Sacraments

The Catholic Apologetics section of The Catholic Legate is dedicated to providing our visitors with conventional Catholic Apologetics, including biblical, theological, and historical issues surrounding the Catholic Faith. Each topic-page is divided into sub-categories: articles, dialogues, debates, and Q&A. Visitors who are interested in suggesting an article or asking a question are encouraged to e-mail us their request. Should you wish to dialogue with one of our staff on an apologetics subject, please be sure to read our Limited Confidentiality Policy beforehand.

The Gift Giver of John 6
Frank Jerry has picked out a new Catholic Apologetic concerning the Eucharist in John 6. (Jerry - 5KB - 05.10)

Titus 3:4-7: Not By Works At All?
Visting apologist, Timothy Ouellette, refutes a false and anti-incarnational understanding of Titus 3:4-7. A short but excellent rebuttal. (Ouellette - 22KB- 05.02)

Infant Baptism and the Age of Reason
Is it correct and Apostolic to Baptize infants and children before the age of reason? Mark Bonocore tells us the answer. (Bonocore - 15KB - 04.08)

Confession Explained
Using Scripture and the Church Fathers, Mark Bonocore dispenses with Fundamentalist reductionism of Christianity. Christians do indeed need the Church for the forgiveness of sins. (Bonocore - 11K - 04.06)

Female Ministers in the New Testament?
Mark Bonocore dispenses with some liberal interpretations regarding arguments for female ministers. (Bonocore - 6KB - 04.05)

Baptismal Regeneration
Mark Bonocore serves up a concise but devastating piece for those Christians who deny the sacramental nature of baptismal regeneration. With the appeal to only a few scriptures and his rather penetrating insight, Mark shows how the objections to water baptism are indeed rather shallow. (Bonocore - 11KB - 04.03)

The Eucharist
The Eucharist is one Catholic belief not easily understood even by Catholics.  This article explains briefly what and why Catholics believe in the Eucharist. (Hartono - 38KB - 02.11)

Is Ministerial priesthood scriptural?
All "Bible only" Christians deny the ministerial priesthood because it is not mentioned in the New Testament.  This article shows that we have scriptural support of the ministerial priesthood from the Old Testament. (Hartono - 50KB - 02.11)

Born Again in Baptism
A tract on water baptism. (Pacheco - 16KB - 02.01)

The Male Priesthood
In this paper, Pacheco offer a few reasons why the Church does not ordain women to the priesthood. It is one of the most misunderstood issues in the Church and in society. To the modernists, it is the last bastion of male patriarchy that must be defeated; to the orthodox,it is the last untouched pillar which preserves the faith. It is not just a matter of a distorted and perverted ‘equality’ issue in the Church, but impacts on the very essence of Catholicity, impressing on the Church’s theology as well. (Pacheco - 16KB - 01.02)

Water & The Holy Spirit
Learn how the Scriptures and Jewish tradition are just laced with water baptism. (Sippo - 3KB - 00.00)

Baptism By Immersion Only?
Some Christians think that the only valid form of baptism is by immersion. Yet, the evidence suggests otherwise. (Sippo - 3KB - 00.00)

The Real Absence: Cranmer & Bucer's Eucharist
A sober accounting of Bucer and Cranmer's destruction of the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass and the disastrous effects on the liturgy in the Anglican communion. (Sippo - 10KB - 00.00).

Water Baptism
Learn the correct understanding of the term "born again" so that next time your Evangelical friend asks if you've been "born again", you can pull out your baptismal certificate to prove it. (Pacheco - 77KB - 98.09)

A Dialogue with Jesus on the Eucharist
From the sixth chapter of the Holy Gospel According to John, Jesus explains the teaching on the Eucharist. (Pacheco - 5KB - 05.09)

The Old Testament Sacrifices
Mark Bonocore dialogues with an inquirer into the value of the Old Testament sacrifices in light of the New Covenant of Jesus Christ. A very interesting read! (Bonocore - 52KB - 03.05)

The Disciple Who Went Away
Legate Staff Apologist, John Pacheco, corrects Mike Taylor's deficient exegesis of John 6. Mr. Taylor thinks he scores a few goals against some prominent Catholic Apologists. We just didn't have the heart to tell him that he had scored on his own net...until now. (Pacheco - 24KB - 02.05)

Infant Baptism
A short exchange on infant baptism. It's short because Art makes quick work out of the objection to this ancient practice. (Sippo - 7KB - 00.00)

New Testament Priesthood
A solid biblical defense of the Catholic priesthood is presented here in this exchange. (Sippo - 20KB - 00.00)

New Testament Priesthood - The Sequel
This exchange represents another excellent defense of the Catholic Priesthood and the Mass. Art makes quick work of the objections thrown at him. (Sippo - 45KB - 00.00)

Priestly Service and Other Issues
This lengthy exchange covers the priesthood, indulgences, justification, Luther and other issues. Very informative. (Sippo - 80KB - 00.00)

Clerical Celibacy Defended
Sippo demolishes the objections to clerical celibacy, providing strong arguments from Scripture. (Sippo - 29KB - 00.00).

Ukranian Rite of Marriage (Bonocore)
Sacrificing Jesus (Sippo)
An Unbloody Sacrifice (Sippo)
Baptism, Original Sin, and Baptists (Bonocore)
Baptism Etcetera (Sippo)
Christian Polygamy? (Bonocore)
Are Protestant baptisms valid? (Pacheco)
What are the origins of the liturgy's "pomp and ceremony"? (Bonocore)
Where is the Scriptural support for a New Testament ministerial priesthood? (Bonocore)
Does baptism now save? (Pacheco)
Where is "priest" in the New Testament? (Pacheco)
John's Baptism & Christian Baptism: what's the difference? (Sippo)
Why does the mass repeat the sacrifice of Calvary again and again? (Sippo)
The Fruit of the Vine? (Sippo)
Did Pope Gelasius deny the doctrine of transubstantiation? (Sippo)
Is Confession a pagan practice? (Sippo)
Was Celibacy linked to land ownership in the middle ages? (Sippo)
Has the Levitical line of priests been broken? (Sippo)
Are unbaptized babies lost? (Pacheco)