Saturday, April 5, 2014

Document Resources Saint Michael's Media : Document Resources

Saint Michael's Media : Overcoming the Darkness

Document Resources
  • Scripture
  • Catechisms
  • Canon Law
  • Vatican
  • Councils
  • Fathers, Doctors & Saints
  • The Catholic Encylopedia




    • Documents : Sacred Scripture
    Sacred scripture is perhaps the most obvious and public aspect of Christianity, and is rightly recognized as being of great importance. The Catholic Church is the Bible-based Church and the only one whose teachings are truly based on Sacred Scripture. But, in addition, the Catholic Church has protected and defended the text of the Bible through persecution, corruption and alteration. Today, the full seventy-three books of the Bible are called the Catholic Bible - differentiating the full text from the Protestant Bible which is missing seven books taken out during the Reformation.
    Study of Sacred Scripture is an essential part of being Catholic - the vast majority of Catholic doctrines find their genesis in dogmatic pronouncements on Holy Scripture, and the foundation of the Church Herself is recorded in the Gospels and Acts.
    Ownership of your own copy, or copies, of the Bible is all-but-essential as a Christian. It is also desirable to be able to use the modern technologies of the Internet and computers to search the text of the Bible, and we make a number of versions available on-line here.
    It is obvious to anyone who considers the truth of the matter seriously that a book cannot simply stand alone; a book must be correctly interpreted. The authentic and correct authority for interpretation of sacred scripture is the Church, the body which compiled and wrote the Bible. Many correct and orthodox interpretations of scripture, as well as scripture-based apologetics, can be found on the internet. As with everything on the internet, however, one must watch for anti-Catholic bias and faulty understanding.
    While every effort is made to ensure that external links are accurate and up to date, and that the information contained therein is accurate and correct, Saint Michael's Media cannot accept any responsibility for errors or omissions in external websites. If you find such an error, please inform us by contacting us.
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    Documents : Catechisms
    Despite what many Protestants would have you believe, scripture itself makes clear, sola scriptura is a false and incorrect notion - much of authentic Christian teaching is not found explicitly in the Bible and comes from Apostolic Tradition. Furthermore, scripture itself can be interpreted a number of ways, not all of which are correct.
    The Catholic Church has gathered Her authentic dogmatic pronouncements, Christian teachings and Apostolic Traditions in Catechisms. The Church is blessed by these documents, which draw upon the Bible, Tradition, the Mass and the experience of the whole body of Christian believers.
    A number of Catechisms have been produced over the history of the Church, and while all certainly present infallible and correct teaching, the more modern versions address specific issues which are current now and were not in previous centuries (such as stem-cell research, for example).
    The 1992 Catechism
    The current Catechism is essential reading for every Catholic, as it defines precisely what the Church teaches, believes, celebrates and prays. But the Catechism is not an out-dated text; the current edition of the Catechism was edited by a team headed by Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger (now Pope Benedict XVI) and first published in 1992. As such, it covers issues relevant and important to the life of each and every Christian.
    The Catechism of the Council of Trent
    Felt by many Catholics to be the quintessential Catholic Council, the Council of Trent took place in the wake of the Protestant Reformation. The Catechism produced at that Council is certainly an older text, but the truths it contains are no less potent or applicable.
    While every effort is made to ensure that external links are accurate and up to date, and that the information contained therein is accurate and correct, Saint Michael's Media cannot accept any responsibility for errors or omissions in external websites. If you find such an error, please inform us by contacting us.
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    Documents : The Code of Canon Law
    All Catholics live under and must conform to Canon Law, the ecclesiastical law of the Church. Catholic ecclesiastical law is a fully developed legal system, with all the necessary elements: courts, lawyers, judges, precident, principles of legal interpretation and a fully articulated legal code. This code is the Code of Canon Law.
    Canon Law covers many important aspects of the Christian life, and describes in legal terms the rights, privileges, responsibilities and duties of the whole of the Church; clerics and laity. The current code of Canon Law is known as CIC 1982 and was the result of a large number of changes made under Pope Paul VI and Pope John Paul II in order to bring the Code into line with the Second Vatican Council.
    The Code of Canon Law is interesting and instructive reading for all Catholics, especially the sections concerning the laity. Like all legal documents, it can be complex and sometimes hard to understand - we suggest that you seek advice and clarification from a qualified Canon Lawyer if the matter is serious.
    The Code of Canon Law (in English) on-line at the Vatican Archive
    While every effort is made to ensure that external links are accurate and up to date, and that the information contained therein is accurate and correct, Saint Michael's Media cannot accept any responsibility for errors or omissions in external websites. If you find such an error, please inform us by contacting us.
     
