What does the word Catholic mean and where in the world does it come from?
Ignatius of Antioch, a Bishop in the first century was the first to use the word Catholic in writings, the quote follows:
Shun schisms, as the source of troubles. Let all follow the bishop as Jesus Christ did the Father, and the priests, as
you would the Apostles. Reverence the deacons as you would the command of God. Apart from the bishop, let no
one perform any of the functions that pertain to the Church. Let the Eucharist be held valid which is offered by the
bishop or by one to whom the bishop has committed this charge. Wherever the bishop appears, there let the people
be; as wherever Jesus Christ is, there is the Catholic Church. (1), (2) It is not lawful to baptize or give communion
without the consent of the bishop. On the other hand, whatever has his approval is pleasing to God. Thus,
whatever you do will be safe and valid. (3)
The Catholic Church believes that Jesus Christ inaugurated, or instituted the Church. Peter, being enlightened by the Heavenly Father, stated who Jesus was, Peter stated, "You are the Christ, the Messiah, the Son of the Living God" [Mt 16:16-20]. Jesus then said to Peter that he would be given the keys of the kingdom of God, and that Peter, whose name means Rock, is the Rock on which Jesus said that he would build His Church. Peter was the first Pope and since then, someone has been entrusted to be in, what is known in Catholicism as, the Chair of Peter. Since St. Peter there has been 262 popes.
It is important to know that the Church or the Pope cannot fashion new doctrine or invent teachings. The charism, or gift, of the Pope is not one that lets him say anything, but rather in specific instances when speaking ex cathedra (from the chair) the Church believes that the Pope infallibly interprets the tradition (see 2 Thes 2:15) that Christ established.
All the teachings of the Church are in service of the People of God. The Church is an institution which solely exists to serve Jesus Christ and His Mystical body, the People of God. God has, throughout the ages, attempted to reveal Himself. God first did this through the chosen people of Israel and the prophets. The Church has a lot of things to say, but all is for one purpose, to help people reach their final destiny, Eternal life with God. We will reach this goal if we learn how to be like God. This means that we must strive to love like God, unconditionally, totally and faithfully.
The bible is a book that is a thorough accounting of salvation history. The story of God revealing God in human history. The bible is not a history book in the sense that we would think of a history book, but we believe that the bible is without error when it relates the saving truth that God intended to convey.
The Catholic Church reveres the bible, and grants indulgences for reading the bible. One of the greatest theologians of the Church, St. Thomas Aquinas, stated that the Bible is the soul of Sacred Theology. St. Jerome, who translated the bible form the original Hebrew and Greek, stated more boldly, "Ignorance of the Scriptures is ignorance of Christ".
This section of RCIA relates to the basic foundations of the Catholic Faith. The Catholic Church understands herself to be the Church established by Jesus Christ almost two thousand years ago. And the Church was not something new as much as it was the fulfillment and completion of the Jewish faith. The Church in her teaching is very balanced and always tries to make sense out of seemingly contradictory things. For example Faith and Reason. The Catholic Church believes that faith and reason go together and are not against or opposed to one another.
The Church tries to communicate to all people, both the scholars and those who just live their lives. Sometimes the Church can come across as being this very complex huge institution that has little interest in everyday life. This is not the case.
A fundamental assumption is that truth is transcendent. In other words, truth does not depend on what one thinks but rather upon reality. For most people this makes obvious sense, but it really is not all that obvious when one delves into the arena of ideas. This gets a little deep, but it is very important. The church is often perceived as being dictatorial and unyielding and "not very open". In Alan Bloom's book, "The Closing of the American Mind", I believe it is stated, "We need an open mind, but not so open that our brain falls out!"
The Catholic Church has some fundamental assumptions that she feels she cannot deny.
1) God is God and man is man. To truly recognize this, one has discovered the root of true humility. In other words, it was God who said, "Let there be Light, and there was light!" God's Word is Creative, not the human person's word.
2) God is good, and the source of all things. Before the world was created, God was, is and always will be I AM.
3) Since God is All Good, He is not the source of Evil, but rather evil is a lack, evil has no material existence, but is indeed a reality that was the result in man's disobedience.
4) God can only create Good things, so Man, the human person, is intrinsically good, though wounded by
Original Sin, in fact all creation is good. Sadly man has the capacity to pervert God's goodness and His creation.
There certainly are others, but these serve to ground our reflections. These assumptions were revealed to us
through God's Sacred Scriptures.
The Church always is trying to help make sense out of the experience of man. Flowing from the assumptions, Since man is good, and God gave man a brain, and man uses his brain well, reasoning will not lead the human person away from God. The church accepts experience and assumes that things are as they appear. In other words, a rock is a rock, or to use that oft repeated example, "If a tree falls in the woods, does it make a sound if no person is there to hear it?" The answer is, "Of course!". Sadly many people who call themselves intellectuals seriously entertain this question because they want to say that even a physical reality like sound waves depends on a human person. This is nonsense and not rational. It is not logical. The church uses logic and basic rules of logic to reflect on God's Majesty.
The Development of the Western Mind
This is a thumbnail sketch of how the Church and the world has gotten to the place where it is today.
The Ancient Greek World The Greeks understood the world to be created of matter that was eternal. The "stuff"
of creation had no beginning nor end. This can still be found is some scientific "laws"; e.g. matter can neither be
created nor destroyed. The best thing in the world of the Greeks were the gods, and man was left to their fate which
was controlled by the gods.
The Ancient Greek World (cont.) Plato was a character in the philosopher, Socrates' writings. Ultimately Plato lost his life because he denied the gods and said there was only "The Good". Something that was One. Aristotle was a philosopher who followed and developed this thinking. The word truth, alethea, had the meaning to uncover. It related to something that needed to be discovered. It did not depend on the human person's perception.
The Ancient Christian World The Greek philosophy made sense, and God, Yahweh, was clearly "The Good", "The One". God is One and the Holy Trinity is One. And it worked out well. Those dimensions of the philosophy that were went against Revelation were rejected. The World for example was Created out of nothing. God's Word is Eternal, but His Creation had a beginning. So in the Christian World God is Other than the World because he was before the World. So unlike the pagan world where man was second to the gods in the world, man is the best thing in the created world but subject to the Eternal Triune God. God gave man dominion over the world, so man had the responsibility to be its steward.
The Middle Ages Thomas Aquinas was a scholar in the Church that brought faith and reason together. He found Aristotle, quoted often in his writings as the philosopher, to be helpful in explaining the truths of the Catholic Faith. Thomas died in the 1100's but not before writing his Summa Theologica - A summary of Theology (Theology is the Science of God) Historically most people could not read, but through the Church and the Monastic Tradition the sacred writings were preserved and passed on for the generations.
The Renaissance This is the period that gets somewhat interesting. At the risk of over simplifying the situation it was this period that was the beginning of the confusion found in the modern age. Rene Descartes was a philosopher who used the phrase, Cogito ergo sum, translated "I think, therfore I am". He was pondering the question of existence, and he tried to clear his mind of all things, but he found that he could not succeed. Therefore he concluded since his brain was working, (the cognitional process was engaged), he was a rational being, he had existence. Sadly this led others to place thinking in a new realm. In the late 1800's Frederick Nietchze's philosophy led to what can be called nihilism. There is no real objective truth. Truth is now convention, in other words something defined by man. His phase could be, "I think therefore IT is!" In other words truth now is dependent upon what the human person thinks. If we reflect for one moment we can see how ridiculous such a perspective is, but it is widespread and commonplace.
Modern and Post-Modern Period This covers the situation today. At the beginning of this century there were philosophers who reacted against this philosopy that place the human person's idea's above the concrete reality. In other words they rejected this strict idealism. Husserl and Heiddegger would be grouped in what is now called phenomonology. Many see Pope John Paul II operating from this philosophical framework. This particular way of viewing reality appreciates the diverse perspectives of others while recognizing there can only be one truth. For example, if a group of people were sitting in a circle and in the center of the circle was a coke can, every one would have a slightly different perspective. If every one wrote down what they saw, each discription would be slightly different. But if they accurately recorded what they saw they would all contribute to a deeper appreciation of the reality. If someone chose not to look at the can and decided to describe something else they would be in error and would not contribute to the insight into the reality as it is.
What's the point? Today the Church particularly since Vatican II has been more open in terms of trying to appreciate the perspectives of others. This has upset some of the conservative elements of the Church who are not as quick to acept the diversity of perspectives. The liberal, for lack of a better term, elements in the Church are unable to recognize that past insights do not change, but rather the broader perspectives of today help to articulate and better understand the truth that cannot change. The Catholic Church is "conservative" in nature in the sense that it "conserves" the teachings of Jesus Christ and His Apostles that he established to lead His Church.
The teachings of the Church cannot change because truth cannot change. It is worth moving into a reflection on
how the Church understands herself. This self understanding is rooted in Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ inauguarate or
founded the Church, and integral to the Church is Peter's place in that Church. Some key scriptural passages follow:
Peter's profession and his commission: Matthew 16:17-19
And Jesus answered him, "Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah! For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my Father in heaven. And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not prevail against it. I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven."
The First Church Council Acts 15:2 (a dispute over circumcision)
And after Paul and Barnabas had no small dissension and debate with them, Paul and Barnabas and some of the others were appointed to go up to Jerusalem to discuss this question with the apostles and the elders. (See 15:1-35)
The First Recorded Church Document Acts 15:22-29
They sent Judas called Barsabbas, and Silas, leaders among the brothers, with the following letter: "The brothers, both the apostles and the elders, to the believers of Gentile origin in Antioch and Syria and Cilicia, greetings. Since we have heard that certain persons who have gone out from us, though with no instructions from us, have said things to disturb you and have unsettled your minds, we have decided unanimously to choose representatives and send them to you, along with our beloved Barnabas and Paul, who have risked their lives for the sake of our Lord Jesus Christ. We have therefore sent Judas and Silas, who themselves will tell you the same things by word of mouth. For it has seemed good to the Holy Spirit and to us to impose on you no further burden than these essentials: that you abstain from what has been sacrificed to idols and from blood and from what is strangled and from fornication. If you keep yourselves from these, you will do well. Farewell."
Tradition: 2 Thess 2:15:
So then, brothers and sisters, stand firm and hold fast to the traditions that you were taught by us, either by word of mouth or by our letter.
About confessions as you noted in your text : John 20:19cf
When it was evening on that day, the first day of the week, and the doors of the house where the disciples had met
were locked for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood among them and said, "Peace be with you." After he said
this, he showed them his hands and his side. Then the disciples rejoiced when they saw the Lord. Jesus said to them
again, "Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, so I send you." When he had said this, he breathed on them
and said to them, "Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them; if you retain the
sins of any, they are retained."
The Real Presence John 6 (Bread of Life Discourse) 6:53-58
(John 6:53 NRSV) So Jesus said to them, "Very truly, I tell you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you have no life in you. Those who eat my flesh and drink my blood have eternal life, and I will raise them up on the last day; for my flesh is true food and my blood is true drink. Those who eat my flesh and drink my blood abide in me, and I in them. Just as the living Father sent me, and I live because of the Father, so whoever eats me will live because of me. This is the bread that came down from heaven, not like that which your ancestors ate, and they died. But the one who eats this bread will live forever."
Anointing of the Sick James 5:14-16
Are any among you sick? They should call for the elders of the church and have them pray over them, anointing them with oil in the name of the Lord. The prayer of faith will save the sick, and the Lord will raise them up; and anyone who has committed sins will be forgiven. Therefore confess your sins to one another, and pray for one another, so that you may be healed. The prayer of the righteous is powerful and effective.
