7 More Harmful Catholic Urban Legends

In a previous post I made a list of seven common Catholic urban legends.  These are things which many Catholics believe to be true about their faith, but are actually not the case.  And sometimes these lead people into great harm.

Today I want to continue with seven more. 


Myth #8: The Eucharist cannot make you ill.

The Church teaches that during the Mass, the elements of bread and wine become the body and blood of Jesus Christ.  However, the Eucharist continues to bear all the detectable appearances of the bread and wine.  That extends to every kind of physical inspection - even inspections conducted by your gut or immune system.

Some people mistakenly think that if the Eucharist really was the body of Christ, it would be incapable of upsetting the stomachs of people who are gluten intolerant.  Or that people should be able to sneeze on the Eucharist without transferring germs. 

Nope.  Germs placed on the Eucharist will behave just like germs on any other surface.  And your stomach will likewise react as if it was given ordinary gluten-filled bread.  A person who grasps transubstantiation should expect this.

Myth #9: Heaven is a timeless state.

The Church teaches that God transcends time.  He is eternal and changeless.  All moments of time are equally present to Him.  There are many ways of saying it. [CCC 221, 600]

Now, Heaven is rightly described as "going to be with God" or "dwelling with God for eternity".  This leads many to conclude that we will also be outside time when when we're in Heaven.

Nope. 

Scripture reveals that even after we die we will still undergo a sequence of events.  First we'll be judged.  Then we undergo purification.  Then we enter into heaven without our bodies.  Then we'll experience the resurrection. [Heb 9:27, 1Cor 3:15, Rev. 7:9, 1Cor. 15:42]  

The point is we continue undergoing a sequence of events.  This means we are still experiencing time in at least some form.

When you think about it through, the nature of all creatures is essentially bound up with time.  That's because every creature can always point to three moments:

• Before my creation.
• The moment of my creation.
• Now. 

Thus, only the uncreated divine essence can ever be timeless. 




Myth #10: Catholics cannot marry protestants.

A Catholic can get married to a non-Catholic Christian, and even to a non-Christian. The Catechism states:

“Difference of confession between the spouses does not constitute an insurmountable obstacle for marriage, when they succeed in placing in common what they have received from their respective communities, and learn from each other the way in which each lives in fidelity to Christ.” - CCC 1634

However, it then goes on for another three paragraphs about all the difficulties endemic to such an arrangement.  Those include:

• Different ideas about sexual morality.
• Different ideas about the permanence of marriage and the impossibility of divorce.
• Tension between where to go on Sunday for worship.
• Temptation toward indifference and laxity in practicing the faith.
• Children confused about a religiously divided household.

There are a few more stipulations, but the point is its still possible.  Whether or not it is wise depends on each individual case.

Myth #11: Infant baptisms are not permitted during Lent.

A particularly dangerous myth. Two things combine to create this one.

First, it is customary to baptize adults during the Easter season.  That can be found in section 856 of the Code of Canon Law:

"Although baptism can be celebrated on any day, it is nevertheless recommended that it be celebrated ordinarily on Sunday or, if possible, at the Easter Vigil."

Second, many parishes do not have marriage ceremonies during Lent because they feel the festivities aren't proper for the season.  Taken together, many people come to think there is also a rule against baptizing infants during Lent.

That... to put it mildly ... is a terrible error.  Regarding the baptism of infants, the Code of Canon Law states:

"Parents are obliged to take care that infants are baptized in the first few weeks; as soon as possible after the birth or even before it, they are to go to the pastor to request the sacrament for their child and to be prepared properly for it." - CCL 867

In other words, there is no law forbidding baptisms during lent.  Forcing a delay in baptism deprives a child of the Sacrament and forces the parents to violate their obligations. 

Myth #12: NFP is only for "grave reasons".

