Bible study

Bible study
Question from on 05-20-2007:
Dear Doctor Geraghty, I know all the things the Catholic church teaches are not in the bible. I was raised in the catholic church. How does one know it is true if it is not in the bible? I know the church teaches that God has revealed some truths to the church. Where can we find those truths? Who did God reveal them to? How does one know for sure that they are true?

The church has changed some over time. Taking communion only in mouth was the norm for a long time. No one could touch the host except the priest. Now all can touch it. Did God change that or did men? What I mean is; did God reveal that to men to change to taking the host in mouth or hand?

Theer are some things the church has never wavered on, abortion for one. That is a good thing.
Answer by Richard Geraghty on 05-30-2007:
Dear Jim,

You have a good question. There are things in the Church which change and things which do not change. But there is so much confusion in the Church today where religious educators, both clerical, religious and lay people say different things. Get yourself the Catechism of the Catholic Church. Listen to what the Pope actually says, not to what many commentators say he says. Stick with people who profess straightforward loyalty to the Pope without all kinds of qualification and reservations. Eventually, you will be able to pick out the religious leader to follow and the ones to avoid. I know that this answer does not deal with the specifics of your question but the real question is not about communion in the hand or on the tongue, not about the old mass and the new mass, not about fish on Friday or not. It is about where to look when you have a question. I would say that you should look to EWTN and take what it says for hard cash. If you are not yet that sure about it, then look to what the Church says in the catechism. That you can take for a billion dollars. Remember the act of faith, which says that the Catholic believes in all the teachings of the Church BECAUSE God revealed them. When we believe that, we are home free. It is then just a matter of learning what the Church teaches. So get yourself a catechism. One has to be a very smart and informed sheep these days because the wolves are out there eating up the careless and dumb ones.

Dr. Geraghty