Questions about the Catholic Church and her people
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How do I become Catholic? The RCIA is the process by which non baptized candidates are received into the Catholic Church. Baptized members of other Christian denominations who wish to join the Catholic Church are not baptized again, but are received into the Church through penance, profession of faith, confirmation, and the holy Eucharist. The stages of the RCIA may be adapted to meet their needs. RCIA has four stages. The first is the Period of Inquiry which may lasts from several weeks to many months. During this stage candidates are invited to ask questions about the Church, share their own faith stories, and decide whether they wish to continue. Those who do continue celebrate the Rite of Becoming Catechumenate. This is a more intense period of instruction and introduction to liturgy, faith-life, and service. The Rite of Election, which normally takes place on the First Sunday of Lent, marks the transition between the Catechumenate and the third stage, enlightenment and purification. This stage covers the season of Lent and includes special liturgical ceremonies at the Lenten Masses, as well as more intense preparation through prayer and study. It climaxes at the Easter Vigil with the sacraments of Initiation-baptism, confirmation, and the holy Eucharist. The final stage of the RCIA is the Post-baptismal Catechesis. This stage lasting from Easter to Pentecost focuses on the mysteries of Christ's death and resurrection and helps the newly baptized to develop a deeper understanding of their faith. They now share fully in the Eucharist and are asked to live the Gospel in their daily lives and to perform works of service for others. The RCIA can also serve as a focus for ongoing conversion for all members of the Catholic Church. As Catholics see new candidates learning the doctrine, they are encouraged to study their faith. As they participate in the liturgical ceremonies welcoming new members, they can renew their own commitment to Christ. As they see the newly baptized begin ministries of service, they are encouraged to serve more generously. And those who act as sponsors, teachers, and "prayer partners" for the candidates have abundant opportunities for personal growth. --Excerpt from "We Believe..." A Survey of the Catholic Faith by Oscar Lukefahr, C.M. 
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The Holy Scripture, although written throughout many centuries and by many people, is in fact one single love letter from the Creator to His creatures. It is in the gospel of John that we find some of the most profound words of the entire Scripture. It there that we find out that “God so loved the world that he gave His only Son, so that everyone who believes in Him might not perish but might have eternal life” (John 3:16). It is that same Love that embraces each person on earth and that remains with us in the Blessed Sacrament. When Jesus began his public ministry, He was quickly faced with strong opposition from many members of the teaching body of the ancient Israel. In the 15th chapter of the gospel of Matthew, we see an example when Pharisees and the scribes came to Jesus to accuse Him of breaking the tradition of the elders. They could not understand why Jesus and his disciples did not wash their hands after a meal. In response to this accusation, Jesus said to them: “This people honors me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me; in vain do they worship me, teaching as doctrines human precepts”. Moreover, Jesus told his followers that “unless their righteousness surpasses that of the scribes and Pharisees, they will not enter into the kingdom of God” (Matthew 5:20). In the light of what is presented above, a question arises for the reason behind many customs, guidelines and commandments prescribed by the Catholic Church to her children. There are some, especially our Protestant brothers and sisters who only call for simple faith in Jesus as their personal Savior. They do not see any reason behind many customs found in an organized religion. In the same gospel of Matthew, Jesus makes it clear that he is not the enemy of the law or that he wants to abolish the tradition of the elders. As He pointed to his listeners, He came not to abolish the law, but to fulfill it. Moreover, Jesus assured his disciples that “until heaven and earth pass away, not the smallest letter or the smallest part of the letter will pass from the law, until all things have taken place” (Mt 5: 18). It is important to remember that when Jesus came to earth, He embraced our human nature, except for sin, and also decided to invite his followers to partake in the great work of salvation. He could have saved humanity any other way, but that was his divine will. Therefore, the Church He founded was both divine and human. It was the intention of the Savior that since her very beginning, the church was to be founded on the pillars of revelation and tradition. It is the tradition that contains the customs, rules and guidelines of the church that co-exist with the revelation. Unlike the ten commandments