Confirmation Acts 19:4-6
Paul said, "John baptized with the baptism of repentance, telling the people to believe in the one who was to come
after him, that is, in Jesus." On hearing this, they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. When Paul had laid
his hands on them, the Holy Spirit came upon them, and they spoke in tongues and prophesied-- altogether there
were about twelve of them.
Ephesians 1:13 In him you also, when you had heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and had
believed in him, were marked with the seal of the promised Holy Spirit;
Baptism (SEE Mt 28:18-20)
Then Jesus came to them and said, "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age."
Holy Orders (See also Mt 28, Jn 20:19 cf.)
Marriage (See Mt. 19)
The Church is Sacramental
A Sacrament is an outward sign instituted by Christ to confer grace, a sacramental points to these realities. The Second Vatican Council sees the Church as a kind of Sacrament. Catholics believe that the Church was indeed instituted by Christ, and through the Church grace is effectively conveyed through the ministry of the Church's members.
The Church and the Hierarchy of Truths
There are teachings in the Church that are less central than others. For example the Church teaches that angels
exist and it is part of the deposit of faith. By the same token angels are not necesarry for our salvation. If we
choose not to believe in angels we are mistaked, but the substance of the Catholic faith may be intact.
The Moral Teachings of the Church
Sin is something that alienates us from God. In Greek it has the connotation of missing the mark. The Catechism's definition of sin is telling:
1849 Sin is an offense against reason, truth, and right conscience; it is failure in genuine love for God and neighbor caused by a perverse attachment to certain goods. It wounds the nature of man and injures human solidarity. It has been defined as "an utterance, a deed, or a desire contrary to the eternal law.
Notice that it is an offence against things that make sense. It is not for our own good! The Church also sees degrees of sin. 1 John 5:16-17
If you see your brother or sister committing what is not a mortal sin, you will ask, and God will give life to such a one--to those whose sin is not mortal. There is sin that is mortal; I do not say that you should pray about that. All wrongdoing is sin, but there is sin that is not mortal.
True sin is that which alienates us from God. But with Christ there is always an opportunity for forgiveness. We
for our part must recognize our sin and admit that we need God. The sin against the Holy Spirit (the unforgivable
sin) is taught to be that sin where we fail to seek God's forgiveness. Christian tradition holds that Judas, Christ's
betrayer, his greatest sin was not seeking God's forgiveness. So I guess one could say the only sin that is
unforgivable is the one where we fail to seek God's forgiveness. (CCC n. 1864)
The Sacrament of Penance (CCC n. 1422-1498)
There are four parts to the Sacrament
1) Confession of your sins
2) Contrition - true sorrow - you must truly be sorry for your sins
3) Satisfaction - you must make an act of penance which to relates to God's justice and not His mercy. Christ is the only one who ultimately makes "satisfaction" for our sins. Penance is a sign of our sorrow.
4) Absolution - this is the prayer prayed by the priest to reconcile the sinner who is truly sorry for his or her sins and
has confessed them and is prepared to do penance for their acts agaist God and/or neighbor.
Sacramental confession is only necessary when a person is aware of some mortal sin that they have deliberately
committed. Catholics have the obligation to go to communion during Easter time. That means that if a Catholic is
aware of some serious sin they must confess it to a priest and receive communion between Easter Sunday and
Pentacost inclusive (thats 50 days).
Some Common Misconceptions
You may have heard it said, "the Catholic Church worships Mary".
The Catholic Church does not worship Mary. In antiquity the Greeks did draw distinctions. The Greek word for
adoration or worship is something like latria, they said that those who are with God, the saints should not be
worshiped, but should be respected. The word they used to talk about this kind of respect was dulia, since Mary
was the first disciple of Jesus and a preeminent follower, a special respect is due, but certainly not worship, the word
they used to describe this type of respect is hyper-dulia. This is not worship. A story that may help understand why
special respect for Mary is seen as imitated the Master, Jesus Christ. I heard aspects of the following account from
Scott Hahn, a convert to the faith who had struggles with this issue as the result of his background.
Jesus was a good Jew and obeyed the Jewish Law. Part of this law is the ten commandments, also known as the
Decologue. The fourth commandment states that One must Honor thy Father and Mother. Jesus being a follower
of the law would have given special respect to His mother. (This is illustrated in the story of the Wedding at Cana in
John's Gospel [2:1-12]) So Christians are to imitate Christ, so therefore it is not unreasonable to respect Mary the
same way Jesus Himself respected her. This is not meant to be a proof, it is merely intended to suggest that there is
indeed something special about the person who was the mother of God, Jesus Christ.
Also: "the Catholic Church worships statues, so they have all these idols".
In the Old Testament God was adamant about not having anything that represented Him or any other God. The God as God revealed himself in the Old Testament was: YAHWEH, the God who is with His people. The Israelites after being delivered from Egypt wanted an image of the God who delivered them, so they cast a golden calf. In other parts of there history they wanted something they could touch and see, instead of putting their trust in the God who is. Any image in the old testament times was inadequate to reveal the nature of God. Jesus Christ is God, now we can have some insight in our own experience of who God is. God revealed Himself in His Son, Jesus Christ, Jesus Christ is revealed in His followers. In John's gospel Jesus prays, "Father, may they (my followers) be one in me as I am one in you."[Jn 17:20-26] This is wild, mind blowing stuff! As we become conformed to the mind and heart of Jesus Christ, we reveal to the whole world who Jesus is. The Church is the Mystical Body of Christ. Christ gave His Church outward signs that manifest his power and confer grace to His People. In other words Christ gives us real concrete things that we can touch, feel and smell, and sense in our human experience. Unlike the way God revealed Himself in the old testament as being radically and totally other, in a way being outside our experience, Jesus Christ in His human nature gives us the ability to know God in an intimate way, in our real concrete experience.
Since statues reflect humans who have followed Jesus closely, they help us to see the true nature of God as He has
revealed Himself in His Mystical Body. Since Christ's divine nature was able to abide in His human nature, it
reflects an awesomeness regarding how wonderful and beautiful human nature is, if we imitate Christ. To be truly
human is to be truly like Jesus Christ, the Son of the Living God.
THE BIBLE
Catholicism is a religion that makes sense, and the Church through the ages believed that theology, (the study of
God) involves faith seeking understanding. That is why the Church has always expended a great deal of energy in
trying to explain what it believes and testifies to be the truth. Catholics believe that the bible is the inspired word of
God, but recognizes that it is not the sole source of God's Revelation. Yet the St. Thomas Aquinas refers to Sacred
Scriptures as being the very soul of Sacred Theology.
What is the Bible? Is it book, or a library?
46 books in the Old Testament.
27 books or letters in the New Testament.
A Catholic bible has 7 more books than the Protestant bible.
Tobit
Judith
1 Maccabees
2 Maccabees
Wisdom
Sirach
Baruch
These books while important are not integral for any particular doctrine of the Catholic Church.
The Bible is a book that tells the story of salvation history. It does this in many different ways. It reports factual
events, and tells stories that relate the saving truth that God, the scripture's divine author, wants to relate. It is
important to realize that God uses the human author and human events to reveal himself to His people. The bible is
a history book, but not in the same way we think of history today. The bible does tell us things that really happened,
and in addition sometimes tells us stories to teach us about God and who He is.
The Second Vatican Council wrote a document that concerned itself with God's Revelation to His People. The Latin name is Dei Verbum, in English the title of the document is The Dogmatic Constitution on Divine Revelation. The Church tries to speak to the whole range of people. Some people are very educated while others are less so.
The Books in the Old Testament were written before the time of Jesus, while the New Testament was written down within most probably 30 to 70 years after the death of Jesus. Before any of these sacred writings in the New Testament were written down the Church was inaugurated by Jesus. Jesus instituted the Church by establishing certain members of His company who were close followers to be shepherds and leaders of the People of God. Therefore God's revelation lies both in the sacred records and the traditions that were established by Christ Himself. (2 Thes 2:17)
Ultimately the Bible is sacred writing written by a community (under the inspiration of God) for a community of believers. Throughout the ages the bible has been read in many ways and by many people. Our task will to be able to try and understand not only what the words mean for us today, but also what the words were intended to mean for a particular people in a particular context.
The Bible is a holy book, and must be treated with reverence and respect, at the same time one must read the bible
and be aware of the broader context of isolated passages. Though the literal sense of the bible should be primary,
effort needs to be made to understand what both the human author and the divine author intended.
See Wisdom 2:10-24.
Dei Verbum - The Dogmatic Constitution on Divine Revelation
Introduction to Dei Verbum, the Dogmatic Constitution on Divine Revelation.
The first ecumenical council is found in the Bible. The council of Jerusalem. The apostles were trying to determine how to act concerning the issue of circumcision. There were differing views but all came to agree as to what was to be done, the adult converts did not have to be circumcised but they did need to refrain from meat sacrificed to idols and illicit sexual behavior.(Gal 2:14)
The most recent ecumenical council happened in the 60's, it is known as the second Vatican Council. Out of this council comes a document on Divine Revelation. We will spend some time trying to understand this document from the Council. The name of the document is Dei Verbum, the English title is The Dogmatic Constitution of Divine Revelation. Revelation refers to the revelation of God in Human History, God revealing God to those He created.
The preface of the document states how it wishes to set forth authentic teaching about revelation as the previous two councils, the first Vatican Council, and Trent, had done before.
Chapter I discusses Divine Revelation itself. God does reveal God in human history. It is through this revelation in Christ that we have the possibility to share in the divine nature. This is only made possible in Christ Jesus.
God uses revelation to make His will known to all people. Before Jesus, God spoke through prophets and varied ways to proclaim the Good News of humanity's coming redemption in Christ. In Christ we are confident that there will be no further public revelation until Christ returns in glory.
The Christian dispensation, therefore, as the new and definitive covenant, will never pass away, and we now await no further new public revelation before the glorious manifestation of our Lord Jesus Christ(cf. 1 Tim. 6:14 and Tit. 2:13). (4)
Chapter one notes the importance of the "obedience of faith" (see Rom. 16:26; cf. 1:5; 2 Cor. 10:5-6). An obedience by which the human person entrusts one's whole self freely to God, offering "the full submission of intellect and will to God who reveals" and freely assenting to the truth revealed by Him. [Dei Verbum, n. 5] Chapter one concludes by stating:
it is through His revelation "that those divine realities which are by their nature accessible to human reason can be known by all men with ease, with solid certitude, and with no trace of error, even in the present state of the human race." (5)
Chapter two concerns itself with the transmission of Divine Revelation. Jesus Christ is the fullness of that Revelation and himself brings it to fulfillment. The document states:
Therefore Christ the Lord in whom the full revelation of the supreme God is brought to completion (see Cor. 1:20;
3:13; 4:6), commissioned the Apostles to preach t all men that Gospel which is the source of allsaving truth and
moral teaching (6), and to impart to them heavenly gifts. (7)
The commissioning to spread the Good News was fulfilled by "those Apostles and apostolic men who under the
inspiration of the Holy Spirit committed the message of salvation to writing." It is important to note how the
document distinguishes between the Apostles and apostolic men all sharing in God's inspiration. The Gospel's were
written by Matthew, Mark, Luke and John. Only two of those individuals are plausibly understood to be apostles,
Matthew who was most probably the tax collector, and John who was with Mary at the foot of the Cross. The
document does not limit the inspired character of the scriptures to just apostles, but includes also those who had
close association with them or their communities. Both the apostles and those closely associated with them would
plausible constitute "apostolic preaching". The reason for this digression stems from some contemporary
scholarship that may want to lessen the integrity of the scriptures by associated parts of scripture to other authors
aside from the apostles themselves. The document suggests that tradition develops which is different than be
created or being new or not rooted in the scriptures:
This tradition which comes from the Apostles develops in the Church with the help of the Holy Spirit. For there is
a growth in the understanding of the realities and the words which have been Handed down. This happens through
the contemplation and study made by believers, who treasure these things in their Hearts (see Luke, 2:19, 51)
through a penetrating understanding of the spiritual realities which they experience, and through the preaching of
those who have received through episcopal succession the sure gift of truth. (8)
This quote refers to the episcopal succession, which is understood to be the teaching authority of the church, the
hierarchy, those bishops in communion with the chair of Peter, the Pope. This teaching authority has no ability to
fashion teaching or create dogmas, it is however graced with the ability to be a faithful interpreter of the one deposit
of faith, The document states:
This teaching office is not above the word of God, but serves it, teaching only what has been handed on, listening to
it devoutly, guarding is scrupulously and explaining it faithfully in accord with a divine commission and with the help
of the Holy Spirit, it draws from this one deposit of faith everything which it presents for believe as divinely
revealed. (9)
Chapter 3 talks about inspiration itself and Divine interpretation. The document states:
For holy mother Church, relying on the belief of the Apostles (see Jn 20:31;, 2 Tim. 3:16; 2 Peter 1:19-20,
3:15-16), holds that the books of both the Old and New Testaments in their entirety, with all their parts, are sacred
and canonical because written under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, they have God as their author and have been
handed on as such to the Church herself. (10)
the document then proceeds to explain and nuance the position:
God chose men and while employed by Him they made us of their powers and abilities, so that with Him acting in
them and through them, they, as true authors, consigned to writing everything and only those things which He
wanted........ it follows that the books of Scripture must be acknowledged as teaching solidly, faithfully and without
error that truth which God wanted put into sacred, writings for the sake of our salvation. (11)
The interpreter must make efforts to try and determine what the human author intended and what God wanted to convey by their words. The document states that it is important, in fact almost indispensable to determine the "literary forms" that the author was using.
