Why Be Catholic?

Jerome D. Gilmartin
jdgilmartin@hotmail.com
______________________

Dear defender of the Catholic faith:


For the past five decades, instruction in all but a few U.S. Catholic universities and colleges (and seminaries) has placed the seeking of friendship with Jesus “in danger of clutching at thin air,” as Pope Benedict XVI wrote in Jesus of Nazareth, 2007, xii.


These Catholic universities, colleges and seminaries instruct students that the best explanation for the origin of the four Gospels is the Markan Priority Two Source Hypothesis (TSH). In Catholic academia, this hypothesis typically holds that all four Gospels were probably NOT written by the evangelists, but written anonymously a generation later. The eyewitness reports of apostles Matthew and John in particular are reduced to mere hearsay evidence of the ministry of Jesus by the Markan Priority TSH.

“You are Peter and on this rock I will build my Church . . . I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven . . .” in Matthew (Mt 16:18-19), is missing (for a reason that should be obvious) in “more credible” Mark (Mk 8:27-30). Therefore, according to the Markan Priority TSH, Jesus probably never gave Peter primacy, making it doubtful that Peter, or any pope, ever had that divinely conferred primacy.
Why evangelize other Christians if the Catholic Church is just one of tens of thousands of Christian faith traditions, all equal in the eyes of God?

It is hard to believe that for the past 50 years almost all of our Catholic universities, colleges and seminaries have jeopardized the eternal salvation of students by giving dominance to the faith-undermining Markan Priority TSH.

Harder still to believe is that, at this writing, the Markan Priority TSH — which casts doubt on all four evangelists as writers of the Gospels — is also supported by the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops; e.g.:

“The ancient tradition that the author [of The Gospel according to Matthew] was the disciple and apostle of Jesus named Matthew (see Mt 10:3) is untenable . . .”
http://www.usccb.org/bible/matthew/0 .”

This Markan Priority TSH instruction by Catholic academia, as well as its affirmation by the USCCB, contradict the Vatican II document Dei Verbum and the Catechism of the Catholic Church, # 76.


The consequences of five decades of this errant instruction, now with USCCB support, are everywhere apparent.


As a defender of the Catholic faith you may be prepared to respond to a call, e-mail or social media post like the one below that not only challenges Gospel authenticity but backs that challenge with the quote above and others from the USCCB web site that cast doubt on all four evangelists as writers of the Gospels.


If you are not quite ready for that challenge, the article “Replacing ‘thin air’ Jesus with the true Jesus in Catholic universities” — posted at https://7stepcatholic.proislepublishing.com — outlines the compelling case made by proponents of the now “Major” Matthean Priority Two Gospel Hypothesis (TGH) which soundly refutes the faith-undermining Markan Priority TSH.


Coupled with the extensive evidence for the pre-70 A.D. writing of all four Gospels it becomes evident, with high probability, that eyewitness-apostles Matthew and John, as well as Mark and Luke, really did write the Gospels.


Prospects for one’s eternal salvation must again be assessed in the full light of everything Jesus said in the Gospels and what his Church states in the Catechism of the Catholic Church, (CCC) 2nd Edition; the “sure norm for teaching the faith,” in the words of Pope (Saint) John Paul II.


Jesus said “Enter by the narrow gate; for the gate is wide and the way is easy, that leads to destruction, and those who enter by it are many. For the gate is narrow and the way is hard, that leads to life, and those who find it are few.” (Matthew 7:13-14). Jesus also said to the rich young man, “If you would enter life, keep the Commandments” (Mt 19:16). Many young Catholics today, however, believe they can live as they please and choose heaven by repenting of mortal sin after they die. They would do well to read