which are part of the revelation which never changes, the tradition grows and some particular customs such as the old time abstinence from meat on all Fridays of the year have changed. Today, the Catholic Church encourages her faithful to do so only during the season of Lent. God truly so loved the world that he gave us the best he had, namely His only begotten Son. It is essential to accept this fact in faith, but we must remember that God uses simple elements of our human existence to come to us. There are seven sacraments which are visible signs that are intended to give grace. In one of them, it is the simple gifts of unleavened bread and wine that once consecrated during Holy Mass that become the Body and Blood of Jesus Christ. Things such as sacramentals (rosary, scapular, statues) as well as certain acts of self-denial are intended to partake in the divine live of God already here on earth. There is a danger that one might focus more on the signs of God’s presence than on God himself. There are certainly those who like Pharisees of the ancient Israel perform pious acts, but deep inside are far from God. It is impossible to fall in love with an idea; one can only fall in love with a person, in this case is the Person of Jesus Christ. As long as our relationship with him is based on love, there is no danger that the particular guidelines prescribed by the Catholic Church for her faithful will stand on the way of the relationship. In fact, quite the opposite will happen, your Sunday liturgy will no longer bear the name of “Sunday obligation”, your act of skipping fish of Fridays during Lent will no longer be an inconvenience, but an expression of generous spirit, the Ash Wednesday no longer a gloomy day, but a reminder that life is fragile and so much that seems important in life is truly mediocre. What at first seems burdensome, for someone who loves God, it has the reverse meaning.
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One of the common misunderstandings among Christians has to do with indulgences. If in fact God had forgiven us why insist on the need for indulgences? The following will briefly attempt to explain the Catholic view of this teaching. From the earliest days the Church has understood that God’s forgiveness also included an act of restitution. For instance, if someone is guilty of theft, that person, if sorry for his or her sin, can be absolved in the Sacrament of Reconciliation. However the restitution, in this case the return of the stolen item, must also be made to complete the sinner’s repentance. Since sin always involves some violation of the Church called to be a holy community and the sacrament of Christ’s presence in the world, the Church is also involved in the process by which the sinner is reconciled to God. Not only did the Church decide when the penitent was ready to be restored to communion, but the Church also prayed with the penitent as he or she pursued the path of repentance. At times, the Church drew upon its own spiritual treasury of grace and merit to cancel out some (partial indulgence) or all (plenary indulgence) of the punishment still due to an individual’s sin. The first actual indulgences appeared in France in the eleventh century. They were at once a remission of some penance and a remission of the temporary punishment due to sin. Even into the thirteen century, however, indulgences were regarded as concessions to the imperfect, which more faithful Christians should not claim. Plenary indulgences, had come into prominence during the Crusades in the eleventh century when the crusaders were promised complete remission of punishment in return for their military service. Indulgences for the dead began to be granted from the middle of the fifteenth century. Their connection with almsgiving was established as early as the eleventh century. In the later Middle Ages, however, they became a convenient source of income for the Church and, as such were multiplied to scandalous proportions. The Council of Trent condemned such practices in its Decree on Indulgences, but perhaps too late, since those very abuses were among the proximate causes of the Reformation. The doctrine of indulgences is best understood in the context of the whole mystery of Christian existence. We are all members the Body of Christ. As such, we are beneficiaries of Christ’s saving work on our behalf. Death is not the end of life, nor, therefore, it is the end of our relationships with our loved ones or with our brothers and sisters in the Church. Our obligations of concern and mutual assistance do not lapse with their death. Accordingly, decline of interest in indulgences is inconsistent with Catholic principles if that decline reflects a growing indifference to the Communion of Saints and/or to our abiding spiritual responsibility toward our dead relatives and friends. On the other hand, a calculating, selfish approach to Christian destiny, where an individual is concerned primarily with the accumulation of spiritual “credits” is so in opposition to sound theological and doctrinal principles that the disappearance of that sort of interest in indulgences can only be welcomed.