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    Documents : Papal, Church and Vatican
    Popes and various departments, Curia and Congregations of the Vatican produce a large number of documents pertaining to matters of the faith. Some of these documents are regular letters, while others are in response to world events or at the prompting of the Holy Spirit.
    Thanks to the wonders of the internet and the great level of education in the western world (the vast majority of us can read - something of which few could boast a few short centuries ago!), these writings are available at the click of a mouse.
    The Papal Writings - hosted online at the Vatican Archive
    The Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith (formerly headed by Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger, now known as Pope Benedict XVI) has published a number of documents which are of exceptional relevance to all Catholics.
    Doctrinal Documents - hosted online at the Vatican Archive
    Disciplinary Documents - hosted online at the Vatican Archive
    Documents on Sacramental Questions - hosted online at the Vatican Archive
    While every effort is made to ensure that external links are accurate and up to date, and that the information contained therein is accurate and correct, Saint Michael's Media cannot accept any responsibility for errors or omissions in external websites. If you find such an error, please inform us by contacting us.
     
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    Documents : The Councils of the Catholic Church
     
    The First Council of Nicaea - 325
    The First Council of Constantinople - 381
    The Council of Ephesus - 431
    The Council of Chalcedon - 451
    The Second Council of Constantinople - 553
    The Third Council of Constantinople - 680-681
    The Second Council of Nicaea - 787
    The Fourth Council of Constantinople - 869-870
    The First Lateran Council - 1123
    The Second Lateran Council - 1139
    The Third Lateran Council - 1179
    The Fourth Lateran Council - 1215
    The First Council of Lyons - 1245
    The Second Council of Lyons - 1274
    The Council of Vienne - 1311-1312
    The Council of Constance - 1414-1418
    The Council of Florence - 1431-1445
    The Fifth Lateran Council - 1512-1517
    The Council of Trent - 1545-1563
    The First Vatican Council - 1869-1870
    The Second Vatican Council - 1962-1965
    While every effort is made to ensure that external links are accurate and up to date, and that the information contained therein is accurate and correct, Saint Michael's Media cannot accept any responsibility for errors or omissions in external websites. If you find such an error, please inform us by contacting us.
     
     
    Documents : The Church Fathers, Doctors of the Church and the Saints
    Although Christ never commanded His followers to write anything down, instead commanding them to preach and teach, over the 2000 year history of the Catholic Church plenty of documents have been produced. Many of these, such as Sacred Scripture and the Catechism, are very well known, while others such as the writings of the Church Fathers and other saints are less well-known.
    Obviously, the writings of prominent members of the Body of Christ – especially if they lived during the years of the early Church – are extremely relevant to Christians today; they will give us greater understanding of the nature of God and how we should live our lives, as well as providing us with clear information about what the early Church believed (and, therefore, what we too should believe).
    If you are interested in using the words of the Church Fathers to bolster your arguments for the Catholic position, click here for quotations from the Church Fathers organized by topic and Catholic doctrine.
    The Life and Works of Saint Thomas Aquinas
    The Didache - the Lord's teaching through the Twelve Apostles to the nations
    Father John Hardon
    Although not (yet) formally recognized as a saint by the Catholic Church, this Jesuit priest is widely regarded as an excellent theologian and a prolific writer.
    While every effort is made to ensure that external links are accurate and up to date, and that the information contained therein is accurate and correct, Saint Michael's Media cannot accept any responsibility for errors or omissions in external websites. If you find such an error, please inform us by contacting us.
     
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    The Catholic Encyclopedia
     
     
     
     
     
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