Catholic Apologetics: Catholics don't read the bible.

Greetings and salutations.
As a Catholic, I come across many interesting and misguided questions and opinions. I usually take them in stride and answer them, or deal with them, with a smile.
I will address them as time goes on here on my blog.
Today, I will address a viewpoint given to my wife.

Catholics don't read the bible.

Where does this COME from!?!?!?!
WHO came up with the notion that Catholics, who comprise the original Christian church, don't read the bible?
This never made sense to me. Perhaps it is because we don't carry our bibles around with us?
Well, why would we need to? The day's bible readings (every Mass has three readings, an Old Testament reading, a related New Testament reading, and a related Gospel reading, as well as a homily based on said readings) are usually posted on pamphlets in the pews. No need to carry the bible.
Even this notion is wrong, since there are, in fact, MANY Catholics in the pews reading out of their own bibles.
Also, EVERY part of the Mass is based DIRECTLY on scripture. Even most of the songs and responsorials.
How does anyone figure we don't read the bible?
I really hate to do this, because we are all brothers and sisters in Christ, but usually it is the Protestants who attack Catholics.
And yes, it was a protestant that made the declaration today.
Protestants, for the most part, believe Catholicism is man made. That we make up traditions and ritual to follow. That we blaspheme by not believing in Sola Scriptura, meaning we don't follow the literal interpretation of the scriptures.
Sola Scriptura.
Lets address this for a moment, even though I have an entire blog post dealing with it.

From The Christian Apologetics and Research Ministries:
Sola Scriptura is the teaching that the Scriptures contain all that is necessary for salvation and proper living before God. Sola Scriptura means that the Scriptures, the Old and New Testaments (excluding the Catholic apocrypha) are the final authority in all that they address (1 Cor. 4:6) and that tradition, even so-called Sacred Tradition, is judged by Scriptures. Sola Scriptura does not negate past church councils or traditions. Those who hold to Sola Scriptura are free to consider past councils, traditions, commentaries, and the opinions of others. But, the final authority is the Scripture alone because the Scripture alone is what is inspired by God (2 Timothy 3:16) and not past church councils, tradition, commentaries, and opinions. Scripture is is above them all.

Ok, so, The Scriptures contain all that is necessary for salvation.
Fair enough.
However, protestants believe that we are "saved" through faith alone.
Yet the only time those two words are mentioned in the bible is in James 2:24:

"You see that a man is justified by works, and not by faith alone."

In James 2:20, he says:

"Faith without works is dead,"

Even Jesus himself gave us things to DO.
Help the needy.
Feed the hungry.
Shelter the homeless.
Love each other.
He never said "Yeah, you know what? Just believe in me. Thats all you need to do."
No, Jesus made people work for it. As did God throughout the Old testament. It is something that has never changed.
Lot.
Job.
Abraham.
The list goes on and on. God made people work for him, for his love. Nothing in the bible is free.
Jesus died for our sakes, to open the door to our salvation, but the work must still be done. In fact, he left us things to DO, not things to simply believe in.
If "believing" was enough, then the devil should be in heaven, as he believes in God and Jesus too.
So, Faith alone is not enough, ACCORDING to scripture.
Lets try another protestant "belief".
You are Born Again when you accept Jesus into your heart as your personal lord and savior.
Alright, look in the bible and see what it says about this.
Go ahead, I'll wait.
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Nothing? I know, weird, right? That the written word of God, the one true means of salvation, mentions nothing about accepting Jesus into our hearts? Nor of him being a personal savior?
What it DOES say, what JESUS HIMSELF says, is that we can only be born again through water and the spirit. (John 3:5)
Water and Spirit.
Baptism. Another lame Catholic tradition.
So, neither the bible, nor Jesus, mentions ANYTHING about accepting him into our hearts as a prerequisite to being born again.
It also mentions nothing about him being a personal anything, since he was crucified for ALL our sins (not just some of us, but ALL of us).
So....... what bible are the protestants reading from that they get all this stuff from?
I mean, the bible is the word of God, no?
Unerring?
Infallible?
Completely true and should be taken literally?
Well....... not according to those very same protestant. After all, it was the protestants who decided, on their own, that some books in the bible didn't stack up, and decided to remove them. To "edit" the unerring word of God.
Silly creator of the universe. He made some errors. NOW it is perfect.

Ok, this has turned into what I didn't want it to become, an us vs. them post, and that is not the point. I have many protestant friends and love them all. My point originally was, protestants themselves are FULL of their traditions and man made doctrines. There are 30,000 protestant denominations. The beliefs/teachings of each Protestant denomination conflict with the teachings of the others, yet they all claim to be following the Bible. Truth cannot conflict with truth, and the Bible cannot conflict with itself, which is why Jesus Christ founded only ONE Church, and said it was to remain ONE. To say we don't read the bible, when the very church services we attend revolve AROUND the bible, is yet another silly protestant creation (tradition?). The person who said this to my wife is guilty of doing exactly what Jesus said NOT to do. Judging others.
And in case you are not up on your scripture readings, here it is, in his own words:

“Do not judge, or you too will be judged. 2 For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you. 3 “Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother’s eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye? 4 How can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ when all the time there is a plank in your own eye? 5 You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye.

Matthew 7:1-5

So please be careful when it comes to a person's faith, belief, or practice. Unless you have done what they've done, been where they've been, or practiced what they have practiced, you have no idea.
Until next time, EXCELSIOR....... and God Bless.