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This time, writing his first letter to Timothy, he admonishes his friend “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” (1 Timothy 3:15. The explanation of this passage is this: For the Catholic, the pillar of truth is the Church. Paul does not tell Timothy to consult or read the scriptures to seek the truth. The scriptures so in fact contain the true Word of God but we must turn to the Church for an infallible interpretation of the revealed truths found in scripture. If we read the scripture in concert with the Church we will see truths in God revelation. We are not to interpret scripture in isolation but with the Church (2 Pt 3:16, 2 Pt 1:20). We can now move to another of Jesus’ apostles, this time St. Luke who writes: “He who hears you hears me, and he who rejects you rejects me, and he who rejects me rejects him who sent me” (Luke 10:16). What the inspired author points our attention to is that the Church today reflects a hierarchy that Christ established in the early Church. The apostles were given the authority to teach in Christ’s name. Again, Jesus didn’t commission the multitudes to have this authority; only the twelve and their successors (see Acts 1:20). Without an infallible teaching authority guided by the Holy Spirit, the Church would not have lasted 2000 years. Consider the 20, 000 plus churches which have been a direct result of the denial of authority. One can only image how the world would look like if there was truly one flock and one shepherd. Jesus promised us that this is what will finally happen at the end of time when He will draw all things to Himself. Looking now at the gospel of St. Matthew we come across the moving commission spoken by the Messiah to St. Peter: “And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the powers of death shall not prevail against it” (Matthew 16:18). The meaning of this passage is simple. Christ is the head of the Church but He did appoint a prime minister to build His Church. Peter was the first prime minister (Pope) to represent the head of the Church on earth. The name “Peter” (Kepha) means a large massive rock (not a little stone as some would suggest). Christ was not building His church upon Peter’s recognition of who Christ is but upon Peter himself. The powers of death shall not prevail against it. This means the Church will prevail until the end. Coming back to St. Paul the Apostle, we read in his letter to the Romans: “For as in one body we have many members, and all the members do not have the same functions, so we, though many, are one body in Christ, and individually members one of another” (Romans 12:4-5) This verse points out there are many roles we all participate in as members of the same body. We are all members of the same body but have been given different gifts and functions to carry out within the Church. The apostolic succession is manifested in our Holy Father, the bishops, and our priests. The teaching function of the Church (Magisterium) guides and directs the body of believers so they do not go astray. In conclusion, as we attempt to follow in Jesus’ footsteps, we need to keep in mind that the church he founded is both human and divine. Jesus is still the cornerstone of his church, but He also desired to share his authority with the apostles. There was a lot of wisdom in Jesus giving the authority only to his apostles. He did that to preserve the unity of his flock. As we have mentioned this above, the breakaway from this authority created countless smaller communities claiming to be “the true church.” The only way to unity of Christians is to heed the design set forth by Christ, the cornerstone.
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Therefore, there is complete unity between both the Old and New Testaments. Christians continue to read the Old Testament in the light of Christ crucified and risen. Such typological reading discloses the inexhaustible content of the Old Testament; but it must not make us forget that the Old Testament retains its own intrinsic value as Revelation reaffirmed by our Lord himself. Early Christian catechesis made constant use of the Old Testament. As an old saying put it, the New Testament lies hidden in the Old and the Old Testament is unveiled in the New.
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Therefore, there is complete unity between both the Old and New Testaments. Christians continue to read the Old Testament in the light of Christ crucified and risen. Such typological reading discloses the inexhaustible content of the Old Testament; but it must not make us forget that the Old Testament retains its own intrinsic value as Revelation reaffirmed by our Lord himself. Early Christian catechesis made constant use of the Old Testament. As an old saying put it, the New Testament lies hidden in the Old and the Old Testament is unveiled in the New.