The Catholic Church says married couples can have sex without intending to produce a child.  However, it also says you cannot do this by any means you wish.  It famously (infamously?) says the use of contraception is intrinsically immoral. [CCC 2399]

Thus, couples who wish to postpone pregnancy must use the natural stages of a woman’s menstrual cycle to do this.  The modern form of this is called “Natural Family Planning” (NFP).  However, there are some Catholics who insist further that a couple needs a “grave reason” to postpone a pregnancy through NFP.

Now, in the world of Church-speak, the word “grave” implies a situation of terrible danger or imminent death. So if these folks are correct, the only time one could licitly delay a pregnancy using NFP is if pregnancy presents the woman or family with mortal danger.

However, the Church never actually says a “grave” reason is needed to use NFP.  According to the official English translation of Humanae Vitae found on the Vatican website, one needs a “serious” or “well-grounded” or “acceptable” reason [HV. 16].  The Catechism of the Catholic Church says one needs a “just” reason [CCC 2368].

What exactly constitutes a “just” or “serious” reason?  The Church does not micromanage at that level.  It is left up to the discernment of the married couple. 

Myth #13: The children of annulled marriages are illegitimate.

"Illegitimacy" is an old-fashioned legal concept which refers to a child born outside of wedlock.  While the concept is pretty much obsolete these days, it continues to carry a stigma.

Now, the Church (following Jesus) teaches that divorce among Christians is impossible.  The bond lasts as long as both spouses are alive, no matter what.

However, it is possible for a person to take the vows of marriage under circumstances which would prevent an actual marriage from coming into existence.  For instance, imagine if one spouse was coerced into the wedding by threat of violence.  You can find a list of other reasons [here].

If a Church tribunal investigates a union and finds that a true marriage never truly existed, they will issue what is commonly called an “annulment”, or officially a “decree of nullity”.  It means the couple was never married in the eyes of God.

Many people put these facts together and reason:

“If I was never married, my children were born out of wedlock. That makes them illegitimate.”

This is a false inference.   People can be assured that their children are not considered “illegitimate”.  Regarding the legitimacy of children, the Code of Canon Law states:

“The children conceived or born of a valid or putative marriage are legitimate” - CCL 1137  

And what is a “putative marriage”?  The Code of Canon Law says:

 “An invalid marriage is called putative if at least one party celebrated it in good faith, until both parties become certain of its nullity.” - CCL 1061.3

So as long as the annulled union was entered into in good faith by either spouse and presumed valid  when the children were conceived, the children are considered “legitimate”.

Myth #14: There is a difference between "small-c" and "Big-C" Catholic:

The Nicene Creed says:

“I believe in the one holy catholic and apostolic church”.  

Many Christians desire to continue professing that line of the creed, but it conspicuously uses the words “catholic church”.  And... well... they are not Catholics.  So how do they appropriate that line?

The solution was to create a new theory which proposes a difference between "Catholic" with a big-C and catholic with a little-c.  When used with a capital ‘C’ the term refers the visible institution which has the Pope and the bishops and stuff.  When used with a little ‘c’, it refers to all Christians everywhere.

The theory proposes that the Nicene Creed is meaning catholic with the little ‘c’.  That is to say, they assert the creed is really referring to the invisible body of all Christians.

However, if you look back at the history of that term, you’ll see this distinction between Big-C and little-c was not in the mind of those who wrote the Creed.  And sadly, some Catholic catechists have adopted this theory out of a misplaced desire to be more inclusive.

The first time we see the term used historically is in the letters of Bishop Ignatius of Antioch.  When you look at the context into which he places that term, it is clear he is referring to a single, visible institution which is united through its bishops.  He said:

"Wherever the bishop shall appear, there let the multitude also be; even as, wherever Jesus Christ is, there is the Catholic Church." - Letter to Smyrnaeans, 8

Moving forward, the folks who wrote the Nicene Creed were an assembly of Catholic bishops in union with the bishop of Rome.  They used that term precisely to designate their own visible institution as the one founded by the Apostles and Christ.

The real principle of inclusivity and ecumenism is this:  All Christians are united to that one visible institution – in various imperfect degrees – through their baptism.  For more on that, see the explanation [here].