Literary forms would mean things like prose or poetry, or reporting events or stories. The truth that is being conveyed is done so in different mediums through various literary techniques. The historical period in which they were writing impacted the way they wrote. To illustrate what I am trying to say imagine how difficult it would be for someone just one hundred years ago trying to understand a contemporary newspaper. Cubs rip Pirates would have tremendously different connotations than that sporting event on which it was reporting! It is for this reason that the Church teaches that efforts must be made to try and understand the culture and the context in which the Scriptures were written.
God uses our situation and circumstances to reveal Himself. It is hard work but the fruits of delving more deeply
into the mysteries of the sacred page will bear much fruit. Chapter 3 concludes:
In Sacred Scripture, therefore, while the truth and holiness of God always remains intact, the marvelous
"condescension" of eternal wisdom is clearly shown, "that we may learn the gentle kindness of God, which words
cannot express, and how far He has gone in adapting His language with thoughtful concern for our weak human
nature. For the words of God, expressed in human language, have been made like human discourse, just as the
word of the eternal Father, when He took to Himself the flesh of Human weakness, was in every way made like
men. (12)
Chapter 4 deals with the Old Testament. Dei Verbum sees
the principal purpose to which the plan of the old covenant was directed was to prepare for the coming of Christ
the redeemer of all and of the messianic kingdom, to announce this coming by prophecy (see Luke 24:44; John 5:39;
1 Peter 1:10), and to indicate its meaning through various types (see 1 Cor. 10:12). (13)
The types that are referred to concern events that happen that in some way clearly foreshadow what was to be
fulfilled in Christ, (e.g. Adam was a type, a man at first free from sin, Christ remained innocent). One of the more
famous quotes of Dei Verbum is:
God, the inspirer and author of both Testaments, wisely arranged that the New Testament be hidden in the Old
and the Old be made manifest in the New. (14)
Tradition
The Catholic Church makes a distinction between Tradition with a capitol "T", and tradition with a lower case "t". In short there is big T and little t. In our own families there are traditions handed down through the generations. Some we may never consider changing and others are dated and serve no constructive purpose.
In the Church there are Traditions established by the Apostles and apostolic persons who were guided by the Holy
Spirit. These would be those beliefs that were, at least arguably, established in the very beginning by the early
church. Other practices would come and go, but there were always core beliefs that could never be changed
without changing the essential message of Jesus Christ, God's only Son. The church turns to St. Paul and St. John:
2 Thes 2:15: So then, brethren, stand firm and hold to the traditions which you were taught by us, either by word of mouth or by letter. [RSV]
John 21:25 But there are also many other things which Jesus did; were every one of them to be written, I suppose
that the world itself could not contain the books that would be written.
The Church believes that her Traditions will never contradict the scriptures, while at the same time she realizes that not all of her beliefs are fully manifested and described by the bible. Previously we discussed how the bible is not merely one book, but rather a collection of books. Tradition does not add to the scriptures or change the meaning of the bible. It was St. Thomas Aquinas, a Dominican monk in the 12th century who stated that the scriptures, the Holy Bible is the very soul of Sacred Theology. Theology is that science in which we study God in the way God has revealed himself in human history.
Vatican II - Dei Verbum (The Dogmatic Constitution on Divine Revelation.
The second Vatican Council was a meeting of all the Bishops throughout the world. The church believes that this is a consistent link with other meetings of the elders of the church throughout all of history. The first such encounter is believed to be reported in the scriptures themselves. (See Acts 15) This is the discussion between the elders concerning the matters of circumcision.
One of the documents of this recent council concerns itself with the topic of divine revelation. An excerpt relates the church's self understanding:
Sacred Tradition and sacred Scripture make up a single sacred deposit of the Word of God, which is entrusted to
the Church. By adhering to it the entire holy people, united to its pastors, remains always faithful to the teaching of
the apostles, to the brotherhood, to the breaking of bread and the prayers (cf. Acts 2:42 Greek). So, in maintaining ,
practicing and professing the faith that has been handed on there should be a remarkable harmony between the
bishops and the faithful (15)
Faith Faith is belief. Faith is key to salvation, and true faith will animate our lives and lead us to a life lived in service of God and neighbor. Catholics believe that God created the world and since God cannot be the source of evil, the world and every material thing in it is good.
The study that concerns itself with what the nature of the human person is, is known as anthropology. It effects the
way we see one another.
KEY ANTHROPOLOGICAL DIFFERENCE
(The human person is good, regardless of his or her religious faith)
(Since God cannot be the source of evil, even those who reject God, even those in hell, are not altogether evil)
At the heart of God's creation is God's goodness. The human person is good. Even after the fall of our first parents,
God still participates in the creative action of each and every individual. So even though we may not accept God's
goodness, we cannot deny what God has created us to be, namely very good.
Scriptural Reference
Gen 1:31 And God saw everything that he had made, and behold, it was very good.And there was evening and there was morning, a sixth day.
(emphasis mine).
The church has always lived out of a communal faith, a faith that is not necessarily merely personal. The Church is never so bold to claim the exhaustive truth in any issue. The Church is much quicker to judge an expression of faith that seems inadequate. Sometimes there are individuals or groups of individuals who will make claims that they have gained more insight than the accepted faith of the church, this is known sometimes as private revelation. Often times this is reasonable, and there is no problem, but if this personal belief is somehow inconsistent with the communal faith of the church a judgement was made. These erroneous beliefs were labeled as heresy or heresies. The church never executed anyone, but when the church and state were closely associated, heresy was seen as a capitol offense which often resulted in the death penalty. Historically one may legitimately question such a distinction.
A key to understanding Catholic teaching and theology is insight into the goodness of creation. Everything created
by God is good, because God cannot be the source of evil.
Who is God? God is Trinity! The only way that we can know this is that God Himself has revealed this to us. The first Vatican Council held in the late 19th century affirmed that the human person could come to the knowledge that God exists from human reason alone, but insight that God is Trinity is arguably a matter of faith.
The definition is simple but a profound mystery: God is Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Three divine persons in one unity. God has only One nature, Jesus the second person of the most holy trinity has two natures, both a human nature and a divine nature. We as human persons only have a human nature. The very fact that Jesus has a human nature points the awesome potential of that nature. Human nature because Jesus has one has an infinite character to it. In simple terms to be human must be awesome!
The Incarnation It is this humanity of Christ that leads us into another profound mystery of Christianity, The
Incarnation. In catholic Christianity the incarnation has profound implications. In John's Gospel Jesus prays:
John 17:20 "I do not pray for these only, but also for those who believe in me through their word, that they may all be one; even as thou, Father, art in me, and I in thee, that they also may be in us, so that the world may believe that thou hast sent me.[RSV]
Salvation History at a Glance
Salvation History at a Glance? - God's Plan - Understanding of journey and conversion in the faith life of a Catholic Christian ("once saved" vs journey of salvation).
What is salvation? Salvation is to spending all eternity with God. For a Catholic we hope in our salvation. As Catholics we do not presume our salvation, and we believe that this is truly what the Bible teaches. Consider the following verses.
The references here describe how Catholics understand salvation in terms of hope and not presuming salvation on a personal proclamation of faith. Paul notes how we are saved by hope, and hope is confident assurance of the things not yet seen.
Romans 8:24 For in this hope we were saved. Now hope that is seen is not hope. For who hopes for what he sees?
Psalm 19:13 From presumption restrain your servant and let it not rule me. Then I shall be lameless, clean from grave sin. (16)
Also St. Paul would point to the fact that salvation can be lost, we must respond to God's offer of salvation by our response to His grace:
1 Corinthians 9:23 - 10:4 I do it all for the sake of the gospel, that I may share in its blessings. Do you not know that in a race all the runners compete, but only one receives the prize? So run that you may obtain it. Every athlete exercises self-control in all things. They do it to receive a perishable wreath, but we an imperishable. Well, I do not run aimlessly, I do not box as one beating the air; but I pommel my body and subdue it, lest after preaching to others I myself should be disqualified. I want you to know, brethren, that our fathers were all under the cloud, and all passed through the sea, and all were baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea, and all ate the same supernatural food and all drank the same supernatural drink. For they drank from the supernatural Rock which followed them, and the Rock was Christ.
In the bible one gets a pretty good look at Salvation History by looking at 14 books of the Bible which can be seem as Twelve Periods in Salvation History (CCC 498, 1092, 1095, 1168). Jeff Cavins and Scott Hahn have put together a 3 video series, "My Father's Plan" and I am trying to summarize the basics of this series. There are 14 books of the Bible if read in sequence can give a basic chronological order of our Father's Plan for human history. (See the Handout)
Pre - History Accounts Creation - Why? NB: CCC293 CCC 198, 279-384, 400 - the Covenant Relationship: what is it? (n.1965-74) Covenant is a Love Relationship! Unlike a contract, quid pro quo "this for that", a covenant implies a real relationship.
The Seven Covenants
1 Adam and Eve - the Marriage Covenant between man and woman
2 Noah - the covenant expands to a whole family - Ham and Shem (Melchizadeck)
3 The Patriarchs - Abraham - Isaac - Jacob(Israel) - Joseph - ends in Slavery - but the covenant is expanded to include a whole tribe and people that will be numberless as the sand and stars.
4 Moses - the covenant expands to a family of tribes - the 12 tribes of Israel
5 David - it expands now to an entire kingdom - a nation
6 Jesus' Mystical Body (Church)- it expands to the whole world and all the nations of the world
7 Jesus' Triumphant return in Glory where Heaven and Earth are joined.
What is the Church?
In the Scriptures the word church appears 74 times in 73 verses. In the four gospels, Matthew, Mark, Luke and
John it only occurs in two verses, both in Matthew's Gospel:
Mat 16:18 (RSV) And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the powers of death shall not prevail against it.
Mat 18:17 (RSV) If he refuses to listen to them, tell it to the church; and if he refuses to listen even to the church, let him be to you as a Gentile and a tax collector.
