Defend your Faith by Word and Deed

Jude1:3 ESV
3 Beloved, although I was very eager to write to you about our common salvation, I found it
necessary to write appealing to you to CONTEND FOR THE FAITH that was once for all delivered to
the saints
Code of Canon Law879 The sacrament of confirmation strengthens the baptized and obliges them
more firmly to be witnesses of Christ by word and deed and to spread and defend the faith. It
imprints a character, enriches by the gift of the Holy Spirit the baptized continuing on the path of
Christian initiation, and binds them more perfectly to the Church.
THE ACTS AND DECREES OF SECOND PLENARY COUNCIL OF THE PHILIPPINES STATES
THAT APOLOGETICS IS NEED OF THE CHURCH
221 Ecumenical dialogue between the Church and these aggressive non-Catholic groups has been
rendered extremely difficult at the moment. The aggressiveness of their activities, and their ways of
evangelizing, perceived as negatively critical, have justly caused the Church leadership to be very
cautious in allowing any Catholic contact with these groups.
222 Faced with these realities, there is need of widespread catechesis and apologetics. We need
not apologize for apologetic catechesis. Since its birth, Christianity has been subject to attacks from
which it has had to defend itself. Jesus had to answer objections to His early Christian errors, and
charged his disciples to protect the faithful from them while keeping pure the deposit of the faith.
Apologetics has
always been part of the pastoral and theological tradition of the Church. We must today be willing
and able to defend our teaching in public fora, and we need to equip the faithful so that they can
defend their faith. Parish priests must encourage and support the training of lay Catholic faith
defenders.
Catechism of the Catholic Church
1285 Baptism, the Eucharist, and the sacrament of Confirmation together constitute the sacraments
of Christian initiation, whose unity must be safeguarded. It must be explained to the faithful that the
reception of the sacrament of Confirmation is necessary for the completion of baptismal grace.89
For by the sacrament of Confirmation, [the baptized] are more perfectly bound to the Church and
are enriched with a special strength of the Holy Spirit. Hence they are, as true witnesses of Christ,
MORE STRICTLY OBLIDGED TO SPREAD AND DEFEND THE FAITH BY WORD AND DEED.
1 Peter 3:15 ESV
15 but in your hearts honor Christ the Lord as holy, always being prepared to MAKE A DEFENSE
TO ANYONE who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you; yet do it with gentleness and
respect,
Acts 9:29 ESV
29 And he spoke and DISPUTED AGAINST the Hellenists.[a] But they were seeking to kill him.
James 2:18-26ESV
18 But someone will say, You have faith and I have works. Show me your faith rapart from your
works, and I WILL SHOW YOU MY FAITH BY MY WORKS. 19 tYou believe that God is one; you do
well. Even uthe demons believeand shudder! 20 Do you want to be shown, you foolish person,
that faith apart from works is useless? 21 vWas not ABRAHAM OUR FATHER JUSTIFIED BY
WORKS when he offered up his son Isaac on the altar? 22 You see that wfaith was active along with
his works, and faith was completed xby his works; 23 and the Scripture was fulfilled that says,
yAbraham believed God, and it was counted to him as righteousnessand he was called a zfriend
of God. 24 You see that a person is justified by works and not by faith alone. 25 And in the same
way was not also RAHAB THE PROSTITUTE JUSTIFIED BY WORKS when she received the
messengers and sent them out by another way? 26 For as the body apart from the spirit is dead, so
also FAITH APART FROM WORKS IS DEAD.