Have you ever been caught dumbfounded by one of the following accusatory questions?

"Why do you Catholics call your priests "Father? The Bible says in Mt 23:9, 'And do not call anyone on earth 'father,' for you have one Father, and He is in heaven.'"

"Why do you Catholics worship Mary? The Bible says in Ex 20:5, 'You shall not bow down to them or worship them; for I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God.'"

"Why do you Catholics pray to saints? The Bible says in 1 Tim 2:5, "For there is one God and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus.'"

"Why do you Catholics confess your sins to a priest? The Bible says in Is 43:25, "I, even I, am He who blots out your transgressions, for my own sake, and remembers your sins no more."

"Why do you Catholics think you can work your way into heaven? The Bible says in Eph 2:8-9, 'For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith-and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God---not by works, so that no one can boast.'"

If you have been asked any of these questions, and have been left speechless and unprepared to respond, take comfort in this reality---you're not alone. These questions have been dropped on millions of unsuspecting Catholics for decades. Unfortunately, millions of Catholics, unable to respond with a biblical answer to these questions, have left the Church because they were convinced that Catholic teaching is unbiblical.

How can Catholic teaching be unbiblical? The Bible is a Catholic book.

The New Testament (NT) was written by Catholics. Then in the 4th century, to end all debate among the Christian faithful, the Catholic Church identified the complete canon of Sacred Scripture (the Bible): 46 books form the Old Testament and 27 form the NT.

In Mt 23:9, Jesus is telling us that no one should demand divine worship, except God, our Father in heaven. We call our priest "father" because he is our spiritual father in the faith. The Apostle Paul says in 1 Cor 4:15, "For though you have countless guides in Christ, you do not have many fathers. For I become your father in Christ Jesus through the gospel." If Jesus meant His words to be taken literally, do you think Saint Paul would have referred to himself as father? No. (Read Eph 6:2-4; Rom 4:11-12; 9:10; Act 7:2; 22:1.)

Mary is the Mother of God; but she is not divine. She was flesh and blood like you and I are today. We do not worship her; we honor her. We do not adore her; we venerate her. Adoration is reserved for God and God alone. We love Mary and pray to her that she might intercede to her Son on our behalf. In Lk 1:28, the angel Gabriel comes to Mary and says, "Hail, full of grace, the Lord is with you!" Then in Lk 1:42, Elizabeth, Mary's kinsman, says to Mary, "Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb." We hear Mary's response in Lk 1:46-48, "My soul magnifies the Lord, and my spirit rejoices in God my savior...For behold, henceforth all generations will call me blessed." Remember this important reality. If we pray to Mary and our prayer is answered, it is God who answered our prayer.

When a person is baptized, he becomes a member of the Body of Christ: the Church. When the baptized person dies and goes to heaven or purgatory, he remains a member of the Body of Christ. It is common for all Christians on earth to ask other Christians to pray for them. Christians in heaven are more alive there than they were on earth. They are nearer to God in heaven than they were on earth. When we pray to the saints in heaven, we are asking them to intercede for us with God. (Read 1 Cor 11:1; 12:24-27; Phil 3:17-20.)

Why do we confess our sins to a priest? Jesus gave the apostles and their successors the authority to forgive sins. Jesus says to the Apostles in Jn 20:22b-23, "Receive the Holy Spirit. Whose sins you forgive are forgiven them, and whose sins you retain are retained." Jesus understands human nature. He knows that we want to hear the words 'you are forgiven.' God forgives our sins through the priest. (Read Mt 16:19; 18:18; 2 Cor 2:10; Jam 5:16.)

Catholic do not 'work' their way into heaven. It is through the grace of God, that any man or woman enters heaven. God gives us the grace to have faith in Him and to do His will on earth. Non-Catholic Christians need to also read Eph 2:10, instead of stopping at 8 and 9. Verse 10 says, "For we are His handiwork, created in Christ Jesus for the good works that God has prepared in advance, that we should live in them." (Read Mt 7:21; Rom 2:6-7, Gal 5:4-6.)

The next time you're approached by a Bible-believing Christian, be charitable toward him or her; but confidently proclaim that you are a member of the original Bible Church---the Catholic Church. Go on to proclaim that the Catholic Church preaches and teaches the complete Word of God found in oral and written tradition. Then confidently invite him or her to join you at Mass next Sunday.

Confident, non-Catholic Christians, with only half of the complete Word of God at their disposal, are successful at pulling unprepared Catholics out of the Church. You, with the complete Word of God, can successfully evangelize "Bible-believing" Christians into the Catholic Church. Confidence comes from knowledge. Learn and depend your Catholic faith. Read the Bible and the Catechism of the Catholic Church. Be prepared the next time you're confronted.

For more insight read CCC paragraphs 120, 1172, 1422, 1430, 1441-42, 1849-50, 1996, 2683. Also, pull out your "Catholic" Bible and reference Lev 4:20, 26, 31, 35; Mt 2:10-11; 9:1-8; 23:1-12; Lk 1:26-55; Jn 2:1-5; Acts 4:25; Gal 1:18-24; 1 Tim 2:1-4.