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No one is really conscious of his or her first day of life. It will not take long to realize that there are other people living here who are similar, only older and taller! Beginning with parents, we begin to notice grandparents, uncles, aunts, friends and people all over the world. Sooner or later, they will all have impact on our life. Nature with all its wonders has never stopped captivating the minds and hearts of people. If one desires to find God, he should seriously consider taking notice of his great handy work: blue skies, high mountains, deep seas and countless above. It comes at no surprise, that many desiring spiritual maturity leave to spend solitude time with nature. The concrete walls that surround us in big cities make is difficult to experience the power and majesty of God’s creation. It may come to you as a surprise, but another place to look for the existence of God is you. I do not suggest that you are the expert on the knowledge of God. What I mean is, you have been wonderfully made in the image of God. You possess His attributes, although in imperfect degree. Again, because we are always in a rush, we tend to neglect to take time to enjoy the fact of simply existing! Once I came across a book on ten different systems that make up a human body. There is the skeletal, digestive, muscle, lymphatic, endocrine, nervous, reproductive, cardiovascular and urinary system. Our body, mind and spirit enable us to live and relate to others spiritually, emotionally, mentally, psychologically and socially. To me, only God could create such a being. It is nothing short of a miracle.
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We begin where the Bible begins, that is with Genesis. There we read that “when Abram heard tat his kinsman (brother) had been take captive, he lead forth his trained men” Genesis 14:14. In most translations this verse will refer to Lot as Abram’s “brother” but we know he is Abram’s nephew from Genesis 11:27. Lot was actually the son of Abram’s brother Haran. There were no Hebrew words for “cousin” or “nephew” therefore the term “brother” was commonly used. Some translation will more appropriately use the term “kingsman” to indicate a family relationship. Another defense to the Catholic position comes from St. Paul when he writes his letter to Collosians. Referring to Jesus Christ, the Apostle argues that “He is the image of the invisible God, the first-born of all creation” (Colossians 1:15). The word “first-born” was a legal term under the Mosaic Law (Ex 6:14) referring to the first male child born to Jewish parents regardless of any other subsequent children. Even though Jesus is the first-born of Mary, this does not imply that Mary had a “second-born”, a “third-born” and so on. This verse shows that Jesus is the first-born, of God the Father who had no other children. If non-Catholics make the assumption hat Mary had other children based on the term “first-born”, then God he Father must have had other children like Jesus. In case St. Paul did not convince you, lets try John 19:25. It goes like this: “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” With this verse and in Matthew 27:56, we see that the Blessed Virgin Mary had a sister or sister-in-law also named Mary. This Mary was the mother of James and Joseph and would be considered cousins of Jesus. With no word of for “cousin”, the word “brother” was used. There is a word for cousin in Greek but the early translators produced a transliteration rather than a strict translation from the Hebrew/Aramaic. This was done to capture the literal Hebrew meaning of the text. Our last selection comes from Matthew 27:56. In just one verse, the former tax collector writes: “among whom were Mary Magdalene, and Mary the mother of James and Joseph, and the mother of the sons of Zebedee”. This verse shows that some of those identified as Jesus’ brothers in Mt 13:55-56, were not his brothers but most likely his cousins. There was no word in Aramaic or Hebrew for cousin or other near relatives. This occurrence is not uncommon in the Bible. We saw it already above with Lot, Abraham’s nephew. A similar practice exists even today of referring to people in the congregation as “brother” or “sister”. As we have seen through the examination of the above passages, the Holy Scripture does not give us any reason to believe that Jesus had actual brothers. The reason why Protestants insists on their objection against Catholics is that they fail to realize that in ancient time, there were no Hebrew words for “cousin” or “nephew.” People commonly adopted the term “brother” to identify other close relationships.