The word is appears in 16 verses in Acts, 7 verses from the book of revelation and the rest of the occurrences in the epistles.
The Church is seen as a community of believers. This community in the Catholic Church spreads over all the ages from the beginnings of Christianity. It is a communal or corporate faith. Personal faith is indispensable, but always seen in union with the faith of the ages. It is the faith of the Church that is seen as the binding source for unity.
Traditionally the church is broken down into three categories, 1) The Church Triumphant, 2)The Church Militant, and 3) the Church Suffering. The Church triumphant are all those who now at this very instant share the rewards of Heaven. They experience the beatific vision, they experience God face to face. The Church Militant are those on earth engaged in the battle for souls here and now. All those who live there daily life in pursuit of God and His will. The Church Suffering are those through God's justice who have died and are destined for heaven find themselves in a state of final purification before entering even. This is that "place" for lack of a better term purgatory.
What is Sin?
It may seem obvious at first, but the scriptures themselves in the first stories of creation don't even use the word "sin". Don't misunderstand, the idea is in those first accounts but it is not easy to narrowly define "sin".
In general terms "sin" is associated with "missing the mark". Something that is not where it should be. God
created us free, but that freedom must be understood as meaning free to become who God made us to be, namely a
one of a kind, unique, masterpiece of God. Sin brings us down, it takes away from who we are. Sin proclaims God
as our enemy, though we know that God loves all, even his enemies. Sin in the proper sense of the term separates
us from union with God. God's love is always available to us through repentance, but sin can never separate us from
God's love. God loves even those who are in Hell.
What is Hell and who's there?
Hell is exists for those who reject God's sovereignty and wish not to be with God as His subjects. Some people often raise the question, "If God is an all loving God, how can there be a hell?" Mysteriously it is because God made us so much like Him that the existence of hell is actually a necessity. This is because of free will, our own ability to choose the good and avoid evil. If there were no hell, God would deprive us of the awesome gift of freedom. Think for a moment we would be puppets, unable to be generous and loving as a free choice. It is in the true exercise of freedom that the human person shows forth his or her nobility.
It is difficult to think of Hell as merely a place, what we do know is that in hell those experiencing that travesty will be cut off from God for all eternity. In a later section we will more thoroughly discuss the aspects of this reality.
Those who are in hell are there because of there inability to recognize the mercy and love of God.
One mystic describes judgment in the following way: When a person faces judgement they will be able to see clearly the good and the evil they have done. They will be able to sense the repercussions of their misguided choices and their good choices. The person who has not been merciful to others and who has not penetrated the depths of God's mercy, will mistakenly see God as a fierce judge, (as they would be, if they were in a similar position). Therefore they don't even seek God's mercy and forgiveness. On the other hand those who see the both the good and the bad in their life, but have been merciful to others will have the grace to throw themselves at the mercy of God, and ask for forgiveness through the Blood of the Lamb, Jesus Christ. It will be granted them.
The Devil
The devil is believed to be a fallen angel. "The Devil" is known as "Lucifer". The word "Lucifer" means literally "light bearer". The legend is that Lucifer was the first to rebel and be banished from the heavenly domain. The book of Revelation has been seen to point to this pre-history battle [Rev 12:3b-4]:
And another portent appeared in heaven; behold, a great red dragon, with seven heads and ten horns, and seven diadems upon his heads. His tail swept down a third of the stars of heaven, and cast them to the earth. And the dragon stood before the woman who was about to bear a child, that he might devour her child when she brought it forth;
The occult is a very seductive subject. It is better to avoid reading much about it. In the baptismal liturgy, the
parents and godparents for infants, and for adults, those to be baptized are asked to reject Satan, his works, and a
life of sin; much more importantly one is to affirm their faith in the God who is master of all created reality. To
affirm there faith in the Church., the communion of saints and the resurrection of the dead.
What is Evil?
It was Saint Augustine who helped to uncover a helpful way to look at evil. This gets a little philosophical, so bear with me. Evil is a real, it is a reality, but it is a reality that has no material component. Evil is a lack, a fancy word for that is a privation. The reason this is so important is that it helps us understand the world and God. God is all powerful, all loving, all knowing, and all good. God is in his essence, being. God is existence. God is the source of all created being, the source of every creature on earth and in the entire universe! Nothing can exist without God willing it into existence. So that begs the question, "how can evil exist?" Evil exists as a result of the choices made by the creatures God has made with that marvelous gift of freedom. God allows evil, even permits it but never is the direct cause or source of it.
A bunny rabbit is a bunny rabbit, it is good, but has no freedom. The human person has freedom and therefore can
choose to be truly human as Jesus is human, or can choose to be inhuman, (e.g. Adolf Hitler, Stalin etc.)
Traditional Teaching
There are two kinds of sin, Mortal and Venial. Mortal sin separates us from God by our free deliberate choice to
reject God and His commandments willfully. Venial sin may strain our relationship with God but does not separate
us from God. To be guilty before God, (e.g. culpable, responsible), of a mortal sin, the sin that separates one from
God, potentially for all eternity, four things must be present: 1) Grave or serious matter (e.g. the action in and of
itself is disordered and seriously sinful: murder, abortion, artificial contraception, failing to worship God in the
community on Sunday and Holydays of Obligation)2) Full knowledge, (you must be fully aware of the seriousness
of the action) 3) Full consent of the will (you desire to commit the action without force or coercion) 4) Committing
the act or intending to commit the action (if you got killed in a car accident on the way to robbing the bank, one
would still be accountable for that sin).
The traditional teaching was a very simple way to convey the message and the demands of the Christian life. It is
true, and at the same time can be misused in a legalistic way. If we are motivated by the love of Christ, we will not
commit any mortal sins. We will truly exercise our freedom.
Purgatory
This doctrine is somewhat confusing. It solves the theological problem of God's justice. The Church teaches that when one sins mortally one is separated from God and if one dies they will be damned. Those sins which are serious and unrepentant will result in eternal punishment. All sin deserves punishment, in the Old Testament it was often believed that one gets what one deserves. That is not a totally consistent message, if one looks at the book of Job, we see that innocent people do suffer. But the Church believes that sin does merit punishment and it distinguishes between temporal punishment and eternal punishment. Eternal punishment is hell, eternal damnation. Original sin, that which every human person shares with the exception of Mary (Jesus is a Divine person, strictly speaking in theology not a human person), bars one from heaven. Jesus' sacrifice saved us and is the condition for the possibility of salvation for all. Mary too is saved by Jesus, but in a singular and unique way.
Jesus is the way in which we are redeemed, all of us even Mary. The catch is that we must respond to the offer of Christ's redeeming love. Sin puts us in contradiction to that love. Mortal sin merits eternal punishment and is a rejection of God. If one repents of mortal sin, the infinite sacrifice of Christ makes this possible, one no longer merits eternal damnation, but still, because of God's justice respond to the temporal (in space and time) punishment due.
This temporal punishment has nothing to do with hell, and everything to do with Purgatory. All those in purgatory will be in heaven. Purgatory is a place where that temporal punishment that is due is satisfied and a necessity of the justice of God. Those in Purgatory is the Church Suffering.
The Church Triumphant are those who are celebrating there heavenly reward in heaven. Like the thief on the cross who Jesus assured that he would be in paradise with Jesus that very day (see Luke 23:43) The Church Triumphant is the communion of Saints. Saints are not the object of worship. In the early church there were 3 distinctions between the way in one should be oriented towards those realities. Worship is only due to God and God alone. The word they used to describe this reality was the Greek word latria, meaning worship. The saints are due a respect as the scriptures attest to the blessedness of a holy person: Proverbs 15:8 "The sacrifice of the wicked is an abomination to the LORD, but the prayer of the upright is his delight." The saints are those who the Church has deemed upright. This respect is noted by another Greek word, dulia. Mary was given a category all her own because the scriptures attest to her unique blessedness; the word is 'uperdulia, meaning above the respect due the saints. Note though that it is on the side of respect, and not sublatria.
Ultimately the Church is the Mystical Body of Christ, those individuals who are in communion with the Lord of
Glory. The Second Vatican Council document, Lumen Gentium, (The Dogmatic Constitution on the Church)
describes this Mystical Body in paragraphs 14, 15, and 16. Chapter III in the document relates how the Church is
also Hierarchical. This hierarchy is the concrete means in which true unity to the church established by Christ is
made historically visible.
An Article on Purgatory
Hell It's Not!: Purgatory a Place Where Mercy and Justice Meet!
There has been great confusion of a great many things in the Catholic Church over many years, and Purgatory
would certainly be one of the disputed questions. The Catechism of the Catholic Church states:
The Church gives the name Purgatory to this final purification of the elect, which is entirely different from the
punishment of the damned.
The scriptural evidence relates to a cleansing fire as noted in 1 Cor 3:15, and 1 Peter 1:7. The word "purgatory" is never used in the Bible, but the noted passages point to a purging or cleansing effect that transpires.
In trying to relate this topic to others, I find it very helpful to think of the following scenario. Imagine for a moment that someone steals $100.00 from a devout, faith-filled Christian. The person reads the Bible and therefore has a deep and profound knowledge of the ways of Christ. He remembers that it is appropriate to turn the other cheek and strives to forgive without condition. Putting these things into practice, he forgives the thief, not only does he forgive the thief, but rather he is not at all concerned about the $100.00. He wrote it off as a loss. He is so profoundly inculcated with the teachings of Christ, that the next time he meets the thief, he does not let the past transgression cause any barriers but only truly and deeply reflects the love of Christ. Even though the thief expresses concern, the Christians only response is, "Don't worry about it, it is over, I forgive you". (This seems to reflect perfectly Christ's attitude toward our sinfulness.) I believe that this expresses a dimension of God's infinite mercy towards us. Mercy after all is the heart of the law.
The repentant thief on the other hand is awed by the response of the Christian. He cannot get over his magnanimity. He himself is so moved by this Christian's response that he begins to study assiduously the Sacred Scriptures. He is moved by the great mercy that God shows to His people. He also notes that in addition to God being infinitely Merciful, God is also infinitely Just. He becomes convicted by this and pays back the Christian whose money he had stolen in full. The Christian graciously accepts it, knowing as well the demands of God's Justice, and by accepting this token, this act of receiving the $100 will indeed help the reformed thief to grow towards perfection.
God is infinitely merciful, and also infinitely just. Purgatory is the place that affords the faithful and those who have been saved by Jesus' victory over sin and death the opportunity to make restitution of sorts for what the Church would call, the temporal punishment due, as a result of sin. Purgatory is not a "second chance".
Another image that may be helpful is that Purgatory is like a screened-in porch. A child, after playing in the mud
comes home. The parent is, shall we say, not a happy camper and says to the child, "you are not stepping one foot
into this house until you can get all that mud off you (the mud by analogy is the temporal punishment due to sin).
The child is not cut off from the home, he or she is just not fully able to take advantage of all the benefits of a warm
cozy home with all its amenities, like heat or air-conditioning. The good news is that the child has arrived home
safely. After some period of cleansing or purging, the child will be received into the full comfort of the home.
Mary and the Communion of Saints
If there is any topic that is the source for more confusion it has to be the Catholic Church's respect it shows for saints. Many people from other Christian communities see the church as being idolatrous because of the statues and images of all the saints. It goes without saying that the Church throughout the ages has had members who have not understood the saints and their relationship clearly. There practices appeared and maybe even sometimes were superstitious. I will try and describe the Church's understanding of various aspects of the issue.
What is Idolatry?
The Jewish prophets were constantly fighting to keep the worship of God free of idols. The Canaanite religious used idols to give the people something substantive to see. God had not revealed Himself in the flesh (e.g. Jesus Christ) therefore any image of "god" would confuse and disrupt any real insight regarding God's true nature.
