The Best Apologetics? Living Our Faith With The Joy Of The Gospel

I read a letter to the editor recently that intrigued me. In it, a newspaper reader challenged a member of that paper’s editorial staff by observing that the staff member’s archive of published work suggested anti-Catholic bias. The reader went on to invite that editorial person to visit a particular parish to learn, first-hand, about the many services that parish offers to help the poor – regardless of any faith affiliation. This got me thinking about the long-standing notion of apologetics in Church history. 

Here, we need to be clear what is meant by the term apologetics in this context.  Rather than the use of the word in terms of showing regret or making a conciliatory excuse, as it is derived from the Greek, apologia refers “to a formal defense of a belief, an explanation or argument for one’s philosophy or religion.”  In this regard, there have been a number of “apologists” since the time of Jesus Christ and the early Church.  Some of the more famous apologists include St. Paul, Origen, Augustine of Hippo, Justin Martyr, Tertullian, Thomas Aquinas and John Henry Newman, just to name a few.  As a pioneer in the use of media for promoting and explaining the Catholic faith, Bishop Fulton Sheen was quite gifted in a more contemporary form of the term.  Such “defense of the faith or religion” was usually prompted by some accusation, persecution or inquiry into some religious belief, teaching or action of the Church.  Often underlying these accusations, persecutions and inquiries were some form of bigotry, prejudice, anger, false misconception or ulterior motive.  For this reason, apologists must first and foremost be rooted in prayer and striving to embrace the call to holiness, and be willing to sacrifice. 

As the tenets of the Catholic faith make clear, there are only two persons without sin; namely, Jesus Christ and the Blessed Mother.  All the rest of us, while dwelling on earth, have room for improvement.  Despite our imperfections, we strive to profess what we believe in word and deed.  After more than 2000 years, there remains a great deal of bigotry, discrimination and misconception toward the Catholic faith.  The scandals caused by the sins and failures of some members, among both clergy and laity, only add fuel to the fire of those who seek to justify anti-Catholic or anti-religion sentiment.  In the social media age, it seems that human beings are more apt to become locked into a particular way of thinking and then allow themselves to be moved only by information that reinforces or justifies their position.  This is certainly being played out in the current politics of our nation.  

So many wonderful aspects of the Catholic religion get taken for granted, overlooked, misrepresented or usurped.   A book was given to me a few years ago, just prior to becoming a bishop, with the premise that anti-Catholicism was the last acceptable prejudice in America.  Interestingly enough, the book was written by a non-Catholic.  Yet, the Church has been given a direct mandate by Jesus Christ, its Head, to continue His mission of salvation through the proclamation of the Good News.  We who realize the need for God’s mercy must continue to witness that mercy to others.  Consequently, the world, including many of our critics, is better for all the incredible spiritual and corporal works of mercy provided by individuals and communities that adhere to the tenets of the Catholic religion.  In a sense, by the very nature of baptism, each and every member of the Catholic faith is called upon to be an apologist.  The greatest defense or explanation one can give of the Catholic faith is by means of walking the talk.  In essence, as Pope Francis exhorts us, being missionary disciples of Jesus Christ involves our willingness to make a difference in the world by living our faith with authentic joy of the gospel.