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All of us can recall a time with an individual approached us at our home or on the street and questioned us about our Catholic faith. Usually these encounters are with Jehovah's Witnesses or sometimes Mormons. How should a Catholic respond? As a brief history, Charles Taze Russell founded the Jehovah's Witnesses in 1872. There is no record of their religion before this time, which is significant since a Church claiming to be the true Church of Jesus Christ cannot have begun countless centuries after Our Lord lived. Also significantly, the Jehovah's Witnesses created their own translation of the Bible, known as the 'New World Translation', which no Catholic or Protestant scholar accepts since it often purposely mistranslates parts of the Bible to fit their own particular beliefs. Among many other teachings from Sacred Scripture and the Early Church Jehovah's Witnesses do not believe in the Eucharist, Intercession of Saints, that Jesus is God, that the Holy Spirit is the Third Person of the Blessed Trinity, the immortality of the Soul or that there even is a Hell. So what should we do when they come to our door? First, be prepared. If you know your faith you will be more comfortable in defending it (they are putting in an effort so should you.) Second, stay on one topic. Often Jehovah's Witnesses will move from topic to topic as you answer their questions. This can become very confusing and tiresome. When you answer a question make them respond to you directly about that specific topic. Third, ask them some questions. You may not have all the answers but neither will they. Try to give them something to read or listen to. (Often they will not take these from you - ask them why?) Fourth, admire their effort. How beautiful it would be if everyday Catholics, armed with the fullness of Truth had the same Missionary zeal as they. For a concise and practical introduction to discussions with Jehovah's Witnesses you must get a copy of the booklet 'Beginning Apologetics 2 - How to Answer Jehovah's Witnesses and Mormons' by Fr. Frank Chacon & Jim Burnham at San Juan Catholic Seminars. They have a series of informative apologetics books and can be reached at (505) 327-5343
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At the time of Jesus, Hebrew was a dying language, Jews in Palestine usually spoke Aramaic. The translation of the Holy writings used by Jesus and the New Testament writers was the Alexandrian translation. This version is also known as the Septuagint, Latin for 70, so named because 70 Jewish Scholars, six from each of the twelve tribes of Israel, created this translation. The Septuagint contains 46 books. The Hebrew writings contain 39. The reason for the seven fewer books is that the Hebrew canon, which was compiled about 100 years after the birth of Christ, rejected seven books found in the Septuagint chiefly because they could not find any Hebrew versions of these books. They include the books of Wisdom, Sirach, Judith, Baruch, Tobit, and 1 and 2 Maccabees, (as well as portions of Daniel and Ester). The Christian Church continued to use the Septuagint
and in the councils of Hippo in 393 AD and Carthage 397 AD affirmed
the present canon of 46 books of the Old Testament and 27 of the New
Testament as the inspired books of the Holy Scriptures. For over 2000 years Catholics have been using the translation of Scripture that was used by Jesus, the New Testament writers, and the Early Church. The Protestant Church has accepted the authority of the Catholic Church in determining the books of the New Testament but not of the Old Testament. How can this be? If the Catholic Church was trusted to compile the inspired Word of God for the writings of the New Testament how can it not be trusted to give us Gods inspired word in the Old Testament. It can be truly said that if the Catholic Church did not write, compile, collect and authoritatively determine the inspired books of the Holy Bible we would not have a Bible at all.
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The following information was provided by the Tribunal of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Brooklyn. The TRIBUNAL is the ministry within the Church which handles those seeking an 'Declaration of the Invalidity of a Marriage' commonly known as an 'Annulment'. The Brooklyn Diocesan Tribunal can be reached at (718) 229-8131 There is much confusion about
'annulments'. The following are some things you may have heard followed
by some clarifications: 1. Annulments
make kids illegitimate: FALSE 2. Annulments are Catholic
Divorces:
FALSE 3. Annulments cater to the
rich and famous: FALSE 4. Annulments are a blame
game: FALSE 5. Annulments let dead beats
walk: FALSE 6. Annulments are (re) marriage
permits: FALSE
8. Annulments are denied
people with children or married many years: FALSE
9. Annulments are not given
unless each party agrees: FALSE
10. Annulments all lead to
Rome: FALSE
11. Annulments take years:
FALSE For some alternatives to Annulment - that is, for
some ways troubled couples may revive a suffering marriage - go to
our "Morality"
Section where we've posted a few valuable resources.