When the Israelites were delivered from Egypt, they wanted to "see" the God who delivered them. They saw the pillar of fire, the great wonders God had worked, (e.g. the plagues, the splitting of the Red Sea), but they were not interested. Instead of coming to grips with the mystery that they were created in God's image, they wanted to fashion God into their own image. They made a golden calf, an image that would have been familiar to them in Egypt while under the oppression of slavery. True idolatry lies in making something other than God a God. A statue of a Golden calf was not God, it was not even related to the true essence of who God is.
Can you imagine how confused the pharisees and the other Jewish leaders would have been if they had been worshiping an image of a calf. When Jesus came it would have been essentially impossible to recognize Him. They would have been looking for a calf come to life. But Jesus was the God-Man. He alone reflected the true image of the divinity.
Mary
Paragraphs n. 52-69, chapter 8, of Lumen Gentium are dedicated to a discussion of Mary in relationship to the Church. The document holds her to be a singularly unique individual in the Church which stems always from her singularly unique relationship to Jesus, the Word made Flesh.
Saints
Since Jesus prays in John 17:21 "that they may all be one; even as thou, Father, art in me, and I in thee, that they also may be in us, so that the world may believe that thou hast sent me." Those who believe are called to be one in Christ, the Mystical Body of Christ. We are called to empty ourselves so that Jesus may be seen in what we say and do. John the Baptist is an excellent witness to our own vocation:
John 3:28-30 You yourselves bear me witness, that I said, I am not the Christ, but I have been sent before him. He who has the bride is the bridegroom; the friend of the bridegroom, who stands and hears him, rejoices greatly at the bridegroom's voice; therefore this joy of mine is now full. He must increase, but I must decrease."
It is saints such as these that the Church reveres. Throughout history there have been those individuals who have given up there life in service of the Gospel to witness the Master of the Universe, Jesus Christ.
Miracles as Strange Phenomenon
There are some very strange things that happened, miracles. The bodies of some of these men and women have been exhumed and found preserved, incorrupt. The process in the church for "sainthood" is called canonization. It is a complicated process and there is a book that was published a few years back titled I believe, The Making of Saints, the process is thoroughly reviewed and detailed. Canonization is a determination that this person is in heaven with God. Presumably there are many, many others who are in heaven and are not officially recognized by name. In fact the Church celebrates All Saints Day, on November first that reminds us of all those who are in Heaven but not officially canonized.
The process usually entails three first class miracles, of course caused by God, but result from intercession to a
particular saint. The process is serious and the miracles are substantial. St. Januarius whose feast is September 19
His blood is said to be contained in a vial preserved at Naples Cathedral, and it liquefies numerous times a year
when it is placed near the head of the holy Martyr ( a phenomenon that has been attested since 1389 without
scientific explanation). He is the patron saint of Blood Banks (17)
These are phenomenon that can help belief, but we should root our faith not in miracles or great signs, but in the
words of Christ. Said best by Christ Himself:
John 10:37-38 If I am not doing the works of my Father, then do not believe me; but if I do them, even though you do not believe me, believe the works, that you may know and understand that the Father is in me and I am in the Father."
What are Sacraments? (nn. CCC 1113-1134, 1210-1690)
Sacraments are very special visible things that one can see and experience and in a very real way were established as outward signs by Jesus Christ to be a means to more readily respond to God's offer of Love. The traditional definition of a sacrament is: an outward sign, instituted by Christ to confer grace.
In Catholicism it is important to realize that creation and all created things are good, and gifts from God. If material things are used as God has intended them to be used, then those things, whatever they may be, can lead us into a deeper understanding of who God is, and how God wishes to reveal himself to us.
It is because of this deep appreciation of the goodness of creation that the Catholic Church uses all kinds of material stuff to evoke feelings from within. Things ranging from beautiful stained glass to incense that rises to heaven as do our prayers.
Sacraments in a very special way make use of some material or "matter" and also this material is special when it finds itself in a unique context or situation. When both this special situation and matter or stuff come together, then we have a sacrament. Sacraments have both a material (the stuff of the sacrament) and a formal (specific situation or context) component.
In the Roman Catholic Church there are seven Sacraments, Baptism, Confirmation, Eucharist, Penance, Marriage, Holy Orders, and Anointing of the Sick. Baptism, Confirmation and Eucharist are called Sacraments of Initiation. Sacraments that in a special way introduce us to the fullness of life in the Mystical Body of Christ. All of these sacraments are gifts from God to His Holy People. Each Sacrament in its own way serves the health and life of the Mystical Body of Jesus Christ, the People of God.
The Sacraments of Initiation
Baptism (CCC nn. 1212-1284) The stuff of Baptism is the water, while the context or situation includes some person saying the words, "I baptize you in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Baptism takes away Original Sin, and unites us in a special way to the Mystical Body of Christ. By baptism we share in the Priestly, Prophetic and Kingly role of Jesus Christ. Through Baptism we share in the Priesthood of Jesus Christ in a real and internal way. [Henri de Lubac in his book, Splendor of the Church, explains very well the distinction between sharing the priesthood of Christ in an internal way through Baptism, and sharing in the priesthood of Christ in and external way through Holy Orders).
The Catholic Church recognizes all Baptisms from other faith traditions as valid, so long as water was used and the words referring to the Trinity (three divine persons with one nature; Father, Son, and Holy Spirit) were spoken and intended to convey the correct understanding of the Trinity, three divine persons in one nature, this includes essentially all the mainline Protestant denominations. (Mormon baptism is not considered valid because they do not believe in God's single nature, but see Jesus' divine nature as distinct from the nature of the Spirit and the Father. Jehovah Witnesses only baptize in the name of Jesus, they deny Jesus' divinity)
The appropriate minister of Baptism is any human person who intends to do what the Church intends, namely to Baptize in the name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit. The ordinary minister is a priest or deacon, but in an emergency any person can baptize, even someone who is not a Christian.
During the Baptism the child is usually anointed with the oil of Catechumens before baptism, then is baptized
strictly speaking, and is then anointed with the oil of Sacred Chrism. Chrism is used for Baptism, Confirmation, and
Holy Orders. In Old Testament times oil was a sign of healing, and also was used to anoint kings, priests, and prophets.
Since Sacraments are to build up the church by sanctifying the people. It is appropriate when possible to celebrate
the sacraments in the context of Mass. Following is an outline of how the rite will go.
Before Mass: the Child or children may be anointed with the Oil of Catechumens. There will be a prayer of
exorcism before the pre-baptismal anointing [n. 49].
At the beginning of Mass the presider ( the priest) will ask, "What name do you give each of these children? You respond in turn with the child's name, loudly and clearly.
Then the priest continues:"What do you ask of God's Church for your Children?"
You respond loudly and clearly, "BAPTISM!!".
The priest asks the parents if you are ready to accept the responsibility and you respond hopefully with a loud, distinct and heartfelt, "WE DO!".
The priest then asks the godparents if they are ready to help the parents in there duty as Christian parents, and the godparents or Christian Sponsors answer loud and clearly, "WE ARE!"
The priest then claims the new little people to be baptized in the name of Christ and traces the cross on the children's foreheads and invites the parents and Godparents to do the same. The Gloria is sung. Mass continues as normal until after the Homily.
Intercessions from the baptismal rite are used along with current needs followed by the short litany of saints. After the priest blesses the water and the people renew their baptismal promises and reject satin, those to be baptized will approach the baptismal font in the sanctuary. The children are baptized and anointed with Chrism and receive their baptismal candles, and a prayer is said for the children to be receptive and a proclaimer of the gospel of Christ.
Mass then resumes as normal and the final blessing will include special blessings for the parents and the whole
Christian community.
Confirmation (CCC nn. 1285-1321) Confirmation is one of the Sacraments of initiation. Confirmation involves
being anointed with Sacred Chrism, and the laying on of hands by a bishop or his delegate. This sacrament cannot
be repeated. By receiving this sacrament you are uniquely marked in a way that can never be changed. (an indelible
mark) Baptism, confirmation, and Holy Orders seals the individual in a unique and special way. The Church points
to Acts 1:5; 11:16;, 2:38) [Source - The Catholic Encyclopedia, pp. 131-132). The council of Trent (~1560 AD)
pronounced that the Sacrament of Confirmation was a "true and proper Sacrament".
"Confirmation is the Sacrament of Christian maturity-"you yourselves will not be the speakers; the Spirit of your
Father will be speaking in you" (Mt. 10:19-20).
Eucharist (CCC nn. 1322-1419) The Holy Eucharist is also a sacrament of initiation. It is this sacrament that we gain both spiritual and physical strength from. The Catholic Church believes that the Eucharist or Holy Communion was instituted by Christ on the eve of His death, Holy Thursday night. The Apostles were celebrating the Jewish feast of Passover. The Passover was a celebration that in a special way thrust those into the experience of their ancestors deliverance from the Pharaoh in Egypt. The Passover was the Angel of Death that passed over the Israelites homes that were marked with the blood of the lamb that was sacrificed.
Jesus Christ is the new Passover. He was the Lamb that was slain to deliver all of humanity from their sins. He did
this through His death and resurrection. The night before Jesus suffered he took bread, gave it to His disciples and
as one prayer to the Father states:
"take this, all of you, and eat it: this is my body which will be given up for you." When supper was ended, he took
the cup. Again he gave you thanks and praise, gave the cup to his disciples, and said: "Take this, all of you, and
drink from it: this is the cup of my blood, the blood of the new and everlasting covenant. It will be shed for
you and for all so that sins may be forgiven. Do this in memory of me.[from Eucharistic prayer I from the Sacramentary]
Notice that the word memory is underlined. I did this to point out something special about this word. In Greek the word is anamnesis which comes from a Hebrew concept that is related to the celebration of their feasts. The word is not merely a calling to mind, but rather has real connotations of being present at the actual event that the feast is celebrating. The biblical author seems to be clearly attempting to emphasize the radical presence of Jesus under merely the appearance of bread and wine. [Mt, Mk, Lk, ]
In John's gospel the last supper account is different. John does not emphasize the institution of the Eucharist at his
accounting of the Last Supper. Rather John chooses to emphasize the radical presence of Jesus in the sixth chapter.
This section is often referred to as the Bread of Life discourse. Jesus states that "my body is real food and my blood
is real drink" and states that one must eat his flesh and blood. Again the Greek language gives us some insight into
the emphasis that the human author intended. The Greek word used for eat, is a tremendously graphic expression
which literally means "to munch or gnaw, or to devour". In John's gospel Jesus is the Word, and like the prophets
did, so we must do, we must devour God's word. Devour it as we read the Sacred Scriptures and devour it when
we receive Christ in the Sacrament of his Body and Blood.
The Healing Sacraments
Penance (CCC nn. 1422-1498) In antiquity this Sacrament was know as exomologesis by the Fathers of the Church (18). This term essentially meant regeneration. Those, through sin who lost the grace of their Baptism could be "regenerated" in a sense and take on the Baptismal purity once again. The historical development gets quite complicated, but some important points follow. Early on this Sacrament was celebrated only once and only for the most serious sins. The people who participated in this Sacrament did so during the Easter Vigil, this is Holy Saturday, the Saturday before Easter Sunday. Like the catechumens, (those who were to be baptized) they awaited the regeneration so that all could make the celebration of Easter what it should be. The church in some way maintains this tradition in a small way. It is known as one's Easter duty, namely the celebration of the Sacrament of Penance once a year during the Easter Season (40 days before Easter, and 50 days after Easter). This Easter Duty is a requirement is only binding if a person is not in the state of grace. In other words if one has knowingly committed a mortal sin. (19)
The sacrament has four main components, Confession of Sin, Contrition for Sin, and also Satisfaction or penance for the misdeed, and absolution, the prayer of the church prayed by the priest. The sacrament is a means of grace to live life with a sense of our ongoing struggle to become more human, to be more like Jesus. The celebration of the sacrament is encouraged by the Pope to be celebrated once a month by the lay faithful, and even more frequently by priests and religious.
