal very quickly if they are taking this verse out of context. First ask this, does this really mean absolutely “all” have sinned, and some will quickly say, “except Jesus”. But then ask them about babies, that question alone establishes that this verse is not saying that absolutely “all” have sinned.

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And then ask them if they as a believer are seeking God, and of course they will say they are. Then read them the 10th verse of this same Romans 3, Romans 3:10–12 (RSV2CE) 10 as it is written: “None is righteous, no, not one; 11 no one understands, no one seeks for God. 12 All have turned aside, together they have gone wrong; no one does good, not even one.” Does that include you, you might ask them?

They will, or should at least realize, they have used this verse out of context, in fact this verse is an expanded understanding of Psalm 14, and has nothing to do with the Immaculate Conception, see for yourself, Psalm 14 (RSV2CE) 1 The fool says in his heart, “There is no God.” They are corrupt, they do abominable deeds, there is none that does good. 2 The LORD looks down from heaven upon the children of men, to see if there are any that act wisely, that seek after God. 3 They have all gone astray, they are all alike corrupt; there is none that does good, no, not one. 4 Have they no knowledge, all the evildoers who eat up my people as they eat bread, and do not call upon the LORD? 5 There they shall be in great terror, for God is with the generation of the righteous. 6 You would confound the plans of the poor, but the LORD is his refuge. 7 O that deliverance for Israel would come out of Zion! When the LORD restores the fortunes of his people, Jacob shall rejoice, Israel shall be glad.

St. Paul in his letter to the church at Rome is talking about Godless people, and how the Jews think they are better off than the Godless Gentiles because they have the Law of God. Paul writes tough words about how the Law will not save the Jews, in fact it will condemn them.

And how about Mary’s assumption into heaven, is that in the Bible? Here again the Bible confirms that assumptions into heaven have taken place, Enoch and Elijah did not die, but instead were assumed into heaven. Then why not the Mother of God?

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Hebrews 11:5 (RSV2CE) 5 By faith Enoch was taken up so that he should not see death; and he was not found, because God had taken him. Now before he was taken he was attested as having pleased God.

2 Kings 2:11 (RSV2CE) 11 And as they still went on and talked, behold, a chariot of fire and horses of fire separated the two of them. And Elijah went up by a whirlwind into heaven.

Revelations chapter 12 provides strong evidence of Mary being assumed into heaven. That chapter speaks of a woman, with a body, not just a soul or spirit, crowned with twelve stars and clothed with the sun.

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Many would say that is not the Virgin Mary, instead this is speaking of Israel from whom Jesus came forth, or possibly the Church that was birthed by Jesus, and there is some creditability with both those interpretations. But common sense and common logic says in all likelihood this is Our Blessed Mother, bringing forth Jesus. Read chapter 12 and see for yourself and be ready to take the naysayers to this passage to show, not only the principle of the thing, but strong evidence as well.