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For
many and varied reasons the use of wine transformed into the Blood
of Christ was not offered as regularly as the Sacred Bread. Some of
the reasons are the possibility of having the Precious Blood spill
for example, or that many communicants choose not to receive from
the cup. However, many Church’s are now again extending the use
of the Precious Blood to multiple celebrations of the Eucharist. The
Catechism of the Catholic Church teaches, "Since Christ is sacramentally
present under each of the species (i.e. Bread & Wine), communion
under the species of bread alone makes it possible to receive all
the fruit of Eucharistic grace. For pastoral reasons this manner of
receiving communion has been legitimately established as the most
common form in the Latin rite. But ‘the
sign of communion is more complete when given under both kinds, since
in that form the sign of the Eucharistic meal appears more clearly.’
(CCC 1390)
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When Catholics place statues in their churches and homes they are not worshipping the image but simply remembering who they represent. In much the same way all of us use photographs to remember specific moments or people in our lives. When we look at the image of a deceased relative and are moved to tears, we are not reacting to the piece of paper but rather the image which it portrays. If the commandment, which also says "to not make images of things which are in the earth beneath", were meant to mean against simply the "making" of images then we would break this command by simply taking the pictures of loved ones or nature.
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 In
revealing his mysterious name, YHWH ("I
AM HE WHO IS", "I AM WHO AM", or "I AM WHO I AM"
(Exodus 3:13-15) ),
God says who He is and by what name He is to be called. This divine
name is mysterious just as God is mystery. It is at once a name
revealed and something like a refusal of a name, and hence it better
expresses God as what He is--infinitely above anything that we can understand
or say; He
is the "hidden God", His name is ineffable, and He is the
God who makes Himself close to men. (cf Isaiah 45:15, Judges 13:18,
Catechism of the Catholic Church (CCC) 206).
Out of respect for the holiness of God, the people of Israel do not
pronounce His name. In
the reading of sacred scripture, the revealed name (YHWH) is replaced
by the divine title "LORD" (in Hebrew Adonai, in Greek Kyrios).
It is under this title that the divinity of Jesus will be acclaimed:
"Jesus is LORD" (CCC 208).
When Moses asks to see God's Glory, God responds "I will make all my goodness pass before you, and will proclaim before you my name, 'The LORD' (YHWH)" (Exodus 33:18).
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Our Lord who is The Truth later goes on to say to St. Peter and the apostles that ‘...whatever you bind on Earth will be bound in Heaven, and whatever you loose on Earth will be loosed in Heaven (Matthew 16:19). What Jesus does here is give His authority to His Church, which under the guidance of the Holy Spirit has safeguarded the word of God for two thousand years. Many today, as in times past, have difficulty accepting the word of God spoken through the Church. They say, like those in Scripture, "This is a hard saying who can listen to it?" (John 6:60) However, the Church has been commissioned to preach Our Lord’s Good News ‘in season and out of season’. This preaching of ‘hard sayings’ is many times challenging and rejected by people. Each of us would do well to reflect on the words of Christ in the Bible, pray upon them, and hopefully come to the conclusion that when the Church gives us spiritual and moral direction she does so not as one who wishes to add burdens to her peoples but as a Mother concerned for the spiritual, emotional and physical needs of her children.