Mortal sins, sins that separate us from God, are the only sins that must be confessed to a priest. The rational for this is the teaching is Jesus' instruction to the apostles in John's Gospel, "Go out and forgive sins, the sins you forgive they are forgiven, the sins you hold bound are held bound." (see John 20:23) Mortal sin is deadly and so serious that one should have the opportunity to be healed in person. God uses the priest as an instrument to forgive sin. It is Jesus Christ who forgives our sin, the priest acts impersona Christi, (in the person of Christ).
All sin affects us, both mortal and venial sin. Only unforgiven or unrepentant mortal sin demands eternal damnation. All sin, due to God's justice, requires some kind of temporal punishment. I am trying to make a distinction between eternal (which lasts forever and ever) and temporal (which is in time, stuff we can relate to in our experience here and now).
In trying to understand all this, a much disputed doctrine was discovered. What happens to those people who repented of their sins, but did not satisfy the demands of God's justice here and now at the time of death? The answer is Purgatory. Purgatory is a place where people satisfy the demands of God's justice after death. Purgatory is not a second chance or a place between Heaven and Hell. All souls in Purgatory are saved! They are in the process of being cleansed or purged. Purgatory could be understood as part heaven, though God's face to face presence is not accessible as it is in the fullness of Heaven.
A doctrine that is closely related to purgatory concerns what is called indulgences. Indulgences have nothing to do with sin, but relate to taking away the temporal punishment that is due. In the ancient church is was related to penances. Penances for the early Christians were sometimes crushing burdens. If a person who considered themselves Christian and were caught in adultery, the penance may include sitting on the church steps for ten years while everyone else prayed for them and the other needs of the church. There arose a system that would lessen these terms (length of time) by praying prayers or even giving alms (money given to the poor or to the Church) always with certain prayers and the correct dispositions. It doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure out that this was open to abuses.
A common misunderstanding during the time of Martin Luther was that Catholics could "buy a ticket to heaven". This was never the case though it is easy to see how it could seem like that to those who were not theologians. Most people at this time were very simple people, even the priests, though more educated could still not grasp the nuance of the position.
The concrete situation surrounding Luther concerned a plenary (full) indulgence associated with giving alms (to be used for Vatican Building projects), saying the appropriate prayers, already being sacramentally forgiven for any grave or mortal sins, and have the proper and appropriate disposition. A plenary (full) indulgence was understood to take away all the temporal (time) punishment that God's justice demanded even after the forgiveness of sins. So conceivable, if a person confessed there sins to a priest and were truly sorry, and gave these alms with the right disposition and on there way home fell off the bridge and drowned, conceivable the person would go straight to heaven. But a plenary indulgence only related to past sins, not to any sins that would be committed in the future. This is very complicated and not unreasonable though it is not easy to understand. It was understood by the Church. Some of her members may have not possessed such clarity.
In Luther's case it was further complicated by the area bishop. The region was a poor one, and the bishop refused to publicize the indulgence. The bishop however owed some money to Rome. Rome persisted and the bishop finally agreed to promote the indulgence on one condition, if the pope would agree to allow a portion of the revenue to used to pay off the debt he owed to Rome. It was agreed. Unfortunately the money was "skimmed" off the top in the presence of everyone. Luther saw this and was rightly furious. This was a main cause for the "theses" to be posted. Luther had no intention of leaving the Church. To be in religious control in this period wielded tremendous power. Luther met with resistance in his internal attempts at reform, and some German princes seized the opportunity to convince Luther to break from the Church. It is almost certain that Luther's actions were solely motivated by religious reasons, the princes' motives were seemingly more questionable. Historical accounting depends so much on whose telling the story.
The result of this encounter was known as the Counter-Reformation. The council of Trent was held from December 13, 1545 to 1564. From this council a Catechism was completed to address the concerns that Luther and others were raising about the Church.
Anointing of the Sick (CCC nn. 1499-1532) This sacrament is conferred to those who are seriously ill or of
advanced age (over 65). James tells us:
James 5:14 Is any among you sick? Let him call for the elders of the church, and let them pray over him, anointing
him with oil in the name of the Lord; and the prayer of faith will save the sick man, and the Lord will raise him up;
and if he has committed sins, he will be forgiven.
There are three types of Holy Oils we use in the Church. The first is the Oil of Catechumens, OC or OS it is for
pre-baptismal anointing, the second is the Oil of the Infirmed, OI, the third is Sacred Chrism, SC. OI is used when
someone is sick. Typically one is anointed on the head and hands. While the priest anoints the head he says,
"Through this holy anointing, may the Lord in His love and mercy, help you with the grace of the Holy Spirit. The
catholic responds: AMEN, then the priest anoints the hands while saying, "May the Lord who frees you from sin,
save you and raise you up. The catholic responds, AMEN.
The Sacraments in Service of the Community
Marriage (CCC nn. 1601-1666)
Marriage is a sacrament because it images God's own covenantal love with His People. Two people freely commit their lives to each other without limitation. The man and the woman mutually lay down there life for each other. This is the main theological reason for the Church's teaching on Artificial contraception. Artificial contraception places a barrier between the couples, either physical or chemical, and diminishes the gift of themselves to each other. Natural Family Planning (NFP) respects the order of creation and is a totally safe way to space children or even avoid pregnancy when their are serious health or economic reasons to do so. Marriage is a sacrament that is not conferred by the priest, rather it is the couple who mutually effect the sacrament. The priest or deacon is the ordinary "official witness" but does not "cause the sacrament.
A common misconception is, "If you have enough money, you can get an annulment". It is possible that there were
corrupt judges in the past, but it is erroneous. The Church invites those who can, to contribute $400.00 in this
diocese to defray the administrative costs of the investigation. Merely being separated from your spouse (Civil
Divorce) does not keep one from the other Sacraments. Only when a person enters into another sexually active
relationship should one not receive communion. Those people in irregular situations should nonetheless come to
mass and participate as fully in the community as possible.
John Paul II and the Theology of the Body
Soon after John Paul II was selected as pope, he entered into a reflection on the theology of the body. Much of his
reflection is spawned from a reflection on Genesis and the creation of man and God's plan for humanity. There are
some very important themes that we hope to develop over the next few weeks. The following is a brief overview of
some of the main topics of his reflection.
Original Innocence - this is the state of man, before the fall. The fall of humanity, the experience of original sin is something that unfortunately has twisted our good nature that God created and intended from the beginning.
Shame - a reality that results from the fall of man from grace.
Original Solitude - An experience of man related in the Genesis account before the creation of woman.
Communio Personarun - this reflects the profound longing for unity
John Paul II also reflects on the ramifications of the fall and the "man of lust". The pope develops this concept by
reflecting on the words found in Matthew's Gospel which reflects on the interior disposition of the person as being
very important. One can commit adultery by "looking lustfully at a woman or a man".
There is a reflection on what lust truly is and he sees lust in a threefold way:
John Paul II - Theology of the Body - Papal Audiences
The series of Audiences begin in September of 1979 and start with a reflection on the indissolubility of Marriage. Jesus responds to the Pharisees query by quoting Genesis, "In the beginning God made them male and female, for this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two will become one flesh". Christ reveals to us the original intent for man and woman.
The second creation account is believed to be a Yahwist account, it is believed to be the more ancient account and also it reveals man's original innocence, his happiness and the fall. The pope makes a distinction between the time before the fall and the time after the fall.
Original Innocence is the condition which is the opposite of the state of Original Sin. It is also in the early chapters of Genesis, namely 3:15, the proto-gospel, of God's promise to Adam and Eve that the serpant will be crushed by the offspring of the woman.
In these early audiences the pope also references man's Original Solitude. This solitude has two meanings, one from his very nature, his humanity, and second that results from the male/female relationship. This idea of solitude is only referenced in the second creation account and not in the first.
Man is distinct as a result of his self-knowledge and awareness. The human person is given certain primacy over the other creatures, and therefore a certain responsibility as well. Original Solitude includes aspects of both self-awareness and self-determination. Man is distinct from all other creatures and is given dominion over the earth. This Original Solitude also entails the reality of the aspects of death and immortality.[Oct. 31, 1979]
God creates man and women, and there is a unity that is intended from the beginning. Man awakes from his sleep in the creation account, a word that can have connotations of ecstacy, and finally recognizes another "self". Something that at least potentially that can break into that Original solitude.
Next the holy father moves into a reflection on the communio personarum. This again is something that is distinct from the common reality of the animals (animalia). This understanding of the relationship also is a real preparation for and understanding of the Trinity as a community of persons.
As God has created this reality of Man, male and female, intended to be a unity from the beginning, it reveals to us the very center of what "Man" is, it is very near what the pope calls the core of the anthropological reality.
In December of 1979 the holy father moves to a reflection on shame. Shame is seen as a "boundary" experience. In other words in was not part of the original experience of man. Shame is a complex experience but serves as a means to keep separate, man from man's other self. At its heart is fear that is experienced between the male and female. The absence of shame points to a reality of purity and openness in all aspects of communication, thus this enables a deep and profound experience of communion or unity.
The pope also sees creation as a gift, and reflects on the significance of gift and what that truly means. At the heart of the "nuptial meaning of the body" is the capacity to be truly a gift, to be self-possessed and be able to offer oneself freely in a way that goes far beyond the level if instinct that the animals share (animalia). Genesis relates that Adam could really only discover himself, by making a gift of himself to another, bone of his bones and flesh of his flesh.
The pope notes that this is at the heart of the nuptial meaning of the body and is most naturally realize in a marital relationship between a man and a woman. He also recognizes this nuptial meaning of the body realized by a gift of one's body for the kingdom of God, lived out in a celibate commitment.
The pope returns to some themes, Original Innocence and his historical experience, Man and Woman as mutual gifts to each other .
If one begins to read much of the holy father's writings, there needs to be an understanding of the word "subject" which is expanded to "subjective". Subject in a philosophical sense is much different than the common usage of the word 'subjective'. Subjective cannot be understood to mean "relative" or variable or even "non-objective", but it strives to appreciate what everybody, each individual brings to the task of understanding what is true or "objective". The human person is not merely and object, but truly is a "subject". The human person by his or her very nature has the capacity for the infinite. So there is a distinction seemingly between man as object and man as subject. Recently a friend quoted something to me that seems quite appropriate, "God created Man to love people and use things, sadly, most people love things and use people." I would see and object as something to be used, while subjects are something to be loved.
In Hebrew the word for "know" relates to many things, and among them would be sexual union. This union as it is
related in Genesis results in new life and procreation. A great aspect of man as revealed in the feminine
manifestation of that reality is motherhood. The offspring is the direct result of the two becoming one. God's plan
is revealed in a profound way in the relationships that He intends, every facet of the relationship that is lived in
accord with God's plan is good, and reveals something deeply profound about God's plan for the human person.
After all, God the creator "saw... and behold, it was very good." [March 26, 1980]
The Theology of the Body the Blessed are the Pure of Heart
The first 24 audiences reflect on the indissolubility of marriage and also the deep realities of how masculinity and femininity reflect the core of the anthropological reality of the human person. The next section of the audiences turn towards the implications of that indissolubility of that relationship. Hence a detailed reflection of what it means to be pure of heart ensues. The holy father turns to Matthew's text and the Sermon on the Mount, specifically Mt. 5:27-28 "You have heard it said, "you shall not commit adultery" , but I tell you, "anyone who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart".
