#1 - THE EUCHARIST

Misconception: Catholics worship a wafer, cookie, cracker or biscuit and some wine mixed with a little water.

True Catholic Teaching: Catholics only worship Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior. Based on Jesus's own words the Catholic Church teaches that Jesus is truly and completely present in the Eucharist. Take a look at the "Bread of Life" discourse found in John chapter 6 where Jesus says:

• I am the living bread that came down from heaven; whoever eats this bread will live forever; and the bread that I will give is my flesh for the life of the world.
• Amen, amen, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you do not have life within you. Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him on the last day. For my flesh is true food, and my blood is true drink. Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood remains in me and I in him. Just as the living Father sent me and I have life because of the Father, so also the one who feeds on me will have life because of me. This is the bread that came down from heaven. Unlike your ancestors who ate and still died, whoever eats this bread will live forever."

Since the very beginning the idea of Christ giving us His body as food has been a reason to turn away from the faith. The Bible tells us that many people responded to Jesus by saying "This saying is hard; who can accept it?" and "As a result of this, many (of) his disciples returned to their former way of life and no longer accompanied him."

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#2 - MARY

Misconception: Catholics worship Mary, but she was just a regular person like the rest of us. Also, Catholics believe Mary is the Mother of God. How can God have a mother if He is the creator of all things?

True Catholic Teaching: Catholics do not worship Mary. God ordered His people in the Ten Commandments to worship Him alone. Catholics only worship the one, true God in His three persons: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Jesus is the second part of the Holy Trinity. He is the Word of God made flesh (John 1:14). He is God.

Since Jesus is God and His mother is Mary, Catholics call Mary the "Mother of God". This does not mean that we think Mary made God or came before God. Instead it is testimony to the truth that Mary is the mother of the part of God that became human - Jesus.

The Catholic Church teaches that God specifically chose Mary out of all the women in the world to be the mother of Jesus. In the Gospel of Luke the angel Gabriel visits Mary to announce His coming and says,"Hail, favored one! The Lord is with you." Catholics believe that just as Mary's virgin body was kept pure in preparation for Jesus, that her soul also was kept free from the stain of sin.

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#3 - SOLA SCRIPTURA & TRADITION

Misconception: Catholic's base their beliefs on tradition and don't really read the Bible.

True Catholic Teaching: Catholics believe that the Bible is the inspired Word of God. It is a gift from God that reveals His great plan of salvation for us all. However, since it was written by humans at a specific time and in a specific place, Catholics do not believe that everything we need to know about God is contained in the pages of Scripture. As John says at the end of his Gospel, "There are also many other things that Jesus did, but if these were to be described individually, I do not think the whole world would contain the books that would be written." The Catholic Church's Traditions are those things that the Apostles witnessed and handed down by word of mouth and by example over the years, but were not recorded in the final version of the Bible.

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#4 - PAPAL AUTHORITY

Misconception: Catholic's believe the Pope can never be wrong about anything. They say he is infallible.

True Catholic Teaching: The word "infallible" does not mean that the Pope is perfect. It also does not mean that the Pope knows everything. Instead, "infallibility" only applies when the Pope speaks about solemn, official teachings on faith and morals. This does not happen very often and usually is in response to a doctrine that has been called into question. This teaching is based on the promise Christ gave to His Church in John 16:13 that the Holy Spirit would "guide you to all truth."

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#5 - PURGATORY

Misconception: Catholic's believe that Purgatory is a temporary hell where people are punished for their sins.

True Catholic Teaching: The Catholic Church believes that when a person dies his soul is judged. Heaven is reserved for those who are "perfect, just as your heavenly Father is perfect." (Matthew 5:48). Souls in heaven rest in God's presence for eternity. Hell is reserved for those who have rejected God. Souls in hell are completely cut off from God's love for eternity. The majority of humans are in the middle of the road: not perfect, but not evil. The Catholic Church teaches that people who die with imperfections on their soul are rewarded with heaven, but first must undergo a time of purification before entering heaven. The time of purification is called Purgatory. Paul tells us in Hebrews 12:5-6: "My son, do not disdain the discipline of the Lord or lose heart when reproved by him; for whom the Lord loves, he disciplines; he scourges every son he acknowledges."

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#6 - END TIMES & THE RAPTURE

Misconception: Catholics will be "left behind" when Jesus comes in the Rapture.

True Catholic Teaching: The Catholic Church believes that the world will undergo a final trial and that an Anti-Christ will appear before Christ returns in His Second Coming (Article 7, Catechism of the Catholic Church). During this second coming Christ will gather all people to Him and separate those going to heaven from those being sent to hell (Matthew 25:31-46). The Catholic Church does not believe in a "Rapture" where some will be taken and some will be left behind.

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