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If our Lord was called Beelzebub by the antagonists of his day, is it not natural to expect, that His disciples would be slandered and defamed as well. As Jesus Himself said, "If they have called the master of the house Beelzebub, how much more will they malign those of His household." (Matthew 10:25)
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First, the Catholic Church does not forbid marriage but rather promotes and defends it vigorously and confers it as one of the seven sacraments instituted by our Lord. The reason for priestly and religious celibacy can be seen from the following scriptures. In Matt 19:10 Jesus is confronted by his disciples who after hearing His teaching on Adultery exclaim "If such is the case with a man and his wife, then it is expedient NOT to marry." Jesus responds by saying "Not all men can receive this precept but only those to whom it is given." and in verse 12 Jesus concludes by saying "He who is able to receive this, let him receive it." Saint Paul as well in Corinthians 1 7:32-34 encourages chastity for the service of the Gospel when he says "I want you to be free from anxieties. The unmarried man is anxious about the affairs of the Lord. But the married man in anxious about worldly affairs; how to please his wife." Remember that Paul himself remained unmarried. The celibacy of priests and religious is a call from God to those who must discern whether they are able to receive this precept for the building up of the kingdom.
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Remember also the story of Mary the sister of Martha and how she
anointed the feet of Jesus with very costly ointment. Judas lscariot,
who betrayed Jesus, objected to this saying, the ointment should have
been sold and given to the poor. (St John tells us that he said this
not for the sake of the poor but because he was a thief.) Jesus disagrees
with Judas and says to him, "Let her alone, let her keep it for
the day of my burial. The poor you will always have with you, but
you do not always have me." (see John 1 2:3-8). One would be
hard pressed to find another entity which does more for the poor,
marginalized and the outcast as does the Catholic Church. Even if
all of the masterpieces of history which the Vatican has safeguarded
for centuries would be sold and distributed to the poor the impact
would hardly be noticeable, and the treasures of civilizations and
cultures long gone would be lost forever.
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The Prayer Channel is always listening!
If you have a question regarding the Church or any other topic, please send your question to us using the form below. We can't get to every question but we'll try our best to get to yours.
The first place we will look for the relationship between Jesus Christ and the Church is the letter of St. Paul the apostle to the church in Ephesus. There the famous apostle to Gentiles explains to the early Christians: “built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus himself being the cornerstone” (Ephesians 2:20). The Church is built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets with Jesus as the capstone or cornerstone. The apostles and their successors were the authority within the early Church just as they are today. The Bible was not brought together into one book until 393 A.D. Apostolic succession was the primary authority prior to this time. Oral tradition was heavily relied upon, since many letters and gospels were still being written. No one knew which were truly inspired until 393 A.D. 
To answer the question about why Catholics still read the Old Testament, we turn to the official document of the Catholic teachings, namely The Catechism of the Catholic Church. There we are informed that the Old Testament is an indispensable part of Sacred Scripture. Like the New Testament, its books are divinely inspired and retain a permanent value, for the Old Covenant has never been revoked. The Catechism goes on to say that "the economy of the Old Testament was deliberately so oriented that it should prepare for and declare in prophecy the coming of Christ, redeemer of all men." It is true that the Old Testament " contains matters that are imperfect and provisional in nature. However, we are not to forget that the books of the Old Testament bear witness to the whole divine pedagogy of God's saving love. These writings as the Catechism puts it "are a storehouse of sublime teaching on God and of sound wisdom on human life, as well as a wonderful treasury of prayers; in them, too, the mystery of our salvation is present in a hidden way." Therefore, Christians around the world hold these ancient writings as the true Word of God. The Catholic Church has always opposed the idea of rejecting the Old Testament under the pretext that the New Testament has rendered it void.
The inspired Word of God, the Holy Scripture could very well be called the “love story” between God and His people. Written by many authors and throughout many centuries, it is the most important source of the history of salvation. When we say that “man does not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from God”, we precisely refer to Scripture.” St. Jerome said that the “ignorance of Scripture is ignorance of Christ.” Although the Bible is of high importance for Christians, there are other sources of learning about the nature of God. The attempt of this article is to present three of my favorites. 
One of the most interesting arguments that arise between Protestants and Catholics is the issue of whether Jesus had any brothers or even sisters. Since Jesus was called the first-born, some object to Catholic teaching by arguing that He must have had brothers or even sisters. Nothing could be far from falsehood. As we look at selected passages from Scripture, we will attempt to defend the Catholic position on this issue.