There is a question of the law, and what the law demands. At the heart of the law is justice and justice demands two things for it to be truly fruitful for the individual. It must be carried out, we must "act justly", but for it to be truly efficacious, (to have a real effect on us) it must abide in us on an interior level as well. This is key in understanding what is being said in the prescription of Jesus. It would seem that in this sense when both these realities exist, action and interior disposition, one would experience what the pope would call "subjective vitality", in other words we touch what it truly means to live as a human being. This is not an easy task to get to this point, but this is what we strive for. The holy father enters into a discussion of what he would call ethos, this is the root of the word "ethics" or from the Latin mores, "morals".
By its very nature, adultery is a breech of unity between husband and wife. Understanding adultery in this way demonstrates how the unity of husband and wife can be easily compromised in the heart.
Lust is the fruit of the breach of the Covenant with God. When something other than God becomes the object of our desire for its own sake.
Lust is broken down into three categories, 1) lust of the flesh, 2) lust of the eyes, and 3) the pride of life. This really seems to be broken down into a lust for 1)pleasure, 2) possessions, and 3) power. This concept is also manifest in 1 John 2:15-16 (20)
The concept of shame and Original nakedness is developed in the audiences from the time of April 30, 1980. There was no sense of shame in our first parents. This is epitomized in the popes understanding of original innocence. After the fall, nakedness instilled a fear Gen 3:10. The original innocence expresses a fullness of acceptance as opposed a lack or rejection of the body.
Now as the result of the fall there is a fundamental disquiet that fills human existence. Lust, especially lust of the flesh is a specific threat to self-mastery and self control. This shame introduces into human relations a great difficulty. It makes it more difficult to bring to fruition the communion of persons. After the fall, Man loses the sense of the image of God in the human person, and this is manifest in the expression of shame [June 4, 1980]
Shame destroys perfect trust and hence suspicion is introduced into human relations. From this flows temptations towards domination. Lust serves to limit one's ability to grasp the full meaning of the nuptial meaning of the body. Opposition is introduced into the male-female relationship. This opposition is manifest when lust drives the person, and they fail to exercise self-mastery and self-control. This serves to damage and impede the full communion of persons that God intended from the beginning.
In the Heart one fights the battle between love and lust. The more lust dominates the heart the more the less the heart experiences the nuptial meaning of the body. Concupiscence ultimately entails the real loss of freedom of the person to act. At the heart of the nuptial meaning of the body is realized in the freedom of the person to truly make a gift of oneself to the other. This is realize in married life between spouses and in religious life by the person making a gift of themselves to the Church, the Mystical Body of Christ who is God. Lust again is that which fails to recognize one's own ability to be a gift to the other and tends to see the other as an object to be consumed. The "my" beloved in the nuptial meaning of the body only takes on its correct meaning when it is understood mutually. Two people making the gift so that at the same time they are mutually the other's "my". [July 30, 1980]
The Sermon of the mount speaks to all men of all ages. Adultery epitomize the breakdown of the personal covenant. The spousal relationship reflects God relationship with Israel, while the adulteress reflects the historical breech in the covenant between God and the people of Israel. Jesus takes the level of adultery from and external act to the level of the heart.
Mutual Attraction differs from lust [September 17, 1980] Lust leads to a depersonalization of the other. Lust comes from concupiscence. There clearly exists a tension and holy father is striving to see the ethos or ethic that Christ establishes in the Sermon on the Mount. Adultery apart from its objective act can stem from a person not recognizing the profound dignity of the other.
Many years ago the pope was criticized for suggesting that man could commit adultery with his wife, but the nuance in which he was trying to relate escaped the sensationalism of the media. The pope tries to help the world see the deep and profound goodness that exists in each and every human being. Christianity throughout the ages had its battles in appreciated the intent of Christ's word. Manicheism tended to see matter as evil and would emphasize the instruction, if the eye is the problem tear it out, if the hand, cut it off. The pope's ethos is aimed at recognizing the goodness of the body and its various dimensions. It appreciates the physical realities, but also the realities of the heart. It is the heart that must ultimately be conquered.
Eros and Ethos meet in the human heart [Nov 5, 1980] When eros is understood to be that interior force that attract the human person to all that is beautiful, it certainly goes well with the ethos Christ establishes. The ethos is not rooted in what not to do, but rather to be free enough to accomplish what out to be done.
When virtue becomes such a deep part of us, we need not fear spontaneity. Augustine's words come to mind to me, "love and do as you will!" If love is truly our motivating force only good will come, but we must become aware of real love and beauty and not be duped by concupiscence and the lust that we battle on the front of the human heart.
Purity of heart is the ability to recapture original innocence. It ultimately is realized from the disposition of the
heart. God can purify us, our minds, our bodies, and indeed our hearts.[December 10, 1980]
Holy Orders (CCC nn. 1536-1600) This is the sacrament which entails ordination. Its institution stems from the last supper and the apostolic ministry. There are three "orders", deacon, priest and bishop. The biblical terms are deaconal, presbyteral, and episcopal orders. The Catechism of the Catholic Church discusses the hierarchical structure of the Church (nn. 874-896). The technical Church word regarding the hierarchy is impersona Christi capitis, literally "in the person of Christ the head". Through baptism we all share in the priestly, prophetic and kingly role of Christ, the ordained ministry, ministerial priesthood in particular, shares in the more visible sacramental role. Henri de Lubac in his book Splendor of the Church (21) describes the distinction between the priesthood of the baptized and the ordained or ministerial priesthood. De Lubac notes that there is only one priesthood, the priesthood of Jesus Christ himself, however we participate in that priesthood in different ways. The baptized are truly priest and they manifest there priestly identity in an internalor less visible way, while the ministerial priest manifests the priesthood of Christ in a more visible andexternal way.
It is this symbolic significance that sheds light on the question of the ordination of women priests. The Church in her tradition has never ordained women in this role, not because they are somehow inferior or less human, but rather symbolically they are not a man as Jesus was a man (22). This may not seem to be a good reason, but it does make some sense. If you were casting a play for Hercules, would you cast a woman in that role? The reason does not stem from personal dignity or worthiness, but rather the symbolic dimensions that lie embedded in the issue. The Catholic Church is a sacramental Church. A Church rooted in history and bound by the Apostolic Tradition.
In the early Church there seems to have been female deacons (deaconesses). There role is unclear, but it is believed that there role chiefly was associated with the baptismal ministry. It seems as though the office certainly existed in the East, but in the West (Rome) there is no proof that such an order or office existed. (23) It is believed that women would disrobe and for the sake of modesty the female deacons are believed to have assisted in that ministry.
Some who argue for the ordination of women claim that the church was a slave to the culture therefore was not enlightened as we are today. Historically this is not a persuasive argument, because the church was quick to "Christianize" some pagan practices. Many feasts were purged of there pagan aspects and even the Monstrance, (the sacred vessel that we use to adore Christ in adoration of the Blessed Sacrament) resembled the pagan sunburst. It was normative in pagan religions to have female priestesses. So, in point of fact, the Church was going against the tide or whim of history in its practice of not ordaining women.
The ministerial priesthood fulfills the Old Testament Levitical priesthood and the priesthood of Melchizedek. Melchizedek was priest and king of Salem (ancient Jerusalem) in Abraham's time as related in the book of Genesis. The Levitical priesthood was genetic, passed on from generation to generation, while the order of Melchizedek is not limited by any ancestry. There is a book written by Christian Cochini, The Apostolic Origins of Priestly Celibacy which is a scholarly account of the Church's understanding of priesthood.
The ministry of the Levitical priesthood was to offer sacrifice in the temple. When the priests would serve in the temple they would be in service apart from their wives while they fulfilled their duties. In other words they practiced continence (did not have relations with their wives) while performing their liturgical ministry. One of the reasons for celibacy was linked with this idea of perfecting the temple worship. Since the priests also known as presbyters of the early Church were constantly engaged in liturgical worship, they were expected to practice perpetual continence(e.g. celibacy).
There is some incredible links with the Old Testament worship as perfected in they Sacrifice of the Mass. In the
Old Testament we find in the book of Exodus that the Ark of the Covenant contained three objects: 1) the tablets
or testimony given to Moses which had inscribed the ten commandments, 2) a cup or omer of manna, and 3) Aaron's
staff.
Ex 16:33-34 And Moses said to Aaron, "Take a jar, and put an omer of manna in it, and place it before the LORD, to be kept throughout your generations. As the LORD commanded Moses, so Aaron placed it before the testimony, to be kept.
Ex 25:16 And you shall put into the ark the testimony which I shall give you.
Nm 17:10 And the LORD said to Moses, "Put back the rod of Aaron before the testimony, to be kept as a sign for
the rebels, that you may make an end of their murmurings against me, lest they die."
The Ark of the Covenant was kept in the center of the temple in the Holy of Holies. When the Israelites were in transition the Ark was kept in a tent, in Latin the word for tent is tabernacle. In our tabernacle in every Catholic Church in the world we keep Jesus, the Lord of Glory and His abiding presence there. Note that Jesus is the Word of God (the commandments are the word of God), Jesus in the Manna come down from heaven, see John 6, and Jesus is the Good Shepherd and every shepherd leads with a staff. Jesus fulfills the temple worship with His presence in the tabernacle.
The ministerial priesthood fulfills the priesthood that was promised by God in the Old Testament. The sacrifice
today is unending, somewhere, every second of everyday, somewhere in the world mass is being offered in what the
Church has believed to fulfill the following passage from Malachi 1:11:
For from the rising of the sun to its setting my name is great among the nations, and in every place incense is
offered to my name, and a pure offering; for my name is great among the nations, says the LORD of hosts.
Jesus Christ Himself can be the only pure offering. Jesus the perfect sacrifice that atones for all the sins of the
world. Jesus is our redeemer. For our part we must respond to the gift He offers.
Conclusion Sacraments are things we can taste touch and truly experience. God made us creatures of flesh and
blood. The world was created good and not to be a waste. Sacraments, all of them are sacraments of the living.
We as Catholics don't baptize those who have died, or anoint them. We still pray for them. If there is some doubt
as to death the sacraments can be administered.
At mass when we proclaim the mystery of faith, one of the options is, "Christ has died, Christ is risen, Christ will
come again." We are truly part of the Body of Christ in a real way. Jesus himself tells the story about the king and
judgement day:
Mat 25:34-46 Then the King will say to those at his right hand, 'Come, O blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom
prepared for you from the foundation of the world; for I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you
gave me drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, I was naked and you clothed me, I was sick and you visited
me, I was in prison and you came to me.' Then the righteous will answer him, 'Lord, when did we see thee hungry
and feed thee, or thirsty and give thee drink? And when did we see thee a stranger and welcome thee, or naked and
clothe thee? And when did we see thee sick or in prison and visit thee?' And the King will answer them, 'Truly, I say
to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brethren, you did it to me.' Then he will say to those at his left
hand, 'Depart from me, you cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels; for I was hungry and
you gave me no food, I was thirsty and you gave me no drink, I was a stranger and you did not welcome me, naked
and you did not clothe me, sick and in prison and you did not visit me.' Then they also will answer, 'Lord, when did
we see thee hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and did not minister to thee?' Then he will
answer them, 'Truly, I say to you, as you did it not to one of the least of these, you did it not to me.' And they will
go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life."[RSV]
We spend our lives deepening our insight into this mystery.
Prayer, Faith, Personal Actions and the Christian Life
Prayer is conversation with God. In the Church there are many forms of prayer. They all are important in their unique aspects. There is structured prayer, that can be either Liturgical (e.g. the mass or the Liturgy of the Hours, Morning and evening prayer etc.) or personal. Personal prayer can be structured, or totally spontaneous. By structured I mean the Rosary, or other forms that are from the living tradition of the church. Spontaneous is just that heart to heart talk with God.
Faith again is our dynamic belief, it is not something we so much possess as it is a gift from God. Faith is much more than just what we say we believe, that is part of it, faith is lived by us in our lives.
Personal actions reflect our faith. Traditionally actions have a quality of there own. Actions are sometimes in and
of themselves good, and sometimes in and of themselves bad, while some actions in and of themselves are neither
good nor bad, but rather conditioned by the context in which the person acting finds oneself. This understanding of
actions is really important in understanding Catholic Moral Teaching.
An example:
There was a little boy who had a plant that someone had given him. He had asked some people that he trusted,
"how can I best care for this plant". They were uncertain, but they believed in good faith that if one poured oil on
the plant one would be well served in caring for the plant. The boy followed their instructions. The plant soon died.
This little story conveys a lot. Pouring oil is neither good or bad in and of itself, but pouring oil on a living plant (a particular context is always bad, it does not matter who is doing the pouring).
Today there is a great deal of confusion about personal actions. Some theologians, even catholic theologians seem to confuse the issue regarding the personal quality of actions. The Church teaches that some actions are intrinsically evil, in other words those actions are never befitting a Christian. The Pope's encyclical, Veritatis Splendor, clearly tries to explain this teaching.
In mainline Catholic thought, those actions which are seen as intrinsically evil are categorized as grave or serious matter. The next section we will get into a more detailed discussion of Sin and what it is, but for now it is good to make a distinction between the various degrees of wrongdoing or sin. There are two basic ways to classify sin, namely: mortal sin and venial sin. Mortal as the name implies is deadly sin or sin that cuts us off from God and the community of believers, while venial sin would strains our relationship with God and neighbor but does not sever that bond.
1 John 5:16-18 If any one sees his brother committing what is not a mortal sin, he will ask, and God will give him
life for those whose sin is not mortal. There is sin which is mortal; I do not say that one is to pray for that. All
wrongdoing is sin, but there is sin which is not mortal. We know that any one born of God does not sin, but He
who was born of God keeps him, and the evil one does not touch him.[RSV Translation]
Christian life is about being motivated by the love of God and neighbor. These are the two great commandments,
Love God above all else and love your neighbor as yourself. Sin is the result of our failure to recognize who we are,
children of the light.
Is It Ever OK to Pull the Plug?
Euthanasia - from the Greek, literally an easy death. Today it is terrifying to see the horrible suffering that goes on around us. Maybe we had or indeed have someone who is suffering in our midst. The long slow death of cancer is difficult for anyone to endure. Suffering is never easy. In fact it is always a cross. It is interesting to see the competing world views of Euthanasia. To begin with let us look at a contemporary look at the secular outlook.
From The New Grolier Multimedia Encyclopedia a definition of Euthanasia (italics, bold, added for emphasis):
In recent decades the term has come to mean deliberately terminating life to prevent unavoidable suffering.
Passive euthanasia is discontinuing life-sustaining treatment of the ill or stopping so-called extraordinary treatment.
Active euthanasia, or mercy killing, is putting to death a person who, due to disease or extreme age, can no longer
lead a meaningful life; the term can also include an act of voluntary euthanasia, or SUICIDE, for similar reasons.
Doctors traditionally have taken the Hippocratic oath:
The Declaration of Geneva updated in 1967 [Grolier Reference]
At the time of being admitted a member of the medical profession:
I solemnly pledge myself to consecrate my life to the service of humanity;
I will give my teachers the respect and gratitude which is their due;
I will practice my profession with conscience and dignity;
The health of my patient will be my first consideration;
I will respect the secrets which are confided in me, even after the patient has died;
I will maintain by all the means in my power, the honor and the noble traditions of the medical profession;
My colleagues will be my brothers;
I will not permit considerations of religion, nationality, race, party politics or social standing to intervene between my duty and my patient;
I will maintain the utmost respect for human life from the time of conception; even under threat I will not use my medical knowledge contrary to the laws of humanity.
I make these promises solemnly, freely and upon my honor.
It is important to know the way in which words are used, both in the definition and also in the Hippocratic oath. In today's society we are often a society of rhetoric, as opposed to meaning. To begin with we must try and understand some key distinctions and criteria.
From the secular definition it is clear that we have become a materialistic society. What does the phrase "meaningful life" mean? What gives life meaning, is it function? I am not an adherent to the conspiracy theories that are rampant. That there is a conspiracy to destroy mankind by a few powerful people. I do believe however that there are principalities and powers that try and confuse us and get us to lose sight of what truly is important. The human person's life is meaningful because life is a gift from God. All of us share equally in that gift. While others may be more gifted in certain ways, it by no means makes there life more meaningful. A doctor's life is no more meaningful than a homeless person's; nor an invalid or gifted athlete.
Many have been confused to think that meaning stems from function. There may be some societal engineers who long for the opportunity of euthanasia to purge the world of what they would judge to be abnormal. Any deformed child and handicapped person may not make the cut. Social security would have no problems, because when peoples life "don't have meaning" e.g. they cannot produce for society" we would be able to help them avoid the feeling of uselessness. (in other words we kill them)
Note also in the Hippocratic oath that the doctors function is aimed at health. Can killing a person ever be equated
with health? Note also how they are called to respect life from conception. How can doctors support abortion?
The Church on the other hand lives by the principal:
NEVER DIRECTLY TAKE INNOCENT LIFE!
It may be hard to understand, but the church sees that all life has infinite value. Human Dignity is the key. Human dignity is the key because Jesus has a human nature. The church's teaching stems from the simple belief that God is the Master of life and death. We do not have the "right" to die. We have the moral obligation to promote and protect innocent life, never destroy it.
The Catechism of the Catholic Church relates this basic teaching in a few brief sections, nn. 2276-2279. Section 2324 states clearly the church's position:
Intentional euthanasia, whatever its forms or motives, is murder. It is gravely contrary to the dignity of the human person and to the respect due to the living God, his Creator.
To understand the Church's teaching there are some key distinctions; namely the difference betweenordinary and extraordinary means. Also one must consider due proportion regarding the extent of the treatment and the benefit that will be derived from the treatment. The other aspects consider the difference between direct and indirect taking of life, and also the difference between innocent and non-innocent life.
There is room for legitimate pluralism in the Catholic Church. For example one can still consider themselves quite Catholic and be an advocate of the death penalty. By the same token ostensibly one cannot be Catholic and support artificial contraception or abortion. Artificial contraception is the direct intervention that intends to frustrate God's design for life, while abortion directly destroys a genetically complete human being, while these actions differ in degree, both are serious sins. The death penalty, while morally licit, is not seemingly the most Christ like expression of His teaching. Jesus is always for the poor and the oppressed, he invites us to go beyond what is morally licit, and be merciful, (e.g. turn the other cheek; even desiring another in one's heart is adultery).
Confusion is rampant in the Church, even among some of her theologians, the lack of charity displayed is amazing in some of their debates, whether from the left or the right. It always comes back to some very basic points, are our actions selfless always aimed at God's design, or do we want to manipulate and control our destiny.
Consider some Cases Margaret is 83 and has had chronic bronchitis for 30 years. She has had two heart attacks and can no longer breath on her own and is in a coma. She had always expressed that she did not want to be kept alive by machines. She said she believed in Jesus and eternal life and felt that death was not the end but merely that which is the transition to eternal life. Can we morally discontinue treatment?
Response: One is free to make the difficult decision to turn off the machine. The "treatment" is not so much aimed
at heath, but rather it maintains a situation which doesn't really hold out any real proportionate benefits, especially in
light of faith and eternal life. One is not morally obliged to continue treatment.
Harriet is 34 years old and is severely handicapped and has MS. A terrible degenerate disease. She can breath on her own, but is paralyzed from the neck down. She cannot feed herself or meet her most basic needs. She wants to save her family from all the distress, and burden that she has become for them. She wants to die, and asks the doctor to help her. Can this be morally a viable option
Response: In earthly terms it may seem as though life has no "meaning" for Harriet. Meaning though, can never be
measured by function. If any of you have helped care for someone, in the recesses of your heart I am sure that you
were glad that you at least tried, even if it ultimately resulted in making the difficult decision of putting someone in a
nursing home. Suffering has meaning, our own suffering is really united to Jesus, that suffering can be that of the
person who suffers or those who care for the suffering. This is a great mystery, but service is at the heart of the
Christian Vocation. We cannot be who God created us to be unless we serve one another. You have probably
figured by this time that it would be wrong to assist in the death of Harriet. Fulton Sheen made the comment, "To
suffer without Jesus is nothing more than sheer misery. To suffer with Jesus gives meaning to suffering, a suffering
that redeems the whole world.
Conclusion If we lose sight of our eternal destiny suffering makes no sense. If there is no faith in eternity than we should make a respirator for every human being so that some day man can save himself by some new technology. The common thread is to understand the purpose of technology, is it to "ward off death" or is it aimed at promoting life. It is key to remember that life is awesome because it is a gift from God, we do not have authority to take innocent human life. Meaning does not come from what we do but rather who we are, children of the Almighty God.
Salvation History at a Glance
The History of the Early World
Genesis - Beginnings
Creation Stories
7 days
Adam and Eve
1st Covenant (marital)
The Fall
Man's irresponsibility
The devil's deceit
God forgives
Cain and Abel
Evil grows
Noah is Just
God saves Noah by the Ark
2nd Covenant (Household)
Tower of Babel - Man's Pride
Sodom and Gomorrah
The Patriarchs
Abraham our Father in Faith
God promises descendants.
Establishes 3rd Covenant (Tribal)
Abraham waits a long time, and gets impatient
Sara and Hagar
Hagar has Ishmael
Sara is jealous.
Sara finally has Isaac (laughter)
Hagar sent away with Ishmael, Ishmael associated today with Islam religion.
Abraham asked to sacrifice Isaac, He trusts God. God stops him with an angel.
Isaac marries Rebecca and has twin sons, Jacob and Esau.
These guys fight from birth.
Esau is a hunter Jacob a farmer.
Esau gives his birthright away for a bowl of porridge.
Jacob with Rebecca's help tricks Isaac into giving Jacob his blessing.
Jacob's name is changed to Israel.
Jacob has 12 sons, and liked Joseph a lot. The other brothers were jealous.
Jacob gave Joseph a nice coat and the brothers were mad.
They threw Joseph into a hole and were going to kill him, but sold him into slavery instead.
The took the blood from another animal and tricked Jacob into thinking it was Joseph's Blood..
Interesting to note that Jacob tricked his father Isaac, now he is tricked by his own sons. (What comes around, goes around)
Joseph ends up in Egypt.
Joseph was a man of God and could interpret dreams.
He became a good friend to the Pharaoh and was in second command.
Famine breaks out in Joseph's homeland and his brothers come to Egypt looking for food.
Joseph helps them, even after what they have done. He sees God's hand in his hardships.
The Israelites become very strong in Egypt. The later pharaohs become afraid and make the Israelites slaves.
The people cry out to God for help. God sends Moses to help them.
Exodus
(the People Leave)
The first plan was to go out in the dessert for three days and sacrifice sheep, cattle and goats (the gods of Egypt)
Pharaoh made the order to kill all baby boys.
The Jews were commanded to take the blood of a male unblemished lamb. Put the blood on the doorpost, and eat the lamb.
Pharaoh commands the people to leave. But changed his mind and chased them.
Moses, with Aaron's staff, split the Red Sea, and Pharaoh's army was lost in the Red See.
Moses went to pray on the mountain for forty days. The people sinned by making a golden calf.
Moses received the ten commandments, but broke them over the calf.
God told Moses he should start over and des